San Juaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Los Angeles, California.

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the mist lay heavily on the ponds, subduing the early morning light as we arrived.

Jerry Millet had generously given up precious time with his family and his in-laws who were staying for the holidays, to take me birding in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Note that I do not write this with keyboard in cheek as he genuinely is lucky enough to enjoy spending time with his extended family. He is not a birder and my competence has been called into question as often as I have served hot dinners, but between us we managed to wrestle nearly 60 marks onto a checklist that we had gleaned from Sea and Sage Audubon House, the visitors’ centre for San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. While gleaning, I wish that we had picked up a map as we later found that we had barely covered a third of the sanctuary and had missed out on a boardwalk, open areas and an urban forest.

The section that we did cover, in the south-east corner of the reserve, included the square ponds, known evocatively as Ponds A, B, C, D and E and the larger, non-uniform lakes charmingly named Ponds 1 and 2. The catchy titles are possibly a throwback to their association with the on-site water treatment facility. Once beyond the bodies of water, track names such as Willow Path, Shady Lane and Lost Trail leave a sweeter taste in the mouth.

The Fledgling Trail starts at Pond E. Coincidentally, so did we as it was right beside the car park. Cedar Waxwings were up early and feeding in berry trees by the path. On the square, shallow pond, the mist had cleared quickly and waders and ducks awaited our inspection. Black-necked Stilts were numerous with a single American Avocet towards the edge of the flock. 2 Spotted Sandpipers bobbed along the edge. The dowitchers and a number of peeps on the far shore were put aside for a while until we had scanned the water. This photo of a Kildeer was taken at the end of our walk when the sun had cleared the dyke that casts an early morning shadow.

A good selection of duck was headed up by Northern Shoveler and Green-winged Teal with smaller numbers of Gadwall, Mallard, and Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal.

In a moment of excitement a hawk dashed across the pond. It came in low and fast, intent on a kill. A couple of stilts were slow to react and froze in the water, but the hawk mistimed its change of direction and lost speed in the bank, allowing the stilts to escape.

The predator was very small, certainly small enough to make me think that it might be a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but such a suggestion drew sharp intakes of breath from local birders, so we reserved our judgement until photographs could be properly examined and reveal the tell-tale tail, rounded at the end in the manner of a Cooper’s Hawk. Close inspection at high magnification also revealed a slightly pale nape which is again suggestive of Cooper’s.

Pond C must have been deeper. Eared Grebes and a female Bufflehead were diving amongst a flotilla of shovelers that had crammed themselves into a tightly packed wheel, rotating around a central axis. In between the planes taking off from nearby John Wayne Airport, it was quiet enough to hear the shmacky, shplatty noises of dozens of shovelers feeding together.

The margins of Ponds A, B, 1 and 2 are lined with tule rushes. Common Yellowthroats and Marsh Wrens called these home, while Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Bushtits and Yellow-rumped Warblers enjoyed the scrubby bushes along the banks.

The 6 numbered ponds are much larger than the lettered ones and give the heavier birds such as American White Pelicans enough room for a run-up to get airborne. A flock of about 50 took off directly over our heads as we passed Pond 1.

Forster’s Terns plunged into the water behind us as we checked up on a small flock of Tree Swallows.

A triangular junction between Ponds 1, 2 and 3, might be dubbed ‘Flycatcher Corner’. Cassin’s Kingbird, and Black and Say’s Phoebes were taking it in turns to hawk from a well positioned snag here.

We found the pelicans again in Pond 2, crowded onto an island that they were sharing with Double-crested Cormorants, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron and some mixed ducks and waders.

We rounded this lake and began the last leg of our distorted circle approaching the visitors’ centre along the South Loop Trail, parallel to San Diego Creek. A Northern Mockingbird was keen to have its photograph taken, posing nicely as we both enjoyed its approachability. A small flock of exotic Nutmeg Manikin were less accommodating and stayed out of reach of our cameras.

