Birds I'm Watching: Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

© Colin Talcroft, 2010

Sonoma County's Madrone Audubon Society took a trip to the Sacramento National Wildlife  Refuge yesterday, staying overnight to bird nearby areas today. Because of work obligations, I drove up for the day and came back last night, but still got to see tens of thousands of birds (not an exaggeration) that have come down from the north to use the Sacramento area wetlands to overwinter. There were easily 5,000 pintails alone--very pretty ducks (photo above)--and probably 20,000 snow geese or more. Highlights included a couple of bald eagles--one that caught and ate a large duck--and a beautiful peregrine falcon (the best view I've ever had of this bird, photo below). The majority of the birds were Pintails, Snow geese, Ross's geese, Greater white-fronted geese, Northern shovelers, and Coots, probably.

© Colin Talcroft, 2010

In total, I saw about 45 species. Last year on this trip, I saw seven new species. It's an indication of just how many birds I've seen in the past year that I got nothing new this time around. Still, it was a pleasure to see so many birds--in absolute numbers. Birds sighted were: Western meadowlark, Turkey vulture, Red-winged blackbird, Black phoebe, Red-tailed hawk (about seven in the course of the day), kestrel, American pipit, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Snow goose, Ross's goose, Greater white-fronted goose, Yellow-rumped warbler, Coot, Northern shoveler, Marsh wren, Northern harrier, Cinnamon teal, Blue-winged teal, Horned grebe, Dunlin, Peregrine falcon, Moorhen, Snowy egret, Raven, Great blue heron, Greater scaup, Black-necked stilt, Gadwall, white-crowned sparrow, American wigeon, Eurasian wigeon, Great egret, Bald eagle, California gull, Herring gull, Starling, Ring-necked duck, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Bufflehead, Golden-crowned sparrow, and Ruddy duck (all on the driving tour at the main refuge). At Llano Seco, saw many of the same birds but also Sandhill cranes, a Long-billed curlew, Greater or Lesser yellowlegs (too far to tell which), and Canada geese (surprisingly few of these overall), and, along the road elsewhere, a few groups of Tundra swans.

Birds I'm Watching: Spring Lake (September 29, 2010)

I joined a group this morning for a walk around Spring Lake, in Santa Rosa. There were no unusual warblers, although Yellow Warbler was present in abundance. The highlights were seeing the American Bittern that is often present, seeing a Red-breasted Sapsucker, and seeing a fair number of ducks in eclipse plumage--a Green-winged Teal, two Northern Pintails, and two Shovelers. Also, there were Cedar Waxwings everywhere. The Yellow-rumped Warblers and Dark-eyed Juncos (see below) and the ducks are all the first I've seen this season. Pictured above is a Yellow Warbler. Below is the Red-breasted Sapsucker.

The birds I saw were: Canada Goose (5), Mallard (7), Northern Shoveler (2), Northern Pintail (2), Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe (3), Double-crested Cormorant (9), American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron (3), Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture (3), Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sora, Common Moorhen, Killdeer (6), Anna's Hummingbird (5), Belted Kingfisher (2), Acorn Woodpecker (3), Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall's Woodpecker (3), Downy Woodpecker (3), Black Phoebe (3), Cassin's Vireo, Western Scrub-Jay (7), American Crow (13), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse (5), Bushtit (11), White-breasted Nuthatch (2), Bewick's Wren, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Pipit, Cedar Waxwing (67), Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler (9), Yellow-rumped Warbler (2), Wilson's Warbler, Spotted Towhee (2), California Towhee (5), Song Sparrow (3), White-crowned Sparrow (5), Dark-eyed Junco (3), Western Tanager, Red-winged Blackbird (11), Brewer's Blackbird (2), Lesser Goldfinch (5).

For more information about bird watching in Sonoma County, see my Website Sonoma County Birding Spots

Birds I'm Watching: Shollenberger Park, Ellis Creek, Las Gallinas

Spent much of the day birding again today. Visited Shollenberger park in the morning. Saw the family of white-tailed kites that has been there the past few days, on the Adobe Creek side of the area. Also saw: Black phoebe, coots, black-necked stilts, northern shovelers, killdeer, Western meadowlark, red-winged blackbirds (lower photo; technically, I think the ones we have around here are the "bi-colored" form that lacks the yellow wing bar, like the bird pictured), mallards, song sparrow, Western sandpiper, and willets. On the other end of the park, saw: Shovelers again, avocets, black-necked stilts, marbled godwits, coots, Canada geese, dowitchers (probably long-billed), Western gulls, ring-billed gulls, turkey vultures, plovers, and blue-winged teals (upper photo)--this last a first sighting for me.

Then drove over to the Ellis Creek ponds. Saw: Red-winged blackbirds, Anna's hummingbird, cedar waxwings, Canada geese, scrub jay, and house finches right in the parking lot. In and around the ponds, I saw: Cinnamon teal, coots, black-necked stilts, northern shovelers, Canada geese, greater yellowlegs, mallards, pied-billed grebe, killdeer, a Wilson's snipe, dowitchers again, yellow-rumped warblers, great egret, black phoebe, blue-winged teal, a kestrel, a marsh wren, and what turned out to be a couple of female greater scaups, also a new bird for me.

Finally, ran down to the Las Gallinas sewage treatment ponds. I actually found them this time. Saw: Snowy egrets, great egrets, black phoebe, northern harrier, shovelers, avocets, crow, Canada geese, willets, black-necked stilts, white pelicans, northern pintail (a first sighting for me), green-winged teal (likewise), dowitchers, wigeons, gadwalls, Western grebes, bushtits, yellow-rumped warblers, and a white-crowned sparrow.

A tiring day, but got four new species, bringing my total to 182 and my Sonoma County total to 130. Saw a total of 42 species, if I've counted correctly.