A closer examination of the floor suggested that this was not the first time the bats have roosted in the monolith… I had decided to wait in the shade provided by the monolith and while venturing inside, had the pleasure of appreciating scores of the winged mammals gripping the concrete walls and focused intently on their insect fueled slumbers. There was, at least, a bonus for waiting around in the heat: bats. With the mercury pushing 90 degrees by 9am and with the promise of higher temperatures to mark our nation’s birthday, there were few people about Saturday morning and even fewer birders. Redding’s hotter than usual summer continued strong through the Independence Day celebrations. Youth/Beginner Bird Walk at Turtle Bay, July 4th, 2015 Only the woodpeckers and seed-crackers were notably absent, and we look forward to seeing them and more ducks in the coming months. A family of quail scuttled from the bird-watchers, and a house wren eyed us like a prosecuting attorney. Overhead a late swirl of tree swallows cleared the air. Bushtits and nuthatches picked at leaves and branches, while a tanager and orange-crowned and yellow warblers added migrating color to the lesson on gleaning insects. A hummingbird displayed the art of flycatching, and a phoebe made a cameo appearance. Wading birds-great blue and green herons, egrets, and a couple killdeer, too-patrolled the river’s edge. Geese, mallards, and mergansers paddled the river and pools. Turtle Bay in September greeted ten adults and six youths with a welcome sampling of local birds. With that construction ongoing, our Turtle Bay walks will now meet at Venture Properties, the first left before the Convention Center.Īrcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary Outing, September 26th, 2015 *Apologies to any who missed the walk because of our hotel construction displacement.
As the fourth grader said, “I didn’t get as much bingo today, but we saw a lot.” Cormorants sunned spread-eagle, and another wrestled with a fish snatched up from the ripples. Turkey vultures soared, and a red-shouldered hawk objected to an overhead accipiter. A one-legged heron stood stoically, its missing foot tucked away warm. Geese dabbled, mallards flocked, killdeer waded, an egret preened, and a yellow-rumped warbler gleaned second breakfast in a young pine. The number of birds wasn’t stunning-Jeannette Carroll tallied 25 species-but their behavior was engaging. Hotel construction thwarted our usual Turtle Bay routing, but six adults and one youth enjoyed a pleasant morning making a loop from the Sundial Bridge. Youth/Beginner Bird Walk at Turtle Bay, October 3rd, 2015 A Nuttall’s Woodpecker displayed his handsome post-molt plumage. There, we saw American and Lesser Goldfinches side by side so the differences between them were easily noted. Jeanette invited us to her home nearby where we joined her husband Harvey for an interesting session of seeing birds “up close and personal” at their many bird feeders. Two Belted Kingfishers (our chapter’s logo bird) interacted in an apparent territorial “discussion” and a male Anna’s Hummingbird repeatedly rose slowly to a great height in the air, then did a power dive down – despite the fact that this isn’t breeding season so no female would be impressed.Ĭo-trip leader Jeanette Carroll who lives in the neighborhood showed us the renowned beaver dam – alas, mostly destroyed by kayakers who wanted that area as a route. None of the 37 species that we saw was rare or unusual, but we did see some interesting behaviors. Local Weekday Bird Walk at Cascade Park, October 15th, 2015įive birders met in the parking lot of Cascade Park for a morning of birding in mild weather. Other good birds were Mountain Quail, Brown Creepers (seven, at least), lots of Red Breasted Nuthatches, a Horned Grebe, and 2 Re-breasted Sapsuckers. Probably our best bird was an American Coot! In a flock of 600-700 there was one leucistic bird standing out like a flag. The temperature ranged from 45 degrees in the morning to the 70s in the afternoon. Ten birders, including two visitors from England, enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Lewiston Lake and fish hatchery.
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