Berkeley Backyard Bird Blog: November 2014

Cormorants gathered on guano-splattered rock

Fall season has been great

for the birds of California,

whether temporary visitors

or year-round residents.

California Quail

Mild temperatures and abundant sustenance guarantee food, safety and shelter for hundreds of avian species dropping out of the skies around the Bay Area in world class birding locales from Point Reyes National Seashore and Mount Diablo State Park to endless miles of San Francisco Bay shoreline and this blog's favorite and much beloved Jewel Lake / Tilden Nature Area in the Berkeley Hills.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Recent reports on birding sites detail an embarrassment of avian riches everywhere around the Bay Area.

Brilliant male Mountain Bluebird
(photo by Elaine R. Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.5
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>,
via Wikimedia Commons)

Sightings of exotic Mountain Bluebirds

near Patterson Pass Road.

Western Kingbird sighting near Vernal Utah

Western Kingbirds

at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek.

Lewis's Woodpecker
(Photo by http://www.naturespicsonline.com/,
CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons)

Lewis' Woodpeckers

at Briones Reservoirs.

Flotilla of Gray Pelicans at MLK, Jr Shoreline

As well as my own unheralded, miraculously small birding sightings, encounters and adventures in the Berkeley Hills, along San Pablo Creek, in Mitchell Canyon, and throughout west Marin County.

Bird-licious habitat at Mitchell Canyon, Mount Diablo State Park

Including a super-hot spot for birds – Limantour Beach – and just about everywhere, anywhere, where there's a forest or brush for cover, it's a bonanza of birds.

Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

Aren't they blessed little souls!

Northern Waterthrush (photo by Fernando Burgalin Sequeria, Macaulay Library)

Naturally, what's good for the birds is good for the birders, and throngs of 'em are out in force this season hoping to spot a wayward Northern Waterthrush or off-course European Finch.

Excellent avian habitat in the Berkeley Hills (Tilden Park)

Many, including me, are hoping to up their Life List tally by a dozen species. It's that kind of year. And, for the proud and few, it might even be a Big Year . . . which, in any case, will have to wait, unfortunately, for me, at least.

Lesser Goldfinch (guessing)

Despite routinely spotting 20 to 30 species in my side yard or local park, paradoxically, I've not seen one-tenth or one-twentieth, even, of the possible number of unique avian visitors to our great Bay Area, a mighty big place, and easily 300 or 400 species come and go and stay.

Whimbrels feeding in the mudflats of Albany Bulb

Is it just me who hasn't seen, say a "common" Pine Siskin, Oven Bird, or Painted Bunting? Let alone a Tennessee Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, or Common Poorwill.

"Just" a common ol' Wilson's Warbler

Thought:

maybe I have spotted one

and just didn't know it.

Coots on shore near mudflats of SF Bay

Still, it's a Big Year right in my BerkeleyBackYard environs. My list is growing of several fortuitous, serendipitous, but very fleeting sightings of many splendid (and not so common) birds.

Stilts in San Francisco Bay

Some of whom I may not see again.

Varied Thrush spotted in Mitchell Canyon

A Varied Thrush seen and well photographed at Mitchell Canyon, Mount Diablo State Park. Also spotted over twelve months in Codornices Park, the Regional Parks Botanic Garden parking lot area, John Hinkel Park in Berkeley, Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, and on Thanksgiving Day, two in my side yard, a first ever sighting of the pretty Thrushes showing up here.

White-breasted Nuthatch pausing from insect-hunting

A White-breasted Nuthatch spotted right off the bat at Mitchell Canyon, but not again after that.

Red-breasted Sapsucker in the Eucalyptus trees at Tilden

A Red-breasted Sapsucker, spotted for the first time in the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, and again elsewhere in Tilden Regional Park later. Strange, two sightings, apart, of a bird I had never seen before. (There's that thing again!)

Not-so-great shot of the Black-throated Gray Warbler

A Black-throated Gray Warbler spotted at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. A magical encounter of a unique bird flitting into my life ever so briefly, in a place I had no business being. (Check out prior post on it.) I'll be lucky to ever see one again. And yet . . . it's considered "not so uncommon" to see one!

Lone Killdeer

Killdeers along the San Francisco Bay shoreline – true, I've never before seen one! Have I just not been looking for them? Amazing little dudes, I had never been aware, let alone noticed them before.

American Wigeon (?)

Wigeons at the Albany Bulb – ditto. Why would I ever notice a Wigeon before, and know it was a Wigeon I was noticing?

Hermit or Wood Thrush? (Who can tell?)

Hermit Thrushes – they're all over the place this fall, like I never can remember them being. (Could some of them be Fox Sparrows and/or Wood Thrushes I'm misidentifying.) Why did I not notice them as a "fairly common" bird before?

