Birding the Last King Tides of the Year

                             Sweet Springs Wetlands
King Tides occur when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned at perigee (when the moon is nearest the earth) and perihelion (when the earth is closest to the sun), resulting in the largest tidal range seen over the course of a year. In other words King Tides occur when the Earth is closest to the Sun.  * 1 (see end of blog for more on tides)

Yesterday's morning tide was 6.8, the highest of the year.  I arrived at Sweet Springs at 9:45.  The tide was moving into the ponds.  From the small bridge I watched the water slowly cease its forward movement. For several minutes it was still, as if it were resting. Slowly the water began its journey back to the sea.  Within an hour the tide will be moving swiftly.  The higher the tide, the swifter the tide moves out of the bay. I have watched kayakers trying to paddle against the tide.  With great effort they make no progress.

     Two male Blue-winged Teal, one female Mallard
Blue-winged Teal and Mallards were the only ducks feeding in the flooded pickleweed.  There was a Song Sparrow singing which was delightful.  Watched a deer grazing on the far side of the wetlands.  Out from the overlook was a huge flock of resting winter ducks, primarily Ruddy Duck and Greater Scaup with a few Western Grebe on the periphery.  The below photo only shows a small section of the ducks.  Can you find the a Western Grebe?

 I could not linger at Sweet Springs, as I wanted to get to the Morro Bay Marina to get a photo of the  Winter plumage Red-throated Loon that had come in on the tide the day before. Seeing the Red-throated Loon, who may have just flown in from its Arctic breeding grounds, was quite exciting as I have seldom seen one and only at a distance.  (below photo by Roger Zachery.  I did get a photo, but Roger's photo was better than mine.)

 My faithful friend, the Spotted Sandpiper who usually probes in the wet sand along the edge of the marina was sitting on a post.  There were several Pied-billed Grebe,  two Common Loon, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser, and a Partridge in a pear tree.  In the below photo can you find the Red-throated Loon.  It does show, if you squint when you look at the expanded image.

The diving ducks, Brant Goose, and the Avocet were further out.  Most of the shore birds were clustered on patches of pickleweed waiting for the tide to go out.   My last bird of the morning was an Orange-crowned Warbler flitting through the brush. 

The Christmas Bird Count is Saturday, the 17th.   I will be counting yard birds.  Last year I had 23 species.   I have high hopes the local Bald Eagle will fly over.  That would be a real feather in my Bird Count Cap.


1. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun combined with the rotation of the Earth.

                                   Merry Holidays

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. 

Birding the Morro Bay Marina

 The morning was perfect.  The tide, having been quite high at 6:00 am was on the way out.  The pickleweed was very wet, not only from the tide but from the 1/2 in. of rain we received last night.  The mud was very wet, reflecting the sun light - ideal conditions for a variety of birds to feed. 

From the boardwalk one could see thousands of birds.  Feeding in the pickleweed were Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and 300 or so Brant Goose.  The Brant chat continually as they feed - a soft and pleasing sound.    Can you find the Snow Goose?

 Of course, here and there is a Great-blue Heron, an Egret, a few Canada Goose, Avocet, flocks of Sandpiper, and scads of shorebirds; on a distant sandbar 18 Harbor seals sunned themselves and I had not yet walked 20 feet. 

Much fun watching two Long-billed Curlew engaged in a heated discussion.  A Merlin was perched atop of one of the two scraggly pine trees located on the bay side of the boardwalk. Twice it flew off, returning within a few minutes to the same twig - quite a treat as Merlin sightings are not frequent.  

While focused on the Merlin, deep in the brush came a flutter of activity and the alarm call of a male ( photo) Quail - a Cooper's Hawk had swooped down on a covey of Quail.   The Cooper's Hawk captures a bird with its feet and will squeeze it repeatedly to kill it.  Fortunately for the little covey, the Hawk was not successful.  The flurry of excitement happened in just a few seconds.   

In the Marina (above) were Bufflehead, Scaup, Surf Scoter, Eared Grebe, Kingfisher, an Osprey calling, and my very special, always feeding in the mud along the edge of the Marina........my favorite,.....a......Spotted Sandpiper.  Birding the Morro Bay Marina this morning was a premium experience. 

Birding Morro Bay Marina and Sweet Springs

On the Central Coast, the fall/winter season is fantastic.  Migrating birds arrive daily - some species plentiful and other species diminished due to climate change.  Every bird that does arrive, whether a tiny Sandpiper, a Ruddy Duck or a Brant Goose, is a joy to behold. 

