November 1st, 2012: Redwood National and State Parks

        Today was the longest birding day of our entire trip. We left the house relatively early (although rather late for birding standards), at around 8:30 AM. We drove up 101 nonstop until we reached the Redwood National and State Parks visitor's center. Since I've been to this same visitor's center the previous year, I spent all of the time spent there birding the vicinity. I walked down this boardwalk that led to a marsh, where I found Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song and Fox Sparrows, and even an immature Cooper's Hawk. There were also several grunting Virginia Rails that called from within the reeds. None were seen of course, for that is harder than trying to find a needle in a haystack. Suddenly, several flocks of Cackling Geese flew over. Some even flew rather close to the ground, which really aided with my identification.

         Once we drove out of the parking lot, we kept going up the 101. We then came across a herd of Roosevelt Elk. This mammal is one of the reasons why this national park was created. This species was once overhunted and nearly went extinct, but thanks to the National Park Service, this species thrives in this park, and was seen on several occasions while driving. This herd however was right on the side of the road, and offered fantastic views. Better views than those that I had gotten last year.

Bull Roosevelt Elk

        After several brief stops at various lookouts, we finally arrived at our first legitimate birding destination. We were no longer in Humboldt county, but in Del Norte county, the northernmost county on the California coast. We drove all the way up there to visit the Crescent City harbor. This popular fishing destination is also a good seawatching destination. Once we arrived, I immediately grabbed my scope and headed up the hill that gave a great view of the ocean and the harbor. On the way up, next to the jetty, I noticed a single Common Loon and a single Horned Grebe, both in nonbreeding plumage (which isn't surprising).

Horned Grebe
(notice the white cheek, and the blocky head.)

        We kept on trekking up the hill. This task proved to be much more strenuous and arduous, than we had anticipated. At first the terrain was rocky, with loose gravel, which offered very poor traction. Then we reached a more vegetated area, where there were ferns and other plants. That area was especially damp, and we kept on slipping. Fortunately, nobody fell, because it would have been a

30-foot drop. In this zone where the foliage thrived, we noticed a single Banana Slug, oozing its way onto a rock. It truly is an interesting animal, with its entirely yellow coloring, and long body.

Banana Slug

       Unfortunately, once we reached the top of the hill, there wasn't much to see. There was a single Red-throated Loon, but other than that there were just regular harbor birds. So that intense ordeal that we underwent turned out to be of not much use. However, this letdown was countered by my third lifer of the trip! As I'm scoping within the harbor, I noticed many Western Grebes. But among these myriad grebes, I found a Red-necked Grebe! This is a bird that I actually wasn't expecting to see during this trip. So this find really brought my spirits up!

Red-necked Grebe
(ntocie the yellow bill, the gray cheek,
and the triangular head shape.)

     In the harbor, there was also a number of Steller's Sea Lions. These pinnipeds are humongous, and  are, not surprisingly, incredibly loud. A lot of them were sunning themselves on a large wooden float, while some others were just carelessly swimming around.

Steller's Sea Lions

       We ate at this fish restaurant by the harbor, and while we satiated our ravenous appetites, we admired the numreous sea lions, loons, and grebes.

Western Grebe
(notice the yellow bill, the red eye,
and the black that covers the eye.)

      After finishing our meals, we drove through a redwood forest. These trees were absolutely immense! They towered over us like skyscrapers, except that they were more pleasant to be around, and they were actually supposed to be there. Being around these gigantic trees really made me realize how little and weak us humans are, and reinforced my eternal deference unto the natural world.

Redwood grove

      We decided to walk down the small trail, that led deeper inside the redwood forest. Along this trail we didn't notice many birds at all. I actually only tallied a total of 3 species: Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Common Ravens. Although, to be fair, we were walking down this trail at 2:00 PM, the worst time to be out birding. Birds tend to be more active at dawn and at dusk, because that is when they go out to forage, which makes them more exposed and noticeable.

     Our last stop of the day was really quite a treat, because it was there that I found our most interesting bird of the trip. We went to this place called Fern Creek Canyon. This is basically a small, yet rapid, stream, going down a rocky and sandy trail, in the middle of two tall walls covered in lush and green ferns. At first, the only interesting birds were a large flock of Pine Siskins, with over 30 individuals. But once we walked down the stream, this little gray bird zipped by my feet and landed on a log in front of me. I froze, and stared at it in awe. This little bird was an American Dipper. This is the first confirmed identification I've ever made of this bird, but it wasn't a lifer. Dippers are very interesting birds because they are the only passerines (songbirds) that are capable of swimming underwater. What these birds do is dive underwater, run along little rocks, feeding on aquatic insects and larvae. It was very entertaining to watch this bird dive underwater and pop up again. But our entertainment only increased once another individual joined the first! It was truly a sight to see: to watch two American Dippers diving in the same field of view. What made this experience even more memorable was the proximity at which we were able to admire the birds. One literally stood only 3-feet away from us! This provided some remarkable photo ops:

Juvenile American Dipper
(notice the yellow bill, and the white marks on wings:
both field marks to identify a juvenile of this species.)

