White-throated Swift
Aeronautes saxatalis
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Caught just a glimpse of one of these birds.
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca/carolinensis
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Several of these birds were seen early in the day in the western pond. I was happy to witness some interesting mating behavior when a pair of teal copulated in the pond just a few feet away from where we were watching. They began with a short bout of head bobbing, and then the male mounted the female. The copulation lasted about 15 seconds, and then the pair swam off to the north.
Cinnamon Teal
Anas cyanoptera
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. At least one of these birds was present on one of the interior ponds (although, sadly, I never got a good look).
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Seen near the campus lakes.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. A pair of mallard flew overhead.
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen early in the day in the western pond.
(Domestic type) (f. domestica)
- 2/17: Ellis Creek. We also saw a leucistic bird, apparently the same one that I’d seen the previous year.
American Pipit
Anthus rubescens
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Foraging on the grassy verge next to the trail near the western pond. I was happy to see a pipit – it seems like a while since the last time I saw one of these charming birds.
California Scrub Jay
Aphelocoma californica caurina
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. This pair of birds was only in view for a short time as they moved through the trees to the northwest of the parking lot.
Great Egret
Ardea alba egretta
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Perched in the rushes.
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias wardi
Greater Scaup
Aythya marila
6/2: Bodega Bay Harbor. A few ducks were floating out on the water. They were too far away for me to get any really good photos, but based on the photos and the location (salt water on the coast), I’ve ID’d them as Greater Scaup.
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen on at least one of the ponds.
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. When we reached the southernmost trail, I was starting to tire and my hip was aching a bit, and I was prepared to turn the group back toward the parking lot, assuming that most of my students were also ready to be done. But then the folks in the lead continued on the south trail, so we all followed. So glad we did, as this is where we had what I found to be the most spectacular sighting of the day. I was looking at a great egret when one of my students called out that he’d seen an American bittern . . . no, TWO bitterns! They were at the far end of the pond from where we were standing, but one of them was visible (although fuzzy even through the lens of my camera). I managed to snap a couple of lackluster photos when the bird flushed, and flew in our direction! It landed in some bulrushes much closer to where we were standing, and we were able to view the bird for a couple of minutes before it disappeared deeper into the vegetation. MAGNIFICENT! None of my photos are particularly good, but considering that this is only the second time in my life I’ve seen this species, I’m not too disappointed. Originally, I’d thought to suggest that we backtrack from here, and take the shortest route back to the parking lot, but knowing that there was a bittern in the rushes nearby gave us some incentive to take the slightly longer route past where we’d last seen the bird. A few minutes later, we had another amazing moment. One of the bitterns flew up out of the reeds and soared right past us, very close, heading south. Again, I didn’t get any good photos, but I did get it in focus through my camera at one point, giving me a great, clear view of this gorgeous bird. It was really special to get such great looks, and I think most of us were pretty excited about it. I joked that this might be the “best” bird we see all semester (but chances are that it’s true, at least for me). It also makes me want to go back to Ellis Creek on my own and spend a bit more time trying to get some decent photos. But for now, I am very grateful for the amazing sighting I had on this day.
Oak Titmouse
Baeolophus inornatus inornatus
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis moffitti
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Seen near the campus lakes.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Several geese were in the area, often calling loudly.
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen early in the day in the western pond, and in abundance throughout the entire site, often vocalizing quite noisily. Later, several of these geese were foraging on the grass, along with a pair of Cackling Geese.
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsii leucopareia
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. We found a pair of cackling geese foraging on the grass with a small flock of Canada geese. It was a great sighting, and very easy to see the differences between the species when they’re side-by-side like this.
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Winter, 2023: I hear at least one owl regularly, usually fairly late at night, from January through March.
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. First seen at one of the interior ponds we scanned early in the day. So pretty.
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. A lone female goldeneye was swimming on one of the interior ponds
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis calurus
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus elegans
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. As we approached the little strip of upland habitat, we discovered that a red-shouldered hawk was perched right out in the open on a bare tree. (To be honest, I’d been surprised that we hadn’t seen one earlier in the day). The bird stayed in the spot while we approached, and then walked all the way around the upland area, allowing us to get good looks from multiple directions. These really are such pretty birds!
