“Birding the [Point Reyes National] seashore and vicinity can take a day, a week, or a lifetime.”
— Rich Stallcup and Jules Evens, Field Guide to Birds of the Northern California Coast
We couldn’t agree more, and last week, we took a day to explore Abbotts Lagoon. The short trail that runs along the lagoon – only a bit more than a mile – teemed with life and culminated in up-close views of shorebirds foraging in the brackish waters near the ocean.
Many White-crowned Sparrows greeted us immediately, including this one we captured mid-song.
Listen below to his lovely song.
As we set out, we noticed this Northern Flicker flying back and forth between the trail and a patch of willows. Most woodpeckers use their powerful bills to drill into trees, but flickers prefer to hammer into soil looking for ants and other insects.
We now present our “Bird on Fence Post” series. Fence posts can serve a variety of functions for a bird – they can be used for…
Cobweb Thistle along the trail provided a splash of color on an otherwise gray day.
As we wound our way towards the ocean, a familiar sound bounced out of the chaparral from two directions – a pair of duetting Wrentits!
Wrentits are extremely skulky and more easily heard than seen. Listen to the duet below – the male performs his accelerating, bouncing-ball song, while the female sings her more measured tune in the distance.
Sometimes all it takes is a tiny creature to stop you dead in your tracks. We marveled at the jewel-like back of this Coyote Brush Leaf Beetle.
As we neared the southern half of the lagoon, a Caspian Tern showed off its angular wings, black cap, and candy-corn bill.
One hunched juvenile sat off to the side, away from the rest of its group.
Listen below to the sound of a juvenile’s begging wail. You can also hear the hoarse screams of an adult interspersed throughout.
When this flock of small sandpipers blew in and landed close by, we knew we’d hit a goldmine of shorebird study-time.
Western Sandpipers were the most abundant peep of the day. Notice how the scapulars of these two juveniles are lined with bright rufous tones.
A small handful of Least Sandpipers were sprinkled in – mostly keeping to the outer edge of the group.
At one point, nine Sanderlings joined the ranks. It was neat to see them standing still in the brackish water, rather than chasing the ocean surf as they’re most often seen. Their back and head feathers appear mottled as they transition into basic (non-breeding), gray-and-white plumage.
This lone Short-billed Dowitcher foraged beside two loafing American Avocets.
As if our shorebird bonanza wasn’t plentiful enough, a Greater Yellowlegs let out several “toot-toot-toot“-s as it flew fairly high over the lagoon.
To top it all off – as we sat quietly in observation, this Red-necked Phalarope foraged closer and closer, til it was nearly in our laps!
The bird stayed near us for a long while, displaying all angles.
Do you love shorebird identification as much as we do?
Then, check out our BIRD QUIZ #3: LOAFING SHOREBIRDS.
Four hours and only one mile later, we reached the ocean and turned back to see what the return trip had in store.
Back in the scrub, a Common Yellowthroat perched in the dream-like, foggy landscape.
We’ve developed a budding interest in odonates, and stopped to look closely at these three.
As we neared the parking lot – wouldn’t you know it – two White-crowned Sparrows popped up, providing a nice bookend to our day. We watched in amusement as this juvenile on the left pestered its mom or dad, pecking repeatedly at the parent’s wings, legs, and tail.
There’s an endless amount to explore at the Point Reyes National Seashore – a lifetime’s worth! Thank goodness we’re just a short and scenic drive away!
Although I have visited Northern California twice, I never made it to Point Reyes – my loss obviously!
Hi David, thanks for reading! Hope you make it out again someday! 🙂
I like those “mid-song” photos.
Us too! We love getting to re-look at the bird in that cute pose 🙂
HI Guys
Abbott’s Lagoon has always Benin one of my favorite places. The walk out always has a few surprises, like seeing reed lined pond with the sand dunes as a background. Beautiful! I’ve seen a bunch of rarities out there. Here’s a few birds I’ve been fortunate to see: Burrowing Owl, Lapland and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Lesser Sand-Plover, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Parasitic Jaeger, and even Prairie Falcon! Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Rob O’Donnell
This is the most useful birding column I’ve ever read, and I’ve been birding for decades.
Wow!! Thanks for the positive feedback, Sara, we appreciate it!