September through December Bird Count

I definitely started off the year pretty gung-ho about birding and listing and what-not. As the year progressed, though, and particularly as I met a variety of different "bird people" in California, I began to tire of the listing idea. For one, I'm not a fan of actual BIG YEARs as I mentioned previously. The idea of jumping on a plane at the drop of a hat to check a species off a list is incredibly unappetizing: it does nothing to benefit the environment and there is no appreciation of the actual awesomeness that is that bird that you went to all the effort to go see in the first place. Midway through the year, I kind of wanted to distance myself from this kind of birding, so I got pretty lax about the listing.

During a hike through Point Reyes (on October 28), however, the very first bird I saw was a juvenile ferruginous hawk, sitting in a field. It was awesome! And I instinctively got out my notebook and wrote it down. Then I proceeded to follow this hawk for nearly a half-hour as it hunted in the fields surrounding the trail. And that was an experience I'll never forget.

Birds are more than just a list of species on a page to me. That list serves a purpose beyond keeping a tally. I can now look back at my list of birds from that hike and remember the awesome experience of following a Ferruginous Hawk, watching a Great Blue Heron intently hunting in the water, or stumbling onto 125 American Coots floating on the lagoon. The list is just some words on a page, but it is representative of something greater: an series of unforgettable experiences, a journal of my discoveries.

And the list serves an important scientific purpose too. In fact, half of my internship, hawk watching, was essentially standing on a hill and creating a list. That list serves to inform biologists about the population trends of nineteen significant species.

I will probably not keep a year list in 2014. I may keep track of raptors or warblers or some of my other favorite bird families. However, I will continue to keep track of my observations and make lists of what I see. Those will forever serve me as both scientific records as well as a record of personal and memorable experiences.

09/03/13
164. Western Tanager (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill
165. Lesser Goldfinch: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

09/04/13
166. Vaux's Swift (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill
167. Broad-winged Hawk: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill
168. Sharp-shinned Hawk: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill (And then I proceeded to band ~20 over the course of the migration season).

169. Band-tailed Pigeon: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

09/11/13
170. Bewick's Wren (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

171. White-throated Swift: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

09/18/13
172. Rock Wren (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

09/30/13
173. Say's Phoebe (L): San Francisco, CA: San Bruno Mountain

10/01/13
174. Long-billed Curlew (L): Lagoon off of Highway 1, CA

175. American Avocet (L): Lagoon off of Highway 1, CA

10/13/13
176. American Wigeon: Los Gallenas Nature Preserve, CA
177. Eurasian Wigeon (L): Los Gallenas Nature Preserve, CA
178. Cinnamon Teal: Los Gallenas Nature Preserve, CA
179. Northern Pintail: Los Gallenas Nature Preserve, CA

10/18/13
180. Purple Martin: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

10/19/13
181. Golden-crowned Sparrow (L): Marin Headlands, POAK Blind

10/23/13
182. Bonaparte's Gull (L): Marin Headlands, CA: the lagoon
183. Wilson's Snipe: Marin Headlands, CA: the lagoon

184. Semipalmated Plover (L): Marin Headlands, CA: the lagoon

10/28/13
185. Ferruginous Hawk (L): Point Reyes, CA: Trail to Abbott's Lagoon
186. Ruddy Duck: Point Reyes, CA: Abbott's Lagoon
187. Eared Grebe (L): Point Reyes, CA: Abbott's Lagoon

10/30/13
188. Orange-crowned Warbler (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Bottoms Drive Front Yard

11/04/13
189. Savannah Sparrow: Point Reyes, CA: Trail to Tomales Point
190. Snow Goose: Point Reyes, CA: Flying overhead on trail to Tomales Point

11/06/13
191. Rough-legged Hawk: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill
192. Western Meadowlark (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

11/09/13
193. Horned Lark (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill
194. Varied Thrush: Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

11/12/13
195. Wrentit (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

(photo: Anna Stunkel)

