Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus

One can almost always spot 1-2 Whimbrels at Porto Bodega, the sportfishing boat launch area in the northeast sector of Bodega Bay. At high tide they are usually on the pilings near the boats. At low tide the Whimbrel is often seen foraging along the rocks on the east side of the parking lot. This is one of 2 Whimbrels we saw there, and predictably one took exception to the arrival of the other and drove it off. Photos show a bird with fresh-looking feathers, perhaps a juvenile. First shot is typical. 

Second shot chosen to show the head striping better, a helpful field mark when the bill is not visible.

Third shot captures the Whimbrel and many other shorebirds scan above for potential predators or rivals that might be approaching.

I thought to write something "new" about this attractive species, but when I re-read what I sent in 2010 I realized that I had forgotten more than half of it, so maybe worth repeating here (edited).

"The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is said to get its common name from one of its calls, which sound like "whim". They added "brel" as a diminutive, i.e. "little whim" (Terres, Ency. NA Birds).  Numenius, the Curlews, is a genus of large shorebirds with long down-curved bills. Numenius in fact comes from the Greek word 'noumenios', meaning 'of the new moon'. The curve of the bill in birds of this genus resembles the look of a new crescent moon.

There are (were) 8 species of Curlews in the world. The Whimbrel breeds in the all subartic regions (circumpolar) and migrates south to shores around the world. Other species like our Long-billed Curlew are less widely distributed. The remaining 6 Curlews are Eurasian, Far Eastern, Slender-billed, Bristle-thighed, Little, and Eskimo. The last Eskimo Curlew was seen is Texas in 1962 and now considered extinct, due to past heavy hunting to sell the birds for market. Whimbrel was said to be very shy then and thus harder for the hunters to shoot. Most of the curlew species have been seen in the ABA region, but infrequently. Bolinas Lagoon is a good spot if you want the Long-billed Curlew."

Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus

Patti and I went to Rodeo Lagoon this morning and were rewarded with long looks at a female Rusty Blackbird foraging in the shallow water and on the mud at the northeast corner of the lagoon. The bird was spotted yesterday by Dave Wiechers and William Legge. Hopefully it will abide awhile.

Here's a crop to show the eye color and incomplete white eye ring:

The Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, was once very common in the U.S. Their numbers have declined an estimated 85-95+% over the last 40 years, confounding experts looking for the causes. Habit loss and intentional blackbird/cowbird poisoning efforts* no doubt play a role, but the decline is worse that expected solely on those factors, and the species in now listed as vulnerable. They breed across Canada, in forested tracts that are near water, and spend the winter in the eastern half of the U.S. Vagrants  to California are seen mostly in the fall (they are late migrants), and not very often any more. Their varied diet includes insects, seeds, and even small fish! The bird here foraged actively on the mud and in the shallow water.

The species is similar in size to Brewer's Blackbird. The males are similar in breeding plumage, but in fall the Rusty is indeed more reddish. No confusing the females, as the Rusty female has a yellow eye and rufous fringing on the inner wing flight feathers (tertials). A gray rump is also distinctive. The bird at Rodeo seems to have an incomplete whitish eye ring, as well as amber colored irides, suggesting it may be a juvenile. I'll let the experts ponder that one.

A few more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenblumin/sets/72157638022331836/

* Yes, it is legal to poison birds, usually because they are causing damage to crops. Most efforts are directed toward reducing Red-winged Blackbird numbers (as well as Common Grackles and Cowbirds), but Rusty Blackbird deaths are an example of unavoidable collateral damage.

Bonaparte's Gull - Larus philadelphia

Gulls can be difficult to identify, with many exhibiting similar patterns: gray above, white below and black wingtips. The small Bonaparte's Gull is a exception, easily standing out from the other local gulls. It flies and feeds more like a tern, diving suddenly to deftly pluck prey from the surface of the water, then resuming its back and forth flight about 20 feet above the water. Not easy to take a photo like this with a scope!