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. My first birds of the day were these hawks. While stopped at one of the few stop signs along Dry Creek Road, I noticed a hawk perched on a wire, and as I watched, a second bird flew down to perch beside the first. So pretty.
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Another early highlight of the day was a flock of a couple dozen least sandpipers. They started out foraging in the mud in some short vegetation, then flushed and flew around the pond briefly before settling even closer to our party than they had been before. Very cute.
California Quail
Callipepla californica brunnescens
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Saw several quail when we started down a small trail that we hoped would lead to the fish ladder (it didn’t, but it was fun to see the quail here).
Anna’s Hummingbird
Calypte anna
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Heard this bird, and then spotted it perched high in a bush near Carson Hall.
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Perched cooperatively near where we saw the bitterns.
Wilson’s Warbler
Cardellina pusilla chryseola
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura aura
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Soaring over the bike path.
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. One soared past early in the day, and later, in the upland area where large trees are growing, a few turkey vultures were perched in a bare tree
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. A bit of a dramatic sighting, as this bird appeared suddenly, very close, just on the other side of the fish troughs from where I was standing. It must have been perched just out of sight, and then came into view when it took flight. Gorgeous.
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus slevini
Swainson’s Thrush
Catharus ustulatus oedicus
- 3/1: Saw this bird on my back porch one morning as I was getting ready for work.
Pigeon Guillemot
Cepphus columba
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Vaux’s Swift
Chaetura vauxi
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus vociferus
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Heard one of these birds calling near the western pond. Even though I think it was in flight, I wasn’t able to spot it. Later, a couple of killdeer were foraging around a shallow pool near where we saw the cackling geese.
Lesser Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
Northern Harrier
Circus hudsonius
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris aestuarinus
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. There were, unsurprisingly, marsh wrens singing from the bulrushes, and I did manage to get a few glimpses of them as they flitted around the edge of the pond.
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus collaris
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Right size in flight with large light rump patch.
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Western Wood Pewee
Contopus sordidulus veliei
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. I heard, but never spotted this bird.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Heard crows calling throughout our visit. There were also a few of them seen under the awning that shades the fish troughs – they were near a bucket, so perhaps there was something inside that they were hoping to eat.
Northern Raven
Corvus corax clarionensis
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Heard as soon as we exited Darwin Hall.
Steller’s Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Several swans were present (more than I recall seeing here in the past).
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Dryobates nuttallii
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. We spotted this woodpecker drumming on a tree beside the creek.
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus abieticola
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. As we headed back to the parking lot, past the first pond, we discovered that a snowy egret had arrived, and was hanging out with some ducks and geese.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis difficilis
American Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri
American Gray Flycatcher
Empidonax wrightii
Horned Lark
Eremophila alpestris
Brewer’s Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Several blackbirds were at the hatchery, either perched on the roof, or under the awning that covers the fish troughs. There was something in a bucket that seemed to be attracting them, but I don’t know what.
American Coot
Fulica americana americana
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen early in the day in the western pond.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. A lone coot was on the pond next to the Visitor’s Center.
Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas sinuosa
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. This bird was bopping around in a bush very near where we saw the “marsh wren” sparrow.
Black Oystercatcher
Haematopus bachmani
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus frontalis
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma.
Purple Finch
Haemorhous purpureus californicus
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen early in the day in the western pond.
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Bullock’s Oriole
Icterus bullockii
Oregon/Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis oreganus
Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
3/4: Ellis Creek
California Gull
Larus californicus
- 6/2: Tidepooling at Campbell Cove. A few of these birds were seen on the beach.
- 6/2: Bodega Bay Harbor. Part of a large mixed flock of birds on a strip of land between the road and the bay.
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma.
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
Orange-crowned Warbler
Leiothlypis celata lutescens
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. A few wigeon were seen on the pond next to the Visitor Center. I snapped some (out of focus!) photos of them as the rain was beginning to fall in earnest.
Gadwall
Mareca strepera strepera
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. First seen at one of the interior ponds we scanned early in the day.
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Our first bird of the day was a vocal song sparrowin a small tree near the parking lot. Later, I spotted another one behaving very much like a marsh wren (holding its tail at an angle and everything). But the photos are clear – it is a sparrow.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Heard this bird call not long after our arrival.
