Birding Laguna Lake Park

Laguna Lake was full to the brim.  Unfortunately, the lake was experiencing a Blue Green Algae bloom.  Around the lake were caution signs, notifying people to avoid contact with the water.  If Blue Green Algae is ingested, it can cause unpleasant to serious health problems.  I was glad there were no birds on the lake.

Depending on conditions the bloom can last weeks or months.  I hope it is short lived and does not become seriously toxic.  I finally wrestled my thoughts away from the green water and returned to birding.  In a cozy picnic area Western Bluebirds were active.

A small flock of Bluebirds, including two juveniles were dashing about, feeding on tiny insects.  The adult Bluebirds, along with a Black Phoebe were using the border around the picnic area as a perch.

The juveniles (below) were perched on a scraggly Cypress.  I assumed they were waiting to be fed.  I was rather surprised when one of them sallied forth to snatch an insect midair.  Juveniles often appear larger than adults due to down feathers that are shed as they mature.

Other birds - Bewick's Wren, Calif towhee, Song Sparrow, Anna's Hummingbird, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Scrub Jay, Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, and a flock of Lark Sparrow feeding in the grass along busy Madonna Road.  They were finding much to eat in the freshly mowed grass.

My usual sighting of Lark Sparrow happens when I am driving on a rural road and the little darling is perched on barbed wire, and there is nowhere to park; and if I did park the bird would fly off.  The Lark Sparrow photo was taken when I was walking on an unused rural road.  I only had about a second before it flew off.

In regards to the Algae Bloom, I called San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation.  They are regularly checking on the toxicity level of the lake.  Cyanobacteria is not present.

Birding the Bluff Trail

               Buckwheat - Eriogonum parvifolium
Montaña de Oro St. Pk. -  As I walked down the Badger Trail to the Bluff Trail, Spotted Towhee were singing (below).  In the distance a California Thrasher sang.  I have to admit I have a preference for birds that perch on top of a tall bush and announce their presence by singing.

Overhead two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks soared.  In the dense brush Bewick’s Wren sang.  Feeding along the edge of the trail was a family of five California Quail, two adults and three youngsters.

 

A few days ago I saw a pair of Quail with nine chicks about the size of walnuts.  California Quail lay 12 - 16 eggs.  The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground beneath a shrub.  It is amazing considering all the predators in the park, such as snake, raccoon, weasel, bobcat, and coyote that any Quail chick survives.

On the rocks South of Quarry Cove, Black Turnstone and Surf Bird (above).  A rather large appearing male American Kestrel was perched atop Grotto Rock.  They mostly eat insects and grasshoppers, but will eat small mammals and birds.  Unfortunately, within the sight line of the Kestrel was a pair of Oystercatcher with their two small chicks.

Sara, Gary, and I have been following the progress of the two hatchlings.  When the chicks are small one parent is always close.  The other parent is either nearby resting or off foraging.  On Monday the 12th, there were three black dots on the shale, a parent with the two chicks.  (center of foggy photo - click to enlarge image)

Tiny chicks are vulnerable to predators.  They can easily be snatched by Gulls or Raptors, of which there are many flying over the bluffs.  The chicks, especially when they are located close to a splash zone, can be swept away by a rogue wave.

On the 15th the chicks were missing.  In the last few days neither chicks nor parents have been seen.  So far this year at Montaña de Oro only one nestling has lived long enough to fledge.  I certainly hope that next year the Montaña de Oro Oystercatchers have better luck. 

     One of the parents.

Gary O'neill Photos - Quail, Surfbird, Black Oystercatcher with chicks, parent Oystercatcher

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.

Nesting Pigeon Guillemot of Montaña de Oro

Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus Columba) begin appearing along the rocky coast of Montaña de Oro State Park in mid-March.  The season of breeding/nesting had begun.  The numerous cracks, crevices, and holes in the cliffs and rock formations offer to this plump sea bird, with the startling red legs, a variety of cozy nesting sites.  (red arrow points to a possible nest site)

The breeding range for the Guillemot is vast, from the North Pacific waters to Alaska and along the Pacific Coast through California.  In winter California Guillemots migrate north to the inland marine waters of Washington.

Pigeon Guillemots belong to the Auk family - related to Murrelet, Auklet, and Puffin.

From my observations at MdO I have come to the conclusion that it takes quite a bit of time for Guillemots to sort out their relationships.  Occasionally, I have seen them come ashore where they do bill touching, chasing, and posturing.   On one occasion I observed a pair mating.  If I had blinked I would have missed it.  Much of the mating ritual occurs in the water with much bill touching, and dashing about under the water.  Guillemots are quite vocal, their high pitched whistles are prevalent during courtship.

