Northern and Central California (2012-2017) – Archival
October 12-14, 2024: Pillar Point and Harbor, James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Venice State Beach, Half Moon Bay; Bayfront Park, Millbrae, San Mateo County, CA (60 Species) Callyn Yorke
Weather: Low fog AM; clearing by 1100 hrs.. 57°F to 68°F; Wind WNW 2 – 10 mph; low tide @ 1030 hrs.; surf 1-2 ft.; seas calm until around 1130 hrs., when becoming choppy from onshore winds.
Time: 0856 – 1600 hrs.
Observers: Dạ Thảo Lê Nguyễn and C. Yorke (10/12/24); CY (10/13/24).
Areas Covered:
1) Pillar Point, Princeton Harbor, El Granada of Half Moon Bay, including the Pillar Point Wetlands, harbors, breakwaters, pier, shoreline, nearshore waters; adjacent coastal chaparral and ruderal patches (PP); James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (FMR) and Venice State Beach (VSB) (10/12; 10/13/24).
Our initial visit to the area (10/12/24: 0856-1010 hrs.) began at the Pillar Point Wetlands trailhead parking area, where we walked westward at the base of a bluff, bordering a shoreline, harbor and breakwater. The trail terminated at the legendary Maverick’s, winter big wave surfing spot. We returned to the parking area along the same route.
At least twenty people, the majority with unleashed dogs, were in the posted Pillar Point Wetlands and on adjacent shorelines during our visit (photos). There were no shorebirds or waders and very few waterbirds near shore, along the route surveyed. This was particularly true for the shoreline bordering the Pillar Point Wetlands.
The scene was similar to a bird survey I made here in November 2012, in which there were fewer than a dozen free-ranging dogs; yet those present with their owners appeared quite adept at flushing flocks of highly mobile Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers. Evidently, many dog owners are oblivious to the worldwide biodiversity crisis and simply ignore official signs that state either, NO DOGS or ALL DOGS MUST BE ON A LEASH. At Pillar Point, there is no effective enforcement of local dog-control ordinances. As a result, wintering and resident shorebirds have vanishingly few foraging or sheltering options and are often forced vacate the area in search of relatively remote shorelines, breakwaters and State refuges and beaches, where dogs are absent and/or dog regulations are taken seriously. Those locations are often terribly overcrowded with migratory birds, which are subjected to the rapid spread of avian diseases.
Additional surveys of the Pillar Point main harbor and pier, adjacent breakwaters and harbor waters, were made (10/13/24 & 10/14/24: 1000-1125 hrs.; 0800-0830 hrs.). Although sightings of a Northern Gannet on the breakwater were made here earlier by another birder (10/14/24: around 0700 hrs.), I was unable to locate this vagrant species from the Atlantic Ocean region. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Brown Pelican, Double-crested and Brandt’s Cormorant on the breakwaters around the PP harbor, had apparently attracted the wayward gannet to the likes of its closest phylogenetic relatives.
Two nearby, dog-less ecological reserves in Half Moon Bay were visited: James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (FMR – 10/12/24: 1430-1600 hrs.) and Venice Beach State Park (VSP -10/13/24: 1200-1335 hrs.). Of those two places, the latter produced a substantial number of birds, including a flock of about one-hundred gulls resting at the high tide line, together with a variety of land birds occupying adjacent coastal chaparral-riparian-Eucalyptus habitat.
2) Bayfront Park, Millbrae (BFP – 10/14/24: 1217-1250 hrs.). I made a brief visual survey, using a Zeiss 10×42 binocular and Nikon D850 with a pf 500mm lens, of waterbirds in the tidal saltmarsh bordering the SFO airport. This wetland, which, viewed from the busy Old Bayshore Highway, appears to have little potential as viable habitat for birds.
