Fishing line

  

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) fishing along the Bodega Harbor shoreline on 23 September 2020.

 

 

Sunset dinner

 

Sunset over Bodega Harbor, with Brant (Branta bernicla), various ducks, probably some American Coots (Fulica americana), and a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) feeding among the Eelgrass (Zostera marina).

Along the creek

Whew, it's been a hectic few days.  I'm so sorry that so many people in Sonoma County are having such a difficult time right now.  Yesterday (27 October 2019) we evacuated due to wildfire concerns and drove to Davis, CA.  Today I went for a short walk in the UC Davis Arboretum.  I've been on edge since the fire started, but walking today helped a lot.  I finally felt like I could take a deeper breath.

With the hope that some nice photos will help other people, too, here are a few images from Putah Creek this afternoon:

 

 Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

 

 Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

 

 Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

 

 Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

P.S.  A world of thanks to all of the firefighters and the incredible team of people who have been working so hard to fight the Kincade Fire and to coordinate and communicate with everyone in the community.  Our appreciation is hard to express.

 

Wading

 

A quick shot of a Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) in Cheney Creek on 8 May 2017.  The long white occipital plumes (originating from the back of the head) are longest in older birds during the breeding season.

P.S.  On 19 June 2013, I shared a photo of a younger Black-crowned Night-Heron in the post called "Nesting locally".

 

Shakedown cruise

Eric just finished teaching his summer classes, so today we went out for a "shakedown cruise" on Tomales Bay — our first sail of the summer.  We launched from Nick's Cove, sailed up towards Walker Creek, and then crossed over to White Gulch.  Below are some pictorial highlights from the afternoon:

 

Elegant Terns resting on oyster floats.

 

Harbor Seal cruising by our bow.

 

The always attractive Point Reyes shoreline.  Here's one more:

 

 

Adult Black-crowned Night-Heron perched among lichen-draped branches. 

 

Osprey, perhaps wondering if it's going to be able to finish such a large fish!

Nesting locally

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), 9 June 2013

Black-crowned Night-Herons can be seen roosting in shrubs or trees along the edges of Bodega Harbor, and if you're lucky you may catch a glimpse of one feeding in shallow water at the northern end of the harbor.  The pond at the Hole-in-the-Head near Campbell Cove is also a possible place to encounter them.  

It looks like this individual is on a nest (note the placement of the horizontal sticks).  I think it's a second-year bird.  It lacks the streaking of a juvenile, but the crown is brown rather than jet black.  Darker crowns are more typical of full adults.

Can you guess how many species of herons and egrets have been observed on Bodega Head or in Bodega Harbor?  And how many of those nest locally?  [Warning: The answers follow the next image of Snowy Egrets (taken in March 2011).]

 

Seven species of herons and egrets have been observed on Bodega Head or in Bodega Harbor: Four nest locally (Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret) and three others have been recorded as accidentals (Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret).