Birds I'm Watching: Willow Creek Rd., Bodega Bay

I spent most of the day today out looking at birds. I joined a Madrone Audubon Society walk at Willow Creek Rd., north of Bodega Bay and on the way home stopped at Porto Bodega, the north end of Bodega Harbor, and went as far south as Campbell Cove. At Willow Creek, the highlight was watching a Bald Eagle spar with an Osprey over the hills that flank the Russian River as it meets the Pacific. At Bodega, I got some excellent photos of Black Oystercatchers, Western Grebes, and Common Loons.

At Willow Creek Rd., I saw 37 species (in order of their appearance): Common Raven, Osprey, Wrentit, Wilson's Warbler (singing everywhere), Song Sparrow, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, Red-tailed Hawk, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bald Eagle (One adult, one immature), Rufous Hummingbird, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bushtit, White-crowned Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Cliff Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Common Merganser, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Black headed-Grosbeak, Purple Finch, House Finch, Warbling Vireo, Anna's Hummingbird, Pacific Wren, Marsh Wren, American Robin, California Towhee, Western Scrub-jay, Spotted Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, and California Quail.

At Bodega Bay (Porto Bodega), I saw: Black Oystercatcher (two adults and a juvenile, and got to see the adults doing some kind of display, although I can't say what the meaning of it was--heads straight up, beaks open, then heads way down low with a stiff tail sticking up in the rear...), Willet, a single Canada Goose (strange, but true), Western Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Starling, Surf scoter, Western Grebe, Horned Grebe, Common Loon, House Sparrow, Pigeon. At the north end of the harbor, I saw: Western Grebe, Common Loon, Black Oystercatcher, Double-crested Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Surf Scoter, and Osprey.

 For more information about bird watching in Sonoma County, see my Website Sonoma County Bird Watching Spots.

Food I'm Eating: Excellent Lunch at Terrapin Creek Café, Bodega Bay

Had a very good lunch at Terrapin Creek Café yesterday. Hadn't tried this place before, but glad I did. Had a very tasty summer squash soup with a mint and pistachio pesto, crab cakes that were done perfectly and actually tasted like crab, and an excellent cassoulet. Simple, yet delicious. Open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday. A very nice change from the many seafood places along the coast that (while not bad) have nothing special to offer--which is ironic given the proximity to the sea and easy access to sophisticated diners in the area. Highly recommended. At 1580 Eastshore Road (just to the right after you turn left to go down toward Spud Point Marina and Bodega Head from the main highway. Phone: (707) 875-2700. Having said that, I like eating lunch at the Tides when in Bodega because of the excellent view over the bay.

Birds seen during the day at the bay included: Belted kingfisher (three--or the same guy in three locations), common loon, pacific loon, White pelican, common tern, Western gull, ring-billed gull, turkey vulture, willet, marbled godwit, scrub jay, double-crested cormorant, pelagic cormorant, black oyster catcher, Clark's grebe, and Western grebe. Actually, as usual, I'm just guessing about the tern. I can never get close enough to tell which one it is. According to online information from the Madrone Audubon Society (which is our local chapter), elegant terns, Forster's terns, and Caspian terns are all possibilities. They are hard to tell apart at a distance.

Birds I'm Watching: Bodega Bay

Drove briefly out to Bodega Bay yesterday, not having really planned to do so, but I had nothing better to do. Didn't see a lot new, but did get a clear look at a group of grebes and saw the difference between the Clark's grebe and the Western grebe well enough that I now can say I've seen both, so I add the Clark's grebe to my life list. The latter is a bit paler, especially on its back, and the black on the head stays above the eye. The black on the head of the Western grebe surrounds the eye. In my book Birds of Sonoma County California (Bolander and Parmeter), there is no historical sighting of this bird in the county in August. The book was published in 2000 (revised edition). It probably has been sighted, but, if not, there you go. I'm 100% certain about this one.

Out at Bodega Head I saw a group of birds that I believe were Pacific loons in their winter plumage. Nothing else makes any sense. So, tentatively, I add the Pacific loon to my life list. I also saw what I think were mew gulls, but I'm not certain. Otherwise, I saw the usual on a drive in Sonoma County that includes the ocean: Double-crested cormorants, Western gulls, turkey vultures, scrub jays, Canada geese, black oyster catchers, willets, sandpipers, great egrets, brown pelicans, white pelicans, marbled godwits, and common terns.

Places I'm Visiting: Bodega Head

Drove up to Bodega Head yesterday to see if the yellow bush lupines were in bloom. They were. Hundreds of them. The wind was so strong, their honeyed fragrance was impossible to detect without getting close. The wind was so strong, it was hard to stand in some places. Down below the bluffs, Western grebes, brandts, and common terns on the water.