Red-naped Sapsucker - Spyyrapicus nuchalis

Sapsuckers are well-named, as they are famous for their behavior of drilling a series of holes in the bark of a tree and later returning to the oozing holes to drink the sap or catch insects there. Before the 1980's there were only 2 birds in the Sapsucker genus, Sphyrapicus, The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Williamson's Sapsucker. In the mid-1980's the Yellow-breasted Sapsucker, S. varius, was split into 3 species. The Pacific Coast group of birds, the reddest, were separated out as the Red-breasted Sapsucker, S. ruber, and the Rocky Mountain group was given the name Red-naped Sapsucker, S nuchalis , a species we don't often see along the west coast. 

The Red-naped is quite similar to the Yellow-breasted Sapsucker found across the lower U.S. from Texas over to the east coast. The most significant difference is a red patch on the back of the neck, the nuchal area or "nape". The males of both species have a red throat with a black border, although the black border on the Red-naped is thinner.

First photo shows the red throat with the thin black border, and just a hint of red on the nape. 

Second photo and third photos are crops to show a bit more of the red nape. We can also see a bit of the yellow wash on the shoulder and belly.

Fourth photo show the yellow wash best, and the last photo gives us a look from below, showing the broad black chest band and the extensive red in the throat, and looking like a giant hummingbird. A female Red-naped Sapsucker would look much the same as this male, but she would have a white in the area of the chin, just about the red neck.

For those wishing to read more, especially about the rare occurrence of a female Red-naped with a totally red throat, see this article:

http://cfobirds.org/downloads/In%20the%20Scope/004%20In%20the%20Scope%20October%202007.pdf

Photos were taken looking up at quite an angle, so it's hard to show the pattern on the back and the nape. It was also quite a challenge to compose a shot, as the bird stayed only briefly at each visit.

Greater Yellowlegs -Tringa melanoleuca

While doing a Richardson Bay survey I spotted a Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) along the shore, and couldn't resist taking a few shots. Melanoleuca  means black and white, and I like to think of it as "salt and pepper". In breeding plumage the bird indeed appears more black and white, but in winter the upperparts are more gray, with a brown tinge, as seen here. I like these shots because they show how the base of the bill has some color, which helps distinguish it from the Lesser Yellowlegs (T. flavipes). The bill of the Greater YL is also longer, slightly upturned at times, and thicker at the base than the bill of the Lesser. 

Here'a another shot, showing the view more from the rear.

It's interesting to note the DNA studies suggest that the Greater Yellowlegs is closely related to the "shanks", i.e. Greenshank and Spotted Redshank, both large birds in the Tringa genus. The lesser Yellowlegs is in fact more closely related to the Willet. A good example of convergent evolution at work.

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.

Cackling Cackling Goose - Branta hutchinsii minima

At the Las Gallinas ponds recently a bunch of Canada Geese barreled in noisily to pond #1 and settled for a bit. With them was a flock of about 53 smaller versions of the Canada Goose, a species call the Cackling Goose. What was really cool was the manner in which the smaller geese stayed in close proximity to each other, effectively excluding any of the nearby big honkers from crashing their party.

I'd never seen the size disparity between Cackling and Canada Geese as well, so I figured it was worth sharing some documentary photos.

Pretty sure the subspecies of Cackling Goose here is the "minima", a race formerly called the Cackling Goose when it was part of the Canada Goose complex. When they split off Cackling Goose (4 subspecies) from the Canada Goose (7 subspecies) the "minima" became only one of four types of Cackling Geese, so we now have to call it either "minima", or the Cackling Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii minima. I'm not making this stuff up! The other common subspecies of Cackling Goose seen here is the Aleutian Cackling Goose. Sibley writes about it a lot better than I do, and at great length (source below). Other sources also included for the brave amongst you.

Sibley on Candada/Cackling, 2004: http://www.sibleyguides.com/2007/07/identification-of-cackling-and-canada-goose/

Roberson (Creagus) - 2 pages: 

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTYbirdsCACG.html

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTYbirdsCACG2.html

Mountain Plover - Charadrius montanus

The Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus, has declined significantly in population and is considered near-threatened, with a total population of perhaps 15-20,000. The decline is attributed mostly to habitat loss, both in breeding grounds (short-grass plains east of the Rockies) and wintering areas, where agricultural practices have reduced foraging grounds. They prefer barer ground, i.e. grazed, plowed or burned fields. Unlike most plovers the Mountain Plover is not found near water and prefers arid substrates where it hunts for beetles, grasshoppers and crickets. Up to 85% of all the Mountain Plovers will winter in the Central, San Juaquin and Imperial Valleys of California, with most in the Imperial Valley. Others winter in southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico, with some in southwest Texas.

