My Birding Day – My Birding World

My Birding Day: SIP Redwood RP

May 17, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

One of my favorite local parks is Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park. I find it peaceful walking amongst the shadows of the tall trees along the stream. It’s hard to keep the day’s stressors in my head when I have nature’s comfort all around. That’s why I was so devastated when the park was closed due to the pandemic.

The moment that the Bay Area announced that the shelter-in-place would begin at midnight, we rushed to Redwood to get in a quick park visit. (Side note, we also went to See’s Candies. Apparently, I was more afraid of missing out on chocolate more than any other food item.) The Redwood trees gave me their unconditional care as I worked through the panic of the impending SIP. As we left, a sign was installed at the parking lot announcing its temporary closure.

Two months later, the parking lots were reopened. I was relieved to find the park the same, minus one closed parking lot and only one set of restrooms available. The trees welcomed me back into their familiar realm.

We hiked for over two hours, listening to the birds, taking in the smells, feeling the constant dance of the warm sun and cool wind on my skin.

I was delighted to watch a family of Pacific Wrens. Two adults and four cheeping fledglings trailing their parents in a quest for food. During our trip, we recorded a total of 11 wrens, most of them singing their dizzying yet delightful songs.

I’m so thankful that I can now return to my favorite park!

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.

Warbler Wobble

February 11, 2020 Elizabeth Olin

AH-CHOO!

Crum. I don’t sneeze unless it’s related to allergies. How can I be sneezing in February? Sneezing, migraine, and vertigo settle in, rendering me unable to do anything but whine on the couch. Sounds of construction overpower any chance of hearing bird activity outside, except for the occasional crow.

This goes on for a couple days when I finally throw on some shoes and risk the great outdoors of my neighborhood. I have to be careful to not swing my head around too much lest the vertigo send a not-so-subtle reminder that I can’t walk straight. “Warbler neck,” the term used to describe neck soreness after staring up into tree tops for warblers, has turned into my dizzying version called “Warbler Wobble.”

The warm, golden glow of the sun cheers me up instantly, accompanied with a chorus of bird calls claiming territories for singing love songs. The Oak Titmouse is the loudest this early evening, with Anna’s Hummingbirds, Lesser Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, and Yellow-rumped Warblers offering backing vocals.

I stand in one spot straining my neck to see the finches and warblers without the help of binoculars. I’m hoping that the neighbors don’t think I’m weird, although I’ve worn my “Can’t Talk Now… I’m Birding” t-shirt for good measure.

While staring up, I see a woodpecker silhouette on a telephone pole. Wow, what a lot of red! Wait, it’s a Red-breasted Sapsucker! Only the second time I’ve seen one in this neighborhood over the years.

AH-CHOO!

There’s my clue that I’ve overextended my stay in the outdoors. I slowly walk home absorbing all the sweet calls and delighted to see a special bird to cheer me up.

Quick November Tahoe Trip

November 30, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Fallen Leaf Lake, Tahoe, 2019

I stepped out of the front door and was greeted with a blast of chilly air. Cars and sidewalks sparkled from the overnight frost that would remain crystalized for most of the morning. I glanced at the trash pickings left by three bears and a coyote from the night before. For the first time in many never-ending-heated months, I was happy to bundle up against the unfamiliar cold. Despite three layers of socks, my toes still went numb in my athletic shoes designed to allow air flow. Time to invest in a different type of shoes.

Our first stop was at Fallen Leaf Lake – a required stop for all of our Tahoe trips. Today it was unusually quiet with the campgrounds long closed for the season. We hiked for over an hour without running into another person. The lake was crystal clear and blue, with the mountains towering mystically in the distance. The stillness was soothing and such a relief from the bustling city we call home.

We came to an Aspen grove, devoid of most of the bright yellow leaves. I noticed a pinecone in one of the trees – “oddly placed,” I thought. Curiously, I zoomed into the pinecone with my frozen binoculars, only it wasn’t a pinecone. “Owl!” I shouted, maybe too loudly, to my husband. A little Northern Pygmy-Owl sat there watching us with yellow, piercing eyes. Sometimes it flashed its feathered false eyes on the back of its head when it was comfortable with directing its attention elsewhere for a brief moment. Double exciting was submitting an eBird report for this “unreported” species for Fallen Leaf Lake. After watching the tiny bundle of owl for a while, we quietly snuck away to give it some peace.

Lake Baron, Tahoe, 2019

After the first park visit, we grabbed sandwiches and headed over to a newly-discovered birding location called Lake Baron, which is nestled in Tahoe Paradise Park. I was awed by this community park. It had picnic benches and sported a play area like I’m familiar with at home, but manicured grass and crawling sidewalks were replaced by towering mountain trees and bustling with bird activity. A group of Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers swam with American Wigeons in the lake. A Townsend’s Solitaire was calling off in the distance. Mountain Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos were busy foraging in the trees and bushes. Perhaps the oddest sight for me was spotting a Bald Eagle sitting in a pine tree. I’m accustomed to these majestic creatures dwarfing their surroundings in the Bay Area, but this one seemed small and out of place to my inexperienced mountain eyes. It’s about the closest I’ve ever been to a wild Bald Eagle.

