Upper Newport Bay

A tide was rising in Newport Back Bay. It would continue to do so until after midday when the heavenly effects would pass and the waters would flow back to the ocean.

Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve commands a view up and down the estuary from a raised position on the west side. At this time of day, the sun’s position and the reserve’s distance did not favour viewing of the incoming tide, however we stopped long enough to note someWestern Meadowlarks, Common Ravens and a hovering White-winged Kite.

Jerry, my generous companion for the day used to be a competitive glider pilot and we took a while to enjoy the Turkey Vultures which, most of all the soaring birds, make flight look effortless.

Back Bay Drive is a one way road, running from south to north with a 15mph speed limit. There is nothing much there except for the estuarine marsh, so most of the other road users had similar intent to us.

Proximity and sun position in the morning and early afternoon make for much better viewing than at the reserve. Since the road’s main purpose seems to be recreational marsh watching, there are plenty of pull offs along the route. From our first stop, at a raised position at the north end, we noted a few Redhead and Bufflehead amongst the more numerous Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon. On a distant sandbank, hundreds of waders were roosting in anticipation of high tide. American Avocets stood out as a pied patch, some bulky warm brown birds were probably Marbled Godwit, but distance denied us getting to know the other birds by name.

The northern end of Back Bay Road runs into East Bluff Road, which allowed us this little bit of back-to-fronty, but then we had to abide by the rules of the road and circle round to the southern end and start from there.

Once into the one-way section we noted Northern Pintail, Common Yellowthroat and a good number of Great and Snowy Egrets gathered in what must have been a productive spot.

At Big Canyon there is a car park and a short boardwalk. Sadly someone put up the birds that habitually roost close in and we watched hundreds of Willet and Marbled Godwit take to the air and disappear up the estuary. From across the road, a freshwater marsh and pond drain into the brackish water of the bay. Coots were gathered here to get a salt-free drink.

This was the most productive area along Back Bay Road and would warrant a little more time on a subsequent visit. A few of the waders had returned to a small beach and counted a Long-billed Curlew amongst their number.

While I was trying to get a picture of some American Wigeon, Jerry noticed a tightly packed flock of Snowy Egrets. The photographs here were enhanced when a latecomer arrived and tried to make a position for itself in the group.

I am beginning to think that it might be me. I have had to send off my Canon 50D for repairs twice already and it failed on me again today as we reached the top end of Back Bay Road. Currently, it refuses to take any pictures and it has been sent for repair for the third time in 14 months. This is in addition to my lens having been to the menders twice as well as my previous DSLR! Hopefully all will be better soon or the blog might go a bit quiet.

The Google Earth ref for the south end of Back Bay road is; 33* 36’ 55”N 117*  53’ 20”W . Arrival shortly before high tide would be most productive I would guess. Check tide times and heights at http://www.easytide.com/  Today’s tide was only 1.5m. A higher tide might force a few rails (potentially Sora, Virginia, Black and Light-footed Clapper) up and into view.

A last quick look over the fence at Shipley Nature Center accounted for the Townsend’s Warbler and Peregrine Falcon noted in the list below. Here, I had to say goodbye to Jerry who had been a great birdy buddy for the day and I would like to thank him very much for his company and his generosity.

Bird species; 34

Double-crested Cormorant 20, American Great Egret 4, Snowy Egret 15, American Wigeon 120, Green-winged Teal 80, Mallard 30, Northern Pintail 8, Blue-winged Teal 10, Cinnamon Teal 15, Northern Shoveler 150, Redhead 12, Bufflehead 12, Ruddy Duck 12, Turkey Vulture 12, White-tailed Kite 1, Red-tailed Hawk 3, American Kestrel 2, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 40, American Avocet, 150, Marbled Godwit 40, Long-billed Curlew 5, Willet 40, Western Gull 1, Caspian Tern 1, Black Phoebe 4, Common Raven 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 6, Townsend’s Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 2, Lesser Goldfinch 6, American Goldfinch 1, White-crowned Sparrow 4, Western Meadowlark 15.

Upper Newport Bay, Los Angeles, LAX, Orange County, California, USA

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