SPRING BIRDING ON THE CENTRAL COAST

 

Turri Road San Luis Obispo County - The morning adventure begins.  Wanting to make the most of every moment, my little Honda inched along at a snail's pace.

A raptor was perched on an old utility pole.  I knew it was not a Red-tailed or a Red-shouldered Hawk.  While I was mulling over identification, the raptor took flight.  It was a female Northern Harrier.  My first sighting was a winner!

The first quarter mile is Western Bluebird territory.   A pair were perched on top of their nesting box.  Both male and female feed the nestlings.  Inside the box a hungry chick was wondering when lunch would be served.  On both sides of the road Meadowlarks were singing. 

My top speed was about five mph, car windows wide open to hear bird songs when suddenly I heard a very loud and piercing Meadowlark song.  Oh, my gosh it had flown into the car through the open back window.  Well, it had certainly not flown into the car, but for a few moments I was convinced there was a Meadowlark in the backseat.

Continuing up the hill, the mesmerizing beauty of the hills, the deep blue of roadside Lupine, Poppies bursting with life, and glistening fields of yellow Buttercups were a joy to behold.  Finally made it to the top of the hill.

Red-winged Blackbirds, from the pond down below, were dashing over the fields.  I could even hear Mallard Ducks.

I continued my forward progress.  Around the next bend in the road I was anticipating seeing Cassin's Kingbird. Yes!  There they were, a pair of Kingbirds, flycatching from an old fence. 

Next, the ephemeral cattle pond, my favorite stop.  I love the pond, the dilapidated cattle shoot, and the old barbed wire fence (behind the gate) that goes nowhere.  Perched on the fence were Western Bluebird, and Cassin's Kingbird.  

At the far end of the fence, Tree Swallow's rested, though not for long, but long enough for me to get a good look.  Depending on the lighting, their iridescent feathers appear greenish or blueish. 

From the wetland across the road came a variety of bird calls** including a female Turkey who had just discovered she was alone.  She seemed anxious.  From observations of wild Turkeys I have come to the conclusion they get anxious when finding themselves alone, flockless.  I'm including a short video on young Turkeys hurrying to join the flock.              

https://youtu.be/8RlePt7MDNY?si=QAkuNAKXcFOZyTKm

 

The morning's birding was positively delightful.  What will be the next adventure?  Perhaps Raptors, Ravens and Wildflowers?   

**Birds heard but not seen - Song Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, Wilson's Warbler, Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pacific Flycatcher, California Towhee, Red-shouldered Hawk. 

 

                    

Birding Morro Bay Marina and Estero Bluffs

Moro Bay Marina - The tide was high - The morning beautiful.  A Clark's Grebe, was feeding at the flooded edge of the marina - a most unusual sight as Grebes are diving birds.  She was keenly focused on the vegetation and paid no attention to my presence.  

There were three Grebes.  I believe in the below photo, the top image is of a Clark's and the lower image  a Western.   Figuring out who's who can be tricky, as they are almost identical.  Western's eye is in the black and Clark's eye is in the white; Clark's bill is more yellow than Western.  At the least I figured out they were Grebes.  Water birds were few, a small flotilla of Coots, four adorable Pied-billled Grebe, a Common Loon, and a magnificent Osprey perched on a distant mast.  

Estero Bluffs State Park - This dense cluster of Eucalyptus is a bird magnet.

Although the Eucalyptus tree is non-native and often thought of as an invasive species; on Estero Bluffs it is the only place where an assortment of roosting birds can roost.  The Eucalyptus is located above San Geronimo Creek and due to dense vegetation is, fortunately, isolated from the public.

In the month of October I have been to Estero Bluffs five times.  There are three primary reasons for the multiple visits, very few people, great birding, and fascinating rocks.  On a recent visit there was an Osprey, five Double-crested Cormorant, Brewer's Blackbird, and a Great Egret roosting in the Eucalyptus at the same time.  On another visit, Mike and I were below the tree at the mouth of San Geronimo Creek watching Coots harassing four Canada Goose when suddenly a dozen plus Black-crowned Night Heron sped out of the Eucalyptus to disappear up the creek.  A few minutes later there was another exodus of Herons.  To say the least it was a rather unique sighting. 

Estero Bluffs - Saturday morning birded Villa Creek beach with Mike and Jerry.  The sea was rugged, tide coming in and the birds cooperative.  The Honeycomb Sandstone is one of my current favorite rocks.  The holes are the result of the interaction of physical and chemical weathering over a loooong period of time.  Watching the feeding shore birds was a delight.