11/13/13
196. Bushtit (L): Marin Headlands, CA: Hawk Hill

11/18/13
197. Mute Swan: Los Gallenas Nature Preserve, CA

198. Blue-footed Booby (L): Pacific Ocean, Mile Marker 10.2 on Highway 1

12/21/13
199. Laughing Gull: Naples, FL: Barefoot Beach



12/22/13
Our first birding trip to Corkscrew Swamp outside of Naples, FL, provided me with a nice final boost to my year bird list:
200. Wood Stork
201. Red-bellied Woodpecker
202. White Ibis

(photo: Mike Pirtle)

203. Gray Catbird

(photo: Mike Pirtle)

204. Tree Swallow
205. Great-creasted Flycatcher (L)
206. Anhinga

(photo: Mike Pirtle)

207. Little Blue Heron
208. Yellow-crowned Night Heron (L)

(photo: Mike Pirtle)

209. Limpkin (L)
210. Black Vulture (L)
211. Tricolored Heron

12/27/13
And our second birding trip to Corkscrew (see previous blog entry) provided me with my final bird of the year!
212. Palm Warbler

Corkscrew Swamp: Family Birding

7:11AM: Departing Longshore Lake neighborhood, Dad spotted two rabbits on someone’s front lawn. He correctly identified them as rabbits, and was quite proud.

7:15AM: Grandpa makes a pun about bats.

7:19AM: Dad spots an anhinga on a pipe and attempts to pronounce the bird’s species.

7:22AM: Dad correctly identifies a pelican on a billboard.

7:30AM: We inquire about why our desitnation is called “Corkscrew Swamp.” Katy uses her smarty-phone to discover that it is because the swamp is a part of the “Corkscrew Watershed.” Very helpful.

7:43AM: Arrive at Corkscrew Swamp. Greeted by a large group of common grackles.

Ready to go see some birds (photo: Mike Pirtle)

8:01AM: After walking the Corkscrew Swamp boardwalk for nearly fifteen minutes without seeing a single bird, Katy spots a great egret. Dad still believes this bird is called a great “in grit.”

Great egret (photo: Mike Pirtle)

8:04AM: We spot a yellow-crowned night heron, sitting contentedly on a branch above the water.

8:11AM: Between the four of us, we finally figure out how to get Grandpa’s spotting scope assembled and pointed at the night heron. We are able to get a great look at this bird, funny-feathered crown, expressive red eye, and all. Katy perfects the art of digi-scoping in one try.

Yellow-crowned night heron (photo: Katy Pirtle)

8:17AM: Dad identifies another egret flying overhead. When asked what it was, he says it was “the white one.”

8:18AM: Apparently this perch is quite desirable, because a second yellow-crowned night heron flies in and after a brief scuffle, displaces the one we were watching.

8:25AM: Further down the boardwalk, we see a white ibis, contentedly grazing in the water, close enough that we could touch it.

White ibis (photo: Mike Pirtle)

8:27AM: Just beyond the ibis, we see three female anhingas perched above one another on a branch. There are also three males scattered throughout the trees in this area. The only think more awkward than watching these birds try to get up out of the water and onto a branch is listening to my dad try and pronounce the word “anhinga.”

Two female anhingas (photo: Mike Pirtle)

8:28AM: Katy swears she saw a water snake.

8:29AM: A red-shouldered hawk (the Florida subspecies of course!) bursts noisily through the vegetation with something long and skinny in its talons. Was it a snake or a stick?

8:30AM: Katy notices two vultures perched in a distant tree. One has a red head, clearly a turkey vulture, and the other has a dark head. I am unsure whether this second vulture is a black vulture or a juvenile turkey vulture. After a brief consultation with David Sibley about the shape of vulture heads, I decided that it is indeed a black vulture!

Turkey vulture and black vulture (photo: Katy Pirtle)

8:37AM: Katy identifies an alligator. Grandpa confirms that it is not actually an alligator, but a stump, or as identified by him, a “stumpigator.”

8:50AM: After nearly 25 minutes in the same spot, Dad reminds us that we should probably move on, since we have a flight to catch at 6.

