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| 108-year old Interior Live Oak in side yard of Berkeley residence |
Apart from Mama Crow feeding her juvenile minion something red, seedy and pulpy, and sporadic appearances of the industrious and at times flirtatious Oak Titmouse, the more exotic songbirds that once frequented my urban aviary have flown the coop during these dog days of summer.
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| Pair of Crows hangin' out |
But just who are these so-called "more exotic" songbirds I'm referring to? Surely not Golden-crowned Kinglets, or Painted Redstarts, or Yellow-breasted Chats, or Black-throated Gray and Hermit Warblers. Let alone Black-headed Grosbeaks, an Oven Bird, or a prized, once-in-a-lifetime sighting of – hmmmmm, who might that be?
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| Exposed bedrock and trickling creek in summer |
How about a Virginia Rail! Yes! A Virginia Rail!
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| Virginia Rail spotted along shady Wildcat Creek |
Just the other day I happened to catch the juvenile Crow napping in the tree with two other Crows, presumably the parents, all snoozing away like big-time slackers! They soon woke up, keeping a low-key vigil while the juvenile continued sleeping, holding on fast with clenched talons, adopting a most interesting posture, erect but for his head twisted inward, furrowed deeply in the feathered tuft of his breastplate, giving the appearance of a headless harbinger.
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| Spooky Crow |
At an opportune moment during my on again / off again observation, I happened to catch him waking up and yawning. Wow, seriously, I don’t ever recall seeing a bird yawn before!
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| Goldfinches cooling off in small spring |
If I’m to see birds today, I’ve got to go where the birds are. One of my favorite places is nearby (but worlds away) Tilden Park, looking to lose myself in a protected preserve of streamside habitat, an urban oasis of sheltering riparian woodland.
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| Lush bird habitat along riparian zone |
What’s not to like about it, especially if you’re a bird staking claim to this pretty little back stretch of Wildcat Creek – the Berkeley Hills’ perennial stream now flowing like a desert trickle in late summer.
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| Golden-crowned Sparrow ground feeding |
Sourcing from deep eons-old subterranean cisterns, this creek will not ever completely dry up. It is a life-sustaining gift. And so throughout the hot hazy summer days, a certain secretive off-trail spot will attract quite a few birds feeding on rich insect life teeming in the air, in the thick tree cover and ample streamside vegetation, and on the water’s surface.
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| More of the creek as it looks during dry summer months |
I love this place I call “my secret spot” – but the whole length of Wildcat Creek is near and dear to me for its many secret spots, simple beauty of place, humble spirit of being, power of expressive natural rhythms and forces at work (think 10,000,000 year old lava flow and cut bedrock stream).
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| Remnant pools provide water sources for birds and animals |
I come here to let the gentle flow of water soothe my aching senses; to watch blue and green dragonflies swoon over red damselflies; and lizards doin’ their lounge act; and especially I derive great joy and pleasure from simply watching birds do their thing.
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| A family of wild Turkeys makes their way across a trail |
Few people tread here, amazingly enough. Especially since it's in the direct purlieus in and around Lake Anza in heavily impacted Tilden Park, but here we have a little back stretch behind the lake where you can spend the whole day and not interact with another human being.
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| Wildcat Creek stretch after a rain later in the year |
Surely I can’t be the only bird watcher to know of this spot – I imagine you’d have to be a bird watcher to actually stop, pause, look, listen, observe and hang here, because otherwise, what's there to do? For, go and you will see there is “nothing” to do, “nothing” of any particular interest to capture your attention.
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| Nuttall's Woodpecker (it is believed) |
Unless, perhaps, you're a birder or botanist or a person who just likes to sit quietly and meditate on the peaceful vibes of nature.
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| Black-throated Gray Warbler (rare sighting – for me!) |
Well, my secret spot is just big enough and just comfortable enough to kick back (binoculars at hand!) and hang out for a while, soaking my feet in the chill water of a small basin listening to the meditative tinkling of Wildcat’s late summer devotional song of simplicity.
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| Spotted Towhee poseur |
I notice as a pair of familiar-looking but unknown birds come to the water’s edge, thinking they’re hidden beneath overhanging foliage. A perfect voyeur moment. Perhaps they're Vireos. I'll go with that and look it up later, my usual modus operandi when it comes to ID'ing unknown birds.
