Been very busy with work of late, more of that in due time. Continuing on with the US trip I started the morning of 16th February in search of an American Dipper that was being reported from the Leo Cronin Fish Viewing Area near Point Reyes. After a bit of searching along the river and its two tributaries I came across the bird on the Lagunitas Creek which lies just below Peters Dam. Cracking bird and a bit more approachable than our own European/White-throated Dipper. The light was a horrendous for photography underneath the huge redwood trees and early in the morning.
On leaving the Point Reyes area I came across a small flock of Band-tailed Pigeons around the village of Olema, my first and last of the trip. A little further on up the road I had a large flock of Pine Siskins feeding in Eucalyptus trees at Millerton Point beside Tomales Bay, another overdue lifer. From here I headed up to Bodega Bay. This is supposed to be another good area of coastline for waterbirds. My first stop here was by Diekmanns Bay Store which overlooks Bodega Bay. A wintering Lucy's Warbler was using shrubby vegetation just below the small store. There were numerous Nashville and Orange-crowned Warblers also wintering here but no sign of the Lucy's Warbler. Several birders came and went in the hour I was there but it didn't show for anyone during that time.
I explored the bay itself and had very close views of Great northern Diver, Slavonian, Black-necked Grebes right by the roadside. There wasn't the large numbers of waders or wildfowl that I was expecting despite the low tide. As I headed out to the west side of the peninsula I encountered a thick wall of sea fog making it impossible to look out onto the Pacific. This was another spot I was hoping to pick one or two murrelets/auklets namely Marbled or Ancient. I never did manage to see either of these on the trip.
While I was passing by Diekmanns Bay Store again I decided to have a look at the shrub from the waterside. I flushed a small grey warbler from an isolated patch of willows on arrival. Thankfully I managed to get brief but good views of the Lucy's Warbler a few minutes later. I finished up reasonably early in the evening as I was travelling up to see the wintering Falcated Duck up north at Colusa the following day. The traffic along the north side of San Pablo Bay on the 37 was grim but I eventually made up to Williams which is very close to the Falcated Duck site.
On leaving the Point Reyes area I came across a small flock of Band-tailed Pigeons around the village of Olema, my first and last of the trip. A little further on up the road I had a large flock of Pine Siskins feeding in Eucalyptus trees at Millerton Point beside Tomales Bay, another overdue lifer. From here I headed up to Bodega Bay. This is supposed to be another good area of coastline for waterbirds. My first stop here was by Diekmanns Bay Store which overlooks Bodega Bay. A wintering Lucy's Warbler was using shrubby vegetation just below the small store. There were numerous Nashville and Orange-crowned Warblers also wintering here but no sign of the Lucy's Warbler. Several birders came and went in the hour I was there but it didn't show for anyone during that time.
I explored the bay itself and had very close views of Great northern Diver, Slavonian, Black-necked Grebes right by the roadside. There wasn't the large numbers of waders or wildfowl that I was expecting despite the low tide. As I headed out to the west side of the peninsula I encountered a thick wall of sea fog making it impossible to look out onto the Pacific. This was another spot I was hoping to pick one or two murrelets/auklets namely Marbled or Ancient. I never did manage to see either of these on the trip.
While I was passing by Diekmanns Bay Store again I decided to have a look at the shrub from the waterside. I flushed a small grey warbler from an isolated patch of willows on arrival. Thankfully I managed to get brief but good views of the Lucy's Warbler a few minutes later. I finished up reasonably early in the evening as I was travelling up to see the wintering Falcated Duck up north at Colusa the following day. The traffic along the north side of San Pablo Bay on the 37 was grim but I eventually made up to Williams which is very close to the Falcated Duck site.
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| American Dipper |
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| American Dipper |
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| American Dipper |
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| American Dipper |
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| Black-necked Grebe |
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| Black-necked Grebe |
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| Slavonian and Black-necked Grebe |
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| Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes |
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| Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes |
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| Slavonian Grebe |
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| Slavonian Grebe |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Great Northern Diver with crab. |
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| Black Brant |
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| Mostly Lesser Scaup with some Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead and Western Grebe. |
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| Female Goosander |
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| Female Goosander |
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| Female Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Marbled Godwit |
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| Marbled Godwit |
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| Coloured ringed first-winter Western Gull |
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| Nashville Warbler |
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| Nashville Warbler |
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| Nashville Warbler |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
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| Pacific Wren |
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| Varied Thrush |
