The Morro Bay 2019 Winter Bird Olympics

The Morro Bay 2019 Bird Olympics are coming to town.  I can guarantee they will be just as exciting or more so than last years Olympics.  To refresh your memory of 2018 Bird Olympics I have included a link.
http://birdingthecentralcoast.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-morro-bay-winter-bird-olympics.html

Olympic Athletes are arriving on the Central Coast daily.  Most of the athletes take several days resting and spending time renewing their energy supply before they begin practicing for their chosen events.  What amazes me is the amount of time they spend in frivolous pursuits such as gossiping, stealing food, and partying on the beach.   

 Don't wait till the last minute to secure lodging, as accommodations are going fast.  Come prepared for cold and wet or warm and windy weather, a bright sun and fog.  Bring binoculars, a scope if possible, snacks, definitely a flashlight, hand warmers and sunscreen.  All events are free, children 3 and younger are welcome as long as they are attached to an adult by a child safety harness.

                                 

Birding There but Mostly Here

Atascadero Lake, Atascadero Ca.  A short jaunt over the hill, about 25 minutes, brings you to Atascadero Lake Park. The photo was taken three years ago when the lake was full.  Last year due to the drought the lake dried out, as a result all the feathered inhabitants moved on.  Fortunately this October rains filled the lake enough to bring back some of the birds.

The air was crisp when my friend Mike and I arrived.  We went for a brief walk to check out the best spot for viewing, as there is quite a bit of vegetation along the edges.  Upon returning to the car we spotted Roger Zachary, one of the top birder/photographer in the county, setting up his scope.  Oh my gosh, what great fortune to come across Roger who had been posting to the slobirding yahoo group the birds he had been observing at the lake.

 Roger took the scope down near the edge of the water to show us 5 Common Snipe that were feeding in a slightly moist area along the weedy fringes of the lake.  Prior to Roger's arrival we had been looking for them but to no avail.  We also had fabulous sightings of Ring-necked Duck, male and female. 

The memorable sighting of the morning was of a Bald Eagle as it flew over the lake.  Photo was taken by Roger Zachary at Atascadero Lake.

 Birding the King Tides in Morro Bay - Very high tides cause the migratory shore birds to seek out higher areas when they can wait till the tide goes out.  Thousands of shore birds are densely packed on thin strips of pickleweed far out in the bay.  Most of the water fowl are in the shallower areas where it is difficult to view them.  As the tide goes out the birds move into their favored feeding areas.  The tide was at its highest when I arrived.  From the Marina boardwalk could be seen about 40 Brant Goose and a few Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler.  Many Snowy and Great Egret were feeding along the edges of the high tide.  There were 20 Avocet close enough to get a great photo, if only one had remembered to bring her camera.

                                 Morro Bay Marina
On the narrow boardwalk a cluster of birders were taking photos of the seldom seen Nelson's Sparrow whose habitat is somewhere out in the pickleweed.  The Nelson's only comes into view when the tide is extreme.  A photo of a Nelson's Sparrow is a feather in a birder's cap. 

The best time to bird the Morro Bay King Tides is an hour or two after the tide begins to ebb. 

Baywood Morning Birds

Yesterday a Red-necked Grebe, and seven Brant Goose, were seen in Baywood Cove in the area of the little pier and the Back Bay Cafe.  This morning at 8:00 I headed out the door with binoculars, camera and high hopes that I could find the water fowl that had been sighted yesterday. 

Luck prevailed.  The first birds I saw were 27 Blue-winged Teal (above photo and center of top photo). Along the edge of the sandbar (the tide was going out) were two Black-bellied Plover, a very Long-billed Curlew, several Marbled Godwit, and a Ring-billed Gull.

Tiny fish were jumping and 2 Eared Grebe were diving every few moments.  Seven Brant were moving in a straight line across the bay. One was in the lead. It was a beautiful sight.  Out a little further were, not one, but two Red-necked Grebe (above photo by Caleb Putnam) and two Pied- billed Grebe, plus 17 Western Grebe, and a Kingfisher perched on the top of a mast (below photo). Saturday, October 22, 2016 will go down in history as the "Day of the Grebe."

All these great sightings in just a few minutes.  With the beautiful morning came the people, dog walkers, children playing on the sand bar, dogs in the water, and a line of people waiting for coffee.  The old adage, "The early birds gets the worm," was certainly true this morning.

Birding South to North

This morning's bird-a-thon began at the Baywood Pier.  A great Egret was checking the Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal, two Greater Yellowleg were in attendance.  Nearby were 16 Brant Goose.  A few days ago a Brant count was taken, a total of 163, a drastic decline from the typical numbers of 2,000 - 3,000.

Sweet Springs 32 species.  Favorites were - Wigeon, Black-bellied plover, and a noisy Kingfisher.

Continued my bird quest south a mile or so to the ponds at the Sea Pines Golf Course.  At the larger pond were two female Common Goldeneye, an A+ sighting; the smaller pond held 5 species, Mallard, Shoveler, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, and Pied Billed Grebe.  On the grass were several hundred coots or more. The local eagle has a taste for Coots.

Next stop,  El Chorro Park, 5 miles south/east of Morro Bay.  The numerous pepper trees were loaded with plump red berries.  America Robin, some with very deep red/orange breasts, were indulging in a berry frenzy; counted 50 Robins in and under this one pepper tree (photo).   Among the Robins were, Golden and White-crowned Sparrow, Hermit Thrush and several pair of Western Bluebird.   

