May 24, 2004
Owls, Pewees and Bittern
My birding weekend started with an evening stroll along Putah Creek with Roger and Grete Adamson and Joan Humphrey, searching for Western Screech Owl. We were fortunate enough to hear two birds west of the picnic ground, as well as Western Kingbird, California Towhee and a probable Yellow Warbler.
On Saturday morning I set off to Willowbank Ditch in an effort to locate flycatchers. Things definitely seem quieter here - no sign of the Red-breasted Nuthatch, nor any migrant warblers, although Western Tanager, Warbling Vireo and several Swainson's Thrush were still around. Just as I was about to give up I spotted my life Western Wood-Pewee, obligingly returning to the same perch after each flycatching sally.
Cycling through the arboretum I noticed that the Green Heron was still incubating, while the heron rookery was a much louder and smellier place since the birth of several chicks.
Amazingly, another Western Wood-Pewee was in the vicinity of the Putah Creek picnic ground, along with a few Western Tanagers and some lingering Cedar Waxwings. I finally managed to get some reasonable shots of California Quail here.
The male Black-chinned Hummingbird was still defending his tobacco tree, and the Fence Lizards were soaking up the sun in their usual spot.
Most surprising sighting of the trip has to be the family party of Turkeys that I startled from the roadside - the mother ran off into long grass, while her 4 chicks flew a good 10 feet into a nearby oak tree!
On Sunday morning I decided to return to the Nuttall's Woodpecker nest at Fuzio's. The single chick seemed almost fully fledged and eager to climb out of the nest hole!
Later in the day I joined Steve Hampton in a search for one of the county's most elusive birds - Least Bittern. We scanned the edges of the lake for a good 30 minutes without success (but recording a few American Bitterns, Pied-billed Grebes and single Ruddy Duck and Moorhen). Finally, we spotted a small shape sitting out in the open on a patch of dead reeds - a pristine male Least Bittern! This bird looked appreciably smaller and much brighter than our European Little Bitterns. Unfortunately he darted into the reeds before I was able to get a photo, and was only seen once more in flight. This stunning bird was my 207th county tick!