8:52AM: Just past the anhingas, we see a little blue heron. It is intently staring into the water, carefully taking steps so as not to disturb whatever it is that it’s watching, much the same way we act when watching a bird. After a couple minutes, it strikes, pulling a small fish out of the water. Yum.

Little blue heron (photo: Mike Pirtle)

8:56AM: Katy notices a pretty flower.

9:05AM: Dad notices some leaves with a lot of white splotches on them. He wonders why the birds seem to be leaving droppings on these few particular leaves and we postulate that there is a nest above them. Shortly thereafter, we notice an anhinga perched over a similarly whitewashed leaf. Grandpa postulates that this anhinga has an upset stomach.

9:06AM: Our second little blue heron sighting, this one with a giant crayfish in its beak. We watch as it picks it up, puts it down, picks it up a different way, and tries to figure out how its going to consume its prize catch.

Little blue heron with a crayfish (photo: Mike Pirtle)

9:14AM: At Lettuce Lakes, we see a juvenile white ibis, beginning to molt into its adult plumage.

9:17AM: Dad notices another great egret (“ingrit”) in flight, calling as it flies over our heads. With each call, the bird extends its neck all the way out.

9:21AM: Our first mammal sighting! A raccoon balances along the handrail of the boardwalk, before jumping into the water in search of anything edible.

Raccoon (photo: Katy Pirtle)

9:22AM: Am I hearing sandhill cranes or am I going crazy?!

9:39AM: Another mysterious sound continues to elude me, a soft, whining. After much searching, I discover the culprit – a squirrel! I’ve never heard a squirrel sound anything like this – this is a weird place.

Squirrel (photo: Mike Pirtle)

9:45AM: Grandpa spots a stump that looks like a partridge. It is not in a pear tree.

9:52AM: Five white ibis, three adults and two juveniles, all grazing together!

9:54AM: We see another (or the same?) red-shouldered hawk perched in a tree, making loud screeching calls. We watch as it grabs a branch and proceeds to pull it right off the tree. Then it takes off and perches in a nest in a nearby tree. Why are red-shouldered hawks building (or maintaining?) a nest? Seems a little early.

The underside view of a FL subspecies red-shouldered hawk (photo: Mike Pirtle)

9:59AM: We notice a second red-shouldered hawk doing the same thing – it grabs a stick, flies to a nearby branch, and then just chills for awhile before dropping the stick, which falls all the way to the ground below. We imagine this hawk’s mate being quite disappointed as it comes home with no stick.

Red-shouldered hawk with a stick (photo: Mike Pirtle)

10:10AM: The number of tourists on the boardwalk are increasing steadily. Our choice to go birding as early as the swamp was opened was clearly a wise decision.

10:16AM: Dad notices a mysterious, small bird in a dead tree. I can tell it is a warbler and take careful note of its fieldmarks: yellow eye-stripe, subtle streaking on the chest, bright yellow undertail coverts, with black and white rectrices. A quick flip through Sibley yields no suitable results for me.

Lookin' at a warbler (photo: Mike Pirtle)

10:25AM: Back at the visitor center, I peek into a Peterson Warbler field guide at the gift shop and, thanks to the unique undertail coverts and rectrices, identify our mystery warbler as a palm warbler! Our last bird of the day and, quite possibly, the last new species I will add to my 2013 bird list.

11:04AM: Driving back into Longshore Lake neighborhood, we see some Muscovy ducks on the lake. Grandpa articulates what we’re all thinking: “they’re ugly as sin!”

August Bird Count

The bird count is becoming tricky, mostly because I am getting lazy and forgetting to keep good records of new bird species spotted. Turns out, I'm not the biggest fan of this whole "keeping a list" thing. For me, my avian encounters are less about all the different species I'm seeing and more about having meaningful, memorable, educational encounters. Nonetheless, I did make a commitment to myself to keep this up for a full year, so here are the new additions for August.

