One-way flight

  

Quick shot of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) with prey, an American Coot (Fulica americana).  You can see the lobed feet of the coot.  Photographed flying over Bodega Harbor today, 20 March 2024.

Birdie or...

...an eagle...or both?

 

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Bodega Bay on 16 February 2023.

P.S.  Okay, so I was playing off golf terms with the title and intro to this post, and I don't play golf myself, so I thought I'd double-check the definitions of a birdie vs. an eagle, and I was surprised to learn that there are two other golf scores with bird names!  Sounds like they're quite rare, so if you ever score an albatross or a condor, you'll be in the history books!  https://www.pga.com/story/odds-of-a-hole-in-one-albatross-condor-and-golfs-unlikely-shots

Front and back

  

Two Bald Eagles perched in a cypress tree near the Bodega Bay post office today (29 November 2022).

The eagle on the left was often looking out at the harbor, and in this position its white head feathers were splayed out in the back:

 

 

Refuge in a pine

  

A similar scene to March 10th unfolded this morning as I was driving to work.  I could see a Bald Eagle out on the tidal flats in Bodega Harbor, and there were Western Gulls swooping down on it.  Eventually the eagle took off and flew towards Spud Point:

 

 

 

The eagle landed in a pine tree along Old Bay Flat Road:

 

 

 

It kept a close eye on the gulls...

 

 

 

 

...and generally remained watchful:

 

 

 

I think this is a different individual than the one I photographed on 10 March 2022, so there must be a couple of different Bald Eagles visiting Bodega Harbor.

Revisiting The Birds?

  

Do you remember the scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds when the gulls are attacking?  Well, nearly 60 years later, they're still at it!  This morning (10 March 2022) they were mobbing a Bald Eagle on the tidal flats in Bodega Harbor.  The eagle wasn't that happy about it:

 

 

 

 

 

On the rocks

  

Last night I mentioned we were up in northern Sonoma County yesterday (3 July 2021).  In one spot Eric thought there might be a driftwood log out on a rocky ledge, but when I looked through my camera lens, I could see it was a large Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus).  Note the pale fur in the neck area and the bulky profile, creating a mane-like appearance.  

Later when we looked back we could see the sea lion sleeping — check out the very long whiskers in the photo below:

 

 

 

Not long after this I heard a gull making an alarm call and we looked up to see the gull chasing a young Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).  The eagle eventually landed on an offshore rock:

 

 

 

Some nice wildlife sightings on the rocks!

Overlooking the harbor

Driving to work this morning, Kitty and I felt lucky to see this beautiful Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flying over Bodega Harbor and landing in a cypress tree just off Highway 1.  

 

It seemed like an appropriate photo to share tonight on the eve of the election.  Remember to use your voice to vote on Tuesday!

Enraptored

We had a nice trio of raptor observations this morning.  I think one of the best views was this bird near the Bodega Bay Post Office:

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetis leucocephalus)

Returning from a shorebird survey, this bird was perched on a wire along the road:

 

Separating Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks can be challenging.  I'm going with a small male Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) for this one, but I'm open to other opinions!

Earlier, just as we began the shorebird survey in Bodega Harbor, this bird made a quick pass over the tidal flats:

 

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

 

Where the rivers meet the sea

A few highlights from a short walk in Humarock, MA, this afternoon (26 December 2019), close to where the South River and North River meet.  This is my old stomping grounds (where I grew up), so there were some familiar friends, but some new ones, too!  

In order of appearance:

 

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) hunting over the dunes at Fourth Cliff

 

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) resting on a floating dock

 

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched on a tree on Trouants Island in Marshfield, MA.  I spent many years here and never saw an eagle, so it was fun to be surprised by one today!  (My mom mentioned there is now a pair nesting along the North River.)

 

Ripples in birch bark 

 

Ripples in sand

Bedraggled

 

We were trying to do a shorebird survey this afternoon (5 December 2019) when I looked towards Doran Beach and noticed a very large bird on the tidal flats.  It was a bit bedraggled by the weather — rain showers and southeast winds — but it was fun to see this Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Bodega Harbor.

Tipped off

Not long ago, Steve and Chris mentioned that they had seen an eagle in Bodega Harbor.  I looked around, but didn't find it.  

