Katy Penland
Well-known member
Since moving back to Los Angeles from Arizona and then up to the Bay area, I still don't have a yard where I can observe or attract wild birds so decided to stake out a local patch for myself close to home, which is in Pacifica, about 6 miles south of San Francisco and about 1 1/2 blocks from the beach.
The patch itself encompasses the walk I take from the local pier, which is 1/3 mile long, along the beach atop a seawall that separates the golf course and small freshwater lagoons from the beach, and up the first row of hills that form the "T" at the end of the seawall and drop off seaward into the water at Mori Point, the southernmost end of our cove's beach.
So it's a nice combo of shore, marsh, evergreen (cypress), and coastal sage scrub habitats. And fog! The local weather forecasters say the Bay area has 19 micro-climates, and "Where in the fog is Pacifica?" is the city's motto. Which makes me feel very akin to those of you across the pond, and also makes me take the sun far less for granted!
So here's the patch list so far, beginning the first week of July 2007:
1. Common Loon
2. Red-throated Loon (2)
3. Western Grebe
4. Clark's Grebe
5. Pied-billed Grebe (4 ads; 3-6 juvs)
6. Shearwater (sp)
7. Brown Pelican
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Brandt's Cormorant
10. Great Blue Heron (1 ad)
11. Green Heron (1 ad)
12. Black-crowned Night Heron (1 ad; 1 juv)
13. Mallard (2 pair; 1 with 5 ducklings)
14. Surf Scoter
15. Ruddy Duck (5 males; 2 females, 1 with 8 ducklings)
16. Turkey Vulture
17. Bald Eagle (flying juv being mobbed by 8 Caspian Terns)
18. White-tailed Kite (1)
19. Cooper's Hawk (juv)
20. Sharp-shinned Hawk (juv)
21. Red-tailed Hawk (1 ad and 1 juv)
22. Red-shouldered Hawk (juv)
23. American Kestrel
24. Peregrine Falcon
25. American Coot (several juvs)
26. Killdeer
27. Black Oystercatcher
28. Whimbrel
29. Marbled Godwit
30. Black Turnstone
31. Sanderling
32. Wilson's Phalarope (2)
33. Red-necked Phalarope (35-40)
34. Ring-billed Gull (1)
35. Herring Gull (1)
36. Western Gull
37. Heermann's Gull
38. Caspian Tern (30+ mostly gone now)
39. Elegant Tern (20+ gone now)
40. Arctic Tern (1 among Caspians and Elegants; gone now)
41. Common Murre
42. Murrelet (sp; possible Ancient)
43. Rock Dove
44. Band-tailed Pigeon
45. Mourning Dove
46. Eurasian Collared-Dove (1 on 8/30)
47. Great Horned Owl (heard only)
48. Anna's Hummingbird
49. Black Phoebe
50. Western Scrub-Jay
51. American Crow
52. Common Raven
53. Violet-green Swallow
54. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
55. Barn Swallow
56. Cliff Swallow
57. Bewick's Wren
58. Winter Wren
59. European Starling
60. Common Yellowthroat
61. California Towhee
62. Song Sparrow
63. White-crowned Sparrow
64. House Sparrow
65. Red-winged Blackbird (1 in flock of Brewer's)
66. Brewer's Blackbird
67. House Finch
68. Lesser Goldfinch
69. American Goldfinch
Marine mammals I've seen so far have been 3 Harbor Porpoise, 1 Blue and 3 Humpback Whales, and 12 Harbor Seals. Land mammals include Rock Squirrel, Gopher (sp) and Red Fox.
The patch itself encompasses the walk I take from the local pier, which is 1/3 mile long, along the beach atop a seawall that separates the golf course and small freshwater lagoons from the beach, and up the first row of hills that form the "T" at the end of the seawall and drop off seaward into the water at Mori Point, the southernmost end of our cove's beach.
So it's a nice combo of shore, marsh, evergreen (cypress), and coastal sage scrub habitats. And fog! The local weather forecasters say the Bay area has 19 micro-climates, and "Where in the fog is Pacifica?" is the city's motto. Which makes me feel very akin to those of you across the pond, and also makes me take the sun far less for granted!
So here's the patch list so far, beginning the first week of July 2007:
1. Common Loon
2. Red-throated Loon (2)
3. Western Grebe
4. Clark's Grebe
5. Pied-billed Grebe (4 ads; 3-6 juvs)
6. Shearwater (sp)
7. Brown Pelican
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Brandt's Cormorant
10. Great Blue Heron (1 ad)
11. Green Heron (1 ad)
12. Black-crowned Night Heron (1 ad; 1 juv)
13. Mallard (2 pair; 1 with 5 ducklings)
14. Surf Scoter
15. Ruddy Duck (5 males; 2 females, 1 with 8 ducklings)
16. Turkey Vulture
17. Bald Eagle (flying juv being mobbed by 8 Caspian Terns)
18. White-tailed Kite (1)
19. Cooper's Hawk (juv)
20. Sharp-shinned Hawk (juv)
21. Red-tailed Hawk (1 ad and 1 juv)
22. Red-shouldered Hawk (juv)
23. American Kestrel
24. Peregrine Falcon
25. American Coot (several juvs)
26. Killdeer
27. Black Oystercatcher
28. Whimbrel
29. Marbled Godwit
30. Black Turnstone
31. Sanderling
32. Wilson's Phalarope (2)
33. Red-necked Phalarope (35-40)
34. Ring-billed Gull (1)
35. Herring Gull (1)
36. Western Gull
37. Heermann's Gull
38. Caspian Tern (30+ mostly gone now)
39. Elegant Tern (20+ gone now)
40. Arctic Tern (1 among Caspians and Elegants; gone now)
41. Common Murre
42. Murrelet (sp; possible Ancient)
43. Rock Dove
44. Band-tailed Pigeon
45. Mourning Dove
46. Eurasian Collared-Dove (1 on 8/30)
47. Great Horned Owl (heard only)
48. Anna's Hummingbird
49. Black Phoebe
50. Western Scrub-Jay
51. American Crow
52. Common Raven
53. Violet-green Swallow
54. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
55. Barn Swallow
56. Cliff Swallow
57. Bewick's Wren
58. Winter Wren
59. European Starling
60. Common Yellowthroat
61. California Towhee
62. Song Sparrow
63. White-crowned Sparrow
64. House Sparrow
65. Red-winged Blackbird (1 in flock of Brewer's)
66. Brewer's Blackbird
67. House Finch
68. Lesser Goldfinch
69. American Goldfinch
Marine mammals I've seen so far have been 3 Harbor Porpoise, 1 Blue and 3 Humpback Whales, and 12 Harbor Seals. Land mammals include Rock Squirrel, Gopher (sp) and Red Fox.