ATASCADERO

This Morning drove over the hill to Atascadero to check out the birds at Atascadero Lake and the Sewer Facility.  Weather was cold, breezy, and as you can see by the photo, the clouds were fabulous.  Walked around the lake. Coots and Mallards were abundant.  Found interesting hybred Mallards.  There were two that had Mallard heads and totally white bodies (rather bizarre); another pair had mallard bodies and white head with a tuft at the top. (must be something in the water)

Around the lake are numerous Valley Oaks that supply the Acorn Woodpecker with acorns that the woodpeckers cram into the nooks and crannies of the tree's thick bark.  I could hear the Woodpeckers, but they were at a distance.  Yellow-rumped Warblers were busy and had a few sightings of the perky little Oak Titmouse.

The Sewer facility is located near the Salinas River bed.  In the past I had seen Wood Ducks in the filtration pond but today only one Mallard was present.  Nearby is the trailhead to a 5 mile segment  of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.  The trail goes from Sonora Mexico to San Francisco.  It is a narrow dirt path, much used by horses which may have had something to do with cutting the walk short plus large rain drops that had begun to fall.  Checking out the oaks as I trudged back to the car, I spotted a Great Horned Owl.  Wow, he/she was a beauty.  I was a happy camper.

BIRDING THE BOB JONES TRAIL

The morning was sunny, slightly cool and gorgeous. We entered the Bob Jones Bike/Walking Trail at San Luis Bay Drive. We walked to the bridge that crosses over the San Luis Creek, about a 2 mile round trip. At the beginning of our walk there was much bird activity. Juncos, Chickadees, and very talkative Oak Titmouse were abundant. Acorn Woodpeckers were squawking and hiding acorns (photo - 2 Acorn Woodpeckers in gnarled Sycamore tree). It was birding heaven.

The section of the trail we were on follows the San Luis Creek as it meanders to the sea. At this time of year the Willows and Sycamores have lost most of their leaves which makes viewing the birds a pleasure. The most fun we had was trying to figure out the species of a large plump bird, scrunched down, sleeping with its back to us, and its head tucked in. At first I was mostly convinced it was an owl. Then we saw two more of them. We were still unsure. Several people stopped by to help us ponder the situation. We had moved on a few yards but decided to have one last look. My friend Sylvia said, "It's head is up." It took only a few moments for us to realize that our owl was an immature Black-crowned Night Heron. I really wanted it to be an owl.

At the bridge we saw one of our winter migrants,a female Common Goldeneye, and I believe I had a glimpse of the male further up the creek. Our total count for the morning was 25 species. I highly recommend the Bob Jones Trail.