Point Blue: Palomarin Field Station
October 11, 2o23
(37° 56′ 3″ N, 122° 44′ 50″ W, ~200ft)
https://ebird.org/checklist/S152487723
Site Description:
The Palomarin Field Station was a mix of shrubs and tall trees. It was situated in the middle of what seemed like tall tree forests. We were told about the succession that occurred here, and how there was once a church school that was here. We walked through areas where they do the mis netting, and it was cool to see the variety of trees, paths, and elevations they walk through. The paths to the mis nets were pretty small and narrow, and you definitely have to concentrate in order to navigate them. The birds seemed to co-exist pretty well and I was surprised at the amount of scrub jays that I saw at the site.
Species Account:
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
The Hermit Thrush was the bird that the folks at the center ended up catching in the mis net, and it was cute to see it up close. They tend to be small, between the size of a sparrow and robin, and have a round head and long tail. Something cute is that they tend to like to stand up straight. They tend to have spots on their throat and chest area, and a thin eye ring. They tend to eat insects by foraging, and can be seen hopping and scrapping in leaf piles in order to forage. In terms of habitat they tend to be in forest under stories, specifically edges and openings. There are three main groups of Hermit Thrushes: Pacific, West, and Eastern. The one we saw seemed to belong to the West group. Something interesting is that they tend to nest on the ground or in low vegetation. They tend to build their nests out of grass, leaves, pine needles, wood, mud, and lichen. It takes 7-10 days to build a nest. They usually lay 3-6 eggs at a time.
Narrative:
The drive to the station was really scenic and had a lot of turns. Me and Fiza got thrown around a lot in the back but we didn’t really mind, it felt like being on a rollercoaster. I noticed how when we pulled up to the station there wasn’t really any service, which just shows how remote and kind of secluded the station is. It was really quiet and peaceful, and we saw a lot of birds circling around in the sky, and even just jumping down to the ground for a bit and then flying back up into their tree. Before we showed up I remember Professor Paul mentioning how the last class wasn’t able to see any banding as no bird was caught, so I was really hoping we’d get to see one, and luckily we did. It was funny to see how the bird was transported from the net in a little cloth bag, and how it was banded and weighed. It was surprisingly calm, and just taking everything in. It was funny to see how they weighed the bird by putting it upside down in a little tube. Learning about the types of bands, trackers, and what they do when they catch a bird that’s already been banded was interesting.
Works Cited:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/lifehistory