Crystal Springs (12/17/11) and Ano Nuevo (12/31/11) Christmas Bird Counts

By Leslie Flint

This year's Christmas Bird Counts had fabulous weather with no rain, fog or heavy wind!

For the Crystal Springs CBC, 90 counters tallied 197 species of birds, with 2 additional species (Harlequin Duck and Hooded Oriole) added during count week. This is the second highest total species in the last 10 years (only 2007 with 204 beats that!). We are hoping that this number keeps us in the top 10 CBCs for the nation again this year.

Highlights: SNOW GOOSE – Princeton Harbor; BALD EAGLE - Crystal Springs Reservoir; GOLDEN EAGLE - San Carlos Airport; PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER- Foster City; SOOTY/SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER, POMARINE JAEGER, CASSIN'S AND RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, ANCIENT MURRELETS, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (sea watch); PILEATED WOODPECKER - Crystal Springs; LARK SPARROW; CLAPPER RAIL - Millbrae & 3rd Avenue Marsh, San Mateo; GLAUCOUS GULL - flying over Wavecrest; BURROWING OWL - Bair Island and Lobitos Ridge; TRI-COLORED BLACKBIRD - Skylawn Cemetery; BLACK & WHITE WARBLER – HMB; NASHVILLE WARBLER; WILSON'S WARBLER; WESTERN TANAGER; CLAY-COLORED SPARROW

For the Ano Nuevo Count, 75 counters tallied 167 species which is average for this count (at least over the last 10 years). One species, Eastern Phoebe was reported for count week.

Highlights: SNOW GOOSE; WOOD DUCK - Jones Gulch Pond, along Pescadero Creek, and Big Basin; GLAUCOUS GULL - Ano Nuevo SP and Gazos Creek; GOLDEN EAGLE - Pescadero Road and on San Gregorio Road; RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH - on the coast and the other at Big Basin; LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE - Cascade Creek Trail; DIPPER - Portola State Park; NASHVILLE WARBLER - 2 in Pescadero; HARRIS'S SPARROW and HERMIT WARBLER at the Brussel Sprout location BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK – Pescadero; BLUE GROSBEAK (juv.) – Stage Road.

All numbers should be considered preliminary until rare bird forms have been reviewed by the Compiler, Al DeMartini.

Many thanks to all who counted. We certainly couldn't do it without you!!

— Leslie Flint

Monterey Bay Birding Festival
September 22 - 25, 2011

Sequoia Audubon Society co-sponsored the Monterey Bay Birding Festival’s Seventh Annual fall event this year, with a table at the vendor’s area, two new trips that went into southwestern San Mateo county, a presentation by Sequoia board member Melissa Hero, and a keynote speech by Sequoia member and American Birding Association award winner, Joe Morlan.

Our new logo - designed by Matthew Dodder and emblazoned on t-shirts, hats, pins, and window clings – won the hearts of many visiting birders, especially those who added Pygmy Nuthatch to their life lists at the festival. The two San Mateo county trips were an Owl Prowl on Gazos Creek Road, co-lead by Dominik Mosur and SAS president Jennifer Rycenga, detected four species of owls, highlighted by a virtual recital of Northern Saw-whet Owl vocalizations, with a follow-up near-strafing of some owlers! The second trip was a day-long exploration of the San Mateo coast, from Gazos Creek to Tunitas Creek, in which participants built a day list of over seventy species, including some Rhinoceros Auklet juveniles and Sooty Shearwaters.

Sequoia Audubon board member Melissa Hero presented on technological innovations in birding, such as hand-held apps, computer databases like eBird, and Sequoia’s own online Birding Guide. Finally, the keynote speaker, Sequoia Audubon’s own Joe Morlan, gave a smart and witty talk on the utility of mis-identifications and a retrospective on changes he’s witnessed over his birding life. Make sure to keep late September in mind for next year’s Monterey Bay Birding Festival.

Joe Morlan, Keynote Speaker at the Monterey Bay Birding Festival and the recipient of the American Birding Association’s Ludlow Griscom Award, and Robbie Fischer, former board member of Sequoia Audubon and current treasurer of Western Field Ornithologists. (Jennifer Rycenga)

Fashion-modeling our new logo gear, while staffing the Sequoia table at the Monterey Bay Birding Festival, are Melissa Hero, Sonny Mencher, and Nelle Lyons. (Jennifer Rycenga)

Tricolored Blackbirds returning for the fall and winter season, at Pigeon Point. Taken on a Monterey Bay Birding Festival trip, September 25, 2011. (Jennifer Rycenga)

Looking for vagrant warblers in the fog at Tunitas Creek Riparian area, Monterey Bay Birding Field Trip to the Beaches of San Mateo county. Jennifer Rycenga in green jacket by the scope, Melissa Hero in blue jacket and gray Sequoia Audubon hat in front of Jennifer. (Robert Dell’Immagine)

Roosting Turkey Vulture, Water Lane trail at Pescadero State Beach, Monterey Bay Birding Festival Trip, September 25, 2011 (Robert Dell’Immagine)

Monterey Bay Birding Festival trip at Pigeon Point, September 25, 2011 (Robert Dell’Immagine)

Pigeon Point, September 25, 2011, on the Monterey Bay Birding Festival trip to the San Mateo County Beaches (Robert Dell’Immagine)

Coastal Cleanup
September 17, 2011
Mussel Rock Park
Pacifica/Daly City

Sequoia Audubon Society, in alliance with Pacifica Beach Coalition and Pacifica Environmental Family, helped clean the beach at Mussel Rock Park. This park is an important birding location, because of the nesting sea birds on Mussel Rock itself, and the preponderance of wintering sea ducks, including Black Scoter and Harlequin Duck. A record number of Coastal Cleanup volunteers for this site lent a hand to the cleanup this year. Five Sequoia members were among the forty-seven assiduous workers present. While removing potential threats to birds – such as abundant cigarette butts, candy wrappers, and pieces of glass and plastic – was our primary concern, the team also took some time to observe the birds around this park. Twenty-eight species were seen (or otherwise detected), as detailed below. A beautiful sunny day helped make the work go faster. Join us next year at both coastal and bay locations as we repair the damage to our environment caused by careless humans (and the occasional rambunctious gull or corvid).

