Greetings,

This past Friday, myself and about 14 other staff and interns from PRBO’s Palomarin Field Station and Wetlands Division had the good fortune of going on a bird walk with one of the legends in Californian (even national) birding, Rich Stallcup. For those of you who have not yet heard his name or are not familiar with his birding accomplishments, I highly suggest you check out the following webpage.

http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/CAwhoRS.html

Our day with Rich started at a reasonable hour (0930) at the Bear Valley Visitor Center- the gateway and park headquarters of the Point Reyes National Seashore. Even before all of us got out of our respective vehicles Rich had a scope trained on a pair of White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus) across a meadow. This beautiful pair of sleek raptors, according to Rich, had just engaged in a bonding experience previous to our arrival, one where the male had captured a Microtus sp. (Vole) and delivered it to his mate for her to feed. This sighting, and Rich’s holistic narration of the spectacle, was an obvious precursor of the day to come.

After the kites, and group introductions, our attention was divided between several flocks of Violet-green Swallows (Tachycineta thalassina) foraging overhead, Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) investigating a nest-hole, and calling Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) from the nearby granary… all of this from the parking lot!

After birding the parking lot for at least 20 minutes, Rich lead our group down the ‘Earthquake Trail’, so named for the evidence of activity caused by the nearby San Andreas Fault. As we wandered down the paved trail, new species of birds quickly made their appearances, either by sight or sound, adding to our overall totals. Wilson’s Warblers (Wilsonia pusilla), Warbling Vireos (Vireo gilvus), and Pacific-slope Flycatchers (Empidonax difficilis) made a nice trio of recently arrived neotropical migrants singing on territory and in good numbers, while Chestnut-backed Chickadees (Poecile rufescens), Nuttall’s Woodpeckers (Picoides nuttallii) and Bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus) were the most noticeable residents.

Another great treat was observing the nest of a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in a Eucalyptus tree. Even though we had much better looks at a RSHA nest and its owners later in the day, it proved to be an exciting moment for many of the people on the trip.

Continuing down the trail we had many more looks at the above mentioned species as well as several Allen’s Hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin) which were often displaying, ubiquitous Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) skulking in the understory, and the only calling Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) of the day. But, no matter how frequently a particular species was observed -whether 30 times, or just once - Rich made the most of each individual as a learning tool:

“Do you hear that? That is the contact call of the Pacific-slope Flycatcher…the male is singing over further, but the female is letting him know where she is within the dense vegetation with that contact call…I said Pacific-slope Flycatcher, some of you may know it as Western Flycatcher [Pre-split species], which it will one day become again, in my opinion, but more on that later…”

But passerines were not to be the only types of birds observed today. A vernal pond on the property housed several good finds including several Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa), a pair of Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris), 2 Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), and many Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Even butterflies couldn’t hide from Rich’s keen eyes, and a Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia) was quickly pointed out as it flitted by. Interestingly, this was my first time observing this species, as it was for many of us, and when someone looked up the species in a field guide, there was a unique comment written about its identification that many of us found quite amusing:

“As the Supreme Court has said about pornography, it is difficult to define, but you’ll recognize it when you see it.” - Butterflies through Binoculars: The West.

Other great sightings from the Bear Valley Visitor Center included Great Blue Herons on nest with chicks, and a smattering of raptors including Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

At this point of the trip we decided to head towards the outer point [Point Reyes], and to meet up at Drake’s Beach for lunch. Upon our arrival, we noticed immediately two Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), and several Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis) and Common Ravens (Corvus corax), with the latter two eager to join us for lunch.

After eating our respective lunches, and communally shared “fancy chips”, we headed out towards the beach where Rich quickly spotted a large group of Surfbirds (Aphriza virgata) working the rocks. Of the 18 Surfbirds present, the majority were in the finery of their breeding plumage, dark gray birds with rufous markings on their scapulars. For some of us these birds were life birds, for others like myself they were simply an amazing site to see. Other notable birds at Drake’s beach included flocks of Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) and Brant (Branta bernicla) migrating out over the ocean.