As we closed the circle, Jerry spotted an Osprey flying over Pond 1. We watched as it was escorted past a distant building by a Peregrine Falcon.

Audobon House (Google Earth ref; 33⁰ 39’ 39”N 117⁰ 50’ 28”W ) is a charming visitors’ centre with as many US-centric bird books as I have ever seen outside of the Open Air Books and Maps shop in Toronto. There are rest rooms in the adjacent car park which is accessed from Riparian Way which runs beside San Diego Creek. Entry to the sanctuary is free and it is open from dawn ‘til dusk. Maps and checklists are available from dispensers for early arrivals. The checklist recognises 263 species, but is in the process of updating.

Bobcats are sometimes seen on the reserve and kittens have been recorded over the last few years. Reports of Mountain Lions are likely to have been a combination of Bobcats and a distorted sense of distance.

I wish that we had found the map dispenser earlier and used it to do justice to this delightful reserve. I would like to thank Jerry for his company and generosity and for seeking the suggestions of Steve Shinn who recommended San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bird species; 59

Pied-billed Grebe 1, Eared Grebe 12, American White Pelican 50, Double-crested Cormorant 120, Great Blue Heron 4, American Great Egret 4, Snowy Egret 15, Green Heron 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 6, Canada Goose 35, American Wigeon 4, Gadwall 12, Green-winged Teal 200, Mallard 25, Blue-winged Teal 15, Cinnamon Teal 10, Northern Shoveler 300, Lesser Scaup 4, Bufflehead 3, Ruddy Duck 8, Turkey Vulture 6, Osprey 1, Northern Harrier 1, Cooper’s Hawk 3, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 4, Black-necked Stilt 35, American Avocet 1, Kildeer 2, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Least Sandpiper 1, Ring-billed Gull 4, Boneparte’s Gull 20, Forster’s Tern 25, Anna’s Hummingbird 6, Downy Woodpecker 1, Black Phoebe 15, Say’s Phoebe 6, Cassin’s Kingbird 1, Tree Swallow 15, Cedar Waxwing 25, Marsh Wren 2, Northern Mockingnird 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3, Bushtit 15, American Crow 6, Nutmeg Mannikin 3, House Finch 4, American Goldfinch 2, Orange-crowned Warbler 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 35, Common Yellowthroat 10, Spotted Towhee 3, Song Sparrow 10, White-crowned Sparrow 4, Red-winged Blackbird 4, Great-tailed Grackle 20.

San Juaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, California, Los Angeles, Orange County, USA

Pillar Point and Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, California, USA

Half Moon Bay is to be found on the ocean side of the San Francisco peninsula, 25 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 1. I had come at it from Palo Alto by the lower bay and had taken the 92 up and over the ridge.

The outer harbour is protected by a breakwater roughly made from large boulders. Though it is possible to get out onto, it is a scramble rather than a stroll.

Across the bay, a radar station sits at the top of a headland known as Pillar Point which juts out into the ocean. I left the car outside an RV park by the start of the breakwater . There were Brewer’s Blackbirds and Common Starlings in the conifers at the entrance. Gulls, mostly Western Gulls were being very attentive to the fishermen that had clambered out onto the rocky wall.

On the inshore waters outside the harbour were 6 Surf Scoters. My main hope for this visit was to find some lifer scoters. White-winged and Black Scoters would both be writ with the red crayon if I could find them, but all the Melanitta that I saw, stubbornly displayed the yellow and white markings of perspicillata. Inside the harbour, a flock of black ducks were too distant to allow me to discern any head markings, so I made my way out along the rocks to try and get a better look.

The makers of the breakwater had attempted to make it navigable. The top was made of rocks laid with their flattest sides uppermost, but it is no promenade and trying to turn while keeping a flying gull in frame was a precipitous job. The drifting ducks kept ahead of my progress and maintained a distance that denied me knowing them better.