The black ear patch is present on both juvenile and adult birds, but not seen on other local gull species. The black tail band and striking dark carpal bars on the wings are hallmarks of a first winter bird. Note also the black trailing edge on the wing, another feature of a young bird.The dainty tern-like black bill and white eye ring complete the picture. A very pretty gull indeed!

Photos were taken this past week at Las Gallinas, where 2 juveniles birds have been foraging. As usual they were taken through a spotting scope, which takes a bit of luck, as the birds forage so actively and its hard to track them at 25X magnification. Here one of them rests briefly on the water.

Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena

A Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) has been present at the Las Gallinas water treatment ponds since November 5th, and we're hoping it will stay the winter. It seems to be successfully foraging, mostly in the east end of Pond #1 and usually in front of the "island" where the BC Night-Herons roost. Yesterday it got close enough for some photos, which although back-lit still provides a good study of head and bill shape. 

The large size (at 18" it's a little bigger than the Ring-necked Ducks seen there), yellow bill and dark brown iris make it easy to distinguish from other grebes. The relatively stout neck and head shape, along with the bill, might suggest a loon at first. The dingy gray of the neck and the way the gray extends back from the chin and then up behind the "ear" brings to mind the Eared Grebe, but in fact the Red-necked is more closely related to the Horned Grebe (and to the Great Crested Grebe, which is not seen here). This is probably an adult RN Grebe, as the juvenile often shows some brown or chestnut color on the foreneck, as well as a lighter-colored iris.

The Red-necked Grebe breeds at inland lakes and ponds in Alaska, across lower western Canada, and northern U.S. from Wisconsin to Washington. They also breed in northern Eurasia, and the global population is estimated at 200,000-300,000. In the fall the RN Grebe migrates south along the west coast, down to central California, and across the Great Lakes to the east coast, where they range down to North Carolina. Although the bird at Las Gallinas seemed content to ignore the many Ring-necked Ducks, Greater Scaups and Canvasbacks in the area, it is know to be an aggressive species, specializing it a sneak attack called the "Sinister Dive". It will approach another bird from underwater like a torpedo then stab at the victim. They have even been know to kill ducks as large as a Northern Pintail, although they are more likely to attack diving ducks. They eat a variety of prey, including fish, crustaceans and insects, all usually swallowed while still underwater. Taxonomy below.

Order: Podicipediformes -  Grebes. Only one family here.

Family: Podicipedidae - The Grebes. 20 species worldwide - 7 in U.S., 6 in California.

Genus: Podiceps - Largest grebe genus, with 8 species worldwide, of which one is threatened (P. taczanowskii, the Junin Grebe). We have 3 Podiceps in the U.S., including Red-necked, Eared and Horned Grebes. Non-U.S. Podiceps grebes besides the Junin are the Great, Great-Crested, Silvery, and Hooded Grebes.

Species: Podiceps grisegena (literally "Gray-cheeked Grebe"). Largest of the Podiceps, and distinctly larger than our Horned and Eared Grebes.

Subspecies: Podiceps grisegena holboellii, a.k.a. "Holboell's Grebe". Holboell is not featured in Mearns book, but I believe the name refers to C. Holboell, a Danish naturalist of the mid-19th century, who studied birds from Greenland, including Redpoll species.

American and Eurasian Wigeon Variations

The American Wigeon male in breeding plumage is a distinctive duck, with a light crown, wide dark stripe on the side of the head extending back from the eye, and a warm flank color.

A close-up front view shows the black line around the base of the bill:

The male Eurasian Wigeon is equally distinctive, with a striking uniform rufous color on the head and lighter gray on the flank, becoming more pink at the shoulder. A small area of green near the eye is sometimes seen and does not indicate a hybrid with the American. Note the absence of a black line where the bill joins the face on the Eurasian Wigeon.

We sometimes see male wigeons that show characteristics of both American and Eurasian Wigeons, likely representing natural hybrids of the 2 species. Sibley and others show that such hybrids are variable. They usually have a two-tone face like the American, but instead of a green iridescence we see a warm brown or rufous color, and variable coloration on the flank. The bill may show a black line at the face.

