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Tag: California Central Valley Birding

Disney Princess

Disney Princess

At my old place, I tried out several bird feeders over the span of a few years. The first was a finch sock that attracted Lesser Goldfinches and House Finches, and it was a joy to watch. However, it got really messy with seeds strewn all over the place, and I feared attracting vermin. So I took it down. Then I tried a traditional hummingbird feeder with homemade sugar water. After a particularly hot week and forgetting to clean it, the feeder molded so badly that I had to throw it out, not confident that I could clean it well-enough to be safe for the birds. I tried another feeder to attract finches, and while it wasn’t as messy, a disease broke out amongst the birds and Audubon advised taking in all feeders in the area to stop its spread. 

It’s a lot of work maintaining feeders. You have to make sure they are kept clean for the birds’ safety. Seed can get expensive and make a mess, causing other issues. Sugar water can attract ants and molds quickly in the summer heat. Although feeders bring joy, I didn’t have the energy to keep up with the required maintenance. 

Fast forward to now, I impulsively bought a tiny Mason Jar with four silicone red flower portals for the hummers. I figured that it was such a small thing that I could maintain it better. Plus, the wide mouth would allow for easier cleaning. So far it’s been a hit with the Black-chinned Hummingbirds, and now Anna’s Hummingbirds are taking over.

A few days ago, I cleaned the feeder in the early evening just before the hummers tend to arrive. There was a female Anna’s dancing around the dead apricot tree where I usually hang the feeder (we kept the dead tree because the birds love to perch on it). The Anna’s was working its way along various skinny branches, picking at bugs caught in spiderwebs. A sudden inspiration hit me – would the hummer be bold enough to drink from the feeder while I hold it?

I approached with a painfully slow scoot so as not to scare it, holding the feeder chest-high and carefully positioning my fingers so that I could grip it with minimal movement. The Anna’s kept an eye on me as I inched closer and closer, my breath quickening with anticipation.

I got just close enough and the Anna’s flew over to me, dipping into the rubbery red flower and gulping up the new batch of cooled sugar water. I was so stunned that I couldn’t even look at it for fear of moving the feeder and spooking it. But, for what seemed like eternity, I finally moved my eyes down and watched this precious little bird downing the homemade nectar. I could hear its buzzing wings keeping it afloat and could sense how light this teeny little thing was. 

I accidentally adjusted my finger which moved the feeder, and the Anna’s instinctively pulled away. I watched it shift over to take a hard look at my ring, as if wondering whether it was a silvery flower worthy of further investigation. Its observation complete, it flew in front of my face and hovered, forcing us to literally see eye to eye. It was so close I could see the bits of web still clinging to the tip of the bill. Time slowed down as I was caught up in its gaze.

Was it telling me to scram? Was it showing a display of courage against this huge giant holding a previous food source? Or perhaps it was giving me thanks or curiously staring deep into my soul.

Admittedly, I was feeling terrified at having this needle-bill mere inches away from my eye. The Anna’s that have hung around lately have been particularly aggressive towards the Black-chinned Hummingbirds, fiercely chasing them away at every opportunity. I wasn’t going to take any chances and I quickly spun around. The hummer flew off a short distance, waited for me to return the feeder to its normal spot, drank some more, and moved on, leaving me with a pounding heart and a huge smile across my face. 

Pursuit of Violet-Green Swallows

Pursuit of Violet-Green Swallows

It’s the first weekend in March. The birding has slowed down substantially – we are in between winter birds and the upcoming spring migration. I had hoped this would translate into a slower pace for me with a little time to recover from a very busy two months of intense birding, but I’m having no such luck for rest.

My goal this weekend was to find a Violet-green Swallow. These gorgeous swallows, sporting their namesake purple and green plumage, apparently only visit this county for about two months, and now is the time to look for them. It’s a now or never situation, as they won’t show up again for the rest of the year.

The Violet-green Swallows were recently spotted at the Mokelumne Fish Hatchery. Last weekend we drove out there and couldn’t find any swallows, let alone our target bird. So I thought I’d try looking in my part of the county, and today we headed to Ripon to test our luck.