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| Hatched and gone – or eaten |
I watch the pretty pair warily sate their thirst with dainty sips and occasional dips followed by a very cute display of shaking water of their wings. Ever cautious, nearly to the point of paranoia, these two mates conduct efficient business and do not linger very long. Mark it down as today’s dopest sighting!
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| Pretty pools with newts, crayfish and bathing birds |
But darn it, I was so engaged watching them I neglected to get a photo to ID them later! Heck with it – in a moment of confidence, I conclude they were two Warbling Vireos who graced my presence!
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| Warbling Vireo (also a pretty rare sighting for me) |
Whiling away the next enjoyable hour, I spot a pair of Yellow Warblers perched side by side for a fleeting moment before vanishing lickety-split; then, a diligent Wilson’s Warbler pops into view suddenly, immodestly baring the crown’s black “tam” if but for a few parsimonious seconds.
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| Wilson's Warbler |
Willie’s a favorite bird I haven’t seen since I don’t know when. Soon, I’m entertained for endless minutes by a troupe of enterprising Chestnut-backed Chickadees flying acrobatically from tree to tree gathering bits of stringy moss and spider webbing for constructing their nests.
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| Chestnut-backed Chickadee |
And then, not to be outdone, a surprise appearance (to me) of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, an interesting looking, attractive insectivorous bird I’ve seen maybe once or twice before in Live Oak Park down in the flats. And next in the cavalcade of avian appearances a lovely little Brown Creeper and a Black Phoebe make cameos, which is totally cool and adds to today’s Life’s List checkoff of Famous and Not So Famous Flitterati I have come to know.
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| Black Phoebe |
And we’re not near half-finished!
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| Dark-eyed Junco wondering what up, dude! |
The usual suspects also chime in with their excitable ruckus – Jays and Juncos; Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds, the latter much rarer (to me) to sight; a couple of Crows; and a handsome Spotted Towhee, which at first I can’t name thinking it must be something infinitely more exotic than “just” a Spotted Towhee – but, my, what a pretty bird!
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| Rufous Hummingbird |
No excuses, though, for my ineptness at bird identification, despite John Muir Laws’ reassurances:
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| Obscured Varied Thrush |
“Do not worry if you cannot identify a bird . . . in spite of your best efforts, you may not be able to . . . remember, birds are not always where they should be and do not always look how they should look.”
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler (looking not how it should look) |
Few places are more inviting for bird watching than Wildcat Creek. Along any number of “secret” stretches of the 11-mile long artery, you will more often than not find your special spot, a secluded nook or off-trail vantage point, where you can catch busy birds in action, engaged in a variety of behaviors and doing their unique thing.
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| Black-headed Grosbeak in high canopy |
It is not far from paradise, if you’re a human. And no doubt if you're a bird, it’s an Edenic haven of survival, a natural refuge for the Earth’s freest creatures.
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| Pacific-slope Flycatcher |
Free to come and free to go
when and where they please.
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| California Thrasher |
And always we hope, to return to roost, feed, mate and frolic in their – and your! – favorite spots along precious Wildcat Creek in the Berkeley Hills.
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| Reflections on the creek surface |
Read more essays from Gambolin' Man on birding in beautiful and hidden Wildcat Creek & the Watershed, along with a link to all bird posts at his backyard bird blog:
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Acorn Woodpeckers
storing up winter provender
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Read more from Gambolin' Man about the simple wonders and charming splendors of Wildcat Creek (and watershed) in the Berkeley Hills:
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Wildcat Creek
resplendent after rainstorm |
Enjoy dozens of live-action scenes of a special creek & watershed in the Berkeley Hills:
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
guarding her nest along the creek |
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Idylic, for sure! You can identify and remember all the names and species when I'm not sure what to call my husband sometimes! At Tilden golf course, a young deer casualy walked across the fairway about twenty feet from us. Saw a fox trotting into the woods, and a critter I couldn't identify - about the size of a cat but longer and closer to the ground. The place is full of wildlife - so awesome! Great post Gambolin Man! Carol
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