Towheeblog

Sunday, January 30, a small group of intrepid birders braved the forecast for rainstorm and showed up for a birding trip along Tomales Bay.  We never did find the purported King Eider near Marshall, but we saw plenty of other fine birds and the rain was gone before 10AM.  Complete checklists below.  Highlights included a Mockingbird near Marshall and a Peregrine overhead as we ate lunch there.  Three White-winged Scoters off Cypress Point.  A small pond in Pt Reyes Station that sheltered at least eight Wood Ducks, a bright male Allen’s Hummingbird at Millerton Point (a very recent returnee) and lots of loon and duck action. Also at Millerton: Townsend’s and Orange-crowned Warbler plus vocalizing Nuttall’s Woodpecker in the eucalyptus trees.

Herewith some pics:

Young Night-heron in willows over the Wood Duck pond.

Band-tailed Pigeons festoon peak of a Monterey cypress.

Common Loon in common winter plumage.  We found one Red-throated Loon that still had a lot of color on its throat.  Unsual for mid-wintering birds.

Well over 79 species in five hours of birding.  Here are the checklists:

Location:     Tomales Bay–east shore
Observation date:     1/30/11
Number of species:     69

Brant     1
Gadwall     6
American Wigeon     400
Mallard     15
Greater Scaup     750
Lesser Scaup     8
Surf Scoter     2500
White-winged Scoter     3
Bufflehead     350
Common Goldeneye     5
Red-breasted Merganser     3
Ruddy Duck     45
Wild Turkey     16
Red-throated Loon     80
Common Loon     25
Pied-billed Grebe     6
Horned Grebe     3
Eared Grebe     45
Western Grebe     300
Double-crested Cormorant     120
Pelagic Cormorant     2
Brown Pelican     1
Great Blue Heron     2
Great Egret     35
Snowy Egret     1
Turkey Vulture     6
White-tailed Kite     2
Northern Harrier     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     2
Red-tailed Hawk (Western)     7
American Kestrel     6
Merlin     1
Peregrine Falcon (North American)     1
American Coot     1200
Black Turnstone     20
Ring-billed Gull     40
Western Gull     5
Glaucous-winged Gull     1
Forster’s Tern     5
Band-tailed Pigeon     13
Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
Anna’s Hummingbird     2
Allen’s Hummingbird     1
Belted Kingfisher     2
Nuttall’s Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)     1
Steller’s Jay     1
Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal)     12
American Crow     25
Common Raven     12
Tree Swallow     12
Chestnut-backed Chickadee     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     3
Western Bluebird     2
American Robin     2
European Starling     40
Orange-crowned Warbler     1
Yellow-rumped Warbler     3
Townsend’s Warbler     1
Spotted Towhee     1
California Towhee     1
Song Sparrow     3
White-crowned Sparrow     2
Golden-crowned Sparrow     10
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)     8
Red-winged Blackbird (California Bicolored)     70
Brewer’s Blackbird     15
American Goldfinch     2

Location:     Pr Reyes Station
Observation date:     1/30/11
Notes:     Mute Swan is feral.  Count includes Giacomini Wetlands.
Number of species:     29

Brant (Black)     1  (definitely an unexpected sighting, lone Brant o levee at Giacomini Marsh)
Canada Goose     8
Mute Swan     1
Wood Duck     8
American Wigeon     200
Mallard     4
Northern Shoveler     1
Northern Pintail     40
Bufflehead     16
Wild Turkey     6
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Great Egret     2
Black-crowned Night-Heron     16
Turkey Vulture     8
Cooper’s Hawk     1
Red-shouldered Hawk (California)     1
Red-tailed Hawk (Western)     1
Band-tailed Pigeon     12
Great Horned Owl     2
Anna’s Hummingbird     1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)     1
Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal)     4
American Crow     12
Common Raven     2
Wrentit     1
American Robin     2
European Starling     12
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)     8

Location:     Pt. Reyes National Seashore
Observation date:     1/30/11
Number of species:     17

Mallard     1
California Quail     8
Anna’s Hummingbird     1
Acorn Woodpecker     4
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)     1
Western Scrub-Jay     6
Common Raven     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
Western Bluebird     8
American Robin     4
European Starling     25
Yellow-rumped Warbler     1
Townsend’s Warbler     1
Golden-crowned Sparrow     8
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)     25
Red-winged Blackbird (California Bicolored)     1
Brewer’s Blackbird     30