The sun was losing height and warmth now as the afternoon passed to early evening. I hoped that I would get a better look from the headland on the other side of the bay. Beyond the harbour village, there is a car park by a salt marsh at the approach to the radar station. A path leads along the bottom of the earth cliffs to a small beach where locals were gathering to watch the sunset over the exposed reefs.

There were California Towhees and a Common Raven by the car park and a flock of 50 or so Bufflehead close in. A thin beach just inside the breakwater was the most productive spot of the afternoon. A Willet fed in the wavelets of the protected harbour, a Grey Plover stayed up-beach from the water and a Black Oystercatcher watched from a nearby rock. All the time tiny Sanderlings rushed back and forth as the ripples came and went.

The birds here were very confiding and people were walking within 5 meters of the Sanderlings. I chose a rock and sat down to enjoy them as they bowed to their reflections in the wet sand. From my seat, I was hoping that they would approach even closer as the waves pushed them up the beach.

Having consulted tide tables, I was expecting the water to be approaching its highest point soon, but instead, it was receding.

I had noted the times for Palo Alto which was only a few miles (20) across the ridge as the crow flies, but a much greater distance (60) along the tidal flow. Half Moon Bay has its tides as much as 2.5 hours in advance while the water surge finds its way along the coastal and inner bay route to Palo Alto.

Actually, the receding water gave me just a few extra seconds to enjoy the Sanderling show. The sun was dropping behind the rocks and an incoming tide would have pushed them into the encroaching shadow. The last rays were almost horizontal before the performance finished.

The sun set and the Sanderlings flew off to roost leaving me richly rewarded for my efforts. No lifers for my list today, but a delightful encounter in the last moments of light had made me wonder if I shouldn’t be making lists of moving experiences rather than just bird species seen. Is a sea-duck tick more rewarding than the Sanderlings’ charming dance in a Pacific sunset? Listen to me getting all waxy.

Watch for an enthused post about my little angel dancers coming soon.

Bird species; 24

Pacific Diver 1, Brown Pelican 8, Double-crested Cormorant 6, Greta Blue Heron 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 4, Brent Goose 1, Mallard 17, Surf Scote 16, Bufflehead 50, Black Oystercatcher 1, Grey Plover 2, Willet 1, Black Turnstone 7, Sanderling 60, California Gull 1, Glaucous-winged Gull 1, Western Gull 25, Common Raven 1, Common Starling 60, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Common Yellowthroat 2, California Towhee 2, Song Sparrow 3, Brewer's Blackbird 35.

Moving moments;
Sanderlings dancing in a Pacific sunset.

Pillar Point and Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, California, USA

Shoreline at Mountain View. Palo Alto, SanFrancisco, California, USA

Continuing my day in San Francisco that began on the previous post, I turned off the 101 taking Shoreline at Mountain View. This is a renowned area for finding Burrowing Owls and I couldn’t resist a quick look while I was close by. I might have been more successful earlier in the day, but the tide was at 06.00 and I wanted to look for rails from the boardwalk at the end of Embarcadero Rd. This picture is from a previous trip.

Shoreline Trail that leads from the car park took me past a tidal marsh where Song Sparrows teased me by skulking through the cover. By a platform overlooking the marsh, a small flock contained White-crowned Sparrows. I pished them to see if they would sit up for a photo, but attracted a Lincoln’s Sparrow instead.

The path is at the top of a bank and a good view can be had down onto the water. Hundreds of Ruddy Ducks were dozing with a few Western/Clark’s Grebes feeding between them. I think Clark’s on balance as they seemed quite pale, but they were back-lit and too distant to see the bill or eye well enough. On the downslope of the bank a large flock of Bushtits were picking insects from some tall weeds.

The White-crowned Sparrows were more amenable on the return journey with the immature ones being the boldest.

A last scan of the Burrowing Owls favoured area revealed a few California Ground Squirrels which can look tantalizingly owl-like from a distance when they stand up outside their burrows. 

