Pictures courtesy of Thomas Kutzschebauch and Ashok Khosla

Shoreline Lake 2.05.2006

Education

  

Adventure

  

Community

  

About

BBE

A chill wind came out of the south. Dawn was breaking. What's that? Ooopsie, not supposed to say that. "That," was a Black-crowned Night Heron, and another, and another, and another, and still more. Coming in to roost. Day roost. Sounds Scottish. Like Loch Ness. But I prattle......

George was there, and Curtis and Tate, and Sylvia (by accident; another story....but I think she survived o.k.) and, hey who's this? Mary! And Ann. And Jean? Joan? George-ann? I was doing so well....... and then with the Scones and Cappuccino....David and Tiffany. Everyone was bundled up, including the birds. All notes were high and thin, like the hiss of the could south wind. Anna's Hummingbird, the rattle of the Marsh Wren. "Clink!" hmmmmmmm California Towhee.

Speep! That wasn't high and thin. Black Phoebe. Jit, Chip, Gip, Jit, o.k., I get it, Yellow-rumped Warbler. Makes you appreciate what birds have to go through every night, all night, when you're bundled up in fleece, windbreakers, warm hats, two pair of gloves, long underwear...... House Finch. Sounding like a cage-bird. And a lone Lesser Goldfinch. Stared down by a Northern Mockingbird, but no performance today. Not a peep, chortle, rattle, nothing. The buzz of a Bewick's Wren. A few brief Bewick's Wren calls, but mostly buzzing. And then a flutter of wings and a flock of bandits. Not that high hissing sound again?! Cedar Waxwings. A bunch. I mean large flock. Or two flocks. Or three. A bunch. And then.....bbbrrrrrooooooonnnnnnKKK. A teachable moment. The difference between the Raven's call and the American Crow. And two representatives, one from each species, on opposing branches, belting out the calls for our educational purposes. ..... There was other stuff. Visibility was forever. The sunrise to live for. The company charming.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS

...as I remember them; kind of a lot to absorb, I know, but it was a good morning for learning. If that's what you're into:

  1. Gold in the crown of a sparrow
  2. Stifftails: w/stiff tails
  3. Male and female Bufflehead comparisons
  4. Male and Female Greater Scaup comparisons
  5. Rounded head of a Greater Scaup
  6. Female Scaup white-face vs. Blue-winged Teal white-face
  7. Mallard Redwood chest vs. Cinnamon Teal Cinnamon chest
  8. Beauty of a Gadwall's copper scapulars and silver tertials
  9. the importance of light at your back and low to the horizon to bring out the sheer beauty in birds
  10. Verticle flank bar in Green-winged Teal.
  11. Gorgeous colors of NORTHERN Shovelers. Bright white chest.
  12. Relative size as a field mark. White-tailed Kite vs. Red-tailed Hawk.
  13. Black and tan tail coverts of Green-winged Teal
  14. Head-bobbing of Moorhen; swims like anEgyptian (no offense to any Egyptians in class)
  15. Tiny barring on the primaries of Greater Yelllowlegs
  16. How a backlit Merlin can leave you wanting so much more
  17. Brown head gray body = female ............ ???? (quiz :))
  18. What "wide white rump" means. O.k., it was gray, but....... still......... Eared Grebe
  19. Round whtie patch uner the eye vs. swooshie white patch under the eye; Merged white of scapulars and flanks vs. white bars on scapulars separated from white on flanks. Common Goldeneye male vs. Barrow's Goldeneye male.
  20. Juvenile vs. Adult Black-crowned night heron (and in absentia, vs. American Bittern)
  21. Ring-billed gull's bill vs. California Gull's bill
  22. How important a nap is at 1. Sometimes.

Thanks to all for taking a big chunk of your Sunday to look at and talk about birds. See you Tuesday, I hope!

Bob

Trip List: (In little Blue Book order; i.e. this would be a good time to grab your little blue book and check off some birds, if you haven’t done so already).

  1. Canada Goose
  2. Gadwall
  3. American Wigeon
  4. Mallard
  5. blue-winged Teal
  6. Cinnamon Teal
  7. Northern Shoveler
  8. Green-winged Teal.
  9. Greater Scaup
  10. Surf Scoter
  11. Bufflehead
  12. Common Goldeneye
  13. Barrow's Goldeneye
  14. Ruddy Duck
  15. Pied-billed Grebe
  16. Eared Grebe
  17. Double-crested Cormorant
  18. Great Egret
  19. Snowy Egret – Pectonate…… vocab word of the day.
  20. Black-crowned Night Heron
  21. Turkey Vulture – V is for Vulture. Wings held in a high dihedral.
  22. White-tailed Kite
  23. Red-tailed Hawk
  24. Merlin
  25. Common Moorhen
  26. American Coot
  27. Black-necked Stilt
  28. American Avocet
  29. Greater Yellowlegs
  30. Willet
  31. Ring-billed Gull
  32. California Gull
  33. Anna’s Hummingbird – Did not play a major role in today’s trip. 2 seen.
  34. Black Phoebe*
  35. American Crow
  36. Common Raven
  37. Bushtit*
  38. Bewick's Wren
  39. Marsh Wren
  40. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  41. American Robin
  42. Northern Mockingbird
  43. Cedar Waxwing
  44. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  45. California Towhee
  46. Song Sparrow
  47. Golden-crowned Sparrow
  48. House Finch
  49. Lesser Goldfinch

Yes, of course I’ve forgotten something. If I remembered everything, that would make me even more perfect!

bob power

February .05. 2006