Birding Tips – My Birding World

Dipping

December 20, 2023 Elizabeth Olin

Birders often like to keep lists. A popular list is your “life list”, which is a list of birds that you’ve seen over the course of your life. When you add a new bird to that list, it’s called a “lifer.”

There’s a tradition that some birders follow when they add a lifer to their list. You celebrate with a Lifer Pie. For a fun story and the history behind this tradition, check out Audubon’s article, “Birding Is its Own Reward, but ‘Lifer Pie’ Makes it Even Sweeter.”

My sister likes to celebrate with an alternative sweet reward: a Bird Day Cake (as opposed to a birthday cake – get it?). As someone not particularly fond of pies, I prefer this mode of sugar indulgence much better.

Now opposite of getting a new life bird, there’s this thing called “dipping.” Say there is a bird that someone else has reported. If you go out looking for it but end the day missing your target bird, that’s called dipping.

I’ve dipped a ton this year. There were a lot of rare birds reported throughout the county that were required viewing in order to remain competitive for the Big Year. Despite multiple attempts to nab said bird, our efforts were for naught on countless occasions.

Take for example a recent adventure to find a Franklin’s Gull that popped by for a brief visit to a sewage pond. Upon hearing the report, a mass migration of local birders landed on this spot. I was running errands in another county when the WhatsApp chat exploded with updates. My husband and I raced home to grab our gear and rushed off to the ponds. Upon arrival, we walked as quickly as we could to the group who “had the Franklin’s Gull in their scope.” I took a quick look – no gull. Where was the gull? “It was just here, where did it go?” Gone.

We stayed for an hour-and-a-half, long after all the other birders left, looking for the gull and it never returned. As we set to leave, another birder came by and we wished him luck. Apparently our words are magical because as we pulled out of the lot, my phone blasted a text from the birder saying he got the gull. We rushed back to find him. “I had him in my binoculars a moment ago, but now I don’t see him!” The light was quickly fading and the gulls were leaving. No Franklin Gull for us. That is a great example of dipping. (The next day we returned and did find the Franklin Gull, so it was only a momentary setback).

Returning to the topic of Lifer Pie, my sister came up with a brilliant food-related idea to cheer up an otherwise sad ending: celebrate a dipping event with dips! Artichoke dip, hummus, dipping sauces accompanying fried foods, tzatziki, anything you like.

It’s probably best to find a dip that is on the healthier side because there’s a lot of dipping that happens with birding, although that just makes the successes that much sweeter – figuratively and literally with Lifer Pie!

Christmas Bird Count 2022

January 4, 2023 Elizabeth Olin

I am not a morning person. I laid in bed at 5:45 am, after a bad night of sleep, pondering my decision to set my alarm so early in the morning. What could possibly pull me out from under my pile of warm blankets into the frosty 30 degree weather?

A few weeks before today, a local birder contacted me requesting that I join this year’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC). I’ve always wanted to participate in this event, but lingering questions gave me pause. What if it rains or if it’s too cold? What if I feel sick? Each year I ended up passing up the opportunity.

This year, after comforting assurances that I could cancel at the last minute if needed, I signed up for the Stockton count. Snuggled up in bed, I wondered what would await me today.

Fog. That’s what would await me. Dense, cold fog.

Our team leader modified the plans to take advantage of the fog clearing by noon. We started with a tour of the local country roads. Vast vineyards as far as the eye could see (in this case, about a quarter mile) revealed typical species of various sparrows, finches, and blackbirds. We were greeted with our first Lark Sparrow for the county, and another location sported a lovely Red-breasted Sapsucker – another county lifer.

What was most valuable to me during this first part of the census was learning how to navigate country road birding. I always wondered how birders would find neat birds along rural roads where there was no obvious hotspot. Now I know that it’s common to pull off the side of a country road (if it’s safe and legal) and scout for birds. It’s OK to run an eBird list while driving, provided it stays within five miles. It goes without saying that it’s also important to respect homeowners and their properties. One very kind resident permitted us to wander onto her property for a peek at the birds – what a thrill to walk around a house with acreage all around and beautiful chickens clucking at you!

After several hours of driving the roads, we headed over to the Lodi Sewage Ponds. The fog was stubbornly holding in place in spite of the forecast. We could just barely make out Bonaparte Gulls, a couple of Common Goldeneyes, and flocks of Black-necked Stilts. An American Kestrel peered over the ponds from a fence. I wonder if the kestrel had better luck seeing the birds than us. I’ll be excited to try out this area again when there’s more visibility. I’m not sure what it really looks like yet.

We committed to a half day of the CBC this year and paused around 1pm. We said our goodbyes to our birding companions as they continued on to finish the full day of census-taking. Overall, it was a great experience. We discovered new places and approaches to birding, and added seven new county birds to our list. All this while adding valuable data for science and conservation efforts. I will certainly consider joining a future CBC.

Nature Journaling

December 30, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

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!