Species seen:

Red-throated Loon
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe
Brandt’s Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Black Oystercatcher
Willet
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Heermann’s Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Elegant Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Common Murre
Rock Pigeon
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Wrentit
California Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch

Mussel Rock on a clear blue September morning, looking from the west end of the parking lot, Coastal Cleanup day, September 17, 2011. The Sequoia volunteers focused on this spot, which forms the best lookout location for wintering sea ducks. Our best bird here was a Parasitic Jaeger chasing Elegant Terns.

Always thinking green, Sequoia Audubon volunteer Greg Edwards even brought an organic garbage bag to the Coastal Cleanup! Notice how void of garbage is this area that we cleaned on September 17, 2011, Mussel Rock Park, Pacifica/Daly City.

Lee Rudin and Susan Stratton at Mussel Rock, Coastal Cleanup, September 17, 2011

Helen Nicely of the Pacifica Beach Alliance and organizer of this Coastal Cleanup, with Jennifer Rycenga, President, Sequoia Audubon Society

Lee Rudin and Susan Stratton, two of the Sequoia volunteers, threaten to “clean up” the scope! Coastal Cleanup day, September 17, 2011, Mussel Rock Park

Thanks to the efforts of four dozen volunteers, this White-crowned Sparrow will have fewer pieces of garbage to pick through in its search for seeds and other edibles on the ground at Mussel Rock Park. September 17, 2011, at the Coastal Cleanup.

Here are many additional photos of the area and activities, taken by Karen Quevedo.

Boy Scout Day Camp
July 14th and 21st
Coyote Point

Five SAS members assisted at the Webelo (Boy Scouts) Day Camp for two days - July 14th and July 21st, 2011 at Coyote Point, San Mateo. Pictured are Nelle Lyons, Jennifer Rycenga and Sonny Mencher. Not pictured are Robbie Fischer and Sue Cossins.

On both of the days the four 1 ¼ hour sessions consisted of groups of 12 boys, 4th and 5th graders.
The SAS volunteers helped the scouts complete the Naturalist Badge requirements which included a bird walk using a checklist. The scout leaders were very appreciative of the additional expertise SAS added to enhance the scouts' experience. Nelle Lyons said, "The scout groups paid good attention during our walks, but on the third walk of the second week I had a group that was particularly interested. They even pointed out some shorebirds on a small mudflat that was still exposed as the tide was coming in.

Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary Cleanup
Earth Day 2010
SAS with the Girl Scouts and Mormon Helping Hands

Girl Scout Troop #3073

It all started with this email:

From: Lisa Lenard
Date: Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 8:29 AM
Subject: our recent Burlingame visit

My daughter and I were recently staying at the Bay Landing Hotel and decided to do the bayshore walk. We walked by the "City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary" - what a disappointment. Full of trash everywhere. Isn't there a local group, like a local Audubon chapter that could have members come in once a month and do a trash pick-up? It reflects very poorly on your community.

I discussed this problem with a local resident who happened to be walking by, and his response was, "Well, I'm not going to defend it but it's always been this way." That is just so sad. I hope the city can engage some volunteer support to make the "sanctuary" actually look like one and not like a trash dump.

Sincerely,
Lisa Lenard

Lisa emailed someone who emailed someone, etc, until it reached Nancy Arbuckle, who emailed me and asked me if I wanted to take a look. I looked, and thought the sanctuary could be cleaned up by a troop of Brownies in two hours. Then Jeff and I walked the Bay Trail in both directions and thought of a grander scheme, for Earth Day 40. I sent an email to several civic groups to see if I could generate some interest. I received two responses, from Girl Scout troop #3073, of which 5 girls and two leaders came, and from Mormon Helping Hands, of which 6 young adults showed up. Through an amazing chain of connections, I found Allied Waste, who provides free dumpsters for non-profit events. Although they prefer a 3-4 week notice, Elaine Guster came through for us in 3 days!

The day was supposed to be sunny, but it began with low clouds, and I worried that it would be cold, but it turned out to be sunny and woarm. Nelle Lyons had arranged for Fran Cummings to person the registration table, and hand out snacks and bags and gloves. The Mormons arrived first, and I am sorry to say I did not get a group picture of them before they began work. I did get a picture of one of the young men who tried to reach a sunken shopping cart, but had to give up when the mud reached his knees.

The Mormons worked the south side of the sanctuary, while the Girl Scouts worked the north side. I could see they were nearing the point where the trash is insignificant, so I got them to come around to a point south of the Mormon group. Between us all, we cleaned up all the way to the paved end of the trail, behind One Bay Plaza.

I am very happy with what we accomplished, and I wish to thank everyone who participated.

Laurie Graham
Sequoia Audubon Society

Girl Scouts find a crab.

Mormon Helping Hands

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