Browsed by
Category: Birding Story

Story that is not specific to a single day

New Adventures

New Adventures

Several months ago, I bid farewell to the Bay Area. I said goodbye to my neighborhood chickadees, juncos and nuthatches, and did some final visits to the bay waters and peeps. I was sad to leave these special birds that have melted my heart for so many years.

But I knew that new adventures were ahead. I eagerly reviewed eBird lists to see what new birds I might see regularly in my new town. Swainson’s Hawks! Yellow-billed Magpies! Sandhill Cranes! It seems like the Central Valley is filled with goodies and exciting new opportunities to explore. In fact, on the day we moved, we were greeted by a friendly neighborhood Black-chinned Hummingbird. This is a good sign.

Except we moved in June. And during a year with record-breaking heat waves. My Bay Area 80-degrees-is-too-hot mentality was quickly shattered by countless triple digits days. Who the heck can bird in that heat? I resorted to brief early morning walks around the local neighborhood park. That was the only birding I snuck in for months.

During these walks, I became familiar with the local scene. Black-chinned and Anna’s Hummingbirds fiercely battled each other for the right to sit atop a certain tree (while ignoring all the other available trees). Barn Swallows nested in a certain house and loved to dive around the field after the city mowers kicked up bugs. Northern Mockingbirds loved to sing. Loudly. In the middle of the night. Eurasian Collared-Doves mobbed every street lamp, scooting starlings out of their way. What a scene.

Fast forward to mid-September, which brought cooler temperatures. And by “cooler” I mean mid-90s. Migration should start soon. What would that look like in this little neighborhood park?

I found a Say’s Phoebe, which was previously unreported in this spot. I had to submit details to confirm a correct ID. Without a camera, it was a great opportunity to really take in its features. I took this bird for granted in the Bay Area. Now, it’s a treat that one is calling this little park it’s home for the time being.

The first day of fall was marked with nice weather and a clear sky that wasn’t pierced by the blazing summer sun. The Say’s Phoebe was joined by a second one and they called to each other while bouncing from sand pile to treetops. I heard geese in the sky, probably the Canada Geese I’ve seen a few times. Except, these geese sounded weird. My foggy summer bird brain sluggishly flipped through its media library. What the heck sounds like a rattle?

CRANES!

I whipped up the binoculars just as a “V” of Sandhill Cranes flew overhead. Yes! I can see cranes migrating from my little neighborhood park!

In the days after, I had quick visits from a couple of Yellow Warblers and an Orange-crowned Warbler. A Western Tanager made a brief appearance. White-crowned Sparrows have shyly started to emerge singing their familiar tunes. The notorious Yellow-rumped Warblers are also now here, announcing their presence with a solid “CHIP” note. They all like to hang out along one side of the park. How fascinating to see the birds carve out their niches as they arrive.

I look forward to new birding adventures in my new county.

Birding Meditation

Birding Meditation

Landscape 2017

“To meditate is to pay full attention to something.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

There’s been a lot of publicity around meditation and mindfulness, even before the pandemic but certainly during the last year and a half. The market is flooded with meditation products, whether it’s books, guided meditation apps, or various trinkets to support the pursuit of calm.

“Meditation” or “mindfulness” can conjure up different meanings or images depending on the person. Perhaps most prevalent is the image of sitting alone on the floor, fully upright, and focusing on breathing.

I personally have practiced breathing meditation (although I’m usually on the sofa, slouched), and I find it useful for stressful days. But I can also find it exceptionally difficult. I’m an active person, as in, I don’t sit still very well. If I’m sitting down, I’m wiggling my legs. If I’m standing, I’m bouncing in place. Stillness and breathing is an excellent option for me at times, but it is by no means the only way to achieve calm and presence.

Unbeknownst to me until recently, I’ve been practicing meditation for years unintentionally. As you’ve probably guessed, it’s through birding! I like Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s approach to meditation, which is to be fully present and engaged in whatever activity you are doing. If your thoughts wander, then you gently bring your attention back to the activity at hand. This could be while breathing, walking, gardening, driving, brushing your teeth, eating, basically everything. And of course, that includes birding.

Birding is a perfect meditation activity. I’ve personally gone into states of hyperfocus as I listen for calls, songs, or rustling leaves. I’m tuned in to every slight movement in the air, trees, ground, roofs, or bushes. I’m laser-focused, in the moment, and wholly engaged with all my senses, and anxious thoughts no longer pelt my mind. This is presence, meditation, and promoting a deeper connection and appreciation of nature.

If you want to meditate and haven’t found the right activity, try thinking of your birding as a natural activity for this effort. Doing it for 5-10 minutes each day can do wonders!

