Monterey Bay Birding Festival

Friday, September 26, begins the Monterey Bay Birding Festival. I've been looking forward to this weekend since last year. The photo above is from last year's trip.

This year Red will be attending along with my husband and me. I've considered Red to be my professional (or at least semi-professional) photographer. Tomorrow's event is called California Specialties. It begins at 7 a.m. and we have about an hour's drive to get to the check-in place in Watsonville. This is a full-day's trip focusing on birds like yellow-billed magpie, Calif Thrasher, snowy plover, Lawrence's goldfinch, etc. We will be traveling from the Pacific beaches to the foothills of the Salinas Valley (think John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath").

Saturday's trip starts even earlier, 6:30 a.m., which means we will have to leave home around 5:30 a.m. Ugh! Oh well, it's for a good reason. The morning event is called Rancho Del Oso which will give us the opportunity to bird in riparian areas around Monterey pines and mixed evergreens and the coastal redwoods. We should hopefully see wrentit, pygmy nuthatch, hermit warbler, northern pygmy-owl, marbled murrelet and various woodpeckers. We may even see raptors. Since this is a half-day event we also signed up to attend a couple of afternoon lectures given by Jon Dunn. Each lecture is 90 minutes long focusing on honing one's birding skills. The first one is on identifying large shorebirds, and the second lecture will be on identifying small shorebirds. I'm sure glad the lectures are split up regarding small and large shorebirds.

Then on Sunday we will be attending another full-day trip to Pinnacles National Monument. This will be a super exciting trip for me because I am hoping to get a look at some of our California Condors that have been residing there. We should also hopefully see other birds like canyon wrens, greater roadrunners, prairie falcons and loggerhead shrikes.

Hopefully I will have lots of photos to post. I'm also expecting Red to post to her blog, too. I hope everyone else will have a great birdy weekend. I know I'm planning on it.

Very young avid birders

Indulge me! Our newest family members are avid bird watchers! Only 5 months old and they know (probably by instinct) that these little feathered critters are something they desire. Here are a few photos I took earlier tonight of Tango and Cash "watching" the birds at the window feeder.

"Hey, Cash, look at this guy. It isn't even afraid of us."

"Tango, it's not budging. Look at what they're eating."

"I can't believe it! We get no respect!"

Palo Alto Baylands revisited

Last year, in June, my husband and I visited the Palo Alto Baylands for the first time. It's a really good place to go birding, and easily accessible. This year, we decided to make an earlier visit, so we went in May, on Memorial Day weekend. One of the things I missed last year was the location where the Black-crowned Night herons were nesting. I had been told they were around the ranger station which is one place we had missed. So this year I wanted to be sure to check out the area around the ranger station and see if I could find any nesting BCN herons. While approaching the ranger station area I found this beautiful plant called statice growing in the garden area. Be sure to click on the photos to get a larger view.

Here is a close-up of the flowers.
While walking around we could hear some birds making a ruckus, but at first I couldn't see them. Then my husband pointed to the top of some trees where we could see a few Black-crowned Night herons. The nests were very difficult to find because it seems they nest in very dense-leaved trees. Nonetheless, one could certainly hear them. I couldn't get any photos of the nests or the birds in the nest because it was so shady and it was too dark for taking decent photos.
Here is a close up of a pair.

I also saw lots of snowy egrets nesting near the duck pond. There is a fenced off area with signage saying "Migratory Bird Sanctuary." The snowy egrets seemed to nest in a different spot this year. Last year they nested in the two palm trees closest to the fenced area. This year they seem to be nesting farther back. I will post those photos next time.

Birding at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View

Back in early December, Sunday the 2nd to be exact, my birding buddy and I met at Palo Alto Baylands. I had not been there since June and I wanted to see what birds were there this time of year. Unfortunately, this was an extremely windy day which made it difficult and almost impossible to see many birds. So my friend suggested we could try Shoreline in Mountain View. So that's where we went. Wind was quite strong there, too. But there were a couple of spots around the lake where we could find a little protection standing next to some trees and tall shrubs. Below is a photo of Mount Hamilton in the distance from Shoreline Lake. I can't remember what birds were on the lake and flying around in this picture, but I thought this was a good shot as an overview of the area.

