How To Identify Gulls...A Conundrum

Hint #10:  Don't get discouraged when birding!  Take it from me, I know it can be frustrating when you can't figure out what species of bird you're looking at.  Birding is meant to be fun, enjoyable and exciting, so when you can't figure out the species in that moment, take notes on its color, shape, size, etc and look it up later.

In this post I'm going to identify five common gull species found in San Francisco, California and teach you how to identify them.  I'll also provide tips on what to look for when you are first learning how to identify gull species.  We'll also try to solve a mystery gull species at the end of this post!

Hundreds of gulls (mostly mew gulls) at Crissy Field.  Photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

Gulls are incredibly misunderstood birds, in my opinion.  They have a reputation for being lunch snatchers, poop machines, landfill guests and an overall pest.  But in natural settings where people haven't altered their behavior, gulls actually shy away from people and don't accept hand-outs (which is the way it should be).  They are also smart, having learned to get their food out of tough to reach spaces.  I'll tell a story about this in a bit.  I would recommend referring back to my previous post called "Identifying Birds in the Field: The Basics."  This will help with your overall skills in bird identification and is handy to read before continuing on in this post.  It will teach you about field marks, identifiable features on a bird and the basics of bird identification.
 

Gull external anatomy from ibird.com

Anyway, back to the gulls.  The term "seagull(s)" is a generic term applied to all gull species.  The proper way to refer to a gull is merely "gull(s)" or by its species name.  When identifying gulls, there are a few key places on its body you want to look first.  These are the beak, legs and wings.  If you can see them clearly, the eye color and presence or absence of an eye ring are also great features to note.

The reason these body parts are so important when identifying gulls is knowing their shape, color and markings will quickly narrow down the field when you're trying to pinpoint the gull species you're identifying.  

So let's look at our first gull.  Easily one of the most common gull species on the west coast, a frequent picnic crasher and scavenger is the western gull.  In a natural setting, these gulls eat fish and shellfish.  One fantastic adaptation these birds have (like some other gulls, including glaucous-winged gulls) is breaking open shellfish.  On the shores of the San Jaun Islands in Washington state, I have seen these gulls dig clams up on the beach, fly up high, hover in the air for a moment and then drop their clam.  Gravity cracks open the clam on the rocky beach and the gull gets to enjoy a salty, slimy treat.  

Western gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

These gulls are easily identified by the key body parts we listed above.  The first thing you want to look at are the feet.  In western gulls they are pink.  Knowing this eliminates half of the gull species found in western North America.  Next, the beak.  It's very large and yellow (minus the red dot on the bottom part of the beak).  The absence of black on the bill further narrows down the candidates.  Thirdly, the wings.  The wings include the gray on the back and the black and white feathers near the tail.  These black and white feathers are called primary feathers and the color of these and the dark gray on the wings is another good indicator of a western gull.  Lastly, the eyes.  This can be tricky but what you're looking at is the eye color.  The iris of the western gull is yellow or considered "pale" in field guides.  A few other things you may notice about this bird is the large, blocky white head and white chest.  The bird overall is rather large, as well, 25 inches long.

California gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

The next gull we're going to look at is very similar, which is why I want to do it next.  Take a moment and consider some differences and similarities that you notice before I reveal the species.  

This is a California gull.  A beautiful gull, in my opinion, and very similar to the western gull above.  Let's look at those key body parts.  The feet are yellow!  That feature is the most obvious difference and will allow you to eliminate this as a western gull straight away.  The California gull has a smaller beak and it has different colors than the western gull, it has black markings near the tip and a red mark on the lower half, like the western gull.  The wing color is nearly the same, gray, with black and white primary feathers.   The eyes are different, however, noticeably even.  The California gull has a dark, nearly black iris.  A few more features about this species are the size and head color.  This gull is a bit smaller than the western gull and has a smaller, rounder head.  In breeding season (when this photo was taken) the California gull has an entirely white head, while in nonbreeding season it is streaked brown.

I hope you're doing okay still and encouraged to learn about three more gull species and solve a mystery species at the end!