 Bird species; 24

Pied-billed Grebe 2, Great Blue Heron 1, Snowy Egret 2, Canada Goose 60, American Wigeon 4, Northern Shoveler 120, Ruddy Duck 1000, Turkey Vulture 3, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 2, American Coot 20, Anna’s Hummingbird 3, Bewick’s Wren 2, Northern Mockingbird 2, Western Bluebird 8, Bushtit 35, American Crow 4, House Finch 2, Lesser Goldfinch 6, Common Yellowthroat 2, California Towhee 1, Song Sparrow 5, Lincoln’s Sparrow 1, White-crowned Sparrow 25.

For other visits to Shoreline and the Palo Alto area try;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/palo-alto-baylands-san-fancisco.html

Otherwise consult the America and Canada page for posts from California and USA.

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/p/posts-from-usa-and-canada.html

Purisma Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is on Route 35, Skyline Boulevard. I had to take Highway 92 across the ridge to get to Half Moon Bay for the afternoon and popped into the preserve very quickly to record the following.

Bird species; 7

Acorn Woodpecker 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 12, Pygmy Nuthatch 2, Stellar’s Jay 4, Townsend’s Warbler 2, Dark-eyed Junco 5.

Shoreline at Mountain View. Palo Alto, SanFrancisco, California, USA.

Palo Alto Baylands, San Francisco, California, USA SFO

First light caught me pulling in at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center. The highlight here is the boardwalk that protects the salt marsh from trampling feet and takes visitors out to the edge of the lower lobe of San Francisco Bay (Google Earth ref; 37° 27’ 34”N, 122° 06’ 21”W).

 American Avocets roosted at high water, waiting for the levels to start dropping again and expose feeding opportunities in the fresh mud. 

My reason for coming here this morning is that I am convinced that one day, Lady Luck will smile on me and a Black Crake a California Clapper Rail and maybe even a Sora will pop into view None of them did any such thing, but you never know until you try. Song Sparrows aplenty and a Black Phoebe caught my eye, but no rallids. At the viewing platform at the end of the boardwalk, a few Least Sandpipers approached closely and even sat up out of the early morning shadows. 

There is a trail that leads around the back of the duck pond which leaves the morning light over your right shoulder when walking it in an anti-clockwise direction. A single Dunlin flew in and nearly landed at my feet. It stood tall and I became very excited, hoping for a moment that it might be a Stilt Sandpiper. I am far more used to seeing dumpy Dunlins hunched over, feeding in large flocks and it took a while to convince myself about this tall, slim singleton.

Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon and plenty more avocets were in the water on the right of the trail. On the left, a Red-tailed Hawk perched watchfully in a tree over-hanging the path. I talked gently to it as I passed under the branch that it was on and it ignored me until I was beyond it and had the light in my favour.

I find that talking to the birds has a two-fold benefit. It reassures the birds that I am not trying to creep up on them, so they don’t perceive me as a threat and don’t feel the need to maintain a prudent flight distance, while people who see me talking to birds do perceive me as a threat and feel the need to keep a prudent flight distance.

Although the hawk was looking out over the slough, none of the waterfowl appeared worried. Can they tell, for instance, that the redtail prefers rodents or perhaps that it had already eaten? Do ducks have a built-in field guide to enable them to identify threats? Neither this Ruddy Duck, nor the Canvasback paid the hawk very little attention. Perhaps they knew that they were safe from the hawk out on the water?

By the pond, pigeons and gulls waited for scraps from the duck feeders.

Western Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and a Glaucous-winged Gull 3rd yr (with a big bill that might indicate some western influences) sat patiently on posts waiting for the children that they knew would come.  

Some Herring Gull look-a-likes had no markings on their heads and were more likely to be pale-eyed westerns. 

