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