Ring-billed gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

This gull is a bit tricky to identify in the photo.  This is a ring-billed gull.  I hope the reason it was named this is obvious when you look at the photo.  This gull is rather small, nearly 4 inches shorter than the California gull.  It has a small beak with a distinct black ring and NO red.  The legs are yellow (not visible in the water).  When you can't see the legs, the ring on the bill alone would allow you to identify this species.  The wings are a lighter gray than the California gull and the primary feathers (wing tips) are black (not really visible).  The white spots on the wing are smaller than the California or western gull's.  The eyes are pale in color with a red eye ring.  This photo was taken in nonbreeding season, which is why the head has light, brown streaking.  In breeding season it is entirely white.  

Mew gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

Our next gull is small, cute and quint and one of my favorites.  It is the mew gull.  It is smaller yet than the ring-billed gull by a little over an inch and has a tiny, yellow beak with a faint ring around it (visible in the photo).  The legs are yellow and the wings are a slightly darker gray than the ring-billed gull with black and white primary feathers (wing tips).  The white spots on the wings are a bit bigger than the ring-billed.  The iris of the eyes are clearly dark with no visible eye ring, similar to the California gull.  The head is small and round and in nonbreeding season (when this photo was taken) is covered in a gray streaking.  In breeding season it is white.  I really like the small size of this gull and it is generally rather shy and lights to congregate in huge flocks, as seen in the picture of Crissy Field above.  

Adult Heermann's gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

Juvenile Heermann's, photo by Kelly W.

Our next gull looks completely different than the ones we have just identified.  When I first saw it as a juvenile I had no clue what it was.  For a moment I thought it was a jaeger (type of gull species) but it is a rather common gull, perched on roof tops at Fisherman's Wharf, watching for a french fry or piece of deep-fried fish to fall from someone's plate.   It didn't help that the juvenile (left) looks completely different than the adult (right).  I thought they were different species!  Having never encountered this gull back in Washington state (since their range doesn't extend much north of the bay area) I had to take photos and check my field guide later.  This is a Heermann's gull.  A striking gull with a blood red, beak tipped in black and jet, black legs (which are also seen in jaegers, hence my initial confusion).  The iris of eyes is also dark and in this photo it appears to have a red eye ring, however, this isn't too obvious in my field guide.  The wings are dark gray with nearly all black wing tips.  The white spots in the wing primaries (apparent in the nonbreeding season) disappear and leave them completely black for breeding season.  The adult was photographed in this species breeding season so it has an entirely white head.  The gray prevalent on the rest of the body would spread and cover the head in nonbreeding season.  This gull is also relatively small compared to the western gull we looked at first, measuring 6 inches smaller.  

It's time to use our new gull identification skills to figure out our mystery gull! 

Our mystery gull, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

This gull, to this day, makes me second guess myself.  It was absolutely monstrous looking in person.  Let's start at the beginning.  The beak is large and very thick and yellow with a red spot on the bottom.  The legs are clearly pink.  Okay...starting to look like our first gull, a western gull.  The wings are dark gray and the wing tips are black with obvious white spots.  Hmm...still resembling a western gull.  The eyes are a bit off...they appear dark in the photo and when I saw this bird in person (mind you it was only about 10 feet away) the eyes were not obviously pale like in the photo of the western gull above.  It could just be the evening lighting shading the eye.  Now the head and neck coloring.  There is more gray streaking on this bird than is normally seen in western gulls sporting their nonbreeding season plumage.  It is generally far more subtle and less prominent on the face.  The outstretched, long neck is also strange.  I realize a bird can merely stretch it's neck but it just seemed unusually long and the head doesn't seem as blocky as a western gull's.  Going back to the size of the bird.  It was huge.  It made me go, woah, that's a big bird!  It didn't appear to look like your average western gull.  So what gull species is this?  Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. 

Gulls are tricky.  They hybridize, which means, different species interbreed where their ranges overlap, making gull identification even more difficult.  This could be a glaucous-winged gull x western gull hybrid, which may explain the heavier streaking on the head and perhaps larger body size.  The wings are a big too dark, however.  But it's possible.  It is most likely a western gull that threw me off.   

This is a perfect example as to why gull identification can be frustrating but an exciting challenge, nonetheless.  Remember don't get discouraged, have fun, enjoy yourself and remember to...

Keep Your Eyes On The Sky!     
 

Bolinas Lagoon Birding Special!

