Natural History Wanderings

This morning we scraped the ice off our cars and the” Birding by Ear” class with Denise Wight walked about three miles around Volmer Peak and the Seaview Trail in Tilden Park in Berkeley. Although it was cold and may of the birds were active we did manage to identify 33 species by sound and sight. The bird of the day was the Pygmy Nuthatch that we often saw and heard. Other active birds were Robin, Western Bluebird, and Yellow-rumped Warbler (both Audubon and Myrtle races). Red-breasted Nuthatches, Wrentits, Steller’s Jays, Varied Thrushes and Ravens were all very vocal. The ducks and White Pelican were all distant spottings as we were not near water. Although we looked and listed we did not succeed in finding Rufous-crowned Sparrow or California Thrasher, which can both be found in this area.

The walk also includes great views of San Francisco and the bay to the west and Sacramento and the Sierras to the east. To see today’s bird list go to: Volmer Peak Bird List 2/9/13.