Traylor Ranch, 10/19

Leader Mary Forrestal reported: Seven birders enjoyed exploring Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary on a beautiful October morning. Winter residents were observed in high numbers with a multitude of White-crowned Sparrows singing from the brambles and Ruby-crowned Kinglets chattering noisily from the trees. Year-round residents were no less apparent with California Quail, California Scrub-jays, Lesser Goldfinches, and Bewick’s Wrens all vying to be seen and heard. It took a little more effort to track down the Western Bluebird, but 4 were seen by all toward the back of the park. Raptors started and ended the trip with 3 Red-shouldered Hawks making appearances as we gathered in the parking lot and 2 Red-tailed Hawks circling overhead with 5 Turkey Vultures near the end of the walk. The Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers were joined by a Red-breasted Sapsucker that was a highlight for many. Another highlight was a Say’s Phoebe flycatching over the prairie grass. A California Thrasher was clearly heard singing but refused to pop out and be seen. You can see the complete list of birds for this trip here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S199522800.

Effie Yeaw Nature Center Family walk, 10/19

Betty Cooper, co-leader with Rich Howard, reported: We led a group of 8 adults and one child through the Nature Preserve in perfect weather.  The group learned about the habits of Acorn Woodpeckers and Killdeer (a name always amusing to youngsters). Local changes in bird populations due to seasonal migration were discussed. Birds easily spotted by the group were Acorn Woodpeckers, Killdeer, European Starlings, White-breasted Nuthatch and California Scrub-Jay among other usual suspects, but no Turkeys! Co-leader Rich added: The hawks were too far away and they were underwhelmed by the return of “Ed Harper’s Western Gull” despite my enthusiasm!

Bufferlands, 10/20

Leader Chris Conard reported: Twelve of us enjoyed a nice walk on a beautiful morning at the Bufferlands. Highlights included first-of-season Ring-necked Ducks, a flyover Long-billed Curlew, several Spotted Sandpipers, plus a nice flock containing two Golden-crowned Kinglets, several Orange-crowned Warblers, and a Black-throated Gray and a Townsend's Warbler.

Beginning Birders at William Pond, 10/20

Larry Hickey, co-leader with Rich Howard and Jane Van Kessel, reported: Although chilly at first, at the William Pond section of the American River Parkway, 12 of us enjoyed a nice day of birding on what turned out to be a beautiful autumn morning. In the open grassland area of the park, we were able to get good looks at Western Bluebirds, Dark-eyed Juncos, Bushtits, Northern Mockingbirds and of course European Starlings and large numbers of Canada Geese.  Yellow-billed Magpies were abundant and noisy, and a flock of California Quail were very cooperative in providing us with excellent looks. A beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk landed where we could also get an excellent view. A pair of Coyotes walked very close by, and we were delighted to find a common garter snake wrapped around the branches of a willow at eye level right next to the river.

River Bend Park, 10/26

Dana Miller-Blair, co-leader with Jane Van Kessel, reported: 14 of us met at the boat ramp parking lot in River Bend Park at 8 am for a 3 mile, 3 hour walk through the park. I was assisted by Jane Van Kessel, Rich Howard with his scope, and Mary Forrestal, who kept the eBird list for us. It was a cool 48 degrees F when we started up the oak woodland trails, warming to 70 degrees F by the time we circled around and returned on the river bluff trails. Some highlights of the walk included a Phainopepla, an American Kestrel, a beautiful, perched Red-shouldered Hawk and a Western Meadowlark! We also puzzled over a flock of Rock Pigeons that were circling in the sky. We enjoyed watching the many Acorn Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, and one Downy Woodpecker.  Canada Geese, Wild Turkeys, Mourning Doves, Killdeer, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Turkey Vultures, Black Phoebes, California Scrub-Jays, American Crows, Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, European Starlings, California Towhees and Spotted Towhees were plentiful.