American avocets in flight, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Birding Tip #9:  Revisit Your Favorite Birding Spots!  You might see something new!   

Hint:  If you are a beginning birder, the best place to start practicing is an open water body that isn't too large, like a lake or lagoon.  The best types of birds to learn if you're a beginner are waterfowl because they are generally large, have distinguishable features and generally don't move around too much.  They also aren't obstructed by bushes and trees, generally.

Author's note:  All of the photos in this post were taken by the author (Kelly Wohlwend) at Bolinas Lagoon on February 2nd, 2013.  The species counts were also done on this day.  For more of my photos from Bolinas Lagoon please visit my other blog, Kelly A. Wohlwend Photography.  The link is at the top of this blog.  Thank you and enjoy!

I recently returned to Bolinas Lagoon along Highway 1 just south of Point Reyes National Seashore. Not only is the area stunning, the amount of birds is mind blowing! I was shocked the first time I saw the mudflats and open water literally swarming in small (sometimes large) feathered bodies, but seeing it again was just as awe inspiring. 

Bolinas Lagoon is an absolutely fantastic, can't miss birding location for a number of reasons.  The eastern side of the lagoon is protected forestland, providing excellent habitat, the lagoon is large, which gives birds plenty of space to spread out and stay away from people (this is good for those shy species!) and the ecology of the lagoon changes with the tides!  During part of the day the tide is in and populated by ducks and grebes and the rest of the time the mudflats are exposed, which is perfect habitat for shorebirds, such as sandpipers and plovers.

I also discovered another rich birding spot here at Bolinas, the Bolinas Lagoon Open Space Preserve (trail head sign seen above).  It is a small, forested thicket with a few winding, dirt trails that lead you out onto the marshy expanse of the lagoon.  I wasn't expected to see as many birds as I did.  Before I talk about the birds I saw at the preserve I am going to talk about my experience birding along the eastern shore of Bolinas Lagoon.

Bolinas Lagoon, eastern shore, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

When you first approach the lagoon, it doesn't seem too big, but as soon as you turn a corner it opens up in front of you like the ocean.  When the tide is high it's spectacular!  One thing I can't show in pictures is what it sounded like, thousands and thousands of birds chirping, squawking, cawing, croaking, screeching and countless other vocalizations I can't even describe.   The photo to the right does not do the image of the lagoon and its birds justice.  There were just too many to capture with one camera shot, this is merely a fragment of the lagoon.  Time for the species count!

Birds at the lagoon

Bolinas Lagoon Species Count
(* represents a first time sighting!)

Northern pintails, Bolinas Lagoon, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

• American Wigeon
• American Avocet
• American Kestrel (just north of the lagoon)
• Belted Kingfisher
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Great Egret
• Greater Scaup
• Greater Yellow-legs
• Green-winged Teal
• Horned Grebe
• Long-billed Curlew
• Mallard
• Marbled Godwit*
• Mew Gull
• Northern Pintail
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Ruddy Duck
• Snowy Egret
• Surf Scoter
• Turkey Vulture
• Western Gull
• Willet
• Unknown sandpiper species

American wigeons, Bolinas Lagoon, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

The bird species I saw in the most abundance, by far, were American wigeons. The males are characterized by their white facial stripe, green and speckled gray/brown heads, white bill with a black tip, rufous colored bodies and white and black rumps.  The females are more drab with the same rufous colored bodies and a speckled gray head lacking the green and white facial stripe seen on the male.  (In the photo to the right, focusing on the two wigeons on the right, the one to the far right is a female, the one immediately to her left is a male). 

Eurasion wigeons are an uncommon species that look similar to the American wigeon but the Eurasion's head is a brighter rufous color and lacks the green.  In the females, the color of the head blends in with the body.  Eurasion wigeons also have a flatter shaped head.  So far, I have yet to see one.  Another duck species which I have seen before and absolutely love are green-winged teals. 


They are relatively shy and are difficult to approach, so I was fortunate to get such good photos.  The green-winged teals I saw at Bolinas Lagoon were foraging in the shallow water on the mudflats.  I'm particularly fond of them for their striking colors but also for their size.  They're slightly larger than a bufflehead.

