Let's start with a disclaimer: Kestrel will have better pictures. [Edit: I was right - she does.]
So anyway, a group of us headed out to the Jewel of the Bay Area for a day of spring birding, with a side order of wildflower admiration. The forecast called for 30% chance of showers, but we avoided rainstorms (and also avoided meta-storms here, by the looks of it). We were supposed to be a larger group, but there were a number of last-minute complications. 'Twas a bummer not to have the others with us, but the silver lining was the ease of changing plans on the fly (repeatedly).
Mrs. Side Pocket enjoys a serene moment at the edge of Tomales Bay.
So all week, the forecast has been calling for marginally crappy weather for the weekend. Since our first Kossack birding trip was marred by certifiably crappy weather, I'd really hoped the weather gods didn't have it in for us again. Imagine my joy at seeing this while I headed out Lucas Valley Road. (Note to non-Bay Area folks: not only is this the fastest and loveliest road to Pt Reyes, it's also home to another - unrelated - Lucas: Skywalker Ranch is located about midway along the road.)
We met at Bear Valley Visitor Center, and hastened to the Earthquake Trail, a short loop that goes through a riparian area that can be quite bird-rich. We were in a bit of a hurry to hit the trail because there was a group of 25 or so planning to take the same walk, and I worried that a group that size would flush all the birds. As it turned out, they were UC Berkeley biology students, and I've never seen a better, more observant group of that size before. They moved past us at one point ("mind if we play through?" the instructor asked) and all the birds we were watching stayed put. That was particularly appreciated by the person who was photographing a lifer.
As we were finishing the trail, two red-shoulders started calling and circling above. I had to include one, just because. And check out the molt on that bird!
There is an enormous acorn woodpecker granary near the parking lot at Bear Valley, where we ended our walk - several large trees covered from top to bottom with acorn storage holes. At this time of year, a lot of them are empty but it's still an impressive sight. This woodpecker is showing off its yellow chin... something you don't always notice in the field.
From there, we headed out to the Lighthouse, with a few stops on the way - some planned, some not. Olema Marsh had a skazillion blackbirds, a very cooperative spotted towhee, and some chattering Virginia Rails. Inverness Store had the lovely log at the water's edge (at the top), great sandwiches, a shipwrecked fishing boat, and white pelicans across the water. The historic radio station made me happy with pine siskins calling and a gorgeous adult Cooper's Hawk (first spotted by Kestrel), and made everyone happy with a barn owl, who was flying around the tree tops with crows in harrassing pursuit. We stopped in hopes of Great Horned Owl at B Ranch, and got a redtail (and nest) instead.
So, if you look down a few hundred feet to the base of the cliffs near the lighthouse, you see rocks. But if you look down a few hundred feet to the base of the cliffs near the lighthouse with binoculars or a scope, you see this:
Some of them, like the two guys busily flailing their wings in this photo, are engaged in the process of making more murres. (Common Murres, that is) The docent told us that there are about 15,000 of them in this colony.
From the lighthouse, we headed to Chimney Rock/Fish Docks for lunch and checking out more birds and the Elephant Seals. (With one stop for lifers on the walk back to our cars) It was windy on the outer point, so someone in the group had the brilliant idea of eating in the shuttle bus shelter at Fish Docks. Don't we look snug?
We weren't the only ones who found the spot welcoming. Barns Swallows flitted in and worked on a nest on the ceiling. After taking a look at the Elephant Seals, we finished the day at Five Brooks Pond, which was relatively quiet, save for a handful of Wilson's Warblers and some osprey calling each other overhead. We said our farewells and headed in different directions. My direction took me past Bolinas Lagoon where the tide was rising, pushing the birds closer to shore. We'd missed Snowy Egret earlier in the day, so it was nice to see this one:
And finally, a little fun with a long-billed curlew. More about it in the comments.
It looks a little grey here, doesn't it? That's because almost immediately after leaving the group, I ran into this...
... and it stayed with me the rest of the way home. It's one thing to let a smile be your umbrella. Spending a day with good people can sometimes hold off the rain entirely.