Western Version

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:

Western Bluebird
2x Common Ravens in tree
Common Raven on light
Common Raven in flight
Dark-eyed Junco

In Flight Entertainment

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:

w/ Common Loon in background
Detail on Common Loon

Out West, In The Woods

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

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.

Along the trail

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:

Chickadee II
Chickadee III
View of redwood forest
Chickadee IV
Chickadee V
Douglas fir
Chickadee VI
Chickadee VII
Along the trail II
Chickadee VIII
Chickadee IX

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

Tafoni Sandstone @ top view from trail
Tafoni Sandstone
Tafoni = water erosion cavity features

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.

Band-tailed Pigeon in Douglas fir tree

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

Pigeons in the redwoods, who knew?

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

Common Raven

Out West

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.

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon subspecies)
1/4 moon at sunrise
Stellar’s Jay
Oak Titmouse w/ nesting material
The hills of San Mateo
Lesser Goldfinch (m)
Hermit Thrush
Junco II
The hills at sunrise
Hermit Thrush II
Junco III
Stellar’s Jay II
Junco IV
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse in redwood
Chickadee in flight
Oak Titmouse III
The chestnut back
Oak Titmouse IV
Raven on cypress
Oak Titmouse V
Junco V
Chestnut-backed Chickadee IV

Long Pond/4

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

American Widgeons in flight
Male Northern Shovelers
Red-winged Blackbirds
Widgeons II
Northern Pintail (m, second from right) + Mallards
Northern Pintail (m, upper right) + Mallards @ landing mode
Male Northern Shovelers II
Male Ring-necked Ducks
Male Ring-necked Duck
Male Northern Shovelers III
Ducks landing II
Song Sparrow
Male Mallard landing
Widgeons III
Female Northern Shoveler
Widgeons IV

Lunchtime

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.

Long Pond/3

More waterfowl at Long Pond, Presque Isle State Park:

Male Northern Shoveler w/ Mallards in background
Mallards in flight (male on right)
Northern Shoveler (f, left) & Male Northern Pintail (right)
Male Mallard landing
American Widgeons in flight
Male Northern Shoveler x2
Ring-necked Ducks in flight
Male Mallard landing II
Northern Shovelers II
Male Ring-necked Duck in flight
Northern Shovelers III
Male Ring-necked Duck in flight II
Northern Shovelers IV
Shovelers landing
Widgeons in flight II
Male Gadwall in flight

Coming up soon, giant pigeons in the big woods!

Long Pond/2

Back to Long Pond the other weekend at Presque Isle State Park, featuring (of course) birds, birds, and more birds. #more_bird

Male Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail (m, 2nd from left), + Malards
American Widgeon
Male Northern Shovelers
Song Sparrow
Ring-necked Ducks in flight
Male Northern Shovelers II
Male and female Northern Shovelers in flight
Ring-necked Ducks in flight
Widgeons II
Male Northern Shovelers III
Shovelers in flight II
Male Ring-necked Duck
Mallards landing
Widgeons III
Mallards Landing II

Current weather conditions in Erie County: cold, overcast, & snow 🙁 As reported by BirdingPI.com’s associate editor currently in the SF Bay Area, current weather conditions: clear, sunny, & in the 80’s deg F 🙂