Big Day, Bird-a-thon

April 20, 2003 Easter Sunday

 

Dear Folks,

 

Our 2003 Bird-a-Thon to support the Tortuguero Integrated Bird Monitoring Program in Costa Rica was one of the most exciting to date.  This year we took the opportunity to spread the word about the program by incorporating the Bird-a-Thon into the City of Arcata’s Godwit Days Spring Migration Festival.  One of the more than 80 field trips that we offer is the “BIG DAY”, where we try and see as many species as possible from 7:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening.  Carol and I had not done a Big Day before, so we took the opportunity to participate in support of the our Costa Rican biologists.

 

This year the “flock” for the trip on Easter Sunday, and was led by local expert birder Ron LeValley, joined by the famous birder and writer, Kenn Kaufman.  Pablo Herrera (our Costa Rica program coordinator) also joined us, as well as a good cross section of Arcata, including students, a real estate developer, river guides, visitors, and birders all.  Not to mention, David Thompson, the warden at Castle Espie, the Brant capitol of Ireland, but that’s another story. 

 

Generally, the rules are that for a species to be counted at least 2 people must have seen it.  For us, one of the 3 of us (Carol, Pablo and I) needed to see it to count.  That way, we would really have to work to beat our goal of 100 species and not just rely on the “flock”.  However, the flock’s objective was to beat the day before’s Big Day crew count – this count was a secret total, which only the driver and a reporter along knew , but wouldn’t tell, despite bribery.  We were worried, though, they had good weather, and our forecast wasn’t the best.

           

Over the years, the tally has been between 101-107, but in 2001 Margaret Widdowson, on the Board of one of our sponsors, the Klamath Bird Observatory, led a trip that got an unbelievable 118!  We were going to be happy (well, sort of, ) if we broke 100.. but we did want to beat the Saturday trip’s total! 

 

With this number (our elusive grail) in mind, we began our quest....

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Up at 5:30, CJ woke up the chickens, heard Red Crossbill and Virginia Rail while getting packed up for the long day of birding.  Most of the Aleutian Canada Geese had gone from out in the pastures across the slough, but we managed to hear the stragglers “cackling” in the bottoms.

 

At 6:30 we left the house, with a slight detour.  Carol put out Easter eggs along the net lanes to be found by Kim Hollinger and the Bird Banders that would be leading a demonstration at our nets for a field trip for the festival later in the morning. 

 

We met at the Community Center and joined a full bus of 35 people, including a couple of high school students who had scholarships to go on trips during the festival.  Ron gave us an unneeded but heeded pep talk about our challenge to beat the Saturday’s Big Day total.  

 

The weather forecast had been for clouds with a 30% chance of showers (down from a 50% chance of rain from a forecast earlier in the week).  We set off in the bus tallying up various ‘black’ birds, Common Raven, Red-winged and Brewer’s blackbirds, Starling, American Crow... and this was just in the parking lot! 

 

Hitting highway 101 north, we picked up only a few birds, but after 20 minutes north, we pulled off at Trinidad, a nice little fishing village perched on a cliff overlooking beautiful offshore rocks and my favorite fishing places.  The sun started to break through the thin clouds and it warmed up.

 

At Elk Head State Park, thirty five people rushed off of the bus, but Ron set the tone... “no talking.. listen.”  Chickadees, Orange-crowned and Wilson’s Warblers.  Then a rapid walk through the woods.  Then another stop, listen... Purple Finch, Band-tailed Pigeons, then we broke out on the headland.

 

On the roiling waters, we saw a puffin on the offshore rock where they have nested in past years.  However, upon close inspection we realized that it was the same size as a nearby Western Gull, and didn’t move for 20 minutes, so we put it down as a Rock Puffin... a previously unrecorded (and undescribed, for that matter!) species.

 

On Trinidad Head, Ron spotted a moving object just where he said one would have expected a Peregrine, but the scope revealed it as a person.  Kenn said it was too bad there weren’t “two people, both smiling, so we could have had a Pair-o’-grins.”  It was with mixed emotions that we realized that Kenn had begun to hit his stride and we were in for a long day of punning.  He made up for it by spotting Rhinoceros Auklets and we also got Marbled Murrelets, and a variety of rocky shore and ocean birds.  Although “un-tickable”, a River Otter pleased the crowd with a long stroll down the beach in full view of an army of spotting scopes. 

