My Birding Day – Page 3 – My Birding World

My Birding Day: Coyote Hills RP and Pacific Commons Linear Park

January 8, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Flamingo! Wait, what? In the Bay Area?

Today I birded Coyote Hills Regional Park and Pacific Commons Linear Park. This was my first trip down to Fremont this year.

One of the oddest birds I saw today was a flamingo. It was far away, but you couldn’t miss the bright pink glowing in a sea of black silhouetted waterfowl. The first time I spotted this flamingo was in 2016. It’s an escapee and has been living here in the Bay Area. It’s quite a sight to see – but you will need binoculars!

Pacific Commons Linear Park was hopping with birds. We’ve had several days of rain and it seemed like all the birds were rushing out to grab some grub before the next rain. I find that birding right before and after storms often yields a lot of bird activity.

California Scrub Jay, 2019

Bald Eagles, 2019

White-crowned Sparrow, 2019

My favorite moment was when a beautiful Barn Owl flew in front of us and landed in a nearby tree. I carefully, quietly, and quickly snapped a couple pictures and left it alone so as not to disturb it or draw attention to it. I haven’t seen a Barn Owl in over a year, so it was quite a treat.

Barn Owl, 2019

My Birding Day: Coyote Hills with FBC

December 11, 2018 Elizabeth Olin

FBC Walk, Coyote Hills, 2018

I am a member of a Facebook group named the Fremont Birding Circle. Led by local expert Jerry Ting, we participate in monthly bird walks around the Fremont area. For the month of December, we visited Coyote Hills Regional Park and explored No Name Trail down its long stretch into the bay. It is a beautiful trail that gives hikers a close-up look at various waterfowl, gulls, terns, sandpipers, and more.

Dunlin, 2018

We spent three hours walking three miles round trip. My personal trip was closer to four miles because I had to run back to the main part of the park to find a bathroom while the group trudged ahead. The morning was picture-perfect with a cool, gentle breeze and still water that gave a mirror-like quality to the resting birds.

American Avocets, 2018

We did not find our target bird (Red Phalarope) but a Glaucous Gull was spotted that day – a rarity in our area. In total the group saw 75 species that morning. Since we arrived late, I spotted 54 species which goes to show the immense diversity this trail offers. If you’re lucky, sometimes you can spot a flamingo named Floyd that likes to hang out in that area from time to time!

Great Egret, 2018

California Wildfires

November 16, 2018 Elizabeth Olin

I step outside to an unfamiliar grey-orange cloud draping itself across the horizon. My brain tries to make sense of the air and pretends that it’s the iconic San Francisco fog rolling in from the bay. My watery eyes and burning lungs argue that the heavy fog is actually smoke.

Gomes Park in the Smoke, 2018

The Bay Area has been covered in smoke for a week and Friday was so far the worst day with an AQI of 246 in Oakland (0-50 is good air, 300+ is hazardous). The deadly Camp Fire continues its wrath, destroying everything in its path. Simultaneously, LA is battling fires. California feels like it’s in the midst of an apocalypse, and sadly the destruction is dismantling lives.

Birding typically offers me an escape from life’s worries. Each day this past week, I slip on my N95 disposable mask, breathe in its plastic-smell that I hope is properly filtering the smoke, and squint my burning eyes in search of birds. Some days it seems like the bird activity is minimal. I wonder if this is due to the fires.

Western Gull Against Smoky Sky, Moss Landing, 2018

One thing I’ve noticed is how eerily quiet it is, like stepping into an acoustically-treated room. When I hear a bird chirp, its voice is magnified against the deadened air.

I was delighted to see a hundred European starlings whistling in a whirlwind of mimicry upon a telephone wire. A Bewick’s wren pops out of a bush expressing its feelings with a crabby call that sounds like glass marbles scraping together. A distant call in the distance alerts me to a peregrine falcon flyover, and I catch sight of it just in time to watch it glide through the orange haze.

My Birding Day – No Name Trail

October 29, 2018 Elizabeth Olin

Today my husband and I drove down to Fremont, which is one of our favorite birding areas. We heard that Bonaparte’s gulls were visiting Coyote Hills Regional Park (originally reported by local expert Jerry Ting), so we made sure to stop at this rich birding hotspot for the day’s birding destination.

