California Winter Birding Extravaganza

Transcription

1 208 South Great Road ˑ Lincoln, Massachusetts tel ˑ fax ˑ California Winter Birding Extravaganza January 16-22, 2017 Leaders Strickland Wheelock Leslie Bostrom Tia Pinney

2 Millions of birds and Alfred Hitchcock can t be wrong the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area are the places to be in the winter. Numerous refuges in the area serve as resting and feeding sites for a majority of the migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, which means there are literally millions of birds here in the winter. We will visit when the variety and number of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds are at their peak. During our first three days we will explore National Wildlife Refuges in the Bay Area and Sacramento Valley along with vast tracts of highly productive birding habitat surrounding them. We will encounter over 100 species with the potential for five species of geese including Ross s, Cackling, and Greater White-fronted; 25 species of ducks including Cinnamon Teal, Redhead, and Eurasian Wigeon, and countless western specialties including Long-billed Curlew, Mountain Plover, Ridgway s Rail, California Quail, Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall s Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Magpie, Varied Thrush, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Once we have soaked up the Valley s rich birdlife, we will cross over the coastal range stopping at key locations for Western and Clark s Grebes, White-tailed Kite, Lewis s Woodpecker, Say s Phoebe, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Wrentit, Hutton s Vireo, Western Bluebird, California Thrasher, and Lesser Goldfinch. We will then bird our way south along the coast from Point Arena to San Francisco enjoying stunning vistas and birds and finish up with a pelagic trip to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Among the alcids, shearwaters, shorebirds, gulls, and other water birds our target species include Cassin s and Rhinoceros Auklets, Ancient and Marbled Murrelets, Short-tailed and Black-vented Shearwaters, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Pacific Loon, Brandt s and Pelagic Cormorants, Wandering Tattler, Black Turnstone, Black Oystercatcher, Surfbird, Rock Sandpiper, Mew, Thayer s, and Glaucous-winged Gulls, and even Laysan Albatross if we are lucky. From inland lakes, fields, and forest to ocean cliffs, mudflats, and scrub to open ocean we will enjoy mild temperatures, exceptional vistas, and a variety and quantity of birds that will leave you speechless. Day 1, Monday, January 16 We will meet at the San Francisco International Airport around midday and head across the bay to nearby Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Here we will have our first exposure to the wetland habitats that will highlight the trip and that provide vital rest, cover, and food to the millions of birds that migrate and winter along the Pacific Flyway. We should see large concentrations of waterfowl, shorebirds, and gulls, most notably Canvasback, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Surf Scoter, Eared Grebe, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Dunlin, Western Sandpiper, and California Gull. We will walk a nature trail through scrub uplands for raptors and landbirds such as White-tailed Kite, California Scrub-Jay, Anna s Hummingbird, California Towhee, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. In the late afternoon, we will head northeast into the Sacramento Valley.

3 Night in Fairfield Day 2, Tuesday, January 17 We will depart early to explore the Sacramento River delta, catching the dawn waterfowl show at Suisun Marsh, the largest remaining contiguous estuarine marsh on the west coast of North America. It is designated a Global Important Bird Area for significant numbers of wintering Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler and Ridgway s Rail. Other likely species include Greater White-fronted Goose, Cinnamon Teal, Western Grebe, and American White Pelican. The California endemic Tule Elk is also found here. As we drive north through the delta we will search flooded and dry fields for Tundra Swan, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew, Burrowing Owl, and Ring-necked Pheasant. Along the road, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Bluebird, and the California endemic Yellow-billed Magpie perch on the wires, and raptors seem to claim almost every telephone pole. Resident Northern Harriers and White-tailed Kites are joined by a significant population of wintering Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels along with smaller numbers of Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, and Merlin. Agricultural fields attract large flocks of Western Meadowlark, American Pipit, Horned Lark, and Brewer s Blackbird, with Tricolored Blackbirds sometimes among them. We will search hard for Mountain Plover in this area. In the afternoon, we will visit the restored wetlands of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area that provide habitat for significant numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds. Greater Whitefronted, Snow, and Ross s Geese congregate in huge flocks. Freshwater marsh provides habitat for White-faced Ibis, American Bittern, Sora, Virginia Rail, and Tricolored and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Wooded areas along the river are full of landbirds, including Nuttall's Woodpecker, Spotted Towhee, and Lesser Goldfinch, while isolated clumps of willows may hide Great-horned and Barn Owls. Time permitting, we will stop at the Davis Water Treatment Plant, since no birding trip is complete without a visit to a dump or sewage lagoon. Night near Williams Day 3, Wednesday, January 18 We will depart early for the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex to be in place before dawn to experience a truly awe-inspiring avian spectacle. At first light a cacophony of calls fills the air as thousands of geese and ducks come in to feed in the wetlands. Long strings of Ross's, Snow, White-fronted, and Cackling Geese fill the sky. Counts of American Coot, Snow/Ross s Geese, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Shoveler generally total over 100,000 individuals, while White-fronted Geese and Gadwall are not far behind. We will have ample

