On a Cold Streak Through the American West

It's curious how birding can often mirror other hobbies, like hitting a baseball for example. Right now I feel like a baseball player whose average is below 200 and can't buy a hit. I'm on a streak of terrible luck. Danette and I recently took a trip out to Yellowstone to visit Pat. We had an enjoyable day with him visiting parts of the park that we hadn't seen before. Then, after leaving Yellowstone we made a big loop to the southeast to visit two other National Parks in Colorado that we haven't seen before - Rocky Mountain and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. There were 4 new species of birds that I was likely to see as we toured through these parks and I didn't see any of them. The four that I was hoping to see were Dusky Grouse, Gray Partridge, Thick-billed Longspur and Brown-capped Rosy Finch. Oh well, they will have to be seen on another trip sometime in the future.

I was able to go out early one morning when we were in Ft. Collins and visit the Pawnee National Grassland and drive along the birding trail there. I should have seen the Thick-billed Longspur here but it wasn't to be. This grassland is a remnant of what the Great Plains used to look like before settlers came to the west. It really was quite a remarkable place and I did see some good birds there.

Here is a list of some of the good birds I did see during our western states adventure:

1. Trumpeter Swan
2. Vesper Sparrow
3. Peregrine Falcon
4. Common Nighthawk
5. Swainson's Hawk
6. Ferruginous Hawk
7. Loggerhead Shrike
8. Chestnut-collared Longspur
9. Lark Bunting
10. Warbling Vireo
11. Virginia's Warbler

Trumpeter Swan

Lark Bunting

Swainson's Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Common Nighthawk

Storming the Desert for a Reunion Tour

Photo credit: Paul Sheppard

Spring is a very special time of year for anyone who has an interest in birds. As the season draws near a certain anticipation creeps into your consciousness. You know that very soon birds will once again be on the move towards their breeding grounds. Around home you check your gear, clean and re-hang the feeders hoping the Orioles arrive soon, and you start planning.

Last season Michael Morris and I were lucky enough to be at Butterbredt Spring on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert on a peak migration day. Wave upon wave of migrating birds came over the spring and headed north up the canyon. It was a spectacular morning (you can read about that trip HERE). This year we wanted to go back for another bite at the apple as part of a broader Southern California Spring Desert tour. The plan was made, the supplies were purchased and the date was set. Michael and I would pick up Jeff in Alameda and we would head for Kern County with the goal of reaching 200 species for the trip. However, the best part of our plan was that halfway through the trip we would be joined by our good friend Paul Sheppard from Tucson, Az.

Paul was the founder and leading force of The Ol' College Try, our college barbershop quartet and an organizer of our earlier birding trips together in our post university days. Over the years we've stayed in touch and managed to periodically get together for a birding trip/reunion of sorts. Paul enjoys making videos and he has created a nice retrospective of these adventures HERE.

Our birding began shortly after picking up Jeff in Alameda where we were able to start our trip list with the usual species found along the shores of the island. The highlight was four species of Tern: Least, Elegant, Caspian, and Forster's. We then headed south down the I-5 corridor for the traditional stop at Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Birds of note here were the trip's only Yellow-headed Blackbirds, all the expected ducks including Blue-winged Teal, and really nice Clark's Grebe. Then on our way through Bakersfield we made several stops looking for the Rose-ringed Parakeets that can be found there finally seeing a group of them at Beale Park. That is one more on the life list for Michael. We would once again stay that night with my mother-in-law Shirlene who is always a gracious host to "the bird nerds."

Below Butterbredt Spring

We would leave Bakersfield very early the next morning to be at Butterbredt Spring by sunrise.  While our two mornings at Butterbredt did not produce the spectacular waves of migrants that we had last year, we did enjoy the spectacle of migration as birds were definitely moving through the canyon and spring on their way north. We had a fair number of Western Tanagers as well as Costa's Hummingbird, MacGillivray's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, and Scott's Oriole to name a few. We then made our way up through Butterbredt Canyon, over the pass and down into Kelso Valley eventually coming out to Hwy. 178 at the Audubon Kern River Preserve. Interesting additions to our bird list along this stretch were: Willow Flycatcher, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, Cassin's Vireo, and California Thrasher. We were unable to enter the Preserve which was not surprising for this time of year as the South Fork of the Kern River, carrying snow melt from the southern Sierra, cuts off the access road. This is an important preserve for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo which nests within its boundaries.  I have heard them here in  summer and hope to visit again at this time of year to see them once again. We were able to add Tri-colored Blackbird to our trip list here as there is a local population in the fields around the preserve. We then made an obligatory stop at "Migrant Corner" on Sierra Rd. and added Wood Duck and Barn Owl to the list.