We parked at the Quarry Staging Area and set-up our scope and tripod in preparation for seeking out water birds. The sun was still intensely warm – when will the cool autumn days finally arrive? I slathered on sunscreen while listening to the sweet, melancholy song of the nearby golden-crowned sparrows.

A variety of birds enjoying the flowing water. 2018

The short walk to our destination featured deep blue sky and wispy clouds overhead. One by one, western meadowlarks flew by giving us a quick glance of their yellow stomachs. I spotted an American kestrel on a bare branch and watched as she preened herself. Through the scope, I could make out the brown-striped feathers and intricate head markings. It was beautiful to watch.

I was still in a grumpy mood about the unusually intense sun and lack of nearby shade, but that mood quickly shifted to excitement when we reached the aptly-named No Name Trail and spotted the Bonaparte’s gull. This little gull was in its winter plumage with its identifiable black “ear” patch and black bill against an otherwise white head. It was cute to watch as it slowly scanned the surface and gently dipped into the water to grab a morsel of food.

What I saw next made my heart leap. I was so focused on the gull that I neglected to see, or hear, the egrets close by. Typically, I’ll see a few together at a time. This time I saw nearly 150 snowy egrets squabbling with each other and several dozen great egrets focused on their seafood buffet, sponsored by the roaring water spewing out of a pipe. The noise of the egrets crabbing at each other was loud and I attempted to record it on my phone, but the powerful wind muddied my recording. Then another surprise. As we looked through the scope and binoculars, we spotted another Bonaparte’s gull! Then another, and another – wow ten! Wait, there’s more sitting on the water over there… Thirty in total! I was ecstatic to simply see one let alone dozens!

Snowy Egrets, 2018

We watched the birds for nearly an hour and decided to return to the car. We were delighted to watch a Say’s and black phoebe harass each other for the prized perching branch, spot house wrens in the bushes, and get a quick glance of a merlin as it flew off into the distance.

My Birding Day – Briones Regional Park

October 25, 2018 Elizabeth Olin

Yesterday, I visited Briones Regional Park, which is located in the East Bay. It was the middle of the week and there was a striking absence of park visitors at the Bear Creek Staging Area. When I stepped out of the car, I was greeted with a cool, crisp breeze. A chorus of bird calls and chip notes sprang from the ground. Dark-eyed juncos, white-crowned sparrows, and golden-crowned sparrows ignored my presence as they focused their attention on finding sustenance.

Golden-crowned Sparrow, 2018

The hike up Abrigo Valley Trail was unusually quiet. I hardly spotted or heard any birds except for three red-tailed hawks that were ever-present during the two-hour hike. Up, up, up I walked along the dirt trail until I reached a picnic area. I had visited this spot over the summer and found the rare indigo bunting which made itself at home amongst the luscious purple-flowered thistles that took over the landscape. The bunting was long gone, but white- and golden-crowned sparrows (which I affectionately call “crown sparrows”), lesser goldfinches, and western bluebirds danced atop the crisp, dried thistle remains. When I closed my eyes, I could hear the thistle rattle against the breeze.

Dark-eyed Junco, 2018

The walk back yielded more birds – odd as it was the noon hour and general wisdom suggests that birds are more active at dusk and dawn. Fall birding is not as musical as spring birding when birds are singing for mates and announcing their territories. Instead, I had to rely on picking out slight movements in the trees, which is a difficult task when the leaves are blowing in the wind. But the patience is worth it. I saw an oak titmouse grab something fat and green and repeatedly smack it against a branch. A female Townsend’s warbler flew into my view while I watched the titmouse. I caught a bigger movement out of the corner of my eye and out popped a Nuttall’s woodpecker with crisp white lines down her back. I accidentally scattered a dozen or so dark-eyed juncos that were expertly camouflaged on the ground, flicking their diagnostic white-lined tail feathers in retreat.

It was a joy to spend time watching the day-to-day activity of our local birds and be present in nature.

My Birding World

A Birding Blog by Elizabeth Olin

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