Kayak yak yak

I’ve been a little slow to visit possible birding spots around Gualala, mostly sticking near home.

The Gualala Point Regional Park has been about the most ambitious I’ve been, but this year I’ve also started to investigate the “east” side of the Gualala River ( by the campgrounds) and a small little area called Mill Bend Preserve – or as I tell my wife, “I’m going to the Kayak launch.”

Mill Bend Preserve is a mighty big name for such a small area – I do believe it’s biggest reason duh etre is for kayakers and paddle boarders to launch into the Gualala River. There is a small ( very small ) shoal that you can talk north along for a minute.

The first time checking it out as a potential birding locale, I heard a Downy Woodpecker talking like crazy. I looked and looked and looked and I could not see him. I knew exactly where to look, but it was like he was invisible – until I saw his head poking out of a tree ! This was my first encounter with a bird living in a tree.

For as small as Mill Bed is, it’s been giving some good views of Kingfishers, Bald Eagle, Mergansers, Buffleheads and last night I saw a family of North American River Otters.

At first, I thought the otters were seals – watching them play, and jump onto a rock to clean themselve I realized these weren’t seals. I didn’t know otters got to be so big – I assumed otters were… maybe house cat ? sized. But these playful mammals were large!

I spent 40 minutes patiently waiting for the juvenile Bald Eagle to leave his perch, my dream of catching a BE diving into the water and pulling out a fish won’t stop. Unfortunately, he decided to fly away in the opposite direction. No matter, the light was fading.

I haven’t given up on home birding – I got a great show of a Red-shoulder Hawk hunting and capturing a snake and patiently worked my way into position for seeing the years first Pileated Woodpecker… very good finds for me.

My year total for bird species sits at 80 – not to bad considering the entirety of 2025 was ~ 126 species.

Quick shout out to a book I’ve been reading recently, “Warblers & Woodpeckers.” It’s been a fun story about a father and son doing a big year birding. I’ve been reading it at night in bed to my wife and she’s enjoyed the story.