Sequoia Audubon Society’s Second Annual
Big Sit! Birdathon Pledge Drive
October 14, 2012

One expects fog along the San Mateo coastline. But today was cruel!

Yes, this is what the day looked like (Jennifer Rycenga)

The fog broke for only about thirty minutes, around lunchtime, but otherwise our Big Sit was shrouded in a low-visibility situation, with temperatures to match. This meant that our sea-watching capabilities were dramatically reduced.

Three brave souls! Left to right, Nelle Lyons, Edwin Geer, and J.C. Shaver (Jennifer Rycenga)

The results show in a steep decline in total species, from well above 100 in 2011, to a mere 75 species in 2012.

The Creek in fog (Sharon Hull)

Despite this griping, though, the day was still made buoyant by friendships, commiseration, props, and the occasional puzzling identification.

The SASsy Seawatchers in a moment of hope (Jennifer Rycenga)

Twenty-seven people attended: Jennifer Rycenga, Nelle Lyons, Mark Kudrav, Peter Grossman, Matt and Meika Pope, Ginny Marshall, Susan Stratton, Edwin Geer, J.C. Shaver, Leslie Flint, Marshall Dinowitz, Michael Park, Logan Kahle, Alvaro Jaramillo, David Wimpfheimer and Patty Hoyt, Vivek and family, Malia DeFelice, Norm, Sharon Hull, Al Eisner, Eric (from Mark's school), Amanda and Matt.

The sun might be emerging! (Sharon Hull)

Species list, in approximate order of being detected

• Mallard
• Killdeer
• American Wigeon
• Killdeer
• Song Sparrow
• Virginia Rail
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Black Phoebe
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Northern Flicker (7:15 am)
• American Coot
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Gadwall
• Bewick's Wren
• Great Egret
• House Wren
• Wrentit
• Cooper's Hawk
• Canada Goose (7:30 am)
• California Towhee
• American Goldfinch
• Common Yellowthroat
• Marsh Wren
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee (8:03 am)
• Hutton's Vireo
• European Starling
• American Pipit
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Great Blue Heron
• Merlin
• Northern Harrier
• Western Gull
• California Gull
• Northern Shoveler
• Heermann's Gull
• Brown Pelican
• Brandt's Cormorant
• Surf Scoter
• Pacific Loon
• Pelagic Cormorant
• Peregrine Falcon
• Purple Finch
• Common Raven
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Brewer's Blackbird
• Western Grebe
• Northern Pintail
• Glaucous-winged Gull
• Violet-green Swallow
• House Finch
• Common Merganser
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Tree Swallow
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-throated Loon
• Common Murre
• Palm Warbler (12:20 pm)
• Elegant Tern
• Eared Grebe
• Clark's Grebe
• White-tailed Kite
• Whimbrel
• Blue-winged Teal
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Common Loon
• Green-winged Teal
• Black Turnstone (3:15 pm)
• Black Oystercatcher
• Cackling Goose
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Surfbird (4:30 pm)
• Hooded Merganser (5:10 pm)

Keep lookin' (Sharon Hull)