August 8, 2007
Back in California and birding my brains out
Two flights, 4 trains, a car ride and 26 hours after leaving my house, I arrived in Davis at midnight. Of course, sleep was not on the agenda - there were birds to be seen! My old birding buddy Joan picked me up at 6am, and took me shopping for county birds. Our first stop was for Collared Dove, which has invaded Yolo in the last year or so - needless to say, we didn't stay long! We headed up Road 57 as the sun broke over the ridge, where we heard Roadrunner crooning (and saw Wile E Coyote) several times. By mid-morning, I was watching my third county tick in as many hours - the long-staying Franklin's Gull at the City of Davis Wetlands!
With the county tick shopping over, we were able to get on with some real birding. Among good numbers of birds at the Wetlands were these Wilson's Phalaropes.
After a brief jaunt around the Yolo Wildlife Area (which recently hosted a Curlew Sandpiper), I took a siesta and in the late afternoon went to the North Davis Pond. This is essentially a duck-pond in a city park, but is teeming with wildlife and an excellent place to get really close looks at migrating shorebirds. Long-billed Dowitchers were the most numerous....
... but Killdeer was surely the noisiest.
Many of the Greater Yellowlegs were still looking dapper in breeding plumage.
A Black-necked Stilt admiring its reflection.
A spotted Spotted Sandpiper was a nice surprise.
On the smaller of the ponds an American Coot allowed close approach.
Several dragonflies were hawking, including Widow Skimmer and Blue Dasher.
The next morning we found a promising selection of shorebirds at Woodland Wastewater ponds. This Peregrine was casting a watchful eye over them.
On the newly constructed stormwater pond, a Lesser Yellowlegs foraged close to the bank.
Among good numbers of Least and Western Sandpipers, we managed to turn up 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers.
A pair of young Western Kingbirds posed in gorgeous light.
In the evening I got invited for a delicious curry cooked in Alison and Allan's new solar cooker. I was 'fashionably late' thanks to this White-tailed Kite, who proceeded to catch and eat a vole in front of me.
When I got to their driveway, I found myself herding Turkeys on my bike!
It's great to be back. :-)
Posted by rjhall at August 8, 2007 11:59 PM