A flash of green

 

 

At work today I looked out the window and noticed a small bird flitting around in a lupine bush.  I could tell it wasn't a sparrow, but wasn't sure what it was, so went to get my camera and then stepped outside for a closer look.  

 

As I approached the shrub I noticed a flash of bright green and then this young Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) appeared.

 

The weather was good for seeing migrants today, so I wasn't totally surprised, but it was a nice view!

 

In flight and at rest

 

 

Sanderlings (Calidris alba), 28 April 2018.  Their primary spring migration window in California is from late April-mid May.  They're headed north to nest on high-arctic tundra.  Only 30-40 degrees of latitude to go!

[Note that they're molting into breeding plumage — look for the spiffy black and rufous feathers replacing the worn gray feathers of winter.]

 

A blizzard of swallows

While visiting my mother yesterday in Humarock, Massachusetts, there was a very large flock of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) circling over her house.

Tree Swallows gather in large flocks before migrating south to sites in the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.  Along the New England coast, they can often be seen eating the waxy fruit of Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica). 

It's hard to show the scale of these Tree Swallow flocks — many hundreds of birds swirling overhead.  At one point, with their white bellies glowing against the blue October sky, they looked like a blizzard of white snowflakes! 

Here's a fun series — click on the images for larger versions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who wants to count the number of birds in the last photo (above)?  :)

Something brewing

 

Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri), photographed on Bodega Head on 2 September 2017.

I don't have much experience with this species, but I could tell it was different right away.  Compared with the resident White-crowned Sparrows, it was much smaller and paler.  Note the relatively subdued facial markings and the prominent white eye ring.

Brewer's Sparrow is a rare fall migrant in this area.  This is the first time I've seen one on Bodega Head.  I saw it briefly, snapped a few quick photos, and then it flew off to the east and I could not relocate it.

From the Birds of North America —

 "Most individuals breed in and around Great Basin and winter in Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of sw. U.S., w. Mexico (including Baja California peninsula), and Mexican Plateau."

Gliding by

Light winds, warm air temperatures = an influx of migrant dragonflies on Bodega Head!

 

Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea)

 

Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

P.S.  For more pictures of Spot-winged Gliders, review the posts called "Spot on" from 27 July 2012 and  "Clinging to the wall" on 11 July 2013.

Headed north

This morning we were treated to very nice views of several Gray Whale cow-calf pairs swimming north past Bodega Head:

 

Here's a close-up of one of the adults:

 

I always feel lucky to see whales, especially close to shore!