2019 Christmas Bird Count #2: Cheep Thrills (12/19/19)

Last Thursday, we joined Rich Cimino and Janet Bodle of Yellowbilled Tours at Olompali for the 2019 North Marin Cheep Thrills Christmas Bird Count.
 
As we drove in to Olompali State Historic Park in Novato, a flock of Wild Turkeys lined the entrance road while a coyote watched us drive by from a safe distance.

The count group gathered briefly, then split into two teams – one to cover the lower park areas, and another to cover the Loop Trail.

The atmosphere was moody with a soft light glowing through the mist. The trees dripped droplets – precipitation accumulated from the morning fog and previous night’s rain.

Though we encountered bustling mixed flocks at various spots, other stretches of the damp trail were dead quiet. Along one of these quiet stretches, we happened upon a few deer sauntering through the woods.

Due to low visibility, it wasn’t until halfway through the loop that we finally managed to photograph some birds.

During our walk, we marveled at Mother Nature’s incredible color palette. We call this series: “The 4 M’s – Multicolored and Marvelous”

One of the day’s most abundant birds was the hyperactive Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We counted no less than 50 individuals over a 2.5-mile stretch.

The other kinglet, the Golden-crowned, was surprisingly abundant and visible as well. Listen below to a couple individuals calling while foraging within a mixed flock.

Along the homestretch of the Loop Trail, the view opened up and we spied the other half of our group scouring for birds.

We tallied a fair number of Oak Titmice, including a few that sporadically sang amid their calls.

These Mourning Doves blended in well within the ground cover.

Hermit Thrush were well accounted for in the damp forest. Masters of camouflage, we heard them “chup“-ing away constantly, but only spotted them a couple times.

Listen below to hear the Hermit Thrush’s “chup” and “wheer” calls.

As split-formation ended and the group reconvened for the day’s final tally, a familiar but unexpected nasally whine emanated from some nearby coyote brush.

It was a lone Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – a great bird for the CBC count!

After we said our goodbyes to the group, we dragged our feet leaving the park – boy, it’s hard to stop birding! We spent some time watching this beautiful juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk scanning the field.

And – just as our day began – it ended with Wild Turkeys flanking the road as we exited.

The final species tally for the entire 2019 North Marin Cheep Thrills Christmas Bird Count came in at 164, the highest count since 2011!