Gualala Birds

I made a trip to the delta to see the annual Sandhill Crane (migration?)

Staten Island Road is the place to be for these unique birds.

I went with my step-daughter with nervous expectations – we drove quite a distance to see these birds and even with eBird reports for the last week consistently saying they were there… you just can’t be sure.

Of course they were there – and they were literally right there… the instant we turned onto the road, we saw about 4-6 birds eating right next to the road. There were dozens further away.

Staten Island Road goes for about 1-2 miles and then you have to turn around – we managed to see probably close to 50 Sandhill Cranes in the wetlands and probably and equal amount flying overhead. Really good showing.

We also heard a Horned Lark which would have been a lifer for both of us, but it never appeared.

Three Northern Harriers kept us entertained as we searched for the Lark – 2 female harriers and a single gray ghost.

I added a trip to Cosumnes River Preserve where we added a few new lifers for me – a Marsh Wren and a couple of ducks. I have forgotten how beautiful ducks can be.

Lifer #134 – Sandhill Crane