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My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part II

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part II

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Black-Throated Grey Warbler

Black-Throated Grey Warbler, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

See My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I

We’ve driven by Mendoza Ranch (B Ranch) several times in the past knowing it was a hotspot for birds, but I could never figure out how one goes about birding it. Where do you park? Do you walk onto the ranch or the nearby area? Arriving this time with an experienced guide, I was finally about to put an end to this mystery. We were also on the hunt for a very rare Yellow-green Vireo reported that morning.

Driving from the docks to the ranch was exciting. Our walkie talkies announced sightings along the way. A Merlin chasing a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds with some Tricolored Blackbirds mixed in. I laughed at the Tricolored Blackbirds’ strangled-cat calls rising distinctively from the blur of screechy-yet-bubbly Red-winged Blackbirds.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

One of Many Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

Our caravan of cars parked along the side of the road and we meandered back and forth across the main road, ducking into tree cover and monitoring a little pond that oddly held a Red-necked Phalarope. An occasional holler of “Car!” warned us to dash out of the road to let a car go by.

Finally, after much searching, it popped out: the Yellow-green Vireo, a rare neotropic visitor that was a lifer for most of us. This chunky bird shyly obscured itself amidst the branches, but we all got a decent view before it flew off.

Yellow-Green Vireo

Quick Glance of the Shy Yellow-Green Vireo, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

Our attention then turned to a flycatcher. I pointed to it noting a thin eye ring. Then Gabe saw it and proclaimed that it was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. He clearly saw an almond-shaped eye ring. Someone else found the flycatcher and said there was no eye ring at all. Confusion spread amongst our small group. Experts were called in. Clearly we were getting tricked by the lighting and obstructed views. The flycatcher appeared again and an expert proclaimed it was a Willow Flycatcher because there was no eye ring. But wait, I know I saw a thin eye ring. Gabe was confident he saw a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Someone yelled “Pac Slope!” Another person found a thin eye ring like I had seen. We emerged from the Abbott and Costello act with the conclusion that there were three flycatchers: Willow Flycatcher (no eye ring), Pacific-slope Flycatcher (almond eye ring), and a Least Flycatcher (thin eye ring, among other key field marks), the latter being the second lifer of the day!

All that excitement made us hungry. We set off to Drakes Beach for a picnic with an ocean view.

 

 

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I

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Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Point Reyes Fish Docks, 2019

A little over a week ago, I participated in my first all-day birding field trip, sponsored by Ohlone Audubon Society and led by local expert Bob Toleno. We birded all over Point Reyes, chasing after rare birds, and frequently stopping for photo ops from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I was completely exhausted by the end, but it was simultaneously exhilarating.

We started the day at Bear Valley Visitor Center where we divided into carpools, did a quick bird count while standing in the parking lot, and watched a Bobcat nearby. It was chilly – the car registering in the 40s – a much welcomed relief from the never-ending heat wave of the summer.

Bobcat

Bobcat, Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center, 2019

I was excited to learn that our first stop would be the Fish Docks. The day before, a Prairie Warbler and Ovenbird had been spotted there. These would be lifers for us, and I was sure that the addition of more than a dozen watchful eyes would guarantee some lifer, if not those two in particular.

We were given a short lecture on bird migration by Bob, one of many tidbits of birding ID and behavior that I would soak up like a sponge for the next 9.5 hours. Birds migrate at night and can’t see below them. When the sun comes up, birds can find themselves over the ocean. In an “oh crap” moment, they will reverse course back northward in search of land, shelter, and food. There are two places nearby that offer just that: Farallon Islands and Point Reyes, particularly the Fish Docks with a tiny concentration of trees. No wonder this spot is a rich treasure of interesting birds.

Every chip, every possible flash of yellow, every leaf movement was scrutinized by the group. Scopes were deployed surveying the ocean, cameras with long lenses were pointing every which way into the bushes and trees. It seemed like every bird was a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Their yank calls permeated the air as they crawled all over trunks and branches.

White-Crowned sparrow

White-Crowned Sparrow, Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center, 2019

An otter was spotted devouring a cormorant. Western Gulls and Common Ravens were nearby for pickings. Aptly-named Elephant Seals – mainly females, kids, and an occasional young male – grunted on the beach. Lots of fun birds were spotted. But no Ovenbird. No Prairie Warbler.

Then came excitement: a report of a Yellow-green Vireo was spotted at another nearby location. We quickly adjusted our itinerary and set off towards the Mendoza Ranch.

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Visitor Center

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Visitor Center

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It’s been a warm August with a severe lack of serious birding adventures. But I was in luck – a cool day was expected at Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center! Skeptical of the weather forecast (it’s often cool along the coast, not so much at the visitor center), we grabbed lunch and headed out. I kept on eyeing the car’s thermometer. It held steady in the upper 60s. Perfect.

We gathered at a quiet picnic bench and watched a Black Phoebe occasionally dart after a flying creature. A mother California Quail took up a post awkwardly on a spindly bush that threatened to dip under the weight. Acorn Woodpeckers were laughing all around.

For the first time in probably months, we walked the Bear Valley trail and enjoyed the cool weather under the canopy of trees. Every once in a while, a flurry of bird activity could be spotted from above. Straining our necks, we found plenty of acrobatic Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a couple of Brown Creepers shuffling up thin branches, and a few splashes of bright yellow of the Wilson’s Warblers. But the highlight was the Townsend’s Warblers. Our colorful winter visitors have arrived!

For years, our nemesis bird had been the Pileated Woodpecker. We searched and searched and searched all the way from Lake Tahoe to the coast and could never confidently ID their flicker-like call. But we were finally able to add them to our life list last year after we saw two fly overhead while calling on the same trail we were now hiking. Since then, we’ve occasionally heard their loud wok-wok-wok call at Point Reyes. Today, I heard one call but sadly Gabe didn’t catch it. After straining our ears during the nearly two mile walk back to the car, he sadly admitted defeat in hearing the woodpecker this time. But just as Gabe lost hope, we heard two calls, and one popped out of the trees briefly allowing us our second lifetime glance at this gorgeous creature. We lucked out after all!