Some of the best of Billie Berri’s Pre-digital Film Photos:
A Migrating Adult Male Western Tanager during a rainstorm about May 3, 1983–click on each photo to see it full screen.Billie learned to use a Kodak “Brownie” in her early teens in Indianapolis, Indiana, her birthplace–for the bird photos 1972-1997 she used a Fujica 605 Single Lens Reflex Camara with a 75-300mm Zoom Telephoto Lens and a Flash Attachment and used Kodak 400 ASA film to allow a quicker shutter speed in dim lighting conditions and to compensate for the telephoto lens restricting wider lens openings..
All Billie’s bird photographs were taken in the last 25 years of her life at her home on McAndrew Road in the East End of the Ojai Valley just below Thacher School in the “forest” of trees just to the right of where Thacher Creek disappears in “the forest”–Jon Dieges took this photo the Spring following the devastating Wheeler Fire of the Summer of 1985 which burned right down to the edge of Thacher School.
An aerial photo of “HOME” for twenty years–the almost two acres that was the venue for much of this story and series of photos is defined by Thacher Creek on the north side (North is straight up in the photo), McAndrew Road on the west side, and Horn Canyon Road (private access easement) on the south and east sides)–all the buildings were roofed in highly reflective “white” fire-rated asphalt composition shingles for energy conservation.
SPRING & SUMMER 1970:
Jon resumes Friendship with Billie Fall 1970
FALL & WINTER 1970-1971:
SPRING & SUMMER 1971:
This is the only photo of Olga’s mother Billie called “Lemon-yellow Mother” who nested in the tallest Eucalytus Tree in the garden to the north of the Main House–she probably lived 1971 to 1978.
FALL & WINTER 1971-1972:
Jon bought Billie a hummingbird sugar water feeder for Christmas 1972 and by the Spring the first Hooded Oriole had started coming before perches, seats and a feeder tray were built underneath it.
SPRING & SUMMER 1972:
Aggie T. brings baby Hooded Oriole she found in middle of McAndrew Road near Howard Ball’s house.
Yet another baby Oriole needing help resting on Jon’s finger
Billie names her “Olga” after Olga Korbut, the belarussian gymnist from Minsk who captured the world’s heart in the 1972 Munich Olympics–Olga Oriole loved to do forward and backwaards flips in her cage so the name seemed fitting.
FALL & WINTER 1972-1973:
Olga soon graduated to a larger cage–she was a compulsive weaver and Billie supplied her with lots of sewing thread and narrow ribbons with which to weave as much as she liked.
Jon Returns to Ojai March 13, 1973, from job in San Francisco
SPRING & SUMMER 1973:
FALL & WINTER 1973-1974:
SPRING & SUMMER 1974:
FALL & WINTER 1974-1975:
SPRING & SUMMER 1975:
You have to believe in reincarnation in birds to accept the story of Olga and Most Beautifull–until this outdoor male Hooded Oriole had to leave on migration he spent hours on end hanging around the window next to where Olga’s cage was placed–Billie put cups of mealworms out for him worried that he would starve to death rather than leave Olga’s side–the following year after Olga had died of pneumonia during the depth of the January-February Winter he mated with a juvenile mother Hooded Oriole born that Spring, and in the following year of 1977 they made their first and second nests in a eucalyptus bough directly above the spot where Olga’s cage had been before from 1972 to 1976–in the face of such a dramatic set of events we had to conclude these events were only possible if Olga’s “soul” had been reincarnated in the wild.
Billie’s Mother Margaret Houghton Passes Away April 12, 1975
FALL & WINTER 1975-1976:
SPRING & SUMMER 1976:
A mother American Robin discovered our mealworms while she had a beakfull of earthworms sometime in the mid seventies.
FALL & WINTER 1976-1977:
SPRING & SUMMER 1977:
In 1977 Billie raised a nestling House Sparrow that fell out of a Cliff Swallow’s nest on the eave of her house–she called her “Swallow” and she stayed in a cage her whole life singing joyously every day.
FALL & WINTER 1977-1978:
Jon Moves Into Guest House he built March 11, 1978
The “Guest” House Jon built by hand on Billie’s property–how it looked the week he had to leave it behind October 1, 1997.
SPRING & SUMMER 1978:
Fledgling American Robin waiting to be fed sometime in the mid to late seventies.
FALL & WINTER 1978-1979:
SPRING & SUMMER 1979:
A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk comes in for a landing on an Edison pole crossbar on June 1, 1979.
Possibly the runt of the litter was discovered June 17, 1979, on the ground unable to fly with the parents nowhere to be found–Billie demonstrates how to feed a baby bird with out choking it to death on the food or fluid–you let the baby take what it can without forcing.
The fledgling California Towhee was raised in cage until it was big and strong enough to eat and fly on its own.
The big “release” day–the young Towhee leaves the cage on its own and takes up life in the wild–today one has to be a volunteer in an established state and federally licensed rehabilitation group to do this “rehab” work.
One of the Hooded Oriole families was “parasatized” by a female Brown-headed Cowbird who laid her eggs in the Orioles nest tricking them into raising the babies as their own–as seen here July 16, 1979.