     This concluded our wonderful day spent at Redwood National and State Parks. The Red-necked Grebe was definitely the best bird of the day, but the American Dipper was easily a close second. I was pretty bummed out however at the end of the day, because the next day we would leave Humboldt county and head back down to San Francisco. I wasn't even sure if was going to be to go birding again before we left. So I made sure I enjoyed this glorious day in very northern California.

October 31st, 2012: North Spit Jetty Seawatch

          After visiting the Humboldt State University campus (which was fantastic!), we drove out to the North Spit to do a seawatch. North Spit in located where Humboldt Bay ends, and the Pacific Ocean begins. This means that any seabirds that want to enter the bay will most likely pass through this opening, which was good for me. When we first arrived, we parked at the very beginning of the trail that led to North Spit Jetty. However, we didn't realize how long of a walk on the beach it was to reach the jetty. To make this lengthy amble productive, I walked along the concrete slabs that lined the bay, to be able to see the water and the birds that were visible. Sure enough, there were several Surf Scoters that were swimming close to the concrete that I was walking along, but they quickly swam away as soon as they saw me. Oddly though, there were only females and not a single male amongst them. I pondered as to why the males were missing, but couldn't find an answer. Double-crested Cormorants flew inches over the rough waters, while Brown Pelicans soared several meters high, ignoring the fact that the waters were choppy.

Brown Pelican
(notice the obnoxiously large bill, the yellow on the head,
and the large wings.)

      Suddenly, as I noticed some more female Surf Scoters, I saw a smaller looking bird, that was mostly white. I put my binoculars up, only to find my lifer Long-tailed Duck! This arctic bird gave me spectacular views as I took myriad photographs. This species nests in the high arctic, but migrates south to California to winter. There was a female that had spent the entire summer at a local birding hotspot in the Bay Area, that I visit all the time, but for some reason I could never seem to find it. So I was glad to finally find this individual!

Long-tailed Duck
(notice the white head, the black cheek,
the white back, and the gray flanks.)

      Once the bird swam off in the opposite direction, I continued to the jetty. I finally arrived and set up my scope. Many gulls flew over as I did so, mostly Mew Gulls, but there were also a couple Western Gulls that passed overhead. I scoped the horizon and found scores of scoter rafts. There were so many of these ducks at sea. Although, for a big part of them, I couldn't make a positive identification because of the distance, but I assumed that they were mostly Surf Scoters. Western Grebes were also present in large numbers. They really stood out thanks to their white necks and breast, and yellow bills. Every few minutes, several loons would fly past in the distance. Though I didn't get great looks at them, I managed to identify a lot of them by their flight style. There would be some darker loons that flew by, but that had wobbly flights. These were Pacific Loons. Then, more loons of a dark plumage passed by (a little closer to shore), but that had straightforward and direct flights. These were Common Loons. Finally, very light colored loons flew by, and also had rather wobbly flights like the Pacific Loons. These were Red-throated Loons. I learned these helpful field marks while seawatching with my good friend Logan Kahle in San Francisco. 

       Some closer Common Loons would pop out of the water and dive back down almost immediately. At the very end of the jetty, I could see a large murmuration of shorebirds, flying around aimlessly, almost as if they had choreographed the entire movement. Suddenly, a large part of the flock flew to the beach, and I instinctively turned my spotting scope in their direction. The flock was almost entirely composed of Sanderlings, with the exception of a single Dunlin that attempted to pass unnoticed, but to no avail.

Sanderlings and the sole Dunlin

        This concluded my brief stint at North Spit Jetty. The conditions were ideal for a seawatch, which is why I was a little disappointed with my results, but I had a good time nonetheless. The Long-tailed Duck was definitely the highlight of that visit, but the Surf Scoters were also fun to watch. Although I missed a couple of my target birds, I know I will return to that very same spot in the near future, and acheive my goals of finding the species I was after.

October 30th, 2012: Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary

        Since I am a senior, I have started applying to universities. Because of my passion for birds and nature, I want to pursue an environmental or wildlife major. I discovered a school in northern California that is nationally recognized for its tremendous wildlife program: Humboldt State University. Over time, it has become my first choice as a university. However, because I had read so much about it and done so much research on it, I felt that it was essential for me to visit the campus, so that I may make my own opinion. So my parents scheduled a tour of the campus, and I even got to sit in a wildlife class. Although, my campus visit only lasted about two hours, but we stayed for four days. So what is a birder to do in one of the best birding areas of California? The answer may seem surprising, but we (my parents, my sister, and I) went birding a lot.

        We left Pacifica at around 8:30 AM, and arrived in Eureka at around 3:00 PM. We checked into the hotel and settled in. After ten minutes of arriving though, I kept on nagging my parents about leaving the hotel and going to a local marsh. Finally we left, and my norcal birding began.