Angry looking bird: European Starling

European Starlings spotted at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park surprised me immensely for their otherworldly look and coloration. And besides, I don't think I could ever lay claim to actually positively ever having seen one. The photo here managed to stump a few fellow birders for a while!

Rehabilitated upland meadows at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park

By the way, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is an amazing natural resource on our urban doorstep – rehabilitated, terraformed bird and wildlife habitat in an upland area known as the Berkeley Meadows.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglets at Wildcat Gorge – or maybe it was just one, but he stuck around for twenty minutes in plain sight. My best ever sustained glimpse of the hardy little bird distinguished by an orange crown stripe emblazoned atop his little head. I consider it a rare thing to spot a Golden-crowned Kinglet, yet people report seeing them left and right.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The EBRPD Bird Checklist, though, considers their appearance "rare" and "uncommon" all year round. So, what gives?

Orange-crowned Warbler - I think!

Come to think of it, even what you might regard as a pedestrian sighting in a local city park of, say, a common bird, like the American Robin, can thrill the heart with a voyeuristic glimpse into the mystery world of birds, a world where each small bundle of feathers and fat is a special and perfect miracle of creation.

American Robin red-breast enjoying a snack

Enjoy this snippet footage of an American Robin

for – not the whole world to see –

but for me alone to witness

a hidden bird doing whatever comes natural

to an American Robin

to any and all birds

caught in the act of simple, miraculous existence of . . .

birds bein' birds:

ROBIN'S HIDDEN WORLD

Nutrient-rich mudflats and creek estuaries
along the SF Bay waterfront

Back side of Sibley looking toward Mount Diablo

When in need of a dose

of the desert Southwest,

look no farther than the urban fringes

of Oakland, California.

Reddish oxidation from ancient flow steam generation

You heard me right!

Lark Sparrow shying away from the camera

Lost in the mists of Neogene time, a volcano exploded, tilted, and deposited a rugged debris field, wiping out a goodly swathe of vegetation and wild life. Round Top Peak, 1763 ft., is all that remains of the tilted-over volcano.

Self-guided tour marker depicting volcanic explosion 10,000,000 years ago

Before the explosion, long-necked camels grazed alongside saber-toothed tigers. Behemoth mastodons lumbered along swampy shorelines. Ten million years later, the landscape has rebounded into a geological and botanical wonderland, showcasing eroded pinnacles and other fanciful red rock outcroppings that seem out of place and time.

Whimsical mini-pinnacle formations at Sibley

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is a favorite and easy get-away in the Oakland Hills, an amazing place, really, doubtless one of the East Bay Regional Park District's most unique park. It has attracted generations of geologists, and fascinated legions of nature lovers and birding enthusiasts since its founding in 1936 and probably well before.

Rolling hills and dense tree cover provide ideal wildlife habitat

The complex and varied land forms shelter Oak and Bay forests and extensive meadow, grass and shrub lands, inviting safe harbor for countless bird species.

Varied Thrush ground-feeding at Sibley

Covering just 660 acres, the Sibley is big and rugged enough to work up a lather climbing the ridges and descending the canyons. With a recent trail system expansion, some real miles can now be covered by hooking up to the world famous Bay Area Ridge Trail and East Bay Skyline National Recreational Trail.

Trail climbing out of the old quarry pit

A once off-limits section has opened, giving the park a bit more breathing room. Spend some time here, and you'll see that the Volcanic Preserve is a place to slow down, let your mind drift checking out sign posts on the self-guided tour, noting outstanding geological features or some remnant outcrop of a hard to imagine cataclysmic event.

Trail beyond leading to EBMUD land and a special sighting

And always, always,

on the look out for a cool bird.

Yes, it's a White-crowned Sparrow

Wow!

Was that a White-crowned Sparrow?

Hawk (Red-tailed?) surveying domain from pylon

Along with lively bird activity, you'll see darting rabbits, scurrying lizards and sun-basking snakes. Maybe a fox if lucky. The meadows and rolling hill terrain provide ideal habitat for rodents to proliferate, tasty provender to sate the appetites of Red-tailed Hawks, White-tailed Kites, Golden Eagles, and, not unheard of, Bald Eagles, nearby nesters at San Pablo Reservoir (and several other East Bay settings).

Western Fence Lizard

In a hidden "bowels of the earth" area, a small reedy pond is ideal for newt eggs to incubate, and, deep in this old quarry pit, you'll walk an inscrutable labyrinth, whose builders remain a mystery. Spend some quiet time listening to the wind whistling, meditatively walking the circular pathway to the center of this little universe, giving thanks and praise and wonder.