FALL & WINTER 1979-1980:
A Frog at night vocalizing in the pond next door February 1980–not a bird!
SPRING & SUMMER 1980:
During the Spring 1980 Migration Billie exclaimed one morning “Olga is hurt” and when Olga Oriole showed up in Ojai she had a noticeable scar at the top base of her beak–a tell tale sign of confirmation of an accidental collision with some sharp object along the way. After a careful analysis of Billie’s Remote Viewing notes we pinpointed the block in Monclair, California, where we think the collision ocurred–the following year Jon drove to the area southeast of Los Angeles and tried to find the exact point at which Olga colided with a sharp object. He found the most likely spot and took a photograph which shows rose bush thorns and the sharp points of the chain link fencing pointing up to discourage intruders–across the street was a hummingbird feeder so we concluded Olga had her eyes on the feeder and did not see the thorns or points of the chain links that she ran into in the early morning darkness.
The Rose Bush espellier on chain link fencing with the sharp tips pointing up–the south side of San Bernardino Street between Central Avenue and Benson Avenue in Montclair next to Ontario, after Chino but before Upland.
A view of Olga’s scar from her left side in 1980.
Mario and his “Quads” Spring 1980–Billie called this particular Bullock’s Oriole father “Mario” after Mario Lanza beause this father Oriole sang with such joy all day long.
Mario’s mate and their quads–Bullock’s Orioles almost always have less than four children per year for their one nest.
No doubt the runt of the litter of American Robins unable to elevate and fly away with its siblings on August 4, 1980.
A fearless mother Anna’s Hummingbird built her nest almost at camera level in the California Pepper Tree next to the driveway–the two nestlings wait to be fed on May 22, 1980.
FALL & WINTER 1980-1981:
On March 27, 1981, a Golden-crowned Sparrow was knocked to the ground in a heavy rain and windstorm and had to be rescued and put in a rehab cage until it was strong enough to fly again and make the Spring migration north.
SPRING & SUMMER 1981:
A mature adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak on migration the Spring of 1981 stopped by for refueling–it is an East Coast Bird that someohow got a foothold on the West Coast–according to the Breeding Bird Census there was a colony of them on the north side of Mount Tamalpais north of San Francisco in Marin County.
A female Hooded Oriole carefully selects some palm filaments with which to weave her nest on August 27, 1981.
On May 10, 1981, a mature adult male Baltimore Oriole showed up mysteriously–apparently a few have survived on the West Coast of North America after taking a wrong turn somewhere in the past–they are predominantly an East Coast bird, the namesake of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, “Orioles” baseball team.
FALL & WINTER 1981-1982:
A captured Green Jay from Mexico that escaped from its captors showed up the week of August 2, 1981, and stayed the whole winter–the following Spring of1982 he found his way back to Mexico we believe as soon as the returning Hooded Orioles told him how to get there.
Close-up of the same photo.
The Mexican Green Jay showed up about August 2, 1981.
SPRING & SUMMER 1982:
Most Beautiful’s last return migration to the Ojai Valley–he died later that season in July–he lived 1975 to 1982, nearly nine years, and made the migration to Western Mexico eight times and the return migration to Ojai seven times–the numbers were nearly the same for his lifetime mate Olga–she lived nearly eight years, made the Fall Migation to Western Mexico seven times and the Spring Migration back to Ojai almost seven times but died in Arizona on her way back in the Spring of 1983 with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The Adult Male migrating Western Tanager on April 12,1982, hung around a few days to refuel before heading to higher elevation–its preferred nesting zone.
Adult Male Bullock’s Oriole “the Godfather” about 1982.
The Water Company Manager brought this fledgling Northern Mockingbird by after a feral cat killed its mother April 20, 1982.
A fledgling American Robin waits for one of its parents to feed it on July 15,1982.
FALL& WINTER 1982-1983:
A Rufous Hummingbird on migration stopped to rest on March 23, 1983..
SPRING & SUMMER 1983:
A mature adult male migrating Western TANAGER stopped to refuel May 1, 1983.
The week of June 22, 1983, an East Coast bird, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, showed up out of the blue–we coined the acronym “BBN”–the Bird Broadcasting Network–a combination of BBC & CNN–as an explanation of how this bird knew how to find our feeding station–he heard about it on the “BBN.”
Black-headed Grosbeak Father with a mouthful of mealorms June 24, 1983.
An adult female Hooded Oriole, most likely a daughter of Olga or daughter-in-law who mated with one of Olga’s sons–photographed July 24, 1983.
FALL & WINTER 1983-1984:
SPRING & SUMMER 1984:
Mature Adult Male Hooded Oriole in Hibiscus Shrub July 22, 1984–the wingbars on this mature male are like the human thumbprint or the flukes of the Humpback Whale—each having a unique pattern that becomes its “I.D.” each time it comes in sight.
A Fledgling Mourning Dove on May 15, 1984.
Female Bullock’s Oriole feeding her fledgling on June 9, 1984.
A mussed up fledgling Western Scrub Jay on July 20, 1984.
