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.

Birding Alcatraz

                          Alcatraz Island 1895
First, a little history - Alcatraz is a world famous island that receives 5,000 visitors every day.  In 1775 Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala named the island "La Isla Los Alcatraces" or Island of the Pelican," due to its large population of sea birds.  Seventy-five years later President Millard Fillmore reserved the island for the military; a fort was needed to protect the valuable port of San Francisco.  By the late 1850s the U. S. Army turned the fort into prison for military prisoners, citizens accused of treason, and rebellious American Indians.
                (For a larger image, click on the photo)

More changes were in store for the 22 acre island.  In 1933 the Justice Department wanted a federal prison that would house dangerous criminals, including prisoners that had escaped from other prisons.  Alcatraz the prison opened on July 1, 1934; but due to the cost of maintaining a prison on an island, Alcatraz was shut down in 1963.  Nine years later the island became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Now, lets skip ahead to 9:15 am, Oct 1, 2014, a momentous occasion - the mile and a half ferry ride to Alcatraz, also known as "The  Rock."  The weather was perfect, blue sky, no wind and warm.  The lines for the ferry were well organized.  As we waited friend Phoebe and I enjoyed watching the people.

As we disembarked onto the island an interpretive guide was offering a tour.  Noticing his binoculars I knew in a flash he was a birder.  The tour took about 45 minutes.  Our knowledgeable and friendly guide, Michael, spoke on the history, the gardens, architecture, and the birds, frequently pointing out Anna's Hummingbird which were prevalent due to numerous flowering plants, lovingly tended by volunteers.

When the tour concluded he asked for questions.  I waited till the very last to pose my question. "Where are the best places to find birds?"  He offered to show us where to find the birds of Alcatraz.  To our delight he took us down the "Puppy Stairs," which gave us a peek at the historic garden.  The story goes, the short little steps were built by a commander to accommodate the short legs of his Corgie.  (the stairs were not open to the public)

After rounding a corner we arrived at the parade ground (photo) located below California's first Lighthouse.  In this area hundreds of Western Gull nest.   Along the outer edge piles of debris and shrubbery provide safe haven for White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow and Song Sparrow.  Large clumps of ornamental shrubs provide nesting for Snowy Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron.  (the structure to the right of the lighthouse was the warden's house)

In a nearby stand of cypress we found an unexpected treat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend Warbler and a singing Fox Sparrow.  Before our guide departed he told us to check out the seldom open Agave Trail that meanders a short distance along the edge of the island (photo taken from the Agave Trail).  Our luck continued, foraging on the rocks were a pair of Black Turnstone, Surfbird, and a Black Oystercatcher.

It seems unlikely that  birds have actually benefited from man's occupation of Alcatraz Island.  When the military arrived they reshaped the island with dynamite; tons of sandstone rubble was deposited into the bay.  Over time life grew on the rocks providing habitat for numerous species.

 

 Soil was brought in for gardens; trees and shrubs took hold providing more habitat - a Raven nests in one of the tall Cypress.  Piles of broken masonry became nesting sites for Brant Cormorant and Pigeon Guillemot.  Man has made a tremendous impact on this little island, but serendipity has been part of the process, and through fortunate happenstance Alcatraz has once again become a haven for birds.

The Red Knot - Calidris Cantus

The Red Knot is a medium sized shore bird, chunky and short legged, quite similar to a Dowitcher but with a shorter bill; its winter plumage is grayish.  Dowitcher plumage is mostly light brownish.   The Knot is a tad smaller than a Dowitcher, and to confuse the identification process both birds have similar feeding strategies such as repeated, rapid probing into wet sand.

A few days ago on a drizzly, foggy morning I was standing on the edge of the pickleweed at the southern end of Morro Bay peering intently at a little gray bird probing in the sand, hoping the image in my binoculars was a Red Knot.  Of course at this time of year there is no redish color; also it would have been helpful if there had been a Dowitcher for comparison.   I was 90% certain it was a Red Knot, well maybe only 85% certain.  Even though it was foggy, fortune shined when a knowledgeable birder came upon the scene and confirmed my identification.  I was delighted with the sighting and had no idea, until I got home and began an internet search, that this sweet little bird was currently in a struggle for survival.

 From its breeding grounds in the high Arctic, the Red Knot makes a 9300 mile journey to its winter grounds in southern South America. Along the way they need to stop two or three times to refuel.  Humans actions or inaction at two of their primary stopovers are directly responsible for the rapid decline of the species.  If you would like more information on the plight of the Red Knot
go to     http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/crash-a-tale-of-two-species/why-save-the-red-knot/597/

Laguna Lake Revisited

        Laguna Lake August 19, 2013
Yesterday one of the top birders posted a list of eleven birds that he had seen at Laguna Lake.  This morning I set out to see how many of the eleven I could find.  I was aware the drought had affected the lake level, but was not prepared for the painful reality.  Laguna Lake was now a mere shadow if its former self.

