Reuniting With Old Friends

I have not written in some time but that doesn't mean I haven't been out there noticing things. Over the course of the last six months there have been many interesting birds and places visited. Nothing new to add to any lists but more importantly an opportunity to meet up with old friends. This past summer, on two separate occasions I had a chance to meet up with friends who shared in many of my early birding adventures.

This past spring I received a surprise e-mail from Jeff Manker, my former college roommate and the person responsible for lighting the birding fire for me. It seems that while searching for information and resources for an Ornithology course he was to begin teaching, he came across this blog. After exchanging a few e-mails we were able to arrange a day of birding together in the area around Corralitos.  It was great fun and I'm hoping that it might be possible to meet over the Christmas holidays at one of the Central Valley refuges for another day out.

When I met with Jeff he was preparing to teach what he believes to be the only ornithology course currently be taught in a public high school in California. My hat is off to him and the staff at Gilroy High School who appear to see the value in fighting for and implementing an innovative approach to the teaching of biology and field science techniques in a high school setting. I am anxious to learn more about how this experiment is working out.

Another Barbershop-birding Rendezvous

After so many years without a get-together we finally managed to make one happen! Paul and Irene had just purchased a vintage trailer that they had to haul from Portland back to Tucson, Michael had a few days off, and I was on summer vacation.  Since Humboldt County is on the way home from Portland, Michael already lives there, and I rarely miss a chance to go there when I can, it was the perfect location (not to mention that it always has great birds and is where we all originally met each other). So for a few days in June there was laughter and merriment amidst the cries of birds on the shores of Humboldt Bay.  Patrick was my road companion on this trip and we went north to Redding first and then west to pick up Paul in Willow Creek.  The Trinity River canyon and drive along highway 299 all the way to the coast remains one of the most scenic drives you can experience.  We stopped along the river several times before we got to Willow Creek just to take it all in. When we arrived in Willow Creek we had a chance to spend some time with Irene and Katherine and what fun it was after so long. Paul then piled in the truck and we headed for the coast and a meeting with Michael. After dinner on the square in Arcata it was out to the Marsh Project for some field work. The Marsh Project was relatively new when we were all undergrads and has changed significantly since that time. Lots more vegetation and more marsh as well. It is a world-class spot for birds and remains the standard in innovative nature-based wastewater treatment technology. We stayed at Michael's in Eureka that night and wore out the vocal chords trying to remember some of the old songs. The next morning it was up to Trinidad Head to see what the ocean might bring us, perhaps the best show was put on by at least two and possibly three Peregrine Falcons. After hiking around the head we headed inland for the Mad River Fish Hatchery and the woodlands that surround it. Lots of good birds in here including a Yellow-breasted Chat that we heard but did not see. From here it was back to the Marsh for a few more hours then Michael had to leave us to go to work and we headed south for Humboldt Redwoods State Park to camp and explore. The highlight here for me was taking Paul to the Rockefeller Grove which contains the largest trees in the park and is a spot Paul had not been to before. Imagine that, a distinguished HSU forestry grad and now Professor at the University of Arizona and he somehow missed the biggest Humboldt County has to offer. Our best bird here was a singing Western Tanager along Bull Creek Road.  After this walk amongst the giants we climbed back into the truck and headed south to Ukiah where Paul was to meet up and stay with an old college roommate before catching the shuttle to SFO and the flight home. After our farewells and promises to do it again next year Patrick and I took our leave and rolled just a few more hours south and home to Napa.

Least Terns at Huichica Creek

Late spring has brought some interesting visitors to Huichica Creek, our local marsh area that sits on the northern edge of the Napa-Sonoma Marsh complex (click on the image to see it full size). A former teaching colleague of mine who is now retired is a very good wildlife photographer (you can see her work by clicking on this link) and occasionally posts some of her sightings and photos to the Northbay Birds list serve. She recently posted a sighting of a Yellow-headed Blackbird at Huichica Creek and another birder who was looking for that bird found a group of Least Terns there. This was too good to pass up so over the last few days I've made a few trips out there to look for these treats.  On my first trip I had a really good look at a Virginia Rail that was working the edge of some cattails in a slough and but thought I had missed the Least Terns. While walking out on the levee I met another birder who's posts I also see, his name is Bob Battagin and we had a nice chat, he had seen the Terns earlier that morning. While we were talking we heard some very Tern-like calls and a pair of these very beautiful Least Terns flew in and landed on a mud island allowing us to get some really great looks at them.  I checked my records and I only have two other sightings of these birds so this was really nice.