 

We went along the scenic route to Moonstone Beach, picking up a few birds and the sun.   Then a bit farther to Clam Beach where we, all 35, wound between county sheriffs guarding the beach to protect the object of our attention, the Snowy Plover.  As we trudged through the sand, we noticed the unusual number of what our former police chief referred to as “urban travelers” in various stage of revelry (it was only 9:30 a.m.), and some that definitely, definitely, had seen better mornings... it slowly dawned on us the significance of it being April 20.. 4/20 has been since the 60's in Marin County, a time for those inclined towards the liberal use of a certain controlled substance, to celebrate said substance, especially at 4:20 in the afternoon.  These folks were obviously getting a very, very early start.  After a brisk walk out through the beach, there was a cute little enclosure around a nest, with an inquisitive raven patrolling the outside.  The plover was nervously pacing around some 20 yards back, not realizing it was safe in the exclosure.  Finally, the raven departed, and the plover returned and began incubating.   We all breathed a sigh of relief.

 

As we rocketed south towards Arcata, Ron wondered out loud if we should take the time to go inland to the willows on the edge of Blue Lake, where, only about 15 miles inland we often get species that stay there to avoid the cooling coastal fog during the summer.  He looked at Pablo for advice, and Pablo said “go for it”.  Since he was the only one with a definite opinion, we did it.

 

We wound through the cute former mill town a few minutes later, and parked at the extensive cottonwood, willow, and alder along the Mad River.   I had been a bit doubtful, but within a few steps Ron heard the unmistakable call of the California Towhee (which I still think of as the Brown Towhee)... this was about 20 miles closer to the coast than I’d ever seen it, and quite unusual.  At that point, I began to think.. “hey, we just may break 100.”    We rapidly picked up several species, Downy Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, Black-capped Chickadee, and both Lesser and American goldfinches. 

 

We hopped back to hatchery nearby, where both Tree and Violet-green swallows were overhead, a Vaux’s Swift, the first I’d seen this season, and ... our Peregrine.   It was almost hot, and a lot of folks were now down to a shirt.  En route back to the van, we all stopped to listen to a very coastal MacGillivray’s Warbler.  Ron, Ken and Pablo each looked to the other to confirm the somewhat odd sounding bird, but no one could be sure, so they set out through the undergrowth of Poison-oak to verify the bird.  After holding up the bus for several minutes for the sight identification, but it only produced an aberrant Wilson’s Warbler!

 

Then, into our town of Arcata, stopping in a neighborhood to check a barn for Barn Owl, which had been seen yesterday.  As we piled out of the bus, mothers grabbed their kids and got them out of the way, as a group of determined birders in full cry with telescopes over their shoulders is an unforgettable sight, and one not usually seen on the streets of any decent town. Despite the show of determination, I guess too many birders had driven it off.

 

Then... out to the world famous Arcata Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, from whence we get our city’s motto, “Flush with pride”.  The unique recycling of waste water from the city, results in ponds where water purer than that from the streams, and where steelhead and salmon are raised. 

 

As we had lunch (a delicious one provided with the cost of the trip) at the marsh, being where we were (that is, Humboldt County) it clouded up a bit and got windy all of a sudden, We were able to pick up the usual complement of shorebirds, despite the extreme low tide (minus 1.4 feet -- quite low for us), with most out a mile or two on the mudflats.

 

We headed south looking in a various places along the shore in Eureka and along Humboldt Bay where slowly a shoreline bike and walking path allows accesses to newly-rehabilitated marshes and mudflat.  As we reached to the south end of Eureka, it began to rain, and (as if on a signal) we broke 100 species at 1 in the afternoon.  

At this point, we were definitely in the running for the record.. all of a sudden our goal became bigger.  “but,” as everyone said “maybe Saturday broke the record too, and got 120".   this sobered us all, as to get 20 more species seemed unlikely, to put it mildly.  Ron said, “no problem!”  

