Locations:

Stinson Beach, US-CA (37.9062,-122.6505) (1 m)

Site Description: We visited a few locations along the highway in an area around Stinson Beach. We took a first stop along the highway. This area was mainly flat and was a viewpoint with a good look of the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. It was a marshy area with lots of waterfowl present. There were some shrubs/bushes and small trees along with muddy areas near the water. Most of the area along this point were widely open and not heavily shaded where we were standing. The other two stops we took were both a couple minutes down the road where we had another look of the same lagoon, but we were able to see some different birds. They were the same type of areas as the first stop. Most of the birds seen were pretty stationary in the water. There were also a couple flocks we saw while observing the birds. The area was right alongside a highway and a school, so there was some noise from cars and people. But it was overall pretty quiet and scenic. The key bird species that were seen included: Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Anna’s Hummingbird, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Western Gull, Larus, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Song Sparrow, and some unspecified duck and gull species.

Species Account: Long-billed Curlews were seen a few times on this field trip. Curlews are known to be found along much of the Pacific and Atlantic Coastlines along with the midwest area (eBird). Curlews tend to be is mottled brown overall, with cinnamon underwings– sometimes have striping on the head (Bird Web). Curlews are one of the largest shorebirds and they have a larger than average sized body. They are a long-legged shorebird with a long and thin curved bill with long neck and small head (All About Birds). Their habitat includes short grassed areas along with wetlands, mudflats, flooded fields, beaches, and sometimes prairie (Audubon). Curlews forage and mainly eat burrowing prey like earthworms, shrimp, crabs in the mud along the shore with sharp jerky pecking movements in both their bill movement and their walk (All About Birds).

Narrative: The class drove to Stinson Beach for this field trip. We left around 8 am on Thursday morning. It was slightly chilly in the morning with fog. It was cold near the Lagoon with some fog coverage, but the birds in the water could still be easily seen. There were a couple flocks seen in the sky during the trip and there were a lot of birds in the water and along the shoreline– both in the trees and bushes/shrubs. It was interesting to see how there were some species seen at all three stops and some birds were unique at the locations– despite them being so close. I enjoyed this field trip for the new types of water birds we saw in the lagoon, along with the new perspective of views.

Additional Photos or Media:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S64437372