I went back out again the next day while Patrick was at his swim practice and who do I see but Christine Hansen my ex-colleague who is shooting pictures of Marsh Wrens. As we were talking I noticed a lone Phalarope in the pond opposite us and it proved to be a Red-necked Phalarope. A pretty good two days and three new county birds to add to that list.

A Kern County Adventure

Many years ago now, as Michael and I were on our way to Arizona in early spring for a rendezvous with Paul, we visited a place on the northern edge of the Mojave desert called Butterbredt Spring. Often referred to as a "migrant trap" it sits in the mountains that make up the northern boarder of the Mojave Desert in the transition between the dry arid regions to the south and the Sierra to the north. (See the map below.) On that first visit our timing was excellent as I added several new species to my life list. The highlight was a tree full of Short-eared Owls who were either over-wintering birds or migrants on the move. Each time I have come back to Butterbredt I have looked for this species again without success.  This time I brought Patrick along hoping that he might be a good luck charm for the Short-ears.  We left Bakersfield by 6 am and drove over Tehachapi Pass and down into the Mojave.  It is only a few miles north on Hwy. 14 to reach the junction at Jawbone Canyon and then it is on to the dirt roads that eventually would bring us back to Hwy. 178 just east of Lake Isabella. By 7:45 we arrived at Butterbredt Springs, the morning was cloudy and quite cool but we were excited to see what was there. I took it as a good sign that immediately upon entering the trees surrounding the spring I looked up to see a Great Horned Owl roosting up high. We spent the next three hours making our way down the canyon below the spring and back and saw a variety of the local residents including California Quail, Chukar, Roadrunner, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Bewick's Wren but we seemed to be too early for any migrants except for an Orange-crowned Warbler. While we were a little disappointed with our species count including a fruitless search for the Long-eared Owls, it was awesome to be back in the desert again. While I don't think I could ever live in this environment I have always relished my time adventuring in it. Pat and I had a fabulous walk up and down the canyon and could only imagine how much more alive it will be in a short week or two.  When we returned to the spring we took some time out for lunch and while eating spotted a Loggerhead Shrike on top of a nearby Joshua Tree.  The last time I was at Butterbredt having lunch two Golden Eagles soared over us but no such luck this time. From here we continued our journey over the mountains to visit the Audubon Society's Kern River Preserve. This riparian forest is said to be one of the largest remaining in California and is well worth a visit. Again we seemed to be too late for the winter residents but too early for the spring and summer ones. We did see a Red-shouldered Hawk score his lunch, a nice Yellowthroat, plenty of bright Western Bluebirds and had another enjoyable walk on their nature trail. This is a place that we will return to again later in the year to see what we might find. After touring this great spot it was time to call it a day and find a good old fashioned frosty cone to complete the adventure. Alas, just like the Long-eared Owls that search was also a fruitless one. If you would like to see pictures of our adventure you can find them under the 'photo collections' menu or you can click here.

PRBO Science

Perched on a bluff at the edge of the continent, almost a stone's throw from the sea, sits the Point Reyes Bird Observatory's Palomarin field station. For over 40 years scientists have captured and banded birds here making this the oldest continuously operating banding station in western North America. This active research station also plays host to visitors interested in learning about the work they do. On a slightly cool and hazy day Patrick and I made the drive from Napa to visit this venerable institution. We could not have picked a better time to visit. When we arrived we were greeted by Francesca an intern at PRBO and she showed us some of the equipment they use to do their work. PRBO offers these open times to the public on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday mornings and we were lucky to be the only public there for the period of our stay. Patrick had a lot of good questions and she fielded them all. As we talked her radio crackled and her partner Dan Lipp let her know he was bringing in a bird. Soon Dan came in with a Western Scrub Jay and we watched as they went through the processing of the bird. This involves lots of measuring and weighing to try and determine sex and age and since this bird had been caught before an older band that had become too tight had to be replaced as well. We had a truly delightful time with Dan and Francesca. They allowed us to accompany them as they visited all the nets and to watch closely as they banded and measured the birds that were caught. The highlight of the day had to be when Patrick was able to hold two different Allen's Hummingbirds in the palm of his hand as they were being released. If you would like to visit the Palomarin Field Station or even join PRBO as we have, you can get more information by clicking on the link to the right. 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from Birding