        Our first stop was at this local marsh called Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary. This surprisingly large preserve is composed of various ponds, fields, and salt marshes. In these different habitats, myriad bird species thrive. Once we arrived, the first birds we easily noticed were Yellow-rumped Warblers. These birds were ubiquitous no matter where we went, and especially here. The trail brought us into a riparian habitat with Pine Siskins, Song Sparrows, and Fox Sparrows. We finally reached the first pond, where we found several duck species including the universal Mallard, many American Wigeons, and a single Eurasian Wigeon, a real treat! This duck species is native to the Old World, where it is very common. However, this species yearly migrates to the states and winters here, but in low numbers, and especially in California. This individual was an adult male in breeding plumage. Suddenly, I began hearing loud honking, getting louder and louder. I looked up to find a flock of geese. At first I hesitated with my identification, but after getting a good look at their necks and bills, I confirmed my identification. These birds were Cackling Geese. This species was once just a subspecies of the Canada Goose, but recently became a separate species. These two species look almost identical, but they're nonetheless easy to identify. Cackling Geese have extremely short necks and stout bills, unlike the Canada Geese, that have longer necks and bigger bills. When this flock flew over, I got really happy, because it was my first lifer of the trip.

Flock of Cackling Geese

       We continued our walk and came across a much larger pond, with many more ducks. I decided to scope the area, to verify every species closely. The most common species was the Green-winged Teal, with easily over 200 individuals. The other ducks were obviously Mallards, American Wigeons, and a couple Cinnamon Teals. Although, there was also another Eurasian Wigeon! This is a bird that I've only previously seen once in my life, and now I had seen two within the same hour. This one however was an immature male, due to its more faded coloring.

Eurasian Wigeon
(notice the rufous head, the orangish flanks,
and the dark around the eye.)

       Suddenly, a Northern Harrier flew very low over the pond, and sent many ducks to the air. This predator frightened many of the birds in the pond, but not the non-native wigeon. We left this pond and arrived at another, encircled by tall reeds, almost like a medieval fortress. There were several openings, where we could see the birds that hid behind the reeds. The most common birds were American Coots, but there were also Pied-billed Grebes, Northern Shovelers, and a single female Greater Scaup.

American Coots
(notice the white beak, the entire black body,
and the small and red knob on their fronts.)

       When then reached the extremity of the wildlife sanctuary that gave a view of the vast Humboldt Bay. It was low tide, so there were several shorebirds foraging in the wet sand. There were mostly Willets and Marbled Godwits, but there were also some American Avocets.

Willets on top, and Marbled Godwits on bottom

     As we kept on walking, we passed by some conifers that had some more Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and some Black-capped Chickadees. Black-capped Chickadees are typically eastern birds, but their range extends westward in the north, and their range on the west descends down to Humboldt county, so this is their southernmost range.

     This basically concluded our first day in Humboldt. I visited this wildlife sanctuary last summer, so it was nice to return to this area. After getting my first lifer of the trip, I was anxious to find out what else Humboldt county kept in store for me.

My Proudest Moment in Birding!

          October 30th, 2011 (a year ago), marked the day of my greatest birding discovery. My father and I went birding at this local park called Lake Elizabeth. This park is in Fremont, in the East Bay. After all the research I had done, this park seemed like a birder's paradise. However, I was greatly disappointed once we had actually arrived. The park was full of rowdy and boisterous picnickers, that made enormous messes, and didn't even bother cleaning them up. I was just about ready to leave, but then I saw several Ruddy Ducks swimming around in the lake. These ducks gave me hope that I might perhaps find some interesting birds, despite the myriad dog-walkers and runners. As we walked down the path, we saw birds such as Double-crested Cormorants, American White Pelicans, and even an exposed Sora near some reeds! Suddenly, I looked up and noticed the tall and bare branch erupting from the trees. This bizarre branch had a little bird perched atop. I was about to call it a Say's Phoebe and move on with my day, but then I noticed that it was much lighter than a Say's Phoebe. Curious as to what it may be, I put my binoculars up. What I found made my jaw drop. I was looking at an immature male Vermilion Flycatcher! I was elated once I made this discovery. We finished walking around the lake, and headed home. Once we were at home, I posted my sighting on eBird.org. I almost immediately received a response from a local volunteer that checks to validate odd sightings of birds in the East Bay. She asked me if I was positive about my identification. I sent her the photos I took of the bird, her jaw dropped as well. Not only was it a rarity for the Bay Area, it was also Alameda County's first-ever record of this species. When I found this out, I became even more excited than I already was!

Immature male Vermilion Flycatcher
(notice the the line that goes across the eye, the whitish chest,
and the red vents.)

      The Vermilion Flycatcher is a species of tyrant-flycatcher that inhabits the southwest of the United States, and is found all the way down to South America (there are even some on the Galapagos Islands!). Though it is far from being restricted range-wise, this bird is rarely seen outside of this regular range. As all flycatchers do, this species feeds mainly on little, flying insects, and hunts by flycatching. Flycatching is when a bird is on a perch and looks around for prey. Once it has spotted its prey, it will fly off to snatch it, and return to its initial perch. This bird was doing that so frequently, that it was difficult to get decent shots of it.