We enjoyed watching Western Bluebirds (one going in and out of a hole), White-breasted Nuthatches, and Dark-eyed Juncos at the picnic area at the halfway point, near where we left the woodland for the bluffs. Returning along the river bluffs, in addition to the 15 Killdeer all on one rock island, we saw 3 Spotted Sandpipers, one American Herring Gull, and one Mallard. We had 3 California Gulls fly over. Throughout the walk, we heard only one California Quail and were surprised to see only a few White-crowned Sparrows (though we heard more) and no Golden-crowned Sparrows. Only 2 Bushtits were seen, one Tree Swallow, and only one Northern House Wren, but we saw 4 Bewick’s Wrens, and a few House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Checklist can be viewed at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S200361393

Cosumnes River Preserve, 10/26

Leader Paul Miller reported: I led a Birdability Week accessible trip in conjunction with the ABA Community Weekend event at Cosumnes River Preserve. The weather was beautiful and the birds did not disappoint. Flooded fields held the usual assortment of local and migrant birds including Northern Shovelers, Black-necked Stilts, Green-winged Teals and others. Standout birds included Blue-winged Teal, White-tailed Kite, Kestrel, Wilson’s Snipe, and the magnificent Sandhill Cranes. Peak fun was watching hundreds of birds get up because of a low soaring Bald Eagle.

Gibson Ranch, 10/27

Leader Kevin Thomas reported: A fantastic fall morning for this Sacramento Audubon field trip that started at sunrise with temperatures in the low 60's. I was joined by 9 eager birders ready to look and listen to find every possible bird. The morning started off great with Green Herons flying around the pond along with the traditional Mallards and Canada Geese. We quickly picked up a few Lark Sparrows foraging along the road edge by the pond while listening to a Marsh Wren sign its heart out. We scanned the grasslands and were rewarded with lots of blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks moving around the area. As we continued along the north side of the pond in the grass park area we were treated to some great flocks of sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos foraging.

Our first of the many possible best birds of the day came here when we spotted a White-throated Sparrow feeding alongside some White-crowned Sparrows. Not much further along we ran into a few Chipping Sparrows and then up on a dead snag was perched a beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker being bathed in morning sunlight. We were already riding high having seen so many fantastic birds when calls of Northern Harrier, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Hermit Thrush rang out. Our final highlight of the morning came with a typical "what is this perched over here" question to which the response was a Merlin. We all walked towards the Merlin and took in the fantastic views as it sat perched on a dead snag. What a morning as we finished the walk with an incredible 79 species and had some great conversations and observations together.

Sacramento NWR, 11/2

Leader Cliff Feldheim reported: Five of us visited Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in the morning and Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in the afternoon. The threat of rain may have made people reluctant to attend the field trip. Despite a cloudy early morning, by 9:30am the sky was sunny and partly cloudy leading to great weather for our trip.  We took a slow drive along the tour routes at Sacramento NWR, and after lunch at Colusa NWR, stopping at the designated locations in each area.  At Sacramento NWR, we tallied 53 species with good looks at large groups of Northern Pintail, Greater White-fronted Geese, and more Snow/Ross’s geese (about 5,000) than we expected for the time of year.

We also managed one Loggerhead Shrike, and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows, and both American and Lesser Goldfinches. A few of us enjoyed watching 3 River Otters chase each other and tackle each other rolling around on the tour route road after going in and out of the water. We managed one Peregrine Falcon but did not see any Bald Eagles (a little early in the season for them). At Colusa NWR, we tallied 33 species with additions of Sandhill Crane and riparian species like Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Say’s Phoebe. 

Nimbus Fish Hatchery, 11/3

Leader Dan Williams reported: Our good-sized group of 17 strong had a lovely morning at the hatchery and nearby bike trail. We started out on the bike trail behind the hatchery where lots of avian activity in the live oaks was comprised of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Bewick's Wrens, Oak Titmice, Spotted Towhees, and one calling Hutton's Vireo. As we made our way to the western overlook opposite Sailor Bar, the wind started kicking up and there was less songbird activity, but Turkey Vultures that were just waking up started wheeling over us very low, showing well their two-toned wings and bare red heads. An Osprey was spotted hovering over the river downstream quite a ways, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk appeared wheeling around among the vultures, then suddenly diving steeply into the oaks.

