Berkeley Backyard Bird Blog: Sora! Sora! Sora! (Fantastic Birding & Nature Gazing at Tennessee Valley)

Tennessee Valley beach viewed from Coastal Trail up high

Ah, Tennessee Valley!

San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge visible in cleft of hills

Being one of my designated

Seven Wonders of Bay Area Wild,

Tennessee Valley is a super-popular destination

in the Marin Headlands.

Rugged coastal scenery in Golden Gate National Recreation Area

A place that you will fall in love with

on your first visit

and never tire

of its unending vistas and attractions.

On top of the world looking down on creation

And that includes fantastic birding!

Coastal hills and rock outcrops of Tennessee Valley

Its magnetic allure attracts large crowds day in and day out, no matter the weather, owing to stunning coastal hill scenery and sublime littoral wonders.

Snowy Egret unfazed by roiling surf at ocean's edge

With an extensive network of trails to choose from, all connecting easy to moderate to difficult routes.

Sweet vetch blossoming in the dry hills

Take your pick, whether through healthy forest and lovely meadow, or up steep rocky trails to attain 360 degree lookouts of nonpareil beauty.

California Quail feeding on the trail

The hike to the slice of pebbly brown beach – make that stroll – is an easy 1.8 miles, first along a paved thoroughfare of humanity, where stroller-pushing, jogging Marin Moms and gabbing groups of social hikers abound, mixing it up with equestrians, bladers, families, nature lovers.

Great White Heron stalking the marsh near the lagoon

Unfortunately, as of late, drone enthusiasts have found a receptive place to bring their noisy toys. When will they banned as detractors to peaceful experiences in nature? And hazards to birds! One of whom I encountered a few weeks ago – a kid with his family looking for his downed drone in a thicket. He found it, busted up, and began crying.

Easy hiking leads to gorgeous pond and beach

Every and anyone is able to enjoy Tennessee Valley, owing to its proximity and accessibility – both a blessing and curse.

Cormorants gathering on off-shore rock promontory

Veering off the main fire road, a single track trail is routed through sensitive terrain rife with wildlife – bumblebees bumbling, butterflies fluttering by, birds in paradise, the occasional skippin' coyote, and, if timed right or lucky enough, a lazy ol' bobcat.

Big-billed Crow and mate

(One day we met a woman who told us with a straight-face of her nine – yes NINE! – mountain lion encounters in her sixty-some odd years.)

Hiking Miwok Trail through beautiful coastal hills

This precious living meadow shelters alder and willow trees lining a secretive stream bank and restored and protected wetlands habitat. I love stopping at the small bridge, peering over the railing dropping my gaze into a small sky blue pool reflecting fractal fern patterns.

"Nothing little" creek is just another small miracle along the way

I'm in no hurry for the "main attraction" –

the beach, for now, can wait.

Ferns reflecting in small brook

By-passed by most passers-by (in a hurry to get to the main attraction), I revel in the silence and solitude found in this small place where, undisturbed, I can engage in my time-honored activity of do-absolutely-nothingness.

Big surf breaking at Tennessee Beach

Dissipating unrecorded moments observing simple things in nature, watching for birds in the riparian edges, nothing more calming, nothing more rewarding, even if not a single bird appears.

Scrub Jay flies in for a soft landing

Once, long ago, I spotted my very first Hummingbird nest, constructed in the branches above the bridge, long deserted, a remnant art installation of interwoven grass, moss and bits of discarded string.

Anna's Hummingbird guarding her clutch of eggs

Like the legions of visitors, birds naturally gravitate to and love Tennessee Valley. Birds of all kinds: Raptors, Shorebirds, Songbirds, and Secretive Birds not otherwise easily spotted, such as the Sora and Northern Harrier.

California Quail up close and personal

On a good day, up to 40 species might be observed, as Napa-Solano Audubon Society trip leader David Takeuchi racked up in 2010, including a sighting of the elusive Sora.