       This bird has become my favorite bird, and not only because it's the first rarity I have ever found, but also because it is absolutely stunning once it reaches its adult plumage. The photo above does not do justice to the sheer beauty of this passerine. My mother took this photo while we were visiting Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, in Southern California (in its regular range).

Adult male Vermilion Flycatcher
(notice the small and pointed black bill, the black band across the eye,
the red head, chest and underbelly, and the black back.)

       I couldn't post this on the actual one-year anniversary of this amazing find, for I was visiting a university in Northern California, but I nonetheless celebrated while I was up there. Every birder loves finding rarities, and every birder dreams of finding a county first. Having done this makes me feel fulfilled and proud of myself. Now I can't wait to find my second county-first, and perhaps maybe even a state-first!

October 27th, 2012: Lake Merced early morning birding

       This morning, I woke up at 7:00 AM, to arrive at Lake Merced at around 7:25 AM. Accompanied by my mom, we searched for a Black-and-white Warbler that was sighted the previous day. I've gone after rarities in the past, and in my experience, the searches usually last an hour, and end up with me getting a brief glimpse of the bird, and with my neck aching. But today was different, because within the first two minutes of our arrival, the pied bird popped out into the open. I had seen this bird before, on my trip to Maine, but never before have I seen it in California, let alone San Francisco. Though it was easy to find the bird, it proved very difficult and tricky to photograph the bird. My mom must have taken over a hundred pictures before she finally got a decent photo of it. Although, they did end up rather nice, and even identifiable.

Black-and-white Warbler
(notice the egregious black and white streaking all over, and
the slightly down-curved beak)

Black-and-white Warbler
(notice the streaking on the flanks and the yellow feet)

      After finding and admiring this hyperactive bird, we headed down to the the Concrete Bridge to just look around. Little did we know how exciting it was going to be. We looked down into the open area of the marsh, and found a Sora feeding out in the open. This species of rail is typically shy and skittish, which makes it difficult to observe for long periods of time. However this one was different, for it let us admire it and photograph it for over fifteen minutes.

Sora
(notice the black face and bib, the yellow bill,
the vertical streaking on sides,
and the brown and streaked back) 

      Shortly after, another delightful bird made an appearance. A Wilson's Snipe flew very quickly across the open marsh, only to join another snipe! This is a bird that I've only seen once in my life, and never at this location.

     The reeds that encircled the marsh harbored Marsh Wrens, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a single Orange-crowned Warbler. A Black-crowned Night-heron landed on a branch jutting out of the water, and Song Sparrows cavorted in the bushes nearby. I don't think I've ever been to this location before and have seen such a variety of species. 

      As we walked along the actual Concrete Bridge, we came across some other species such as Chestnut-backed Chickadees, American Coots, and several Fox Sparrows.

Fox Sparrow
(notice the blotchy white patterning on the chest and belly,
and the sooty brown coloring on the head and back.)

      Another species that isn't common in San Francisco, that we encountered, was a male Great-tailed Grackle. This is an unusual bird because it isn't very common in the Bay Area outside of certain areas in the East Bay, but this species bred at this exact location this past year. There were around 6 individuals, of both sexes, that bred here. All but one left. This remaining bird put on quite a show as it stood on a branch stemming from the water and began calling. As most blackbirds do, the grackle has an interesting, almost metallic call. It also makes another call where it sounds like somebody tuning a radio: it makes a very fuzzy and static sound.

Male Great-tailed Grackle
(notice the overall large appearance,
the long bill and tail, and the shiny,
almost iridescent, feathers.)

       As we walked across the bridge, we encountered several others birders including Bob Gunderson (whom I met as I was searching for the Sage Sparrow on Mount Davidson), Dominik Mosur (a renowned birder in San Francisco that I interviewed for a movie I made on the Clapper Rail), and Calvin Lou (whom I met at Fort Mason, while looking at the Dickcissel with Logan). Dominik found something interesting and called me over. He pointed out an interesting duck. It was much smaller than the nearby Mallards, much darker, and had a blue speculum. Dominik was thinking that it was maybe a female Blue-winged Teal (a rare migrant for San Francisco), but wanted a second opinion to confirm his ID. I had recently encountered a female of the same species at Radio Road Ponds, so I had the key field marks fresh in my head. It had eye-arcs around its eyes, and had a hint of white at the base of the bill (those are the field marks used to differentiate it from a female Cinnamon Teal). At first, we identified this bird as a female Blue-winged Teal, a rare migrant to the city. However, local experts such as Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Pyle corrected us, and told us it was actually an immature male Cinnamon Teal. Not as exciting as a Blue-winged Teal, but a good bird nonetheless!

Immature male Cinnamon Teal
(notice the hint of blue of the speculum,
the eye-arcs around the eye, and the broad bill.)

      The teal basically concluded my day, which was not problem at all. There isn't anything better than finishing an already good morning of birding than with a great bird! The Black-and-white Warbler was definitely exciting and attracted many birders from all over (even Marin County!). Though I didn't get any lifers, the birds were nonetheless amazing. From the ostentatious grackle, to the salient Sora, and with the gregarious snipes, I had a wonderful morning with my mother.