Morro Bay Marina - The tide was on the ebb (above).  Feeding in the soft, damp sand were Long-billed Curlew, Willet, Whimbrel, 12 tiny least Sandpiper, and my favorite winter migrant, a Spotted Sandpiper - a very dependable bird.  Every winter season, it is exactly where I expect it to be - feeding in the wet sand on the south side of the Marina.  Three Pied-Billed Grebe were constantly diving while a female Kingfisher dashed noisily back and forth.  In a tree at the east end of the Marina perched a Red-tailed Hawk.  

The high tide had inundated the pickleweed (below photo) leaving many little pools and rivulets of water.  Four Cinnamon Teal, one male, three females were feeding as they walked through the pickleweed; last year Cinnamon Teal were sparse.  Perhaps we will get more Cinnamon Teal this year. 

The scrub brush was quiet, California Quail (photo) White-crowned Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, Savannah Sparrow, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that was near enough to touch.  A great photo op. and my camera was in the car.

At Sweet Springs, earlier in the morning, a Warbler feeding frenzy was in progress.  As I entered the preserve a young woman had stopped to watch the frenzy.  She sat down by the trail and watched Yellow-rumped and Townsend Warbler dashing back and forth in pursuit of teensy flying insects that had just hatched. The Warblers landed many times in a small bush that was right beside her.  She was truly enjoying the happening.

In the pond, hanging out with the Mallards, were two pair of Green-winged Teal, the smallest North American duck.

From the overlook, a huge flock of ducks, Green and Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Wigeon, Northern Pintail (below), Northern Shoveler, and a rare bird to Morro Bay, a duck that breeds in prairie potholes,  the Canvasback - my first view of a Canvasback on Morro Bay (yeah!).

While concentrating on the ducks, I heard a familiar sound, Brant Goose (below), not the thousands that used to winter in Morro Bay, but a flock of eight. Their primary food, eelgrass has declined 97% in the last eight years.  The Morro Bay National Estuary Assoc. has an excellent article on the decline of Eelgrass in Morro Bay. 

http://www.mbnep.org/2015/09/03/understanding-eelgrass-decline-and-evaluating-restoration-activities/

It is painful to think of the Brant, as hunting season begins - Monday, November 9, and continues for 37 days.

Bird Festival Birding

The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is an annual 4 day event to celebrate birds, birds, and more birds.  My friend Cathy arrived from Palm Spring to join in on the festivities. She was scheduled for a field trip, a workshop, and to help with the evening's reception.  Fortunately she had nothing planned for the morning.  

Our first stop - The Morro Bay Marina

Birders with binocs, scopes, and cameras were everywhere. To say the birds were cooperative is an understatement.  They must have known that this was the Bird Festival Weekend.  Immediately we saw Pintail, Lesser Scaup, 3 species of Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Shoveler, and the "pièce de résistance," a glorious Red-tailed Hawk eating a Coot under a Pine tree.  Now how often does one have the opportunity to observe a scene like that?  In the above photo Cathy and a birding photographer are focused on the Red-tailed Hawk.  It had finished its meal and was perched on a branch watching the birders.

In addition to the plethora of water birds, there was also Spotted Sandpiper, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and Ms. Black Phoebe.

In the above photo, Field Trip leader Rich Hansen awaits the arrival of his fledglings birders.  Little do the fledglings realize that they are going to have the birding experience of a lifetime.

Onward to Baywood.  At the northeastern edge of the bay we discovered Dowitcher, Dunlin (I have not seen for ages), a solitary Avocet and a flock of resting Sanderling.  The highlight of the morning occurred off the Sweet Springs overlook.  A perfect ebbing tide allowed for memorable viewing of dozens of dabblers feeding with their feathered bottoms pointeing toward the sky.  Undoubtedly our Bird Festival Birding was the best birding ever.

Pickleweed - A Yummie Treat!

First, a little information on pickleweed.  Photo of Black Phoebe - Note the pickleweed turning red.

Morro Bay Estuary - Pickleweed, is ideally suited to the estuary as it can survive periodic inundation by salt water; saltwater travels up through the pickleweed roots where it is stored in the top of the plant.  In the fall the top sections turn red and fall off, and the cycle begins anew.  Pickleweed which covers most of the estuary provides habitat for many species of animals, such as insects, crabs, a variety birds, including shore birds, song birds, wading birds, ducks and geese. 

Morro Bay Marina Boardwalk - Yesterday morning - An extreme high tide silently pushed many species of the bay birds to the edge of the pickleweed, and as a consequence making them much easier to observe from the boardwalk that I was standing on.