After departing Drake’s Beach we headed out towards the Fish Docks, a location that is within walking distance from the Chimney Rock parking lot. On the way our vehicle (Rich, myself, and two others) had good looks at Tricolored Blackbirds (Agelaius tricolor) and Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). Once at the Fish Docks we had great looks at many waterbirds including more Surf Scoters and Brant, as well as Common (Gavia immer) and Red-throated (G. stellata) Loons, Horned Grebes (Podiceps auritus), and Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba).

We also picked up several other passerines not yet found for the day including Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), and both the Myrtle and Audubon’s form of Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). A Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) was also roosting in a nearby tree. This was unfortunately our last stop of the day, but as many can attest, any time with Rich not only lasts for the time you spend with him, but also for innumerable moments into the future.

What follows the end of the post is the ‘checklist’ of birds observed on this trip, many of which were not mentioned here.

~Chad (04/25/2006)

“Rich has the soul of a poet, the mind of a scientist, and the spirituality of a shaman. This is not a combination of talents often found in a birder. If Rich hasn’t seen the vision, he sure as hell knows where to look for it while the rest of us mortals are stumbling around trying to find out what the hell it is all about. You always felt like a contact hitter when birding with Rich. You always knew at any moment he could put one out of the park. I suspect that it is the same feeling professional athletes get when they are in the same game with a Barry Bonds, a Jerry Rice, or a Michael Jordan. You know that you are in the presence of someone extraordinary; someone that has an ability that completely transcends that of an ordinary player. Rich’s influence goes well beyond just identifying birds, he has become a part of the flow of life itself, part of the essence of what animates the natural world, and he understands that world from that very unique perspective. Placed in that context, the ability to identify birds isn’t really very important, it is all rather clinical. To those who have been fortunate enough to know him, Rich leads you to a higher purpose through birding; an understanding of your spirit.” - Jon Winters 1993

Checklist for the group (* indicates not observed by myself):

1. Red-throated Loon
2. Pacific Loon*
3. Common Loon
4. Red-necked Grebe*
5. Horned Grebe
6. Eared Grebe
7. Double-crested Cormorant
8. Great Blue Heron
9. Canada Goose
10. Brant
11. Mallard
12. Gadwall
13. Green-winged Teal
14. Wood Duck
15. Ring-necked Duck
16. Surf Scoter
17. Bufflehead
18. Red-breasted Merganser
19. Turkey Vulture
20. Sharp-shinned Hawk
21. Cooper’s Hawk
22. Northern Harrier
23. White-tailed Kite
24. Osprey
25. Red-shouldered Hawk
26. Red-tailed Hawk
27. American Kestrel
28. Peregrine Falcon
29. California Quail
30. American Coot
31. Greater Yellowlegs
32. Surfbird
33. Western Gull
34. Glaucous-winged Gull
35. Caspian Tern
36. Pigeon Guillemot
37. Mourning Dove
38. Rock Pigeon
39. Great Horned Owl
40. Anna’s Hummingbird
41. Allen’s Hummingbird
42. Acorn Woodpecker
43. Downy Woodpecker
44. Hairy Woodpecker
45. Nuttall’s Woodpecker
46. Northern Flicker
47. Pacific-slope Flycatcher
48. Black Phoebe
49. Hutton’s Vireo
50. Warbling Vireo
51. Steller’s Jay
52. Western Scrub-Jay
53. Common Raven
54. American Crow
55. Violet-green Swallow
56. Tree Swallow
57. Barn Swallow
58. Cliff Swallow
59. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
60. Bushtit
61. Brown Creeper*
62. Bewick’s Wren
63. Winter Wren
64. Wrentit
65. Golden-crowned Kinglet
66. Western Bluebird
67. American Robin
68. Swainson’s Thrush
69. European Starling
70. Orange-crowned Warbler
71. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s and Myrtle forms)
72. Wilson’s Warbler
73. Black-headed Grosbeak
74. Spotted Towhee
75. California Towhee
76. Savannah Sparrow
77. Golden-crowned Sparrow
78. White-crowned Sparrow (Puget Sound and Nuttall’s forms)
79. Song Sparrow
80. Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
81. Brown-headed Cowbird
82. Tricolored Blackbird
83. Red-winged Blackbird
84. Brewer’s Blackbird
85. Purple Finch
86. House Finch
87. American Goldfinch