Ebird Checklist:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S120951848
https://ebird.org/checklist/S120953707
Date: October 19, 2022
Location: Rush Creek Open Space, Bahia Trail
Latitude, Longitude: 38.12957° N, 122.53670° W
Elevation: 19.7 ft (6 m)
Site Description: The Rush Creek Open Space is about 522 acres of preserved land that is perfect for hiking. It is about 4 miles and a loop trail that starts on the Bahia and Rush Creek trails with views of the tidal wetland habitat. It also loops back through blue oaks on the Bahia Ridge Fire Road. This space was nearly developed into houses and then was voted in favor of saving the land as a preserve. The area was then restored by removing all additional junk and invasive weeds and adding native plants. The start of the hike has deciduous oaks followed by the wetlands, which contain several shorebirds and waterfowl. Examples include the American Avocet and ducks such as Green-Winged Teals. The trials also start to move upland, and this area is great for seeing woodpeckers, nuthatches, cedar waxwings, wrens, and sparrows. Overall this preserve is home to several hundred species of birds and is a great area for birders and hikers alike.¹ The topographic map of the area is attached below.²
Species Account: Hairy Woodpecker – Dryobates villosus (Species name), Piciformes (Order) > Picidae (Family). These birds have a striking contrast of black and white color patterns where the wings are black and checkered with white in between with a large white patch down the center of the black beak. Their heads have two white stripes, and males have a flash of red towards the back of the head. Both sexes are about robin-sized and are between 7.1-10.2 in (18-26 cm) in length and weigh about 1.4-3.4 oz (40-95 g) with a wingspan of 13.0-16.1 in (33-41 cm). These woodpeckers can be found in mature woodlands as well as suburbs, parks, and even cemeteries. You can also find them in coniferous and deciduous forests and generally up above 6,500 feet elevation. Although more than ¾ of their diet is composed of insects, particularly larvae of the wood-boring beetles, they may also eat bees, wasps, spiders, and even cockroaches and grasshoppers. Sometimes, they may also consume fruits and seeds, such as when visiting feeders and eating suet and sunflower seeds. Hairy Woodpeckers are typically on the tree trunks or along larger branches and usually are seen leaning back against their extremely stiff tail feathers. They generally spring upwards with both feet at once and sometimes also forage at the bases of trees. When threatened or during conflicts, these birds raise their wings over their back, crane their heads back and make shrill cries, sometimes also during flight. When courting, they stretch out their necks, point their bills high, and bob their heads as they flick their wings while circling tree trunks. They can also chase each other in looping flights through the trees. These birds are common and widespread, but there are concerns such as the fragmentation of large forests and competition from the European Starling that could threaten the woodpeckers.³
Narrative: We left at around 8:15 am and arrived at the location around 9 am. We got off and stood around the viewpoint for a couple of minutes taking in the wetland habitat and looking into the far distance to see what birds we could spot. After that, we walked up into the more woody, forest-like area and circled around far enough that we got to see the wetland from another side which gave us much better views of the birds that were there. The highlight of this trip was probably the several species of birds I was able to identify before the professor called it out and I was super proud of myself
Sources:
¹ Rush Creek Bahia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2022, from https://marininfo.org/Hikes/Rush_Creek_Bahia.htm
² TNM Download V2. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2022, from https://apps.nationalmap.gov/downloader/#/maps
³ Hairy woodpecker overview, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/overview