October 5th, 2012: Vagrants at Fort Mason

         After school, I decided to meet my good friend Logan Kahle at Fort Mason to search for some rarities that have recently been sighted. Unfortunately, I couldn't drive myself to Fort Mason, because there were many festivals and events occurring in San Francisco, which meant much traffic, and no easy parking. So I took the Muni all the way down from my school to Fort Mason.

         As its name suggests, Fort Mason is an old fort situated on the very northern tip of San Francisco, right by Crissy Field. This location is known, in the birding community, for the myriad vagrants that it produces. This fall has been an especially productive season, with rarities such as Clay-colored Sparrows, American Redstarts, a Tennessee Warbler, a Tropical Kingbird, and many more. However, I wasn't after any of these birds (because they had all already left). I was after a small oriole species, a typically terrestrial warbler, and a colorful bird of the group cardinalidae.

         Once I had arrived, I found Logan, who was trying to reach me through the phone. We caught up, and began birding. One of the birds we were searching for was found prior to my arrival that day foraging with a White-crowned Sparrow flock. Once we located the sparrow flock, we scrutinized each individual to be sure that we didn't miss our target bird. Suddenly Logan shouted out: "There!" The Dickcissel we were after blended in perfectly with the flock. However, the bird was quite distinguishable from the other sparrows. It was relatively larger, had a more massive bill, and had yellow around its face and chest.

Dickcissel
(notice the large bill, and the yellow tones on the face.)

Dickcissel
(notice the large bill, and the yellow tones on the face.)

         This was a very exciting bird for us to find, not only because it was a lifer for me, but also because this is just the 3-4th record for San Francisco of this bird. Kudos to the finder of this rare species.

         Once the flock dispersed, we lost sight of this bird, and decided to move along. We walked across the field to a scarlet eucalyptus tree. This was the tree where two Orchard Orioles were found earlier that week. Logan had seen then them the previous day, and had gotten great looks at them. Unfortunately, these icterids were M.I.A., even though we thoroughly searched the tree. We decided to walk towards a coastal shrub habitat, where they are less frequently seen. Oddly enough though, one the birds was perched atop a shrub, allowing us to get ideal views for identification. The bird was rather small, for an oriole, and had a short, curved beak. Once it flew off, we decided to follow it, but nonchalantly, because it wouldn't have been a big deal if we couldn't relocate it. We got more views of the bird, but none as clear and as perfect as the first one. Rather than pursuing it, we let it go and searched for the final bird. We returned to the spot where we spotted the Dickcissel, but this time to search for a Palm Warbler. This passerine is a more regular bird to the city, as it is sighted annually. We saw a couple Yellow-rumped Warblers and this reassured us, for if the Palm Warbler were still around, it would have been in this flock. Luck was on our side, because soon after a small yellowish bird with a brown cap popped out of the thickets and flew into a cypress tree. At first I didn't get great views, but this individual turned out to be surprisingly cooperative and offered incomparable views. This was the perfect way to get a lifer. 

        This was a very successful day because I got 3 lifers in the span of one hour. I had been yearning for a Palm Warbler ever since I heard of the sighting this season. The Orchard Orioles were birds that I had been after for quite some time now. The Dickcissel on the other hand was hands down the best bird of the day. It was a bird that I never even considered ever seeing in the city, which makes this bird that much more special.

September 24th & 25th, 2012: Migration in my Backyard

       As most of you birders have probably realized, migration has really picked up: vagrants are appearing all over the place, and the northern breeders are flying south to their wintering grounds. Though school and homework has halted much of my birding, I nevertheless managed to experience this incredible phenomenon. This past weekend, I was looking outside with my binoculars at some House Finches and Dark-eyed Juncos, resident birds that spend all year here. White-crowned Sparrows flew into the yard to join the feeding frenzy. These were the "Nuttall's" subspecies, that are also residents, unlike the migratory "Puget" or "Gambell's" subspecies, that breed further up north. Suddenly, I noticed with my binoculars a different bird. This sparrow species is also migratory: it breeds from British Columbia up to Alaska, and winters from Washington state, down to northern Baja California. This species is the Golden-crowned Sparrow, a bird that comes to my yard every year, and in large numbers. This one was the first of the season for me, so this was a tell-tale sign that migration was really picking up in my neighborhood. Earlier that week, I had a nonbreeding Clay-colored Sparrow that socialized with the White-crowned Sparrows. This rare bird for the coast breeds in central Canada, migrates through the midwest, and goes to Mexico, where it spends its winter. This bird occurs in the Bay Area annually, but in low numbers. This year however had been a good year for them, with over two sighted in San Francisco, another sighting in San Mateo County (other than mine), and a sighting on the East Bay. Anyways, all I was saying was that the sighting of this rarity announced migration to me. The arrival of the Golden-crowned Sparrows was another sign of migration.

