Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Who was Anna and how did she get a hummingbird with a metallic magenta crown and throat named after her? According to sources on the internet, she was a 19th century French aristocrat who befriended the herpetologist/ornithologist René Primevère Lesson. But does that really tell us anything? Enjoy the bird, readers. Life is but a dream written in running water.

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Behold, the spectacular Great Egret! I stumbled upon this extraordinary creature on a birdwalk in the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. A friend later told me that he was stalked by a pair of mountain lions in the same park. I hope this egret keeps an eye out for any fierce feline predators.

How to tell the Great Egret apart from the Snowy Egret I blogged about last week? Look at the beak (black = Snowy, gold = Great) and the feet (black = Great, gold = Snowy). Having trouble remembering that? Try out this rhyme I made to purpose:

Does that it have a black nose?
And little gold toes?
Make a ten dollar bet
That it's a Snowy Egret.
But if you see a gold beak
And two sleek black feet
Then don't even wait
To shout "great! great! great! great! great!"

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

I saw this beautiful Egret feeding in the mudflats of Newport Beach's Back Bay. Notice the black bill, black legs, and yellow feet that distinguish this bird from the great egret.

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)

I know what you're thinking - "Heavens! Isn't this the exact same bird as the last one (the black-capped chickadee)?"

A common mistake, in fact these two species often cannot differentiate themselves during the frenetic, lust-fueled breeding season. The result are some hybrid chickadees.

How did I, as a relative neophyte birder, tell them apart? The range! I found this Carolina Chickadee in Leesburg, Virginia during a walk along the Potomac River. South of New Jersey, you can be fairly certain you're looking at a Carolina Chickadee. North of New Jersey, you've got yourself a Black-Capped.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

This bird is so brave it will eat from a human hand! I have not yet attempted a hand feeding but I did take this picture from very close range in Central Park.