Birding with Codes

November 29, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

Snowy Egret: SNEG

I’ve been a user of eBird for several years now. It’s a database of bird observations, and the data collected is used for research purposes. I find it cool that a simple effort on my part is contributing to science and bird conservation efforts. (To find out more, check out ebird.org. There’s also a free online course on the Cornell Lab Bird Academy website that explains how to use it.)

I prefer to use eBird on my smartphone, as it’s super convenient to use. To quickly find birds in a list, I type in the standard four-letter bird codes – a shorthand for recording bird observations. This is widely used in the birding community and is featured in eBird as an option for inputting a bird’s name.

Black-crowned Night Heron: BCNH

I’ll admit, the codes are daunting! However, the more I use them the more I realize that there’s a clear pattern that emerges making it easy to figure out codes on the fly. It did take some practice, and I started off with practicing the codes for just the birds at my feeder.

Below are my observations about the codes – but use whatever shorthand that works for you! I use the Institute for Bird Populations for reference, using the PDF that organizes it by English name.

Boat-tailed Grackle: BTGR

Bird Names with One Word

For birds whose name entails only one word, such as Bufflehead or Killdeer, all you have to do is take the first four letters of its name to come up with the code.

Bufflehead = BUFF
Killdeer = KILL

Bird Names with Two Words

For two words, you typically take the first two letters of each word, then combine them to create the four-letter code. There are exceptions, but overall this is the general pattern.

Anna’s Hummingbird = AN + HU = ANHU
Black Phoebe = BL + PH = BLPH
Lesser Goldfinch = LE + GO = LEGO
Snowy Egret = SN + EG = SNEG

There are exceptions, for example the California Towhee is CALT instead of CATO.

Bird Names with Four Words

I’m going to temporarily skip the three-worded names because it’s more complex. This category is much easier as there’s not as many birds with four words in a name.

For this category, you simply take the first letter of each word to create the code. There’s no concern about whether or not the words are hyphenated. There are some exceptions to this pattern, of course.

Black-crowned Night Heron = B + C + N + H = BCNH

Exceptions:
There are two in particular I’m aware of, but there’s probably more: Black-throated Gray Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler. The problem with these two birds is that they would both end up as BTGW! So instead, the codes reflect the last letter of the third word.

Black-throated Gray Warbler = BTYW
Black-throated Green Warbler = BTNW

Bird Names with Three Words

And finally, working with bird names with three words. I find this category the most difficult. It seems to depend on whether there is a hyphen present and where. I don’t always remember where hyphens are in names, so that can present a problem.

For no hyphens, the general pattern is to take the first letter of the first two words, and the first two letters from the third word. For example:

American Tree Sparrow = A + T + SP = ATSP

When there is a hyphen, the rule I’ve observed is that the two hyphenated words offer only one letter to the code, regardless of their position.

Examples where the first two words are hyphenated:

Black-headed Grosbeak = B + H (hyphenated) + GR (no hyphen) = BHGR
Golden-crowned Sparrow = G + C (hyphenated) + SP (no hyphen) = GCSP

Examples where the last two words are hyphenated:

Western Screech-Owl = WE (no hyphen) + S + O (hyphenated) = WESO
Northern Pygmy-Owl = NO (no hyphen) + P + O (hyphenated) = NOPO

Hints of Fall

August 6, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

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/.

Birding in Place

March 22, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

Dark-Eyed Junco

It’s been nearly a week since the beginning of the Bay Area shelter in place order, and just a few days into the California mandate to stay at home. I’ve been trying to take special care to ensure that I maintain social distancing, but I’m also currently pausing my park visits. We are allowed to go to parks for exercise, but so far I’ve been preferring to walk in my neighborhood since I figure the parks would be quite populated. I’m still adjusting to this new reality as is everyone else, and perhaps I’ll sneak in a park visit soon.

Birding is an important part of my life, and in an effort to maintain some sense of normalcy, I created a list of birding-related activities to do during these times that I wanted to share.

Bird from your window, backyard, or patio

I’m starting to slow down my pace of life. For example, I’m eating meals at the dinner table and not mindlessly shoveling down food in front of a computer. During one of my recent relaxing meals next to the window, I spotted an American Crow carrying a stick. I watched it land and spotted a nest! I would have never noticed this camouflaged nest had I not been watching the birds while eating. Now I have something to watch during the breeding season.

Crack open your field guide or use AllAboutBirds.org to study birds

Have you mastered gulls yet? Sparrows? Sandpipers? Warblers? Now is a good time to start!

Plan future birding trips

This is definitely not a good time to travel, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan a future trip once things get back to normal. Get planning now so that you can easily put it into action.

Sign up for a course on Bird Academy

I’ve signed up for three courses thus far. The first one I finished over the span of a year and a half – “Ornithology: Comprehensive Bird Biology.” This is really science-based. I learned about the physics of flight, biology, ecology, and more.

I’m in the process of going through the “Be a Better Birder: Shorebird Identification Archived Live Series” and “Be a Better Birder: Warbler Identification.” The first course is a recorded webinar from a few years ago, but it’s still very helpful. The second course is designed for web-based learning and so far has been enjoyable.