Making our way back along the river toward the hatchery, we spotted snorkeling Common Mergansers, stolid Great Blue Herons, teetering Spotted Sandpipers, and sunbathing Double-crested Cormorants. There were more gulls flying over than down for us to study on this windy morning with the river flowing high, but we did manage to spot one nice adult Glaucous-winged among the majority California and Herring Gulls. A couple of American Kestrels on the opposite side of the river afforded us nice scope views, as did a rattling Belted Kingfisher. Shortly after enjoying a couple of squawking Green Herons inside the enclosed outdoor portion of the hatchery, an adult Bald Eagle graced us with a sudden low flyover, followed a little later by its presumed mate-- a great climax to our fantastic late fall outing.

Sailor Bar, 11/9

Leader Rich Howard reported: On a cool sunny morning, 16 people joined me on a stroll through Sailor Bar. With many great spotters in the group, we had good looks at an adult female Cooper’s Hawk and our only Ring-billed Gull before we even left the parking lot. Our first stop on the American River found Turkey Vultures perched nearby, sunning their open wings, as well as salmon swimming upstream. As promised, we had flocks of sparrows to look through, with White-crowned being the most numerous, a few Golden-crowned, and both California and Spotted Towhees. Walking through the interior live oak-blue oak woodland, we found White-breasted Nuthatch, Oak Titmouse, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, some displaying their crowns. A calling American Kestrel finally appeared on the bluff above us, and we had time to study Acorn Woodpeckers and their granary tree while we waited for her to appear.

The pond only had Mallards and Canada Geese, but we had a nice flock of a dozen Lark Sparrows on the edge of the nearby parking lot. On route to the river again, we had great looks at Phainopepla. We were happy to see a large group of Bufflehead on the river, thrilled to see our first-of-season Common Goldeneye, and thrilled to see they were joined by a male Barrow’s Goldeneye. The gulls appeared to be mostly American Herring Gulls, but we found a few California Gulls, too. From the same overlook (aka “West Parking lot”), we got a Sharp-shinned Hawk soaring high above the opposite shore, clear scope views of an Osprey across the river, and heard Song Sparrow and two more Phainopepla very nearby. It was quite warm and pleasant by the time we returned to our cars, and the group seemed happy with our 55 species and the cameraderie. Jane Van Kessel assisted with this large group and kept our eBird list, which you can find here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S201940639 .

Beek's Bight, 11/10

Leader Nicole Barden reported: What a beautiful day for a bird walk! Sixteen people, a wide mix of ages and skill levels, met and were escorted to Beek's Bight, where the field trip began. The water level was very low, leaving plenty of areas for us to explore. Without even leaving the parking lot, we heard multiple birds including Nuttall's Woodpecker, Lesser Goldfinch, Oak Titmouse, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Many birds were attracted to the large toyon bushes full of berries scattered along the walk as well as the mistletoe berries that were found in the tops of many oak trees. We counted a total of 7 Phainopepla, both males and females, hanging out near these berries. We also saw multiple groups of Western Bluebirds that were feeding on the mistletoe. 

Another highlight was seeing multiple Rock Wrens, all being true to their name by standing on and around groups of rocks and boulders. A Red-shouldered Hawk sat cooperatively on top of a snag, giving everyone a chance to see its colors reflected in the sunlight. Eventually it got bored with us looking and decided to fly off. Someone thought they caught a glimpse of a Downy Woodpecker and a few moments later it gave its distinctive call, announcing itself to everyone. Gotta love when that happens! At one point we stopped on the trail to look at some movement in the trees and about 15 feet away from us a male deer stood up out of the tall grass. It had been completely camouflaged and we would not have seen him if he had not moved. Forty bird species were seen in total.  Here is the full ebird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S202094666

Beginning Birders at William Pond, 11/10

Larry Hickey, co-leader with Rich Howard and Jane Van Kessel, reported: At the William Pond section of the American River Parkway, 11 of us enjoyed birding on a clear, cool, crisp November morning. The day started out with excellent views of a flock of Cedar Waxwings and a cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk in perfect light followed by many Yellow-billed Magpies, Western Bluebirds, Dark-eyed Juncos, Bushtits, and a single Lark Sparrow. It was nice to see that many Bufflehead have returned to the open water area and to the river, and we had excellent views of a Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron and Great Egret all together.    We were able to find a few Wood Ducks and a highlight for us was a Phainopepla cooperatively perched right next to our trail.