Sebby & I did a short bird walk at the aforementioned locations this afternoon. Although we didn’t see anything like the variety I saw in my ornithology class walk yesterday, North Lake was teeming with birds, although Land’s End/Sutro Baths continues to suffer bird-wise due to substantial construction by the NPS in the area.
We saw what I think was an injured young WINTER WREN along the Land’s End trail. A tiny fluffy specimen, it bounced vigorously by the trailside, with absolutely no fear of the nearby humans (and off-leash dogs, and three soaring juvvie RED-TAILED HAWKS!). Had we cared to, we could definitely have picked this little one up – it completely ignored us as we stepped literally inches from it! It was hard not to wonder if it was injured or had not yet learned fear of, well, anything, and too bad, as it’s sure to be a meal to a passing dog, feral cat, or overhead raptor sooner rather than later!
There wasn’t much else afoot along the trail, just a few CALIFORNIA TOWHEES, and some mostly-unseen LBBs (Little Brown Birds).
On the way home we stopped by North Lake in Golden Gate Park, and had much better luck there. We immediately saw 3 male and 1 female HOODED MERGANSERS, my first of the year, and always a treat to observe! An ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD flitted to and fro from a bushtop amid the numerous ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRDS, and we were thrilled that a COMMON RAVEN allowed us to get within literally 2 feet at eye-level.
Although much-maligned, I am very fond of Ravens as is Sarah, and we quite enjoyed watching it chase away the nearby MALLARDS, STELLAR’S JAYS, and squirrels as it ate some nuts a passerby had placed on a branch. Such beautiful birds, and with a startling spark in their eye!
We were intrigued by a loud descending 3-note call we’d been hearing throughout our walk, but on close investigation it turned out to be a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD performing a different sort of call than I’m used to.
The list du jour was:
+ Allen’s Hummingbird
– American Coot
– American Robin
– Anna’s Hummingbird
– Bufflehead
+ Bushtit
– California Towhee
– Common Raven
+ Dark-eyed Junco
– Double-crested Cormorant
– Downy Woodpecker
– Golden-crowned Sparrow
+ Hooded Merganser
– Mallard
– Red-winged Blackbird
– Song Sparrow
+ Stellar’s Jay
– Yellow-rumped Warbler
Adam Paul 