August 3

Wonderful Cockatiels

Are you looking for the perfect pet? I have one for you. It’s soft, it has a yellowish color and has bright orange cheeks. It’s not Pikachu, it’s a cockatiel! Cockatiels are the second most popular pet bird in the United States (after parrots). It’s not just because they are cute but because of the three C’s and those are easy to care for, cheap, and compatible for all ages.

It’s very easy to take care of cockatiels. Cockatiels can be left alone for a long time. This means if you are out of town for the weekend then you won’t have to get a pet sitter. They take care of themselves. They only need to get fed once every 2 to 3 days and their cage only needs to be cleaned once every 2 weeks. Another reason they are good pets is you won’t have to spend extra time walking them. They are happy exercising by themselves inside or out of their cage. Cockatiels like walking around inside the house, out of their cage while you pursue a quiet activity like studying or reading.

Another reason cockatiels are the perfect pet is because they are cheap. Of course buying one is about $100-$300 but after that, you will have nothing to worry about. The first reason is cockatiels get sick very rarely so you won’t have to pay for the vet often. Also, cockatiels don’t need check-ups or shots whin big bags last for a long time. Also, you won’t have to buy toys for them because they keep ich can be very expensive. Cockatiels do not eat much so the food which are cheap and come themselves entertained with anything around them. They don’t need toys to gnaw on to help their teeth (or beak) or climbing structures to be up high.

Whether you are 5 or 105, you will always love these nice animals called cockatiels. Cockatiels are smart so they are very easy to train. Kids will have fun teaching them do tricks. Kids would be amused seeing cockatiels learn simple tricks like stepping up and down and bow their head and some complicated tricks like somersaulting and saying their name. Also, cockatiels are quiet so if some families have babies who are afraid of loud noises then these birds are perfect for them. Cockatiels are also good for seniors especially if they live alone. They are good companions for them because they don’t need much attention but they can be there to keep them company.  Seniors will also like the cockatiel’s quiet qualities.

Still not convinced that cockatiels are the perfect pet? Well just ask the millions of people who own them today and they will change your mind. They will tell you about the three Cs and other reasons that make cockatiels the perfect pet.   

May 21

White tailed Kites

Hunting kite

This is a white-tailed kite.

White-tailed Kites are birds of prey. It is sometimes referred to as the “Black-Shouldered Kite”. It is an amazing bird, it looks like a Black-Shouldered Kite, it has a similar hunt strategy as a Kestrel or an Osprey, and hunts small animals that are easy to catch. It is the most amazing bird I’ve ever seen!

Now I think you might be wondering what White-Tailed Kites look like. The White-Tailed Kite has two black and grey wings, a white tail, a white body, and a white head. Its beak is yellowish orange, like its feet.Overall light gray/white body with black shoulders, black area around eye, short black hooked beak, black carpal patches, red eye, pointed wings, 14 to 15 inches in length, 40 inch wingspan. The baby Kites look a little bit different from the adults. The baby Kites are have a lot of brown on their bodies.

The White-Tailed Kites have a similar hunt strategy as the American Kestrel. White-Tailed Kites hunts by hovering in place. It will hover up to 100 feet high above its prey, swoop down really fast so its prey won’t run away and hide. White-Tailed Kites hunt rodent, snakes, small birds, amphibians, and other small creatures that are easy to catch.

White Tailed Kites live in grasslands, marshes, savannas, and other open land.  White Tailed Kites lay 3-5 eggs with lots of brown spots. Their nest is made out of twigs and sticks and outlined in grass. Their nest is usually build in a tall tree near water. Most of White-Tailed Kites live in South America. Here are some Places You Might Find White-Tailed Kites in San Diego. Mission Trails Park, San Diego Rose Canyon, University City Poway Santa Ysabel area.

Now you know how White-Tailed Kites look, how White-Tailed Kites hunt, where White-Tailed Kites live, and where you might find one. Next time you see something flying with a white body, black/grey wings, chances are that the bird is a White-Tailed Kite.

Photo Credit: Jack Wolf via Compfight

May 20

House Wrens

The Voice

Male wrens sing to attract females.

Have you ever heard of a house wren? Well they are  very interesting birds. They are not like any other bird.  They are a small singing bird they live in  Rose Canyon. Keep reading and you will find out what the house wren sounds like, what they look like, what they eat, and their mating system.

The house wren is a few different colors such as light brown on the back cream the chest and a little red in their feathers. They have a small pointed sharp beak. They weigh about 15 ounces (oz) and their wingspan is about 5 inches, that is about the size of a small pencil.  They have tons of feathers all over. There are different kinds  wrens they a ll look smiler but the details are different and some are different colors then other wrens.

The house wren  mostly eats small berries, insects, leaves from trees nearby, and other things in nature . The male house wren will usually get the food and bring it back to his family.They live in Rose Canyon witch is good for them because there are tons of insects all over for them to eat.Kind of like food to go

When the male house wren sings a song it means he wants a family and a wife.  House wrens have a high pitch song so the female can hear them.  Their song is very relaxing too. I think it sounds like water bouncing off rocks. They only sing their song when they are ready for a female to come to his nest it has built–which means his nest is full of  twigs, and sticks and leaves .