We visited the Ripon Sewage Ponds. Water treatment plants offer awesome birding, even if it does get a bit stinky at times. Thankfully today the chemical fumes were not wafting in our direction, so we spent more time looking over the first two ponds. Recently, an Iceland Gull and a rare Glaucous Gull were spotted in South County, so when I saw a large group of gulls plopped in the middle of the ponds, I spent some time scoping them in hopes of finding a goodie. A few petite Bonaparte Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull were the only deviants from the hundreds of California Gulls. Nothing unusual.

I saw a couple of swallows near the parking lot, but they were the expected Tree Swallows with their blue-green backs. But I had a particular spot in mind to find our target bird. Something was calling me to the end of the four main ponds where the geese like to hang out in a grassy mini-field. 

Dragging my scope and camera with me kept my hands occupied as we walked to the field, so I listened intently to the sounds around me. Sandhill Cranes rattled overhead, a pair of Yellow-billed Magpies called to one another, and a Black Phoebe cheerfully chirped as it snapped bugs out of the air.

Upon reaching the mini field, I found that there were indeed swallows. Score one for intuition! Next was the arduous task of picking out each swallow for review, keeping it in my field of vision while it danced around the air in its acrobatic flight pattern. One by one, I glued my binoculars to a swallow and carefully checked for extensive white in the face and white extending up the sides of the rump to the back. FInding the white is an easier ID feature to pick out amongst the Tree Swallows in flight versus catching the purple and green colors. It felt like a Dr. Seuss book: One Swallow, Two Swallows, Tree Swallow, Four Swallows. All were Tree Swallows chattering to each other. After some time of scanning with no Violet-green Swallows popping up, it was time to call it quits.

That’s the thing with the Big Year. I have “dipped” (missed a bird recently spotted by someone else) so many times I’ve lost count. But you keep on going out, trying each day to get the birds, because today might be that special day when the bird cooperates.

For our efforts, our consolation prize later that day was a South County specialty: a Cassins’ Kingbird spotted, ironically, on Bird Road. 

Christmas Bird Count 2022

Christmas Bird Count 2022

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.

Joys of Lawns

Joys of Lawns

I hate lawns.

When I was renting an apartment in the city, I didn’t have to worry about lawn care. The landlord’s gardeners did the required upkeep, and I rarely paid attention to the process, except to feel sad when all the pretty yellow flowers (“weeds”) were hacked off. Apparently, I like the look of longer, wild grass.

Now living in a house, we’ve been thrust into the confusing realm of lawn maintenance. We didn’t want to hire gardeners, figuring we could cut the lawn ourselves. It’s just grass, how hard can that be?

Apparently pretty hard. A combination of record-breaking heat starting earlier than ever in this area, combined with city water restrictions (which I have no qualms about – let’s save water!), the lawn was not happy. We let much of it grow longer for fear of shocking it into submission.

The birds loved the longer grass. I would see birds digging around our lawn and not in the neighbors’ neatly manicured plots. My guess is that less disruption to the grass promoted more life with insects and other food goodies.

Today, a California Scrub-Jay visited the backyard lawn with an enormous nut in its beak. I watched it poke around the grass, trying to find that sweet spot in which to cache it for the winter. I could almost hear its thoughts, “Nope, this spot’s no good. How about here? Ugh, that’s worse! Oh, THIS is the right spot!” Once carefully selected, the jay hammered the nut into the soft ground, like an Acorn Woodpecker shoving an acorn into a tree. Then the jay spent a good two minutes collecting nearby grass to cover its food prize. Little mouthfuls of dried grass slowly covered the spot. It even topped it off with a flower.

I guess a lawn isn’t so bad after all!

Neighborhood Surprise

Neighborhood Surprise

I am a creature of habit. I’ll often return to the same, familiar spot repeatedly. In my new neighborhood, that means circling a little park almost daily. So far, this tiny area has yielded 53 birds since June. That’s a lot more than I would have expected for a manicured lawn with very few trees.

I left for my walk around the park to satisfy my habitual morning routine, yet this time, something was tugging at me to explore a bit more. Outside of the neighborhood is another housing development, but next to that is a marshy field encased in wire fencing. It’ll likely be slated for development at some point. But for now, something urged me to check it out.