Guillemots are monogamists.  Notice how they are in pairs.

Both parents incubate and feed the young.  Hatching takes 33 - 38 days.  Nestlings are fed small fish and marine invertebrates.

There has been much coming and going into this crevice, noted by the red arrow.  The actual nest is difficult to see.  I am hopeful there is, or will be, an egg or two to hatch.  They are the only Auk that will lay two eggs.

Four to six weeks after hatching young will leave the nest by scrambling and fluttering down to the water.  After leaving the nest they are completely independent.  This transition between dependence and independence often happens at night.  They can dive and swim, but it will take two to three weeks before they are strong enough to fly.

The Pigeon Guillemot scales rock faces and cliffs by flapping its wings combined with the use of  sharp claws on its webbed feet.  

“Both sexes are alike in appearance, except for the Californian birds - females were found to have larger bills than males.” (a quote from Wikipedia)  I have spent quite a bit of time comparing Guillemot bills and see no difference between male and female.

The best place to observe Pigeon Guillemots is on the rocks and cliffs of the small cove below the last overlook on the Bluff Trail.  In the many years of observing Guillemots at MdO I have yet to see a juvenile, but remain hopeful of a sighting in the near future.

Rural Road Birding

Toro Creek Road - The morning was beautiful! We were barely off Hwy One when we began to see flycatchers. Farms on both sides of the narrow road, cattle and horses peacefully grazing in the fields, clusters of huge rocks, tall Eucalyptus and dense Monterey Cypress (below photo) - plenty of habitat for birds to nest and feed.

As we stepped from the car we saw Cassin’s Kingbird perched on barbed wire fencing.  Within a few moments we had identified a Female Hooded Oriole, Say’s Phoebe, Meadowlark, Western Bluebird (photo), Red-winged Blackbird, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. 

Toro Creek Road has a rich history.  In the year 1857 the Reverend Alden Bradford Spooner, one of the early settlers and the first Protestant Minister in San Luis Obispo, began farming 150 acres of government land about three miles up Toro Creek.  In the good old days, the 20 mile trip into San Luis Obispo, which Spooner made frequently, required an overnight, usually spent at a friend's or relative's house.

Santa Rita Road - The road passes over Santa Rita Creek which feeds into Whale Rock Reservoir, located in the hills above Cayucos.  The area where the road passes over the creek (photo) was our destination.  Not much of the creek can be seen, as surrounding vegetation, such as willow, Sycamore,  Coast Live Oak, Blue Berry Elder, Nettles, and Poison Oak make identification rather challenging, but we persevered. 

Due to the presence of mature oaks, we saw Nuttle's and Downy Woodpecker.  Spotted Towhee was highly visible. (below) I do like birds that are not shy about showing off their beauty.

Heard but not seen, except for a fleeting glimpse, Warbling Vireo, Wilson's Warbler, Pacific Flycatcher, and my recent favorite, the Ash-throated Flycatcher. (below)

I have used this photo several times as it is the only presentable photo I have of this beauty.  This Ash-throated could be related to the one we heard singing, as the photo was taken about a mile from Santa Rita Creek.  We did have a little excitement when a brightly colored American Kestrel took off after a Red-tailed Hawk.  The much smaller Kestrel dove on the Hawk, managing to make contact a few times.  Yeah, for the little guy! 

I do like birding rural roads.  It's as if the birds are waiting for you to come by.  And there is wire fencing and the occasional post to perch on, and there are the creeks where a variety of birds can bath, nest and find insects to feed their nestlings.  

Coachella Valley - Birds, Wildflowers & Other Delights

Spring had sprung - The desert was calling - Winter birds had taken off to their nesting grounds, and it was time for me to take off for an adventure into the California desert where I could see blooming wildflowers, interesting birds, awesome vistas, and spend time with a friend.

  The rugged, snow capped peak is Mt. San Jacinto at 10,833 ft.
  
A visit to Cathy, my friend in the Coachella Valley, was long overdue.  Cathy loves the desert and is familiar with all the special places that have wildflowers, birds, and beautiful vistas;  she is within a half hour to forty minutes from the Santa Rosa - San Jacinto National Monument, the Big Morongo Preserve, and the Coachella Valley Preserve, which is known for it dense groves of the only native Palm in California, Washingtonia filifera.  Palm sprouts may be seen in left foreground of photo.

Coachella Valley Preserve - The California Palm, also known as petticoat palm, has dense fronds that form a “skirt.”  The fronds hang down to the ground creating habitat for many species of birds, and reptiles.  The San Andreas fault which runs through the Coachella Valley supplies the water necessary for the California Palms to thrive.  A delightful boardwalk meanders through a grove; as you can see in the photo, the skirts overhanging the boardwalk have been trimmed, creating skirt or petticoat tunnels.  It is not everyday one can stroll through, and I do mean through, California native palms.