From here we went east on 178 to check out another location that I had only just learned about, Canebreak Ecological Preserve, an interesting spot where the Kern River exits the mountains and turns westward into the Kern River Valley before flowing into Lake Isabella. By this time it was close to the middle of the day and not the best time for birding. We walked the trail, adding a few more species to the list, but perhaps the coolest part of this stop was the snowstorm of cottonwood seeds that surrounded us on our walk down the trail.

The next phase of this very interesting birding day was a drive up into the Owens Peak Wilderness on Chimney Peak Rd. This road climbs steeply up into the mountains and then travels north to intersect with Sherman Pass Rd. We decided to drive the entire road if we could and it proved to be quite easy. We enjoyed a nice lunch stop at Chimney Creek Campground about halfway along the route. Birds of note for this part of the day were Mountain Quail, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher,  and Mountain Bluebird.

Along Sherman Pass Rd. (Jeff Manker)

We came back around via Walker Pass and made our way back to Butterbredt Spring to camp for the night. On our way back along Kelso Valley Road we stopped at another desert migrant trap called Frog Spring which proved to be very productive especially for warblers. Here we counted six different species: Yellow, Wilson's, Yellow-rumped, Nashville, Townsend's, and Orange Crowned. Although not a large area, it's blend of Cottonwoods, Willows and a 2,000 sq. ft. pond formed from the spring make this a top notch habitat for migrating birds.

Butterbredt Spring (Jeff Manker)

We had one more morning at Butterbredt Spring before transfering from the northern to the southern Mojave and Joshua Tree National Park. Along the way we stopped at the Park in California City and picked up Neotropic Cormorant and a really nice Cooper's Hawk and at Mojave Narrows County Park where we added Vermillion Flycatcher and Black-chinned Hummingbird. Our accomodation in Joshua Tree for the next three nights had a nice patch of desert behind it that brought a group of Verdins in close. Other neighborhood birds were Lazuli Bunting, Hooded Oriole, and a pair of Great Horned Owls that emerged from the trees in the evening.

Big Morongo Canyon (Jeff Manker)

Hiking down Big Morongo Canyon (Jeff Manker)

Over the course of the next two days Paul would join us from Tucson and we would bird Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Whitewater Preserve and several other local spots. One of the other spots that proved to be most interesting was Knott Sky Park in Twentynine Palms. We went there because of an ebird report of a Summer Tanager which we didn't see there but we found a bunch of other stuff including Gray Flycatcher, Cactus Wren, a variety of warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Red-naped Sapsucker, and a hungry Sharp-shinned Hawk on the prowl. We returned in the evening expecting the lights to be on at the softball fields (a great way to see nighthawks) but they were not. There were parking lot lights though and many bats were flying around and eventually two Lesser Nighthawks made an appearance to add to our list.

Summer Tanager at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is another great spot for birds. Another place in the desert where water comes to the surface and creates an ideal spot for both resident and migrating species. Over the years they have done an excellent job of constructing trails and boardwalks in the preserve and they have a nature center with many types of feeders set up that always puts on a good show. We made several visits to the preserve while in the area, one of which involved hiking the length of Big Morongo Canyon from top to bottom. Some of our highlights were Summer Tanager, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, White-winged Dove, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo, and Yellow-breasted Chat.

