House Wren

After standing in one spot and watching this little bird flit from one branch to another, watching below for insects(?), maybe younger chicks? I didn't see it catching any food, which would be one reason for hanging out in the brush like this. However, thinking about it and watching the behavior, I suggest that it had a nest in this wonderful camouflage and was keeping an eye on it. Typically House wrens are cavity nesters (nest in bird houses and holes in trees). Often, they will find ground cover for their nests. As you can see, this one blends into the background very nicely and it is not an obvious nest.

The extra image is one of my favorite birds and one of the hardest to catch still enough to get a photo. The Spotted towhee. It was shaking up the ground cover by grabbing it with its feet and jumping up in the air, quickly grabbing any grubs or tasty seeds that might be exposed. I've seen them jump up to a foot to shake up the ground cover, but be on the ground grabbing up food instantly.

My last extra is another of my favorites, a flycatcher called the Black Phoebe. Common in this area, it will entertain you by aerial acrobatics chasing flying insects and snapping their beak as it tries to snatch them in mid-air. They commonly find a post like this to launch from while feeding, but always return to the same spot to munch numerous times if left undisturbed. This one still has a bit of a flying insect in its beak.

Enjoy!