   

       The following day, the Golden-crowned Sparrows were in much bigger numbers, with over 20 individuals. However, in this mixed flock of sparrows and finches, I noticed a much smaller bird. It seemed smaller than a Zonotrichia, but about the same size and shape as a Melospiza. I knew immediately that this was the first arrival of a Lincoln's Sparrow in my backyard.

Lincoln's Sparrow
(notice the buffy tones overall,
and the fine streakings on the face and breast.)

       This individual winters in my backyard every year. I see him so often now that he's deserving of a name. I decided to cleverly name him Abe (after our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln).

      

       After finding my old friend, I kept on looking deep into the shrubbery hoping to find another migrant. I didn't want to spoil myself so I decided to put my binoculars down. But as I was doing so, I noticed a very light, almost rufous-colored sparrow. I put my binoculars back onto my face, and fixed myself on this sparrow. Unfortunately, this bird was hiding behind a clump of leaves on my olive tree, making it impossible to confirm identification. I had an idea of what it may have been, but there was no way of knowing for sure until it hopped into view. However, luck was on my side, and the bird flew to an open-ish perch, allowing me to get a decent view of this bird. It was a White-throated Sparrow, an eastern bird that is uncommon on the west coast, but nonetheless found each year. This was only the second time that I've seen this species in my yard. It may perhaps have been the same individual, but last year's bird arrived much later in the season. In fact, I hadn't heard of any recent reports of this bird in the Bay Area, so I called my friend Logan Kahle (another incredible Bay Area teen birder), and asked him if this bird is early. Indeed, this bird is a little early, and he said that it may be the first record for California this season. I found this to be very interesting, and extremely cool! Having California's first record of a White-throated Sparrow in my backyard is pretty awesome!

White-throated Sparrow
(notice the bold, white supercilium, with the yellow lores,
and the obvious white throat.)

      Migration is an amazing and complex phenomenon that stirs up much excitement for birders. If you haven't gone out birding, and experienced this incredible happening, it really is a shame because there is  nothing like it. Who knows, maybe you'll find some great birds right in your own backyard, like me!

September 23rd, 2012: Coyote Point and Radio Road Ponds

        Every two weeks, my mother and I volunteer at the Coyote Point museum: Curiodyssey. This museum is a miniature zoo that shows local biodiversity in its exhibits. All of the animals there are found in or around the Bay Area. Animals in this museum include American River Otters, North American Badgers, Bobcats, and many more. However, whenever I volunteer, I spend most of my time in the aviary, with all the birds. There are many species of birds in the aviary including Cattle Egrets, Band-tailed Pigeons, a Greater Roadrunner, and 3 Yellow-billed Magpies.

One of the Yellow-billed Magpies
(notice the yellow bill, the black hood, the white belly,
and the blue on the wings)

       As I was doing my walk around the museum, through their flower garden, I noticed a lot of bird activity. On the ground were several "Sooty" Fox Sparrows, that have just recently migrated south from their breeding grounds in Alaska and British Columbia. In the trees were Townsend's Warblers that have also migrated south from their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest. Both of these species were foraging alongside Dark-eyed Juncos and Chestnut-backed Chickadees respectively. A small Pacific Wren hopped onto a wooden railing, and almost immediately jumped back into the thickets. As I was leaving, a single Pacific-slope Flycatcher flew into view, a distant Nuttall's Woodpecker called, and several Yellow Warblers picked worms off of the canopy branches.

     Before heading home, I wanted to stop by Radio Road Ponds, in Redwood City. This water treatment plant is by far the best one I've ever visited for birding. It is situated right at the edge of the bay, so many different water birds appear. As we arrived, the typical birds whinnied and socialized. The American Avocets, the Long-billed Dowitchers, the Willets, and the Marbled Godwits were the most numerous of the sandpiper-like birds. However, there were also a couple Black-necked Stilts that very carefully stepped through the shallow water. There was also another sandpiper that I was after. It had been reported several days ago, but I still hoped that it had remained a little while longer. It didn't take very long for me to find this bird. It was on an open sandbar alongside a Least Sandpiper and a resting Western Gull. This bird was a Pectoral Sandpiper, a sandpiper that breeds in the high arctic and winters in South America. This bird was an overdue lifer for me, and I'm glad that I finally found one. 

Pectoral Sandpiper
(notice the coloring and streaking on the breast,
and the sudden cut to white on the belly.
Notice also the reddish color on its cheek and at the base of its bill.)

      This was definitely the highlight of my outing to Radio Road Ponds, but I did also find many other interesting birds. There were many Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teals that dabbled in the water, searching for nutritious aquatic plants. Ducks are different from other birds in that they breed during the winter. However, they migrate north to summer, and then return south to winter, like most migratory birds. Because their breeding season is nearing, these ducks are transitioning from their nonbreeding plumage to their breeding plumage. This overlap is called their "eclipse plumage".

Eclipse plumaged Green-winged Teal
(notice the rufous coloring on the head, and the green speculum.) 

Eclipse plumaged Northern Shovelers
(notice the massive bills, the greenish heads,
and the yellow eye.)

