Natural History Wanderings

Today I went birding at the Las Gallinas Valley Wildlife Ponds and Salt Marsh with Bob Stokstad, a fellow birding student and photographer.  We walked about two miles around the ponds keeping the sun to our backs for better photographic light.  We identified 37 species  plus saw at least one other gull and a distant Grebe that was either a Clark’s or Western. The highlight was hearing, seeing and photographing Marsh Wrens.  Another birder/photographer said there had been a Eurasian Wigeon earlier in the day, but when we looked we were unable to find it. We did get to see a river otter.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Bob had some great photos today. Check out his gallery http://www.jstokstad.com/Las_Gallinas/

Click Read More to see today’s bird list.

Las Gallinas Valley Water Treatment Plant Bird List

Marin, US-CA Feb 26, 2012 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM

37 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose  X
Gadwall  X
American Wigeon  X
Mallard  X
Northern Shoveler  X
Northern Pintail  X
Green-winged Teal  X
Common Merganser  X
Ruddy Duck  X
Pied-billed Grebe  X
Eared Grebe  X
Western/Clark’s Grebe  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Great Egret  X
Snowy Egret  X
Green Heron  X
Black-crowned Night-Heron  X
Red-tailed Hawk  X
American Coot  X
Killdeer  X
Black-necked Stilt  X
Greater Yellowlegs  X
Willet  X
Mew Gull  X
gull sp.  X
Black Phoebe  X
American Crow  X
Tree Swallow  X
Bewick’s Wren  X
Marsh Wren  X
Northern Mockingbird  X
European Starling  X
Yellow-rumped Warbler  X
California Towhee  X
Song Sparrow  X
White-crowned Sparrow  X
Golden-crowned Sparrow  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X