8/7/13- Los Gallenas Nature Preserve
Long-time GGRO ally Steve took the interns on a birding trip to the Los Gallenas ponds about 20 minutes north of Sausalito. Our focus was on raptors (we specifically saw turkey vultures, cooper's hawks, and osprey) and using not just field marks, but behavior to make correct identifications. We saw more than just raptors though, including:
144. Black Phoebe (L)
145. Rough-winged Swallow
146. Cliff Swallow
147. American Coot (L)
148. Black-crowned Night Heron (L)

This is a juvenile hiding behind some grasses. The juvenile night heron's look quite different from their adult counterparts.

8/10/13-
During a lazy Saturday afternoon, I headed up to Hawk Hill, as it was one of those rare days where there isn't fog. The same Steve was up there and he helped further my education in identifying raptors based on behavior. While on the hill, we also noticed the first of two exciting migratory birds, including what Steve deemed the first migrating raptor of the season, a female American kestrel (which I surprisingly identified correctly).
149. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (L)
150. American Kestrel

And then, of course, here's the beautiful and, I'll admit it, kind of cute kestrel we banded a couple days later.

8/14/13-
Since getting our quick glimpse of a prairie falcon at Slacker Blind, two prairie falcons have been banded and two more spotted by the hawkwatch team.
151. Prairie Falcon (L)

8/16/13-
To celebrate our final Friday before migration season, Lynn, Anna, and I joined Bob, another long-time GGRO hawkwatch volunteer for a birding trip in Davis, CA, a hot-spot for Swainson's Hawks. We saw 26 of them over the course of the day, as well as a host of other awesome birds, including:
152. White-faced Ibis (L)
153. Swainson's Hawk (L)

(Photo credit: Anna Stunkel)

154. Barn Owl (L)
155. Brewer's Blackbird
156. Cattle Egret

(Photo credit: Anna Stunkel)

157. Western Kingbird (L)
158. Killdeer
159. Loggerhead Shrike
160. Burrowing Owl (L)

I was pretty excited to add not one, but TWO owl species to my life list during this trip.

Both of these owls were perched on a fence on either side of a gravel road. We stopped and enjoyed them in all of their awesomeness for a good ten to fifteen minutes. I could've stayed all day.

8/20/13-
My first official day on Hawkwatch got fogged out. As we waited in vain for the fog to clear, we birded at the annex, a lower point on the hill and I was occupied by watching a group of Western bluebirds.
161. Western Bluebird
I've seen these birds in huge flocks in wetlands on the side of the road while driving to and from the city, but had been unable to identify the until we stopped and stared for awhile.
162. Black-necked Stilt (L)

8/29/13
Migratory birds have begun to appear in the Marin Headlands, many of which hang out in Rodeo Lagoon, just outside of the GGRO office.
163. Red-necked Phalarope

June & July Bird Count

I didn't see a ton of birds during my travels in June, but since my arrival in California, I've been introduced to so many new species, and even families, of birds. In fact, if I didn't have experienced California-bird-identifyers with me for many of these excursions, I probably would not have been able to identify half of the birds on this list.

6/2/13
101. Least Flycatcher: Finland, MN, section 13 on the Superior Hiking Trail
102. Black-and-white Warbler: Finland, MN, section 13 on the Superior Hiking Trail

6/5/13: I was lucky enough to be around for one morning of Wolf Ridge MAPS bird banding, and the birds that showed up did not disappoint. In addition to the birds listed, I got to see a robin in the hand, which was pretty interesting.
103. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: Wolf Ridge, MAPS Bird Banding Station
104. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: Wolf Ridge, MAPS Bird Banding Station

105. Veery: Wolf Ridge, MAPS Bird Banding Station

6/8/13

106. Double-creasted Cormorant: Isle Royale National Park, Windigo Harbor

6/10/13

107. Cedar Waxwing: Isle Royale National Park, Washington Creek Campsite

Photo credit: Sara Sloan

6/13/13

108. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: All over the Oklahoma and Texas interstates

6/28/13

109. Black-throated Sparrow (L): Arches National Park, UT, Devil's Garden Trail

7/2/13

110. Steller's Jay: Camp Aranu'tiq, CA

111. Black-throated Gray Warbler (L): Camp Aranu'tiq, CA

7/6/13

112. Yellow-billed Magpie (L): Middle of CA, perched on a fence on the side of the road

113. California Quail (L): Middle of CA, side of the road

And also tons of these guys hang out in my backyard.