Their nesting behavior is interesting. The female lays about 3 eggs in one nest, then leaves that clutch for the male to incubate and watch over until chicks fledge. Meanwhile she goes to a second nest and lays another 3 eggs, which she incubates and tends herself, apparently with better average success than the male. The chicks are precocial, i.e. they find their own food.

As you can see from the photos, Mountain Plover is long-legged and rather plain, with soft brown back and wings, and white face, neck and underparts. About Killdeer size but with a shorter tail. They blend in with the colors of the plowed fields, so can be hard to spot. In breeding plumage the forecrown gets black, as in many other plover species, and black develops in the lores.

The BNA account (#211) by F. Knobf is good, but a more accessible account can be found in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Plover

White-winged Scoter - Melanitta fusca

A male White-winged Scoter at the San Leandro Marina recently was too tempting to pass up. Patti and I went there this morning, following Marina Blvd to Mulford Point Drive, stopping at the last parking lot. Exiting the car we looked just over the rip-rap along the shoreline and the second duck we saw was the adult male White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fusca.

Along the coast we see the White-winged Scoter only occasionally, and usually not close to shore, so seeing it less than 50' away was a treat. If foraged for mussels in the shallow water, staying largely in a small area, visible even when underwater from the turbulence of its feet as it paddled furiously to stay under as it fed on the bottom. It swallows shellfish whole and rarely brings them to the surface.

The white comma, or "rocker" under the eye is distinctive, and the big multi-colored bill is rather striking. I didn't realize that the White-winged male has a fair amount of brown of the flanks, quite visible in certain light. Apparently the asian subspecies is darker. The subspecies seen in Europe is quite different, and goes by the name Velvet Scoter, considered by some to be a separate species.

Population data is seriously lacking. Numbers surely have declined over the past century. Dawson wrote in 1923, "Abundant migrant and winter resident along the entire seacoast." (Birds of California). He included a photo of a large raft of sea ducks, chiefly White-winged Scoters. They were hunted for 'sport', although not eaten because of the fishy taste. It's ironic that the serious invasion of the exotic Zebra Snail in the Great Lakes is likely to lead to a resurgence in the numbers of White-winged Scoters, whose diet is mainly mollusks. Main predators of the chicks are gulls.

First photo shows the distinctive bill, black on top at the base, then white, orange at the tip, and pink along the sides. The bill has a bulbous swelling proximally, and extensive black feathering (down to the nostril, especially along the sides of the bill). The pearl iris sits nicely in the white "comma".

Second photo was a surprise, as the bird looked mostly black while it swam, but in certain light it was clear that the flanks were quite brown, unlike the black seen on male Surf and Black Scoters. The second and third photos show the bulbous swelling on top of the bill pretty well.

No direct light on the flanks in the last shot.

Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata

By November most of the male ducks are in "alternate" plumage, meaning they have largely completed the molt into the bright breeding costume worn most of the year. The Northern Shoveler is an exception, as Ralph Palmer writes (Handbook of NA Birds,  Vol. 2), "…in some individuals either the whole (molting) process is gradual and prolonged, or the major portion of it occurs late…". Thus, at times we see some interesting and at times puzzling male Northern Shovelers.

The first photo, 11/22/13, shows a typical female Northern Shoveler, with the cryptic feathering on back and flank common to most female dabbling ducks in the genus Anas. Her large spatulate bill always has some orange coloring, and her face has only a subtle post-ocular stripe.

The male in eclipse plumage looks a lot like the female, with cryptic coloring on the back and flank, but his yellow iris, black bill and darker head help with the ID. Some of the male shovelers that we seen in Nov-Dec. retain parts of the cryptic feathering on the back and flank, and shown in the second photo (Colusa NWF, 12/07/13). Part of the flank now shows the chestnut color and his head is well along to the black color of winter. It's fun to see one with a white crescent on the face near the bill, sort of like a Blue-winged Teal male.

The next photo shows a typical male in alternate plumage, with dark head and back, black bill, rich chestnut on the flanks, and bright white breast. 

Below we get a peek at the powder blue wing patch in this less typical back view. Note the bright orange legs.