Across the road, a Cooper’s Hawk waited quietly. The slough was draining and exposing lots of mud behind the hawk. Marbled Godwits, Grey (Black-bellied) Plover, Kildeer, and a few Long-billed Curlews probed here. There were plenty of dowitchers feeding on the newly exposed mud. The ones closer to me seemed to be chuckling as they fed, so I am assuming them to be Long-billed Dowitchers. I was not able to identify the rest of them with any real confidence.

A loon was hauled up onto a mudbank and belly-slid back into the water when it saw me. Here again I had a crisis of confidence. The diver, which I assumed to be a Common Loon, showed no neck markings. I had a fairly good look and at no point could I see any indentation that would have assured me of its provenance. The bill seemed robust enough, with the suggestion of an angle on the lower mandible, to allow me to overcome most of my doubts, but I was still niggled about the neck markings. Are they a constant feature in all plumages and forms? G is favouring Pacific. After trolling Flickr for Common Loons, I have to agree with G and concede that it is "slight". He is tactfully pushing me towards Pacific and I will agree with him. Thanks G.

I withdrew to a nearby restaurant for an early lunch. It had been a confusing morning and I wanted to consider the loon, gulls, dowitchers and Dunlin. I was greeted eagerly by the Spanish owner who clapped his hands and called excitedly to the kitchen staff, “ ‘El Gordo’, esta aqui y tiene hambre!”

Bird species; 42

Pacific Loon 1, Pied-billed Grebe 3, Clark’s Grebe 2, Brown Pelican 2, Double-crested Cormorant 6, Snowy Egret 3, American Wigeon 1, Gadwall 2, Green-winged Teal 25, Mallard 45, Northern Shoveler 80, Canvasback 5, Ruddy Duck 8, White-tailed Kite 1, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Coot 12, Black-necked Stilt 8, American Avocet 160, Grey (Black-bellied) Plover 4, Semi-palmated Plover 2, Killdeer 15, Long-billed Dowitcher 25, Marbled Godwit 35, Long-billed Curlew 4, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Willet 3, Western Sandpiper 25, Least Sandpiper 8, Dunlin 1, Ring-billed Gull 3, Glaucous-winged Gull 1, Western Gull 15 , Mourning Dove 8, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black Phoebe 2, Bushtit 15, American Crow 6, Yellow-rumped Warbler 6, Song Sparrow 8, White-crowned Sparrow 35.

Palo Alto Baylands is about 20 -25 miles south on Highway 101 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). There are a few access points from the 101 at Embarcadero Road, Terminal Boulevard and Shoreline Boulevard. The boardwalk and Interpretive Centre are at the end of Embarcadero Rd.
I had arranged to pick up a car from the airport which has a 24hr rental plaza. Catch the BART (San Francisco's Subway system. $8.20 one way from Powell St. Station. First trains from 04.30ish.) to the airport SFO and transfer onto the Airtrain which is the closed circuit airport transport system. Allow one hour from the hotel to the rental desk.

Other posts from San Francisco can be found at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/palo-alto-baylands-san-fancisco.html

There are more Californian and American posts on the dedicated page.
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/p/posts-from-usa-and-canada.html

Palo Alto Baylands, San Francisco, California, USA SFO

Mattheson Hammock, Miami, USA

James Bond had an Aston Martin DB5, suits from Saville Row and his trusty Walther PPK. John Steed, from 'The Avengers' preferred the Bentley, bowler and sword-stick. Even Austin Powers had a Jaguar E-type.

I was finding it difficult to maintain my 'International Man of Mystery' persona in my birding silks, riding a Mary Poppins bike that I had borrowed from the hotel.

Mattheson Hammock was 5 miles away. No public bus served the route, taxis are unreliable for return and 'Q' has been spending so much time trying to fix my lens, that he forgot to send the flying motorscooter. So a bicycle was the most practical solution, although I had hoped for one that would allow me to retain a bit of dignity and sexual credibility.

