Fall is coming slowly this year and so, it seems, the volume of migratory birds flying through is far from its peak. Nonetheless, our group of 20 enthusiastic, energetic and happy birders did manage to collect a tally of 63 species today. Greg kindly had the gate opened as 7:30 for us, so a few early birders were able to get a jump on the rest and spotted at least one bird, the redhead duck, that others missed out on. Glenn and his grandson, Luke, visitors from Santa Rosa, were a pleasure to have along. Hal Benham’s eyes and identification skills helped tremendously as did his scope, which, as it turned out, was the only scope along. Some birds just seemed to come out on queue, like the Loggerhead Shrike that regularly makes his appearance. It is as if he is tied to a long chain. One of our young birders, Alex, must has spotted a dozen birds for us and, of course, he could identify them all. We all seemed to enjoy our “coffee break” of donuts and refreshments between our trek to the North end of the lake, and the South. Afterwards, The Pitstop filled empty stomachs of many as we were taken back to the ’60’s marveling at old cars and trivia from the time. Weather was great, as was the crowd. We now look forward to doing this all again in the spring.
Flyin’ high, as usual,
Doug Walkley
| October 8, 2016 | October 10, 2015 | September 27, 2014 | |||||||
| SWANS, GEESE & DUCKS | |||||||||
| Wood Duck | Wood Duck | ||||||||
| Gadwall | |||||||||
| Mallard | Mallard | Mallard | |||||||
| Cinnamon Teal | Cinnamon Teal | ||||||||
| Northern Shoveler | Northern Shoveler | Northern Shoveler | |||||||
| Green-winged Teal | |||||||||
| Bufflehead | |||||||||
| Ring-necked | |||||||||
| Redhead | |||||||||
| Rudy Duck | Rudy Duck | Rudy Duck | |||||||
| GREBES & CORMERANTS | |||||||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | Pied-billed Grebe | Pied-billed Grebe | |||||||
| Horned Grebe | |||||||||
| Eared Grebe | Eared Grebe | Eared Grebe | |||||||
| Western Grebe | |||||||||
| BITTERNS & EGRETS | |||||||||
| Great Blue Heron | |||||||||
| Great Egret | Great Egret | Great Egret | |||||||
| Snowy Egret | Snowy Egret | Snowy Egret | |||||||
| Green Heron (4) | Green Heron | Green Heron | |||||||
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Black-crowned Night-Heron | ||||||||
| Double-crested Cormerant | |||||||||
| AMERICAN VULTURES | |||||||||
| Turkey Vulture | Turkey Vulture | ||||||||
| HAWKS & FALCONS | |||||||||
| Osprey | |||||||||
| Northern Harrier | Northern Harrier | ||||||||
| Cooper’s Hawk | Cooper’s Hawk | Cooper’s Hawk | |||||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Red-shouldered Hawk | Red-shouldered Hawk | |||||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | Red-tailed Hawk | Red-tailed Hawk | |||||||
| American Kestrel | American Kestrel | American Kestrel | |||||||
| RAILS, COOTS & STILTS | |||||||||
| Sora (H) | Sora (H) | Sora | |||||||
| Common Gallinule | |||||||||
| American Coot | American Coot | American Coot | |||||||
| PLOVERS & SANDPIPERS | |||||||||
| Black-necked Stilt | Black-necked Stilt | ||||||||
| Killdeer | Killdeer | ||||||||
| Greater Yellowlegs | |||||||||
| Spotted Sandpiper | Spotted Sandpiper | ||||||||
| Red-necked Phalarope | |||||||||
| GULLS | |||||||||
| Western Gull | |||||||||
| TERNS | |||||||||
| PIGEONS & DOVES | |||||||||
| Rock Pigeon | |||||||||
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Eurasian Collared-Dove | ||||||||
