October 12, 2005
Bodega birding
Last Sunday I joined the Yolo Audubon trip to Bodega Bay. Again the sunny skies and calm winds made for unexciting birding, but the scenery was to die for.
Birding highlights included a couple of Varied Thrush, a Sora feeding out in the open, a very distant Marbled Murrelet and some perched Forster's Terns at point blank range.
This tame California Sealion was entertaining the beach bums.
The most numerous birds of the day were shorebirds. The three regular winter 'rockbirds' (Surfbird, Ruddy and Black Turnstone) were all in place - here's a Ruddy that came close enough to photograph.
Two Peregrines (a juv and a smart steely blue adult) were wreaking havoc amongst the numerous Dowitchers, Black-bellied Plovers and Marbled Godwits. Amongst the flying birds we spotted a few Red Knot and had a tantalising glimpse of a Golden Plover sp. In spite of the lack of migrant passerines, we managed a good day total of over 100 species, and rounded off the day with a beer and fish and chips!
Posted by rjhall at October 12, 2005 8:40 PM