January Big Day
Total Species Recorded: 24
It was a perfect day for birding. The air was cool, the sky was a brilliant blue, and the sun offered some gentle warmth against the chill. The wind was finally calm after days of high gusts. I was excited to have some good weather because we were competing with my sister and her husband to see who could spot the most number of bird species in a single day, commonly known as a “Big Day” event. Although the day would be focused on spotting the highest number of birds, I hoped to sneak in some opportunities to record birds for my Big Recording Year challenge.
We had an active day planned that would take us to various edges of San Joaquin County. We would start birding in South County, meander to the north, and then drive to the east to wrap up the day. Much of the time would be spent driving, but there was always the possibility of picking up incidentals along the way.
The first stop involved our neighborhood where I could be sure to pick up Lincoln’s Sparrows, Yellow-billed Magpies, and Rock Pigeons. After a rushed walk, we took off to Oak Grove in Ripon where we focused on the water treatment plant. We were able to add unique species to our Big Day list, including Bonaparte’s Gulls and Black-bellied Plovers. Our trip to Ripon added a lot of time, but I knew it was going to be a tight competition for the highest numbers.
These first stops were far too noisy for a good sound recording, so I didn’t bother trying. But our next stop at the Cosumnes River Preserve in Sacramento offered a great opportunity to record geese. Our timing was perfect – a large group of loud Greater White-Fronted Geese were foraging in the water close to the pedestrian walkway. I had to wait a moment to allow other nature lovers to walk away so that their conversations wouldn’t be added to my recording, but otherwise the geese were cooperative.
A quick check-in with my sister made me a bit nervous – we were falling way behind their numbers. They were birding in San Diego and had planned their day more carefully. It was time for us to step it up.
Our next stop was at Staten Island (not to be confused with the New York location), which I knew would be filled with water-loving birds and waders. Indeed, we saw thousands of various geese, and dozens of Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans. We also picked up a few birds that we weren’t expecting, such as the Brown-headed Cowbird. I managed a recording of Cackling Geese that were foraging on a dry field, although a nearby dog decided that was the perfect time to unleash a barking fit. It’s not always easy to record Cackling Geese, so I shrugged off the barking and accepted the recording as is.
After a quick lunch sitting in the car while counting the geese at Staten Island, we drove across the county to the east side. Although we didn’t pick up any birds along the way, it was a pleasant drive through the fields and vineyards. Our last hope for picking up more birds was Mokelumne River Day Use/Fish Hatchery. Here I expected to get mergansers, wrens, and sparrows along with the possibility of eagles.
The park was surprisingly not crowded with people despite it being a beautiful weekend day. It was also mysteriously low on birds. I was able to opportunistically capture recordings of Bushtits, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Song Sparrow. But the point of the day was to see as many birds as possible. I soon realized that we were hopelessly losing the competition. But I had one consolidation prize that I was anticipating all day, and I had to time it just right.
We left Mokelumne at 3:00 p.m., exactly when I wanted to, and we headed north to Amador County to a worn-down road off the beaten path. We arrived about a half hour later and I popped out of the car with the microphone in hand. After a few minutes of scanning, we saw them: Short-eared Owls were sitting on the ground. We counted four simultaneously, although there were possibly one or two more. They delicately flew over the herd of cows, interacted with each other with aerial acrobatics, and swooped down to pounce on prey. The most incredible part of the experience was hearing them vocalize. Their calls ranged from screeching, not unlike a Barn Owl, and a quick succession of barks. I had only seen a Short-eared Owl once before and it did not vocalize, but this small group was very chatty, giving me a perfect opportunity to capture the audio experience. We stayed in the area watching them for an hour before we decided to call it a day.
Although we majorly lost the Big Day competition with my sister and her husband, I was happy for a perfect owl ending to a fun day.
To read more posts about this challenge, see the dedicated Bird Recording Challenge 2026 web page or click on “Bird Recording Challenge 2026” under “Tags” at the bottom of this post.
