Preface:  As the burrowing owl activities continue behind the scenes, I thought I’d lighten the mood just a little and share what nature does right as opposed to what we are doing wrong.  More Antioch burrowing owl information to come.

Watching raptors never gets old.  And for 9 years it has been a ‘who can spot the hawk?’ game as we cross the bridge that separates the far reaches of the east S.F. Bay Area from the rest of my world.  It is a trek that we happen to find ourselves on somewhat frequently as we attempt to satisfy family get-together obligations and trips to wildlife preserves for instance.  It is a corridor of farmland and pastures that is intertwined with the delta system and divided by thousands of fence posts sufficiently deteriorated to complement the rustic scene. 

There are a few places to park and escape the confines of a vehicle, numerous areas to stop that perhaps straddle legal code, miles and miles of mostly empty roadway conducive to middle of the street pauses, and plenty of opportunities to miss a great photograph or capture a winning shot.  It is never a dull trip.

Although the birding is quite varied, the most prominent feature of this secret landscape are the raptors.  Balancing on a leaning fence post, observing from telephone poles, sitting idle on the ground, and posing on the limb of a tree are all common scenarios whether the sun is shining or the fog is masking long distance visibility.

So enjoy a few of the many raptors we encountered on our last drive, see if you can identify them, and thanks for all the recent support with my struggle to protect burrowing owls.

Birding time! (Larry, Jeff, Dawn, Cheryl)

I was debating whether or not to admit to it, but I am ashamed to say this was my first trip to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  I have driven by innumerable times on my way to Lake Shasta but never actually took the opportunity to stop, even for a quick auto tour.  Sufficed to say, what a mistake as we encountered incredible scenery and untold numbers of birds in the sky, on the ground, nestled within the trees, hiding in the reeds, and floating uopn the waters.  Yet with all the activity, some of the ponds that Larry and Geno normally find covered in feathers of white remained clear and readily awaiting avian landings.  So the typical whiteout conditions are left only to my imagination and my next visit.

I had originally planned to give a play by play as we wandered about the refuge and Wildhorse Golf Club, but as I am on the late show (not surprising) Dawn, Geno and Larry have already posted a number of great summaries of the day.  So, I will just share a few of the 1000 photos my wife and I took while hanging out with a great group of birders who managed to spot 60 bird species.

The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is the headquarters of the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge Complex, which encompasses six separate refuges.  It includes 10,819 acres of seasonal marsh, permanent ponds, and uplands in the heart of the Sacramento Valley.

More than 300 species of birds and mammals, both resident and migratory, use the refuges. The marshes support fish, frogs, and invertebrates, which are used by grebes, white pelicans, egrets, herons, and bitterns as a food resource. Shorebirds probe the mud for insects, snails, and worms, while raptors prey on the abundant waterfowl, rodents, and small birds. Woodpeckers, marsh wrens, and finches are a few of the many songbirds which feed and nest in the refuges’ cottonwoods, willows, and wetland plants.

Approximately 44 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s waterfowl population winters in the Sacramento Valley. Three million ducks and three-quarters of a million geese migrate here.

Snow Geese

Turkey Vulture

Common Moorhen

Long-billed Dowitcher

Bufflehead male and female

Snow Geese

Black Phoebe

American Coots

Western Burrowing Owl at Wildhorse Golf Club

Thanks to all (Dawn, Jeff, Larry, Geno, Eric, Cheryl , Kathy and my wife Heather) for a great time and I am already looking forward to the next BwBTC trip.

For more great photos and details of our trip check out the following blogs.  They are a must see and must read!

Larry - The Birder’s Report

Dawn (and Jeff) – Dawn’s Bloggy Blog

Cheryl – Martinez Beavers, Bay Area Wildlife Blog

Geno – Geno’s Blog

Last week a business trip popped up that resulted in a 2 day excursion to Houston, Texas.  I knew exactly what was in store regarding my day job, but uncertainty loomed in regards to any potential birding. Perhaps I might be able to squeeze in a little time for myself so prior to leaving  I embarked on a mad rush to find a local birding spot.  Dawn Fine answered my plea for help and via a web search pointed me towards Russ Pittman Park, a mere 3.5 miles from my hotel at the Hilton Houston Medical Center.  PERFECT!!

And by the end, my stay had become an amalgamation of ultimate technology and the natural world.  Between and post appointments at the likes of NASA, I had managed to not only visit Russ Pittman Park but walked the trails at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.  What I had anticipated to be a birding break actually turned out to be an adventure in entomology.  Not by design by any stretch of the imagination, but while peering through the foliage of a 4 acre park, squinting through the darkened forest, and scanning a prairie for avian treasures I just happened to find gold in the insect world.  So let’s begin the virtual tour of Russ Pittman Park in Bellaire, Texas.

Everything started off promising for birding as even the sign said I was on the right path…

The park was heavily vegetated, was intertwined with dirt, stone and paved paths, had a small pond, an aviary tucked in the back with a couple of doves and pigeons, and reminded me of old fashioned rustic garden that utilized the fallen leaves, bark, and branches as natural ornaments.  There were a few open grass areas that were partially covered by a canopy of neighboring trees.  Unfortunately I was plagued by a digital camera malfunction which resulted in the inability to use 90% of my images.  Otherwise, I would have shared some photos of the many monarch butterflies that flittered about the flower gardens.

Still no wild bird sightings, but the squirrels were plentiful  and I did see many signs that birds do actually frequent the park.  Elusive creatures today I guess!

