Friday, October 6, 2006
I had to work and so I could only bird part of the day. I started out before work at dawn at South Lake Merced, a large lake just inland from the Pacific Ocean, and a magnet for migrants and vagrants alike. I started out walking to the end of a metal fishing pier where I was delighted to see 3 Soras and 2 Virginia Rails. Next I walked down the famous Concrete Bridge, a bridge that spans the lake and an impoundment pond to the east of the lake. This bridge has been the site of many rare birds over the years and is known throughout California as a rare bird hot spot. On this day I could not relocate the rarities I had seen the day before, Tropical Kingbird, American Redstart, or Palm Warbler and only saw a fly over American Wigeon and a Green Heron. So I left the bridge and headed across the street to the equally famous, Vista Grande Canal. This is basically a paved drainage ditch which directs our runoff to the ocean instead of the lake which is our emergency water source. The canal is lined with cypress trees, oaks, and eucalyptus trees making a sort of urban riparian corridor that attracts migrants in the spring and fall. All I could squeeze out of it today were some Townsend's Warblers and a Lincoln Sparrow.
Next I continued around the lake to the Boathouse. I mostly just wanted to use the always clean restroom there. But upon exiting the bathroom was struck by a low-perched Red-shouldered Hawk that let me get within 10 feet. So I decided that before leaving for work I would check the shrubs around the pier access road and was surprised to find an early SWAMP SPARROW in the myoporum bush. After work I drove to the VA Hospital and parked my car. From there I walked into the NPS area known locally as East Fort Miley. A short trail leads to a picnic area lined with cypress trees and a small open area with lupine and sage. There were many western migrants in the trees and the open area including Townsend's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Hermit Thrush, Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Meadowlark, and one Purple Finch. After satisfying myself I had identified all the birds there I continued to Lobos Creek Trail and my secret spot. Lobos Creek runs through the Presidio National Park which is part of Golden Gate National Rrecreation Area. The area was abused by the military while it was a military base but since becoming a national park has undergone extensive rehabilitation including planting of extensive native plants. Unfortunately the creek itself is fenced off and inaccessible to the public. On September 24, 2005 I was walking this trail and saw a second county record, Lark Bunting. So forever after I call it the Lark Bunting Memorial Trail. This day I only saw Zonotrichia Sparrows. I crossed the street to my secret spot which is a series of informal trails used to access Baker Beach. It also overlooks the only accessible part of Lobos Creek and contains a flowering eucalyptus tree which attracts migrating birds. In there I saw three EURASIAN-COLLARED DOVES, Townsend's Warblers, one Hutton's Vireo, and a Western Tanager. Next I stopped at the intersection of Kobbe and Upton also in the Presidio. This area contains some non-native Fan Palms that have made Hooded Orioles a common breeder in the spring. The area has also become a magnet for vagrants in recent years due to the open abandoned Fort Scott parade grounds, proximity to flyway for migrating raptors, and flowering eucaplyptus trees and watered lawns of park residences there. Due to the lateness of the hour I could only scrounge up a lone Band-tailed Pigeon and a resident Red-shouldered Hawk. From there I drove the short distance to El Polin Spring. On October 20, 2005 I found a Wood Thrush here, only a second county record of this rare western vagrant. The spring flows year round and therefore attracts many birds. On this day I saw Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
I dragged myself out of bed at dawn and headed back down to South Lake Merced. I arrived in time to see the moon setting over the cypress trees that form the northern boundary of the rascist and reprehensible Olympic Club Golf Course. This also marks the San Francisco County line and the other side of the Canal. I started out on the metal fishing pier where I was treated to four Soras and two Virginia Rails. In the lake itself there were many Western Gulls and California Gulls as well as two Ring-necked Ducks, one Horned Grebe, and the Western Grebe and Clark's Grebe pairs that nested there this year. The only birds in the canal of interest were Townsend's Warblers and Yellow Warblers.
From there I drove around the lake and parked at Ft. Funston, site of an old WW II battery. This area is also part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area but has been overtaken by zealous dog walkers who are extremely hostile to birders. In past years it has hosted many rare birds but has been abandoned by most birders as too hostile to bother with. I occasionally will check it until too many off-leash dogs begin to bother me and I have to leave or worse I step in dog droppings. I was surprised to see two late migrating Western Wood-Pewees and the resident BEWICK'S WREN, which is scarce in SF. The only warbler was a Yellow-rumped.
