Our first day started with an opportunity to see a very rare visitor from distant lands! We get rare bird alerts via email from the local birding network. They reported that a Dusky Warbler had recently been banded near Redwood Creek across the road from Muir Beach. This is a rare bird from Asia!
First thing Monday morning we headed to the reported spot. We showed up at 7:15 a.m. and immediately ran into a handful of birders that had seen the Dusky Warbler on previous mornings. They were able to share the locations that the warbler had been seen in the past few days. Luckily for us, the Dusky Warbler has a very loud call note that made it easy to track down. Also, it was the only bird that was active at that time in the morning...it was still a little chilly. This bird was very camera shy- darting from coyote bush to coyote bush. These are not the greatest photos but this was one skulky little warbler- we were lucky it had such a loud call note and we had a handful of great views. We wish this little bird luck in getting back on track :- )
Spider webs greeted us around every corner.....each one more beautiful and unique:-)
Song Sparrows everywhere
It had been awhile since we had seen Chestnut-backed Chickadees
Golden-crowned Sparrow
A Pair of California Towhees; it seems like I usually see California Towhees in pairs versus the Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees seem to be seen alone and appear much more secretive
We had wonderful views of Tricolored Blackbirds....their cocked tail is one of the characteristics that helps to differentiate them from Red-winged Blackbirds. They are also typically found in large groups in cow pens...
We think the bird below is a Red-throated Loon
This is a Common Loon in transition plumage - from breeding to non-breeding
Elegant Tern, Double-crested Cormorant & Brown Pelican
Black Turnstones
10 Mile Beach
A banded Red-tailed Hawk
And here is its band...
A Fox Sparrow digging in the dirt, looking for a snack
We have participated in counting the Snowy Plovers on Stinson Beach for the past 5 years. We were looking to see if we could find the group of Snowy Plovers that we usually have on the beach to find any birds with bling (otherwise known as bands).....they were tucked in their depressions in the sand...
All of a sudden they started to move.....
Rodeo Lagoon- another rare bird alert right around the corner...
We received another rare bird alert ... there was a White Wagtail in Rodeo Lagoon!
Wagtails are birds of open areas and have the habit of wagging their tails while walking. In North America, this birds occurs as a breeding species only in northwestern Alaska. So this guy ended up off the beaten path for migration. They winter in southwestern China, Philippines, & Singapore.
Killdeer and White Wagtail
Las Galinas Waste Water Treatment Plant
We were greeted by a group of Bushtits...
Male Lesser Goldfinch
Female Lesser Goldfinch
Eared Grebe
This is the first Great-tailed Grackle we have seen in Marin...
Mute Swans are not endemic to North America but are doing very well here...we saw approximately 8-10 swans on our walk
Savannah Sparrow
We spotted one Greater White-fronted Goose
Western Meadowlark
Female Northern Pintail
Male Northern Pintail
Male Northern Shoveler coming into breeding plumage
Hamilton Wetlands
What a success story....transformation of an old Air Force base into incredible wetlands!
Birds, birds, birds....shorebirds...mostly Dunlins and Sanderlings.
Birds, birds, birds....shorebirds...mostly Dunlins and Sanderlings.
Long-billed Curlews
Abbott's Lagoon
Turtle & Hawk
Such an incredible wealth of birds! We are always excited when we see a rare bird, but I always feel a bit sad and hope (as you said) that it finds its way back to where it's supposed to be. And very cool that you saw a leucistic Red-tail!
ReplyDeleteI just hit one of two albino red tailed hawks that were grappling for food. One of them landed on the freeway. It started flying but I could not slow down enough, let alone swerve.
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