Taking advantage of a beautiful winter afternoon I dragged Patrick out of the house with me and we headed for the Huichica Creek marsh at the Napa River Marshlands. The sun was out and the wind was up a bit but it was really good to be out of the house and getting our feet muddy. There is a developed pond area near the parking lot that is heavily choked with cattails but has some open areas as well. We walked along the edge of this hoping to see the American Bittern that I had seen there previously. We continued out into the open fields beyond seeing where it would take us and eventually found ourselves cut-off by the marsh. Pat spotted a Short-eared Owl on the ground just before he took off and we saw several others. At one point we investigated a bush that had clearly been used by these owls for roosting finding guano, feathers, and even some owl pellets. We walked around the entire developed pond on the way back in and found some really good exposed parts where some patience will probably bring Soras and Virginia Rails into view.  For this day we heard them calling in there but did not actually see any. When we left to make our way back home we went west on Las Amigas to Duhig and along Duhig we were astounded to find a Ferruginous Hawk. To my recollection I have only seen this bird one other time and it was in Mike Morris's backyard in Blue Lake, CA many years ago. To my regret I did not have a camera with me but both Pat and I had good looks and a chance to comment on the various field marks and convince ourselves.  I posted this sighting on the Northbay birdlist and was quickly questioned about it's veracity. Being somewhat miffed about that I went back at about the same time the next day in hopes of finding it again and getting a few photos. Don't think I was wrong.

Timberhill Park - Napa CA

One afternoon this week I searched out a local city-administered piece of open space called Timberhill Park. It is located in the hills of west Napa and is a surprisingly beautiful, if small, slice of what this valley once was. At one time this would have been a part on someone's ranch. There are still grazing cattle in the area and evidence that what are now just tracks and trails for walking were once used by vehicles.  It doesn't take long to walk the loop around the hilltop summit of the park, at a brisk pace it can be done in as little as a half-hour. But the view from the top of the knoll is quite nice. As I looked out over the valley I found myself doing what I always seem to do in these situations, wondering what it must have looked like before we put the stamp of human occupation on it. Long before the arrival of European and American settlers, the Native Americans used this land to their advantage but they did so in a far less invasive manner than first the Spanish then Mexican and finally Americans who settled here. I like to think of what it might have looked like pre-Clovis or pre-Solutrian if you subscribe to that theory. Imagine the view and what you would have seen if you were the first human to set eyes on this landscape.

As I completed my loop around the park I had noted only a few birds including Black and Say's Phoebe, a Savanna Sparrow, many Lesser Goldfinches, and a few Vultures. I had heard that you could see Varied Thrushes here and I had yet to see one in Napa County. The last part of the loop brings you back down into the gully that is the headwaters of Redwood Creek, a lovely woodland laced with the strong scent of the California Laurel. This is where I would find my Varied Thrush if there was one about, and low and behold there was. Moving through the trees ninja style, making no sound at all. Just a quick pose out of cover to say he was here and then gone. A nice bird that reminds me of wet winter days on the campus of HSU where I could always find one on the edge of the forest that was our neighbor. 

Restoration Success Story

In Napa County where I live there is a vision of a bicycle/pedestrian path that will someday allow users to walk or ride virtually the entire distance between the city of Calistoga in the north and American Canyon in the south.  That vision is slowly but surely materializing into reality.  Already significant stretches of what is referred to as the Napa River Trail have been completed with more pieces in the works, while the Napa Valley Vine Trail begins to take shape having recently received significant grant awards.  This past weekend Patrick and I took our bikes and binoculars down to American Canyon to ride the almost 3 miles of the newest portion of the River Trail.  The trail runs north from the staging/parking area at the west end of Eucalyptus Drive along the edge of what used to be salt evaporation ponds that had belonged to the Cargill Corp. These ponds were sold back to the State of California and the Dept. of Fish and Game has done an exemplary job of restoration so that now they are tidal mudflats that are supporting more and more birds. Every indication is that the Napa/Sonoma Marsh system is now capable of supporting an increasing number of resident bird species as well as providing critical rest and nourishment to the millions of migrants who have and will continue to rely on it.

As we rode the trail the tide was on it's way out leaving much of the mudflats exposed and teaming with shorebirds.  We had Dunlin, Dowitchers, Willits, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers, Black-necked Stilts, Avocets and a new county bird for me Semipalmated Plovers. We also had a nice look at a juvenile Peregrine Falcon on a roost near the parking area.  I'll be returning soon when I have a bit more time and my scope so I can get some better looks at the plovers. You can access this portion of the river trail off of highway 29 in American Canyon opposite the large Walmart monstrosity.  Follow Eucalyptus Drive west over Oat Hill to the parking area at the end.