Then today (7 March 2019), while I was out along the coastal bluffs with my head down checking on some plants, I heard a gull calling in the distance.  It took a second or two, but then I registered that the gull's call sounded a bit distressed.  So I looked in that direction, and there was an adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)!

I had a camera with a larger lens with me, but it was packed away.  So I scrambled to get it out of the camera case.  The light wasn't great, but I managed a few interesting shots for the record.  I've seen eagles in the harbor, but I think this is the first time I've seen one on the outer coast of Bodega Head:

 

 

 

Although eagles are uncommon in Bodega Bay, I've heard that they've been observed regularly near the mouth of the Russian River.  Perhaps this individual wandered down from there?

P.S.  If you'd like to see pictures of an eagle in Bodega Harbor, check out the post called "Coming in for a landing" on 13 January 2017.

Snownoma

This morning I was driving from Sebastopol to Cotati when something off to the east caught my eye.  Was that snow on Sonoma Mountain?  After doing some chores, I decided to go take a look.

 

Sure enough, there appeared to be remnant patches of snow at higher elevations.  (Not having been there when it fell, I don't know if this could have been accumulated hail.)  The patches were still substantial, so I could gather enough to make small snowballs!  By the way, Sonoma Mountain reaches an elevation of ~2400 feet (~730 meters).  It was ~10 degrees colder up there; my car thermometer read ~43°F (~6°C).

It was a beautiful day to be on Sonoma Mountain.  Scanning to the north, there were quite a few snow-covered peaks.  Below are two examples:

 

I have to admit that I spend so little time in the inland portions of Sonoma County that I'm not totally sure about identifying all of the peaks.  Perhaps some of you can help?

My best guess for the above is Cobb Mountain.  Cobb Mountain is at the Sonoma County/Lake County boundary.  At 4483 feet (1366 meters), Cobb Mountain-Southwest Peak is the highest point in Sonoma County.  Here's a closer view (with two ravens flying by in the distance):

 

I learned something fun about Cobb Mountain today.  Both sides eventually drain to the Pacific Ocean, but they do it in very different ways.  The western slopes feed into the Russian River (via Big Sulphur Creek), while the eastern slopes feed into the Sacramento River (via Putah Creek) and then to San Francisco Bay.

Now here's a different peak:

 

My guess for this one is Mount Saint Helena.  It reaches an elevation of ~4342 feet (~1323 meters). 

While snow-watching this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in the distance:

 

Let me know if you can confirm or correct the identifications of these snowy peaks!

 

Coming in for a landing

 

Carol mentioned she had seen a Bald Eagle near Spud Point Marina this afternoon.  So I kept an eye out for it when I went to the post office.  I didn't think I was going to see it, but then I noticed the eagle in my rear-view mirror perched on a utility pole.

I turned around and pulled up nearby and started taking some photos from the car (see below).  Then the eagle took off and flew over Bodega Harbor.  I think the eagle was chasing an Osprey (hoping to force it to drop a fish), but then, amazingly, I could see the eagle flying straight back towards the same pole that it had started on.  The picture above is of the eagle just before landing.

 

 

While perched, the eagle spent some time preening:

 

  Here's one more picture from the end of the preening session:

 

Thanks to Carol quite a few people were able to enjoy great views of this bird!  Maybe it will stay around for a little while.

Peering down

 

This morning Lewis mentioned he had seen an adult Bald Eagle near Gaffney Point in Bodega Harbor on the way to work.  When I went out to the post office, I looked in the same area and the eagle was still there!

I took this picture from a distance, so this picture is cropped dramatically, but it turned out to be a decent shot.

Interestingly, the eagle appeared to spend some time peering down into the water.  Was it looking for fish?

Although they are more commonly observed near the Russian River, keep your eyes open for eagles!

What the eagle had landed on...

Was anyone else wondering about what the eagle was eating?

 

Did you notice the feathers behind the eagle?

Well, later in the day, long after the eagle (and vultures) had left the scene, I couldn't help it.  I walked out onto the tidal flats to look at the feathers to see if there were any that might be definitive for an identification.

I should mention that Eric thought he saw a lot of black and white when he was watching the eagle eating.  And my instinct said that the prey item was likely a duck.  (So it's helpful to start thinking about the types of ducks that are present in Bodega Harbor.)