 

We pulled into King Salmon, and looked out across to the mouth of the Bay, and to the north and south spits 3 miles away, picking up only a few birds in the choppy waters... but the rain, at least, had stopped.  At this point the honorable mayor of Arcata pulled up in his (naturally) biodiesel car, to pick up Kenn to take him to the airport and to take David back to Godwit Days to give a wee talk, as he said.

 

We drove down to the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge at the south end of the bay, at 2, expecting to go into the refuge itself, but found the gate locked.. our fabled organization had broken down, and it suddenly didn’t bode well for our getting to the record, let alone to what we feared the Slovenly Saturday group had achieved. 

 

Undaunted, and with excitement mounting, we circled around the south end of the refuge where there was public access, and we rushed up to the dike through a bunch of folks leading kayak tours for Godwit Days, and scoped the ponds in front.  We all began adding species at a rapid pace, avocet, pintail, wigeon, dowitchers, and even three gorgeous Eurasian Wigeon I spotted .. the most I’ve ever seen at one time.   The tally rang out, 115, 116, 117, then a cheer as we hit the all-time record of 118... then a moment later as I, and then Ron, heard a Virginia’s Rail, 119!  We were over the all-time record !!   Much cheering and jumping up and down, much to the bemusement of the kayak folks.

 

We piled into the bus, and headed out around the south end of the Bay.   We spotted a crow atop a very tall, dead tree, above the riparian, but Ron corrected us, shouting, “Green Heron!”   A most unusual spot for such a bird..   Now at 120.. the unobtainable.. and it was ‘only’ 2:30... we still had until 5 p.m. to get back to the Community Center.   A moment later, I spotted a flicker winging its way along... 121.. much cheering.. we were really pumping.

 

We drove out the south spit of Humboldt Bay, to the very end, as a dredge ship went out the ‘jaws’ of the bay, an exciting place to be when the tide is going out and the swells are coming in!   We added a couple of birds, a Black Scoter and a Red-necked Grebe, 123.. we were rolling.. we still didn’t have several common birds, meadowlark, kestrel, and others.  A quick stop for Carol to run out to a flooded field to collect a flower in a big patch, and then back to Table Bluff where we strained our spotting scopes to find Sanderlings along the South Jetty.  Then into the Ferndale Bottoms through farm lands, flushing Savannah Sparrows 124, a kestrel 125, Western Meadowlark 126.

 

The bus wound its way down a tiny narrow Copenhagen Road, to some wetlands and an old barn.  We all piled out in front of this neat tiny farmhouse with a huge barn, 10 times the size of the house.  We peeked around the barn down into some ponds, adding Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal.  The owner, a grizzled veteran of the dairy industry, came out of the barn, quite amused and invited us to take a look for Barn Owls in the barn.  We didn’t spot them, but out in back, as 4:15 came (and time to bus back), someone spied a beautiful American Bittern, then two... then, slowly, one advanced on the other and did a delightful mating dance to our enjoyment... there!!!... 129 species… 11 over the all time record and time to head back to Arcata.  

 

A tired and happy group of folks chattered all the way back, and made a desultory pass at a few spots, over the Samoa Bridge, and the Arcata Bottoms, but didn’t really worry about getting more species... the word was said.. heck, if they beat us on Saturday, more power to them!   We arrived back at the Center just past 5 p.m., and as we pulled up and stopped the bus driver announced that the Saturday group had got a very respectable 114 species... Once again the bus erupted in cheers as people rushed into the center, to relax and chat.    

 

An exhausting day..as Carol said, ‘I wouldn’t want to do this every day, but it was fun.’. 

Although very hard work, we all had a great time and the thought of supporting the Costa Rican project kept us going strong all 10 hours! 

 

Bragging rights not withstanding, we were very proud to set a new Bird-a-Thon record!!  Although we set the bar very high for future endeavors, it couldn’t stop our minds from wondering...