In my line of work where image will always take second place to practicality, I cut a fine dash as I passed some of my more flamboyant and outrageous colleagues on their way to..., well I'm not sure what they were going to do. They did tell me.., but I can't have heard them correctly. They called out and asked if I wanted to join them for a bit of Ruff. When I turned them down, they suggested Brambling (they were very knowledgeable about birds, considering). Having never brambled before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was quite fun.

I had been on an unproductive visit to Snapper Creek in the evening when I rode past my colleagues looking like Julie Andrews on patrol. The small river is very close to Best Buy. I had been promising myself a bridge camera for some time and since my lens may be out of action for a while, now seemed like a good time. I plumped for the Nikon P100. Fully charged and with the instruction manual briely glanced at, I set out into the darkness of the next morning.

The ride only took about 20 minutes on good flat roads, but the traffic was quite heavy on Old Cutler Road as I approached Mattheson Hammock (the bikes do not have lights, so make your own arrangements if you are setting out early or returning late).

The picnic area to the right of the entrance is my favourite place to start. There were Palm Warblers on the ground and a couple of Black-throated Blue Warblers in the trees. On the grass close to a lake were three White Ibis, probing the soft ground.

If you are planning to visit Matheson Hammock and hope to do so either early in the morning or later in the evening, bring insect repellent. Bring the strong stuff. The tiny biters were very irritating this morning despite frequent applications. Once the sun came up, they moved into the shade of the trees and the rest of the day was pleasantly insect-free.

The camera took a long time to warm up this morning. The air was warm and humid and the condensation kept forming on the glass that had been chilled in an air-conditioned room overnight. Note to self; next time, take out binoculars and wear them during the ride to give them a chance to acclimatise.

Other birds around the picnic area included Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Gray Catbird. The entrance to Fairchild Tropical Gardens is just beyond the picnic tables. I was attracted by a sharp "chyut." in a small tree. I couldn't see anything, so I hazarded a pish which produced a movement, but the bird remained in cover. I waited for a moment and pished again. This time the bird came out for a better look and I recognised the black streaking on the flanks, the black markings on the face and coloured throat of a Yellow-throated Warbler. I had never seen one before, but had passed over its image dozens of times as I scanned field guides to identify one of its Dendroica cousins.

An Anhingha was perched with its wings spread on a branch over the lake. The camera did not like to focus on the bird, but preferred the bushes beyond. I had to rely on manual focus to get a picture. A similar problem occurred when I tried to take pictures of birds in amongst foliage, but I wasn't quick enough to switch to manual focus for the Prairie Warbler or the Northern Cardinal.

Back at the entrance, I headed along the road, through the mangroves, to the shore. The road forks right towards the marina across the creek. The left fork leads to a large car park which looks out across a shallow bay and serves a water sports area and a lagoon beach.

The weather was threatening and it looked as if it might rain at any moment. Downtown Miami, in the distance to the north, looked as if it had displeased the Gods.

As the tide drops, beds of sea grass are exposed and this area is popular with herons. Great Blue and Little Blue Herons, Great Egrets and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron were hunting close to shore when I arrived and ventured further out as the water became shallower.

An artificial lagoon is usually a popular place for local sun and sand enthusiasts. There were a couple of diehards there today despite the leaden skies. A pair of Laughing Gulls in flight caught a stray sunbeam which threw their eye rings into stark contrast with the darkness of the approaching rain.

A flock on the lagoon were mostly Laughing Gulls, but one Herring Gull and a couple of Royal Terns were mixed in with them. I had to take a close look at the flock. The Laughing Gulls appeared to be of assorted sizes and I was hoping to tease a Franklin's Gull out one of the smaller ones, but I couldn't.

The lagoon has been constructed as a circular pond. There is a beach and a couple of lifeguard stations. A path runs around the outside and is washed by the inshore waters of the ocean. It has a couple of inlets that allow the pond to be flushed by each high tide. A small group of Ruddy Turnstones were feeding on the ocean side of the path.