Sunset over Joshua Tree

Our final night in Joshua Tree brought us an incredible sunset as well as time plenty of time to sing and reminisce about the past (see Paul's video for details). The next morning we were off early to bird the eastern shore of the Salton Sea. Jeff and I had been there a few years ago for our "Jet-set birding adventure" which I wrote about HERE. Michael and Paul had not been back since our original 1986 trip when we camped on Carcass Beach amongst the carcasses. The east shore was surprisingly quiet as we headed south. We did pick up Wilson's Phalarope and Vaux's Swift at the State Recreation Area. Things began to pick up when we left the main road at the Wister Unit of the Wildlife Refuge. We were hoping to find a Yellow-footed Gull but all of our candidates proved to be too far off for identifiable viewing. We did well with Terns however. Gull-billed, Least and Forester's all made appearances, the Gull-billed being a lifer for Jeff. We also found Common Gallinule, American White Pelican and Burrowing Owl on our way to the Refuge Headquarters where we also added Abert's Towhee and Common Ground Dove. Leaving the Headquarters it was a short jump over to Carcass Beach where we had our most productive encounter with the Sea. This of course was the place we had camped on our way back into California back in 1986. Arriving there very late at night and throwing out our sleeping bags to wake up the next morning surrounded by dead fish, something Paul's wife Irene will never let us forget. Here we found quite a few Snowy Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Knot, Willet and Bonaparte's Gull.

Carcass Beach at the Salton Sea (Jeff Manker)

As the afternoon progressed the wind began to rise in the Imperial Valley sending quite a bit of dust into the air. Our guidebook told us that there was the chance of a Gila Woodpecker in a park in Brawley and since we were on a mission to get to 200 species on this trip, every bird counted. We went for it and to our surprise found a nesting pair pretty easily. From here we headed back north to check out an oasis called Dos Palmas Preserve. It turns out that the San Andreas Fault runs right under it and is responsible for bringing water to the surface in a very dry area. This oasis was pretty spectacular, so densely packed with palms it was hard to find the water but it was there. Walking along the barely discernable path, one of us said it was like being on a Disney movie set. There were many Orioles and Grosbeaks but the best moment was when I looked up and said, "That looks strange," and Michael looking over his shoulder at what he thought was just a Turkey Vulture jokingly said, "Probably a Zone-tailed Hawk." Well, I took a moment to look a little more closely and sure enough it was a Zone-tailed Hawk. We had seen plenty of these in Arizona but this was the first time any of us ever saw one in California. This was probably the best surprise sighting of the trip.

Zone-tailed Hawk (Jeff Manker)

The rest of our day involved getting ourselves to Corn Spring Campground in the new Chuckwalla National Monument. Google maps said this would take us about and hour and a half but as Paul said, "Chuck knew a short-cut that would take at least twice as long so we took that." In my defense I had contacted the local BLM office about the road and was told it was doable even with 2-wheel drive.  This turned out not to be the case. Summit Road definitely required 4-wheel drive and it was a little rough at times but we eventually made it out to Interstate 10 where we took a brief dinner break. We rolled into Corn Spring Campground after dark and it wasn't long before we were all in the sack under the stars.

Dinner beside I-10 (Paul Sheppard)

Corn Spring in Chuckwalla National Monument

Petroglyphs at Corn Spring

The next day we had an enjoyable morning birding the area around the campground and checking out the petroglyphs there, some of which date back as far as 10,000 years. They are said to be one of the finest examples of rock art in the Colorado desert. We did not add any new species to our trip list here and we were beginning to think we might not make it to 200 by the end. When we returned to the interstate it was time to break our fellowship, Paul headed east back to Tucson and summer field camp for his dendro class. Michael, Jeff, and I took the road through Joshua Tree National Park where we finally managed to nab a Canyon Wren before heading back north across the Mojave where we planned to camp on Greenhorn Summit near Lake Isabella.  Acting on some intelligence we gleaned from ebird, we made a stop at Silver Lakes in San Bernardino County. This is another of those desert communities centered around artificial lakes. I suppose that they make desert living more comfortable but I wonder at the sense of this when water is such a scarce commodity. Anyway, it does attract birds and we added Red-breasted Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Franklin's Gull, Common Loon and Yellow-rumped Warbler to the list.

