Trip Report By Christine Balkwill, Photos by C Balkwill

13 intrepid birders joined Christine and Neill on what turned out to be a very rainy outing. Attendees included a few seasoned birders who were very helpful at spotting and hearing and also some eager beginners who were excited to meet some of their first birds.

Neill spotted a Western Wood Pewee from the parking lot, setting a hopeful tone for the outing. Starting out from the East we found a single female Bufflehead on the pond as well as many Canada Goose with goslings ranging from quite young to nearly fully feathered. There was a likely Sandpiper sighting but no one was able to make an ID from the brief viewing.

A mallard with young ducklings approached us on the grass and at least one older duckling was spotted doing some serious diving forays in the pond.

We admired a Great Blue Heron, said hello to some friendly Red-winged Blackbirds and stopped to enjoy the Tree and Barn Swallows hunting and resting on the large, downed tree in the pond. A Common Yellowthroat showed itself to one attentive spotter who was able to share with the group.

A Wilson’s Warbler was discovered near the bridge.

Heading into the trees we stopped to witness two large crow nestlings hunkered down in their nest. Along the path we heard but couldn’t see a Willow Flycatcher. Another Wilson’s Warbler was spotted. We took a break from the rain in the mature Pines to do a belated round of introductions and shared thoughts on our birding experience. Continuing on, we encountered small pockets of Bushtits busily foraging a number of times. One Brown-headed Cowbird announced itself from a treetop. We heard but couldn’t see a Golden-Crowned Kinglet and a Pacific Wren. A small flock of Mergansers were seen flying over. At least one watcher spotted a Brown Creeper. Sparrows were surprisingly few but we came across 3 Spotted Towhee and heard a Song Sparrow or two. Later we found 2 White-crowned Sparrow on the beach and the nearby grassy area.

The highlight for most was a very good look at the Barred Owl pair who were resting in trees near the path. Thanks again to our observant spotter! After admiring them and taking photos we paused to view a Bushtit nest – no sign of its builders was apparent.

After a bathroom break we headed to the North side where we found a trio of vocal Warbling Vireo and a Downy Woodpecker, stopped to admire a lone American Wigeon in the West Pond and then diverted to the beach. Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants were spotted as well as a curious seal and a bold Belted Kingfisher who flew right at us!

Heading back toward the East Pond we got a good look at a White-crowned Sparrow and a Yellow Warbler female -so yellow! Returning over the bridge we found some Violet-Green Swallows had joined the Barn and Tree Swallows from earlier. They even posed for photos.

We wrapped up at 11 AM, making for a 3 hour effort in total. I was impressed with the patience and enthusiasm from this lovely group on such a wet day. Despite the rain we managed an impressive collective species count of 39 and felt pretty good about that!

Species	Count
Canada Goose	75
American Wigeon	1
Mallard	30
Bufflehead	1
Common Merganser	7
Anna’s Hummingbird	1
Glaucous-winged Gull	4
Pelagic Cormorant	2
Double-crested Cormorant	1
Great Blue Heron	2
Barred Owl	2
Belted Kingfisher	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	1
Western Wood-Pewee	2
Willow Flycatcher	1
Western Flycatcher	1
Warbling Vireo	3
American Crow	4
Black-capped Chickadee	5
Tree Swallow	6
Violet-green Swallow	4
Barn Swallow	6
Bushtit	15
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1
Brown Creeper	1
Pacific Wren	1
European Starling	15
American Robin	2
House Finch	2
American Goldfinch	1
White-crowned Sparrow	2
Song Sparrow	1
Spotted Towhee	3
Red-winged Blackbird	6
Brown-headed Cowbird	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Yellow Warbler	1
Wilson’s Warbler	2