4 opportunity to study differences between similar species as numbers of Ross's Geese mix with Snow Geese, while Cackling Geese are actually more numerous than Canada Geese. Grebes, coot, and 12 or more duck species crowd areas of open water, while Redhead, Eurasian Wigeon, and all three species of teal are also possible. Western Sandpiper and other shorebirds feed on mudflats, while Sora, Virginia, and Ridgway s Rails join bitterns, herons, egrets, and White-faced Ibis hunting in the freshwater wetlands. Landbirds abound in both wetland and riparian areas, including Marsh and Bewick s Wrens, Tricolored and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and Lincoln s Sparrow. Once we have exhausted the riches of the refuge complex, we will head west into the coastal range for the night. Along the way we will stop at key spots for Western and Clark s Grebes, Lewis s Woodpecker, Say s Phoebe, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Wrentit, Hutton s Vireo, Western Bluebird, California Thrasher, and Lesser Goldfinch. Night near Ukiah Day 4, Thursday, January 19 This morning we will sample the great ecological diversity in the mountains around Ukiah, with chaparral, dry oak woodlands, and mixed evergreen and hardwood forests. A wide variety of species is possible, including California Quail, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Bushtit, California and Spotted Towhees, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Fox Sparrow, Steller s Jay, and Band-tailed Pigeon. We then head to the coast and bird our way south to Bodega Bay. While admiring the stunning coastal vistas, we will seek out the hordes of gulls attracted to piles of washed up seaweed, along with shorebirds such as Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Black Oystercatcher, and perhaps a Wandering Tattler or Rock Sandpiper if we are lucky. Our mission is to identify all nine species of wintering gulls Western, California, Herring, Ring-billed, Thayer's, Glaucous-winged, Mew, Bonaparte's, and Heermann's while Glaucous Gull and other strays enhance the challenge. We will scan the ocean for Blackvented Shearwater, Black-legged Kittiwake, Pacific and Red-throated Loons, Horned, Red-necked, Eared, Western and Clark s Grebes, Brandt s and Pelagic Cormorants, and Brown Pelican. If time remains, we will begin our exploration of Bodega Bay, a Global Important Bird Area, and perhaps the single most productive birding area in Sonoma County. Night in Bodega Bay Day 5, Friday, January 20 This morning we will continue exploring the amazing diversity of habitats around Bodega Bay. Bodega Head provides an excellent vantage point to scan for alcids such as