      Other duck species around were Northern Pintails, a few American Wigeons, and a single female Blue-winged Teal.

Nonbreeding Northern Pintail
(notice the blue-gray bill, the pintail,
and the streaky sides.)

Female Blue-winged Teal
(notice the blue speculum, the white double eye-arc,
and the brown eye line.)

      As we walked to the other pond, a flock of 14 Black Skimmers flew over the water in perfect formation, almost as if they had choreographed the entire thing. Black Skimmers are larids that are typically found along the east and the gulf coast. However, there is a population of these birds in southern California, and another here in the Bay Area. The flock here stays only within a restricted range in the Bay Area; Radio Road Ponds is the furthest north that I've seen them, and Shoreline at Mountain View is the furthest south. 

Black Skimmers
(notice the bicolored red and black bill,
the long black wings, and the all white underbelly and
underwings.)

      What's interesting about these birds is that their bills are shaped in a bizarre, yet very useful way. The lower mandible of this bird is longer than the upper mandible. This proves very handy when you see it feeding. It'll skim the water's surface with its lower mandible in the water, and the second the bird feels a fish in its bill, it'll snap its bill so quickly, that the fish doesn't have any chance of escaping. 

      As the skimmers were flying around, American White Pelicans sat and preened themselves on some open sandbars, alongside a lone Canada Goose.

American White Pelicans and a Canada Goose

     We arrived at the other pond, where there usually isn't much activity, but it's always good to check. And I was glad that I did check, for in the water there two Red-necked Phalaropes in nonbreeding plumage. Though these birds are typically pelagic, they can be found inland during their migration. This was by far the greatest view I've ever had of this species. I have seen Red-necked Phalaropes at Radio Road Ponds in the past, but never at such proximity.

Nonbreeding Red-necked Phalarope
(notice the black teardrop shaped marking behind the eye,
the extremely thin bill, and the streakiness on the back)

       On the long strip, separating the two ponds, was a plethora of Ring-billed Gulls. Mixed in the flock  were a couple California Gulls, and a few Western Gulls. Greater Yellowlegs sat down, soaking in the sun, while Willets quarreled right by them. 

Ring-billed Gulls

      As we were about to leave, a little Common Yellowthroat hopped around in the shrubs by the water. As I'm trying to point out the warbler to my mother, I noticed two Brown Pelicans flying over. This was the first time I had seen Brown Pelicans at this location, and it was the first time I'd seen an American White Pelican and a Brown Pelican during the same day, let alone the same location. 

Brown Pelican
(notice the long, arched wings,
and its massive bill)

      This was a pleasant way to conclude my visit to Radio Road Ponds. This day proved to be very fruitful, what with a lifer, the exceptional views of a small, pelagic bird, and the sight of a new bird for this location. I can't wait to return later in the season, when all these ducks molt into their breeding plumages, to create a rainbow of waterfowls in this urban birding oasis.

August 25th, 2012: Half Moon Bay Pelagic

        Having been working for a large portion of my summer, I realized that I had acquired enough money to pay a pelagic trip for myself. I was extremely excited when I found out that I could go, for this was going to be my first ever pelagic trip. For those of you who aren't familiar with what a "pelagic"trip" is, it is a trip out to sea to find some seafaring birds; birds that are seldom seen from shore. 

            

       I woke up at 5:00 AM, to arrive at Pillar Point Harbor at 6:30 AM. I was dropped off at the rendezvous spot, and waited with several other birders. This trip was led by Alvaro Jaramillo, a renowned birder with many pelagic experiences, with Alvaro Adventures. We embarked on our nautical journey at 7:00 AM, while birding as we left the harbor. We saw some typical coastal birds such as Black Turnstones, Elegant Terns, Heermann's Gulls, Surfbirds, and many Brown Pelicans.

Frightened flock of Elegant Terns

        Western Gulls trailed behind our boat as we tossed little pieces of popcorn to lure them closer. The goal of the popcorn was to attract the gulls, which would indirectly attract other seabirds, that would be attracted by the large flock of those gulls. However, there weren't any truly pelagic birds by the harbor, so we tried to save up on the popcorn. We began seeing Pigeon Guillemots and Common Murres as we went further from the harbor. Some of these alcids didn't fear the boat and didn't dive or take flight as we neared them, producing exceptional photo ops.

Nonbreeding Common Murre
(notice the bridled eye, the white on the face,
and the black back and wings.)

      Suddenly, Alvaro shouted: "Rhino Auklets!". We all turned around and noticed two of these alcids flying a couple hundred feet from the boat. This was my first lifer of the trip, the first of many.

Rhinoceros Auklets
(notice the orange bill, the white marks on the face,
the white belly, and slightly angled flight.)

          We then approached a large flock of Common Murres that had a couple Sooty Shearwaters mixed in. Though this species is frequently seen from shore, it was another lifer for me. My scope's aperture doesn't provide enough luminosity to clearly see birds, or a big enough view, for a broader view of the sea. This is why I haven't ever seabirded from shore. However, the view we got of this species surpassed any view from shore. This bird was about 30 feet from the boat, which was sufficient to get good, clear views.