But the real find of the Russ Pittman Park visit was a beehive constructed out of a nesting box.  I stared in wonderment for quite a while as I thought it was incredible.

And with that honey of a find I decided to leave on a good nature note and make my way to the next appointment.  I fully intended to make a single post of the trip, but now that it has metamorphosed into something longer than expected, I guess a part two is warranted. Stay tuned for the finale of ‘Wildlife on the Side’ and my brief adventure in the Armand Bayou Nature Center in my next post.

Check out Part II of Wildlife on the Side – Looking for birds in Texas

Sandhill cranes, great egrets,  mallards, American coots, green herons, Northern pintails, a little wine tasting, a fiery meteor and a gibbous moon sound like a recipe for a perfect Saturday.  And that was definitely the case as my wife and I sacrificed some weekend yard work for a little exploration of the Sandhill Crane Festival and San Joaquin County.

The Consumnes River Preserve encompasses just about 40,000 acres and according to the preserves’ literature, “The Consumnes River remains the last unregulated river in the Central Valley [California].  Plants and animals of the floodplain still live with the natural cycles of water in excess and dearth.”  And it is this natural wetland, river, and tree filled environment that attracts more than 250 bird species, more than 40 fish species, and some 230 plant species.

Thus, before the festival commenced for the day we wandered the cement paths, dirt trails, bridges, and plank board walkways throughout the preserve; jumping from one habitat type to another as turkey vultures, geese, hawks and the keynote visitors, sandhill cranes, crossed the skies above.  But the action was not limited to that above our heads as the wetland waters were filled with ducks and coots, the finned inhabitants of the trickling river were being stalked by green herons, islands of tall reeds provided shelter for chattering red-winged blackbirds, and great egrets took wing only long enough to avoid a personal meeting.  It was a visit that required a longer stay and most definitely begged us to play hooky from attending the Sandhill Crane Festival.

However, upon arriving at the event we were quickly absorbed into a world of great avian photography and other wildlife art work from paintings to the intricate wood carvings of decoys and other birds.  In addition we strolled past exhibitor booths, striking up conversations with the Sacramento Audubon Society, the California Department of Fish and Game, and Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk to name a few.

But a visit to Lodi, CA is not complete without an investigation of local vintners and an innocent tasting of their wares.  I must say it was getting rather late by the time we started this leg of the journey, and we popped into two wineries before making the commitment to indulge.  It was here we found ourselves at Cosentino Winery and had the pleasure of tasting 6 varietals over our stay.  By the time we were walking out the door we had a 2005 Merlot and Meritage tucked under our arms.

The sun was setting, the conversation was a rehash of today’s birding episode, and the car was heading home along the levees.  An incredible color swept the sky, Mount Diablo was in silhouette harmony, and what I initially thought was a crashing plane turned out to be a fireball falling towards earth.  The fiery mass left a smoke trail behind as it streak into oblivion.  And for 5 minutes the trail remained visible in the sky, a temporary historical record of the meteor’s flight path as it burned through our atmosphere.

The day was parting by the time we reached our doorstep. The moon, in all its gibbous glory, rose from the horizon and introduced itself to the night. It was indeed a grand celestial finale to a day that showcased ALL the wonders of nature.

After posting a video comprised of consecutive digital photos of a black-chinned hummingbird in flight, I got in the mood for a little more nectar feeding action.  I’ve had these photos for a couple of  months now, but the activity at my parent’s home is still going strong.  It all began about 15 years ago with a single small feeder supplementing the diet of a few birds.  And as the word spread amongst the avian circle, the demand has mushroomed into an operation requiring up to eight 48oz capacity feeders and supports upwards of 40 or more hummingbirds;  the majority of which are black-chinned.  Of course the number of feeders is seasonally dependent as Fall and Winter usually witness a decline as the hummingbirds migrate.  But there are year-around residents too!  As it stands now in late October there are 3 feeders hanging from the patio roof, approximately 25 birds, and a need to prepare 5 quarts of nectar every other day.

As one stands underneath or between the hanging feeders, it is literally abuzz with action.  Birds are zooming in and out looking for an open slot or grabbing a breather on some neighboring  roses.  Then there are the occasional rebels who test territorial boundaries by trying to steal a little time at the dominant male’s heavily guarded feeder.  It is quite humorous to see this particular feeder free from guests while all the other feeders are completely occupied as feathered bystanders hover in wait for their turn.

And the trait that stands out the most is their acrobatic flight.  They move forward, backward, up and down all with a change in the direction of their wingbeat.  Every position produces a different combination of thrust and lift.  And moving faster simply requires beating their wings in an increasingly vertical plane. 

And the science behind their flying…

“In hovering flight the wings move backward and forward in a horizontal plane.  On the down (or forward) stroke the wing moves with the long leading edge forward, the feathers trailing upward to produce a small, positive angle of attack.  On the backstroke the leading edge rotates nearly a hundred and eighty degrees and moves backward, the underside of the feathers now uppermost and trailing the leading edge in such a way that the angle of attack varies from wing tip shoulder, producing substantial twist in the profile of the wing.”

C.H. Greenewalt

In forward flight, the wings beat vertically to generate forward thrust. In hovering flight, the wings beat horizontally in the pattern of a flattened figure eight. To fly backward, the hummingbird tilts the angle of wing action to create rear-directed thrust. (Greenewalt)

With that said, enjoy the photos and perhaps I’ll grab some video next summer!