FALL & WINTER 1984-1985:
Cedar Waxwing in Blossoming PeachTree February 24, 1985.
A Mountain Chickadee made a rare appearance for the winter on November 22,1984.
A migrating Rufous Hummingbird stopping to refuel March 5, 1985, on his way to Canada or Alaska.
SPRING & SUMMER 1985:
The week of July 15, 1985, during the aftermath of the huge Wheeler Fire, a crazed Great Horned Owl attacked a vulnerable Bullock’s Oriole nest and as it ripped it apart with its sharp beak, these two nestings fell out from high above–we tried to make an artificial nest in an Acacia Tree near their original nest but the parents would not resume feeding them.
These same baby Bullock’s Orioles were raised by Billie in a cage until they were big and strong enough to eat and fly on on their own–nowadays state and federally licensed rehabilitators have “pre-release” flight aviaries in which these singbirds can “wild up” and eat on their own–one rehabilitator lives next to an Coast Live Oak forest so just opens the door of her large aviaries when the fledglings are ready to go into the wild.
An example of one of the “Pre-release Flight Aviaries” used by a member of a State and Federally Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitation Group (in this case Ojai Valley Wildlife Rehabilitation on Judi Kelly’s property)–in the cage gaining strength are two fledgling Northern Flickers, who eat ants, termites, and other “creepy-crawlies.”
California Thrasher August 13, 1985.
FALL & WINTER 1985-1986:
SPRING & SUMMER 1986:
Billie put each day’s date on the feeder cup to have an accurate record of when the photograph was taken before the age of the built-in digital camera clock—a very rare photo of a mature adult male Western Tanager passing by on migration April 13, 1986.
A fearless California Towhee mother builds her nest in a wide open Acacia Tree –the only child or the runt of the litter waits to be fed on July 21, 1986.
Fledgling Northern Mockingbird September 11, 1986.
The mother Northern Mockingbird September 11, 1986.
FALL & WINTER 1986-1987:
SPRING & SUMMER 1987:
A muture adult father Bullock’s Oriole on June 12, 1987, in the midst of feeding his fledglings from his one nest for the season.
Brewers Blackbird Fledgling and Mother July 6, 1987.
FALL & WINTER 1987-1988:
SPRING & SUMMER 1988:
FALL & WINTER 1988-1989:
SPRING & SUMMER 1989:
FALL & WINTER 1989-1990:
SPRING & SUMMER 1990:
FALL & WINTER 1990-1991:
SPRING & SUMMER 1991:
On July 2, 1991, a juvenile Black-headed Grosbeak flew into the high voltage lines crossing the property, injurying its shoulder muscles badly that are essential for flying, and had to be put in rehab until it was strong enough to fly again.
Billie demonstrates how keenly intelligent these Black-headed Grosbeaks are, knowing it was injured, it willingly took a mealworm from Billie in spite of being held in her left hand.
FALL & WINTER 1991-1992:
SPRING & SUMMER 1992:
Fledgling American Robin being fed by its parents July 1992.
FALL & WINTER 1992-1993:
SPRING & SUMMER 1993:
A mature adult father Bullock’s Oriole on August 2, 1993.
One of three fledgling Canyon Wrens on April 3, 1993, shortly after they left their nest formed out of densely packed spider webs in the lower horse barn–Canyon Wrens have a unique call of descending notes and a buzz that cannot be mistaken for any other bird.
A Juvenile Bullock’s Oriole the first week of July 1993.
June 1, 1993, we rescued this nestling from a Hooded Oriole nest with two “parasite” baby Brown-headed Cowbirds–we cut down the limb with the nest, removed the cowbirds and tied the nest back up with the oriole nestling in it and the parents continued to feed it until it had fledged and was advanced enough to eat on its own.
On June 10, 1993, a Copper’s Hawk attacked and tore apart a badly exposed Bullock’s Oriole nest high up in a Eucalyptus tree and one by one the babies fell to the ground–we heard the anguished cries of the parents and rushed out just in time to retrieve the babies who had to be raised in cages and then released (now with 20/20 hindsight we would make an artificial nest and hang it in a tree nearby because the parents would very likely resume feeding and “brooding” the chicks).
One of the Hooded Oriole mature full color male descendents of “Most Beautiful” on May 31, 1993.
FALL & WINTER 1993-1994:
SPRING & SUMMER 1994:
FALL & WINTER 1994-1995:
A mated pair of Great Horned Owls roosting on the Edison pole crossbar February 19, 1985.
SPRING & SUMMER 1995:
FALL & WINTER 1995-1996:
SPRING & SUMMER 1996:
Rare Owl Twins during a Rat Epidemic in 1996.
Great Horned Owl Staring Back at Billie in 1996.
Fledgling “Runt of the Litter” Hooded Oriole about to try flying–still looking for date
Hooded Oriole Mother and Fledgling being fed in Hibiscus Bush-still looking for date.
This mother American Robin holds the record for the most mealworms stuffed into her crop and beak at the same time–still looking for date..
One of the last photos of Billie, here at Dr. Charles Butler’s 90th Birdthday Party, with longtime friends Trevor Morgan, left, and Duffy Lewis, right.