The open desert presented us with an abundance of blooming shrubs and wildflowers; we marveled at the beauty of Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), one of my favorite desert plants. To say Brittlebush was prolific is an understatement, miles and miles of desert were covered with this brilliant blooming beauty.

As we walked along the little gully, still wet from recent rain, we spotted a White-winged Dove.  It’s feathers looked like grey velvet.  The White-winged Dove overwinters in Mexico and Central America and comes to our southwestern states to breed.  Unfortunately they are infrequent visitors to the Central Coast. 

Shortly after our Dove sighting we noticed Verdin activity in a thorny Palo Verde Tree.  Verdin are tiny, the same size as Bushtits.  Sitting on a shaded log we watched the little darlings methodically build their breeding nest. 

The female was inside lining the nest while the male was gathering materials.  The opening will be toward the prevailing winds, to bring in cooling air as the weather gets hotter.  Actually, they have two nests.  The winter nest is much thicker for warmth.

Big Morongo Preserve - At the feeding station (above) we saw numerous birds, including a pair of Vermilion Flycatcher and a brilliantly colored Hooded Oriole.  We had a spectacular sighting from an overlook in the riparian section of the preserve.  Thanks to two birder/photographers who readily shared identification, we found we were looking at a small flock of endangered Least Bell’s Vireo.    Their musical chatter was delightful.  

They are officially listed as endangered, primarily due to loss of riparian habitat and cowbird brood parasitism.  Cowbirds lay eggs in various songbird nests.  When the eggs hatch, the hatchlings kill the other chicks. Big Morongo Preserve is one of the few places where Least Bell’s Vireo nests.  I hope there are no Cowbirds in the Big Morongo Preserve.

Santa Rosa-San Jacinto National Monument - An interpretative trail winds its way through a plethora of blooming plants and shrubs.  Oh my gosh, it was a wildflower paradise.  The red flowering shrub is Chuparosa (Justicia californica), a favorite of Costa's Hummingbird.

 A pair of Phainopepla were active in the Mesquite and Palo Verde trees.  The female has a smaller crest, is gray in color; both male and female have red eyes.  To our delight a pair of Verdin were nest building only a few feet above us. After two visits to the Santa Rosa Nat. Mon., I was hoping for a third, but ran out of time. 

A great thank you is due to Cathy and Mother and Father Nature for the most fabulous desert adventure I have ever experienced. 
 

Birding Between Rain Storms

    Coreopsis at the entrance to Sweet Springs Preserve

Sweet Springs - The break in the clouds was brief.  The shower began just as I was entering the preserve.  My rain jacked has been getting a lot of use lately.  The pond was very quiet.  The only ducks were a male and female Mallard that appeared to be chasing one another with much splashing.  They both disappeared under the water.  I was clueless at that moment as to what was going on.  The male began to appear; underneath him the female.  He was clutching her head.  I thought, "Oh my gosh, he's going to drown her."  She survived.  This was my first experience observing the brief mating process of Mallards, if I had blinked, I would have missed the event.   

There were the usual birds with two exceptions -  The usual were - Bushtit, Song Sparrow, Junco, California Towhee, California Quail, Common Yellowthroat; Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Northern Flicker were busy drumming - Exception one, watching a Merlin (Falco columbarius) fly on to a perch in a tall deceased tree across from the pond. (below).   Exception two, listening to the song of a Purple Finch.  Purple Finch often hang out at the tip top of high trees and can be difficult to see.

Montaña de Oro - Spooners Cove and Bluff Trail -  My favorite sighting - 2 beautiful Peahens delicately nibbling on green vegetation growing in Spooner's Cove.  They paid no attention to my presence.  The Peahens arrived about two years ago.  I have a question.  How have they avoided being eaten by one of Montaña de Oro's many hungry predators?

The Peregrine appear to be in the nesting mode.  They have been seen mating, and the male is bringing her food.  The female spends much of her time perched on the point or close to the nest opening (below photo).  On the formation below were Brandt's and Pelagic Cormorant and three Oystercatcher.

Pelagic Cormorants are beginning to transition into their breeding plumage.  On some of the Pelagic their white flank patches can be seen.  This group of Pelagic Cormorants are located a short distance north of Corallina Cove.  They may nest on Morro Rock or on a Sea Stack near Morro Rock. 

Song birds along the Bluff Trail were also in the mating mode.  Much singing and chasing through the brush.  Spring is definitely in the air.  Meanwhile the rain ☔️ ☔️ continues.