Locations: 1637 Menlo Ave, Arcade US-CA (38.5948,-121.3499) (26 m)

Site Description: I went birding in my backyard in Sacramento, California. There are various trees and shrubs in my backyard. Some trees are pretty tall while others are medium sized and the branches came down to just above eye level so some birds could be seen. I heard lots of chirping and bird sounds, but I found it hard to get a visual on all of the birds — just because the trees branches were so dense and it was hard to find the source of the sound. I walked around the backyard and also was looking around the trees in my neighbor’s yards. My neighbor has a very open grassy area in his yard and I saw a few swallows flying around over the grass. They also landed in a tree in my yard, after which I was able to identify it as a tree swallow. The area overall is flat and quiet overall. I did not see any birds on the ground level or in the lower bushes. Most were in the tree branches or they quickly flew overhead. I saw around 5 taxa and the key bird species seen included: American Crow, Oak Titmouse, Tree Swallow, swallow sp., Black Phoebe, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

Species Account: Oak Titmouse was a key new species I saw while I was birding. These birds were seen in the small trees. They were very quick but when they stopped they were noted to have a gray head and a white underbody. Its feathers on its head were shaped like a mohawk on its head. It made a high pitch chirping sound that was very distinctive, and matched the one on the Sibley guide. According to the Sibley Guide, these birds are an overall drab gray color on the head and wings with a white underside. They are known to be found in oak trees, although they also live in areas of open pine or other species of trees (All About Birds). Oak Titmouse belong to the order Passeriformes and the family Paridae (Wikipedia). Oak Titmouse flit between branches and fly with shallow undulating flight (All About Birds). Their diet mainly includes insects, nuts, and seeds (Audubon). Oak Titmouse choose their mates for life (Audubon). Females lay 6-7 eggs in each brood  and the young leave the nest about 16-24 days after hatching (Audubon).  

Narrative:

I went birding for about an hour in my backyard. I started birding around 3 pm and the weather was very nice. The sun was out and there was no wind or overcast. It was a very clear day. I mainly was looking in the branches for any movement and that is where I saw the majority of the birds. There was a couple times when I saw something move but it turned out to be squirrel. I did not see many soaring birds. I only saw a couple of swallows flying overhead/close to the ground very quickly. The birds that I saw in my neighbor’s yard that flew close to the ground very quickly I identified as swallows based on their flight, but I was unsure of their exact species because they were so quick. But I did identify a couple tree swallows when they landed in the tree. I also spotted a couple birds on the fence in the yard. Usually the birds would only sit on the fence for a few seconds before flying away. The Mourning Doves were one of the first ones I noticed. They were pretty big compared to the other birds (other than the crow I saw). The Mourning Dove had speckled spotting on its wing area. The Yellow-Rumped Warbler was a unique find for me because I did not see it at first because it was so blended in the branches. But I saw the bright yellow coloration stand out near its neck, and the black and white striations on its back. The Oak Titmouse was seen with a few others. They had a distinctive mohawk of feathers on their head, which helped me identify them. The Sibley App also allowed me to confirm the ID using the recordings. I saw one Black Pheobe when it landed on the fence. I was able to identify it by its gradient going to black to gray from head to tail. I was happy to see a familiar bird in Sacramento that we first saw in SF. Overall, I was happy with this trip because although I did not see a large number of birds. I did not think that I would see many birds during this time in my own backyard but I was surprised to see some of the ones I did!

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S65992835

 

Locations: 309 Smith Ranch Rd, San Rafael US-CA (38.0257,-122.5176) (5 m)