If you'd like to try to guess, below are pictures of three feathers.  In the field, there were some feathers that were all black and some feathers that were all white, but these feathers with beautiful vermiculations provided the best clues:

 

 

 

Are you ready to guess?

I think the eagle was eating a scaup, probably a Greater Scaup (Aythya marila).

Check out this wonderful Greater Scaup picture that Len took at Lake Merced, compare the feathers on the upperparts, and see if you think it could be a match.

If you've seen eagles eating other interesting prey in this area, I'd love to hear about it.

"Power hopping"

Driving by Gaffney Point in Bodega Harbor this morning, I noticed the vultures were interested in a bird that was larger than they were.  Do you recognize it?

 

The birds were out on the mudflats, but here's a zoomed in view (below).  I suppose I should clarify that the vultures were interested in what this young Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was eating, not necessarily in the bird itself:

 

More Turkey Vultures started to gather nearby:

 

At first the eagle was focused on eating its prey, but eventually it turned to defend its meal.  It "power hopped" (a new term! = using its wings along with its legs) among the vultures to force them to back away.

 

When the eagle left its partially eaten prey, the vultures wasted no time (next image).  How many vultures do you count?

 

Soon the eagle made its way back to finish off the rest of the prey.

There were several "scuffles" when the birds "shuffled," and I managed one flight shot:

 

Note the Western Gull below the eagle for scale.

Bald Eagles have been reported recently from the Russian River, Tomales Bay, and Bodega Harbor.  Perhaps this picture will be good enough to identify this individual so that we can tell if it's the same bird moving around among these different sites.

P.S.  Here's a nice shot of two adult Bald Eagles on Hog Island in Tomales Bay on 23 November 2012.

P.P.S.  A Bald Eagle won't show a completely white head until it's ~5 years old.

Perched up high

A mild November day led us to a sailing adventure on Tomales Bay.  We launched from Nick's Cove and headed west towards Point Reyes.  

After passing Hog Island, I heard a series of high-pitched, descending whistles.  I recognized the call as a species I don't hear very often, so we started scanning to see if we could find the bird responsible for the call.  Eventually we located two birds perched up high in a tree on the north end of Hog Island.  Can you spot them?

 

We decided to sail past the north end of the island for a closer view.  This image, taken as we approached the island, should help you with the identification:

 

And although we were still pretty far away and the birds were perched at the top of the tree, luckily I had a zoom lens with me which resulted in a couple of decent close-ups:

 

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are rare migrants, winter residents, and recently re-established breeders in Sonoma County.  (Hog Island is in Marin County, but this blog is mostly about Sonoma County, so I'm describing their status in the latter.)

Bald Eagles were more common in northern California in the early 1900s.  Their populations suffered steep declines in the mid-late 1900s (e.g., from persecution and pesticide impacts), but with protection they have recovered. They are still rare in this area, but sightings are now regular and there are two breeding sites in Sonoma County — Lake Sonoma (first recorded in 2001) and Laguna de Santa Rosa (first recorded in 2007).  [If you're interested in looking for Bald Eagles locally, two have been observed recently on Penny Island near the mouth of the Russian River.]

 

The call of the Bald Eagle is somewhat unusual.  You may see it described as "weak," "trivial," or "insignificant."  It's known as a chatter call and consists of several short descending notes sometimes written as kee kee kee kee ker.  

Interestingly, if you've ever seen a Bald Eagle in a movie, you may have heard a dramatic high-pitched scream.  This is not the true call of a Bald Eagle, but instead a Red-tailed Hawk.  I've never known if the movie-makers used the wrong call by mistake (lack of attention to detail) or on purpose — e.g., if the true call of the eagle was too "wimpy" for the powerful image of this majestic bird of prey.  But it always distracts me to hear a Red-tailed Hawk call when watching a Bald Eagle on-screen.  Movies are hardly ever accurate when it comes to bird sounds, but this is one of the most bothersome examples.

If you'd like to compare the two, listen to the Bald Eagle call and the Red-tailed Hawk call at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's web pages.

P.S.  Now this is a little weird, but it may help with imagining what a Bald Eagle call sounds like.  As I was writing this, I was puzzled in that I thought I heard eagle call notes, but I wasn't playing a recording.  It turns out that there was a basketball game in the background (Celtics vs. Thunder), and the sounds of sneakers squeaking on the court are somewhat similar to eagle call notes!