 Godwits were organized and very busy - They only had a few seconds to feed before the next wave.  It never ceases to amaze me how fast their delicate legs can move.  Nearby was a Black-bellied Plover and a couple of Killdeer.  Higher up the beach, where kelp is located, were quadrillions of kelp flies that Western Sandpiper and the adorable Snowy Plover (below) were feeding upon.  The little Plovers were nearly close enough to touch.

Little did we know a surprise awaited us in the rocks.

Four Pacific Golden-Plover - A most unusual sighting.  I was only able to photograph one as I was distracted by the incoming tide and the kelp flies around my face.  The Plovers breed from northern 

Siberia to the coast of Alaska.  They winter from southern Asia to the Pacific Islands and occasionally the Central Coast.  Birding was cut short by fierce wind and blowing sand, but I can guarantee I will be returning to the Estero Bluffs.   

Sweet Springs Easy Birding plus Oystercatcher Monitoring Update

Sweet Springs Preserve - 9:00 to 10:00 - Heavy moist overcast.  Some people might consider a grey morning rather unpleasant and dull.  For me it was an ideal morning to bird Sweet Springs.  The bay was serene in its stillness.

Shorebirds were racing back and forth across the narrow strip of muddy sand.  Semipalmated Plover were numerous.  These tiny migrant Plovers may have just arrived from their breeding grounds in Alaska.

There were a few Least Sandpiper.  They really are tiny.  Two Greater Yellowleg were focused on probing the sand, while two handsome Black-bellied Plover, in fading breeding plumage, were strolling sedately along the edge of the bay.  I must not forget the Willet, the Marbled Godwit, and dear, faithful Black Phoebe.  A Green Heron flying into the pond area was the highlight of the morning.

      Oystercatcher Monitoring Update

July 29, 2020 - Last photo of the family.  Chicks were nearly a month old.

The last few days of monitoring - July 3 -Parents on duty, one chick visible.  I briefly saw the entire chick moments before taking the photo.

July 7 - Parents on duty, chicks absent.  They could not fly and they could not have wandered far as their rock formation was separate from the other formations.  July 10 - Parents on duty, chicks absent.  One parent flew off, returning with a food morsel clutched in her bill.  She walked down the rock face disappearing into the cracks, sadly emerging with the morsel still clutched in her bill.  I knew in my heart she was searching for her chicks.

What had taken the Oystercatcher chicks?  Was it a raptor?  Was it the sea?  In my estimation, the unforgiving sea had taken the chicks.  Between July 1 and July 6, extremely high tides, combined with a powerful storm surge, had swept them off the rocks.

I have not given up hope.  During the winter months Oystercatchers are often seen feeding along the edge of the surf in Corallina Cove, and I will be there looking for a juvenile with its two-toned bill.

Birding Big Morongo Preserve

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve  - Morongo Valley Ca.  Audubon Society identifies it as one of the most important avian habitat areas in California.

I was birding with Cathy who has an in-depth knowledge of Big Morongo.  Our first sighting was a pair of soaring Cooper's Hawk.  Eventually one settled on the high point of a distant deciduous tree.  By carefully peering at the photo you may be able to see the Cooper's Hawk in the center.

Big Morongo offers six trails.  With an excellent chance of seeing a Long-eared Owl, we chose the Marsh Trail (below) that wends it's way along a stream and through a marshy area.  Stately Fremont Cottonwood, Red Willow, thorny Mesquite, and California Fan Palm with its dense skirt of fronds, provide a plethora of feeding and nesting opportunities for numerous species of birds.  A long-eared Owl would be a first sighting for both of us.

A few years ago fire burned 2,000 acres of the Big Morongo Preserve.  Last year's rain had been very helpful in the restoration of the wetlands.  Burned Willow and Cottonwood were showing signs of life.  Young Fan Palms were emerging from the wet marsh.

Thorny Mesquite, appearing singed and lifeless was sprouting new life on its blackened limbs.  The Mesquite's mistletoe had also come to life, as it had produced tiny red berries, a primary source of food for the Phainopepla.

In the preserve, the Phainopepla's diet consists primarily of mistletoe berries and insects - males are shiny black, females charcoal grey.  Both have red eyes and a handsome crest.  Their call is one plaintive note.  We had the good fortune of seeing several of these beauties. 

