Perfect Timing & Good Luck Required to Spot "Exotic" Birds in Botanical Garden

View of U.C. Berkeley Campanile and Golden Gate Strait

Cresting one final hilly stretch of Centennial Drive, I pull in, out of breath and all nicked up, at the University of California Botanical Garden.

Vulture hovering above

I lock my bike up and fetch camera and binoculars from my pack, happy to be here after a ludicrously mis-routed and insanely bodacious ride over, through, up, in and down a gigantic hill below the completely fenced in, security-heavy Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

Botanical Garden lush beauty

On sketchy single-track, meant strictly for deer and other competent four-legged creatures, me and my trusty Gary Fisher, seeking egress ended up tracing a tough, tough line along the endless perimeter of the fence, probably being laughed at by the security cam guys.

Robin boldly posing

I finally come to a dead-end, then down into a rough, rough gully cul-de-sac (me cursing and mostly off and pushing my bike), which meant a grueling I-can't-do-this slog back up the steep non-trail on slickery oak leaves, before having no choice but to descend a 100 ft. steeper-ass slope to the road in glissading fashion using my bike, on its side, in front of me, as a sort of snow plow (or leaf plow, if you will), as I slid on my ass precariously down the frictionless earth.

Gentle stream in garden attracts birds, insects, mammals

First time in a long time I've done anything precarious. Hence, my being out of breath and all nicked up and not too, too badly out of commission to do a little bird watching.

Manzanita varieties grace the garden

I tell ya, what better day than today

to be out doing something, to be here now?

White-breasted Nuthatch looking for tidbits

After weeks of horrible air quality, things seem fresh and aromatic again. In the jardin extraordinaire, a vibrancy of life overtakes the senses. But I can't help wonder, though, if weeks and weeks of air deemed "unhealthy for sensitive groups" hasn't taken a toll on our little Canary in the coal mine friends . . . ?

Redwood groves at to majesty and mystique at the garden

Tucked away in a sun-plastered, west-facing nook of beautiful Strawberry Canyon in the Berkeley Hills bordering the world-famous campus, the gardens' 34 acres provide lush, attractive, serene settings showcasing every variety of flora imaginable.

California Towhee pecking around

It is a place to explore, relax, and appreciate a treasure trove of rare, endangered, threatened, and unique plants from habitats the world over. With more than 12,000 different plants, shrubs, cacti and trees, it would take many, many visits to pay each individual its due.

Peaceful Zen scene of reflective water

Long ago I was last here. I don't get up Centennial Drive all that frequently, and when I do, I'm bustin' a lung up a challenging stretch of the "Berkeley Death Ride" to Grizzly Peak, and unless you're a plant freak, well, it's kinda like, been there done that.

Band-tailed Pigeon roosting high up

But once you become a bird freak, or a simple "miracle in the moment" nature freak, well, 34 acres anywhere is as good as a meditative Zen garden, and here in particular, owing to thousands of biodiverse plants, it's an expansive 34-acre avian-attracting arboretum.

Dark-eyed Junco collecting nest material

It's easy to while away the hours at the UC Botanical Garden, if so inclined, doing not much of anything but watching for and looking at birds. Hoping to espy a Pacific Wren or California Thrasher. Maybe even the ever-elusive Shrike!

Boardwalks allow all ages, sizes and abilities to access the garden

Just leisurely strolling around the beautiful landscaped grounds in a sort of pleasantly warped zoned out state of mind, not really caring if I do make the acquaintance of a White-throated Swift or Common Goldeneye (so common I've seen it exactly zero times since I really began noticing birds five years ago).

Northern Flicker looking away

Pausing here and there to rest on benches in tranquil, contemplative sylvan settings. Occasionally waving to a Jay or Thrush or Chickadee. Taking in iconic views of the Golden Gate Strait and Marin Headlands – Westward Ho!

Looking toward the Marin Headlands

Reflecting in silent reverie beside an artificially created but no less charming pool / cascade scene in the Asian section. And always, always, on the lookout for movement in trees, on the ground, and in the air for some bird or another.

Scrub Jay clinging to branch

A Belted Kingfisher, perhaps, or a Pygmy Nuthatch, to make a surprise cameo appearance.

A Pygmy Nuthatch, perhaps (?)

Whether doing (or not doing) much of anything, bird watching (watching for birds) captivates you at every turn, enthralls your every sensory perception, makes the doing the being, the being the doing.

Curious Steller's Jay

If that doesn't compute, go forth, find the Zen garden

or enchanted forest nook, and discover its truth.

Crow and Hummingbird

Depending on the season, you'll be lucky to experience the thrill of what I call a "dream sighting" – of oh-so-many birds I've never seen and can only hope to see: Lazuli Buntings, Barn Owls, Swainson's Thrushes, Loggerhead Shrikes, Bullock's Orioles, Say's Phoebe, Greater White-fronted Geese.

Hermit Warbler seen in Tilden Park on Nimitz Way

And what about Setophaga occidentali, the Hermit Warbler, a tough to spot little guy whose name suggests residency West of the Rockies, where they nest exclusively in tall conifers, easier heard than seen. But one day I did espy the little guy up in Tilden Park.

Great spot to stop and look for bird activity

The promise of sighting over 100 species of birds – about one-fifth of that recorded at the 71,000 acre spread of Point Reyes National Seashore – is pretty darn impressive, even if you aren't a bird freak. So to a bird freak, this is like ground zero.

Sweet little Song Sparrow

Scratch that image. This is like Jeffrey Kimball's enjoyable documentary "The Central Park Effect", where a great swathe of greenbelt (800 or so acres of Central Park) draws down tens of thousands of "exotic" migratory birds, over 100 species, every spring. So, 34 acres vs. 71,000 and 800, ratio of species to acre = ?? (Help me here with my math, folks, but seriously, this is a magnet for birds.)

Perfect spot to sit and listen to the birds chirp

Whether it's too late in the fall migration cycle (or too early in the spring), or my timing and luck are just off, on this lackadaisical day of strolling and lolling, I don't have a single "dream sighting" – not of a Gray Catbird, not of a Red-breasted Sapsucker, not of a Golden-crowned Kinglet, or 40 other birds who have eluded me but dwell as permanent or fly-by-night residents of the hilly woodlands, meadows and riparian areas of Berkeley.

Downy Woodpecker (or Ladderback?) (Or Nuttall's?)

But how can I complain when so many of the "usual suspects" – delightful, quirky, cute every time – have revealed themselves to my voyeuristic eye. Have served to strengthen my connection evermore to the natural world of plants, trees, grass, sky and birds that lay low and fly high.

Zen garden effect

Read Gambolin' Man's write-up of Berkeley's

other notable botanic garden in Tilden Park:

EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK BOTANIC GARDEN (2013)

Wildcat Creek
flowing through