Mistakes Were Made

Mistakes Were Made

Savannah Sparrow

Sparrows are notoriously difficult to ID. Savannah Sparrow

Each morning my inbox is full of rare bird alerts from eBird. Before deciding to pursue a rare bird, I carefully review the unconfirmed reports to determine whether I think the ID is reliable. It’s so easy to make mistakes – identifying birds can be super hard!

It always makes my heart sink when I receive an email informing me that I’ve misidentified a rare bird. The local eBird admin reaches out for clarification or to request a correction in the list. After all, eBird is used by researchers and conservationists, and they need a reliable data set, especially when it comes to a bird that is out of its range.

Although it’s difficult to realize that your public rare bird posting was in error, I (eventually) see mistakes as a good teaching moment. It builds our knowledge about particular species, and we can apply this information in the future.

I now know that Red-breasted Sapsuckers in the winter may have worn feathers that affects the amount of red in the head and breast, which tricked me into thinking it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Immature Ferruginous Hawks can have stripes on their tails, which I did not find in any of my field guides (I did find a couple examples in the Macauley Library media). A young European Starling venturing out for the first time looks super weird and does not resemble the adult unless you focus in on its structure and not its plumage. These were lessons learned either from an eBird admin or through posting pictures to online Facebook birding groups, and this information is now burned into my brain for future use.

If you’re new to birding and use eBird to report sightings, you may find that a bird you see is rare for your area or for that time of year. If so, try to get a picture or record its vocalizations on your phone, but at the very least spend time thoroughly examining its features. Work your way from bill to tail. Note the size and color of the bill, the eyes and facial features, patterning and colors in its wings/back/breast, and markings in the tail. Online apps such as Merlin ID and iNaturalist are great starting points, but a rare bird sighting typically requires more documentation such as media or your own detailed description of the bird in question.

Most of all, enjoy the rare bird you spot. They are far away from home and may be visiting you for only a short moment.

Spring Is In The Air!

Spring Is In The Air!

Bushtit

Spring is in the air! Flowers are blooming, warmth from the sun pokes through chilly winds, and the world is filled with bird chatter.

Springtime brings on the breeding season, so birds are doing their best to show off brightly-colored plumage, defending nesting territories, and belting out their best tunes. It’s a birder’s paradise and a welcomed change from a cold, gloomy winter.

Now is also a great time for patch birding – observing birds in the same area over a span of time. A patch could include your backyard, your neighborhood, a favorite hike in a park, basically any place where you become familiar with the surroundings and eventually start to notice patterns.

I consider a neighborhood walk as my birding patch. During the winter, a single White-throated Sparrow would appear with a flock of White-crowned Sparrows in a bush in front of a certain house. I’d only see it before noon. I notice that the larger flocks of Bushtits have reduced in size, sometimes with a single Bushtit or a pair foraging alone. I followed one and found it building its hanging nest, which I now check on periodically. From my window, I noticed the neighborhood pigeon pair starting to fly back and forth to a certain spot on a nearby building. A closer look confirmed nesting material was being transported in their beaks – a sign of nest building.

Patch birding is a great way to get to know your community of birds, and what better time to begin than in the spring with all its highly visible activity!

Nature Journaling

Nature Journaling

Harris's Sparrow

Harris’s Sparrow

A few months ago, I started keeping a nature journal. The idea was to jot down observations about birds and nature, write mindful reflections, or even get creative, such as tracing tree leaves to create my own personal field guide.

In researching ideas for nature journaling, I found that a common suggestion was to get a notebook that can be carried into the field for in-the-moment writing opportunities. Since I prefer to immerse myself into nature completely on my walks, I ended up buying a standard composition book that I keep at home. When inspiration strikes, I jot down a few notes on my phone, and then carve out some time later in the day to transfer my notes into the nature journal.

My mom suggested that I include a reflection on the entire year for future reference. I easily filled a page with notes including the Shelter-in-Place in March that resulted in reduced pollution from the absence of traffic and planes, the concerning lack of rain, and the extended fire season. I noted that Townsend’s Warblers and Hermit Warblers were seen more towards the ground rather than the trees this year (some have wondered if insect populations are declining causing the warblers to forage in different locations). There’s been an explosion of Pine Siskins in the neighborhood due to the irruption year. All these things will be interesting to look back on in future years.

Nature journaling is quite popular, and a Google search will yield a ton of hits on how to approach it. If this is of interest to you, my advice is to first think about your goals, and then determine how you can meet those goals. Approach it in the way that is best for you.

Here’s to a calm and hopeful new year!

Fall is Here!

Fall is Here!

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

After a scorching summer with record-breaking heat and long days of choking smoke, fall is finally peeking through. The sun is casting its light from a different angle, colors are more saturated outside, and the days are getting shorter and cooler. These all signal the beginning of my favorite season of the year.

