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Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge, Arcata, California, always a great birding adventure

7/31/2016

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Male Downy woodpecker, Humboldt Bay, Arcata California
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The female Downy was closeby
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Wilson's warbler, Humboldt Bay
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Great egret flying over, Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge
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Savannah sparrow with almost no tail - possibly the coastal version of this bird
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Snowy egret on one of the footbridges, Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge
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White-tailed Kite, Humboldt Bay
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Wildflowers and grasses along one of the sloughs, Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge
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Another savannah sparrow, Humboldt Bay
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Willet in breeding plumage, Humboldt Bay
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Willet in flight
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Black-crowned night heron in flight, Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge
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Bunny on the path
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This snowy egret was fun to watch while it was catching teeny-tiny fish in the water.
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A northern harrier was zooming low over the marshes and sloughs
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A northern flicker was also foraging along one of the paths
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A solitary egret sits patiently at one of the slough inlets, Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge
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Juvenile black-crowned night heron as we were leaving
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On the way back from Oregon, a stop in Trinidad, California, a stunningly beautiful town on the coast

7/31/2016

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View of the coast from the town of Trinidad, Oregon
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The small protected harbor was dotted with rocks and fishing boats, Trinidad, California

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A family of sea otters on one of the rocks, an adult with three pups!
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Sea otter with pup
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Sea otter pups playing, Trinidad, California
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Sea otter pup
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Sea otter family in the water, Trinidad California
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More pigeon guillemot seabirds, Trinidad California
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Pigeon guillemot sebirds
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Juvenile glaucous-winged gull? Trinidad, California
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Juvenile double-crested cormorant possibly, Trinidad, California
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Road trip north through the California redwoods and up along the Oregon Coast

7/31/2016

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Thanks to Laura, a great driving journey with our dslr cameras as far north as Bandon, Oregon
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Roosevelt elk, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
PictureFemale elk with youngsters
Highway 101 goes right through Praire Creek Redwoods State Park, and the elk can easily be seen from the road.

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Juvenile great blue heron near Gold Beach Oregon
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Juvenile great blue heron in flight, one wing just dipping into the rogue river, in Oregon
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Black capped chickadees in the woods along the rogue river near Gold Beach, Oregon
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Black-capped chickadee, Oregon
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Oregon wildflowers, possibly purple Loosestrifes (Lythrum Salicaria), i.d. thanks to Laura
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Osprey a common sight along the rogue river where it meets the sea, Oregon
PictureLighthouse, Bandon, Oregon
We got as far north as Bandon, Oregon

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Near the lighthouse a small group of pigeon guillemot seabirds
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Pigeon guillemot, Bandon, Oregon
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Common Loon? Bandon, Oregon
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Juvenile ring-billed gulls? feeding, Bandon Marsh, in Oregon
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First year ring-billed gull, Bandon marsh, Oregon
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Small flock of juvenile robins in the brush near the Bandon lighthouse, Oregon
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One of the spectacular views along the Oregon coast
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More Bodega Bay birding....

7/25/2016

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Bit of a heat wave here, so birding on the coast has become the most pleasant.
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Snowy egret, a very low tide near the entrance to Bodega Harbor
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A small flock of willets in breeding plumage foraged in the exposed tidal area, Bodega
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Red-necked grebes fished off Doran Beach - distant shot.
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Red-necked grebe, an uncommonly seen bird for the area.
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Brown pelicans zoomed over the harbor.
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Brown pelican in flight, Bodega Bay
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Male belted kingfisher, Bodega Bay
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Kingfisher, Bodega Bay
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Sea otter eating a fish, Bodega Bay near Campbell cove
Back at the home feeders
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Juvenile spotted towhee, camp meeker
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Newly fledged stellar's jay, still showing remnants of its baby's beak
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Red-breasted nuthatches shoot into the feeders from time to time.
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Female Anna's hummer at the feeder.
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Closeup, male Anna's hummer
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Whoops, this bird is a Willet in breeding plumage

7/22/2016

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Too bad it wasn't the wandering tattler, because it is such a cool name - there are recent sightings of the tattler in the same location that I saw this bird - however tattler is stockier, mostly gray on top, and with yellow legs. 
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Willet in breeding plumage, Bodega Bay
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Willet, Bodega Bay
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Another view, Bodega Bay
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Tern, possibly Caspian, flying overhead with a fish, Bodega Bay near Doran Beach
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Least sandpiper, Doran Beach, Bodega
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Least sandpipers, Doran Beach
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Mystery bird - some kind of juvenile seagull??? Bodega Bay
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Short-billed dowitcher? These shorebirds are tough to I.D. Doran Beach, Bodega
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Short-billed dowitcher? Plucking something tasty out of the surf.
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The dowitchers were among a larger flock of marbled godwits, Doran Beach
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Marbled godwits in flight, Doran Beach
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On the way home, this young white tailed kite on a utility cable hunting for dinner.
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Juvenile white-tailed kites have brown mottled streaks on their breast feathers.
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Young white-tailed kite, Highway One, Bodega
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Juvenile Red-tail Hawk kicks up a fuss over Andy's Produce