The male (left) is very beautiful, with a steel gray body, black and tan rump and a green and dark auburn colored head.  On the side of the body the white stripe is significant when distinguishing between the green-winged teal and the Eurasian subspecies.  The Eurasian subspecies looks nearly identical but lacks this white bar.  The female green-winged teal is rather drab but the green wing feather is very noticeable on her body (right). 

One thing I will say about Bolinas Lagoon is even though it is huge and the birds are numerous and packed together, generally multiple species, it is a great place for relatively new birders.  I would have a good pair of binoculars and your field guide, for sure (a camera with a zoom lens won't hurt either or a scope would be even better) but waterfowl are relatively easy to identify because they sit relatively still for long periods of time.  When identifying birds in thick understory and the birds are small (this can be tricky with sparrows because they all look relatively similar) birding can get frustrating.  I like to recommend people begin birding on waterfowl. 

Now the journey takes us to Bolinas Open Space Preserve on the west side of the lagoon.

If you want to visit the preserve there are a few things to note.  There is side street parking next to the trail head, which is marked with the sign pictured above.  There is only room for about six cars, so it can be hard to park on a weekend.  The trail can also get a bit muddy in spots so be prepared!

When I first walked into the preserve and I saw the blanket of nonnative species and thicket of relatively bare trees, I wasn't expecting much bird wise.  I was happily mistaken.  So here's the list!

BolinasLagoon Open Space Preserve Species Count

("audio" next to the species means I identified the bird by its vocalization)

Bolinas Open Space Preserve once the trail leaves the trees with Bolinas Lagoon in the distance, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

• American Robin (audio)
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Bewick's Wren (audio)
• Black Phoebe
• Bushtit
• Common Raven
• Fox Sparrow
• Great Egret
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Hutton's Vireo
• Osprey
• Pacific Wren
• Pine Siskin (audio)
• Red-shoulderd Hawk (audio)
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Scrub Jay
• Song Sparrow
• Spotted Towhee (audio)
• Marsh Wren?
• Peregrine Falcon?
  

You may be wondering why I have question marks next to two of the species?  Well, I'm 99% sure they're what I saw but the wren darted into the bushes so quickly (twice) I couldn't get it in my binoculars.  Given the cocked tail, color of the body, size of the bird and the habitat, my guess is a marsh wren.  Unfortunately it never vocalized.  The peregrine falcon is also almost a certainty.  It was a fly over and even though I briefly got it in my binoculars it was masked by the thick tangle of tree branches.  But the wing shape, wing beat pattern, size shape and color of the bird all indicate a peregrine falcon.

Osprey perched at the preserve

Osprey diving over the lagoon

The views from the preserve are a reason to go even if there were no birds.  It's spectacular, especially on a clear day.  I was treated to a wide variety of birds, a few I'm going to talk about now.  I did see an osprey perched in the middle of the marshy field on a post (left).  He was incredibly far away, so I didn't get a decent photo.  It was exciting to later see him diving in the lagoon (right).  The birds didn't seem spooked by his hunting, most likely because he's a fish eater. 

A bird I did see and want to talk about in detail is the hutton's vireo.  They are a cute, small greenish-yellow bird that greatly resembles a ruby-crowned kinglet, which were also preening the twigs for bugs at the preserve.  At first I thought it was a kinglet, but the size made me think twice, immediately.  The hutton's vireo and the ruby-crowned kinglet are in completely different families, the hutton's is in the family Vireonidae and the kinglet, Regulidae.

Some of the main differences:
The first and most noticeable is the hutton's vireo lacks black wing bars below the second white stripe on the wings.  In the picture below of the vireo, notice the two white stripes on the wings?  There is some black present between the stripes but on the ruby-crowned kinglet there is a dark black stripe below the lower white stripe.  This is the easiest way to tell these two species apart.

The second and third main differences are the size and eye markings.  The hutton's vireo is a full inch longer than the kinglet and has a larger wingspan by two inches.  The vireo also has more prominent eye markings.  Notice in the photo below the large, white eye ring.  The white also continues to the beak (slightly less noticeable in this photo) and the beak is larger in the hutton's, as well.  In the ruby-crowned kinglet, the eye ring is less prominent and the kinglet lacks the white patch that continues to the beak. 