| Mourning Dove | Mourning Dove | Mourning Dove | |||||||
| TYPICAL OWLS | |||||||||
| Great Horned Owl | |||||||||
| HUMMINGBIRDS | |||||||||
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | Black-chinned Hummingbird | ||||||||
| Anna’s Hummingbird | Anna’s Hummingbird | Anna’s Hummingbird | |||||||
| Allen’s Hummingbird | Allen’s Hummingbird | Allen’s Hummingbird | |||||||
| KINGFISHERS | |||||||||
| Belted Kingfisher | Belted Kingfisher | ||||||||
| WOODPECKERS | |||||||||
| Nuttall’s Woodpecker | Nuttall’s Woodpecker | Nuttall’s Woodpecker | |||||||
| Downy | Downy Woodpecker | ||||||||
| Northern Flicker | Northern Flicker | ||||||||
| FLYCATCHERS & SHRIKES | |||||||||
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher | Pacific-slope Flycatcher | ||||||||
| Black Phoebe | Black Phoebe | Black Phoebe | |||||||
| Say’s Phoebe | Say’s Phoebe | Say’s Phoebe | |||||||
| Cassin’s Kingbird | Cassin’s Kingbird | Cassin’s Kingbird | |||||||
| Loggerhead Shrike | Loggerhead Shrike | ||||||||
| VIREOS | |||||||||
| JAYS & CROWS | |||||||||
| Western Scrub-jay | Western Scrub-jay | Western Scrub-jay | |||||||
| American Crow | American Crow | American Crow | |||||||
| Common Raven | |||||||||
| SWALLOWS & SWIFTS | |||||||||
| Tree Swallow | Tree Swallow | ||||||||
| Barn Swallow | Barn Swallow | Barn Swallow | |||||||
| White-throated Swift | |||||||||
| BUSHTITS | |||||||||
| Bushtit | Bushtit | Bushtit | |||||||
| WRENS | |||||||||
| House Wren | House Wren | House Wren | |||||||
| Marsh Wren | Marsh Wren | Marsh Wren | |||||||
| Wrentit | |||||||||
| KINGLETS & GNATCATCHERS | |||||||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Ruby-crowned Kinglet | |||||||
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | ||||||||
| BLUEBIRDS, THRUSHES & ALLIES | |||||||||
| MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS | |||||||||
| Northern Mockingbird | Northern Mockingbird | Northern Mockingbird | |||||||
| California Thrasher | California Thrasher | California Thrasher | |||||||
| STARLINGS & WAXWINGS | |||||||||
| European Starling | European Starling | ||||||||
| WARBLERS | |||||||||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Orange-crowned Warbler | ||||||||
| Yellow Warbler | |||||||||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Yellow-rumped Warbler | Yellow-rumped Warbler | |||||||
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Black-throated Gray Warbler | ||||||||
| American Redstart | |||||||||
| Common Yellowthroat | Common Yellowthroat | Common Yellowthroat | |||||||
| Wilson’s Warbler | Wilson’s Warbler | Wilson’s Warbler | |||||||
| TOWHEES & SPARROWS | |||||||||
| Spotted Towhee | Spotted Towhee | Spotted Towhee | |||||||
| California Towhee | California Towhee | California Towhee | |||||||
| Savannah Sparrow | |||||||||
| Song Sparrow | Song Sparrow | Song Sparrow | |||||||
| Lincoln Sparrow | |||||||||
| White-crowned Sparrow | White-crowned Sparrow | White-crowned Sparrow | |||||||
| ORIOLES & BLACKBIRDS | |||||||||
| Red-winged Blackbird | Red-winged Blackbird | Red-winged Blackbird | |||||||
| Great-tailed Grackle | |||||||||
| FINCHES & ALLIES | |||||||||
| House Finch | House Finch | House Finch | |||||||
| Lesser Goldfinch | Lesser Goldfinch | Lesser Goldfinch | |||||||
| American Goldfinch | American Goldfinch | ||||||||
| OLD WORLD SPARROWS | |||||||||
| 63 Species in Total | 56 Species in Total | 66 Species in Total | |||||||
