California Scrub Jay

(Originally sent as as email, December 2016)

On a late 2016 visit to Lake Solano Park we spotted a scrub-jay perched in a tree along the picnic area.

Only last year the birding guidebooks listed this species as the Western Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma californica. The AOU committee voted to grant full species status to our coastal subspecies, which is now the California Scrub-Jay. Likewise, the subspecies seen in the interior and parts of the southwest was also elevated to full species status, namely Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma woodhouseii. See Recent Checklist Changes for details and range maps of the 2 species.

Interesting to note that older books listed the 2 groups as separate species, both without the name "scrub-jay", so we had the California Jay and Woodhouse's Jay, along with 2 other Aphelocoma species, the Florida Jay (now Florida Scrub-Jay) and the Santa Cruz Jay (now Island Scrub Jay). These 4 species are quite similar in appearance. The Woodhouse Scrub-Jay blue color is less striking, and it lacks the incomplete blue collar that borders the white bib.

The incomplete blue collar is seen better in a side view, taken at Bodega Bay a few years ago:

Cheers,

Len

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Went to Lake Solano Park 11/10/2016 with a new camera, the Panasonic Lumix GX8. Tough job switching to a different brand, as the Lumix GX8 has so many features it will take me months to figure it out. Our very first bird was a female Nuttall's Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii. She moved upward and around the trunk searching the bark for insects, kind of like a Brown Creeper. Nuttall's WP is a California near-endemic, with a range that includes a bit of southern Oregon and northern Baja California.

The genus Picoides includes the closely related Ladder-backed Woodpecker of the southwest, whose range includes southeast California, with minimal overlap with the Nuttall's. These are small woodpeckers at 7", barely larger than our often-seen Downy Woodpecker. The other local Picoides species is the Hairy Woodpecker, a larger version of the Downy.

You can be pretty sure of your identification of Nuttall's if you see a "laddered" black-and-white pattern of horizontal bars on the back of a small woodpecker in California. If you are in southeast California, say Kern County, you can tell it from the Ladder-backed Woodpecker by the large expanse of black on the upper back of Nuttall's, as shown in the next photo. There is more black on the face of Nuttall's (narrower white stripes) and the white bars on the back are said to be more narrow. Nuttall's also has a characteristic rattle call, which frequently helps you locate one. Note the zygodactyl foot. Normally the 4th toe is positioned toward the rear, but is often brought a bit forward (horizontal) for a better grip.

Another shot of the female Nuttall's. Note the tiny bill, as seen also on the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens. The 2 species are closely related, and occasionally hybridize.

The laddered back pattern is a common feature of many woodpecker species, and is present on the female Williamson's Sapsucker, Golden-fronted WP, Gilded WP, and the American Three-toed Woodpecker, among others.

As with many woodpecker species, the male Nuttall's has some red on or near the crown, as seen on this one from Lake Solano a some years back on a Rich Stallcup trip:

One last shot of the male seen on a tree in the parking lot at Las Gallinas, Jan 2008.

Taxonomy note: Picus was a roman mythological figure, "god of the forests" who was transformed into a woodpecker by a sorceress (Beletsky, Birds of the World). The name is the basis for the order Picaformes, which includes not only the woodpeckers (family Picadae), but also Barbets, Toucans, Jacamars, and Honey Guides.

Pinyon Jay - Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

The Pinyon Jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, is a bird that relies heavily on Pinyon Pine/Juniper habitat, so it's a species seldom seen found along the coast.We often see then on trips to the Mono Lake basin, on the eastern slope of the Sierra. Mono Mills, along 120 east of Mono Lake, is often a good spot to encounter a roving band of these handsome blue jays. As we stood on the Mono Mills viewing platform a group of 30-40 Pinyon Jays flew back and forth from a stand to pine trees down to the dry streambed below, foraging opportunistically on whatever food source they had discovered. Photos below taken in sequence at a distance of about 15-20 yards.

The above bird quickly moved to check below the log, perhaps for termites. Note the bright blue of the head, and how the tail is lighter blue that the back and flanks. The bill is fairly long and straight. 

The birds arrived in groups of up to 5 individuals and seemed to enjoy the a non-competitive feast. The frequent round-trips to nearby pines suggested they might be caching food in advance of winter. Next photo barely shows the white streaking in the throat.

Here 2 more of these very blue corvids have just arrived.

