Field Journal #12

Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Location: Strawberry Hill, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

Site description: This week, I went around the same area I went to last week, near Stow Lake and Strawberry Hill. I mainly walked on a dirt path going up Strawberry Hill, and the area was filled towering conifers and shrubs that encompassed the ground below. The key species identified were Mallards, Red-tailed Hawk, and Common Raven.

Species account:  A species I came across this week was the Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis). This species belongs to the order Passeriformes and family Tyrannidae. It was difficult to identify this species because it was the first time I had seen it. Luckily, it remained perched on a low branch where I was able to observe some of its distinguishable features. At first, just looking at the head, it reminded me of a Black Phoebe until I was able to see its pale yellow belly and dark grey backside, It’s tail was dark-colored with some white streaks. Western Kingbirds are fairly large flycatchers with large heads, straight dark bills, and long wings with square-tipped tails. They’re easily found perched, waiting to capture insects from the air or fly out to pick prey from the ground. Their diet consists mainly of insects and use acrobatic displays to catch insects in the air. They are very territorial and defend their territories with wing-fluttering and high vocal attacks. This species is. mainly found in open areas, near the edges of woodlands in western North America.

Narrative: In total, I saw 8 species. I was glad I was able to see at least one new species during my last time birding. The weather outside was pretty cloudy and slightly windy compared to last week. One thing that I found interesting was that a Red-tailed Hawk landed in a branch very close to where I walking. It landed on a significantly low branch, and I was able to see its wingspan and the muted red coloring on its tail. Although this was my last week of birding, it was nice seeing species I had seen before and being able to easily recognize them without having to pull out my Sibley field guide.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68456622

Citations: 

“Western Kingbird Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/lifehistory.

Field Journal #11

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Location: Stow Lake Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

Site description: This week, I walked around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park for a couple of hours. We walked along the dirt path that looped around the entire lake, the area filled with a variety of conifers and shrubs. There were a lot of flowers along our walk, which isn’t surprising because it’s Springtime. At one point, we walked up Strawberry Hill and had a much higher view of Golden Gate Park. It was like an overlook area where I was able to see above some tall trees surrounding the lake. The key species identified were Mallards and Canada Goose.

Species account:  A species I came across this week was the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). This species belongs to the order Anseriformes and family Anatidae. I first encountered this species when I first got to Stow Lake – I noticed how different it was from the ducks that were surrounding it, mostly because of it’s oblong, rectangular-shaped head and bright yellow eyes. It was in an area with a bunch of Mallards and Ring-necked Ducks, so I was able to identify it quickly using my Sibley field guide. The white, crest-shaped spot on its head contributed to what made it look oversized, and this is common within the males of the species. The displayed shape of the white crest can vary in size depending on if it is raised or lowered, but this is a prominent characteristic. I was able to watch it expand the feathers on its head in order to display the crest more. They are small ducks with black, stout bills. Adult males have a white breast and varied chestnut-colored wings. This species is sexually dimorphic; females and adolescents are gray and brown with cinnamon toned heads. Hooded Mergansers breed in the eastern half of North America and the Pacific Northwest. Their diet is broader than any other merganser, eating small fish, aquatic insects, amphibians, etc.

It was posing for me lol.

Narrative: In total, I saw 13 species, 2 of which were new to me. The weather in the city today was really nice – it was sunny, no clouds out, and a slight breeze. Surprisingly, there were still a bunch of people in Golden Gate Park during this quarantine. One thing that I saw during my walk was a Canada Goose and a bunch of chicks (pictured below). I noticed an abundance of Canada Geese near the edge of the water on the pathway, and they weren’t really phased by the fact that so many people were there.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S67642652?share=true

Citations: 

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

Field Journal #10

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2020

Location: Pacifica, CA

Site description: This week, I went to the park two blocks away from my parent’s house in Pacifica. Although it was a small park, there weren’t any people there because of the stay at home order. The park itself was mainly just grass, and the perimeter was outlined with a bunch of trees. The trees weren’t as tall as the trees we’ve seen on our field labs. I chose this area because the park was very hill-like, it was elevated in some places more than others. It was right next to the main residential road. The park itself as surrounded by houses, and it was fenced off in certain areas. The key species identified were Anna’s Hummingbird and White-crowned Sparrow.

Species account:  A species I came across this week was the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). This species belongs to the order Columbiformes and family Columbidae. When I first saw this bird, I thought it was some type of regular pigeon flying by. It wasn’t until it sat perched on a wood fence that I was able to get a better look at it and it’s color. It’s pale brown plumage with dark spots on the wings made it very distinguishable. I noticed its breast was much lighter, almost light pink toned. This species had a chunky body and pointed, slender tail. The bird I was sat perched on the fence for a prolonged period of time, almost 10 minutes before taking off and flying elsewhere. Mourning Doves are very common in suburban areas – they like to stay perched on things such as telephone poles/wires and fences. They are significantly unbothered by humans, which is why I think this particular bird was perched in the same spot for so long, despite cars passing by. They forage for seeds on the ground, which make up a majority of their diet. They eat roughly 12-20% of their body weight per day. Typically, Mourning Dove nest in the branches of specific trees, but particularly on the West coast, they nest on the ground.

Narrative: The weather during this outing was very clear, not much wind or clouds. In total, I saw six species. I had seen all of them previously during our field labs, but I was able to see some more in depth. This was the first time in a while I encountered a Tree Swallow, and it was pretty amazing seeing its acrobatic flight. Unfortunately, it didn’t land anywhere nearby so I wasn’t able to get a great look at its coloring, but its flight pattern was very distinguishable and reminded me of the time we first encountered them.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S67189077

Citations: 

“Mourning Dove Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/lifehistory#habitat.