Here in a marshy area is a fairly good shot of a male mallard.
This photo shows a Clark's grebe and a surf scoter. I'm not positive about the grebe being a Clark's. The color of its bill says it's a Clark's, but the black on the top of its head seems to be below the eye, which would identify it as a Western grebe. But for now I'll call it a Clark's grebe. Seeing surf scoters on the lake was quite exciting. I had never seen one before - lifer! I can't seem to ID those other "ducks" in the background. You can click on any of the pix to get a larger view.
Here is another lifer - a common goldeneye. Isn't he a beauty? Take note of the choppy waters.
And here is a cutie-"pie." A pied-billed grebe. I think they are some of the cutest of all waterfowl. I think my favorite is the American Wigeon, and the pied-billed grebe is second.
Here is another shot of the pied-billed grebe with (I think) a lesser scaup in the background.
And here is one that is difficult (for me) to identify. The quality of the photo isn't very good, but looking in my guide it seems to look like a ruddy duck, yet its bill has the look of a norther shoveler. Maybe someone can help me identify this one.
Here is another shot of the surf scoter. Is that a female surf scoter next to the male?
Anyway, even though the wind was strong and it more or less shortened our birding time, I think we still had a fruitful afternoon. Other birds we saw were black-crowned night herons and snowy egrets back in the marsh. And we also saw a couple of double-crested cormorants and a few American coots.

Panoche Valley, California

As mentioned in my previous post I went birding with other Audubon Society members on Saturday (Jan 12). We went to an area I have never been to before. The geographical layout is one of rolling hills of oak woodland and open grassland. I was impressed with the list of possible species we could see in the Panoche Valley area, some that are unique to California (only to be seen in this area). Of those listed for the trip only six of them we did not see. Many of the species I did see were lifers for me. I'll list them at the end of this post.

Below is a photo of one of the Savannah Sparrows we saw. Another cute, cooperative and curious bird.

This photo is to show the difference between a Savannah Sparrow and a House Finch. Savannah Sparrow is on the left.

One of the "treats" for the day was to visit a place called Mercey Hot Springs, a camping facility located about 10 miles west of I-5 on the western edge of Fresno County, next to San Benito County. This facility has been "hosting" a family of long-eared owls. Entrance into the facility was $5, and well worth it to see these beautiful birds. Here are two of my best shots.

Another bird we had expected to see was a Lewis' Woodpecker. The group stopped early in the day where the bird has been sighted before, but we didn't see it at that time. On our way back to San Jose, my birding buddy and I went back to the location to see if we could spot the woodpecker. There were a couple of other birders stopped on the side of the road, so we thought that was a good sign. When we inquired, we were told that the bird had been there but then flew off. We decided to hang around for about 5 minutes to see if the woodpecker would return. And he did. Since the bird was quite a distance away, this was the best shot I could get.
Here is a list of birds I saw for the day. Those with an asterisk are my lifers.

Yellow-billed magpie*

White-tailed kite

Lewis' Woodpecker*

Long-eared owl*

American Robin

Oak Titmouse

Western Scrub Jay

Western Grebe

Mallard

Say's Phoebe

Rufous-crowned Sparrow*

Phainopepla*

White-throated Sparrow*

Raven (and a raven's nest)

Great Egret

Western Bluebird

Greater Roadrunner

Mourning Dove

Rock Pigeons

House Finch

White Pelican

Bald Eagle

Brewer's Blackbird

Red-wing Blackbird

Red-tailed Hawk

Kestrel

Merlin*

White-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow*

Horned Lark*

Ferruginous Hawk*

Bosque del Apache and Water Canyon

On Saturday, Nov 17th, the Festival of the Cranes was in full force with many exhibits, including art exhibits all around. Several educational animals were also available, mostly birds, but there was also a captive wolf which I did not get a photo of. Here are just a couple of shots of a hawk. Aren't they beautiful? Just look at those feathers, especially on the second photo.

Great horned owl

American Coot on the Refuge admiring his reflection

Below, an alligator juniper tree in Water Canyon.

Here is a close-up view of the bark. You can see why it is called "alligator" juniper.