         Laguna Lake September 9, 2014
The majority of the lake was dry.  The above photo was taken from the edge of the former lake.  For the moment there is a small area of water that supports a variety of water and shore birds.  From the list of eleven species I spotted seven. 

 American Avocet, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Sandpiper, and a Spotted Sandpiper fed in the muck along the edge.  About 35 White Pelican were resting on an emerging sandbar or flying directly overhead, low enough to hear the swoosh of their wings.  A large gaggle of Canada Goose were about, plus the resident Snow Goose. The morning birding left me with a troubling question.  What will happen to the birds when the water is completely gone? 

Sweet Springs Nature Preserve

 

Los Osos - 9:00 am.  Birds going about their daily business - on a twig extending out from the leaning eucalyptus, in the upper center of the photo, a Belted Kingfisher perched.  Busy in the vegetation around the pond, Song Sparrow and Ms and Mr. Common Yellowthroat; in the trees Chestnut-backed Chickadee frolicked.  The call of a Nuttall's Woodpecker came from afar.  Dabbling in the pond was the white domestic duck who thinks it is a Mallard.

Onward to the overlook.  To reach the overlook one needs to cross the bridge, continue on the path to the boardwalk, turn right and in a few moments the overlook appears; there is seating and a railing for resting binoculars.  (nothing worse than tired binoculars)

Feeding along the edge of the bay were Semipalmated Plover (could not see their toes), 2 Black-bellied Plover,  handful of Least Sandpiper, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlew, Willet, and Marbled Godwit.  In the distance a cluster of White Pelican.

I was hoping to find a Northern Waterthrush, an infrequent visitor to our area, but the little tail bobber (I added "bobber" to my computer dictionary which now makes it a real word) was a no show - matters not as I was delighted with the birds and the beauty observed. 

The Semipalmated Plover

 Cayucos Beach at Old Creek - Birding with Cathy from Palm Springs on a beautiful beach day.  Recent high tides had created a shallow lagoon, a habitat returning shore birds could not resist.  Among the Willet, Godwit and Long-billed Curlew was a small flock of Semipalmated Plover.  They are a bit plump, brown overall.  A small black-tipped orange bill and orangish legs distinguishes this sweet little Plover from other small shorebirds.  They do look similar to their relative, the Killdeer.

What fascinates me about this little Plover that nests in Alaska and Northern Canada, and sometimes travels as far south as Tierra del Fuego, are its tiny toes.  After more years of birding than I wish to share, I did not know the definition of "semipalmated."  So what did I do, I Googled it. - "Semipalmated -  having the toes joined part way down with a web"

 The Semipalmated Plover has partial webbing between all of its toes, all six of them.  (Toe image borrowed from the internet.)

 Webbed toes are uncommon among shorebirds, so why does this little Plover have webbing?  It swims.  Adults and chicks swim short distances in shallow water.  Is this the reason the Semipalmated Plover has webbing between its toes?  No one knows for certain, but it makes sense to me.

Next time I am on the beach I am sure I will spend much time looking at Semipalmated Plover toes.

Heermann's Gull - Juveniles Missing

A recent posting to a birding group reported that no juvenile Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) were being seen on the Calif. West Coast.  (photo, adult Heermann's Gull in winter plumage)  Heermann's breed in the early spring in large colonies on islands off the West Coast of Mexico.  After the breeding season they move north along the pacific coast to Southern British Columbia.  Beginning in mid-summer large flocks of the Heermann's can be found on the Morro Strand State Beach.

Yesterday I decided to check out the Heermann's flocks to see if I could find a juvenile or the next stages of development, a 1st winter or a 1st summer.  I do enjoy a challenge. 

At first I had a problem with the flocks having to relocate due to the number of people on the beach and children who enjoy chasing birds.  Finally the flocks settled down and I was able to have a prolonged look.  Normally, younger Heermann's are scattered throughout the flock  (below photo of a 1st winter or 1st summer).  I could find only six 1st winter/1st summer and no juveniles.  The above photo represents about 1/10 of one flock. 

My observations prompted the thought, "Why a lack of youngsters?"  Perhaps environmental conditions, such as warmer water temps, algal blooms, and acidification are having an adverse effect on the ocean food chain.  What ever the reason, there were fewer young Heermann's Gull than in prior years.

On to the other birds.  To my delight, there was a variety of shore birds, Semipalmated Plover (a favorite), Long-billed Curlew, Whimbrel, Caspian and Elegant Tern, and Ring-billed Gull.  Off shore were several Eared Grebe and Surf Scoter.  Most enjoyable was watching several Marbled Godwit feeding on tiny flies on the sand that had been churned up by horse hoofs. (above photo)   

If you look at the larger image of the Godwit, you will see a distant relative of the jellyfish, Velella velella, the little bluish, transparent things in the background.   They are free-floating hydrozoans that live on the surface of the open ocean.  At certain times of year the wind propels them to shore.  At the present time there are millions of Velella velella on central coast beaches.  Happy birding!