Natural History Wanderings

Clapper Rail, Sora and Eurasian Wigeon

For New Year’s Day we decided to go birding with friends along the Richmond Bay Trail from Pt. Isabel to Meekers Slough to Shimada Park. We arrived in time for the peak of the King Tide which was 7.1 feet at 11am and left about 4:15  about an hour and half before the peak of low tide. We were hardly the only ones out as many people were enjoying the day. We ran into a number of other birders including a few I know from Golden Gate Audubon.

The three highlight birds were all seen: Clapper Rail, Sora and Eurasian Wigeon. We saw two Clapper Rails and other birders had seen as many as five. The high tide had definitely made them more exposed. We had very good looks at the two Eurasian Wigeon as well.  Also seen were a pair of photogenic Black Oystercatchers. We identified a total of 47 species. To see today’s list go to: Richmond Bay Trail Bird List 1/1/2014.

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