Black-necked Stilt at Frank's Dump

When we arrived at the impounded area known as Frank's Dump on July 13th the relative paucity of birds there made it easier to sort through them. Best were 30+ deep rufous Red Knots, forming 2 groups on the main mud island. Other birds included 3 Red-necked Phalaropes on the island and 3 Snowy Plovers on mud bars just a bit north. At high tide there will be thousands of birds packed cheek-by-jowl on the island, and the Red-necked Stint found there recently might be present in the northwest corner. 

As we scanned the birds (never did see the Stint!) we heard a Black-necked Stilt chirping to 2 of its chicks along the shore just below us, almost too close to keep in a scope view. Managed this shot of a juvenile, perhaps 3-4 weeks old. The buff fringed feathers will soon be replaced by gray and black. The legs are a dull gray-pink and were too long to fit in the composition.

In Black-necked Stilts both parents share the brooding and subsequent guard duty. The youngsters are precocial and feed themselves. Juvenile stilts have brown irises, which will become deep ruby red with age.

To get to the Hayward Regional Shoreline take 880 south toward Hayward, exiting at Winton Ave. Follow W. Winton west toward the bay end and park at the end. Don't leave valuables exposed in the car. Walk out to the bay (.5 mi) and then north on the levee for about .7 mi. Scope is helpful but not necessary.

White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

White-faced Ibises appeared at Ellis Creek recently, so Patti and I went to check on them. The Ellis Creek water treatment facility is in Petaluma, accessed from S. McDowell Blvd. 

The Ibises (9 in all) were foraging actively near the path. Light was from the right side, but sometimes one would turn just right to reveal the shimmering greens and related hues we all love. These birds were all in basic (winter) plumage, and Patti suggested they matched some photos of subadult birds, either hatch year or perhaps second winter. The adult White-faced Ibis has a red iris, whereas these appeared amber in color.

A crop of the above photo below shows the iris color better. The birds foraged for invertebrates much like a a godwit or curlew, probing vigorously in the moist brushy areas close to the trail, rather than in the water.

Another shot shows the sickle-shaped bill better, as well as the long toes that help in marshy areas. Plegadis translates as a sickle, or scythe.

One last shot of the iris, cropped and enhanced from another photo.

None of the birds we observed exhibited any of the rich chestnut hues seen in alternate plumage birds, and none showed any red in the iris. Opinions welcomed as to the age.

So, if a group of Emus is called a "mob", what would be the term for a group of Ibises?

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

During the recent TLCBirding weekend trip to the refuges in the Central Valley we tallied 100+ Red-tailed Hawks, usually seen on telephone pole crossbars as we drove. At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge most viewing is done from the car, but we did spend about an hour at the excellent viewing platform. Right alongside the ramp leading to the platform, on a low spot in the grass sat a young Red-tailed Hawk, staring balefully at the hordes of birders coming and going up the ramp.

We wondered if the bird was sick or injured, as it showed no inclination to move. A closer inspection showed that it had apparently been feeding on prey recently and perhaps was guarding the remains. After about 15 minutes the hawk took flight, leaving behind whatever it might have had for lunch. Too close for me to get a nicely composed photo, so I settled for some portrait shots.

Sac Nat Wildlife refuge is along route 5, south of Willows: SNWR

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

The color of the iris of some birds changes with age, especially in the raptors. The juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, has a medium brown iris, which will darken with age. The keen vision of hawks, and in fact of many birds, results in part from their large eyes in relation to their head size, as well as the anatomic structure of the eye itself. The Birder's Handbook (Ehrlich,Dobkin,Wheye) has a great essay, "Hawk-eyed" p. 229-231, that explains some of the structural features of a hawk's eye that gives it a visual acuity that far exceed the sharp vision of a human. Too much to relate here, plus you should all have this book on your shelf, as it is a most readable and interesting source that goes far beyond what you'll find in a bird guide book.l I know, most already have the book, but like me you probably don't refer to it often enough!

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk on Bush Lupine, Pierce Pt. Road -
Point Reyes National Seashore

Closer view show the color of the iris better: Juvenile birds have streaky chests, whereas our western adult Red-shouldered Hawks are a rich orange.