Site Description: We visited the Sanitary District area in San Rafael and made one main stop. We walked along the trails surrounding the site. It was mainly a marshland with a couple of pond-like bodies of water (see photo). The trails ran alongside the water and looped around back to the parking area where we began walking. There were smaller islands within the larger pond areas that had many of birds within the shrubbery there. One of the main birds we saw on these islands were the Black-crowned Night-Herons. These birds were perched up sitting in the branches. There were many unique species of birds that we had not seen before. There were several other people seen recreationally walking along the trail — some with other people and some just walking their dog. It was a very quiet and overall flat area. There were some trees along the trails, but they were not very tall. Along the shoreline, there was mainly bushes and shrubs along with some short trees. We saw Marsh Wren coming in and out of these bushes that were along the shore. These shrubs and trees were mainly at our eye-line. There was also a palm tree along one of the trails. There were not many steeps inclines along these trails. There were not many different elevations and but we were able to see a large variety of species on this trip due to diversity of waterbirds. Birds were seen at all levels— from the ground to the sky. We also learned some new bird sounds with Professor Paul’s help. Many birds sounds were heard and properly identification of the call helped us identify the bird — mainly for the Marsh Wren because it was hard to see this bird as it was so fast. There were around 40 taxa observed and the key bird species seen included: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Green-winged Teal (American), Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Mourning Dove, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Killdeer, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Forster’s Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Downy Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, swallow sp., Marsh Wren, European Starling, House Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brewer’s Blackbird.

Species Account: Marsh Wren were a key new species seen on this field trip. These birds were seen in the small trees/bushes that were along the shore. The Marsh Wren were very quick and hard to spot — as they would flit from branch to branch very fast and disappear into the bushes. The birds were hard to get a visual on because they were so fast. But overall, they looked brown and had a distinctive call that was pointed out by Professor Paul. According to the Sibley Guide, these birds are a rufous-brown color on their wings and tail and prominent white coloration on their eyebrow area. They are known to be found in tall reeds of wet marshes, which is exactly where we saw them along the shore in a heavily wooded (that looked almost like tall hay coming out of the ground). They made a distinctive call that sounded somewhat like a repetitive rolling squeak/rattle like noise. It also fluctuated in pitch —  almost like an up and down from high pitch to low pitch very rapidly. Marsh Wren belong to the order Passeriformes and the family Troglodytidae (Wikipedia). Marsh Wren are described as overall small and round-bodied birds (All About Birds). Marsh Wren quickly flap their wings and make short flights within the marsh– flitting from branch to branch– and they grab onto the stalk of the branch (All About Birds). Songs are known to differ among Marsh Wren found in the East and those found in the West — with the Western birds having more songs and tend to be more complex (Audubon). Their diet mainly includes insects (Audubon). Females tend to lay 4-5 eggs in each brood (two each year) and the young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching (Audubon).  

Narrative: The class drove to San Rafael for this field trip. We left around 8 am on Thursday morning. It was a nice day overall with some overcast. The sun was not out much, but there were some times when the clouds would clear up and the sun would be out. It was not too cold and but there was a slight breeze. There was no fog coverage so it was a clear day to go birding and see birds nearby. We could also see the soaring birds well — like hawks and Turkey Vultures. We walked the area along the sanitary district near the water. There were lots of birds as soon as we arrived— mainly shorebirds and birds from Charadriiformes. We started at the parking area and wrapped around the first pond. We saw lots of blackbirds in the trees/along powerlines as soon as we arrived (see photo) We then continues and walked into the first and second pond areas and then continues to walk along the side of the second pond. We then turned around and made a full loop before returning to the parking lot. Small birds like sparrows and wrens were seen in the lower shrubs. Other birds like hawks, vultures, and crows could be seen higher in the sky or in taller trees. Apart from birds, we saw some river otters in the water. There were a few swimming around — we could only see them bobbing up and down in the water. We got to see a couple new and unique species to see that we had not seen before. For example, we got to see Marsh Wrens for the first time and hear their unique call. We observed how fast they flew in and out of the bushes. It was hard to see them because they were so fast. There were many birds in the air and we got the chance to see a couple new kinds of birds on this trip including: White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier and a couple new sparrow species. The flat marshland also allowed for us to get visuals on hawks that were flying in the air. We were able to see a couple White-tailed Kites in the air. We saw one circling and looking for its prey. We had the opportunity to see a couple of swans in the water as well. Ducks and geese were the most numerous birds seen on the trip. I enjoyed this field trip because we had the chance to see many new species and more of the species we have already seen. It was also very eye-opening because it shows how difficult it is to identify birds in the duck family because they look very similar. 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S65463714

Locations: Muir Beach, Redwood Creek Riparian Corridor US-CA (37.8615,-122.5753) (5 m)

