Rainy-day Birding

I went out after dinner around 7:30 or so to see if I could add a few more birds to my list. It was kind of drizzly and rainy today so I didn't know how much luck I would have. It was also a bit too dark already to take the camera. I drove down by east bay and saw a Canada Goose or two and a few mallards which are cool, but not too exciting. I kept driving and ended up in springvill by walmart. I still hadn't seen much so I drove over the freeway and headed towards lincoln beach where Megan and I had seen some new birds a week or so ago.

Almost to the beach by west mountain I saw a bunch of larger waterfowl of some sort off to the south of the road. They happened to be what we saw flying above us the last time we were there. We thought might be a crane of some sort, but cranes are white and these were brownish. I kept saying, they look so much like a crane or heron or something, but aren't the right color. I got to look at them for quite a while and figured out that they are White-faced Ibises. So finally we got a possitive I.D. on our mystery "crane."

Also hanging out with the flock of Ibises were several Snowy Egret which look like all white versions of the Ibis, with black legs and black bills, with a huge cool looking plumeage on the back of their heads. The other fun bird hanging out with them were 2 Black-necked Stilts. They have really reddish-orange legs.

After watching that group for 20 min I headed over to the beach while the sun was just setting. Even though the cloudy, overcast sky made it get dark pretty fast, I was able to see some of the birds we ID'd the last time we were there. The large willet was there along with the smaller Wilson's Phalarope. The Killdeers and the Yellow-headed blackbirds were going crazy and it was amazingly loud. Running around by some killdeer I saw a pair of Spotted sandpipers and the tiniest shorebirds I have seen: Snowy Plovers. There were also a few American Avocets hanging out right on the shore. So tonight was a great night. I added 8 more birds to my 2009 list.

On my way into the beach I almost ran over a bullock's oriole that was just hanging out in the road. On the way out of the park a Nighthawk flew right in front of my windsheild and I slowed down to where I was driving the same speed it was flying. I followed it for a good 200 or 300 yards. It was a pretty good way to end the night.

Ring-necked Phesant*
Turkey Vulture*
White-faced Ibis*
Snowy Egret*
Black-necked Stilt*
Mallard
W. Kinbird
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bullocks' Oriole
Y. H. Blackbird
Western Grebe
Willet
Wilson's Phalarope
Snowy Plover*
American Avocet*
Spotted Sandpiper*
A. Robin
Eur. Starling
Common NIghthawk*
C. Goose
Cinnamon Teal
Mourning Dove
Black-headed cowbird
Killdeer

Total species seen tonight: 25 - 8 new ones!