February 24 - Colusa and Sacramento NWRs

I was up early and ate the motel breakfast, gave the key to Manny, and left town to take the Auto Tour route at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, but when I got there I found that the route was closed due to high water.  I did scan through the geese in the fields along the O’Hair Road entrance, but they were mostly Greater White-fronted Geese.

Since I couldn't drive, I walked out the short ‘birding’ trail to get views of the wetlands from the observation decks, and found a very active Great Horned Owl hunting along Powell Slough,

Whoo you lookin' at?

as well as the usual “Valley Birds”.

Spotted Towhee

I'm from western Washington - I still get a kick out of seeing Mockingbirds!

Washed out of Colusa, I drove on north to the Visitors’ Center at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  I hadn’t been here for quite a number of years, and was impressed with the large educational building and grounds.  I walked the Wetlands Trail, getting close looks at a Red-shouldered Hawk.  Hawk Watch International notes that the plumage of our western Buteo lineatus elegans is more “vibrant” than the Eastern subspecies, and I’d have to agree.

There was a bit of breeze blowing, keeping a lot of birds close to their cover, but there were still a lot to be seen.

Female Downy Woodpecker

White-faced Ibis

Returning to the parking lot, I drove around the Auto Tour Route.

The Refuge was established as a wintering area for waterfowl,

Greater White-fronted Geese - the dark one is blind in its left eye

Lots of American Coots

but the habitat provides good views of an array of birds and other wildlife.

Ring-necked Pheasants are an "introduced" species to the United States

A handsome adult White-crowned Sparrow

Beechey's Ground Squirrel

Western Pond Turtles - common here, but they're endangered in Washington State

Red-shouldered Hawk

Savannah Sparrow

Red-tailed Haw

Leaving the Refuge, I drove north into Willows, to see if I could find an easy Yellow-billed Magpie.  These handsome birds just seem more ‘dapper’ than the Black-billed Magpies that we see across the remainder of North America.  I stopped at the Cemetery in town, but the site wasn’t all that birdy, so I drove through the neighborhood on the north side of the community around the block of Road No. 48 and 1st Ave.

Mourning Dove is a common wintering species around here

There in a back yard was a pair of these unmistakable birds.

See why they call it a "Yellow-billed" Magpie?

I continued north on I-5 (I never heard it called “the Five” until Californians moved north and started using that phrase on the TV and radio stations in the Pacific Northwest…), gassed up at the Valero Station in Redding, and drove over the Siskiyous to Medford, Oregon at 7:30, checking into the Rodeway Inn downtown.  Nice place for $65, and very professional owners and staff!  I walked down Riverside to eat at the Golden Wok, which was good value for a good meal.

Colusa O’Hair Road eBird Checklist is Here

Colusa NWR walking trail eBird Checklist is Here

Sacramento NWR Visitors Center trail eBird Checklist is Here

Sacramento NWR Auto Tour Route eBird Checklist is Here

Willows, Calif. eBird Checklist is Here

February 22 - Morro Bay

I got up when Sarah made coffee and we had a light breakfast.  After saying thanks and goodbye, I finally got out of town, heading up the coast toward Big Sur.  I drove pretty much steadily as far as Morro Bay, when I just couldn’t take it (driving) anymore.  It was sunny and 55° F, with a 10- knot west wind, and I saw a sign for the Cloisters Community Park.  So I pulled in around 2 p.m. and walked the trail around the pond.  The first thing I noticed, after spending a week in the snow and cold, was that it was warm and the flowers were blooming.

Bermuda Buttercups are not buttercups - they are Oxalis pes-caprae

Some neighbors didn’t seem to take kindly to having the park’s vegetation encroaching on their property, so took remedial action.  Perhaps even on the public’s property . . .

Keep your pesticides on your own side of the fence . . .

The willows were flowering, and bushtits, bluebirds, sparrows and phoebes were foraging.

The yellow eye on this bird indicates that it is a female

Cheery Western Bluebird

White-crowned Sparrow

Black Phoebe

In the pond itself, a few water birds enjoyed a pleasant afternoon.

Red-eyed Coot

Graydiggers barked at me from the willows,

I grew up calling the "California" Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) a "Graydigger"

and several buzzards coursed the light west breeze.

Yeah, yeah . . . Turkey Vulture, not "buzzard" . . .

I walked the trail through the dunes to the beach,

noting that dogs are not allowed.

Not that some people pay attention to rules.

Having been away from the Ocean for three weeks, it was good to see the waves beating against Morro Rock.

Morro Rock

I enjoyed seeing the shorebirds feeding in the light surf,

Willet (or won't it?)

Marbled Godwits

Long-billed Curlew

even though they didn’t all get along.

 . . . Like there's not enough sand worms on the beach!

After a half-hour, I left the beach, and drove north toward Big Sur, to stay with my sister-in-law’s husband Dan at the Deer Flat Ranch below Highway 1, where they are caretakers.

The ranch is 'way below the highway

We walked around the ranch, looked for sea otters off the beach, watched the gray whales spouting ‘way offshore, and returned to the house.  As we came inside, we looked out at the bird feeder and saw a Pygmy Owl sitting on a tree limb above it!  A great way to end the evening.

Cloisters Park eBird Checklist is Here

Cloisters Park Beach eBird Checklist is Here

Deer Flat Ranch eBird Checklist is Here