BIRDING THE SAN MATEO COAST PART II: 10/29/06
For my second day of birding the San Mateo Coast I was joined by my companion, Susan Barnes. Due to the ending of Daylight Savings Time Saturday night, we had to get up at 4:00 AM in order to arrive at Wavecrest Avenue before the sun came up. The gate was still locked due to the time change and so we walked from the car to the end of the dirt road and still we saw no owls. There was only one WHITE-TAILED KITE and the only addition to yesterday’s list was a CALIFORNIA QUAIL calling. It was much cooler than the day before and overcast so I was concerned about how sea watching conditions might be. But we drove on to Pigeon Point anyway and hoped for the best.
The gate to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse was locked also because of the time change. So we started our sea watch from the other viewing platform nearest the parking lot. We saw two BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS on the rocks. While the sunrise was magnificently illuminating the ocean to the south, the lighthouse was blocking our view of any potential feeding frenzy to the west. So I suggested we simply climb the fence. Susan was reluctant to break any park rules even though no one was up at that ungodly hour but us. By the time we walked over someone had come and opened it anyway. So we walked out to the end past the lighthouse to the viewing platform and there was indeed a huge feeding frenzy. Within minutes I was picking out easily 50 or more BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS flying around with the BROWN PELICANS, WESTERN GULLS, HEERMAN”S GULLS, BRANDT’S CORMORANTS, and COMMON MURRES (which they closely resemble except for the longer pointed wings and distinct flight pattern). The flock was not too far off-shore allowing excellent study of the field marks and flight pattern of the Black-vented Shearwater. While not studying the flock I saw three WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS flying past. There were also a few flocks of SURF SCOTERS, one juvenile RHINOCEROS AUKLET, one EARED GREBE, and a few WESTERN GREBES, and CLARK’S GREBES. Then finally after an hour of study a PARASITIC JAEGER flew past. It was completely uninterested in the feeding flock and continued flying north. A few minutes later a POMARINE JAEGER flew past heading south. It too was uninterested in the feeding frenzy. A juvenile THAYER’S GULL with beautiful pale scalloping on its back flew within feet of the platform. We were joined for a while by another birder from Berkeley but had to leave shortly thereafter due to foot fatigue. On the way out of the park we saw two AMERICAN KESTRELS on the telephone wires, a few TRI-COLORED BLACKBIRDS, and one SAY’S PHOEBE.
We next drove across Highway 1 to Gazos Creek Road to its intersection with Cloverdale, where we parked and walked the road. We found the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW from yesterday but every time I had my camera set up to take a photo, cars would rattle past or noisy motorcycles and flush the bird. I got one very distant photo but soon gave up. We heard a distinct call from the alder trees overhanging the creek that both of us instantly thought was a vireo, perhaps a Red-eyed Vireo but we never could track it down. While looking for it though, we found a very late BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and a PURPLE FINCH. We re-found the two WILSON’S SNIPES from yesterday and then took a walk down Old Woman Creek Road where we found a WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and BROWN CREEPER. California Quail were also calling from the hills here and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. On the way out of Gazos Creek we saw a flock of first of season, CEDAR WAXWINGS flying overhead.
We walked the trail to Pescadero Marsh from Water Lane but only saw one White-tailed Kite and one NORTHERN HARRIER so we continued on to the part of the marsh across from Pescadero State Beach. On the beach side of the lagoon there were five DOWITCHERS. I was excited to use my new dowitcher identifying tools learned from Birding Magazine but the birds never stopped feeding the entire hour or so we were there making it impossible to determine the curvature of the bill or the loral angle. Along with the dowitchers in the lagoon were GREATER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, BLACK TURNSTONE, and WESTERN SANDPIPER. We crossed under the bridge and walked out to the north pond where we found the five BLUE-WINGED TEALS from yesterday, AMERICAN WIGEONS, BUFFLEHEADS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, two NORTHERN PINTAILS, and one EURASIAN WIGEON. There was also one HORNED GREBE. MARSH WREN were calling from the pond edge and we saw one COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. From the parking lot at Pescadero Beach I saw some PELAGIC CORMORANTS fly past.
Heading back up Highway 1 to Half Moon Bay we decided not to get on Highway 92 as there was too much traffic. So we continued all the way to Pacifica where we made our last stop of the day at the marsh restoration area at Rockaway Beach. The cloud cover had increased dramatically and the wind had picked up making birding less than optimal. So the last birds our San Mateo Coast Birding Event were just two ordinary MALLARDS in the marsh but that was good enough for us and we headed home to savor a superb birding weekend.
Total species: 107
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe
Black-vented Shearwater
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt’s Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
White-winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
California Quail
Virginia Rail
American Coot
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Dunlin
Dowitcher sp.
Wilson’s Snipe
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Bonaparte’s Gull
Heerman’s Gull
California Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Marbled Murrelet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Mourning Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Owl sp.
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Wrentit
Northern Mockingbird
Hutton’s Vireo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Black-headed Grosbeak
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Tri-colored Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Purple Finch
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Rock Pigeon
European Starling
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