7/19/2016

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This young red-tailed hawk was center of attention as it flew low and loudly over the Andy's Produce parking lot, Sebastopol
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Juvenile red-tail hawk, Sebastopol
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Another view, juvenile red-tail hawk
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Savannah sparrow, Coleman Valley rd, out of Occidental
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Two barn swallow chicks, Coleman Valley Rd - waiting for parents to deliver food.
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Fledgling barn swallow, Coleman Valley rd
Recent walk through the Laguna de Santa Rosa, near Sebastopol
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Female lesser goldfinch, the Laguna
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Male Nuttall's woodpecker, the Laguna
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Parent violet-green swallow brings a meal for a chick, the Laguna
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Violet-green swallows
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White-breasted nuthatch, the Laguna
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A family of Western wood- pewees, the Laguna
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Western wood-pewee, the Laguna
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Male non-breeding goldfinch, the Laguna
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Wild rose in the park
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Black Phoebe on chain link fence, the Laguna
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Quail juveniles, Campbell Cove, Bodega Bay

7/15/2016

1 Comment

 
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Juvenile California quail, Campbell Cove, Bodega Bay
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Cautiously the small group moved into view.
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Juvenile quail, Bodega Bay
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Adult female quail keeping watchful eye.
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The same hummer probably from earlier visit, Hole in the Head, Bodega Bay - seems to feed exclusively on blackberry blossoms.
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Anna's hummingbird, Hole in the Head
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Has a coloring similar to the blackberry blossoms - Anna's hummer, Bodega Bay
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This could be a white-throated sparrow juvenile.
PictureSwainson's thrush, Hole in the Head, Bodega
I went back to Hole in the Head, Bodega Bay, to stake out this bird to see if I could get a photo for I.D. purposes.  I have been hearing this trippy bird song for about a month in different places, and didn't know what bird.
Turns out it is the very shy and very secretive Swainson's Thrush, known for its "flutelike" song.


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Highway One on the coast, a small herd of antlered deer cross the road.
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On the drive to the coast, this red-tail hawk with a rather gruesome meal on top of a utility pole.
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Red tail hawk with prey, Coleman Valley Rd.
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Bodega Bay Osprey

7/13/2016

1 Comment

 
This could be the same powerful bird that caught the fish right in front of me a few weeks back...he was doing some serious fish hunting again today, in the same location.
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Osprey, hovering over Bodega Bay
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Osprey, Bodega Bay
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Directly overhead - you wouldn't want to be a fish about right now.
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Juvenile white-crowned sparrow, Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Male breeding colors, American goldfinch
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Male goldfinch, non-breeding.
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Anna's hummer, Hole in the Head Bodega
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Surprised this barn owl, Hole in the Head, Bodega

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Barn owl in flight, Bodega Bay
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Fortunately, the owl circled around me to find a new perch.
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Harbor seal near the Tides Restaurant, Bodega Bay
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A lone shorebird - perhaps a willet? Bodega Bay.
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Warbling vireo at Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen

7/11/2016

2 Comments

 
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My first visit to Quarryhill Botanical Garden, in Glen Ellen, a 25-acre botanical garden of mature, flowering plants from Asia. In the middle of the garden is a beautiful pond and waterfall, remnants of what had originally been an old quarry site (hence the name.)


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Warbling vireo, Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen
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Warbling vireo, another view
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Warbling vireo with what looks like a small bee.
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Great large lillies throughout the garden
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Female goldfinch, Quarryhill
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Male Anna's hummer, Quarryhill
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Another small Anna's hummer perched over the honeysuckle vines.
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Endangered plant from northeast asia (rosa rugosa)
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Pacific slope flycatcher in the garden
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Summer flower in bloom
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The Pacific Slope flycatcher, another view
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A small group of wild turkeys drifted silently through the thick asian shrubbery.
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A flowering tree in the garden
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This waterfall above the pond.
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Bullfrogs in the small still water area above the waterfall.
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Western Kingbird, Tolay Lake Regional Park

7/10/2016

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Western Kingbird, Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma
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Another view, Western Kingbird
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Western Kingbird with a bug
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Summer colors of Tolay Lake Regional Park
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Tree swallow, Tolay Lake - still some late season nesting activity in some of the nest boxes.
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Tree swalow peers from a nest box, Tolay Lake
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Male house finch, Tolay Lake
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Summer thistles in the park
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Male Western Bluebird, Tolay Lake
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Meadowlark on a fence wire, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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Pink wildflower (field bind weed) in the park
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Quail with front breast feathers unfurled, Tolay Lake
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Goldfinch in the seed grasses near parking and garden area
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Quail chicks! On the road out of the park.
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    Walking through
    California coastal parks and redwoods, and sometimes beyond, with a Nikon DSLR & telephoto lens (completely amateur)


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