Towheeblog

One afternoon after my morning field trip, I spent a hour or so at Upper Bidwell Park on the eastern edge of Chico.  The lower part of the park has a remnant of old-time oak chaparral.  And the birds to match.  Western Bluebirds.  Oak Titmouse.  And scads of Acorn Woodpeckers going about their jobs, including flycatching.  Acorn Woodpeckers and their close cousin, Lewis’s, and inveterate fly catchers.  While a flicker may head to the ground among robins, these guys take to the air like waxwings or phoebe.
Click on any photo to enlarge:Part of the colony’s granary:AND THE OTHERSThis sign stands in the lower part of the park, not far from Paradise which was largely destroyed in a mega-fire in November, 2018. Since the Camp Fire, as it was named, small numbers of residents have returned.  Some insurance companies paid up, some fight on.  Some residents have relocated permanently.  I met one birder who said it was an act of blind faith but she and her husband rebuilt with their insurance payment, but about 10% of her neighborhood is re-occupied.