Two Rare Gulls in Santa Cruz County

For most of my adult life I have used the National Geographic Field Guide of North American Birds as my primary field Guide. It's fine artwork, well written descriptions, excellent range maps and overall easy to use organizational structure make this guide the gold standard for me. I mention this because when I went to Aptos to search for the two rare gulls seen at the mouth of Aptos Creek, I had the pleasure of meeting Jon Dunn the author of the National Geographic Guide.

I had just arrived at the creek mouth and was perched up on a mound of sand created by the late December storms when I heard a voice behind me ask, "Is this the place for the Gulls? After giving a positive response I came down off my mound and he stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Jon Dunn." After introducing myself I asked, "You mean the Jon Dunn, author of the National Geographic Guide?" After answering we had a conversation about how much I enjoyed and used his book these last 35 years and we began to look through the small flock of gulls at the mouth of the creek. I had only just gotten there and hadn't really looked through them yet and I told Jon I was not a very good gull person. He immediately picked out the Laughing Gull and gave me a couple of key field marks and we enjoyed good looks but after a few more minutes of careful scanning we couldn't turn up the bird I had come for - the Black-headed Gull.

Since ebird reports had the bird moving between Hidden Beach to the east and the Aptos Creek mouth I told Jon that I would walk the beach in between to search for it. We exchanged phone numbers so I could text him if I found the bird and I shouldered my scope and started walking.

After a 5 mile walk examining all the gulls, picking up a nice blister, and getting a bit peeved at the dog owners who let their dogs chase off the birds, I returned to the creek mouth hoping that the BHGU would show up. Sure enough it wasn't but a few moments and there it was. I sent off a text message to Jon so he could come back to see it and got comfortable in my chair to watch and take pictures. After about 45 minutes the gull began to move east down the beach stopping at intervals to join the Sanderlings in the surf. I kept it in view for as long as I could until, once again the dogs intervened and it flew down the beach and out of sight. Not five minutes later Jon arrived. This happens so often in birding! He and his companions decided to move down to a further parking lot to try and catch the gull there. He later sent me a text letting me know that they found the Black-headed Gull and he could add it to his Santa Cruz County list. So a successful day for all!

I really enjoyed meeting Jon, he is one of the friendliest birders I have encountered out there in the field. He is also generous in his knowledge and happy to share it in a way that doesn't display the least hint of condescension. I hope to bump into him again some day and this time to have my field guide with me so he can sign it!

 

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

View more images of these gulls at this link

The Goose Loop Getaway

The season of the winter solstice is a special one for so many reasons. Humans the world over celebrate this turn of the year in a variety of ways and in some cases have even changed their traditions to fit this season. For example, the co-opting of the season by the Christian faith so that the birth of Christ is celebrated at the same time as the pagan rituals marking the turning of the season and the gradual return of longer days. But for all observers of nature and the world around us (both secular and non-secular), the low angle of light from the sun and the shorter days can create conditions of breathtaking beauty. Nowhere is this more evident than here in our great state of California. Our state is nearly 10 degrees in latitude from top to bottom. At the southern end on the Winter Solstice we receive almost 10 hours of sunlight, at the northern end of the state only 9. And of course, as you move northward in the state and the latitude increases the angle of the sun striking the earth decreases. It is these low angle beams of sunlight, often passing above, below and even through clouds that create moments of extraordinary beauty in the landscapes around us.

View our shared photo album of this trip.

This past week my birding buddies and I returned to Modoc County, California's most northeastern county where we witnessed first-hand the magic of the low winter light conditions. For many years in the past I visited this region on a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Tule Lake and Lava Beds National Monument and it has been some time since I have returned at this time of year. Michael, Jeff and I had not gotten together to bird since our Arizona trip in May so this seemed like good timing for another adventure. Also joining us this time was Erik Blomquist, Jeff's good friend from his days teaching in Aromas, CA. We secured an AirBnb in Alturas (the Goose Loop Getaway) to serve as our home base for our 2 day stay (I highly recommend this approach as it was comfortable, convenient, and inexpensive).