Field Journal #9

Date: Friday, April 3, 2020

Location: Burlingame, CA (37.59181, -122.35781)

Site description: For this week, my brother and I went down to Burlingame and spent an hour walking along the bay before heading to a park across the street. We walked along an empty, concrete trail next to the shore, but we were unlucky with seeing anything but some gull species in the distance. The area was open and had a few trees and patches of flowers, and it was slightly elevated compared to the rocky, shallow shore area below it. We decided to walk to the park across the street, which had lots of shrubs and open grass fields. There was also a large wetland area by the freeway that we came across, which we learned from a sign was called Sanchez Marsh. The sign had said that the area had undergone tremendous destruction, contamination, and alteration, which is reflected by the aviation population declines. Some keys species that I saw during this trip were the Common Raven, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, and Anna’s Hummingbird.

Species account: A species I came across this week was the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). They belong to the order Accipitriformes and family Accipitridae. This was a species I was very familiar with because we saw them quite often during our field labs. This species is very common, as you can find them occupying just about every open habitat in the continent. I first saw this bird as it came over the hilltop, and it was flying relatively low to where I was so I was able to see its colors and flight pattern very well. It was circling the top of the hill, when an American Crow started flying super close to it–almost like it was getting ready to swarm it from above. This is normal for this species–circling high over open areas, soaring and barely flapping their wings. Its reddish-orange tail and pale underparts is what made it very distinguishable from just one look. They are large hawks with broad, long wings and a wide, fan-shaped tail. Their diet consists primarily of mammals, including voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, and ground squirrels. They also eat smaller birds, as well as snakes. This species typically nests in tall trees and cliff ledges where they have a great view of the landscape before them. In regards to behavior, they can be aggressive when defending territory or nests and will chase off other species.

Picture to the right is the American Crow flying above the Red-tailed Hawk.

Narrative: The weather during my time outside was pretty windy and the skies were clear, free of any clouds. I started my trip along a trail by the shoreline, hoping to see some shorebirds, but unfortunately, I didn’t see anything but a few gulls. When we moved over to the park/marsh area, I saw a lot of species that we’ve come across before. In particular, there were lots of White-crowned Sparrows and I could hear them calling out to each other because the park trail was very quiet and there was nobody else there. When we came across the marsh area, there were signs displaying birds you can expect to see in the area, which included species like American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts–two species I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, the marsh had NO birds but one Canada Goose (pictured below).

It was pretty disappointing because I thought it was a great area for a variety of species. I recalled the sign had said, “the tremendous destruction, contamination, and alteration of this habitat from ever expanding urban development is reflected in dramatic avain population declines.” I think what contributed is that this marsh is wedged tightly between Highway 101 and the park, which is an example of a modification of a once-successful habitat.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66586877

Citations:

“Red-Tailed Hawk Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory.

Field Journal #8

Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Location: Pacifica, CA (37.64937, -122.47414)

Site description: I spent this hour bird watching in my parent’s backyard in Pacifica. The backyard isn’t very large, and I spent the majority of the time sitting in the patio observing birds passing over or standing by the small shrubs and few trees we had. The area was slightly cluttered because my parents are currently in the process of redoing the backyard, but there was an area at the very back that remained largely untouched. Nobody really goes to that part of our backyard because there’s a lot of weeds and shrubs, which was a great spot to see some common species. In addition, the backyard had many patches of grass and dry land, and we have a large apple tree that sits at the back. The key species I saw often were the American Crow, Common Raven, and Dark-eyed Junco.

Species account: A species I encountered this week was the American Robin (Turdus migratorius). They belong to the order Passeriformes and family Turdidae. I first saw this species while I was sitting on my patio, where I saw one picking at the ground at the very back of the yard. Because I had seen this species before, I knew what it was without having to use my field guide. It was easily distinguishable because of its orange breast and stout yellow beak. American Robins are fairly large songbirds with round bodies, long legs, and tails that extend fairly long. In addition to their warm orange underparts, they appear to have black and grey plumage as well. They are ground foragers and are often seen hopping around lawns, fields, and city parks. When foraging on the ground, they will often run a few steps, stop abruptly, and stare at the ground motionlessly to find worms. Robins will sometimes fight over worms that others have caught. Their diet consists of both invertebrates and fruit. In the spring and summer, they eat a large number of earthworms and insects, as well as a wide variety of fruit. One study suggested that robins may try to round out their diet by selectively eating fruits that have bugs in them. During mating season in the spring, males will attract females by singing, raising and spreading their tails, shaking their wings and inflating their white-striped throats.

Narrative: All the birds I observed this week were species I had seen previously. Although it was nice being able to sit in the backyard and use my binoculars to get a closer look at certain birds. I was able to see the American Robin and White-crowned Sparrow for a long period of time through my binoculars because they remained in my backyard for about 10-15 minutes. That gave me the opportunity to really look and study their features and foraging behavior. The weather was pretty clear, although it did rain in the early morning, which is probably why I saw so many ground foraging birds. One thing I was curious about was if the presence of a fruit tree in my backyard would lure in any new species. I didn’t observe any interaction with the tree, but I think as the season goes on there’ll probably be more species who are interested in fruit-bearing trees. Next week, I might walk to a nearby park in my neighborhood and see if I can find any other species.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66462690

Citations:

“American Robin Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/lifehistory#habitat.