Sooty Shearwater
(notice the entirely dark body, and the slender hooked bill)

         After about an hour and a half, the coast was no longer visible, and we were surrounded by water. This gave me a feeling of vulnerability, where if something bad happened, there wasn't anybody or anything to help us. Fortunately, the captain was very experienced; and if the unlikely eventuality of the boat sinking were to happen, the boat was equipped with life rafts and life jackets. So I didn't worry.

         Later, little dark birds started flying by the boat. These birds reminded me of swallows by their size and the way they flew. Obviously, they weren't. These were Ashy Storm-Petrels, another lifer and a common bird off the California coast. Suddenly, that small storm-petrel joined an enormous flock of other storm-petrels. This flock was absolutely gargantuan, with at least 500 birds. Ashy Storm-Petrels were the most numerous birds, however they weren't the only birds to compose this flock. There were also Black Storm-Petrels, that were similar to ASSP, but were slightly larger, and had a different flight pattern. There were also Wilson's Storm-Petrels and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels. Wilson's are regular birds off the California coast, but are usually in low numbers. There was however a surprisingly large number of these birds in the flock (around 40!). Alvaro said that it might have been the most Wilson's on record in California at once! Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels are also regular birds off of the California coast, and in higher numbers than the Wilson's. There were however only 4 individuals sighted in this flock.

Ashy Storm-Petrel
(notice the light colored carpal-bar, and long wings.)

Mixed flock of Ashy, Black and Wilson's Storm-Petrels

Wilson's Storm-Petrel
(notice the white rump)

         After we passed the massive flock of storm-petrels, we started going into deeper water, where we were expecting to find more truly pelagic birds. We soon began tossing out more of the popcorn, and more gulls appeared. There were however only Western Gulls, and no Heermann's Gulls, because they are more coastal birds that rarely go so far out at sea. However, the gulls attracted more birds such as Sooty Shearwaters, Pink-footed Shearwaters, and lifers Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmars, Buller's Shearwaters, Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers, South Polar Skuas, Sabine's Gulls, and even Laysan Albatross! Two of them! These birds came surprisingly close to the boat, which offered once again many photo ops.

Pomarine Jaeger
(notice the yellow nape, the brown band across chest,
the white belly, and the overall bulky appearance.)

Black-footed Albatross
(notice the entirely dark body, the white at the base of the bill
the long wingspan, and the dark underwings.)

Laysan Albatross
(notice the white body, the brow over the eye,
and the white on the underwings.)

South Polar Skua
(notice the entirely dark body, the white on the primaries,
and extremely bulky appearance.)

Pink-footed Shearwater
(notice the pink bill, the brown back,
and the belly and underwings (not visible in this photo) )

Buller's Shearwater
(notice the extensive white on the underside)

Juvenile Sabine's Gull
(notice the brown back, and the lack primaries)

Northern Fulmar (dark morph)
(notice its tubenose bill, and its "dirty-looking" feathers.)

Juvenile Sabine's Gull
(appears identical to an adult, but notice the small white feathers on the dark primaries.
This indicates that it's a juvenile.)

Long-tailed Jaeger
(notice the yellow nape, the white belly,
the thread-like tail, and its somewhat petite frame.)

        As we are all looking at these surprisingly close birds, Matthew Dodder (one of the spotters of the trip) shouted: "Petrel!". Because nobody was expecting to find a petrel on this trip (because they aren't found so close to the coast), everybody jumped up and asked where. I put my binoculars up to my eyes and looked at all the birds trailing behind, when suddenly I noticed a bird with long, pointed wings and a white face. This was the petrel Matthew had spotted. But it wasn't just any petrel, it was Hawaiian Petrel! A rare bird for North America, and as it turned out, a San Mateo County first! This was the most amazing find of the trip by far. Everybody had gotten great looks at the Pterodroma, and I even managed to get a shot of the bird.

Hawaiian Petrel!
(notice its Pterodroma shape (stout bill, long and pointed wings, and long tail),
and the white on its face.)

        This was an incredible find by Matthew Dodder, and everybody applauded him. This was near the end of the trip and it was the perfect way to end the trip. Before we left, Alvaro threw out a couple chum-sicles, which attracted many birds, extremely close to the boat, including a Black-footed Albatross 3 feet away!

Black-footed Albatross
(notice the massive bill, the white on the face,
and the entirely brown body.)

         As we headed back towards the harbor, we crossed several small flocks of Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, more Common Murres, and migrant Arctic and Common Terns.

        Pelagic birding is truly an experience unlike any other. It is completely different than from regular birding on land. The birds we encountered were completely different and new and fascinating. The Hawaiian Petrel certainly was the cherry on top, but the trip would have still have amazing without it. Many thanks to Alvaro Jaramillo with Alvaro Adventures, the boat captain, Matthew Dodder for finding the rarity, and all the other passengers for making the trip that much more special. I hope to participate in more pelagics in the near future, and perhaps find another county first! Or maybe if I'm lucky, an ABA first!