5 Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled and Ancient Murrelets, and Rhinocerous Auklet, as well as migrating Gray Whales. Shorebirds like Ruddy and Black Turnstones, Surfbird, and Wandering Tattler feed along the rocky shore while huge flocks of Marbled Godwit and Western Sandpipers, along with Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, and others, can be found in the mudflats. Large flocks of Brant can be found in the harbor along with countless species of ducks, loons, grebes, and gulls while the sandy beach is good for finding Snowy Plover. Areas of coastal scrub provide refuge for landbirds such as California Quail, Black Phoebe, Orange-crowned and Townsend s Warblers, Anna s Hummingbird, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Further south, Point Reyes National Seashore has a tremendous variety of habitats which translates to many species of alcids, loons, grebes, waterfowl, waders, shorebirds, gulls, raptors, rails, woodpeckers, warblers, wrens, thrushes, and sparrows. A large colony of Common Murre congregates off the northern cliffs. Many raptors hunt the varied habitats with Ferruginous Hawk, White-tailed Kite, and Golden Eagle as possibilities. Landbird targets are numerous - Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn Woodpecker, Anna s Hummingbird, Say s Phoebe, Steller s Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Bushtit, Wrentit, Pacific, Rock and Bewick s Wrens, Hutton s Vireo, Varied Thrush, and Fox Sparrow. Uncommon species like Snowy Plover and Eurasian Wigeon can also be found here. Time and tides permitting, we will stop at Bolinas Lagoon to scan the thousands of shorebirds in the mudflats. Night in Corte Madera Day 6, Saturday, January 21 We will head to the San Francisco Yacht Marina at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge to embark on an all-day boat trip to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The boat will cross the gulf to the rocky Farallon Islands and the edge of the continental shelf about 27 miles west of San Francisco. We should see a variety of seabirds including Northern Fulmar, Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters, Rhinoceros and Cassin s Auklets, Ancient Murrelet, Common Murre, and Elegant Tern. At the edge of the continental shelf we will search for Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses. The timing of our trip coincides with the peak of Gray Whale migration as they travel from the Arctic to Mexico to breed. Northern Elephant Seals breed on the Farallons in the winter, with pups born in late December and January. Other marine mammals we may encounter include Pacific Harbor Porpoise, Northern Fur Seal, and Steller s and California Sea Lions. Night in Corte Madera Day 7, Sunday January 22 On our final morning, we will head into San Francisco in search of Red-masked Parakeets, the stars of the book and film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, whose range

6 includes Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, and other urban parks in northern San Francisco. These parks also offer a nice variety of birding options, giving us the opportunity to track down any remaining target birds. After a full morning of birding, we will head to the airport with great memories, in awe of just how many birds both species and individuals winter in central California. Please note: This is a natural history field trip we will rise early every morning and be active all day. Participants should be able to be to walk at least one mile and be on your feet for one to two hours. While we attempt to be true to our itinerary, all scheduled events are subject to change depending on the weather and other considerations. Fees Member $1525; Non-member $1830 Single Room Supplement $435 Non-refundable deposit $250 with registration; final payment due by November 16. Fee covers all ground transportation, lodging, entrance fees, and boat trip. Participants are responsible for personal supplies, snacks, and meals. Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be made in writing or by , and are effective upon receipt. For cancellations made less than 60 days prior to departure, a partial refund may be possible if we are able to fill your spot. Flights: If this trip requires an airplane flight, DO NOT book your flight until we have given you the flight information for the trip leaders. We ask that you schedule your flight to arrive no later than one half hour after the trip leaders, and for your return flight not to depart earlier than that of the trip leaders. Please provide us with your flight details. Trip Insurance: If you cancel for any reason, the cancellation policy will apply. If you wish to purchase trip cancellation insurance, you can search for policies at

7 Registration Form California Winter 2017 To register, please fill out the form below or contact: Jennifer Riley, Drumlin Farm Registrar 208 South Great Road Lincoln, MA For more information, please contact: Tia Pinney, Adult Program Coordinator 208 South Great Road Lincoln, MA Name(s) Member no. Address Telephone Daytime Evening Cell address Would you like to receive our monthly Birders Connection? Yes No I would like to join Mass Audubon: Family $65 Individual $48 Single Room Requested: Yes No Please note single supplement fee. Deposit Enclosed: Visa/Mastercard/Discover/American Express: Exp. date / Payment by check is greatly appreciated, and enables us to use more of our funds for programming. Please make your check payable to Mass Audubon. Thank you!