I final participated within the Audubon Christmas Bird Count in 2020. I’ve no photographs from that have. The purpose that I’ve no photographs is that for the group and director I used to be underneath there was no time to cease to take photographs, gotta rely birds! AND THEN MOVE ON AND COUNT MORE BIRDS AND THEN MOVE ON AND COUNT MORE BIRDS…
I felt very rushed and really useless. I got here away from it saying to myself I’d by no means do the Christmas Bird Count once more. So, three years later I did it once more.
This yr, a lot totally different. No speeding, far more mellow group leaders (an important issue), and two of us (myself one of many two) have been form of “walking wounded” because it have been. As lengthy because the tempo was unhurried we have been fantastic to walk, and we didn’t have any sense of needing to cowl as many statement miles as doable.
And that’s a great factor. Because…
My group’s zone was the “MV” part. This map has a seven-mile radius. Total sq. miles of the American Valley Christmas Bird Count is in extra of 153 miles2; you’ll be able to see the MV part is roughly one-third of that!
So, of all that space that was really in our part, this enlargement with encircled space reveals just about the extent of our travels that day. Note that every sq. proven on the map is one sq. mile.
Now, to get on with the place we really birded, right here’s a Google Earth picture of the realm proven instantly above. Note “Snake Lake” on the map above. That’s the upper-right rectangle within the picture under. The rectangle areas are the place we concentrated our hen rely efforts, though under no circumstances did we “walk the grid” inside these rectangles. I’m simply making an attempt to point out some sense of perspective.
Now, I’m not a lot of a “people photographer” as a result of I don’t usually discover myself in gatherings or crowd conditions, however I knew from previous expertise that birds themselves could be scarce, and given the climate for the day because it was shaping up, to wit, very frosty chilly and hazy grey skies however calm, I resolved to at the very least get some photographs of the folks concerned. So right here’s the primary arrivals for the day at our staging location in downtown Quincy. It’s simply barely getting mild outdoors. Note time stamp; 7:17 a.m.
These subsequent two photographs are of two of probably the most great folks I’ve identified since 2009; they have been each academics at Feather River College right here in Quincy once I was attending there 2009-2011 (as a part of my therapeutic course of following an injurious truck wreck). I took courses with each of them. As it turned out, they have been the group leaders for my “MV” part, and are actually the primary purpose I joined within the hen rely once more this yr. I had not seen both of them since 2020, and again then solely briefly. I actually wished to have the ability to spend the day with them.
As luck would have it, by golly at our first cease we did see some birds. And after this group of Pine Siskens it went fairly barren. However, I can confidently report that my binocular viewing of 1 hen we noticed a bit later allowed us to report a Bewick’s Wren. Incidentally, all of the others of my group have been utilizing Merlin on their telephones, so we have been additionally capable of i.d. a number of birds by tune/name alone. That included at the very least one Belted Kingfisher at this location.
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We have been capable of access a beautiful little piece of personal property with instantaneous permission from the property proprietor (yeah, cell telephones are good for one thing apart from Merlin, however not a lot 😋). My one raptor picture of the day; Red-tailed Hawk.
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As the morning progressed, we did handle to search out some sunny spots out within the clearings. This picture of my group (not proven: me; I’m behind the digital camera, simply in case you have been questioning) was taken at UC Berkeley Forestry Camp, an open “secret” about one of many many marvelous tutorial and nature research alternatives available in and round Plumas County and the Plumas National Forest.
I for one was positive glad of the solar. Hoo boy, had my tootsies been chilly up till now. You can see everyone seems to be fairly properly layered up, as was I. In truth, today I really wore a sweatshirt hoodie together with my common fleece jacket. But I left my scarf behind after pulling it out of the drawer after which deciding I wouldn’t want it. Next time I’m packing it alongside whether or not I believe I’ll actually need it or not, as a result of I positive wished it this morning.
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I’ll soar to the final spot on the journey now, Snake Lake. The lake extends over 150 acres, and is accessible by automobile alongside its northern and japanese shores, however is a really shallow and reedy lake. It was created by miners again within the gold rush days to supply head water holding for hydraulic mining down at barely decrease elevation alongside Spanish Creek. To today there are seen parts alongside Spanish Creek of naked hillside, totally denuded, that have been gouged out by the hydraulic mining operations.
Here’s a “scenic” picture of Snake Lake at certainly one of our stops. At occasions, this actually is prime birding nation. Today, not a lot, though Darla did spot a White-headed Woodpecker, which is one species that I don’t but have on my “photographed” checklist. And I positive missed it today additionally. But hey, tomorrow’s one other day!
Now, and at last, again to the Jack O’ Lantern mushrooms. Darla had noticed them and was down on the fringe of the lake, whereas I used to be staying up on the street on the lookout for birds. Then out of curiosity I made a decision to go see what she was taking a look at. I’m actual glad I did, as a result of fungi are usually not one of many issues I generally come throughout, as my eyes aren’t on the bottom all that a lot, with me primarily on the lookout for birds and all.
Darla took this picture of me over the mushrooms, with me wanting like some intrepid naturalist. I gotta love her for that.
Here’s all three of the clusters, with my glove subsequent to certainly one of them to point out scale.
And one different close-up, of that center cluster subsequent to my glove.
But lastly lastly, the pièce de résistance of my journey, precise birds, and the third-time solely I’ve photographed this species,
Hooded Merganser, on Snake Lake
🥶🐤🐦🦉🦚🦜🦢🦅🦃🦆🙂
And now (drumroll, please), the numbers from the day (as copied from a late e mail from Darla, who knew I used to be wanting these numbers).
Total was 93 species; 26 for our piece of the pie.
High rely for people: American Robin 746
Canada Goose 668
(beating European Starling, third excessive rely at 483 haha)
I believe I can proudly say we completed good.
*****
Over to you. What’s up in your birdy world?