 

If we would have just gotten the Mourning Dove, Anna’s Hummingbird, Spotted Towhee...(and 94 more, we can dream) we would’ve topped the entire Godwit Days species list!!  Many thanks.. from:

 

            ----C. J. Ralph, Carol Ralph, and Pablo Herrera

 

 

 

LIST OF THE SPECIES ON THE “BIG DAY”

BIRD-A-THON DURING “GODWIT DAYS”           APRIL 20, 2003

 

Pacific Loon.................53

Common Loon..................12

Pied-billed Grebe............ 4

Red-necked Grebe............. 3

Eared Grebe.................. 2

Western Grebe................37

Clark’s Grebe................ 2

Double-crested Cormorant.....12

Brant's Cormorant............ 7

Brown Pelican................30

Pelagic Cormorant............35

American Bittern............. 2

Green Heron.................. 1

Great Blue Heron............. 8

Great Egret..................27

Snowy Egret..................21

Black-crowned Night Heron.... 4

Turkey Vulture............... 5

Brant........................ 9

Canada Goose.................54

Gadwall......................12

Eurasian Wigeon.............. 3

American Wigeon..............23

Mallard......................21

Cinnamon Teal................ 3

Green-winged Teal............22

Northern Shoveler............15

Northern Pintail............. 8

Greater Scaup................34

Lesser Scaup................. 2

Surf Scoter..................75

Black Scoter................. 1

White-winged Scoter..........23

Bufflehead...................27

Common Merganser............. 2

Red-breasted Merganser....... 6

Ruddy Duck................... 6

Osprey....................... 4

White-tailed Kite............ 2

Northern Harrier............. 8

Red-shouldered Hawk.......... 2

Red-tailed Hawk..............11

American Kestrel............. 1

Peregrine Falcon............. 2

California Quail.............16

Virginia Rail................ 2

American Coot................ 5

Black-bellied Plover......... 5

Snowy Plover................. 1

Semipalmated Plover..........55

Killdeer.....................32

Black Oystercatcher.......... 6

American Avocet.............. 8

Greater Yellowlegs........... 6

Lesser Yellowlegs............ 1

Willet.......................33

Spotted Sandpiper............ 1

Whimbrel..................... 4

Marbled Godwit...............89

Long-billed Curlew........... 1

Black Turnstone.............. 6

Ruddy Turnstone.............. 2

Surfbird.....................12

Western Sandpiper...........800

Least Sandpiper............1200

Dunlin......................200

Short-billed Dowitcher....... 5

Western Gull.................35

Ring-billed Gull.............16

California Gull..............24

Herring Gull................. 6

Glaucous-winged Gull.........36

Caspian Tern.................34

Pigeon Guillemot............. 6

Common Murre...............1500

Marbled Murrelet............. 2

Rhinoceros Auklet............ 4

Band-tailed Pigeon........... 7

Rock Dove....................33

Vaux’s Swift................. 5

Allen’s Hummingbird.......... 3

Belted Kingfisher............ 4

Downy Woodpecker............. 5

Northern Flicker............. 1

Pacific-slope Flycatcher..... 5

Black Phoebe.................12

Cassin’s Vireo............... 1

Warbling Vireo............... 8

Steller’s Jay................ 2

American Crow................17

Common Raven.................32

Tree Swallow.................56

Violet-green Swallow.........53

Northern Rough-winged Swallow19

Cliff Swallow................16

Barn Swallow.................54

Chestnut-backed Chickadee.... 7

Black-capped Chickadee....... 3

Brown Creeper................ 5

Bushtit......................11

Bewick’s Wren................ 5

Winter Wren.................. 6

Marsh Wren...................13

Golden-crowned Kinglet....... 4

American Robin..............115

Varied Thrush................ 2

Wrentit...................... 8

European Starling...........200

Orange-crowned Warbler.......18

Yellow Warbler............... 2

Yellow-rumped Warbler........34

Wilson’s Warbler.............11

California Towhee............ 1

Savannah Sparrow............. 5

Song Sparrow.................43

Lincoln’s Sparrow............ 2

White-crowned Sparrow........46

Golden-crowned Sparrow.......10

Oregon (Dark-eyed) Junco.....22

Red-winged Blackbird.........74

Western Meadowlark........... 2

Brewer's Blackbird...........63

Brown-headed Cowbird......... 6

House Finch..................32

Purple Finch.................14

Lesser Goldfinch.............21

American Goldfinch........... 2

House Sparrow................ 5