The previous day at Crowley Lake (east of Mammoth) Dave Shuford heard Pinon Jays flying at some distance, and our group got to watch about 150 birds flying above a nearby ridge. It's always a bit of a thrill to encounter these nomadic troupe as they roam the interior mountains of our western states. They call loudly as they fly but are relatively silent on the ground and wary of any approach.

Mono Lake with Shuf and The Vagrants - Day 3

Driving north from Mono Lake we crossed Conway Summit and drove down to Bridgeport, turning right to the Bridgeport Reservoir. Highlight of the drive were the Black-billed Magpies near the turnoff. The cool morning air and absence of wind allowed for good photos.

After scoping the thousands of birds on the lake from a roadside pullout we continued to the Bridgeport RV Park and Boat Launch, where the genial manager allowed us to walk down to the now-diminished lakeshore. As we started down we saw a Cooper's Hawk resting on the concrete boat ramp only 20' away. The hawk lifted off but landed on a table at eye level, seemingly unconcerned by our murmuring and gawking. The spangled brown back denotes a juvenile (thanks, Dave) and the large size suggests a female. Rounded tail, of course.

Nearby we spotted a lone White-faced Ibis foraging in a shallow waste area, ignoring our contingent as well as the hawk. Each step and movement of the ibis reflected a rainbow of color. All credit here to the morning light and a cooperative bird. Apologies for the oil container.

The chestnut color is from a brown form of melanin known as eumelanin. The rainbow of other colors is produced when the microstructure of the feathers refracts the white light and preferentially reinforces certain wavelengths, as we see in thin oil films and hummingbird gorgets.

The Glossy Ibis is quite similar, especially in non-breeding plumage, but the red iris and bare skin are seen only on the White-faced Ibis.

One last shot - choose your favorite.

Below the dam at the north end the group saw a limited variety of birds, highlighted by a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. I contented myself with photographing a pretty little green skipper butterfly, which Leslie identified as the Juba Skipper.

After lunch we drove back on 395, turning right at Conway Summit to drive up to the Virginia Lakes area. The Virginia Lakes Resort is welcoming to birders, and their feeders reliably attract Cassin's Finches, members of the Carpodacus finches, commonly called Rosefinches (not Rosy-finches). Note the reddish cap and gray auricular area. The top (culmen) of the upper mandible is almost straight, whereas the culmen on the Purple Finch is convex, and even more so on the House Finch.

Nearby a Thick-billed Fox Sparrow refused to pose in good light:

Seeds on the ground attracted several bright Pine Siskins. Note the sharply pointed bill, a helpful fieldmark when the yellow color is lacking.

We saw lots more of course, including many species of waterfowl. Check it out some day!

Mono Lake with Shuf and the Vagrants

Patti and I just returned from a 3+ day trip at Mono Lake with our good Vagrant friends, led by Dave Shuford and ably planned and organized by Kate Carolan. Weather was fantastic, meaning rain-free and cooler than usual.

Day One was spent south of Mono, starting at Crowley Lake. The morning chill gradually faded as we studied the reservoir with our scopes. Most of the thousands of birds were at some distance. One highlight was watching 2 subadult Sabine's Gulls. Before leaving we walked over to the Leyton Springs area, on the nearby eastern slope above Crowley. There we watched 2 Green-tailed Towhees as they bathed and foraged in the shade near the spring inlet. Distance and deep shade challenged the photographers. 

Day Two highlights were along route 120 on the south side of Mono Lake. At South Tufa we were too late for the Wilson's Phalaropes, but still enjoyed a decent variety of the usual species. As we exited the cars we enjoyed watching a Sage Thrasher on the roof of the restroom building.

Along the shore we watched a few Least Sandpipers feasting on the brine flies.

Heading east on 120 we stopped at the Mono Mills kiosk, where we were greeted by the resident White-breasted Nuthatches. Viewing from the kiosk we watched an animated flock of 30-40 Pinon Jays foraging at the base of some desert scrub plants and then flying back to nearby pines to cache or eat their harvest, which might have been insects. Distance and active movements were a challenge to capture. More fun just to watch the frenzy.