Paint, draw, color, needlepoint, or other projects that involve birds

Are you crafty or want to start a new creative outlet? Merge your favorite pastimes!

Subscribe to a birding magazine

What better way to spend the time indoors than reading about birds! My favorite is the Bird Watcher’s Digest which takes me a long time to read. It’s worth every penny.

Talk a walk around the block

It’s OK to get exercise! Just be sure to practice social distancing in order to keep you, family, and others safe. I already spotted an Oak Titmouse nest cavity and a possible California Scrub-Jay nesting site by slowing down and looking at the local birds.

Watch a webcam

There are a lot of webcams! Check out some of these:

Watch documentaries and nature shows

Got Netflix or other streaming services? Look at their selection of nature shows. No streaming service? Go to YouTube! One tried-and-true movie that is awesome is The Big Year (2011).

OAS Trip: Redwood Regional Park

February 27, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

This past weekend I co-led a bird walk for the Ohlone Audubon Society. We visited my favorite park: Redwood Regional Park, now named Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park.

Over 30 birders attended, which made me nervous about making sure we used the full three hours and keeping participants engaged. My fears were calmed after we spent a full 30 minutes just birding in the parking lot.

I saw more Varied Thrushes on this trip alone than I probably have in my entire birding experience! It helps to have several dozen extra sets of eyes. The top moment of the trip was when a Pacific Wren sang its little heart out for at five minutes or more while we all watched. I rarely see these mouse-like creatures, so it was a joy to sit and watch one for such an extended period of time. It was also a “lifer” for many participants, which made it all the more special.

Hermit Thrush, 2020

Joining a bird walk with locals is a great way to learn more about birds, get to know an area, and meet people with a similar interest. You can look for local Audubon groups that sponsor trips or do a search on Facebook for other birding groups. If there is none, start your own! I’ve joined several Facebook birding groups that are out of state so that I can study the pictures and learn their local birds. If I’m planning to travel to that location, reviewing the discussions can yield insider tips on hot spots.

This weekend marked the one-year anniversary of my participation in Ohlone Audubon Society trips (I wrote about my first trip here). I’ve also been participating in the Fremont Birding Circle field trips for several years. I’ve met some wonderful people, and despite being an introvert, I always look forward to these bird group gatherings.

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I

October 7, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

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, 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 instructional 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 nine-and-a-half hours. Birds that migrate at night can’t necessarily 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, 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.

Read about the rest of the trip in my next blog post!

Listen Carefully: Lesser Goldfinch Songs

March 22, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Lesser Goldfinch, Pt. Pinole Regional Shoreline, 2015

I like to walk fast. Zip around here and there. Although when I’m birding, I’m averaging about one mile an hour. But when not birding I’m speedy.

Recently my foot has been giving me problems, and the last couple of days it’s forced me to walk around much slower than I prefer. I take it in stride and try to enjoy the new sights and sounds of an otherwise familiar area. Colors are springing up in gardens and birds are more active as they gather nesting materials and fill the air with songs.

Garden Flower, Berkeley, 2010

Yesterday I spotted a Lesser Goldfinch brightly singing in the early evening in a small tree next to a medical building. Although I was on my way home and my mind was preoccupied with throwing together dinner, I stopped and listened. Familiar dips and crunchy chips filled the air. I heard a Chestnut-backed Chickadee call, but couldn’t find the bird. I heard it again, only to realize that the goldfinch made the call! My attention completely focused on the Goldie and its singing, I heard it demonstrate two more calls: an Oak Titmouse and a Black Phoebe. I ran home and a quick Google search confirmed that Lesser Goldfinches do in fact mimic, although ornithologists are not clear why. What a delightful thing to discover, all because I had been walking slower and enjoying the experience!

Rainy Day Birding

February 16, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

California Scrub-Jay, 2019

The weather in the Bay Area has been unusual the past several weeks. I’ve become so accustomed to drought conditions, and now I’m in a bit of shock with freezing temperatures leading to inches of snow on our local hills and rain, rain, rain!

Yellow-Rumped Warbler looking for food minutes before the rain started, 2019

I escaped the office during the noon hour to slip in a few minutes of birding between the downpours from the “atmospheric river” flowing through the skies. In a small patch of trees and grass, dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos were hopping, chirping, singing, and fighting. It was a grand meet-up of the juncos to get in food and territorial claims before the next round of wetness. I watched Bushtits with hyper energy rummaging through the bushes. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet appeared annoyed (if I may anthropomorphize) as it was continuously greeted with light rain drops produced by a towering Redwood tree. It popped in and out of its bush shaking off the sprinkles landing on its wings.

Bushtit against cloudy skies, 2019

I find that birding during rainy days is a treat. If you don’t want to bird in active rain, the key is to time your outings in between storms. I’ve observed plenty of birds out and about in rainy conditions, but the party really gets started during those brief dry moments. Put on your rain gear, bring an umbrella, and enjoy the sights and sounds of a rainy day.

Song Sparrow perching in a sunny moment, 2019

My Birding World

A Birding Blog by Elizabeth Olin

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