Hooded Merganser, Tahoe, 2019

I was sad to leave Tahoe so soon, but a storm was threatening to dump several feet of snow and close the nearby roads. We’ll be back to explore new parks and bask in the serene and peaceful mountain experience in the New Year.

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part III

October 13, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Tule Elk, Point Reyes, 2019

See My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I and Part II for the first two parts of the story

Drakes Beach was fairly mellow. The biggest excitement was tracking down a distant tern, which turned out to be a Common Tern – our third and final lifer of the day. My husband and I celebrated our success at passing 400 lifer birds during that trip.

From the beach, we headed to our next destination. Along the way, our walkie talkies lit up with an announcement of Tule Elk! These majestic creatures were chilling along the edge of a cliff. I’ve never seen Tule Elk before, and they were so close! There were more elk on the other side of the road, but I had a hard time following the instructions to their location (a common theme for me – I’m often last to see a bird unless I spot it first). My husband provided me with different instructions hoping I could see the very-obvious herd lounging in the field, but my brain couldn’t process or find the darn creatures. As I scanned the hillside for the elk, a hawk flew into my vision. I froze – it had a white tail. Hesitantly, I called out “hawk with white tail” and binoculars quickly scanned the skies. Experts weighed in: Ferruginous Hawk. Yay!

We headed to the RCA building, which I dubbed “Row of Cypress Avenue” due to the row of Cypress trees that interrupted the otherwise flat hillside. This was yet another spot we frequently drive past and wonder how to bird it. We saw pretty much the same birds, although there was brief excitement when someone thought they found a Tennessee Warbler, though it ended up being something else.

Our final destination was the Inverness Tennis Club. This tree-dense area is tucked out of view near a tennis court. We chased after warblers and flycatchers, hoping to catch a glimpse of something new for the day, but we were instead treated with the same birds seen throughout the trip. However, I was delighted to be introduced to this little hidden jewel and will make this a must-do stop in the future.

The trip wrapped up back at the Bear Valley Visitor Center where we couldn’t help but to squeeze in one more checklist. The air was getting cool again, the sun was starting to fall, and more birds were popping out to sneak in a last meal for the day. High on birding, I didn’t want the trip to end. It was a fantastic and memorable experience.

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part II

October 10, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Black-Throated Grey Warbler, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

See My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I for the first part of the story.

In the past, we’ve driven by Mendoza Ranch (B Ranch) several times knowing it was a hotspot for birds, but I could never figure out how one goes about birding it. Where do you park? Do you walk onto the ranch or the nearby area? Arriving this time with an experienced guide, I was finally about to put an end to this mystery. We were also on the hunt for a very rare Yellow-green Vireo reported that morning.

Driving from the docks to the ranch was exciting. Our walkie talkies announced sightings along the way. A Merlin chasing a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds with some Tricolored Blackbirds mixed in. I laughed at the Tricolored Blackbirds’ strangled-cat calls rising distinctively from the blur of screechy-yet-bubbly Red-winged Blackbirds.

One of Many Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

Our caravan of cars parked along the side of the road and we meandered back and forth across the main road, ducking into tree cover and monitoring a little pond that oddly held a Red-necked Phalarope. An occasional holler of “Car!” warned us to dash out of the road to let a car go by.

Finally, after much searching, it popped out: the Yellow-green Vireo, a rare neotropic visitor that was a lifer for most of us. This chunky bird shyly obscured itself amidst the branches, but we all got a decent view before it flew off.

Our attention then turned to a flycatcher. I pointed to it, noting a thin eye ring. Then myu husband saw it and proclaimed that it was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. He clearly saw an almond-shaped eye ring. Someone else found the flycatcher and said there was no eye ring at all. Confusion spread amongst our small group. Experts were called in. Clearly we were getting tricked by the lighting and obstructed views. The flycatcher appeared again and an expert proclaimed it was a Willow Flycatcher because there was no eye ring. But wait, I know I saw a thin eye ring. My husband was confident he saw a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Someone yelled “Pac Slope!” Another person found a thin eye ring like I had seen. We finally concluded that there were three flycatchers: Willow Flycatcher (no eye ring), Pacific-slope Flycatcher (almond eye ring), and a Least Flycatcher (thin eye ring, among other key field marks), the latter being the second lifer of the day!

All that excitement made us hungry. We set off to Drakes Beach for a picnic with an ocean view.

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

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!

My Birding Day: South Lake Tahoe

June 12, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

I haven’t written a post in a few weeks, partly because the Bay Area is warming up and I don’t do very well in the heat. The birds don’t particularly like the heat either. Birders mourn the summer blues where birding gets a little dull between migration and breeding seasons. It’s also straight up uncomfortable if you’re outdoors in the hottest part of the day.