Nearby a White-headed Woodpecker was spotted by Beth, and we all watched in awe as this rare visitor plucked pine nuts and stashed them in bark crevices of an adjacent pine. Too close for me to get a good photo, so I took a short video and extracted a few frames Mottle red on crown may denote a juvenile:

Another corvid completed Mono Mill kiosk show, Clark's Nutcracker:

Day 3 to follow.

Mono Lake with Shuf and the Vagrants

Patti and I just returned from a 3+ day trip at Mono Lake with our good Vagrant friends, led by Dave Shuford and ably planned and organized by Kate Carolan. Weather was fantastic, meaning rain-free and cooler than usual.

Day One was spent south of Mono, starting at Crowley Lake. The morning chill gradually faded as we studied the reservoir with our scopes. Most of the thousands of birds were at some distance. One highlight was watching 2 subadult Sabine's Gulls. Before leaving we walked over to the Leyton Springs area, on the nearby eastern slope above Crowley. There we watched 2 Green-tailed Towhees as they bathed and foraged in the shade near the spring inlet. Distance and deep shade challenged the photographers. 

Day Two highlights were along route 120 on the south side of Mono Lake. At South Tufa we were too late for the Wilson's Phalaropes, but still enjoyed a decent variety of the usual species. As we exited the cars we enjoyed watching a Sage Thrasher on the roof of the restroom building.

Along the shore we watched a few Least Sandpipers feasting on the brine flies.

Heading east on 120 we stopped at the Mono Mills kiosk, where we were greeted by the resident White-breasted Nuthatches. Viewing from the kiosk we watched an animated flock of 30-40 Pinon Jays foraging at the base of some desert scrub plants and then flying back to nearby pines to cache or eat their harvest, which might have been insects. Distance and active movements were a challenge to capture. More fun just to watch the frenzy.

Nearby a White-headed Woodpecker was spotted by Beth, and we all watched in awe as this rare visitor plucked pine nuts and stashed them in bark crevices of an adjacent pine. Too close for me to get a good photo, so I took a short video and extracted a few frames Mottled red on crown may denote a juvenile:

Another corvid completed Mono Mill kiosk show, Clark's Nutcracker:

Day 3 to follow.

Clubtails along Bear Creek

On our July 16 visit to Bear Creek with Tim Manolis and Leslie Flint we were happy to find 2 species of clubtails, The White-belted Ringtail and the Gray Sanddragon.

The White-belted Ringtail, Erpetogomphus compositus, has an well-chosen scientific name, as "compositus" suggests tit has multiple varied features. Indeed, it looks like a colored drawing filled in by a artistic youngster. Gray face, blue-gray eyes, multi-colored stripes on the thorax, white rings on along the black abdomen, and yellow-orange on the last 3 segments of the abdomen that form the "club" on the male. The female otherwise looks similar. 

They often pose for a while on the same rock. This one turned to face the audience. Dragonflies have quite a range of rotation between the head and the thorax. The widely separated eyes is a common feature of the clubtails (see text at end).

The Ringtails, genus Erpetogomphus, make up one of about 13 genera of dragonflies in the family called Clubtails, the Gomphidae (see below). There are 22 species in genus Erpetogomphus, of which 6 are seen in Western U.S. (Paulson) with only 2 in California (Manolis). Ringtails are restricted to the Americas, whereas other clubtails may have a worldwide distribution. Like most Clubtails, the Ringtails are found along rivers and streams. Most of the 22 species have more green color.

A marginal shot of a female White-belted Ringtail found by Leslie.

There is a bridge along the road to Wilbur Hot Springs (resort destroyed by fire), which allows access to gravel-lined shoreline below it that is a favorite habitat of the Gray Sanddragon, Progomphus borealis. This may be a female, lacking a clubbed tail. Note the prominent light-colored flat cerci at the end of the abdomen.

From a 2013 post:

The Clubtails as a family are indeed very diverse, with at least 13 genera seen in the U.S., including Sanddragons, Leaftails, Forktails, Hanging and Pond Clubtails, Common Clubtails, Least Clubtails, Spinylegs, Dragonhunters (gotta love that one!), and Grappletails. All Clubtails have widely separated eyes (check out the close-up here), compared to the eyes of most dragonfly families where the eyes are close and often touch at the midline, and most are found along rivers and streams where they choose a horizontal perch. Worldwide, there are a total of about 90 genera in the Clubtail family, numbering some 900 species. Quite a group to study, although not nearly as numerous as the Skimmer family, Libellulidae.