An Uncommon But Regular Visitor

Since we moved to our house in 1998 I have kept feeders in the yard to attract a variety of bird species.  As my yard list has steadily grown over the years and now and again I am able to add one more, there are a few visitors who return each year that I am particularly fond of.  One of these is the White-throated Sparrow.  Each fall as the temperatures begin to fall and I start to fill the seed feeders I wait for the arrival of this uncommon but regular winter visitor. There have only been two winters since 1999 that I have not had one spend the winter in the vicinity of our yard.  This year I am lucky enough to have two of them.  They arrive from somewhere north and east of us joining the White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows to compete for the plentiful free food at my avian diner.  I begin to look for them at Halloween and expect them to leave again by April, they are my winter residents and welcome.  I don't know the life expectancy of these sparrows but I can't imagine that either of the two I have now is my original visitor from 1999 and this makes me wonder.  Are they off-spring?  If so, how is it that they find my yard every year?  While the local Christmas bird counts turn up a number of these birds they are by no means common in these parts. Some of the field guides even say they are rare in our area which is well south and west of their breeding range.  This leads me to believe that the White-throats who inhabit my yard each winter must be passing  the news of good and plentiful food with only occasional fat cats and Sharp-shinned Hawk interruptions along to their chicks and that these birds all come from the same original visitor.  How this is done is not known to me but perhaps those members of the professional wing (pardon the pun) of the brethren would have more to say about that, and perhaps I need to do more reading.  In any case I enjoy their presence, I look for them every morning, seeing  them always brings a smile.  I will send them on their way in the spring with an invitation to return again in the fall and if they themselves can't make it back then I hope they have told the next generation about our yard.

Point Arena Harbor - Mendocino Coast

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I have heard tell of the Laysan Albatross that is a regular winter visitor to Point Arena harbor in Mendocino County for several years now.  For one reason or another I have not made the journey to see him/her.  As I have rekindled my enthusiasm for birds and birding I resolved to see this bird this year. On December 5th the news came across the list serve that "Big Al" had indeed returned.  Since we now have an extra week of winter recess before school starts again I convinced Danette and Patrick to go with me for a short trip to the coast and two cracks at Big Al the Laysan Albatross.

It is unusual for an Albatross to spend so much time in-shore as Big Al does. In general these birds approach land only during their breeding season so it is a rare treat for birders who don't like boats to see one of nature's greatest flyers.  On our first day out we arrived at the harbor in the early afternoon and were greeted by cloudy and drizzly skies.  We scanned the harbor for a while without success and then learned from the harbormaster that Al had been present that morning but had disappeared before noon.   I think the harbormaster may have called him a ninja when describing how he turns up and then disappears for a while.  We hung around for a little while then resolved to return the next day and try again.  After staying the night in Ft. Bragg we were shocked to find the sun shinning the next morning and we high-tailed it south for another try for Big Al.  It wasn't 30 seconds after leaving the car that we knew he was there.  As I approached the pier there was a large gray and white seabird just outside the surf line 100 yards to the north.  It was significantly bigger than the gulls in the vicinity and therefore could only be Big Al.  A recent post on the CALBIRDS list serve discussed the history of this bird.  He/she was first sighted in 1994 making this the 19th consecutive winter of visitation.  I also recall reading that the Tsunami generated by the large earthquake in Japan was destructive to the nesting area of these birds on the Midway atoll.  It is nice to see that this bird was not a casualty of that phenomena.  I spent about an hour on the pier enjoying the beautiful day and this amazing bird.

Huichica Creek - Napa River Marshlands

The last day of the year, cool and clear in the Northbay.  I was recently contacted by a Napa couple who had seen a few of my posts on the NBB list serve and they suggested I visit Huichica Creek.  There are a number of ways to access this Fish and Game managed area (click on the map image to see a pdf of the Napa and Sonoma Marshlands) and I assumed they meant from the HQ at the bottom of Duhig Rd.  I drove out there near sunset to see if I could pick up some more Short-eared Owls and parked in the staging area. There is a small marsh area along the creek that might prove interesting later in the year but there is no established wildlife viewing area here. I walked out an access road and crossed the railway line and walked along a dike separating two large ponds.  Here I found lots of waders and ducks as well as cormorants and a small group of Bonaparte's Gulls.  No owls out here but there was a promising group of eucalyptus trees near the end of the dike.  As I walked back I was treated to a spectacular sunset.  I was without a camera so it will have to be preserved in my mind only.  As I neared the farm buildings that serve as the unit headquarters and it was turning to dusk I scanned the openings on the ends of the barns and within a minute a Great Horned Owl flew out of the first and off to it's nocturnal business and then from the second a Barn Owl popped into view and flew off for the same.  A fine way to end the year and a good omen for 2012.