 A few days ago birded Estero Bluffs with Harry and Norma Catchpole.   Our feathered friends were abundant -   Pelican, Cormorant, Turnstone, Surf Scoter, Western Grebe, Whimbrel,  etc.  At Villa Creek, the northern end of Estero Bluffs we experienced a lengthy sighting of a Pectoral Sandpiper, a first for the Catchpoles.  It was concentrating on eating flies and was not alarmed by our presence.  The best sighting of the day, and probably of the month was a male Peregrine Falcon diving on a poor little Forster's Tern; the Tern managed to elude the Peregrine (yeah for the little guy).   Happy Birding!


 

BRANT HUNTING ON MORRO BAY BEGINS NOV. 8

 The Black Brant hunting season is upon us, beginning Saturday the 8th to December 7th.  Waterfowl season opens concurrent with the Brant season and goes through January 25.  Waterfowl includes all  species   https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Waterfowl   

Below is a photo of Green-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal.  Morro Bay is officially designated as a bird sanctuary and a nature preserve.  I find that difficult to believe, especially when I hear the shotgun blasts.  Heaven help all the migratory Geese and Waterfowl that come to Morro Bay for sanctuary.

THE BRANT GOOSE

The Brant is a small goose that feeds in Morro Bay during the winter and breeds on the high arctic tundra during the summer.  At the time I moved here, about 17 years ago, there were a couple thousand Brant wintering on the bay.  Unfortunately, the number of Brant overwintering in Morro Bay has steadily diminished over the past decade (last year less than 200).

Possible explanations include climate change and a reduction of the amount of eelgrass, the birds main food source.  And due to shifting storm patterns, in some years, a third of the population may winter in Alaska.

Yesterday about 130 Brant were seen in Baywood Cove.  This morning I was determined to find the Brant.  It might be my only chance to see them this year.  My first stop was Sweet Springs, where one can get a good view of the Baywood Cove - no Brant.  I did observe a small flock in flight that was moving south toward Shark Inlet.

Shark Inlet, the most southern section of the bay, was beautiful.  About a mile out was a large flock of Scaup, Ruddy Duck, and Bufflehead - no Brant.

I headed into Morro Bay; last year the Brant fed on eelgrass in the channel - no luck.  Last stop was the Marina where one can get a broad view of the bay and the estuary - no Brant.  On the little hill directly above the marina is the Museum of Natural History.  They have a scope and also a view of Grassy Island where Brant are known to haul out.  The scope made all the difference; on a narrow sandbar, the one in the foreground of the photo, were 50 or so Brant.  Success!!

Unfortunately, at the southern (left) edge of the island, the broadest dark area of the photo, a hunter had set up his decoys and was waiting for an unsuspecting Brant.  It seems a crime to take the life of a small goose, that mates for life, and has just flown nonstop from Alaska to Morro Bay. 

(note:  a portion of Morro Bay is designated as a state and national bird sanctuary.  This means it is illegal to kill or harm a bird in that portion of the bay.)  I feel it is time to extend the sanctuary designation to the entire bay.












 

SWEET SPRINGS OVERLOOK

The morning was fresh. Our glorious sun was playing hid and seek with huge cumulus clouds; rain was on its way. The tide was high. Brant Geese were feeding along the edges of the pickleweed. Behind the Brant were many hundreds of Ruddy Ducks. Feeding nearby were Scaup, Pintail, Widgeon, and Blue and Green-winged Teal. Further out in the bay were huge flocks of mixed ducks and Cormorants. Over head flew the noisy Caspian Tern.

Sunday marked the end of the 30 day Brant hunting season, Yeah! It is rather disconcerting to hear the blast of shotguns when one is quietly checking out the ducks. The season for ducks runs through January 27th. Morro Bay is designated a "Bird Sanctuary." Seems rather odd that hunting is allowed in a sanctuary.
Brant (above photo) are vocally expressive - always murmuring to each other. Perhaps they are discussing their yearly migratory flight from the northern coast of Alaska to Morro Bay. Their gentle sound touches my heart and makes me feel that all is right. (for the moment)

As I was exiting Sweet Spring, heard the high pitched "tsee" of a Brown Creeper. With little effort saw two adorable little Creepers working their way up a Cypress. The sun was now hiding behind the clouds. Definitely time for a cup of tea.

SWEET SPRINGS

On my way to run a few errands this morning I stopped at Sweet Springs. The day was magnificent with baby blue sky and puffy cumulus clouds. Sleeping in the pickleweed that line the channels, were several groups of Blue-winged Teal (photo, male Blue-winged Teal). Had to really look to see them, as they blended in perfectly with the vegetation.

Close to the overlook were about 28 Ruddy Duck (first sighting of the season). Love their perky tail feathers. Two Brant were nearby.

Not in a big hurry, I checked the ponds at Sea Pines Golf Course. Between the two ponds were 48 Coots; in the center of the flock were two Canada Goose. The flock was so intent upon feeding that they did not so much as raise an eyebrow when a golf ball landed in their midst.

BRANT AND CANADIAN GEESE

Photo-Brant Goose on Morro Bay-

Today, observed from the Audubon Overlook, located at the end of 4th St. in Baywood, 7 Brant Goose, and 8 Canadian Goose with goslings. The distance was quite far, so did not get a good look. Last year was the first time I noticed a family of Canadian Goose on the bay. At that time I wondered if they had nested in the rather hidden cove to the east of the Audubon Overlook. The Sweet Springs Owls continue to be popular with local birdwatchers and photographers.