Recent Birding in the North Bay Area

Black-necked Stilt, Las Gallinas Wastewater Treatment Area, Marin county, CA 1/16/2012

It's been hard to find time to get birding in recently.  With all the recent bad weather we've had to make up a lot of banding days.  Most of our birding this week has been restricted to an hour or so in the late afternoon. Thursday, though, Cory and I were able to get a day off and do some birding around the North Bay area in Marin and Sonoma Counties.  Some of our recent highlights include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (more on this to come), Burrowing Owl (Cory and I have spent a lot of time visiting and revisiting a good spot right by PRBO with no success until Tuesday), Blue-winged Teal (another bird we've been trying for in Marin county with no success until recently), Cattle Egret, Lewis' Woodpecker, Ancient Murrelets (two flyby individuals seen from Bodega head), Lesser Yellowlegs (a hard bird to get this time of year in the North Bay area), Golden Eagle, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Common Poorwill (seen along Mesa Road in Bolinas on the drive back to PRBO one night).

Nashville Warbler, Bodega Bay, CA 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Orange-crowned Warbler, Bodega Bay, CA 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

This bobcat (so blurry) watched us as we walked back to our car after watching the Burrowing Owl on 2/14/12

Immature Lewis' Woodpecker, Sebastopol, CA 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Cory's and my Marin county Northern Mockingbird, Las Gallinas WTA, 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Las Gallinas WTA, Marin county, CA 2/16/12

Very distant shot of Cory's and my Marin county Common Gallinule, Las Gallinas WTA, Marin county, CA 2/16/12

Say's Phoebe, Las Gallinas WTA, Marin county, CA 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Turkey Vulture, Las Gallinas WTA, Marin county, CA 2/16/12 [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult male Northern Harrier, Las Gallinas WTA, Marin county, CA 2/16/12

By Luke Musher