The fourth main difference is the vocalizations.  The ruby-crowned kinglet sings a soft, sweet, high pitched ascending song.  The hutton's vireo sings a varying series of warblers and high pitched notes.  I would recommend visiting The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website and listen to these songs.  This is a great website for listening to bird songs and exploring life histories of birds.

Hutton's vireo, Bolinas Lagoon Open Space Preserve, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Snowy egrets and a great egret, Bolinas Lagoon, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Before I conclude my journey at Bolinas Lagoon I wanted to share one more photo that I took at my last stop before leaving.  A group of snowy egrets all stood in a line with a great egret standing sentry in the back.  As I got as close as I could without leaving the pullout, one by one the snowy egrets took to wing and flew a short distance to other bank.  The great egret watched his subordinates with great care.  It definitely put a smile on my face.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me to the beautiful and breathtaking Bolinas Lagoon!                                

Christmas Bird Count at Point Reyes National Seashore

Tip #8:  Join a birding event!  This is a great way to meet new people, learn more about birds from experts and explore new places.  Bird counts happen all over the country.  The Audubon Society hosts an annual Christmas bird count and locations for the counts can be found at http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count.  The event I participated in is described here on the National Park Service website for Point Reyes National Seashore under "Plan Your Visit" "Things To Do" and "Schedule Of Events."

Point Reyes National Seashore from Limantour Beach, southern view, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Point Reyes is a place I have been dying to visit since I first moved to San Francisco.  When I heard about a Christmas Bird Count happening at the Point Reyes National Seashore I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.  The Christmas Bird Count was being held at the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center.  What was special about this event was it was for kids!  I signed up to assist with registration, orient guests to the facility and help out on the bird count.

Snowy egret and American Avocets at Bolinas Lagoon, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

On my way to the count I stopped at Bolinas Lagoon along Highway 1.  Bolinas offers saltwater marsh and tidal mudflat habitat and is a fantastic birding location.  I wanted to spend more time here but I was on a schedule.  I definitely plan to return because the birding I was able to do in a few short minutes was amazing!

Northern Pintail with Wigeons, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Northern pintail, Photo by Lloyd Spitalnik

The water was teaming with waterfowl, countless American wigeon were the most abundant.  Mixed in were gadwall and a northern pintail, a first time sighting of this species for me!  Unfortunately he was very far away so I wasn't able to get a very good photo (left).  I also spotted some American avocets (above), which are beautiful birds.  I am also fairly certain I saw a group of harlequin ducks before I pulled over.  I wish I had gone back to check but I plan to return to Bolinas so it'll have to remain a mystery until then!  Leaving Bolinas I spotted a belted kingfisher on the telephone wire, another really good sighting!



Stay tuned for a Bolinas Lagoon birding special, coming soon! 

Finally making it to Point Reyes, despite the countless bird distractions, I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was.  I have heard countless people say "you must visit Point Reyes, it's spectacular!"  But you really must see it for yourself because those words do not do it justice.

Let's get straight into the birding!  I assisted on the Limantour Beach hike, a trail that travels over and next to expansive tidal marsh habitat (below).   The bird count I'm presenting include some estimations because I didn't write down the specific counts.  I was assisting with bird identification, showing the kids the birds in a field guide and helping out with the scopes.

Bird Count for Limantour Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, January 5th, 2012

Limantour Beach trail marshes

• 1 male northern harrier
• 1 bewick's wren
• ~10 white-crowned sparrow
• ~5 common raven
• ~25 glaucous-winged gull
• 1 ring-billed gull
• ~10 turkey vulture                       
• 1 peregrine falcon
• 1 black phoebe
• 1 spotted towhee
• 1 white tailed kite
• 1 female American kestrel
• 1 osprey
• 2 great egret
• 200+ American wigeon
• 20-30 gadwall
• 1 long-billed curlew
• ~8 surf scoter
• 2 brown pelican

Male northern harrier, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

The birding was amazing, five birds of prey in an hour and a half is excellent!  The northern harrier was the first raptor we saw and he was soaring just above the ground near the parking lot.  If you've never seen a northern harrier hovering in the air only feet above the brush, it's definitely something to put down on the list of bird events to see.  The way they can utilize the air to stay so low to the ground, while searching for prey and at a moments notice turn and dive and ascend with rather shocking speed, is mesmerizing.

