Gualala Point Regional Park & Campground

Last week, we camped a night at Gualala Point Regional Park. Driving north along Highway 1, the scenery was jarring. The Meyers Fire had burned parts of the terrain all the way down to the ocean.

Our campsite abutted the Gualala River, which was rather low. Upon arrival, we immediately set off to bird the riverbank. Right away, a large group of Mallards crash-landed loudly with two Northern Pintails in tow.

A flitting movement high in the alders and bays caught our attention, and we struggled awhile to see the backlit bird. Much to our surprise, it was an American Redstart!

American Redstarts breed across Canada and the Eastern United States, and typically remain east of the Sierras as they migrate to the neotropics for winter. However, each year, a handful stray west and occasionally turn up in Sonoma County.
 
This striking warbler has a uniquely colored tail – females and first-year birds show this neat, black-and-yellow pattern when the tail is closed.

Redstarts tend to fan their tails out repeatedly while foraging, apparently serving to startle potential prey. Adult males show bright orange patches rather than this subdued yellow.

The bird vocalized at one point – listen below. Its chip note possesses a sweet quality akin to a Yellow Warbler, but a little higher-pitched.

A trail towards the coast led us through riparian scrub, where Common Yellowthroats, Song Sparrows, Wrentits, White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and American Goldfinches greeted us.
 
The winter American Goldfinch sports such a lovely, warm, khaki coloration which blends in well with dried grass and the thistle in which it prefers to forage.

We also observed some fine deer specimens at close range – this one side-eyed us as it crossed the trail.

This buck below ceased browsing as we neared. We looked at each other – us admiring his antlers and softly intense gaze; the buck, perhaps gauging the need for alarm. After several moments, Teresa said, “We mean you no harm, darling. Please continue with your day.” He delighted us by immediately returning to browsing, seemingly acknowledging our well-wishes.
 
This got us thinking… We always try to bird respectfully. But, what would happen if, while observing a bird we verbalized our intention to cause it no harm? Would chickadees start landing on our heads??? We’ll keep you posted!

During our walk, we encountered many woodpeckers – Flickers, Acorns, a Downy, and a Pileated. That evening, as we returned to the canopy of the campground, we spotted the fifth species for the day – this dingy-colored Hairy Woodpecker.

Our favorite thing about camping is the lack of barrier between us and the bird sounds. In the still of the night, a raucous Great Blue Heron roused us at 4:45 AM from our slumber!
 
We arose before sunrise to take advantage of the whole morning. Along a 30-foot stretch of trail, we discovered no less than six “Sooty” Fox Sparrows double-scratching in the leaf litter! How many more were hiding in the surrounding bushes?

Could this concentration of Fox Sparrows reflect a recent surge in arrivals from their breeding grounds? After some research, we learned that the Sooty group’s peak arrival time to California is early October – so, probably yes.
 
Some individuals in the Sooty group are thought to migrate in a non-stop, epic journey over the ocean from the Aleutian Islands to coastal California – one of the longest transoceanic flights of any land bird – amazing! They must be starving when they arrive!
 
As we emerged from the canopy, this darling Warbling Vireo foraging in an alder caught our eye.

Later that morning, we crossed under Highway 1 to explore the Regional Park itself.

Moments before this idyllic scene, a large pickup truck got stuck – half-submerged in the river – after attempting to drive across to the middle island. As a bulldozer towed the truck out, we overheard the pickup owner exclaim, “Man, I’ve done this a thousand times with no problem!”
 
Well, on this 1,001-th time of causing unnecessary riverbed erosion and disturbing the estuary’s ecosystem, Nature rewarded this man with soggy underwear, a truck-cab full of water, and an embarrassing ordeal!

Back to the birds! White-crowned Sparrows, with their propensity to perch on eye-level bushes, make obliging photo subjects.

A flash of yellow darted by, and we peered into the foliage at an obscured bird.

By golly, it was a beautiful Orange-crowned Warbler!

We sure enjoyed the bird life surrounding the Gualala campground, and we’re eager to return for a longer stay!