Weather today in Erie Co., PA: overcast and cold enough for a few snowflakes. Bleh. So, for today’s post, it’s back to the beautiful coastal headlands at Venice Beach, in Half Moon Bay, California, from a couple weeks ago:

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Still in northern California from a couple weeks ago, it’s over to the lovely, hilltop campus of the College of San Mateo, on a quiet Sunday morning. Quiet except for birds, of which there were plenty due to the copious trees/brush around the campus perimeter.

First up, a great western North America species, lovely Golden-crowned Sparrow, which overwinters in the Bay Area:

Yay, hummingbirds in March (!), specifically, Anna’s Hummingbird (female):

Yet another great western species, beautiful Townsend’s Warbler (male):

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Heading over to the beautiful Pacific Ocean near the town of Half Moon Bay, California, at Venice Beach and the mouth of Frenchman’s Creek, from a couple weeks ago:

Next, lots of gulls @ takeoff from the beach:

The reason for gull agitation – a passing Bald Eagle:

Good opportunity for gull spotting. In addition to Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls, here’s a Glaucous-winged Gull. Note the medium-gray wings, lack of black wing tips, pink legs, and white wing-end ‘dotting:’

Here’s some rather dark-winged gulls. First up, the gull @ bottom center left with yellow legs. Based on leg color and medium gray wings, this is a California Gull. (Back east, Lesser Black-backed Gull would be an option, but that’s a rare species out west.) The gull up and to the right w/ pink legs and very dark wings = Western Gull. Note in particular the spot of white on the outer primaries by the wing tip:

With a mottled brown-gray appearance and lack of dark wing tips, the gull at center is probably an immature Iceland Gull. (Iceland Gulls much more common @ Pacific coast than Great Lakes area.)

Finally, a male Surf Scoter in the surf. (Many more Surf Scoter pictures to follow soon!)

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Back to the San Francisco Bay Area with recent content from a random urban park in Redwood City, California. Featuring the western version of Eastern Bluebird, aptly/unimaginatively named Western Bluebird:

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Seems like grebes are mostly seen floating and diving/foraging, less so in flight. From Sunday at Presque Isle State Park, a passing boat startled this trio of Horned Grebes into flight. Unhelpful for the grebes perhaps, but great for photography, even if conditions were overcast:

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Today on BirdingPI.com, it’s a super cute Bushtit on landscaping flowers outside the Coyote Point Yacht Club in San Mateo, California:

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Continuing on with U.S. west coast content, reporting today from a recent visit to El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve off California State Route 35 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Rugged coastal countryside and beautiful mature redwood forest, e.g., Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), Tanbark-oak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), etc.

Due to the thick foliage, many birds (e.g., Pacific Wren, Western Flycatcher, Spotted Towhee) were only heard and not seen. One exception, several very noisy/busy Chestnut-backed Chickadees:

This is the location of the Tafoni Sandstone, a locally famous, rather giant sandstone monolith on the side of the forested mountainside:

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Surprise “bird of the day,” multiple sightings of amazing Band-tailed Pigeon, very high up in the trees. Key features: yellow beak with dark tip, white neck crescent, pale band at end of tail (if you can see it), very deep, owl-like cooing vocalizations, and loud flapping upon takeoff.

Due to the dense, tall foliage, very hard to take pictures. Lucky to get even these few.

Pigeons in the redwoods, who knew?

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Later, back at the trailhead @ Skeggs Point turnout, a trio of Red-tailed Hawk:

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While patiently waiting for “real spring” in Erie County, PA, today’s post (& forthcoming posts) features recent nature content (w/ lots of great western birds) from the bay-side and Pacific coastal hills of San Mateo County, California, just south of San Francisco. Weather in San Mateo: courtesy of the current western ‘heat dome,’ sunny and unseasonably warm.

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Celebrating the official end of winter today with one final post of content from Long Pond @ Presque Isle State Park the weekend before last:

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Well, it’s the last full day of ‘official’ winter here in the northern hemisphere. Weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania: overcast skies, cold temps, and snow on the ground. Nevertheless, with birds like these Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle at South Pier, ‘spring is in the air.’ Or maybe ‘spring is mostly on the ground?’ Whatever.

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