The drive north on Hwy. 395 was very scenic and pleasant, we joined 178 and went over Walker Pass for the second time on this trip and headed for Kernville for dinner in the pub there. We planned to camp at Greenhorn Park but Kern County had not opened it for the season yet so we ended up back down on the shores of the lake. We did have a very cool bird encounter near Alta Sierra as we were looking for somewhere to camp. Rounding a bend in the road we picked up the eye-shine of a Common Poorwill in the road. We were able to watch it for a minute or two before it moved into the trees and then again on our way back down. We hear this bird often but rarely see it so it was a treat for all of us.

We began the next morning at 187 species and we hoped that the montaine area around Greenhorn Summit would turn up 13 new birds before we left the mountains. Here is what we found up there: Dusky Flycatcher, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Townsend's Solitaire, Purple Finch, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Hermit Warbler, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Hammond's Flycatcher. We were one short of our goal. We descended out of the mountains on Hwy. 155 hoping to pick up one more bird before declaring our trip over. This was another California road that I had not traveled on before and although it was pretty twisty it was quite scenic. As we left the mountains and entered the foothills we were saved by the noblest of birds (according to Benjamin Franklin that is) the Turkey. Crossing the road right in front of us, we hit species number 200.

Once again we had a great trip. It is always a highlight for me to take trips with these characters. The bonds we forge in college are the type that prove to be resistant to the forces of time. When we get together, barring appearances, not much seems to have changed. Paul says he's going to retire soon so maybe he'll be able to join us more often. As he left he was talking about Florida in 2 years time. I have a lot of birds to add to my list if we go there.

Inside Dos Palmas Preserve (Jeff Manker)

Great Gray Owls in Yosemite National Park

For many people there is one particular bird or bird species that once seen can ignite an interest in birds and birding. In my encounters with other birders out there I often discover that it was the sighting of an owl species that lit the fuse for them.  For my friend Jeff it was the Burrowing Owls that were present in his Southern California neighborhood that really fanned the flames of his passion for birds. For many years now he has been hoping to encounter North America's largest owl species the Great Gray Owl and the month of April is a good time to go looking for them.

In California the Great Gray Owl (GGOW) is an endangered species. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 100 pairs in the state, 65% of which reside within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. The California population of these birds is somewhat unique in that researches have shown them to be genetically and behaviorally distinct from the rest of the GGOWs found in North America. This indicates that they have been geographically isolated from the rest of their species for a significant period of time. In 2009, while leading a school group for a week of outdoor ed in the park, I had my one and only encounter with the GGOW. You can see that blog post here. That encounter gave me some insight on when and where to see these birds in the park. April is a good time to look for them for several reasons. As the snow melt is accelerating the mid-elevation meadows become more accessible for hunting owls, the deciduous trees on the meadow edges have not yet begun to leaf out making sightings there easier, and the owls are beginning their mating activities as they move upslope into these meadows for the breeding season.

Knowing that Jeff wanted to make an effort to see these birds I proposed a one-day speed run up to the park to make the attempt. Fortunately, Friday April 18 was free for both of us. We met at 5 am. at the Pleasanton Park-n-Ride and were in place for our attempt by 8 am. Since the park identifies the GGOW as a sensitive species they state on their website that the locations of sightings of these birds should not be publicized and therefore I will not disclose where we saw them. We began our survey by starting in the place where I saw them 16 years ago. Not surprisingly, we did not see them there so we expanded our search to other meadows in the area. At one point, as we were moving through the forest between meadows we heard the characteristic low booming hoot of the GGOW. For the next 30 minutes we tracked it through the forest catching periodic brief glimpses in an increasingly frustrating attempt to get a clear view of it. Eventually our hunt took us to the edge of a large meadow where there in the distance we could see a large owl perched on a branch 10 feet off the ground at the meadow's edge. Although our observation was distant we could clearly see that we had found our elusive GGOW. As we watched this bird we could hear another hooting in the forest near by indicating that there were at least two in the area. Each time the one in the forest hooted we could see the one perched in the tree react to it and eventually it flew off into the forest in the direction of the other bird. We congratulated ourselves on the good fortune of seeing this bird and went to examine the ground below the owl's perch for pellets then sat at the meadow's edge in the hope that we might see the bird again. We gave it a good 20 minutes and decided to head back. As we got up and began to move off I turned and looked over my shoulder and across the meadow to a stand of Birch trees and thought that an excellent place for an owl to perch so I paused and scanned the small grove. I immediately called Jeff back because there, 5 feet off the ground was another GGOW. I think this was a third bird but we could not be certain of that. We were much closer this time and were able to get some good pictures and spend some quality time enjoying this bird.

