One of the Worst Days Birding Ever: 10/15/06

We started out in the dark headed toward the coast for a sea watch. On the way we stopped at the metal fishing pier at S. Lake Merced. I was leaning over the bridge to get a photo of a Virgnia Rail that was just four feet away when plop my lens cap fell into Lake Merced. I was unable to retrieve it. There were also two Soras. We continued on to Ft. Funston Viewing Platform where 25 MPH winds blew into our faces for an hour. The temperature was about 46 degrees with the wind chill factor and we saw nothing very interesting at all. The best birds were one Pacific Loon and a few Common Murres.
In the Ft. Funston Grove all we could come up with were Townsend’s Warbler and Fox Sparrow. We returned home to get a retriever and then back to S. Lake Merced where I dangled out over the fishing pier trying to move some debris to see if my lens cap was still there and couldn't refind it. Ten Chasers were on the Concrete Bridge chasing the non-existent Least Bittern reported by someone no one who birds here has ever heard of, Juan Carlos (I believe it was a hoax)looking at me dangling from the fishing pier like I was nuts. Next we tried the Lake Merced Boathouse and only saw Great Blue Heron and Snowy Egret.

At N. Lake Merced the best birds were Eared Grebe, Horned Grebe, Clark’s Grebe, Western Grebe, Common Yellowthroat, and Ruddy Duck.

Next we tried a new place in Golden Gate Park called Beach Chalet. But the only things there were Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, and White-crowned Sparrow.

None of the great birds from yesterday were at East Fort Miley probably due to the lateness of the hour and that it was overcast and very cold. All we could come up with there was Say’s Phoebe, Black Phoebe, Hermit Thrush, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.

We decided to give up and made our last stop the MacArthur Ditch. The only birds there were Hermit Thrush, Townsend’s Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow. I didn't even bother to count the number of species because it was such a bad day of birding. What happened to our great fall weather we usually have here in San Francisco? It was like winter today in terms of weather and birds.