White-Crowned Sparrow

Singing White-Crowned Sparrow

Fall migration has largely settled down, so now can I switch into a more relaxed pace of enjoying our winter friends and their behaviors. The days of the White-crowned Sparrow finally kicked off and I hear their cheerful song from my window in the morning. Sometimes I catch the solemn song of Golden-crowned Sparrow mixed in with the morning chorus. Crows are starting to merge into large gatherings to roost in their communities. More and more peeps (sandpipers) are showing up to winter in the Bay Area.

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Now is a great time to brush up on waterfowl, gull, sandpiper, and sparrow IDs. Fall becomes more of a visual birding experience rather than a listening exercise, as many birds fall quiet and resort to whispered calls and chirps. I look for rustling leaves and try to figure out if it’s the wind or a bird hiding in a bush.

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

A group of smaller birds suddenly flying away may indicate a raptor nearby.

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier

And while you’re looking up for a raptor, you may spot a flock of American White Pelicans floating against a clear blue sky.

American White Pelicans

American White Pelicans

Enjoy the fall, stay safe, and stay healthy. Birding is a magnificent way to relieve the stress of these times.

Chasing Warblers

Chasing Warblers

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-Sided Warbler, 2020

My current nemesis bird is the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Each fall, at least one visits the Bay Area when it gets lost from its normal migration route. Despite my best efforts and multiple outings, I seem to keep on missing this one. Then I have to wait another full year before the narrow window of opportunity presents itself again the following fall.

Warblers are usually prized sightings in the spring when their plumage is colorful and vibrant. By the fall, many shed their spring feathers in favor of a duller appearance more conducive to winter activities. Despite that, I’ve really wanted to see this particular warbler in its fall plumage. It doesn’t sport its namesake chestnut sides in the winter, but it has a lovely bright green that spills from the back of its head down its back. Combined with a sharp white eye ring, it’s a fall warbler that looks very unique to me and I have been wanting to witness it in person for years.

Fall migration has been underway and the rare bird alerts and listserv emails have overwhelmed my inbox after a notable summer lull. I’ve been keeping a close look for any signs of a Chestnut-sided Warbler in the notifications, as well as proactively seeking out areas where I think it might pop up. Would 2020 be the year?

Yes – I hope! One was spotted nearby! It was at a new park we’ve never been to. I love chasing after rare birds because it so often introduces me to new local birding spots. This warbler was spotted at a little city park in a nearby city.

After pulling into the parking lot, I was a little skeptical about the prospects of finding the bird. There were no other birders to be spotted (usually identified with binoculars hanging around their necks and poking around the bushes and trees). We got out of the car and searched around a bridge where it was said to be located. My husband and I split up and I stayed near the parking lot while he walked down the bridge to explore. There were lots of other birds around –European Starlings and American Robins filling the air with songs, but no Chestnut-sided Warbler.

After a moment, my husband came back across the bridge and motioned me to join him. Another birder was in fact on the other side and had seen the warbler some time ago. She left, leaving my husband and I to search on our own. I followed every warbler chip I heard, yielding a Yellow Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and several Wilson’s Warblers, but none were our target bird.

My husband was the one to finally see it. What a beauty! It sported the lime green head and back with a bold eye ring. What surprised me was how cooperative it was. The warbler allowed us to observe it feeding and got unusually close allowing for great looks. We watched it pluck insects from the air, on branches, and under fallen leaves on the ground. It was completely focused on gorging on food. We watched the warbler until my legs started to burn from the sun and we left, feeling joyous.

Hermit Warbler

Hermit Warbler, 2020

Pushing our luck, we continued to two additional birding spots. We spotted the rare Northern Waterthrush (this one was not cooperative, only allowing a 15 second look before magically disappearing into the brush), and later came across a very friendly Hermit Warbler. The latter is not rare here, but I’ve only seen one once, rather I heard it way up in a tree in the Sierras. This was my first really good look at a Hermit Warbler, and it was foraging in a similar pattern as the Chestnut-sided Warbler.

I love looking for local and rare warblers in the fall, and what a day this was!

Walnut Stories: Part 1

Walnut Stories: Part 1

American Crow

American Crow Visitor

I have a bag of walnuts. I don’t particularly like walnuts, but I got them from our CSA (community-supported agriculture). I remember reading that crows liked walnuts, and there an idea was hatched.

I live in an apartment building tucked between commercial businesses. From my window, I can see the top of a medical building, which sports a maze of pipes, gravel, and a constant water drip from a cooling unit. It’s the perfect playground for crows. Last summer I watched a pair and their young play in the water drip and use it to wet crusty bread. This summer, a large and small crow came to play in the pipe maze. I decided to see if the crows would take a liking to locally grown and organic walnuts.