Kind of a weird-looking Gull (juvenile?)

Of course, I never come close to "bagging" that many birds in a single day, but over the years, I've seen my share of species in the avian-rich habitat of Tennessee Valley, including brilliantly plumed Turkeys, Quail and Hummingbirds.

Pair of Toms off 'n runnin'

On the doorstep of the great ocean a pretty lagoon commands attention, especially for birders. Here at the brackish lagoon, the ocean roaring a hundred yards away, I always stop for a lengthy pause to watch Ducks, Geese, Cormorants, Coots, Flycatchers and other special visitors.

Fog enshrouds the ridges above Tennessee Valley beach

Wolf Ridge looms high,

an impressive backdrop to the valley gem.

First sighting of a Sora swimming around in the lagoon

Not too much cookin' today, but I continue looking for something I've not yet seen, and, voila, a Sora appears, or what appears to be a Sora!

Virginia Rail on Wildcat Creek in Tilden Regional Park

Although in the moment, I don't even know it's a Sora! I'm too far away to ID it reliably, and I can't get closer as access is restricted along the shoreline of the lagoon.

Lagoon overtaken by moss and algid growth

I can only watch from the trail, in itchy excitement, snapping a couple of distant, blurry, but ID-able photos, wondering which bird it is flirting among the reeds and stabbing at the water lapping up bugs and algae.

Coots and other Shorebirds with the Sora

Later on, I scratch my head over descriptions of the Sora being one of the more common and widely distributed of North American Rails. Must be why, just the other day, I read my first-ever eBird report of a Sora sighting.

Sora in the mossy reeds

I'm sure many people have spotted a Sora, but today marks a First Sighting for me of the common and widely distributed (quote unquote) bird. Perhaps I'm lucky to add the Sora to my Life List, because All About Birds admits that "actually seeing the little marsh-walker is much more difficult" than one would suspect!

The reedy lagoon attracting Rails and other Songbirds and Shorebirds

Moments after spotting the Sora, I catch a teaser sighting of a heretofore unknown Warbler darting in and among the reeds, but never alighting long enough to positively ID him, before – off he goes, alas – fluttering forever and ever away.

Elusive little Warbling Vireo

Still, I'm able to get one or two-second glimpses of the flighty fellow, enough to eliminate Townsend's, Wilson's, and Yellow (-rumped) as candidates. But while I fail to snap a photo, I remain wishful I saw a Tennessee (Valley) Warbler!

Inspiring ocean vistas hiking Coastal Trail

At the fabulous curve of beach, where a January 2013 landslide brought down the iconic 100 ft. archway (caught on film by California Institute of Technology graduate student Robert Wills) many Shorebirds fly the skies and ply the water, with Gulls soaring overhead or landing on the beach for crumbs with the Crow bums.

Pelicans gracefully skirting the waves

Pelicans fly by in formation,

occasionally plunge-diving for fishy morsels.

Seals spotted sunbathing on rock

Seals bob up and down in the surf.

Caspian Terns flocking on sandbar

Terns skirt the breakers.

Remains exposed of the SS Tennessee dating back to 1853

Depending on tidal conditions, you can inspect the remains of the wreck of the SS Tennessee whose fate was sealed in the treacherous surf off the cove one stormy night in 1853.

Red-winged Blackbird

Stop to take it all in, ignore the crowds, have a picnic, soak it up, it's always a special feeling at Tennessee Valley, always a day to cherish and feel blessed by.

Seasonally dry hills with Mount Tamalpais rising

On the return, back through the pretty meadow, I hear a barrage of screeching and look up to witness an aerial battle between two Northern Harriers over a snake dangling from steely talons.

Red-tailed Hawk scoping out prey below

One of the handsome, elegant Hawks suddenly swoops in to snatch the prize from the clutches of the other, victoriously flying off to a distant snag to gloat and pick the snake apart in peace.