Petaluma Wetlands Alliance Monthly Bird Survey at Shollenberger Park (2/11/19)

Last Monday was the bimonthly bird survey at Shollenberger Park for the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance (PWA). We scored a break in the rain before the atmospheric river arrived and enjoyed a chilly but calm day of counting birds. 

These monthly bird surveys are just one of the many ways the PWA fulfills its mission statement:

Dedicated to the stewardship, restoration, and expansion of wetlands and associated wildlife habitats.

It’s always invigorating to see the sunrise while doing our best to tally the gulls, blackbirds and crows exiting their various roosts.

As is their custom, Red-winged Blackbirds greeted the sun from within the marsh.

This little fella found a snack on the path. We watched in amusement as he flip-flopped between dining in or taking it to go. Ultimately, he gobbled the morsel where he stood.

With no fog or wind, the viewing conditions were terrific.

Count leader Andy Lacasse identified this large flock heading north as Cackling Geese.

Stop counting birds for a moment and count these smiles!

Song Sparrows are a familiar sight at Shollenberger – and an even more familiar sound. Some males shook the rust off the ole pipes to belt out a tune. With spring around the corner, they were likely starting to stake out their breeding territory.

To identify a Song Sparrow song, listen for two or more staccato intro notes followed by a quick jumble of buzzes, whistles and trills. The entire song usually lasts between 3 and 4 seconds.

Songs are great to help ID birds in breeding season. However, calls are heard year-round, so we get more bang for our buck when learning a new call. Once we learned this common Song Sparrow “chimp” call, we realized how often one was lurking about, too buried to see.

The team spotted a grebe in the Petaluma River, but it repeatedly dove under to look for breakfast. Each time it reappeared, everyone tried their best to focus on the relevant field marks to distinguish a Western from a Clark’s Grebe.

We checked its bill color, how dark its back and sides were, and where the black on its head ended in relation to the eye. After good looks and some photos, we settled on a Clark’s Grebe in nonbreeding (basic) plumage due to its vibrant yellow/orange bill, relatively pale back, and the amount of white in front of the eye.

Aside from grebes, the Petaluma River offers the chance to see a variety of boat species.

Check out how perfectly a Say’s Phoebe blends in to its preferred winter habitat.

Andy – always the entertainer – recited a limerick by the late American poet and humorist Dixon Lanier Merritt as four American White Pelicans flew overhead:

A wonderful bird is the pelican
His bill can hold more than his belican
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican

– Dixon Lanier Merritt

A Turkey Vulture feasted upon what the group guessed was a deer – check out that ear on the bottom left.

The Lemonade Berry shrubs along Adobe Creek had started to bloom.

This White-tailed Kite played “king of the tree” above a flock of female Red-winged Blackbirds…

While a Red-shouldered Hawk surveyed its domain.

We hoped a Wilson’s Snipe would make an appearance at the bridge, but our search was in vain.

Downy Woodpeckers often forage on thin branches – this one was no exception.

One of these creatures is not like the others! Is that a Western Pond Turtle, warming up alongside some resting Mallards? In 2015, the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance placed several logs in the river channel to create more space for Western Pond Turtles to bask in the sun. Could this be one of the logs?

Here’s an article from Petaluma360 on the matter: Half-shell habitat at Shollenberger

It was another enjoyable day collecting data for the PWA. By the end of the count, the team had tallied 80 species. In the following days, two additional species were located by team members returning to Shollenberger Park, bringing the grand total to 82 for PWA’s February 2019 survey.

According to compiler Len Nelson, 82 species is the second highest count at Shollenberger since 2011!!

If you have any questions about this particular count or if you’re interested in participating in future counts, please contact the coordinator/compiler for these surveys, Len Nelson, at lennelsn@comcast.net.