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Bald Eagle, Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma

3/29/2018

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Circling pretty high up, but definitely a bald eagle, Tolay Lake Regional Park

On the way into the park, on a small agricultural pond, this ring billed duck.

Little male Anna's hummingbird in the park, grooming.

A male Downy woodpecker in flight

A photographer barely bothered him, he was pretty busy thoroughly checking out this tree for anything interesting.

Male Downy woodpecker, Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma

Western meadowlark on a fence post, Tolay Lake

Cinnamon teal on the pond! Two males and a female.

A range cow in the park - perhaps expressing a political opinion?

A small flock of goldfinch were foraging among the dry winter thistles for seeds.

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Lewis Woodpecker, Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa

3/27/2018

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This is a rare-ish woodpecker for sonoma county, and wonderfully, there were three or four of them actively feeding along Petaluma Hill road just outside of Santa Rosa. They were very shy and difficult in that regard to photograph, and stayed a long ways off, so many of my shots here are long and far for the lens I was using.
P.S. these are from January of this year, I am still catching up with my photos for the blog.

Lewis Woodpecker, Santa Rosa

Same bird, different view - Lewis woodpecker, Santa Rosa

Lewis woodpecker on top of a utility pole, Santa Rosa

With a bug

Lewis woodpecker in flight, Santa Rosa

Another view in flight - they did like to jump and fly around a lot.

One of their identifying characteristics if seen from a distance, is their gray "collar," which none of the local woodpeckers have.

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Ellis Creek Water Treatment ponds, Petaluma

3/25/2018

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Killdeer, Ellis Creek Water Treatment, Petaluma

Northern Pintail in the first pond, Petaluma.

Common goldeneye, Ellis Creek treatment ponds

Least sandpiper at the edge of one of the ponds.

Marsh wren in the reeds, Ellis Creek

Another view, showing more of its overall coloring, Marsh Wren

Male green-winged teal, Ellis Creek water treatment ponds

A pair of cinnamon teals, Ellis Creek

Male cinnamon teal, Ellis Creek, Petaluma

Gadwall duck in flight, first pond, Ellis Creek

Gadwall, first pond, Petaluma

Green-winged teal, male, in the first pond, Ellis Creek Water Treatment, Petaluma

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More winter birds from the coast...

3/24/2018

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We're moving rapidly into spring here, so am trying to clear up my photos from the first of the year. This is a pair of red-breasted mergansers at Bodega Bay - it is more unusual to see the males close up for some reason, so I was happy to get these pictures.

Male Red-breasted merganser just up from diving for fish, Bodega Bay

A large flock of eared grebes, Bodega Bay

Male Bufflehead making a splash, Bodega Bay

Common Goleneye, Bodega Bay

Female American Kestrel, Coleman Valley Road

Long shot of a big male bobcat hunting in an open field off of Coleman Valley Road

This female kestrel eating a potato bug, along highway one, Bodega

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Burrowing Owl, Pt. Reyes National Seashore

3/17/2018

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Small burrowing owl, Pt. Reyes along the main road to the Light House.

Another view, burrowing owl at Pt. Reyes

This Great Blue Heron looking like a Japanese painting, Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes

Least sandpiper, Abbott's Lagoon Pt. Reyes

American Pipit, Abbott's Lagoon - it's fairly dependable to see these birds here.

A single semipalmated plover, Abbott's Lagoon

Small flock of female surf scoters in flight near the Lagoon

This family of four river otters!!

Black-bellied plovers in flight, Abbott's Lagoon near the ocean side.

Yellow beach flower, Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes

Male surf scoter in flight, ocean side of Abbott's Lagoon

Western grebe, Abbott's Lagoon

Probably greater yellowlegs in the Lagoon

Western meadow lark in the grass, Pt. Reyes.

Coyote hunting, Pt. Reyes

California quail, Pt. Reyes

Hermit thrush, Drake's Beach, Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

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Winter birds and ducks, Bodega Bay

3/14/2018

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Small group of male and female (possibly lesser) scaup, Bodega Bay

These photos are from late December, so the scaup are among the winter ducks which frequent Bodega Bay. Included is a female surf scoter.

White-tailed kite, Doran Bird walk, Bodega near Doran beach

Male red-breasted merganser, Bodega Bay, also among the winter water birds seen there.

Western grebe with a fish, Bodega Bay

The male merganser immediately tries chasing the grebe, to see if it will drop its fish, or to chase it away from the fishing area.

It is much more common to see the female red-breasted mergansers, so it was thrilling to get some closer photos of the male at Bodega Bay

Again chasing the Western Grebe, who hadn't moved far enough away.

Male red-breasted merganser in action -

Driving back along the bay, this Peregrine Falcon.

Beautifully feathered Great Blue Heron, Bodega Bay

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Long-billed Curlews, Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma

3/8/2018

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Long-billed curlew in flight, Tolay Lake Regional Park Petaluma

A small flock of long-billed curlew were feeding in one of the open grassland fields.

Long-billed curlew flock, Tolay Lake Regional Park

There were some lesser goldfinch feeding in the open fields in the park.

White-tailed kite flew over carrying a mouse in its claws that it had just pounced on nearby.

Fierce looking red-tailed hawk perched on a tree branch, Tolay Lake

Killdeer doing a leg and wing stretch, Tolay Lake

On the way out of the park, this Great Blue Heron hunting in a field along the road.

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Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes National Seashore

3/4/2018

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Female Kestrel on the way to Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes

Perky Bewick's wren, Abbott's Lagoon near the small bridge, Pt. Reyes

Bewick's wren, different view

Coyote hunting in a field, Abbott's Lagoon

American Pipit, Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes

Male Wigeon in the Lagoon

Wigeon in flight, Abbott's Lagoon Pt. Reyes

Always at least one Great Blue Heron fishing in or near the Lagoon

Female quail on the path

Turns out just off the path in some warm sandy soil, a small flock was enjoying some dust bathing.

Interesting mushrooms near the trail

There were a few savannah sparrows, not often seen here or not that I have noticed.

Classic Say's Phoebe, Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes

On the way home from Pt. Reyes, a white tailed kite hunting in a large open field just off Highway One

White tailed kite hunting

Red-shouldered hawk on another brief visit to the coast, near Jenner

Female quail in the brush, near Jenner

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