Date- October 30, 2024
Location 1: 37°54’46.1″N 122°36’32.6″W 2039 ft
Location 2: 37°55’19.7″N 122°36’13.9″W 2483 ft
Site Description: We traveled up to Mt. Tamalpais and once we parked at our first location we saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flying around in a big oak tree. Across the way from the parking lot among some tall trees we saw a Hairy Woodpecker. We took the path past the tree through some tall cedars and this is where we saw our first Acorn Woodpeckers. Along the path, we stopped in an opening full of serpentine where we saw a Northern Flicker. We walked back to the parking lot and saw some Dark-eyed Juncos on the ground before we left.
We drove to the next location that was a little higher up in the mountain and actually used to be the tallest point before it was blown up. This space offered a lot of open views and had a wider variety of plants. Shortly, after starting on the path we saw a Spotted Towhee and a Golden-crowned Sparrow. Almost immediately after on some poison oak, we saw a Wrentit. We also saw multiple Steller’s Jays off in a distant spruce. There was a nearby overlook that we waited at and saw both a California Scrub-Jay and several Cedar Waxwings flyover. We finally climbed to the highest point where we waited for a few minutes and saw Band-tailed Pigeons, a Red-tailed Hawk, a couple Turkey Vultures, and a Cooper’s Hawk soaring high.
Species Account: Acorn Woodpecker
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker/overview
These were the main attraction for the day. We saw these birds at both of our locations. When we first identified them it was almost immediately after we got out of the car. We heard its distinct call and as soon as we got closer to the cedar trees we saw a couple high up pecking at the trunk. They had no speckled pattern on their backs and bright red feathers on top of their head. We could even make out the distinct facial pattern through the scope. According to the Sibley Guide to Birds Second Edition, they are common in open oak woods or mixed woods with oak. They gather acorns to store in holes drilled into certain trees or poles. (Sibley, 309).
Narrative: We left around 8:10 in the morning and left SF when it was a little bit cloudy. Once we got to our first location, known of us where ready for how cold it was going to be there. We are only out of the car for 30 minutes and were able to see some dead bark where the Acorn Woodpeckers had been using them to store acorns. The second location is where we spent the rest of our time. It was a little unfortunate that we didn’t see more birds even though it got a little sunny but it was still an amazing view.
