Five new lifers ?

Last week, DeeDee and I returned to the Bay Area for a couple days to celebrate our granddaughters 5th birthday.

Surprisingly (?) while at the party, I got a new lifer – #158 Rock Pigeon. I always re-iterate to my wife that we are sophisticated people and we shouldn’t say “Seagull”, rather “Western Gull” or “Glaucous-winged Gull”. When I pointed out the Rock Pigeon, DeeDee asked are there more than one pigeon? I didn’t know – until getting home and realizing I had last summer identified a Band-tailed Pigeon in Gualala. (There is one more pigeon in the US – the White-crowned Pigeon which seemingly only exists in Florida.) That’s enough words on “pigeons.”

After the birthday party ( in Berkeley ), I asked DeeDee if she wanted to take a quick trip to Cesar Chavez park to see if we could spot the burrowing owls. Last year we attempted to see them, and missed. And wouldn’t you know it – this year we missed them too. eBird had shown they were spotted a couple hours before AND after the time we were there. I guess we will try again next year.

The good news is while at the Cesar Chavez, a couple of the water fowl looked new to me so I did some quick photos to i.d. them later – and that proved to be worthwhile as I added #159 Greater Scaup, #160 Lesser Scaup, #161 Horned Grebe and #162 Clark’s Grebe to my life list. The Clark’s Grebe looked very similar to the Western Grebe I had identified years before – but I now know the trick to differentiate them (black below/above eye.)

The weather has been cold and rainy – not particularly conducive to me getting out and birding. I’ve managed a few trips to the Gualala Regional Park without much to show for it. Slow time of winter I suppose.