After this the rest of the day was gravy. We traveled the Hetch Hetchy Rd. out to the dam then followed the Mather Rd. down into the canyon of the Tuolumne River and enjoyed a picnic along the river. We then drove Smith Station Rd. off of Hwy. 120 down to Coulterville an on across Hwy. 132 where we visited San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge to end our day. Other notable birds of the day were Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Mountain Quail, Rock Wren, and Lawrence's Goldfinch.

We had such an amazing day, it is so rewarding to find what you think might be there in the place you think it might be. I stress the word 'might' as there are no guarantees in the world of birding. This is a field trip that I will repeat next year and hopefully for many years to come. Great Gray Owls are truly amazing birds, what a joy to see them again.

Revisiting the Greater Sage Grouse

Two years ago in early spring Michael, Jeff and I traveled to Northeastern California hoping to find the Shaffer Mountain Sage Grouse Lek. I wrote about that adventure in a previous post that you can see here. As winter in Northern California began to wind down and hints of spring began to excite my wanderlust, I thought that a return to Shaffer Mountain would be an excellent way to kick off the spring birding campaign. The three of us met again in Susanville, did a little evening birding and then prepared for the early morning walk up Shaffer Mountain. This time we had a good idea of the precise location of the lek and after about a mile and a half of walking positioned ourselves behind a shrub/tree blind and soaked in the spectacle. We counted 33 grouse on the lek that morning, the males fanning their tails and booming with their air sacks, a few females moving amongst them searching for that perfect male. This is such a spectacular scene in nature and it strikes me that so few people actually have the chance (or take the chance) to see it. As the three of us stood in the light of early morning taking in our surroundings and the show in front of us, we counted ourselves amongst a very special group, those that go out into the world to enjoy what nature has to offer us. For us in this case it is the birds that draw us out but for everyone there is a reason to step into nature. Find what draws you into the natural world and go!

Greater Sage Grouse

After our experience with the Sage Grouse we went over the mountain and down to Eagle Lake where we were able to continue to build our trip list of species. Two notable birds here were a pair of Osprey and a single Clark's Nutcracker. We continued north to visit another of our favorite spots in NE California, Jess Valley at the foot of the Warner Mountains. It's been a good snow/rain winter up there and there was a fair amount of water in the valley even before the real melt begins. We saw lots of ducks here but most notably was our count of over 50 Sandhill Cranes. Moving on our next stop was Modoc National Wildlife Refuge in Alturas where we took in the expected birds for this time of year without any surprises.

Jess Valley

We would stay in the area for 2 nights at a cabin we found on Vrbo that is right up against the Warners just off of hwy 299. It's a great spot that I would use again. The next day we devoted to Lava Beds National Monument, Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife refuges. Taking the back way into to Lava Beds off of hwy 139 in cold early morning conditions we had many singing Meadowlarks and then a small flock of Pinyon Jays, a species I have not seen there for many years. We picked up some good forest birds up by Mammoth Crater however, it was the severity of destruction caused the most recent fire to pass through Lava Beds that really caught our attention. From this spot we were also able to look southwards towards what is now called Sáttítla Highlands National Monument. Recently designated by the Biden administration and now in danger from the new administration, it's future is uncertain. What is certain is it's importance to California's most critical natural resource - water. You can learn more about why it is so important at this link. We then focused our attention on Tule Lake for the remainder of the morning. You can see the Tule Lake basin quite easily from the higher land of Lava Beds and as we looked down on it we could clearly see that it was full of water, a very good sign. I think I can safely say that in all my many years of visits to Tule Lake I never seen so many ducks and this is directly due to the amount of water in the sumps of the refuge. The only duck species we missed was Blue-winged Teal and that is uncommon there. Michael even found us an Eurasian Wigeon. Other highlights were the Ring-billed Gulls in exceptionally bright breeding plumage, many Bald Eagles and a large raft of Snow Geese still present on the water. A truely memorable day at Tule Lake. As we finished up our tour we stopped in at the new visitor's center and refuge headquarters where we learned that the surplus water from this year's rains was responsible for Tule Lake's condition and surprisingly to us, for Lower Klamath's condition. Lower Klamath NWR has been starved of water in recent years and has been dry that last few times I've driven by it. Refuge staff told us that water managers were putting water into every conceivable place they could this year and that meant that Klamath was also full. Well, we just had to see that so we crossed over to the other side of Sheepy Ridge and drove the tour route of Lower Klamath. Our notable additions to the list here was a female Barrow's Goldeneye and a Rough-legged Hawk. In general, Lower Klamath and Tule Lake were in the best condition we have seen them in for many years. I only hope it can stay this way.

