Natural History Wanderings

Today the Golden Gate Audubon birding class, “Romance is in the Air”, (which focuses on  bird courtship, mating, nest-building, and raising young) went to Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, which is part of the East Bay Regional Park System. The park is the site of Round Top, one of the area’s highest peaks,which is made up of lava and volcanic debris left over from a 10-million-year-old volcano.

Highlights of todays field trip included getting good looks at Lazuli Bunting, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrows mating and carrying nesting materials and Kestrels nesting. Many birds were singing to set up territory and attract mates.  We saw and/or heard a total of twenty-nine species.

We also saw a good number of native plants in bloom and several butterflies. Today’s slideshow is of some of the butterflies that we saw. I did much better with butterfly photos as most birds required binoculars and spotting scopes for good looks.

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Sibley Volcanic Regional Park,  May 12, 2012

Bird List 29 species

California Quail       heard only

Wild Turkey       heard only

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel       nesting

Band-tailed Pigeon

Mourning Dove       heard only

Anna’s Hummingbird

Nuttall’s Woodpecker       heard only

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Western Scrub-Jay       heard only

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit       heard only

Wrentit

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee       heard only

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

California Towhee

Lark Sparrow       mating, carrying nesting material

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Black-headed Grosbeak       heard only

Lazuli Bunting

Purple Finch

Lesser Goldfinch       heard only

American Goldfinch

Native Plants

Mules Ear

Checker Mallow

Lupine

Paintbrush

California Poppy

Ithuriel’s Spear

Blue Dicks

Yarrow

Hedge Nettle

Bush Monkeyflower

California Strawberry

California Blackberry

Blue Elderberry

California Phacelia

California Buttercup

Butterflies

Anise Swallowtail

Buckeye

Northern Checkerspot

California Ringlet

Cabbage White