First Year: Christmas Bird Count
At the last minute I contacted one of the area leaders, David Berman (who was an instructor for my naturalist course) and he allowed me to join his group in area 15 of Western Sonoma County. We met in Duncan's Mills (got delicious coffee!) and left to meet up again at Russia House. The staff came out and helped us bird right there at the Jenner Bridge. It was wonderful to meet everyone and see how passionate they were about this job! Loved it! Even as a novice birder, each person took time to teach me something special, and I was sure to hang out with the other beginners so that everyone was included. But boy was it COLD! We walked a lot today and I think some people wouldn't have been able to handle it. We had a lot of ground to cover and yet, we spent sufficient time each place that we went. I was amazed how many species we saw. As usual, the only camera I had on me was my phone which was next to useless for birding but I took a couple shots of the gorgeous surroundings. Also, I only added observations that I personally witnessed and actually saw/heard. There were many others that I wasn't there for or that I "heard" we had tallied on our list, but I didn't want to include those here. I wanted to make sure I added this to mark my first year and to keep practicing these particular birds. What a fun way to spent a holiday Sunday!!
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Cormorants and Shags (Family Phalacrocoracidae)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Cormorants
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What
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Lots of these although we only counted them until 11am
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What
Merlin (Falco columbarius)Observer
bjoelleDescription
I found this one at the end of Willow Creek road way in the distance at the top of a redwood. We originally thought this was a Cooper's Hawk but I got an email from the group after the hike with photos showing this had been a Merlin.
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What
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)Observer
bjoelleDescription
several of these seen all day, including a juvenile perched over a field at the end of the day
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What
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)Observer
bjoelleDescription
On our way out of the canyon flying from a telephone pole
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What
Typical Falcons (Genus Falco)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Saw it flying straight over my head. Others argued which species it could be, so we decided to make it falco spp.
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What
American Coot (Fulica americana)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Finally learned this bird. Saw several.
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What
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)Observer
bjoelleDescription
learned how to ID these from other gulls
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What
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
debated over this one for several minutes then saw it fly dramatically over our heads
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What
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Heard them all day, never saw a single one. But they must have been everywhere around us!
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What
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Saw many of these today. I watched some interesting behaviors including flycatching and digging around on the ground
Photos / Sounds
What
Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Saw three of these in a Douglas Fir flycatching.
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What
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)Observer
bjoelleDescription
heard these mostly and caught glimpses.
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What
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)Observer
bjoelleDescription
saw several of these early in the morning in and around coyote brush and flying to fence posts
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What
Common Raven (Corvus corax)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Many of these were out, flying in groups up high and shouting their loud call. We didn't see a single crow all day.
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What
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
saw these in a "great spot" because according to the other birders they are often hard to see in the bushes. These were on exposed branches of the brush and easy to watch and listen to.
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What
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Started the day not knowing this bird very well and started spotting them everywhere...
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What
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)Observer
bjoelleDescription
I've finally learned this bird - even through its song which I don't even have to think about anymore
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What
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Saw three at the ranch out on fence posts at the end of Willow Creek road
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What
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Another new bird (for me) learned. Started the day not knowing anything about these and finally was picking them out each time. Favorite moment: when a hermit thrush was digging through the grass looking for bugs/worms and suddenly a gopher underneath pulled at the grass it was standing on. It flew outta there so fast!
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American Robin (Turdus migratorius)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Saw so many of these you could just lose count. And we did! But we did our best to estimate them each time
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Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)Observer
bjoelleDescription
Learned a lot about these little guys today - common.
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Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)Observer
bjoelleDescription
saw lots of these sparrows as well. very common
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White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)Observer
bjoelle
Photos / Sounds
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Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)Observer
bjoelle
Photos / Sounds
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Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)Observer
bjoelleDescription
another common bird, that I can I.D. easily even by sound
Photos / Sounds
What
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
a group of these sitting at the top of a redwood tree on the boundary of the ranch at the end of Willow Creek
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Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
saw two of these in a large alder stand along Willow Creek. They were hard to see but I stayed with it. The color wasn't purple as I expected but Richard explained that they appeared "stained" like by raspberry juice
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What
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)Observer
bjoelleDescription
saw two separate groups of these flying together -- how pretty!!
Comments
Awesome! :)
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