Tule Lake

When we returned to the Alturas area we decided we would cross over the Warners and have dinner in the quaint little town of Cedarville in Surprise Valley. We had an excellent meal at Woody's and then drove the diked up portion of 299 across the Lower Alkali Lake picking up two additional birds, Ferruginous Hawk and White-faced Ibis.

The next morning, after packing up we devoted some time to the hunt for the Juniper Titmouse. This was a life bird for Jeff and I saw a pair the previous evening but they flew off before Jeff could see them. We expected them at the campground at Lava Beds but they weren't present there so it was now or never. Fortunately for Jeff it was now. They were spotted and Jeff was able to get some good photos of them as well.

From the Warner Mountains we then began our journey westward and the road home. We made our traditional stops at the Rat Farm (Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park) and the Hat Creek Picnic area and then Michael was off for Eureka and Jeff and I back to the Bay Area. Another great trip in the books and a warm up for our California desert trip in May.

See our trip species list here.

583 - Lesser Black-backed Gull

Over the course of the last three winters I have gone looking for Lesser Black-backed Gulls (LBBG) around the Bay Area on a number of occasions. Until recently these birds were a true North American rarity, however now it is common for several of them to appear each winter amongst the large gull flocks on the bays and shorelines of Northern California. Their North American winter range is primarily east of the Mississippi River with almost all of this species abandoning North America entirely for the breading season.

Typically I watch the daily ebird rarity report for sightings of this species and then head out and sift through the thousands of gulls in the flock where they are found. Two days ago a report appeared of a LBBG in a restored tidal marsh on the northern edge of San Pablo Bay. Thanks to the sharp eyes of Gene Hunn and his timely report, I felt I had a chance of finally seeing this elusive gull. The location of this sighting is interesting for another reason. Slowly but surely, tidal marshlands in the Northbay are being restored after having been diked and drained over 100 years ago. The area in the image below that is circled in red is an example of this restoration and is where the LBBG was to be found. Looking at the image you can see that the area just to the east of the circled area is "reclaimed" land and is still being farmed probably for hay. A good comparison of a more natural state vs. one of human engineering. As sea levels rise these tidal marsh areas will become more and more important in mitigating that problem. The restoration of these once "reclaimed" marshlands is also extraordinarily important to the long-term survival of the bird species that depend on them during migration.

It was only about a 30 minute drive from my house to get to Reclamation Rd. and the parking lot for the Sonoma Baylands Trail. The tide was falling when I arrived and much of the marsh was showing exposed mud with channels of draining water. It was only about a 1/4 mile walk along the western levee before I spotted a likely candidate out along one of the channels. After carefully scoping a larger dark-backed gull working on a fish carcass there was little doubt that I had found my quarry. With the heat haze and the distance my pictures were poor at best but several field marks confirmed the sighting. Yellowish legs, size, a much darker back than other gulls, smudgy head and neck collar, and the orangish spot on the bill. All of this told me that this was a Lesser Black-backed Gull, bird number 583 on my North American Life List. Now that I have been able to list one I'm sure that I will get some closer looks in the future and I will look forward to that. My experience with this bird ended on a somewhat exciting note as well. As I was breaking down my scope and getting ready for the walk back to the truck there was a commotion out on the mudflat. A juvenile Bald Eagle had swooped down on the gull and stole the fish carcass from it! It was a brief encounter and the Eagle was soon flying away with his prize leaving what I can only describe as a somewhat bemused gull. Thanks to one of the deans of north bay birding, Gene Hunn for finding this bird.

