It’s simple, really. If it’s Christmas Bird Count day, you go count the birds – even if a storm is brewing.
This year, we were honored when local birding legend Lisa Hug asked if we were interested in taking on an open territory of the Redwood Region Ornithological Society’s Santa Rosa Christmas Bird Count (whew, that’s a mouthful!). Once approved by the Santa Rosa CBC leader, Bill Doyle, we found ourselves responsible for counting the birds in Area 4 come December 16. Area 4 includes Rincon Valley and the rural areas to the north. In the weeks preceding the count, we scouted our section and plotted a route. We also drummed up some help from our friends LaReina and Adam (who we joined on December 14 for the Eastern Alameda County CBC).
We arrived early at Brush Creek Trail, and were rewarded with this beautiful sunrise.
At dawn there’s often more to listen to than look at, but that didn’t stop Miles from trying.
Here’s audio of the very first birds we tallied for the day. How many species can you pick out?
Rain was in the forecast all day, but we managed to get lucky with one fairly dry hour at sunrise along Brush Creek. Towards the end of the hour, we heard a ringing, rapidly repeating “TOOT-TOOT-TOOT-TOOT-TOOT!” This vocalization was unfamiliar to us, so we went looking for the source. We finally located the bird, and were surprised to see who it was! Do you know this mystery bird? Stay tuned at the end of this post to see the answer.
It’s not unusual for curious people to stop and ask what you’re looking at… and, sometimes those people happen to have adorable Australian Shepherds! I’m Birding Right Now‘s “Birding Bylaws” clearly state that interrupting a birding session to pet some good doggos is always acceptable – nay, encouraged! – as it is equally good for the soul.
Though we had to move along, the hour at Brush Creek Trail was productive. We tallied 26 species, including some we wouldn’t see again the rest of the day: Sharp-shinned Hawk (spotted by sharp-eyed LaReina), Fox Sparrow, Wrentit, and American Goldfinch.
The rain began to kick in at our second stop, Rincon Valley Community Park.
Miles momentarily forgot we were on a Christmas Bird Count, not a Christmas Tree Count.
Rincon Valley Community Park was pretty slow, but we picked up several new species: Mallards, Double-crested Cormorants, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Mockingbirds, and a single Hutton’s Vireo spotted by Adam. And as always, we had to count the crows.
We proceeded to our third stop: Alpine, Calistoga, and St. Helena Roads, where the wind and rain had increased.
Much of this area was burned in the October 2017 fires. We stopped to talk to a local landowner along Alpine Road who tragically lost two houses in the fires. She was delighted we were counting birds and happily reported that it seemed all the usual suspects had returned except for Varied Thrush.
As if to prove her point, the rain let up briefly and there was a flurry of bird activity. In just a couple minutes, we spotted four new species for the day: a Red-breasted Sapsucker, a Lincoln’s Sparrow, Western Bluebirds, and Band-tailed Pigeons.
What did Adam and LaReina see?
Whatever it was, it piqued Teresa’s interest enough to cover the camera with a dish towel and take it out in the rain.
Finally! A bird photo!
Along St. Helena Road, there was a brief respite from the rain, and the birds went bonkers. American Robins, Western Bluebirds, and Yellow-rumped Warblers seemed to cover every inch of the vineyard along the road. Meanwhile, a Red-shouldered Hawk swooped low and another Red-breasted Sapsucker probed a nearby tree.
As the weather worsened, we headed to our fourth stop, Skyhawk Park. We battled the wind and rain for just 17 minutes, but picked up two new species: Bushtits and Mourning Doves.
Our fifth and last stop was Foothill Ranch Road, including the Blue Gate and Upper Ridge Road offshoots – more areas affected by last year’s fires. The rain was coming down sideways, which made it difficult to bird outside the car.
We encountered a large flock of Savannah Sparrows quietly tsee!-ing away, not minding the rain much while foraging near the road.
On the way back down Foothill Ranch Road, we encountered our last species of the day: this flock of soggy Wild Turkeys.
It came time to drop Adam and LaReina off at their car, and we wrapped up our 2018 Santa Rosa CBC.
We ended up tallying 51 species in Area 4. The entire Santa Rosa CBC circle’s preliminary total was 130 species, which our leader, Bill Doyle, reported was “very good, considering the conditions.”
Traditionally, Christmas Bird Count participants gather that same evening for a “compilation dinner” to tally the day’s species, fill their bellies, and share war stories from the count. We went to ours that night at Adel’s Diner, but unfortunately, we were too busy chatting it up that we plumb forgot to snap a photo!
Despite this being our view for most of the day, we had a terrific time looking for birds with our buddies! Our 2018 inaugural Area 4 Santa Rosa CBC was in the books, and it was a rousing success!
To learn more about the CBC, visit the National Audubon Society’s History of the Christmas Bird Count page.
Answer to Mystery Bird Vocalization: The mystery sound was from a White-breasted Nuthatch singing prominently from the top of a tall, leafless tree. We thought it was rather high-pitched for a WBNU. If you have experience with the WBNU’s song, please comment below with your opinion!
Brook and Orion here, enjoying the story from our intrepid birding buddies. We did Santa Rosa for a few years and I don’t recall a count without clouds, mist or rain. But that one takes the lake, no cake!
Ha, it was a bit soggy, but still a lot of fun!! If you feel like joining next year, you know we love birding with you guys! =)