"Much easier to observe," is rather an understatement, for only a few feet away were eight Brant intently feeding in the pickleweed.  Usually, Brant fly if you are within 500 feet.  A boy rolled by on a scooter and the geese didn't even raise an eyebrow.  I watched them for about an hour and as the tide ebbed and hundreds of Avocets, accompanied by three Caspian Tern, moved into the shallow water, the Brant continued browsing through the pickleweed.  For me and two out of town birders this was a rare sighting.  

 Now I am faced with a question, what were they eating?  Ah, a bird related mystery that bears investigation.   Oh, oh, it's getting late, had better finish this blog and get my stocking hung on the fireplace.  Do not want to miss Santa.  Merry Holidays.

Morro Bay Marina Boardwalk - High Tide Birding

Morro Bay Calif - High tide is an excellent time to go birding from the Morro Bay Marina Boardwalk.  An incoming tide causes the shorebirds to feed in the pickleweed; the higher the tide, the closer the birds are to the boardwalk. 
 
Today observed huge flocks of Godwit, Willet; a few Long-billed Curlew (top photo); and one Whimbrel.  Here and there, Black-bellied Plover and Dowitcher.   In wetter areas several Killdeer and a solitary Spotted Sandpiper (above photo).  Farther out in the estuary were Great Blue Heron, and Great and Snowy Egret; even farther out, a flock of Avocet.

All the shorebirds birds were busy feeding until a Turkey Vulture (below photo) made a low pass, causing panic and chaos, thousands of birds took flight; the sound of the wings was music to my ears. In a few minutes the shorebirds were back feeding, their worries over for the moment.  Do believe Turkey Vultures enjoy teasing shorebirds.
 
On the inland side of the boardwalk, in the extremely dry vegetation, birds were sparse - White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow,  Bewick's Wren, a glance at a Palm Warbler, and to my delight, a Fox Sparrow - my second sighting of the year; the first was sighted on Alcatraz Island (the previous blog post). 

Before the boardwalk, there was a path along the edge of the estuary.  At high tides the path filled with water and for days afterward was totally unusable.   Now, one can leave their hip boots home and bird the estuary with ease.

BIRD FESTIVAL BIRDING

I led two walks for the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival - The Cloisters and the Marina Boardwalk.

Cloisters Pond and Park  -  Nine enthusiastic birders showed up for the stroll through the Cloisters.  We were fortunate to see 31 species.  A flock of Western Meadowlark feeding on the lawn, gave us a beautiful view of their brilliant yellow breasts.  On the shrinking pond (the drought is taking a toll) were several Northern Shoveler, many Mallards, a Northern Pintail, and Pied-billed Grebe (Pied - having patches of two or more colors).  Resting in the reeds were Black-crowned Night Heron and Great Blue Heron.  Black and Say's Phoebe made an appearance; always fun to see the flycatchers. While ambling along the paths we were serenaded by a perky California Thrasher perched atop a Bush Lupine.

 The Morro Bay Marina Boardwalk and Trail - The weather was fantastic, temperature warm, tide high, and the bay like glass.  The marina is a cozy size which makes the feeding and resting birds easy to observe.  As soon as we stepped on to the path we saw Bufflehead, Greater Scaup, Ruddy Duck, and an Eared Grebe (photo).  An active discussion ensued over the difference between the Greater and Lesser Scaup.

Identifying Greater from Lesser can be a challenge, to say the least.  "In bright sunlight and at the right angle the Greater Scaup may show green iridescence on its head and neck.  The Lesser Scaup may also show green iridescence but can also show purple, which is never seen on the Greater Scaup." (a quote from birding.about.com.)

34 species were identified.  We were all in agreement that the best sighting was a small flock of Fox Sparrow.  They are the largest sparrow, brown to reddish brown, have a dark brown speckled breast, and scratch in the leaf litter for insects.  We were on the boardwalk when we spotted several digging in the sandy leaf litter.  They are known as enthusiastic diggers.  The little darlings were digging with such intense enthusiasm that the sand was flying - a first sighting for several of the birders.  A Merlin perched on a twig in a nearby Eucalyptus was our last sighting - a great way to end a memorable morning of birding the Marina Boardwalk.

BIRDING THE MARINA AND SWEET SPRINGS

Monday morning - Only a few feet into the Marina Boardwalk, when from overhead, came a pesky squacking - a Peregrine Falcon with a small bird clutched in its deadly talons was being chased by a Red-tailed Hawk.  Then from out of the blue, came three Red-shouldered Hawks.  The falcon with its prey sped off over the bay with Hawks following.  The entire drama happened in about a minute. (note: try not to blink when birding, you might miss the action)

Due to the morning's high tide White Pelicans were fairly close. (photo by Mike Baird)  They usually hang out on Grassy Island in the middle of the bay, but during high tides they can be seen floating in the estuary channels or resting on the Pickleweed.  Directly across the channel from the Pelicans were a huge flock of Willet, Curlew, and Godwit.