I was first drawn in by the seets of sparrows, but they were difficult to locate. The grasses and weeds had grown long, offering cover for foraging sparrows. Once in a while, a sparrow would poke out just long enough for a brief look through the binoculars. White-crown Sparrows, a Song Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrows dominated, until we heard the buzzy seet of a Lincoln’s Sparrow – county lifer #99. Four Lincoln Sparrows eventually popped into view. I looked closely just to make sure there were no Vesper Sparrows sporting a white eye ring among them. I’m not sure if we get Vesper Sparrows here, but it’s good to look anyway!

This little marshy area also housed a couple of Marsh Wrens – a pleasant surprise given that the surrounding area is either housing development or endless fields of almond trees.

We accidentally startled a couple of birds that were rather shorebird-like. My first thought was that they were dowitchers, but this habitat didn’t match up. After searching a bit (and again accidentally flushing them due to their terrific camouflage), I was delighted to figure out that they were Wilson’s Snipes. Now that’s a treat! I hope we didn’t scare them too much and that they will stick around. I’ll have to be more careful when birding along the fence next time.

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.

A Day at Colusa NWR

A Day at Colusa NWR

Colusa NWR

For the last several years, we started a tradition of driving out to Sacramento NWR on January 1. It’s a great way to ring in the new year with thousands of wintering geese that fill the air with their brilliant white feathers and calls. This year, we added Colusa NWR to the tradition. It’s a smaller refuge (a three-mile auto tour compared to six miles), but it has a more intimate feel to it.

Today we did something drastic. It’s not January 1 yet (although many of us are ready to kick 2020 to the side and start a new year), but we decided to drive out to Colusa – in the middle of November! I’m a creature of habit, so this was a big adventure.

Colusa NWr

The air was crisp and cool, but not freezing like our January trips. The sky was a brilliant blue that highlighted the white and black features of the Snow and Ross’s Geese as they circled in the air. Thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds noisily lifted up in large groups to relocate to another spot. I scanned each group for signs of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, but only found shining red shoulder patches glinting in the sun.

Other birds were less hyper. Dozens of Black-crowned Night Herons roosted in trees along a stream, savoring the stillness. A Red-shouldered Hawk eyed us suspiciously as we drove by, but never left its concealed post in the tree. I exchanged hoots with a Great Horned Owl that started calling as the sun started to hide behind the hills.

Sora Camouflaged

Camouflaged Sora

A special treat was finding a Sora expertly camouflaged against the reeds. And to add to the excitement was spotting a couple of flying Sandhill Cranes. Turning off the car engine and sitting in the still peace of the refuge with the cranes sounding their rattling bugle calls was as good as it gets.

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

Although I had my camera at the ready on my lap, I largely ignored it in favor of savoring the moment. It’s exactly what I needed to refresh my soul and appreciate the sights, colors, and sounds of nature.

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Happy New Year!

For the past several years, my husband and I have visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on New Year’s Day. It’s a refreshing way to begin the new year. It also guarantees a substantial list of birds for anyone starting a new annual list.

Snow Geese

Snow Geese, 2018

Located about two hours north of the Bay Area, this water refuge is a part of a complex of several national wildlife refuges. It features a six-mile auto tour. You basically slowly drive around in a car blasting the heater on your legs (in the winter) while you poke your head out of the open car window into the freezing winter air. Visitors are permitted to stretch their legs at specified locations. These are great spots to set up a scope and take a look around.

Various Geese

Take Off! 2018

The main attraction in the winter is the thousands upon thousands of geese. Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, and Greater White-fronted Geese easily add up to more than 10,000 on location. When they get spooked and take up flight, it is a miraculous spectacle of birds lifting into the air. The subsequent noise with a mixture of calls and beating wings is quite memorable.

Bald Eagle and Common Raven

Immature Bald Eagle and Common Raven, 2017

Bald Eagles are another fun bird to observe. I’ve seen immature and adult eagles fly around and interact with the other birds. They are magnificent creatures to behold as they soar across the skies. In 2017, I was delighted to watch a Common Raven attempt to steal a partially-consumed American Coot from an eagle. The raven was boldly jumping around, and nearly on, the eagle in an attempt to snatch an easy meal.

Northern Shrike

Northern Shrike, a rarity for the area, 2018

Other fun birds are present, such as all kinds of waterfowl, sparrows, pheasants, hawks, and more. We usually take at least two hours to drive through the six miles. I’ve heard that others will ride through multiple times. If you get a chance to visit, the sheer volume of birds present will leave you with a memorable experience.