This weekend I escaped to Tahoe on a whim to help cope with the heat and enjoy the 30-degree temperature difference. I love Tahoe and the mountains. The trees are different, the air is fresh, and new birds pop out here and there. I’m still trying to find the birding hotspots around the Tahoe area, but my go-to place is always Fallen Leaf Lake.

Lodgepole Chipmunk, Fallen Leaf Lake, 2019

This lake is much smaller than Lake Tahoe, but it’s less crowded and more peaceful. Lodgepole Chipmunks are frantically running around and Mountain Chickadees are delightfully singing their bluesy tunes. I always find White-headed Woodpeckers, all three nuthatches (Red-breasted, Pygmy, and White-breasted), and Brown Creepers. This summer trip yielded plenty of Western Wood-Pewees and Warbling Vireos. Although not bursting with concentrated birding activity, Fallen Leaf Lake offers a beautiful hike. If you go early enough, you can walk quite a ways without running into people.

Western Tanager, Van Sickle Bi-State Park, 2019

We checked out another park for the first time that crosses state lines: Van Sickle Bi-State Park. Colorful Western Tanagers popped out against the trees, a House Wren sang its heart out despite our close presence, and Steller’s Jays were busy eating enormous ants off the ground. My favorite moment was hearing a Fox Sparrow sing. These sparrows are present in the East Bay, but only in the winter and thus they are pretty quiet. The song was so captivating that I had to capture a recording on my phone for later submission on my birding checklist. I will definitely check out this Nevada site again and venture out further than a quarter mile from the parking lot!

House Wren, Van Sickle Bi-State Park, 2019

Overall a great quick trip that gave us respite from the recording-breaking Bay Area heat.

My Birding Day: Sycamore Grove Park

May 26, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Dark-Eyed Junco, Sycamore Grove Park, 2019

It was supposed to rain today. The dark clouds were looming overhead accompanied by chilly winds. Despite the risk of getting wet, we ventured out to Livermore to a local park – Sycamore Grove Park – in search of the rare Blue-gray Tanager. This species is native to southern Mexico through the northern section of South America. It is quite possible that this particular bird is a pet-escapee, in other words, a pet that was released (intentionally or accidentally) back into nature. Nevertheless, birders have flocked to this location to get a glimpse of this bird living its life in Livermore. We tried to locate this bird on a previous birding trip, but after six hours of hunting we gave up.

We found our target bird while eating lunch. An added bonus was watching it sing briefly. Now feeling calm, I was able to really enjoy all the bird activity around me. The theme of the day was immature or recently fledged birds foraging. Lots of little ones were scurrying around, flapping their wings, constantly calling out to their parents for food. Some young birds simply perched in place, such as this Mourning Dove.

Mourning Dove, Sycamore Grove Park, 2019

Other birds were still being fed by their parents, such as this Oak Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch.

The Dark-eyed Juncos I watched were still young but able to forage on their own with parents nearby. They were hopping around, trying little bits of this and that to learn what’s edible or not.

Dark-Eyed Junco, Sycamore Grove Park, 2019

It was a fun afternoon with so much dense birding that we stayed by the parking lot for nearly two hours. Despite it being Memorial Weekend, this normally-busy park was empty of visitors, allowing for a peaceful birding experience.

My Birding Day: Neighborhood Walk

May 14, 2019 Elizabeth Olin

Mourning Dove, 2015

It was cloudy and humid outside – nature preparing for a rare “late-season atmospheric river” set to hit the Bay Area. I watched a Mourning Dove in its fresh tan plumage displaying large black spots on its wings. I marveled at the metallic pink clump of feathers near its throat and a sky-blue eye ring. It was gently picking up a stick here and there, dropping the ones that didn’t meet its nesting standards. The dove finally selected a long, green stick and noisily flew away from sight. I wondered if the nest will survive the upcoming storm.

A recycling truck chased me around the neighborhood for a couple of blocks, effectively cutting out my ability to bird by ear. I silently thanked the workers for doing a job that is so important for the environment but tends to be a thankless task. I turned my attention to the various flowers lining the carefully landscaped homes. Bright pinks, oranges, and purples sprouted everywhere and I was lost in the sea of colors until the recycling truck and I parted ways.

Flowers, 2019

A Lesser Goldfinch conducted a perfect imitation of an Oak Titmouse and I listened to its song for several minutes. Bushtits flocked from bush to tree to bush. My attention was grabbed by a pair of young Chestnut-backed Chickadees squeaking out a baby babble’s version of the chickadee call while furiously flapping their wings. A parent nearby was hopping on branches, poking under leaves, and clinging to house walls in search of food for its babies. The short, half hour walk ended with the sun peeking out momentarily before slipping back behind the clouds.

Succulents, 2019