I learned some new and exciting facts about Turkey Vultures today;

A flock of Turkey Vultures in the air circling to gain height is known as a 'kettle.'

A group on the ground is known as a 'venue.'

If you see them perched in a tree, you could use 'wake.'

The wings out stance that they adopt when perched is called the horaltic pose. I have found the term used frequently in reference to Turkey Vultures, but not to any other bird. Does it also apply to cormorants and other birds that extend their wings in a similar pose?

These facts come courtesy of various sites that I was searching through as I tried to find out about the light coloured growths on Turkey Vultures' faces. I don't know if they are caused by bacteria blooms or are they perhaps lappets gained through maturity?

A sudden wind heralded the imminent arrival of the rain. The Turkey Vultures on the ground beyond the lagoon spread their wings to greet it and lifted into the air without a single flap between them.

The only place to shelter from the downpour was the mens changing room. I felt a bit conspicuous standing in the doorway with my cissie bike, so I whistled a few lively show tunes to keep my spirits up.
Once the rain cleared, I took a last turn around the car park looking out across the grass beds. A distant Osprey was hopefully trailing its feet through the water as it flew out to a post in the middle of the bay. Some more Ruddy Turnstones were picking through washed up weed while a Willet bathed by the waterline.

On the way home a small Buteo caught my attention. It was clinging to the spike growing from the top of a palm. It was smaller and the breast was more heavily marked than the Red-tailed Hawks that I commonly see. Comparing the photo to a field guide, I believe it to be a Broad-winged Hawk, which would make it my second lifer for the day. 

To present a more holistic impression of Matheson Hammock it would be as well to include a few comments about other creatures apart from birds that were seen this morning. 

There were a few butterflies around including the ones pictured here. There were moths too, but if I were to start taking pictures of moths, I wouldn't have to go beyond my own wallet and wardrobe. 

There were lots of lizards that scurried away through the rustling undergrowth before I could get a look at them. I have photos of Cuban Anoles from my previous visits, but I cannot say with any certainty what this one is. 

We are into November now and I was surprised to see so many dragonflies still about. Very few settled for me to get a good look at, but I suspect that many were Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata and a few were Blue Dasher Pachydiplax Longipennis. This is a female Crimson Darter Crocothhemis servilia which is an introduced species. 

Talking of which, introduced exotics are very common in Florida and especially in Miami it would seem. Is there a collective noun for alien species? I saw half a treeful of them as I cycled back to the hotel. The extravagant whistling from a Hill Myna caught my ear. I found two of them in a bare tree with Canary-winged Parakeets, Common Starlings and a Eurasian Collared Dove. Across the road was a White-crowned Pigeon and overflying, a flock of Red-crowned Parrots. It was like being in an ex-pat enclave.

Bird species; 43
 
Brown Pelican 6, Double-crested Cormorant 40, American Anhinga 1, Great Blue Heron 4, Great Egret 2, Little Blue Heron 6, Yellow-crowned Night Heron 1, White Ibis 35, Turkey vulture 60, Black Vulture 1, Osprey 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2, Broad-winged Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, Common Moorhen 2, Willet 1, Ruddy Turnstone 15, American Herring Gull 1, Laughing Gull 60, Royal Tern 3, White-crowned Pigeon 1, Mourning Dove 4, Eurasian Collared Dove 4, Canary-winged Parakeet 50, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Gray Catbird 3, Northern Mockingbird 3, Blue/gray Gnatcatcher 3, Blue Jay 4, American Crow 15, Orange-crowned Warbler 2, Black-throated Blue Warbler 2, Yellow-throated Warbler 1, Prairie Warbler 1, Palm Warbler 12, Northern Cardinal 5, Red-winged Blackbird 5, Common Starling 50, Hill Myna 2, Boat-tailed Grackle 40.



Mattheson Hammock, Miami, USA