Hi Friends,

Yesterday morning, Saturday Nov 5, ten birders checked out Daley Ranch. It was a sunny warm day, but cool breezes helped to make the walk very enjoyable.

Because of the drought, all of the ponds with water that we usually visit, are completely dry. However, we did manage to find 36 different bird species.

There were Wrentits everywhere. The best birds were the Hermit Thrush, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. These birds along with many other different birds were seen near the Ranch House. There is a horse drinking water trough and other smaller water pans for dogs. There is also some water on the ground which attracts the birds. We spent about about a half hour at this water area — sitting on benches in the shade, while observing the birds. Great up-close views and photo-ops!

Here’s our bird list:

Northern Pintail
Duck sp.
California Quail
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Cassin’s Kingbird
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Oak Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Wrentit
California Thrasher
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Fox Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch

JIM BECKMAN trip leader