The male wigeon below shows a rufous brown stripe on the face. He lacks a strong black line where the bill joins the face, and has a mix of gray and rufous on the flank, all suggesting he may have some Eurasian Wigeon DNA:

Here's another shot of the above bird, with an American Wigeon close by for comparison. Alternatively, we may just be viewing an eclipse male American Wigeon that in well along in his pre-alternate molt:

Lastly, sometimes when the light strikes the face at just the right angle we can see a beautiful golden bronze color instead of green, a variation in iridescence and not the expression of brown pigment:

While there is no confusing the male Eurasian Wigeon from the male American Wigeon, the females of these species look quite similar. After consulting multiple sources I came up with this set of criteria that might help in picking out a female Eurasian from a flock of American Wigeons. Now I'd just like to find a female to photograph!

Hooded Merganser - Lophodytes cucullatus

The Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, is one of the last ducks to appear in the fall, and is always a welcome sight. They favor secluded ponds and streams, and are rather shy, so I was pleased to learn that a pair of Hooded Mergansers had returned to the pond just north of the Marin City shopping center, sharing the habitat with a score of American Wigeons. The "hood" refers to the crest, a rather spectacular oversized structure that can be quickly fanned in a startling display, as shown by this male trying perhaps to impress the American Wigeons that were crowding him in a channel off the pond. The female Hooded Merganser paid no attention to the activity.

Male Hooded Merganser swimming with crest retracted

In the next photo the male has started to erect his crest, either to impress the female Hooded Merganser or to intimidate the nearby American Wigeons.

Crest now fanned out to perhaps 60%. Doubt that the female has noticed.

The American Wigeons began to surround the Hooded Merganser, probably because there was simply not much room in this small channel. The birds showed no agonistic behavior, but it seemed that the closer the wigeons got the more the crest became erected.

Crest fully raised. Female merganser no longer close. Pictures are sequential.

Another shot of the male Hooded Merganser with his fanned crest. He's now surrounded by the wigeons, who essentially ignored him. Read more about mergansers below the photo.

The Hooded Merganser is 18" long, a bit smaller than the American Wigeons.

The Hooded Merganser winters here in a variety of freshwater habitats, such as quiet ponds, streams, rivers, and tidal creeks, avoiding marine areas and large open lakes and bays. It is our smallest merganser, and takes more crayfish and insects than it does fish. It's really not very closely related to the other mergansers, and shares an affinity to the Bucephala ducks (Goldeneyes and Bufflehead). In fact the Hooded Merganser and Common Goldeneye are unusual in that they both have the ability to change the shape of their lens (accommodation) to allow them to focus on close objects as they hunt for prey by sight when they dive, virtually always in clear water.

Lophodytes is a monotypic genus, and in fact the word means "crested diver" (Holloway, Dict. of Birds). The Hooded Merganser is the only merganser with a breeding range limited to North America, and there are no subspecies described. World-wide there are only 6 merganser species in all. 4 mergansers are in the genus Mergus (Common, Red-breasted, Scaly-sided, and Brazilian Mergansers), and the Smew, aka White Merganser, is in the monotypic genus of Mergellus.

California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis

Of the 6 Towhee species seen in the U.S. our California Towhee, Piplo cirssalis, is arguably the plainest, but those of us who have it in our backyards enjoy its confiding presence and cheerful if sometimes monotonous loud "pinks". This one was next to the parking lot of the Las Gallinas Ponds. The Cal Towhee is a near endemic species, barely ranging to Oregon and south to Baja.

The side view didn't quite get all of the long tail, mostly because the bird was too close. It was eating the seeds of weedy grass, as seen a closer photo, which shows some of the features that we often miss when viewing with binoculars. 

The last photo, below is simply a crop from the above, to zoom in a bit on the pretty eye and throat. The streaks of the throat are maybe not as prominent as those seen in the Canyon and Abert's Towhee.