Phainopepla have a symbiotic relationship with desert mistletoe.  After eating berries the Phainopepla defecates.  The fertilized deposit, more than likely, landsingon a branch or twig, eventually growing into a clump of mistletoe, thereby guaranteeing a food supply and a cozy place to nest.

Male guarding his mistletoe.

The Long-eared Owl - Dan, the preserve's owl person had a nesting female Long-eared Owl in his scope.  She was looking directly at us.  She was a beauty!  Dan said the owl pair were not bothered by the people on the boardwalk.  Directly across from the nest was a bench.  Distance from bench to nest about 40 feet.  To say we had a memorable sighting is an understatement. 

Other birds along the Marsh Trail Boardwalk were Oak Titmouse, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, a mixed flock of Lesser Goldfinch, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  In other areas of the preserve were Mourning Dove, Costa's Hummingbird, and a small flock of White-winged Dove. 

Our last sighting of the day was a special, seldom seen, Gray Catbird.  They are related to Mockingbirds and share similar vocal abilities.  Among their songs is a catty mew.  It had a black cap and under tail feathers were reddish.

Birding the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve was rewarding and fun.  I'm already looking forward to the next time. 

Bird Island - Brandt’s Cormorant - Part 4

     View From Bird Island Trail

Point Lobos State Preserve - June 27 -  Bird Island - A beautiful half mile trail leads to excellent views of the off shore rocks and the Cormorants.  Coincidentally, it was exactly one year since my last visit.  When I arrived at Bird Island the Cormorants were nesting and feeding their young; compared to last year there was a significant difference in population size.  The photo shows the difference between last year and this year.  Enlarging the image is helpful in seeing details.

                  Top photo 2018 - Lower 2019
The oval depression (below) is the prime real estate on the island and gets filled up quickly with the early nesters.  Many will return to the same nest they occupied the year before.

                                   2018
 Last year the oval area was packed; Brandt’s were everywhere.  This year the prime real estate had ample room to spare (below photo).  Perhaps they nested early, and the birds that I observed are the late comers, or could it be there are just fewer nesting Brandt’s, or last year's rainy season caused a change in their breeding cycle and they nested early.

         
 All by herself - Hopefully her mate is nearby, otherwise survival of her two nestlings is nil.  Nearby, predatory gulls and raptors were waiting for a chance to snatch an egg or a nestling.

I have to admit my recent Bird Island observations have left me in a curfluffled state of mind.  To satisfy my curiosity, I’m thinking that next year, on June 27 I will return to Point Lobos and its intriguing Bird Island.

The Cormorant Saga - Part 2

Point Lobos State Natural Preserve - Wednesday Morning 10:30 - after 154 miles, mostly on Highway 101, I found myself looking at probably a couple thousand nesting Brandt's Cormorant.  Thirty-four days had passed since my last visit to the rocky rookery.

 The rookery was bustling with activity.  Some of the juveniles appeared as large, if not larger than their parents, and like typical teenagers they were constantly begging for food.  At first all I saw was a mass of black.  Through binoculars, I began to see the nestlings.  At birth they are without feathers and sightless.  Within a week they are covered with fluffy down.  A nestling, needing to eat frequently, often has its bill extended up toward a parent's neck.  This action will stimulate the parent to regurgitate.  The nestling will feed by inserting its bill into the parent's throat.

I saw more juveniles than little ones because the little ones were tucked away under the adults.  Sometimes a tiny head would appear.  Tending the young is shared by both parents.  Nestlings are dark grey with whiteish speckles, particularly on their wings. (for details click on images)

Can you locate the three juveniles in the center of the above photo?

The nests, glued together with excrement, form a concretion.

         Nestlings lower center of above photo.

On a rock face, below the hustle and bustle of the rookery, was a Black-crowned Night Heron and a solitary Brant's Cormorant.  It was clear to me that they did not believe in the adage, "Birds of a feather flock together."

 

Pelagic Cormorants were located one mile north at Sea Lion Cove.

White excrement marks the nest sites; ten were occupied.  No little ones could be seen.  Compared to the Brandt's, the scene was serene.

In about two weeks I am planning on taking another jaunt to Point Lobos.  Hopefully, Pelagic chicks will be active.  On every visit to the Point Lobos Preserve I have shown my docent, state park pass and entered without having to pay a $9.00 fee.