On the first morning of my experiment, the two crows were on the roof of the medical building cawing, unaware of my peering at them. I tossed open my window, which startled the smaller one. The larger one seemed to look at me inquisitively. I tossed one walnut piece onto the roof, which cemented the fear in the smaller crow and immediately flew away. The larger one, however, ran up to the walnut, grabbed it, and proceeded to parade around the roof with the walnut in its mouth until I lost track of it.

I threw another piece to the smaller crow. It eyed the walnut suspiciously for a few moments before deciding it was safe. The crow cautiously slinked towards the walnut, nabbed it, and immediately flew to another spot on the roof to gulp it down. So far, success!

The next morning, the smaller crow was on the roof by itself. I opened up the window, which did not seem to startle it this time. Instead, it watched me with curious eyes. I threw a walnut piece, and the crow grabbed it, shoved it between its toes, and picked at it for a while.

After a few nibbles, it walked around with the remainder of the walnut in its beak. Then, to my surprise, it stood in front of a brick that was holding up pipes, and the crow placed the walnut remains into a crevice. It then grabbed a few gravel pieces, covered up the walnut, and flew away. It stashed it for later use!

Check back soon for a continuation of this story!

Hints of Fall

Hints of Fall

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit, Emeryville Marina

Like many birders, I get the summer blues. Breeding season has wrapped up, bird songs have quieted, fledglings are growing up, and frankly it’s too hot for humans and birds alike to be out and about.

But fall is right around the corner. This morning I saw a gaggle of Canada Geese flying silently southward in their V-formation. It reminded me of the flocks of Snow Geese, Ross’ Geese, and Greater White-fronted Geese that winter at the Sacramento NWR. Seeing that V-formation over my apartment was enough to awaken my excitement for the upcoming fall migration season.

Another sign of fall is that shorebird migration has commenced. Already I’m seeing reports of shorebird rarities popping up across the Bay Area. I realized that I’m quite rusty on shorebird ID, so I brushed up my skills by watching a Cornell Bird Academy webinar series on shorebird ID. (Side note: This is an excellent resource if you’re willing to pay $30. It reviews many aspects of shorebird identification, including behavior, habitat, shape, and more.)

One important thing about finding shorebirds is to time your visit with the tides. For example, I like to visit the Emeryville Marina and depending on the tide, I will seek out a different spot. At low tide, a thin mudflat emerges in the harbor, which entices peeps to poke around for goodies. But it’s at high tide that a variety of shorebirds, large and small, collect at the rocks against the trail facing the bay. They are pushed closer to the shore by the rising waters, giving birders a closer look. The same goes with Hayward Shoreline – you want to visit at high tide because the birds are nudged closer to the shore and within viewing range. Take a moment to observe how the tide affects your birds at your favorite shorebird spot!

Look for tide predictions at https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/.

Bird Feeder Blues

Bird Feeder Blues

I woke up to a chilly February morning, grabbed my phone, and surfed through my emails in bed. This is a typical routine for the weekend as I look through my rare bird alerts. One of my emails was from the National Audubon Society advertising a pretty blue bird feeder. A few hours later, I was the proud new owner of a feeder.

I’ve had bird feeders in the past. A finch sock for thistle attracted House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches, but after the roof was redone on our apartment building, we decided to remove the feeder since it made a mess and could have affected the new roofing from our third-story location.

Then I had a hummingbird feeder for a while. Sadly, I forgot to refill the feeder for several days and it was outside cooking in the hot sun. Mold grew inside the glass tube, and despite multiple rounds of bleaching, I couldn’t get rid of it. I didn’t want to harm the hummers, so I threw it away.

Now I’m using a feeder that can attract multiple types of birds. I filled it with no-mess sunflower seeds, and waited.

And waited.

And waited…

February comes and goes. March comes and goes. What the heck? Daily I would stare at the bird-less feeder, jealously hearing all the finches calling outside. Why won’t they come?

With the stay-at-home orders in place, I’m now working from home. No commute means I have some extra time before I start work. I’m spending that extra time in the mornings watching the crows build and tend to a nest and listening to the morning chorus of songs and calls. And watching the bird-less feeder.

On a warm April afternoon, I was in the living room and heard a Lesser Goldfinch sing. It sounded close! I snuck into the kitchen to look at the feeder through the window. Aaaand nothing. Bummed, I went back to the living room. But wait, I heard it again! I repeated my slow approach, and spotted it – a male Lesser Goldfinch downing the seed and singing! It was later joined by a female.

I’ve been watching this pair visit the feeder sporadically throughout the day. I’m happy to finally have some bird action at the feeder.