Unfortunately, at this point my camera battery was nearing its end, unbeknownst to me, so I will have to paint a few of the pictures with words.

Another bird we saw manipulating the air streams were turkey vultures.  On the sand dune ridges next to the ocean, turkey vultures were floating in the sky, effortlessly.  Like the harrier, they managed to stay extremely close to the ground, white hardly beating a wing.  There were quite a few of them and I couldn't figure out what sort of carrion they were seeing until after we had walked the length of the beach on the soft sand.  Apparently a decapitated elephant seal was rotting near the grass covered sand dunes, perhaps that is what the vultures had their scent glands attuned to.

I wish my camera battery hadn't died so I could have taken a photo of the open saltwater marsh absolutely covered in ducks.  In some places, it was so thick with American wigeons I could hardly see the water.  Hundreds and hundreds of ducks in large flocks slowly glided along the calm water.  They were at such a great distance it was fortunate we had spotting scopes.  Pass the wigeons on mudflats were even more birds, this time, unidentifiable shorebirds numbering in the hundreds.  I spent countless minutes staring and squinting in the scope trying to identify them.  Some were brown, others were a light grey/white.  They had medium length, straight black bills.  The grey peeps had white bellies with a grey back and a grey collar.  The beaks were too short to be a plover and too long to be a dowitcher or godwit.  The legs were rather short and from what I could tell, black, but it's hard to say from such a distance.  They could have had muddy legs.  My best guess is sanderling and dunlin.  Sanderlings have been seen (according to the hike guide) along the ocean's edge, which just on the other side of the dunes, so it's a likely choice.

 

Sanderling, nonbreeding plumage photo by Gerrit Vyn

Dunlin, nonbreeding plumage, photo by Arthur Morris

That concludes my time at Point Reyes for the Christmas Bird Count for Kids.  I really enjoyed being of some usefulness when identifying the birds and talking to the children and parents about birds.  The end of the event was summarized with a reading of the bird counts for total species and total birds seen.  Among all 10 bird count groups over 80 species were seen and over 900 birds!  Sonoma Bird Rescue brought two of their rescues, a female American kestrel and a female red-tailed hawk for a presentation.  The birds were beautiful.  It is truly amazing to be able to be that close to such a powerful creature. 


I can't wait to explore more of Point Reyes!

Birds, Sun and Relaxation

Birding Tip #7: Go birding just to listen and relax...with the occasional peak in the binoculars.

Most of my posts are about places I've been and birds I've seen.  I write about birding basics, where to find birds and how to identify them.  So, for this post I decided to do something a bit different.  I will keep it along the same traditions...a birding tip, where I was and birds I saw...but this is going to be more of a storytelling and reflection piece.

Today I abandoned my plans to go birding at Bolinas Lagoon.  Bolinas Lagoon is rumored to be one of the best birding places in this part of California, so naturally I was attracted.  However, the low lying fog today made me think twice.  Not to worry, I will make it out to Bolinas on a clear, warm day soon and I'm sure it'll be amazing!  In the meantime, the sun was out in San Francisco and the air was still, so I decided to take a short walk to Thompson's Reach in the Tennessee Hollow watershed, near my apartment.  Last time I walked this trail, I discovered a somewhat secluded bench, surrounded by shrubs and trees and relatively out of sight.  That is where I went today.

Thompson's Reach in the Tennessee Hollow watershed, photo from presidio.gov

This particular bench in this watershed has quickly become one of my favorite spots in the Presidio.  Even though this restored watershed is surrounded by roads, cars and buildings, sitting there on my new favorite bench in the sunshine, is one of the most relaxing places I have found.  Naturally, I brought my binoculars.  As I sat on the bench, the sun gently warming my skin to an ideal temperature, I just listened.  The sounds of cars, people and fog horns can be hard to ignore but somehow I was able to only listen to the birds.  Sometimes birding can become a bit stressful; fumbling with a camera, switching lenses, focusing binoculars, frantically thumbing through a field guide, all the while trying not to look down for too long because you don't want to miss anything.  All of that was what I was trying to avoid this afternoon.

