Sacramento and Beyond

Home - Profile - Archives - Friends
Wrapping up 2007 - Posted at 6:36 PM on Monday, January 21, 2008 by Chris Conard
It's hard to believe that we're already almost 6% into 2008, but my blog is still stuck in 2007.  Well, knowing my track record, that's not too hard to believe.

We were told the day before Thanksgiving that Kimya's uncle was in a coma and probably not going to regain consciousness.   We flew out to Boston on Thanksgiving day.  It was a very sad situation and he passed away on that Saturday.  It's hard on everyone to see someone they love in that condition.  The only positive was seeing people that we haven't seen in a long time.

On the flight back, we had great views of the Canyonlands, flying right over the Escalante River--one of my favorite places.

The other trip that I made also covered a lot of miles in a few days, but was a much happier affair.  I joined John Trochet in Zuni, New Mexico to help with his 25th running of the CBC.  He started birding the area in the early 80s when he was a doctor on the Zuni Pueblo, and he has visited each year to document the avifauna on the CBC and other times of the year
This photo was taken just west of the Zuni Pueblo, in AZ, but gives a feel for the type of landscape at Zuni.  That's red sandstone with a dusting of snow.

Since the count circle is in a sparsely populated area, John often has very few other counters.  Since this was the silver anniversary, as it were, he put out a call of extra help.  Of the 16 counters, which John referred to as an embarrassment of riches, other Sacramento area locals included Ona Alminas, Carlos Alvarado, and Andy Pfeffer.

We tallied 78 species on a very cold, but otherwise very nice day.  As we left the Charles' house where we spent the night, it was minus four.  When we entered the count circle it was 1 degree Fahrenheit.  The high was only 33 degrees.  As long as I kept moving, I wasn't too cold.  It was a good thing that it wasn't too windy.

Best finds for me were Savannah, Lincoln's, and White-throated Sparrows, which apparently aren't all that easy to find in the circle.  Other good birds I had for the count, relatively speaking, were Virgina Rail, Wilson's Snipe, 19 Ruby-crowned Kinglets (apparently a new high), 12 American Crows, and a Hermit Thrush.  The highlights for me were the very scenic nature of the area and all of the juncos of four races to looks through:  Oregon, Pink-sided, Gray-headed, and Slate-colored (in descending order of abundance).  Many were on the threshold between Oregon and Pink-sided--at least for my inexperienced eyes.
Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona.  Cliff Dwelling.
Walnut Canyon:  a wonderful layered look to the cliffs with snow and rock.  It was a bit of a homecoming, since my dad and I visited this area in the late 80s.  Walnut Canyon was only one of the sites we visited on a trip that included Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, and the Grand Canyon.

On this trip, I visited the Meteor Crater further east from Flagstaff.  I had never seen this site before and it was very interesting, with a good visitor center, though the entrance fee is pretty steep.  It was so cold in the wind that I could spend very little time on the rim of the crater.

On the way I also visited too briefly with Dan and Trudy in SoCal.  It was nice to touch base with them after too long.

On the return trip, I stopped at Amboy Crater in CA on the old Route 66.  This crater is volcanic in origin.  What a change from NM.  It was 40 degrees warmer, with Rock Wrens singing like it was spring, and flowers blooming from recent rains.


Kimya and I found this horsehair worm on a walk near home.  It was about a foot long.  The adults are free living, but the larvae parasitize grasshoppers and other insects.

This year I took part in five CBCs, with Folsom the biggest task, since it's the forth year I have served as compiler.  The others were Sacramento, Lincoln, and Rio Cosumnes.

On the Sacramento CBC, Kimya and I had excellent help with our area.  John Trochet and Al Demartini split the area in half with us, so we had two teams and a total of 7 counters.  The biggest surprise for me was this Rufous-crowned Sparrow on the Sacramento River in south Sacramento.  A fairly common bird in the foothills, it is very rarely seen on the valley floor.

Another good find for us on count day was a Red-naped Sapsucker.  I actually had to return on 12/24 to get a better look and photos to cinch the ID.


John and Al found this oriole, which I was able to get a few poor photos of on 12/24.  I'm not sure if it is an Orchard or a Hooded.  More photos here.

At the compilation for the Sac CBC we spoke with Scott Hoppe.  He was leading a trip the following day to Palo Alto for rails during the highest tide of the year.  We considered going with him, but couldn't spend a long day, since I hoped to get a half-day's work done.  Instead we headed to Waldo's Dike in Tomales Bay, and saw a Great Blue Heron chase down and consume this Black Rail.
In flight after being flushed at high tide by two Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron.
The rail in the heron's bill.  I had only had one other brief look at a Black Rail.  Not the best way to see your target bird, but it is often the only way to see Black Rails.  Even though the tide was quite high, without recent storms, the water wasn't high enough to see many Black Rails and have a good shot at seeing a Yellow Rail.

This Northern Harrier hunted nearby.

On 12/24, I finished my last monthly Orr survey at Cosumnes River Preserve.  Best was a Long-eared Owl.  Also of interest was this possible cougar-killed deer.

The highlight for me on the 12/27 Lincoln CBC was six Short-eared Owls at dusk.  More coming up on Folsom and Rio Cosumnes.
Post Comment

Last Page :: Next Page