Friday, July 9, 2010

THE "HUDSON RIVER BIRDER'...WITH THE "MARTINEZ BIRDER"

MY FRIEND PETE
AND I ON A DAY AT POINT REYES

BIRDING IN MARIN COUNTY--"POINT REYES"

Today I spent the entire day with my friend, Pete White, birding at Point Reyes, Bolinas Lagune and Nicasio Reservoir north of San Francisco.  This is the list :

 Common Murre, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Western Grebe, Western Gull, Harlequin Duck, Double Crested Comorant, Brand's Comorant, Pacific Comorant, Long Billed Curlew, Willet, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Canada Goose, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Oyster Catcher, Brown Pellican, Pacific Flycatcher, Scrub Jay, Stellar Jay, Wrentit, Bushtit, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee,  Starlings, Savannah Sparrow, White Crowned Sparrow, Swainson Thrush, Berwick Wren, House Finch, House Finch, Purple Finch, Goldfinch, Acorn Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Violet Green Swallow, Red Winged Blackbird,  Chestnut Hooded Chickadee, Black Phoebe, Pine Siskin, Oregon Junco, Black Headed Grosbeack, California Quail, Red Tailed Hawk, Red Shouldered Hawk, White Tailed Kite, Wilson Warbler, Orange Crowned Warbler, ELEPHANT SEAL...Say Sparrow, Allen's Hummingbird, Ana's Hummingbird, Turkey Vulture, Turkey, Common Raven and Warbling Vireo.

   Pete and I spent from 7 am until 5 pm.  Pete told me that the fog tends to stay over the San Francisco Bay area until the sun becomes strong in the early afternoon .  So for this reason we stayed at Nicasio Reservoir and Bolinas Lagoon in the AM.  Then in the afternoon we headed towards the cliffs of Point Reyes which are truly marvelous.  I place here the two species that most impressed me which are the Acorn Woodpecker which truly does have the appearance of a "clown" and the Violet Green Swallow.