Moonlittrails

Christmas Bird Count 2014

December 14, 2014 — moonlittrails

We again had someone counting the Ward Creek area and also a new group covering other locations.

The temperatures ranged from ~48-62F. It was clear, and by 10:00 it was 55F.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

After watching the birds in my yard (a Downy Woodpecker that had been around for a while came to the suet after we moved away, and we heard a Varied Thrush), KP, CB and I started at MB’s place at 9:10. We spent 70 minutes there, observing 117 individual birds. We missed Pine Siskin and White-throated Sparrow, but got a Varied Thrush.

We headed to Don Castro next, entering from the back side off Ursa. We started at 10:30 and around 11:00 reached the willows where we had previously seen the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Its original old tree was gone, having split and taken down another, but it had found the next best tree.

We took the loop clockwise around the lake. It had rained on 12/2, and heavily on 12/11. Many mushrooms had popped up, including some fresh Omphalotus (Jack o’ Lantern). There were many Hermit Thrush. The lake will be left to fill in, as it has continued to do over the past several years. Ring-necked Ducks, egrets and herons were absent.

Omphalotus

At 12:25 we looked around the pool area. A Red-breasted Sapsucker worked a pine, and Varied Thrush mimicked robins on the lawn.

Viewing the east end from above, a Common Goldeneye occupied the small area of clear water. We crossed the footbridge at 1:25.

It seemed a lot quieter bird-wise this time, and we missed species. We returned to the car at 1:50, and went for lunch.

After lunch, KP, CB and I covered the Five Canyons Shady Canyon trail. We were there from 3:30-5:05. It seemed even quieter here. We heard many Varied Thrush, but no Pacific Wren, nor the White-throated Sparrows that we’d seen last year. There were many mushrooms here as well.

Here is the complete list for our section.

Here are photos from our trips.

Click the first image below to scroll through larger images and see how the east end of the lake has filled in.