California Towhee
Melozone crissalis
2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Seen and heard near Carson Hall.
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. A group of these pretty birds (~4) were swimming on the Art Pond.
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos polyglottos
Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Myiarchus cinerascens
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. An adult night heron was perched about half way up some reeds, sitting very still but pretty obvious due to its coloration. We later saw a couple more, including at least one juvenile, and were treated to the impressive sight of one of these birds in flight as it soared past us, near where we’d seen the bitterns.
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Just a few ruddy ducks were seen at one of the interior ponds we scanned early in the day.
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. This was a fun bird to see first thing in the morning. I saw it soaring fairly high overhead, and wasn’t sure at first what it was. I just knew that the silhouette was wrong for a turkey vulture (no dihedral), and the wings were too thin to be any of our buteos, or an eagle. I thought perhaps it was a gull, but then one of my students suggested that it might be an osprey, and sure enough, when the bird flew a bit lower, there was a great deal of white on the underside, and that distinctive pattern on the face. Oh yeah.
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Foraging on the grassy verge next to the trail near the western pond.
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma.
Lazuli Bunting
Passerina amoena
Band-tailed Pigeon
Patagioenas fasciata fasciata
American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
California Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
American Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Phainopepla
Phainopepla nitens
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. I spotted this bird as it flew overhead, moving past the hatchery toward the creek. The silhouette told me this was a cormorant, and there was a hint of light color on the throat, which leads me to D.C. (which is also the only species that I’d expect to be found at this inland location).
Common Poorwill
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Ring-necked Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus maculatus
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. A couple of towhees were foraging right alongside the creek, behind the Art Building (where the paved road ends).
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps podiceps
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. On one of the interior ponds, I spotted a pied-billed grebe near a pair of gadwall.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Poecile rufescens neglectus
2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Picked up by Merlin along the creek, and I was also able to spot it, briefly, near the top of a tree.
American Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus minimus
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. These birds were foraging in some trees to the east of the ponds.
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. I spotted a single one of these birds flying past, far overhead.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Bopping around in the trees alongside the creek.
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. My final bird of the day, as we were getting ready to leave: an adorable little ruby-crowned kinglet perched in a tree very near my car.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa olivaceus
5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes. Another camera shy bird whose call came up on Merlin. I was able to verify this one in two locations at the bird banding station. Audio can be heard here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/116000358.
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans semiater
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Hunting over one of the ponds.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Saw two phoebes: one hunting over the grass, and one very actively zooming over the small lake.
Say’s Phoebe
Sayornis saya
Allen’s Hummingbird
Selasphorus sasin sasin
Audubon’s Warbler
Setophaga auduboni auduboni
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. See here and there in the reeds throughout the area.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. This bird flew down extremely close to me while I was on the bridge that crossed the stream that flows away from the hatchery. Such bright yellow made this bird easy to identify.
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana occidentalis
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. A single, male western bluebird sped past us – I just had a glimpse, but fortunately that is an unmistakable bird.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Several bluebirds were active near the hatchery.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis aculeata
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. Seen early in the day in the western pond.
Pine Siskin
Spinus pinus pinus
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria hesperophilus
2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Heard near the creek.
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis jewetti
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina arizonae
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina thalassina
Bewick’s Wren
Thryomanes bewickii marinensis
Pacific Wren
Troglodytes pacificus
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
American Robin
Turdus migratorius propinquus
- 2/10: Vertebrate Biology SSU Campus Walk. Seen foraging on the grass.
- 2/24: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma. Several Robins were seen and heard near the visitor’s center.
Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Pelagic Cormorant
Urile pelagicus
Brandt’s Cormorant
Urile penicillatus
Warbling Vireo
Vireo gilvus swainsoni
Hutton’s Vireo
Vireo huttoni
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura marginella
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli
- 2/17: Ellis Creek, Petaluma. A single bird was foraging on the grassy verge next to the trail near the western pond. Later, we came across a flock of a dozen or so birds foraging along the side of the path, on the far side of the south pond, near where we’d seen the bitterns. We were able to get very close by slowly approaching while looking in a different direction.