Site Description: We visited the Muir Beach area and made one main stop. We followed a loop along a dirt trail that was neighboring the actual beach. We started in the parking lots and walked on a trail along the driveway into the lot. There were lots of shrubs along this trail that were at our eye-line. There were also small to tall sized trees that we could spot birds in. We entered another dirt path area that was along horse stables and more open grasslands. There were mainly shrubs and some trees along this part of the trail. Some areas were widely open— like near the stables— where we were able to see swallows flying around. Some areas had open areas or short shrubs, where we were able to see many kinds of sparrows. There were areas of muddy dirt with littles grass coverage — like near the stables. There were also some tall grass areas that we ventured off the trail for and walked into. It was a mixed forested area with  some tall coniferous trees and some widely open areas with a huge variety of birds present overall. There were not many steeps inclines along these trails. There were different elevations and different views that allowed us to see a large variety of species on this trip. Birds were seen at all levels— from the ground to the sky. Some of the birds were hard to track as the smaller birds would flit around from branch to branch and it was sometimes difficult to get a good look at it. Many birds sounds were also hard, which helped in the identification process as well. The area where we walked was near the beach but not too close so the sounds of cars and people were pretty quiet so it was overall nice and scenic. A total of 30 taxa were observed and the key bird species seen included: Clark’s Grebe, Anna’s Hummingbird, Western Gull, gull sp., Brandt’s Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Black Phoebe, Steller’s Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, swallow sp., Wrentit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pygmy Nuthatch, American Robin, House Finch, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, California Towhee and Red-winged Blackbird.

Species Account: Red-Winged Blackbirds were a key new species seen on this field trip. These birds were one of the first species seen as soon as we arrived. They were seen resting on the fence along a trail. The birds were black colored overall with a distinctive bright red patch on their wing area. When they fly overhead, you can see the distinctive bright red patch in their wing area — a key identifying feature. Based on the Sibley Guide, these birds were most likely adult males. They made a distinctive call that sounded somewhat like a squeak toy. It also fluctuated in pitch —  almost like an up and down from high pitch to low pitch very rapidly. Red-Winged Blackbirds belong to the order Passeriformes and the family Icteridae (Wikipedia). Red-Winged Blackbirds are a medium-sized blackbird that are very common in North America year round (Sibley). Males are black with the red shoulder patch, while females are streaked brown (Sibley). They are known to nest in wet, fresh and saltwater marshes, or brushy habitats (All About Birds). They tend to breed in pairs and pairs usually nest in close proximities — they even flock with other starlings and blackbirds sometimes (All About Birds). Their diet includes seeds and invertebrates (Sibley). Males are known to sit in high areas and make their calls to females, while females tend to stay lower to do their hunting (All About Birds).

Narrative: The class drove to Muir Beach for this field trip. We left around 8 am on Thursday morning. It was a sunny and warm day in the Bay Area and it continued to warm up later in the day. There was still a slight breeze. There was no fog coverage so it was a nice clear day to go birding. Upon arriving, we were accompanied by Dr. Paul’s neighbor, who is also an avid birder. We hiked the area around the beach where we parked the car. There were lots of birds as soon as we arrived— like the Red-Winged Blackbird, Ravens, and Crows to name a few. We started at the parking lot and wrapped around the area following trails along horse stables and last visited the beach overlook. Small birds like chickadees and sparrows were seen in the lower shrubs. Other birds like hawks, ravens, and crows could be seen higher in the sky or in taller trees. Some spots had very tall coniferous trees, in which a Red Tailed Hawk was seen to land in. Apart from birds, we saw some horses, some butterflies and even lizard along the trails. We got to see a couple new and unique species to see that we had not seen before. For example, we got to see swallows for the first time and observed their quick and undulating flight in the air — as they quickly flew up and down in the open areas. There were many birds in the air and we got the chance to see multiple kinds of hawks/falcons on this trip including: Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon. The peregrine falcon was seen from a very far distance as it was soaring high in the sky, riding the thermals. It was seen at a higher elevation than a Red-Tailed Hawk that was also soaring at that moment in time. There were also many Turkey Vultures seen as usual. When we ended at the beach area, we had the chance to see a Clark’s Grebe in the water. It was diving down and emerging about 30 seconds later. I enjoyed this field trip because we had the chance to see many new species and more of the species we have already seen. It was also very engaging because the bird activity was so high in the area.

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S65215143