We began our trip by meeting Michael at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. We were interested to note that they have built an entirely new headquarters building with a new visitor's center that will open early in the new year. For that first afternoon we followed our traditional approach by driving the auto tour route off of Hill Rd. We knew that this year Tule Lake and Lower Klamath had not received the water that they need to support the large flocks of birds we would typically see. On our way in from Highway 97 we saw first-hand that Lower Klamath was almost completely dry. Traveling the tour route at Tule Lake we passed sumps that are usually full of water and birds but not this year. It wasn't until we were nearly to the south end of the refuge that we encountered water that held ducks, geese, and swans. We did enjoy good looks at many raptors as we drove the route. Tons of Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Cooper's Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, a couple of Bald Eagles, and a White-tailed Kite. We seemed to have all of the regular duck species to be found here: Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Pintail, Ring-necked, Ruddy, Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Shoveler, Canvasback, Hooded Merganser, and one very obvious and beautiful Eurasian Wigeon. Usually it is the great numbers of geese that excites the birders who brave the chilly temperatures at this time of the year. While they didn't disappoint, their numbers were not close to what we have seen here in the past. By far the most were Snow Geese with a few Ross's Geese thrown in. Also present were Canada and White-fronted Geese. They were joined by at least 25 Tundra Swans, always a graceful and beautiful bird. Perhaps the most stunning of all the birds we saw that afternoon was a beautiful blue phase Snow Goose, once thought to be a seperate species, it is a dark bodied Snow Goose with a white head, spectacular in the afternoon light.

Tule Lake NWR

Following our tour of the auto route we entered Lava Beds National Monument where we drove the main road through to connect with Highway 139. We were hoping to pick up some good Juniper/Pine forest birds to add to our list and on our way in we did see a Loggerheaded Shrike, however the main event of the Lava Beds tour was to witness the significant destruction caused by the Caldwell Fire in 2020. I had seen it the year after the burn and Michael, Jeff and Erik had not been to Lava Beds since the fire. I was hopeful that there had been some significant progress in the recovery; there was not. This landscape is a pretty resilient one but it is going to take a significant amount of time for it to recover to it's pre-fire state. However, with climate change there is some question as to whether or not it will ever reach it's pre-fire state. Will the same species repopulate the burn scar or will new ones, better adapted to a dryer/hotter climate replace them. Yet another thing to ponder as we make our way through the monument and then hit the road for Alturas and our base for the next 2 days.

Our Airbnb (the Goose Loop Getaway) wasn't fancy but was perfect for our adventure and the price was exceptionally reasonable. We settled in, made dinner, and crafted our plan for following day, all while the temperature was dropping outside to below freezing. In our younger days we would be camping at Lava Beds and freezing our butts off. The perks of retirement and older, creakier bones.

Our morning began with a scan around the property. Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Flickers, Quail, and Townsend's Solitaires made up our local residents. We then headed out to drive the tour loop at Modoc NWR. One of our reasons for coming to Alturas was the presence of water at this refuge. While other refuges in the area had many dry ponds and sumps Modoc had an abundance of it. What it didn't have was an abundance of birds. We managed 22 species here including our only Belted Kingfisher of the trip.

Modoc NWR

Heading south on 395, we made for Likely, CA. and from here headed into Jess Valley tucked up against the west flank of the Warner Mountains. It's here where you can find the headwaters of the South Fork of the Pitt River. We have visited this valley on several occasions before and it is always worth it. For highlights we had between 7 and 10 Golden Eagles, a number of Rough-legged hawks and tried very hard to turn up a Juniper Titmouse for Jeff. We left Jess Valley by West Warner Rd. a dirt forest road that traverses the west flank of the mountains, visiting Mill Creek CG and then making our way north. We very well may have been the last vehicle on that road this season as it was pretty muddy and slippery and the next storm would surely make it impassable.

Coming down out of the mountains we had thoughts of lunch so made a quick stop at the Goose Loop Getaway, savored the smell of our cooking dinner, ate, and piled back in the truck for the last stage of the day - a trip to the other side of the Warners and Surprise Valley.

Surprise Valley in the extreme northeast corner of California might be one of the most remote and least visited sections of the entire state today, but it has an important place in the history of early emigration into the state. In 1846 the Applegate trail was established as a safer alternative to the Oregon trail for settlers heading for the Willamette River Valley. Coming from Nevada it crossed the Warner Mountains at Fandango Pass then turned north for the Oregon country. Then, in 1848, after the gold discovery, the Lassen Cut-off was created by Peter Lassen which took settlers south after crossing Fandango Pass down into California. This emigrant trail was heavily traveled until 1853 when the wagon road over Cedar Pass (modern day Highway 299) opened and the Lassen Cut-off shifted to this route. Many early California settlers, aware of the 1846 Donner Party tragedy, wished to avoid the high Sierra crossings and thus chose this route into the state. Here is an excerpt from the 1849 journal of Elijah Bryan Farnham describing his parties' approach to Fandango Pass: 

"Commenced our travil along the border of the dry the lake bed of the through a grassy valley The tall Siera was on our left Covered with magnificent finery [pines?] along its whole extent There pines coverd hills contrasted well with those barren plains There were plenty of streams a running from the mountains The prospect was that our Suffering for water was over Camped on the eastern base of the mountain for the last time For to morrow by good luck we expected to cross".