Yellow-rumped warbler, photo by Lyn Topinka

All around me birds were chirping and flying from bush to bush.  Most of these birds were yellow-rumped warblers, which generally hang out in flocks.  Another characteristic feature of yellow-rumps, besides their size and, well, yellow-rump, is their feeding techniques.  They perch on a branch and fly out and try to gleam insects from the sky.  This dance in the air is generally rather hectic and clumsy, but it gets the job done.  Sitting on the bench I watched yellow-rumped warblers flying all around my head, sometimes scaring off a fellow warbler from a particularly appetizing area.  In the distance, a few warblers were performing acrobatics in a stand of willows.  Through my binoculars I watched a warbler swing around a willow branch like a gymnast on the high bars.  I'm sure the birds weren't worried about their techniques, only that they caught a crunchy snack.

There is something to be said about just sitting, listening and watching.  It provides you with a connection to nature and wildlife that I believe to be incredibly important for our health, mental and physical.  Despite my calm state of reverie, I did get excited and quickly reach for my binoculars when I saw a bird.  I still have that desire to identify birds and know what I saw.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a spotted towhee.  I only saw him briefly but in that short moment I could have sworn he looked me right in the eye.  His striking red iris gave me goosebumps.

The peaceful chorus of bird chirps was suddenly interrupted, all the birds in the redwood trees scattered, screaming in panic.  At least twenty yellow-rumps and five northern flickers, which I hadn't even seen before, fled.  I knew a predator had just arrived.  It was a thrilling sight in my moment of peace and relaxation.  Only seconds after the tiny birds fled the cover of the redwood trees, a hawk appeared in the sky.  I raised my binoculars and focused in on the small hawk.  It had distinct stripes on the tail, a light colored belly and light colored wings, with black stripes on the feathers.  There was also some streaking on the chest.  I knew instantly it was a sharp-shinned hawk because of the square tail.  The other hawk that it can be easily confused with is the cooper's hawk, which is a similar size and has very similar markings, however, the cooper's hawk tail is rounded.  This hawk was a juvenile, because it lacked the rufous colored chest.  I watched as the hawk circled a few times over the Hollow and then left.

Juvenile sharp-shinned hawk, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

There was silence.  I heard the cars driving by, people talking on the sidewalk above, the low bellow of the fog horns, but no birds.  I knew they would return so I sat and waited.  Return they did and I filled my ears with the sounds of birds and let the sounds of the city wash away.  When the yellow-rumped warblers and northern flickers abandoned the trees in lieu of the sharp-shinned hawk's arrival, I saw my first yellow-shafted northern flicker.  At least for that I can thank the hawk! 

Before leaving my favorite place, I decided to walk over to the edge of the trail and look out over Thompson's Reach one last time.  I skimmed the area with my binoculars, just in case anything else wanted to surprise me.  What I saw was something rather comical.  A male anna's hummingbird, a common sight here in the Presidio, was performing a rather amusing courtship ritual.  It was either courtship or territorial, but either way it made me laugh.  He did perform, just once that I saw, a typical courtship maneuver; flying straight up into the sky and then diving down toward the ground.  But this isn't what I found humorous.  He would sit on the end of a willow sprig and sing his raspy song, his body flat against the branch, in a completely horizontal position.  After one vocalization he would fly to a second bush, this time a lupine.  He flattened his body out again and vocalized.  After the lupine he moved to his final shrub, another willow, sat the very top of a sprig, laid out flat and sang.  He did this over and over, moving from these same three bushes, in the same rotation.  Every once and a while the sun would illuminate his shimmering, scale like feathers on his head causing them to glow a brilliant fuschia. 

Leaving the hummingbird to his antics, I left the Hollow.  I cannot end my post without listing off the bird species I saw, or at least was able to identify.  I didn't spent every moment with my eyes behind my binoculars and I didn't carry along my field guide, so a few species did elude me.  Here is a list of what I could say with certainty I saw today: red and yellow-shafted northern flicker, yellow-rumped warbler, anna's hummingbird, spotted towhee, sharp-shinned hawk, white-crowned sparrow, song sparrow, European starling.  I saw another bird, only for a moment, the size of a sparrow with very distinct streaking like a fox sparrow but it was holding its tail upright like a wren and bobbing it.  This bird will have to remain a mystery...for now.

