Saturday, December 9, 2006, I had no real plans as it was supposed to rain all weekend and our plans for Fort Bragg had been scrapped. So I headed down Highway 101 to the Sam Trans Station, it being close to my house. I had not even checked a tide chart and just stumbled onto low tide for the first time. The channel was full of shorebirds. I scanned the flock with my scope and saw AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, WESTERN SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, WILLET, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, SANDERLING, DUNLIN, and something else odd and unidentifiable. I studied it in my scope; it had a relatively short black bill, an obvious white supercilium, yellow legs, and streaking on the breast that ended ubruptly at the chest in a point. It was a late PECTORAL SANDPIPER. I ran back to my car to retrieve my National Geographic but could not relocate the bird when I returned. The tide was starting to come in and the shorebirds began to fly in huge flocks out into the Bay. There were many ducks in the bay: GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RUDDY DUCK, GREATER SCAUP, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, NORTHERN SHOVELER, CANVASBACK, and three BLUE-WINGED TEAL. As I walked along the trail I also found LONG-BILLED CURLEW, GREAT BLUE HERON, WHIMBREL, and MARBLED GODWIT. I saw MEW GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, and WESTERN GULL, and a few FORSTER'S TERN. Back near the parking lot was the usual flock of CANADA GEESE and all along the trail were many YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, GOLDEN CROWNED SPARROWS, at least one LINCOLN'S SPARROW, one CLARK'S GREBE in the Bay, a few BROWN PELICANS, and one COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.
Next I went down to the Ravenswood section of San Francisco Bay NWR where there was a large flock of DUNLIN and WESTERN SANDPIPER. I also saw two AMERICAN PIPITS, a few SAVANNAH SPARROWS, one COMMON GOLDENEYE, one NORTHERN HARRIER, TURKEY VULTURE, COMMON RAVEN, FORSTER'S TERN, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, and a few SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS. I also stopped by the La Riviera Marsh and Visitor Center but there was little activity except a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS, one CALIFORNIA TOWHEE, WESTERN SCRUB JAY, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, two WHITE-TAILED KITES, RED-TAILED HAWK, GREAT EGRET,and one LINCOLN'S SPARROW.
I proceeded down to Redwood City stopping by the pond behind the Nob Hill Supermarket where the EURASIAN WIGEON was still about along with the usual assortment of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, CANVASBACK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, AMERICAN WIGEON, and WILLETS, and DOWITCHERS.
On the way back home I stopped at Candlestick Point but the tide had come up and not much was there besides GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, WESTERN GULL, WILLET, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SANDERLING, GREAT EGRET, SNOWY EGRET, and SURF SCOTER.
On Sunday, we got up early and headed down to Half Moon Bay to Redondo Beach. It was raining steadily and the wind was blowing making scoping the rocks below extremely difficult. There were many SURFBIRDS, BLACK TURNSTONES, and one WANDERING TATTLER. The wind was too intense so I scrambled down a slope to the beach. The tide was coming up fast so I couldn't stay long as there was no outlet save the cliff. But I stayed long enough to just make out one ROCK SANDPIPER in the rocks with the Surfbirds,Turnstones BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and SANDERLINGS. I only saw it for a few seconds and so did not add it to my life list. The rain stopped and the wind died down but the tide was getting uncomfortably close to me so I scrambled back up the steep hill to the car. In the field above the sea cliff were AMERICAN KESTREL, RED-TAILED HAWK, and RED-SHOULDERED HAWK.
We made a last stop at Sam Trans Station but it was high tide again and not many shorebirds. We only saw one NORTHERN HARRIER, EARED GREBE, CLARK'S GREBE, DUNLIN, and a few peeps.
On December 15, 2006 after getting off work early I drove down to Redwood City to follow up on a report of a Tufted Duck. I parked in the area where the bird had been reported, a big lagoon behind The Shores Private Community. I did not know it was private property until I arrived. I felt very uncomfortable as it was posted "no trespassing" everywhere. The lagoon was full of ducks which I scanned with my scope but did not see the sought after duck, only CANVASBACK, MALLARD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEAD, RUDDY DUCK, SCAUP, SURF SCOTER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, FORSTER'S TERN, AMERICAN CROW, RING-BILLED GULL, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, AMERICAN COOT, and one GREATER YELLOWLEGS. In the trees were ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. I drove to the end of Redwood Shores to Radio Road and scoped the pond where I found five BLUE-WINGED TEAL, CINNAMON TEAL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and one HOODED MERGANSER. I also saw RING-BILLED GULL, FORSTER'S TERN, LEAST SANDPIPER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DOWITCHERS, LONG-BILLED CURLEW, GREAT BLUE HERON, and SNOWY EGRET.
I checked Nob Hill Pond and was surprised to see four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, the same EURASIAN WIGEON from previous visits, EARED GREBE, BUSHTITS, BLACK PHOEBE, GREAT EGRET, AMERICAN WIGEON, CANVASBACK, NORTHERN PINTAIL, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT.
For my last stop I tried the Sam Trans Station again. It was 3;30 PM when I arrived and getting cooler. I should have brought gloves as my hands became quite cold as I walked around the paved trail around the Bay. It was low tide but the birds were getting ready to roost for the evening. I heard SORA calling from the marsh as well as CLAPPER RAIL and saw one COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, CALFORNIA GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, CANADA GOOSE, WHIMBREL, MARBLED GODWIT, WESTERN GULL, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, DOWITCHERS, and WESTERN SANDPIPER. Then I retreated to my car to warm my hands.
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