Western SF birding

Saturday proved a fine day for birding in the western parts of San Francisco, netting me 43 species, probably the most I’ve seen in a (mostly) solo outing.

Red-shouldered Hawk

I started at the northeast end of Lake Merced, finding a good number of birds along the overgrown path to the fishing platform. A Red-shouldered Hawk called noisily, posing for a couple of photos before taking off, and numerous warblers worked the nearby bushes.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Fox Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, and Pygmy Nuthatch. Click any photo for a larger version.

One brilliant Wilson’s Warbler afforded a brief, but full glimpse, and several Yellow Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers were afoot as well. White-crowned Sparrows worked the underbrush, along with a lone Fox Sparrow, while Pygmy Nuthatches and Chestnut-backed Chickadees flitted about the larger trees.

Warbling Vireo

A plain whitish bird caught my eye – vireo? It wasn’t a bird I was very familiar with, but upon inspecting my photos of it, it was a Warbling Vireo, which I’d seen but once before, but not very well.

Lake Merced

I headed back toward the parking lot and down the paved path to the golf course, not seeing anything beyond the expected Brewer’s Blackbirds, European Starlings, and many Double-crested Cormorants.

 
Clark’s Grebe and chick

By the wooden bridge, a Clark’s Grebe had a cute fluffy youngster in tow. This seemed somewhat late, although I don’t claim to know when Clark’s Grebes normally hatch their broods. A California Towhee scratched in the underbrush along with many White-crowned Sparrows, but not much else was afoot, so I returned to the car.

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Next I drove to the lot at the southeast end of the lake to see what all was going on here. Turns out, plenty! As I looked in the woods by the concrete bridge, I met another birder by the name of Bob, and we spent the next hour or so birding together. He was kind enough to point out the Eurasian Collared-Doves (LIFER, but not a terribly interesting one, I’m afraid – it’s non-native and looks very much like a Mourning Dove) on the wires by the west end of the concrete bridge, then we walked along “Vista Grande Canal.”

“Vista Grande Canal”

Whoever named this unattractive, garbage-strewn concrete ditch “Vista Grande Canal” surely has a wry sense of humor, however, it proved rather productive bird-wise, despite being wedged beween the traffic’y Lake Merced road and a golf course.

With the help of Bob’s sharper-than-mine eyes, we soon saw a Black-throated Gray Warbler, more Warbling Vireos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Yellow Warblers, a few Townsend’s Warlbers, some Black Phoebes, a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and many more Pygmy Nuthatches, Brown Creepers and Chestnut-backed Chickadees.

 
Osprey

At the end of a branch, high in a tree, an Osprey perched, glaring down at us with its lovely yellow eyes.  All told, the detour-to-the-ditch was pretty birdy!

Bob had plans to bike across the Golden Gate for a raptor watch at Hawk Hill, so we parted ways and I headed back toward the car.  Not much else was afoot that I hadn’t already seen, so I decided to head north to see what was at the Sutro Baths area.

 
Brown Pelican

It was very prety at the baths, but  only the expected birds were seen: Brown Pelicans, Brant’s Cormorants, Western and Heermann’s Gulls, Rock Pigeons, two distant Black Oystercatchers sheltering on one of the offshore rocks, and that’s about it.  A Red-tailed Hawk flew by so low that I didn’t even recognize it until it had passed.

 
Some bridge or another….

I walked a short ways north on the Coastal Trail, but saw no birds of any sort – the early afternoon time and large number of people likely didn’t help!  Returning south, I briefly checked out Sutro Heights Park, but it was very quiet too, so I decided to call it a day.

This was a fine outing indeed, and I appreciated birding with Bob, as I doubt that I’d have seen the Black-throated Gray Warbler without his eyes, and it’s always nice to have extra eyeballs on the lookout.

Birds seen (43 species):
– American Coot
– American Crow
– American Robin
– Anna’s Hummingbird
– Black Oystercatcher
– Black Phoebe
– Black-throated Gray Warbler
– Brant’s Cormorant
– Brewer’s Blackbird
– Brown Creeper
– Brown Pelican
– California Towhee
– Chestnut-backed Chickadee
– Clark’s Grebe
– Common Raven
– Common Yellowthroat
– Double-crested Cormorant
– Eared Grebe
* Eurasian Collared-Dove
– European Starling
– Fox Sparrow
– Golden-crowned Sparrow
– Great Blue Heron
– Great Egret
– Heermann’s Gull
– Mallard
– Marsh Wren
– Osprey
+ Pacific-slope Flycatcher
– Pied-billed Grebe
– Pygmy Nuthatch
– Red-shouldered Hawk
– Red-tailed Hawk
– Red-winged Blackbird
– Song Sparrow
– Townsend’s Warbler
– Warbling Vireo
– Western Grebe
– Western Gull
– White-crowned Sparrow
– Wilson’s Warbler
– Yellow Warbler
– Yellow-rumped Warbler

* = life bird, + = year bird