Closer still:

This young bird was oblivious to our presence, and in fact seemed to follow us along the path, catching grasshoppers that fled at our approach.

Hudsonian Godwit - Limosa haemastica

A juvenile Hudsonian Godwit was spotted  in Napa County, California, on Sept. 11, 2013 and was still present on Sept 15. It forages in a farm pond southwest of Napa at the end of Buchli Station Road, in an area known as Huichica Creek WA, and has been seen by scores of enthralled birders.

The Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemastica is a species rarely seen by most. It breeds far to the north, at widely scattered tundra sites in Alaska and Canada, especially around Hudson's Bay. The species in a long distance migrant, capable of flying 5,000 miles non-stop from Canada to southern South America, mostly flying over water down the Atlantic coast. Most Hudsonian Godwits seen in the Pacific Northwest and in California have been juveniles, and are likely from groups nesting in southern Alaska. The wintering sites in South America are  along the coast of Argentina, and down to Tierra del Fuego! The next photo shows the godwit plunging its long bill into the mud of the shallow pond, where it then probed like the Dowitchers. You can see the black tail here, along with the nicely fringed back feathers.

The feeding mehtod of the Hudsoniancan be seen in a short video I took (click on the icons for "HD" and "Full Screen", lower right of the link): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenblumin/9754810473/in/photostream

Next photo gives a good idea of the bird's size (15"), as it forages near the slightly smaller and more slender Greater Yellowlegs, which is about 14".

My favorite photo was taken as the light improved. The soft brown of the water reflects dried foliage from the bank of the pond, creating a perfect backdrop for the soft hues of the juvenile Godwit. Note the well-defined supercilliary mark, which is widest in front of the eye and stops just over the rear of the eye. Bar-tailed Godwit has a longer stripe here.

The long bill is gently upcurved, much like the Marbled Godwit's. The similar-appearing Black-tailed Godwit has a straighter bill with more color at the base. In the Hudsonian the pink color is restricted to the proximal lower mandible. Juveniles have an unmarked breast, are browner that fall adults, and have more brightly marked backs. The last shot show the Hudsonian with the American Avocet and a Greater Yellowlegs.

Taxonomy:

Order: Charadriiformes - Shorebirds, including Gulls and Terns

Family: Scolopacidae - Shorebirds, including Sandpipers, plus Avocets, Oystercatchers, Turnstones and Phalaropes.

Genus: Limosa - The Godwits. Limosa meaning "muddy", apparently a reference to the coastal mudflats where many of these birds forage. There are only 4 Godwit species in the world. Their relationship to other Scolopacidae is uncertain. Some evidence argued for placing them near the curlews, while other signs pointed to a dowitcher link in the past, or even to the turnstones.

• The largest Limosa is the Marbled Godwit at 18", a bird commonly seen from fall to spring on our coastal tidelands, but not seen as widely in most other areas. Total population about 130,000.
• The 16" Bar-tailed Godwit, a Eurasian species numbering over 1 million, has some 120,000 breeders sited in Alaska along the north and west coasts. It is thought that the rare sighting of Hudsonian Godwits in Australia occur because they follow the Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwits on their epic 7,000 mile journey south across the Pacific.
• The 16.5" Black-tailed Godwit is also Eurasian, numbers about 800,000 and is closest in appearance to the Hudsonian Godwit. Underwings are white, and bill is straighter than that on the Hudsonian. Black-tailed is clearly closest to the Hudsonian and they are referred to as allo-species, or classified as conspecifics.

Species: Limosa haemastica - Hudsonian Godwit. Total population is estimated at 50-70,000. No subspecies are currently recognized, as the disjunct populations are all similar in appearance, but genetic analysis show distinct difference among the separate breeding groups. The Hudsonian is best distinguished from the Black-tailed by the black axillaries and underwing, which we saw briefly when it flew to the other pond nearby. Vagrant Hudsonian Godwits have been seen in various Pacific Island groups, in small numbers. Read more about this rare visitor on Cornell's Birds of NorthAmerica Online, #629, Elphick and Klinka.

To see the exact location on a map you can scroll down a bit more and click on "Napa, California".