Surprise Valley

As we made our way over the Warners and down into Surprise Valley we were greeted by spectacular afternoon sunlight filtering through the piles of clouds covering the peaks of the the Warner Mountains. This valley is known for flocks of sparrows in the winter and is the one place in California where it possible to see a Bobolink (in spring). We were hoping to turn up something interesting as we drove the farm roads heading east towards Nevada. Instead we were struck by the paucity of birds, nothing like what we expected here. However, it wasn't a total bust. We had some incredible views of Ferruginous Hawks, both light and dark phased. It's rare that you get to see them together. We had a stunning Mountain Bluebird that seemed almost turquoise in the low afternoon light and we ended the day on a high note with a very sharp looking Prairie Falcon. 

Jeff's shot of the Prairie Falcon.

Our final day began with some weather as we made our way back south. Our plan was to follow Highway 299 back towards Redding where we would split up to return home. We encountered some snow flurries on the road as we went over the mountain to drop down into the valley that holds the town of Bieber and the Ash Creek Wildlife Area. Making a brief stop here we visited the Barn Owl that roosts in, of all places, a dilapidated barn, and saw a few other resident species. From here we went to the end of Rat Farm Rd. in McArther and Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park. Again, not a huge number of birds but we did see several Tundra Swans, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, a Bald Eagle, Ring-necked Ducks, and a very cool American Bittern to name a few. This is a great place to visit and I would really like to return in the spring with Kayaks to properly explore it.

Michael & the Ash Creek Barn

We stopped at the rest area where Hat Creek crosses Highway 299 and bid farewell to Michael. Then we headed south down I-5 for one more stop at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Here the shear number of Snow Geese was the most impressive aspect of our quick visit. There were also large numbers of ducks and our only Wilson's Snipe of the trip. Jeff also pulled us out a nice Glaucous-winged Gull. I think that an argument can be made that because of the scarcity of water in the Klamath Basin, numbers of geese and ducks at the Central Valley refuges have gone up. Hard to prove but a reasonable supposition.

All in all, another great trip in the books. It gives me the itch to start thinking about other adventures we might have this spring.

A happy and joyous holiday season to all!

Danette's Best Bird

I'm not the birder that gets excited about gulls. They are usually quite frustrating for me. Over the years I have managed to see most of the gull species that inhabit at least the lower 48 and a few of the arctic species as well.  One that has eluded me until today is the world's second largest gull - the Glaucous Gull. Best described as a large, pale arctic gull, their range in the winter brings them just down into Northern California. They are actually seen with some regularity around the coast of Northern California but in the winter gulls tend to congregate in large numbers and finding the unusual one amongst hundreds, sometimes thousands of other gulls, each capable of showing you a variety of different plumages (cycles) depending on how old they are, is enough to send me a little bit around the bend.

Anyway, my wife Danette had an errand to run today up to the lovely hamlet of Chico and I went along because - well, I'm retired and a trip out of town sounded like fun. Once again, thanks to ebird, I was aware of a Glaucous Gull sighting at the Feather River Parkway and Fish Hatchery in Oroville which just happens to be on the way to Chico. Long story short, Danette said that this was the best rare bird sighting she had ever been a part of (we saw the bird before I even turned the car off). Painless, she didn't even have to get out! To her credit she did get out and we spent a few minutes watching and getting some photos. We also noticed why this was a good spot for gulls to congregate. All through the shallows we could see large salmon in various states of decay, some living, some not. They had completed their last journey and done their duty at the hatchery across the river and were now fulfilling their last duty in the circle of life - food for the scavangers.

A fun day out and a new bird to boot! Species number 573.

A Lapland Longspur at the Dump

There is an interesting relationship between birds and garbage dumps. In some cases it is an active landfill where birds (especially gulls) can be found. For example, the Tamaulipas Crow can only be seen within the North American ABA area at the public landfill in Brownsville, Texas. I know, I've been there. But it is the increasingly more common occurrence of birds being found at what was once a landfill but is now capped over and reclaimed land. Some notable examples of this here in my home state are the following:

• The now world famous Arcata Marsh Project in Arcata, CA.
• The American Canyon Wetlands in American Canyon, CA.
• Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline Park in San Leandro, CA.
• Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley, CA.