7/7/13

114. Acorn Woodpecker (L): Pinnacles National Park, CA, side of the road (What a funny looking bird! Wish I'd gotten a photo...)

115. Western Scrub Jay: Pinnacles National Park, CA, Condor Gulch Trail

This little scrub jay was probably only a month or two old...

116. California Condor (L): Pinnacles National Park, CA, Condor Gulch Trail (So...this is a pretty awesome sighting and unfortunately, it was really far away and I got no photo. California condors are kind of a big deal, both in the raptor world and the conservation world. I'll be going on more condor searching adventures during my time west, and probably writing more about these awesome birds in future posts).

7/8/13

117. California Towhee (L): Marin Headlands, Bottoms Road house backyard

7/9/13

118. American White Pelican: Mill Valley, CA, wetlands

7/10/13

The GGRO interns went on a quick birding outing to Point Bonita Lighthouse, not far from our house. This was my first real introduction to how many different types of birds there are out here.

119. White-crowned Sparrow: Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse parking lot

120. Common Murre (L): Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, swimming on the water

121. Pigeon Guillemot (L): Marin Headlands, Pont Bonita Lighthouse, swimming on the water (my new favorite bird!)

122. Brant's Cormorant (L): Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, perched on a rock in the water (the following week, I got a very close-up look at a Brant's cormorant nesting colony on Alcatraz, which is where these photos are from).

123. Western Grebe (L): Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, swimming on the water (there were at least 100 of them swimming on the water together)

124. Spotted Towhee: Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, parking lot

125. California Gull: Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, all over

7/15/13

126. Long-billed Dowitcher (L): Burlingame, CA, wetlands outside of Bayshore Hotel

127. Short-billed Dowitcher (L): Burlingame, CA, wetlands outside of Bayshore Hotel (These two species are pretty difficult to differentiate, and often hang out in flocks together. I'm pretty sure I identified both species in the flock on these wetlands).

7/17/13

128. Rufous Hummingbird OR Allen's Hummingbird (L): San Francisco, CA, the Presidio (like the dowitcher, these two species are almost impossible to differentiate unless looking at a couple of specific feathers on the male).

129. Red-shouldered Hawk: San Francisco, CA, the Presidio (this was fun, because we had just learned how to ID this species earlier in the day)

130. Anna's Hummingbird (L): San Francisco, CA, the Presidio

131. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (L): San Francisco, CA, the Presidio

132. Hutton's Vireo (L): San Francisco, CA, the Presidio

7/18/13

133. Brown Pelican: Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, flying together in a flock

134. Surf Scoter (L): Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, on the water

135. Pelagic Cormorant (L): Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, on the rocks (Pretty cool to see a nest of these guys, balanced precariously on the rocks with fledglings cautiously wandering around).

7/24/13

We got a chance to visit Alcatraz with a GGRO extern who is currently doing breeding waterbird surveys. She took us around the island to point out all the nesting colonies (see the Brant's cormorant pictures above) and also into some of the places the general public isn't allowed to go, like the old hospital wing and psych ward. Pretty cool trip.

136. Amazon Parrot (L): San Francisco, Fort Mason parking lot (Apparently, there's a flock of Amazon parrots that just wander around the city).

137. Western Gull: San Francisco, Alcatraz, all over

Gull fledglings are ugly, awkward, and altogether wonderful.

138. Snowy Egret: San Francisco, Alcatraz, all over

7/27/13

139. Great Egret: Suisun, Grizzly Adams Road, CA, all over

140. Gadwall: Suisun, Grizzly Adams Road, CA, on the water (and being banded!)

141. Northern Harrier: Suisun, Grizzly Adams Road, CA, hunting in the fields

142. White-tailed kite: Suisun, Grizzly Adams Road, CA, hunting in the fields (A beautiful California raptor that I'm looking forward to seeing more of during the hawk counts).

143. Common Gallinule: Suisun, Grizzly Adams Road, CA, wandering around in the reeds