I decided to skip my normal stops and proceed to the north end of SF due to an unpleasant encounter with my hated nemesis, David Armstrong, who has designated himself the San Francisco Bird Records Committee. He organized a San Francisco Big Year last year during which he became exremely competitive and overzealous to the point of accusing me of dreaming up birds. Things came to a boiling point on the day I found the Lark Bunting when he flat out accused me of making up the bird. When the San Francisco Bird Journal was published in April my Lark Bunting was absent and since then I have refused to contribute my many San Francisco sightings to their email list or any other forum besides the Rare Bird Alert. I kept scrupulous records and made numerous contributions last year including a first county record Blue-winged Warbler, which was accepted by the California Bird Records Committee, and the previously mentioned second county record, Wood Thrush, which was documented by video and numerous other observers. My relationship with the SF Bird Records Committee of one has subsequently been forever severed and I avoid any further contact with this odious individual. Unfortunately San Francisco is only 16 square miles and so contact with other birders is inevitable. So after seeing this idiot in his ugly mint green car at Lake Merced I decided to alter my path and move to the other side of town. So I ended up next at Ft. Mason, an old military installation on the bay that has a great community garden that has also become an attractant to migrating birds. I walked the garden and saw Townsend's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, a Western Tanager that has been there two weeks now, and about 14 Anna's Hummingbirds. Next I returned to El Polin Spring and set up my video camera. The sun was up and many warblers were flycatching from the sycamore and pepper tree there catching the many insects that had by then become active. I got some great video footage of Townsend's Warblers bathing in the spring and then was surprised to find a Hermit Warbler actively catching insects. It was difficult but I was finally able to zero in on it and capture a short video and picture which you can see at www.mdbrodie.com under bird photos.
I left the spring to check out Kobbe & Upton. The resident Red-shouldered Hawk was patrolling the parade grounds. In the trees I found a cooperative dull Western Flycatcher plus Northern Mockingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hermit Thrush, and Fox Sparrow.
From there I returned to Lobos Creek where a Red-tailed Hawk was patrolling and there were more Townsend's Warblers, Yellow Warblers, 3 Eurasian-collared Doves, and one calling Pacific-slope Flycatcher. I went from Lobos Creek to Golden Gate Park where I stopped at the famous Chain-of-Lakes. Middle Lake has been the most productive over the years and I usually just confine my stops to it. On this visit there was little activity other than more Townsend's Warblers and Fox Sparrows so I left and stopped by North Lake Merced. This is usually a great spot for migrants but has been disappointing this year due to the City's ignorant decision to tear up the parking lot and install the stupid statue of Juan Bautista de Anza. They also removed about 12 eucalyptus trees which was a good decision but which for now has left the birds dazed and confused. Maybe next year it will be good again. On this visit I found 10 Green-winged Teal, a rare bird in SF, Ruddy Ducks, Clark's Grebe, Eared Grebe, Common Yellowthroat, and American Goldfinch. The wind was picking up and there were few birds so I decided to end the day at Candelstick Point State Recreation Area which is near my house. This nice park provides one of the few public access points to the San Francisco Bay in San Francisco and is home to the last stand of SF Oak Trees and Fremontadendron, Coyote Brush and other native plants. Around the bay there were Black-bellied Plovers, Willets, fly-by Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Black Turnstone (atypical in this location) Forster's Tern, an American Kestrel, and one Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
I was able to convince Susan to get up at dawn and accompany me on my last day of my San Francisco Birding Extravaganza. We arrived at Lake Merced a little late and there were only two Soras at the fishing pier and little at the concrete bridge. We checked the canal and there were few warblers but a large sparrow flock. There we saw one Lincoln's Sparrow and a big surprise, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW on the fence between the canal and the pretentious Olympic Club Golf Course. The bird flew between the fence and golf course where I last saw it. There was another Western Wood-Pewee, one Hutton's Vireo, Townsend's Warblers, Yellow Warblers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets as well as Brown Creepers and the ever present Pygmy Nuthatches.
We drove from Lake Merced to the Ft. Funston viewing platform for a sea watch. We spent too much time in the canal and I wasn't expecting much at this late hour. And indeed we saw no Jaegers or Shearwaters. However, as I was scanning the ocean I locked my scope on an interesting gull with a striking black leading edge, black stripe across the neck, and black tail band-- my first ever BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE! I called out the field marks to Susan as I studied it through the scope. It was fairly close to shore and I was able to clearly make out the diagnostic field marks. A few minutes later a BLACK SCOTER flew by. The only other birds of note were Red-throated Loon and Common Murre. At the Ft. Funston groves we found another Western Wood-Pewee, a Red-tailed Hawk, and a few Townsend's Warblers.
We stopped at North Lake Merced next and briefly saw a Sora flying in the reeds, another Eared Grebe, and one Lesser Goldfinch. Next we drove over to Lobos Dunes. We walked the restoration area but found nothing much so we walked from there down to the Lark Bunting Memorial Trail. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE flew overhead and we saw a Downy Woodpecker, more Townsend's Warblers, Mourning Doves, and 5 RED CROSSBILLS fly by.
Our next destination was Kobbe & Upton and the Ft. Scott Parade Grounds. Immediately we saw 4 Northern Harriers (a tough bird in SF) one Cooper's Hawk, a Turkey Vulture (another uncommon bird here) a the resident Red-shouldered Hawk. In the trees were Hermit Thrush, the Western Flycatcher that refused to sing, and more Northern Flickers. On the parade grounds were many Meadowlarks and one Say's Phoebe
For our last stop we went by one of the few public access areas to the Bay, Heron's Head. I walked out the path into the marsh area and saw one BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, more Black-bellied Plovers, Willets, Spotted Sandpipers, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, one Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper, two Elegant Terns fishing, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, and a few American Avocets.
Total species: 104
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Black Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Red-throated Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
American Avocet
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
California Gull
Herring Gull
Western Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Elegant Tern
Forster's Tern
Common Murre
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Hutton's Vireo
Stellar's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
California Towhee
Clay-colored Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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