Flying A Kite At Halfmoon Bay

Birding Tip #5:  Start a Birding Life List!  A birding life list is a casual list that you can start that helps you keep track of all the species you spot.  It is a fun way to challenge yourself to find new species!

So far in San Francisco I am adding numerous new species to my life list!  Two I will discuss in this post!

I arrived in San Francisco to the typical San Francisco weather...a cold, foggy mist veiling the afternoon sun.  After a light rain shower, which was only heavy enough to leave a glisten over the landscape, the sun came out and stayed.  I was excited to be welcomed to my new home by blue skies, calm breezes and warm sunshine.  It was perfect weather for a trip to Halfmoon Bay, a long expansion of open beach south of San Francisco. 

Halfmoon Bay, California.  Photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

I came to Halfmoon Bay for the gorgeous views, sound of the waves and to return to a place I had visited once before and loved.  I should have expected to be doing some birding, as well!  Fortunately I came somewhat prepared with my camera in hand.  Only moments after arriving I added a new species of bird to my Birding Life List!

The field adjacent to the parking lot (which is up on the cliffs above the beach) is open and full of various shrubs and small plants, ideal hunting habitat for aerial predators.  Hovering like a hummingbird above this field was a rather large, white bird with a short beak, stream-lined body and  piercing red eyes.  I knew immediately from the body shape that it was some sort of kite.  Even though I had never seen a kite before I recognized the bird from the countless occasions I flipped through my field guide.

White-tailed kite at Halfmoon Bay, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

I was instantly mesmerized by the bird and elated to see a new species.  As I watched the white-tailed kite hover in the air searching for rodents, I knew I was in for a lot of birding excitement in California.  After a few moments of hovering, the kite started its decent.  I had to laugh at the way the bird kept its spotted, white wings extended in the air above its body as it floated to the ground.  A graceful decent yes, surprising to its prey, I couldn't imagine how.  Having seen other predatory birds such as osprey, merlin falcons, various hawk species and bald eagles perform fast, acrobatic aerial maneuvers to catch their prey, I was shocked at the white-tailed kite's technique.  It dove to the ground with patience and care and snatched up an unsuspecting rodent.  It was an unexpected style, to say the least.

Black phoebe, photo by Lois Manowitz

Moving on from the white-tailed kites hunting ground I traveled along a trail which traversed the edge of the cliff.  No sooner had I walked but a few hundred feet and I spotted my next new species!  A black phoebe was perched on a rusted pole jutting up from what looked like a steep boat ramp.  Perching on the pole it continuously bobbed its tail.  Not having my bird book on me I took a stab at the family and I was right!  I knew the bird was a type of flycatcher based on the size of the bird and slightly raised tuft of feathers on the head.  See the tuft on the back of the head in the photo to the right?  The prominent white chest and contrasting black head and upper body are also good field marks when trying to identify this species.  Remember our discussion on field marks in the previous post, "Identifying Birds in the Field: The Basics"? 

Northern harrier, photo by Dan Pancamo

 After adding a second new species to my life list I continued along the trail.  In the distance I spotted some sort of hawk flying along a line of tall trees.  I wasn't able to get a good look at the bird until it landed in a tree a good distance away.  All I could determine was that it was a hawk with a light colored chest with some barring on the chest.  Not until the action started was I able to identify the species.  I had noticed earlier that a few ravens were flying along the cliff edge.  One raven in particular got too close to the hawk I was watching and the battle commenced.  It was amazing to say the least!  The raven continued to fly by the hawk which left its perch and began an aerial assault on the raven that equaled him in size.  The raven croaked madly as the hawk dive bombed him over and over again in a flurry of attacks.  Despite the hawk's attacks the raven returned for multiple bouts until giving up and flying on.

Once the attacking had commenced I noticed the field mark used to best identify this species.  In both photos (to the right and below) a white patch of feathers is visible at the base of the hawk's tail (bird in the top of the larger photo below).  Northern Harriers are the only hawk species in the western United States with this field mark, making it especially easy to identify them if you see this white patch.  From the front they greatly resemble a pale subspecies of the red-tailed hawk, a juvenile red-shouldered hawk (another new species I added to my life list in California) and cooper's hawk.  The face of the Northern Harrier is quite different than these species, however.

Northern harrier (top of photo) attacking a common raven (bottom of photo) at Halfmoon Bay, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

After witnessing nature in action, I headed back to the car.  I figured my birding experience couldn't get much better than the hawk and raven battle but I saw something just as stunning.  Sitting in the car we spotted another bird.  It was a tiny falcon sitting on a "No Parking" sign.  From the distance I was at I thought it was a merlin falcon.  I rushed to grab my camera out of the trunk and slowly approached the tiny bird by sneaking up on it from behind the bathrooms.  As I approached I took a lot of photos, expecting the bird to fly away at any moment...but it didn't.  The second I took the first photo and looked at it I knew it wasn't a merlin, but a bird of a similar size and shape...an American kestrel.

American kestrel, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

American kestrel are our smallest falcons and greatly resemble a merlin.  The biggest notable differences in appearance is the face and color.  The kestrel has two distinct, black vertical bars on the face, similar to a peregrine falcon and the coloring is vastly different than a merlin.  This kestrel is most likely a female because of the lack of rich blue on the face and wings.  I stopped my approach when I felt I was getting close enough to disturb the bird.  She seemed rather unaffected by my presence and merely moved to a different post further away.  I returned to my car, keeping my camera out just in case.  As I drove out of the parking lot I slowed down and admired the kestrel on its new perch, ecstatic that my first few days birding in California were so fulfilling!

As I left Halfmoon Bay, with its beautiful sandy beaches and blue ocean stretching to the horizon, I couldn't wait to continue my birding adventure in California and add to my growing Birding Life List!