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A Day at Colusa NWR

A Day at Colusa NWR

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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.

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part II

My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part II

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Black-Throated Grey Warbler

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

See My Birding Day: Point Reyes Part I

We’ve driven by Mendoza Ranch (B Ranch) several times in the past 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.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

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.

Yellow-Green Vireo

Quick Glance of the Shy Yellow-Green Vireo, Point Reyes Mendoza Ranch, 2019

Our attention then turned to a flycatcher. I pointed to it noting a thin eye ring. Then Gabe 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. Gabe was confident he saw a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Someone yelled “Pac Slope!” Another person found a thin eye ring like I had seen. We emerged from the Abbott and Costello act with the conclusion 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.