The house wren has a very interesting mating system. The male house wren finds a home then puts sticks and twigs inside. Then he sings a song and the female comes because she hears the song. After that the females lays eggs, and they have baby birds. For a while the parents will stay with their babies. The male will get the food for the babies. Last, the parents fly away when the babies are grown up.

The house wren is a very smart  bird. They know exactly what to do–how to build a nest, how to sing songs, and how to raise their babies. The house wren is very unique and different. They are friends of rose canyon  and all the other things in nature. I hope I get to see the house wren again in Rose Canyon.

Photo Credit: Andy Morffew via Compfight


May 17

Ravens in the sky

A raven flying.

Have you ever seen a black bird with a knife like beak or heard them too around school or in Rose Canyon? These birds are very loud. If you have you probably saw a raven. Ravens look like tall, black, and pretty overweight for a bird. Now follow me into an adventure into the sky.

When Ravens get hungry they go hunting for example. bird eggs, rodents, grains, seabirds, worms, insects or dead bodies of other animals berries, fruit, cereal grain, food waste. So now you know what ravens eat its kind of disturbing but its what they eat. They like it so yeah that’s what they eat. Ravens eat anything easy to catch.

Ravens live in many different places like the northern hemisphere is one place. Another is the Mediterranean, forests, and rocky coast. They live in other places like the tundra, grasslands. And strangely the artic.

Ravens look like crows but they are bigger and longer tails. They have knife like beaks. And come in many different size and shapes. They could be blue and shiny or normally really black.When ravens are babies they look chubby and fluffy. When they are grownups the look tall and skinny, and look like they have small legs. They have a wingspan of 46 inches.

Ravens are very smart, sometimes, they even take our lunches! They are very interesting animals. If you want to read more about Ravens try national geographic.com or common ravens.com. Those are some of the web sites you can try.

May 17

Red-tailed bird of prey

Red-tailed Hawk flying high.

Red-tail Hawks are awesome birds that have a red tail and sore super high in the air. These high flying birds can spot a mouse from over 100 feet away and they swoop down twenty miles an hour to grab their prey. Surprise!

Red-tailed hawks are beautiful birds. Red tailed hawks can have a wingspan up to four feet long. They fly 70 to 100 feet high. You can tell the difference between them and other hawks because they have red tails. Their tails aren’t completely red its mostly rust colored.

Red-tail hawks have an interesting diet.  They eat frogs, lizards, salamanders, toads, crayfish, centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, earthworms, and fish. They eat all kinds of birds like bobwhites, crows, woodpeckers, and small owls. The hawk swoops down at amazing speed, like 120 miles an hour, and snatches the prey with its talons, and squeezes the prey until its talons sink into its body.

Red-tail hawks have an interesting family life. When they mate they do a little dance in the air. They do a dive bomb then spiral around each other. Red-tail hawks lay their eggs in nests in trees. When the adults take off for food the babies hop on the ground looking for small food such as spiders, insects, and lizards.

Red-tail hawks are very large and beautiful creatures that sore super high in the air. I think they are very interesting creatures.If you see something flying very high chances are it’s a hawk, and maybe even a Red-tailed hawk.

Photo-credit: By Bear golden retriever from auburn,ny, usa (04.27.09  Uploaded by berichard) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

May 17

Cooper’s Hawk, a bird of prey

A Cooper’s Hawk is a bird of prey and is often found in the canyons of San Diego, like Rose Canyon. I’m going to tell you about Cooper’s Hawks–where they live, what they eat, and what they look like. I chose this animal because I think they are interesting and amazing birds.

Cooper’s Hawks can be found anywhere between Southern Canada and Northern Mexico. Some Cooper’s Hawks spend the winter in Panama. The Cooper’s Hawk used to not live in cities. Now they live in cities, in the woodlands, and mountain forests.

Cooper’s Hawks vary in size depending on the region they are in. The ones from Western North America are smaller than the ones from the East. A Cooper’s Hawk is a medium sized hawk. The male is smaller than the female. Males weighs between 7 to 14 ounces which is less than one pound.  Females are between 1-2 pounds.  Males are 14-18 inches tall.  Females are 17-20 inches tall.  These hawks have short wings and long tails.  They have sharp talons (sharp claws) and hooked beaks for catching and eating prey. They have brown spots on a white tummy. Adults have red eyes and juveniles have yellow eyes with a brown cap or head. In the hawk family they are medium sized compared to other hawks.

Cooper’s Hawks can eat lots of different kinds of small animals like rats, mice, and other rodents. They also eat small animals like rabbits and squirrels. They mostly eat small to medium sized birds like a house wren. When a hawk sees an animal that is flying, it swoops down, grabs, and brings the prey back to the nest. After catching an animal, it squeezes the prey with its sharp talons until the animal dies then the hawk eats it.

The Cooper’s Hawk is a very interesting bird that can be found right in your backyard. They can be helpful by eating your rats. They are fun to watch. If you are very lucky, you might see one swoop down and catch a bird in mid-air.

Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Vicki DeLoach via Compfight Cooper’s Hawks