Date: Thursday, February 6th, 2020

Locations: Mount Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley, CA (37.8796,-122.5548)

Marin, CA (37.8671, -122.5804)

81 Seascape Dr, Muir Beach, CA (37.8629,-122.5851)

Site descriptions: We went to three different sites in Marin county. The first, Mount Tamalpais State Park, had an almost elevated terrain with a wide variety of shrubs and conifers. We walked through an open dirt path up to a clearing with lots of shrubs. Our second location was about a mile down from where we started. We stopped at an empty dirt road with large coniferous trees and a stream that used to hold salmon. Our third location was an overlook by Muir Beach. This location was on a cliff and allowed us to see high-flying species such as turkey vultures.

Species account: A species we came across multiple times within our trip was the Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata). Although I only observed the species once within the outing, I was able to recognize it with its distinct call various times. As they tend to linger inside shrubs, we mostly relied on their call to locate them. They were often heard and seldom seen. Their call resembled a ping-pong ball being dropped on a table. It was difficult to see as its brown-grey plumage allowed it to blend in with its habitat. Wrentits are fairly small birds with large, round heads, long legs, and pointed tails which are often held at different angles. With a diet of mostly insects and berries, they tend to forage in dense low brush. In regards to nesting, they have the ability to mate for life. Pairs typically remain together on nesting territories during all seasons. Nestlings are often fed by both parents, and they leave the nest about 15-16 days after hatching.

Narrative: We went to three different locations during this trip, seeing some common birds within the three areas and some different. We noticed the presence of some species, such as Allen’s Hummingbird and Anna’s Hummingbird, at our first location, but failed to see any at our second. This made me think that this was perhaps due to elevational differences. At our third location, we overlooked the ocean and were able to get a better look at some turkey vultures. Because we were at an overlook, we saw a variety of species that tend to perch on top of trees and those who like to nest near the seacliffs.

eBird Checklist:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S64180409?share=true

https://ebird.org/checklist/S64182216?share=true

https://ebird.org/checklist/S64183486?share=true

Citations:

“Wrentit Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wrentit/id.

“Wrentit.” Audubon, 11 Oct. 2019, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wrentit.