These are just a few of the many that I visit with some regularity here in Northern California. Some pretty nice places that cover over the massive amount of waste that we generate. We have since learned to hide our landfills farther away from urban centers in places that are not so environmentally sensitive. Sometimes I wonder if this is a bad thing as we seem to be more disconnected from our garbage and we really don't realize how much of it we create as we no longer have to look at it or smell it near our communities.

All that being said, I found myself at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley because of some ebird reports of Lapland Longspurs foraging in the grasslands that now cover what used to be a landfill. Danette and I had been doing some shopping in the area and she agreed to a quick stop to see if they could be located. Lapland Longspurs are sparrow like birds that are regularly seen during the winter months at a few locations around the Bay Area. This is another species that has always eluded my detection so I figured this was a pretty good chance to rectify the situation. As I walked over the grassy area spotting Meadow Larks, Pipits, and Savannah Sparrows, I spotted another birder with a large camera rig and checked in with him. Fortunately, he was camped out right in the middle of an area that they were frequenting and within a matter of minutes there they were. I had good looks at three of them as they foraged and managed to get a few pictures but lighting was not good enough to call them really decent photos. So there we are, Lapland Longspur, bird number 572. Slowly heading for 600.

First New Rarity of the Season

Bar-tailed Godwit

The day was unusually warm as an early October heatwave descended on the Bay Area. Looking across the Bay we could see two of the largest cruise ships I had ever seen docked in San Francisco. Glancing up we could see the Blue Angels practicing for their Fleet Week performance. And just a few hundred yards away we could hear the horn blasts and see the organized chaos that is one of the largest container ports in the world. Hardly the place where you would expect to find a rare bird. 

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in the middle of the Port of Oakland seems a bit of an afterthought and is generally unknown to most people, but it does have a reputation amongst birders as being a good place to view a variety of different shorebirds. Word had gotten out on the listserves that a Bar-tailed Godwit was being seen here so I texted Jeff and he met me there and acted as my guide since he had seen the bird the previous day.

The Bar-tailed Godwit has been a problem bird for me. Two years ago one wintered in Emeryville and I tried numerous times to see it without any luck. Most recently, on our way home from the San Juan Islands, Danette and I made a slight detour along the coast of Washington to Tokeland to see one that had been there for at least six weeks - no luck. I was beginning to think that this was going to be my new nemisis bird. I can now rest easy in the knowledge that they do actually exist. Within one minute of setting up his scope Jeff found the Godwit on a sandbar in the harbor surrounded by a large number of close cousins, Marbled Godwits. For the next half hour we enjoyed leisurely views of the bird and took in the beautiful day around us.

The image above shows the Bar-tailed at the top just left of center. In this image you can see the size difference with the Marbled Godwits around it and see its paler color, heavier barring, and white supercilium. Those are Elegant Terns in the foreground - the "bad hair day birds."

A few more words about the Bar-tailed Godwit. It is widely held that these birds are the champions of non-stop migration. Each fall they leave Alaska and fly non-stop over the Pacific to New Zealand, a journey of over 7,000 miles accomplished over eight days, losing over half their body weight in the process. Astonishing! There is no way of knowing why the bird we saw is not on this traditional route, but we do know from previous records that their appearance on the Pacific Coast is not out of the question. Like many other bird species the Bar-tailed Godwit is in decline particularly due to habitat loss along the coast of the Yellow Sea where it depends on mudflats to feed during the return journey to Alaska.

This is a bird you can't help but to admire. If you'd like to learn more about this distance champion I would point you to this article from Audubon's "The Sketch."

Link to the google photo album of my images.

Glorious Northeastern California

Yellow Creek in Humbug Valley

In these days of divisive politics and regional conflicts California often takes a beating in the national eye. Yes, we are a majority liberal, open-minded and inclusive state and I make no apologies for that. People have their opinions and disagreements about these things and that's fine. But the one thing that you simply can't disagree on as far as California goes is it's incredible natural beauty. The Golden State has it all (except tropical rainforest) and I took a couple of days to visit one of my favorite parts of it this past week.

Growing up we spent a fair amount of time during our summer holidays in the Lake Almanor region with my mom's cousin's family. These fishing, hiking and camping adventures have always held a special place in my heart and it seems that every time I return, the area is even more beautiful. That's actually saying something as today the evidence of climate change is right in front of your face with horrible burn scars from the recent fires.

Butte Creek

The birding portion of my trip began as it has in the past with the turn off of highway 32 onto Humboldt Rd. I followed this road up to Jonesville then over to the Humbug Road. This road on through Butte Meadows and up to Jonesville is really quite beautiful and would make an excellent bike ride, however, after Jonesville you enter the burn scar and it is quite devastating. Many of the typical forest birds of this area were seen with the highlight being an American Dipper doing his thing in Butte Creek.