The Mountain Birding Tour was led by Mary Alice Root, Bill Thompson and Julie Zickefoose. On the way to Water Canyon we saw a herd of pronghorn antelope grazing in the field. I haven't seen any pronghorn for many years, so I really enjoyed seeing them out "on the range." Also, before getting to Water Canyon, the group stopped where there was a huge rock wall (in the distance). We stopped to look for a great horned owl that was spotted the day before. The owl was still there; and it was also noted that there was a honeybee hive attached to the cliff wall. Once we got to Water Canyon, we saw a cliff chipmunk and a young rock squirrel (identified by JZ). They sure were cute to watch. The birds we saw were: bushtits, juncos, a ruby-crowned kinglet, white-breasted nuthatches, bluebirds, a couple of Stellar's jays, acorn woodpecker, red-naped sapsucker, and a Williamson's sapsucker. Many of these were lifers for me, and you can read more about these birds and the Water Canyon trip in Julie Zickefoose's and Bill of the Birds blogs. You'll also see photos of many of the birds that I did not get. Most of the birds were in areas that were too dark and/or too far for me to get any decent photos; so I didn't bother. While heading back to the cars I took this photo of a few birders - namely, my husband, Liam (JZ's and BT's son), and Linda (who we had carpooled with).

Below is the photo of the great-horned owl that was found perched in the cliff wall. We took this shot on our way out of the canyon since the lighting was better than when we first saw it on the way up to Water Canyon.

Getting Ready

Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a week since I last posted. By the way, for those who are still curious about mama lynx spider and her babies, they are doing well. Babies are still hanging around. We had rain Saturday night, but Sunday morning we found mama and her babies had taken refuge under a leaf of their resident rose bush. I haven't posted a picture of them since last Sunday because they don't seem any bigger now than last weekend. I'm fairly certain they will look bigger when I return from my trip.

Trip? Yes, this is my trip I've looked forward to since early summer. This is the Festival of the Cranes in Socorro, New Mexico. I am so hyped up about going, you'd think this was my first time attending. But, I get more excited about this birding event every year. Last year, Julie Zickfoose was the keynote speaker. This year Julie and Bill return and will be leading a couple of birding tours. Both tours are the same; one on Saturday morning, and the other on Sunday morning. It's called "Mountain Birding Tour." It will be a 1-2 mile walk/hike at 7,000 feet elevation. We should be able to see woodpeckers, jays, bluebirds, nuthatches, etc. Here is the cover for this year's event.

And for reading material, I've decided to bring along Kenn Kaufman's book, Kingbird Highway. I really liked Delia's recent book review (beginning to bird), and decided to buy the book to take along on my trip.

Another book I started to read when I flew back east earlier this summer, and haven't finished reading it yet, is Chesapeake by James Michener. I really want to finish this one before starting the Kingbird Highway. Hopefully, I will have time in the evenings to read. I should at least be able to read on the plane and in the airports.

Some of the other programs/workshops happening during the festival that my husband and I signed up for and are looking forward to attending: All About Raptors, Cave Swallows, Birds of New Mexico, Raptors on the Rio, Hummingbirds. This is not a complete/comprehensive list, but just the ones that highlight birding events. There will be plenty more to see and do. And hopefully, I will have Internet access so I can keep up with reading everyone's posts.

Ferry Farm, Fredericksburg, VA

The Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries provides a birding and wildlife trail throughout the state. Part of that trail is the coastal area, which covers the entire coast of Virginia. A small portion of this trail includes what is known as the Fredericksburg Loop. And a small portion of this loop includes George Washington's boyhood home, Ferry Farm. Ferry Farm is located just on the eastern edge of the town of Fredericksburg. Before leaving on vacation Red found out that there was to be a birding tour held at Ferry Farm when we would be in the area on that Saturday. So we got up early that morning (Aug 25) and headed over to Ferry Farm. The tour guide, Paul Nasca, a birding enthusiast, and an archeologist by vocation, showed up around 8 a.m. Before we headed out on the grounds he noticed there were 21 of us, the most birders he has had on a tour. The down side was that he informed us that we were there at a time when many birds, especially the fledglings, have already left the immediate area. And the area had not yet started seeing the migrating birds, but that they would be coming through in another month. We were told that up to 114 species have been sighted there at Ferry Farm, but we would probably only see a couple dozen that morning. On our tour we walked through various habitats - some grassy fields, some woodlands, and a river bottom. The farm is located on the northern edge of the Rappahannock River. I did not have the chance to take photos of any of the birds we saw - we were mostly too far away for my little 10x zoom digital camera. Here is a list of birds we saw in each of the various habitats:

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Mourning Dove

Ruby-throated hummingbird
Red-bellied woodpecker (heard)

Downy Woodpecker

American Crow
*Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse (heard)

Carolina Wren (heard)

*Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird (heard)

American Robin
*Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Cedar Waxwing

European starling (heard)

*Red-eyed vireo

*Prairie warbler

Northern cardinal

*Chipping sparrow

House finch
American goldfinch

House sparrow

That made a total of 24 species we saw or heard. Seven of them are lifers for me, too. And I'm only counting the ones I saw (not heard). I marked the lifers with an asterisk.

Once the tour was over we were allowed to walk the grounds and tour the house. Red and I didn't have time to tour the house, but we chose to admire the garden in the back yard. There was a lot of activity going on. Not just birds, but many butterflies, dragonflies, and bees. Here are some photos I took.

Here is a large bee gathering pollen from a squash blossom. Click on each of the photos for a larger view.

Lamb's ears, coleus, and marigolds

More of the same - marigolds and lamb's ears

This is the center of the garden, with a birdbath, and to the right is the pole where the feeder is sitting on.

Maybe someone can help me with the name of these beautiful flowers.

A Tiger Swallowtail

A hyacinth bean bush - and a close-up of the flower and beans.

I need help identifying this bird

Can someone please identify this bird to the left for me? I would really appreciate it. I took this picture when I visited my aunt in Rockport, Texas by a fishing dock. The bird was perched on top of a fishing boat.

At the same time, I also saw a snowy egret, also on top of another fishing vessel.

Killdeer in the city?

My son and I were taking his two dogs for a walk Sunday afternoon. While we were on a well-used, main thoroughfare (2 lanes on each side), across from the hospital where I work, and a few hundred yards from a busy freeway, a couple of birds came out from "nowhere." They ran out to the center of the street, and started flip-flopping. I then realized that this is something killdeer do to lure one away from their nest. I was dumb-founded to say the least, and I didn't have my camera out and ready. But I made sure I had my camera ready when returning from our walk. I found the birds darting back and forth in a cul-de-sac off the main street from where I had seen them previously. At least they didn't do their flip-flopping this time. I will assume it was a mama and papa. Anyway, after trying several times to get a decent picture of one of the adults, I then saw a little "peep." Oh, he was so cute! He looked like a miniature version of his parents, of course. And trying to get a picture of him/her was even more difficult than its parents.

What surprised me most was that there was only one offspring - or at least that is all that I saw. I am curious to see if this should happen again the next time I go walking in that direction. I wonder if I could find the nest. Would killdeer make their nest in a garden of flowers and hedges up against a building? Or would they build their nest on an empty plot of ground that is located just across from this building?

Falcon Cam

For folks interested in newly hatched peregrine falcons, and want to catch some live camera action, here is a link to Jose Fernando and Clara, San Jose City Hall's resident falcons. The camera was placed there and is being maintained by the city of San Jose and the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group. There are three eyasses that hatched the last week of April, and were banded on May 18th. I happened to connect that morning while the birds were being banded. Wow! Quite an experience. I'm sure glad I wasn't the one banding them; Jose and Clara were unhappy parents and stayed away while the eyasses were being banded, but flew by and pecked the guy several times when he was leaving the nest area. Really cool seeing that online.

http://sanjose.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=91/nest

Here is the link for the diary about Jose, Clara, and their 3 eyasses. And it was recently posted that there are two females and one male.

http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/falconcameraSJ.htm

I try to check in with the camera about two or three times a day, usually in the mornings, and again in the afternoons when I get home from work.

This morning I found Clara (?) feeding her eyasses. Most mornings mama is not seen (probably out looking for food for her youngsters). And there have been times when "the folks in charge" move the camera so one can see the adults (one or the other) keeping guard on the ledge.

How fascinating to be able to watch what is going on -- all from my desktop!