Several Birders were clustered together looking intently into the brush for the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.  Do hope they were successful.  Best sighting from the Marina Boardwalk:  Lincoln Sparrow, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Yellow Warbler, and a hovering Kingfisher.

Sweet Springs never disappoints; observed a male Downy Woodpecker, the Smallest North American Woodpecker.  Its drumming sound, compared to other Woodpeckers, is quite delicate.  And from the overlook watched a flock of about 200 Brant Goose swoop in for a landing along the edge of the pickleweed.

The highlight of the week was a Red-breasted Nuthatch in my front yard.  It landed at the top of a bottle brush tree, crept down, flew over to the bird bath, took a few sips of water, flew back to the top of the tree, foraged around and flew off.  Hope the little darling makes a return visit.

BIRDING THE MIGRANTS

First stop - Turri Road Ponds - In the farthest pond from South Bay Blvd. several hundred Least and Western Sandpiper (photo) and one Spotted Sandpiper.  It is hard to imagine, that these precious little sandpipers have recently flown in from their breeding grounds in Alaska.

Back to Baywood - I was focused on the ponds this morning and neglected to check out the action from the estuary access path at the north end of 4th St.  Wonderful sighting of 4 Black-bellied Plover in their breeding finery.  Another week or so, their breeding colors will change to a soft sand color.  Also present were Long-billed Curlew, Godwit, Willet, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and numerous Semipalmated Plover who breed on mossy tundra from Alaska to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. (the Semipalmated Plover photo was taken on Morro Strand Beach)

Checked out the mouth of Morro Creek.  Nothing notable. Could hear the grating "karreck" of the Elegant Tern - a sound that is music to my ears.

On to the Marina Boardwalk - slim pickings - Black Phoebe and one White-crowned Sparrow, who looked like he wished it was spring again.

 Along the edge of the pickle weed, nearly lost in the fog, was a large flock of sandpipers, Dowitcher, Curlew,  and Godwit.  Further along, a huge flock of Brown Pelican and Egret.

On the way home stopped by Sweet Springs - 20 species - scads and scads of Chickadee, and a noisy Kingfisher - a pleasant end to a wonderful morning of birding.

  

BOARDWALK MANIA

In my last blog I said I would return to the boardwalk the next morning to experience the 6.8 tide (photo - Black Phoebe on posts). At 9:00 I was the only person on the boardwalk  As a result of this tide, the birds such as Savannah Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler, that forage in the pickleweed (now flooded),  were in the brush along the boardwalk; as a consequence they were very easy to observe.  A major treat was seeing two pair of Palm Warbler.

Now, we need to fast forward - Yesterday I introduced 4 friends, two from out of town to the cornucopia of birds that can be seen from the boardwalk and trail.  Before we had set one foot on the boardwalk we had already seen 3 species of Grebe and a Kingfisher.  Thousands of shore birds were feeding and resting in the estuary.  A large flock of Brant Goose kept us company with their constant chatter.  Cormorants and assorted shorebirds swirled overhead. 

Three perky Blue-gray Gnatcatcher entertained us and, to our amazement we had wonderful sightings of two Palm Warblers - look for the bobbing tail.  As we exited the boardwalk onto the tail that runs along the marina, there bobbing along, was my little darling, the Spotted Sandpiper. One and a half hours of birding netted us 31 species, that is without a scope.  At the end of our walk we were in total agreement that we had just experienced birding at its best.

BLACK SKIMMER

A bit it of an introduction is needed to explain how this photo came about. For a couple of months I have been working on "Part 3" of what I call a "documentary" of the building of the Morro Bay State Park Marina Sandspit Boardwalk. The boardwalk is near completion and I wanted to get a few more photos of the men and women of the Calif. Conservation Corps at work.

I had told myself that I did not need binoculars, as I was going to focus my efforts, such as they are, on photography. In the distance I could hear Elegant Terns. Rounding the point I saw, along the edge of the bay, a small flock of terns. Although distant, two of them looked like Black Skimmers. In "Sibley's Guide to Birds," he describes the Black Skimmer as "unmistakeable," definitely my kind of bird. Took a photo, zoomed in, and sure enough they were Black Skimmers. Most every year a few are seen around the bay, but they are usually seen by scope.
(Photo - Black Skimmer, to the left, Elegant Tern)

What makes the Skimmer so unique is their mandible; it is sizable and a bright orange, and the lower mandible extends past the upper mandible. They forage mainly at night, flying over shallow water with the lower mandible skimming the surface. Am I lucky or not?