The better of many poor images

Owling in Early January

In Early January I got a hot tip from watching the ebird reports of a Saw-Whet Owl near Sacramento.  There is a levee road just southwest of Sacramento called Babel Slough Rd. that is apparently a good place to find owls. A Sacramento area birder had been out on this road and had a pretty cool encounter with a Saw-Whet and Jeff and I thought we might give it a try the following night. (Here is the ebird report of that birder's sighting with pictures).

We met up at the Park-n-Ride in Cordellia and made our way to Babel Slough Rd. It was a really cool night out with some cloud and a pretty bright moon and it made for a very pleasant stroll along the road as we listened for the Saw-Whet call. Unfortunately, we listened in vain giving credence to the idea that the bird seen the previous evening was on the move and no longer around. We had plenty of hooting Great Horned Owls and screeching Barn Owls and saw several of both. All in all a great way to usher in the new year.

First Rarity of the Fall Season

Local San Francisco birder Dominick Mosur got quite the surprise last week when he was birding a local patch near Stern Grove called Pine Lake. A bird never before seen in California popped up and said hello. The Slate-throated Redstart is a small warbler of Central and South America and only occasionally makes an appearance in the US, usually in southeast Arizona. This of course has caused a firestorm of interest in the birding world with people coming from all over the country to see it.

Here is an article from the SF Chronicle about the sighting.

I noticed the postings about this bird last week and thinking that it wouldn't stick around did not chase it. However, after several days of sightings I felt I had to give it a try so foregoing my usual Sunday morning bike ride I headed for southwest San Francisco.

I arrived at 7:45 and happened to run into Dominick as he was leaving. He was kind enough to give us directions to the spot where a few minutes later I joined a group of about 20 birders surrounding a willow thicket at the southeast end of Pine Lake. Over the course of my two hours at the spot I had two brief but good looks at the bird. Some of the other birders with large camera rigs were able to get good photos but I was not.

An excellent start to the fall season. Makes you wonder what else is out there!

Slate-throated Redstart (from Bird of the World)

Forest Bathing and a Pair of Flammulated Owls

Cherry Lake

Last week I was supposed to be backpacking in Yosemite but a minor foot injury prevented my participation. I did however, help out with the transportation for the crew going to the mountains so I found myself with an opportunity to explore the region between Yosemite National Park and the Sonora area along Hwy 108. After dropping the intrepid hikers off in Tuolumne Meadows I continued west on Hwy 120 until just after leaving the park took the Evergreen Rd. to Camp Mather just below Hetch Hetchy. From here a road runs west to intersect with Cherry Lake Rd and my access to the Cherry Lake area. The main reason for camping in this area was a place called Jawbone Pass, an intersection of forest roads where over the years there have been reports of Flammulated Owls. 

Flammulated Owl (from All About Birds)

These small owls are highly nocturnal, staying in cavities or high in the trees deep in the foliage during the day and foraging in the woods at night. Thus, they are extremely difficult to see but not so difficult to hear. My plan was to camp at the pass and listen for them in the night and maybe if they were close enough, actually see one.

Jawbone Pass

It was late in the evening when I arrived at the pass, I got something to eat and did a bit of a walk-around spotting Golden-crowned Kinglets, Juncos, Hairy Woodpecker, and a stunningly bright Western Tanager. Then I set up my chair in the middle of the clearing, draped a mosquito net over me and listened for about an hour as it got dark. It was really quite something just sitting there taking in all the sounds of the forest around me. I heard many interesting things but no owls. But the night is long and I would awaken several times in the night (oh the joys of growing older) and be able to listen for them again. Sure enough, at about 2 am. I began to hear a distant pair of Flams calling back and forth. They were not anywhere close to me and may have been as far away as 1/4 mile. They are known to be very good ventriloquists and can project their sound over a fair distance thus making them even more difficult to find. So I was content with just hearing them and I could add a new species to my list and hope that some day in the future I will actually be able to see one.