Foot traffic on the Labyrinth

And always, always,

on the look out for a cool bird.

Tree Swallow (just guessing)

Whoa!

Was that a Northern Shrike?

Nope, just a Mockingbird

I'm solo biking the entire 660 acres of the Volcanic Preserve, over extending myself a bit, but ineluctably pulled here and lured there by novel sights, long views and bird rich habitats – cool sightings of flocks of Mourning Doves clouding the skies, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows ground feeding and bush-diving, and a lone Bewick's Wren hopping about.

Rugged area framing iconic Mount Diablo

And always,

Scrub Jays and Steller's Jays

squawking up a storm.

Scrub Jay holding court

This happens to be my first bird-focused outing to Sibley, too. How such a "hot spot" for exotic birds has eluded me, I'll never know, but it was here several years ago when I spotted a pair of White-tailed Kites in a tree snag who were sharing a mangled rodent carcass, something I had never seen before.

White-tailed Kite awaiting mate's return from hunt

Kinda got me hooked.

Western Bluebird couple in pine tree

I'm all in at the Volcanic Preserve today, thrilled by the tremendous variation in avian habitat, blown away by hugely scenic views I'd totally forgotten about. I circle up and down and all around, spending a solid hour exploring a back section I like to call my very own private red rock wilderness.

New addition to hiking trails at Sibley

No doubt just more hyperbole from the master of spin when it comes to "piss-ass nothing little creeks" and "prosaic uninspiring rock formations" being far more grandiose and awesome than they really are.

"Piss-ass nothing little creek" at Sibley

Because, in their own small miracle way,

they are.

"Prosaic uninspiring rock formations" at Sibley

In this once off-limits area, reddish cliffs protrude above boulder-strewn, brush edged meadows – perfect habitat for birds to hide in, or boldly hang out, such as the Western Bluebirds and Lesser Goldfinches, or circle high above nosing for prey like Vultures and Northern Harriers.

Lesser Goldfinch tweeting away

With absolutely no one about, I'm happy and heartened to spot dozens of "sundry" birds over the course of my aimless wanderings: Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Juncos, Jays, and Towhees among the usual suspects.

Dark-eyed Junco striking a striking pose

Each, still, in their own way,

individually precious, unique,

emblematic of the mystery of existence.

White-breasted Nuthatch on the prowl for insects

With my day winding down, a small reserve of energy enables one last reconnoiter to the top of the old quarry pit.

Red-breasted Sapsucker banging away in the Eucalyptus trees

Always, always,

on the look out for a cool bird.

Biking at Sibley enables lots of ground to be covered

I circle behind the ridge, out of sight to the world, dropping my bike at the boundary fence to climb over into municipal district watershed land (EBMUD). Moments before, I had a thought of my 90-year old Mom – this blog's biggest fan! I felt she was psychically directing me to this particular area, where I instinctively sensed an "exotic" bird would appear.

Vast acreage of rolling hills, meadows and forest (EBMUD land)

Go ahead, laugh.

I sure did!

Subterranean volcanic architecture exposed

After a few luxurious moments of silent time admiring Mount Diablo's looming presence on the horizon, in between neck-craning for birds, my patience – and faith! – is rewarded when I catch a glimpse of a most unusual and interesting looking bird flirting about in a small tree.

First view of the "mystery" bird

I'm like –

what the . . . ?

Underside and partial face view of "mystery" bird

Scrambling to get a good bino view, while at the same time fumbling with my camera to get off a shot, I nearly blow it by getting neither. Luckily, though, I'm able to capture a couple of poor quality photos, and zero in on the grayish-white bird with my binos and accurately ID the little cuss from the tell-tale signature feature of his distinctive yellow dot above the eye.

Blurry photo of Black-throated Gray Warbler

Proof positive of having spotted my first-ever

Black-throated Gray Warbler!

Better photo of the Black-throated Gray Warbler spotted a few years later

How cool is that, fellow birders?

Black-throated Gray Warbler

I'm amazed and excited to bear witness for one short minute to the frenetic flighty activity of a Black-throated Gray Warbler hunting for insects! Also frustrated as hell, for he's now long gone, flown away to a far off tree down the hillside – never to be seen again, perhaps a once in a lifetime sighting.

The Black-throated Gray Warbler sighted at Sibley

Have YOU ever seen one?

Final photo of Black-throated Gray Warbler (Indian Rock Park)

Well, go ahead and pop my balloon, they're supposedly not all that unusual to spot. But I'll put cash money that I'll never see another.

Sibley's unique volcanic formations

In a recent post, I wrote about how once you see a bird for the first time, you will then, by some ineffable law of attraction, begin seeing that same bird over and over.