On Saturday, April 6, Chris Dunford (with the assistance of Steve Hampton) led a Yolo Audubon field trip designed to introduce birders new to coastal birds to the best spots and tide levels to see the ducks, sandpipers, gulls, loons, grebes, and cormorants at Bodega Bay. The ideal for the purpose is a small group in a single vehicle for travel around Doran Beach, the harbor, and up to Bodega Head for views of the open ocean, allowing the leader to focus on helping the inexperienced birders learn how to identify the various species. The single vehicle also makes it easier to find parking on the crowded weekends. However, rain lingered into Saturday morning and it remained heavily overcast all day, which kept most of the Bay Area crowds away. We caught the rising tide just right at Doran Beach as it pushed shorebirds gathering in dense flocks toward us as we stood on the mudflat of the harbor – 15 species of shorebird, including hundreds of Sanderlings and Marbled Godwits along with 15+ Whimbrels, eight Ruddy Turnstones, two Surfbirds, and a Red Knot. We also saw many Common Loons, Eared Grebes, and Horned Grebes in breeding plumage. Most unusual were the 8+ Red-necked Grebes gathered in the deep channel of the harbor entrance. Though the numbers of Brant geese and ducks were only a small fraction of their mid-winter highs, we were rewarded by a sighting of the rare, male Long-tailed Duck still in winter plumage that has been reported for many weeks this winter – a nice bit of luck for leaders as well as coastal newbies. We finished the day at mid-afternoon and still managed to see 84 species in just six miles of the Sonoma coast – that’s why we go to Bodega Bay!
NOTE: For some great photos, see the ebird checklist link at the end of the bird list below.
Subject: eBird Report – Bodega Bay–Harbor & Head, Apr 6, 2019
Bodega Bay–Harbor & Head, Sonoma, California, US Apr 6, 2019 8:15 AM – 3:28 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.0 kilometer(s)
Comments: Yolo Audubon field trip led by Chris Dunford
84 species (+2 other taxa)
Brant 200 Mainly scattered across the middle and north end of the harbor
Canada Goose 10
American Wigeon 10 One flock in Doran Park entrance pond
Mallard 5
Greater Scaup 2 Seen in middle harbor from Spud Point
Lesser Scaup 25 One flock at the north end of the harbor
Surf Scoter 50
Long-tailed Duck 1 Diving frequently in the harbor entrance channel – seen from Campbell Cove across the channel.
Bufflehead 25
Red-breasted Merganser 5 Mostly at Gaffney Point and middle harbor
Ruddy Duck 1 North end of the harbor
Pied-billed Grebe 2 Hole-in-the-Head pond at Campbell Cove
Horned Grebe 3
Red-necked Grebe 8 5 at harbor mouth; 2 at Spud Point; 1 at Porto Bodega Marina
Eared Grebe 40
Western Grebe 20
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6
Band-tailed Pigeon 30 In the eucalypts above Spud Point
Eurasian Collared-Dove 15
Mourning Dove 1 Fly by – over Bay Flat Road toward Bodega Dunes Campground
Anna’s Hummingbird 2
Allen’s Hummingbird 1 Male on power line along Bay Flat Road behind the large rail pond
Virginia Rail 1 Called once at the large rail pond – north end of the harbor
American Coot 75 Mostly at the north end of the harbor
Black Oystercatcher 7 Two at Bodega Head; four flying together over the harbor entrance channel; on on the beach at Gaffney Point.
Black-bellied Plover 2 On mudflat near Rich Stallcup observation deck – two hours before high tide
Semipalmated Plover 2 On mudflat near Rich Stallcup observation deck – two hours before high tide
Whimbrel 20
Marbled Godwit 300
Ruddy Turnstone 8 One flock at Tides Wharf, cove north of the parking lot
Black Turnstone 5 Mostly at Tides Wharf, cove north of the parking lot; one at Porto Bodega later in the day
Red Knot 1 On mudflat near Rich Stallcup observation deck – two hours before high tide
Surfbird 3 On mudflat near Rich Stallcup observation deck – 2 hrs before high tide
Sanderling 500
Dunlin 75
Least Sandpiper 75
Western Sandpiper 40
Short-billed Dowitcher 30
Willet 50
Common Murre 2 Flying by over the ocean off Bodega Head
Pigeon Guillemot 15 Mostly in the harbor entrance channel
Mew Gull 1 Gaffney Point
Ring-billed Gull 3 Doran Beach – bay side near Cypress Day Use Area
Western Gull 50
California Gull 5 Doran Beach – bay side near Cypress Day Use Area
Glaucous-winged Gull 3 At the harbor entrance – tip of Doran Park
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 1 At Porto Bodega – compared to Western Gull, paler mantle, paler bill, dark mark on bill, pale underside of P10 inside of mirror (not really visible in photo)
Red-throated Loon 1 In the harbor entrance channel
Common Loon 30
Brandt’s Cormorant 200 Mostly at Bodega Head and offshore; also on jetties and water of harbor entrance.
Pelagic Cormorant 50 Mostly Bodega Head
Double-crested Cormorant 10 All in the harbor
Great Blue Heron 3 Nesting in the eucalypt trees above the Spud Point Marina
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 10
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1 Hunting over the harbor
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 On power line along CA 1, across from Bodega Coast Inn
Red-tailed Hawk 2 Soaring over Bodega Head
Northern Flicker 1 Heard at Campbell Cove
California Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 5
Common Raven 2 Heard only at Cypress Day Use Area in Doran Park
Barn Swallow 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2 On Whaleship Road
Bushtit 6
Brown Creeper 2 In the cypress trees along the side road past Bodega Bay Lodge
Marsh Wren 2 Heard singing at Doran Park entrance marsh and the marsh across Westside Road near Westside Park.
Bewick’s Wren 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Wrentit 1 Heard singing above Campbell Cove
Western Bluebird 2 In trees among houses along Bay Flat Road at Whaleship Road
European Starling 6
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
White-crowned Sparrow 5
White-crowned Sparrow (nuttalli) 1 Heard singing on Bodega Head
Golden-crowned Sparrow 5 Below Diekmann’s deck
Savannah Sparrow 1 Heard singing on Bodega Head
Song Sparrow 4 Campbell Cove and large rail pond
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1 Campbell Cove
California Towhee 2 Below Diekmann’s deck
Brewer’s Blackbird 25 Tides Wharf, end of Doran Park, and Bodega Head parking lot
Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Large rail pond
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2 In trees along Bay Flat Road at Whaleship Road
House Sparrow 5 Tides Wharf and Porto Bodega
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S54686485
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)