American Dipper

As I crested the Humbug Summit and began to drop down again I passed through heavily burned forest. Signs of recovery were evident in the understory with broad swathes of light purple color from the many patches of blooming penstemon. I turned off the Humburg Road and headed south towards Soda Creek Canyon for the day's main activity - a hike down to fish Soda Creek. Maps indicate a trail down into the canyon from Deer Point however it has been many years since that trail has seen any maintenance and it was difficult to follow all the way down. None-the-less I made it down to the creek and enjoyed a really nice afternoon of fishing. The creek is full of Rainbows and I think I only caught one less than 10 inches. At one point I had solid strike from one much bigger than that but he shook the hook pretty quickly. It was really good to return to this creek that Vic had introduced me to so many years ago. Back then I had a great day fishing with my dad, Vic and Ralph Andre. This time I was all alone but I felt all three of them with me as I had another fantastic afternoon.

Upper Soda Creek Canyon

Soda Creek

Soda Creek Rainbow

After the nearly 1,000 foot climb out of the canyon and back to the truck I was pretty tired and decided that the rest of the trip would be for the birds and the fishing was done. Continuing on my way through the burn scar I headed for Humbug Valley where I expected to camp at Yellow Creek Campground, one of the most picturesque campgrounds I have ever encountered. As I turned to follow the road towards the campground I added two of my favorite mountain birds to my list, Lazuli Bunting and a family of Mountain Quail. Continuing on I was met with quite a shock. The campground was in ruins, the fire had done a significant amount of damage and it was obviously closed. So it would be plan B for camping, I headed into and through Chester and over to Clear Creek and camped out on my cousin's deck next to the creek. A lovely spot but pretty buggy. I watched the Common Nighthawks above the creek as I drifted off to sleep. 

The burned over Yellow Creek Campground

Next morning it was up early for coffee and pastries and on the road towards Eagle Lake. I took the A1 (Eagle Lake Rd.) off of Hwy. 36 which takes you up over a pass on its way to the lake. A few years back Jeff and I had taken this road and stopped at the pass and it was a good birding spot, it still is. Here I added Cassin's and Warbling Vireos, Orange-crowned Warbler, a curious pair of Northern Harriers, and Red and White-breasted Nuthatches to name a few. Eagle Lake brought me numerous Osprey, Vesper Sparrow, White-faced Ibis and a variety of duck species. Continuing north on CA 139 I made my way to the Ash Creek Wildlife Area just off of CA 299. Here I added Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Swainson's Hawk and a family of Barn Owls in the barn next to the parking area.

Barn Owls

Heading west on 299 I made a stop at Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park at the end of Rat Farm Rd. Over the years I have seen a number of interesting e-bird reports from this location so I wanted to check it out. It was of course the middle of the day so birdwise it was quite slow. I did enjoy a flyover of a Bald Eagle. As I drove west on 299 through McArthur, Fall River Mills,  and Burney I was reminded of what a scenic road it is. I picnicked at Hat Creek and followed the unique drainage of the Pit River as it made its way towards Shasta Lake. My last recorded bird for the trip was a singing Yellow-breasted Chat along Little Cow Creek next the Hwy. 299.

All-in-all a good trip that brought back many good memories. While there is no doubt that the fire damage in the area around Lake Almanor is significant, what we do know is that over time it will recover. The big question that climate change brings is how it will recover. Will the once great pine and fir forests of the area return or will we see something different in its place. Time will tell and I will continue to visit and watch as long as I can.

Humbug Valley

Undone by the Devil - Southeast Arizona - May 2023

View this post on the blog.

Our Official trip portrait.

Birders are listers, there's no two ways about it. Some of us keep it pretty simple keeping only a life list, others keep all kinds of lists from county on up to state and country and even continent. Some people do this on a yearly basis. For me, I like it simple. I have two lists, an ABA life list and a yard list. When I first started birding back in college my life list grew rapidly. Lately they just sort of trickle in. The last time I had 10 or more new species in a single trip was back in 1993 which was the last time I went to Southeast Arizona.

The Last Thrasher

Worldwide there are 34 species of the family of birds known as Thrashers. Twelve of these species can be found in North America and if you want to see them you need to visit the southwest. Most have rather long decurved bills and all are notable singers and some are capable of mimicry. Probably the best known member of this family is the Mockingbird. Over the years of my birding career I have seen all but one of this family's North American contingent. In recent years this last thrasher, Le Conte's, has become a nemesis bird for me.