Shorebirding Hotspots in San Francisco...Chrissy Field and Heron's Head

Birding Tip #6: Take pictures of the birds you see!

This is extremely helpful, especially if you are unsure of the identification of a bird species.  This way you can load the pictures onto a computer, zoom in on the bird and examine it to make a proper identification.

Chrissy Field at sunset, photo by Kelly Wohlwend (author)

Chrissy Field is located in the Presidio National Park which is operated by the the Presidio Trust, National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.  Presidio National Park, which includes Chrissy Field, is part of the larger Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).  Chrissy Field is managed by the National Park Service.  Part of Chrissy Field is restored, tidal, saltwater lagoon and dune scrub habitat.  The lagoon is a fantastic place for birding, especially if you are new to birding.  Shorebirds can be rather tricky to identify, so having a wide open area with ample viewing space is ideal.  Chrissy Field has large cement benches that allow you to sit and enjoy the birding while meddling with your camera, binoculars and field guide, if you have them.  The view isn't bad either!

Below are bird counts from two outings of mine, one to Chrissy Field and the second to Heron's Head.  Heron's Head is a park located on Pier 98 on San Francisco Bay with restored saltwater marsh habitat and plenty of calm, open water ideal for shore and seabird viewing.  Both of these counts were done in one day and include all the species I was able to identify during my birding, which lasted about 1 hour at each location.

Birds that have an asterisk (*) by their name indicate a first time sighting! 

Chrissy Field Bird Count:

Long-billed curlew, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

Black-necked stilt, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

• Brown pelican
• Great blue heron
• Great egret
• Snow egret
• American coot
• Bufflehead
• Least sandpiper
• Mew gull
• Ring-billed gull
• Herring gull
• Long-billed curlew*
• Black-necked stilt*

Two other bird species I saw at Chrissy Field that evening were white-crowned sparrows and black phoebes, two birds commonly seen throughout the Presidio.  I have also seen a white-tailed kite at Chrissy Field, hovering in the air over the restored scrub habitat, looking for food.  I only saw him from the bus, unfortunately.  Then one day as I was walking through the Palace of Fine Arts I saw a bird perched on a snag above the artificial pond in front of the palace.  Sure enough, it was the white-tailed kite.  For some reason I didn't have my binoculars or my camera on me.  Regardless, even without that technology I was able to clearly see his blood shot eyes as he scanned his surroundings.

Heron's Head Bird Count:

Ironically I didn't see any herons!

Snowy egret at Chrissy Field, photo by Kelly Wohlwend

• Great egret
• Snowy egret
• Bufflehead
• Mallard
• Brown pelican
• Western grebe
• Horned grebe
• Western sandpiper
• American coot
• Long-billed curlew
• Western gull
• Whillet*
• Greater yellowlegs*
• American avocet*
• Black oystercatcher*
• Black bellied plover (juvenile)*

Other bird species I saw at Heron's Head was an American kestrel (juvenile), European starlings, western meadowlarks, white-crowned sparrows, song sparrows and a yellow-rumped warbler.

Heron's Head Park, photo from www.sfport.com

When I first got to Heron's Head, I was really surprised at how beautiful the saltwater marsh and scrub habitat was.  The walk to the end of Heron's Head is an easy, gravel path and well worth it.  Make sure to walk slowly and look on both sides of the path for birds!  The first bird I saw was the American kestrel perched on a large shrub, illuminated beautifully in the rays of the setting sun.  The black oystercatchers, western sandpipers and black bellied plover were hanging around on the seaweed covered rocks along the northeast side of the walkway.  On the south side I saw a majority of the birds, including the whillets, american avocets, long billed curlew and all the grebes and other waterfowl.  The egrets and greater yellowlegs seemed to favor the mudflats at the beginning of the path on the north side.  I was really shocked at the number of birds, there were 50+ buffleheads, at least 20-30 western grebes and countless gulls out in the open water.  Heron's Head would be a fantastic place to set up a scope because there is a lot of space for birds to hang out, including the area to the south of the Heron's Head saltwater marshes. 


So don't be intimidated by shorebirding!  It can be a very rewarding experience, even if you aren't able to identify all the species.  Even the most experienced birders can be thrown for a loop when it comes to identifying shorebirds, so just have fun and take a lot of pictures!