This section of the San Francisco Bay experiences constant, high-decibel jet-aircraft noise during take-offs, combined with an adjacent busy roadway. Perhaps due to its infrequent use by dog owners, the Bayfront trail provides relatively close-up views of birds in the tidal marsh. In fact, flocks of waterbirds could be seen resting at high tide within about twenty-five yards of the pedestrian walkway (photo). Further northward, immediately adjacent to an airport runway, inaccessible to the public, many more waterbirds were visible, perhaps most easily identified with a 25-35x spotting scope. Evidently, those birds have habituated to the aircraft noise, jet fuel vapors, air turbulence and other disturbances. Signs posted along the Bayfront trail advise people to refrain from feeding birds (i.e., ducks and geese), which can be a significant hazard to aviation.
BIRDS NOTED
- Canada Goose 21 greg. (gregarious), resting on the the southern section and little disturbed, inner beach dunes, VSP.
- Northern Shoveler 60 (m,f) greg. most in shallows and resting on mudflats, n border of airport runway, BFP.
- Teal sp. cf. Cinnamon Teal 1 (f) in shallows with NOSH, n border of airport runway, BFP.
- Mallard 3 (m,f) greg. in lower stream-marsh outlet to beach, VSB.
- Surf Scoter 2 (m) greg., a pair flying nw, low, about 0.1 mi. offshore, VSB.
- Pied-billed Grebe 1 swimming in harbor, PP.
- Eared Grebe 2 diving nearshore at Maverick’s, PP.
- Western Grebe 6 loosely greg. swimming, resting, outside of surf zone, VSB.
- Feral Rock Pigeon 10 greg. around harbor and settlements, ubiq. (ubiquitous).
- Eurasian Collared Dove 6 greg. trailside and adjacent hillside with utility line and trees, PP.
- Mourning Dove 1 on hillside utility line, PP.
- American Coot 2 swimming near shore and marsh next to kayak rental shop, PP.
- Black-necked Stilt 8 greg. a cohesive flock resting in marsh, n border of runway, BFP.
- American Avocet 80 loosely greg. widely dispersed, foraging in shallows near marsh and mudflats, n side near runway, BFP.
- Black-bellied Plover 20 greg. resting in marsh and on mudflats, n border of runway, BFP.
- Whimbrel 21 greg. in msf with WILL, resting on inner harbor shore next to kayak rental and small stream outlet with a marsh patch, PP; 1 (probably more unidentified) in msf resting with MAGO, BFP.
- Long-billed Curlew 1 (probably more unidentified) in msf resting with MAGO and WILL, BFP.
- Marbled Godwit 80 greg. in msf resting with WILL in marsh near walkway (see previous photo), BFP (photo).
- Western Sandpiper 25 greg. in flight, low over inner bay and marsh, BFP.
- Dowitcher sp. 8 resting in marsh with WILL and MAGO; moving onto narrow mudflat and into shallows foraging, BFP.
- Willet 150 greg. most resting in msf with MAGO, saltmarsh in a cohesive flock at high tide, BFP; on inner harbor shore next to kayak rental with WHIM, PP.
- Heermann’s Gull 500 (conserv. est.) (90% adult + C1, C2; juveniles scarce) most numerous crowded on harbor breakwaters with DCCO and BRPE, PP; on outer beach with CAGU and WEGU, VSB; ubiq..
- Western Gull 300 (conserv. est.) (ad., C1, C2; about 15% C3 & C4; 5% juvenile) ubiq..(photo).
- Iceland Gull 1 (C1) ID: comparatively small head and black bill; pale gray mantle and coverts; with large flock of WEGU, HEEG and CAGU on outer beach, VSB.
- Glaucous-winged x Western Gull 1 (C4/ad.) ID: dusky head and neck; bill large, yellowish with red subterminal patch; bill shape appeared intermediate between WEGU and GWGU; a comparatively pale mantle, wing and tail feathers standing on boat launch dock with flock of WEGU, PP.
- Forster’s Tern 2 in flight over inner bay, BFP.
- Elegant Tern 1 flying fairly high (about 80 ft.), steadily NW, 0.1 mi. offshore, VSB.
- Brandt’s Cormorant 4 in flight, low offshore, PP; an undetermined number with the more numerous DCCO on breakwaters, PP.
- Double-crested Cormorant 600 (ad. imm) (conserv. est.) greg. on breakwaters; in flight nearshore; ubiq..
- Pelagic Cormorant 2 in flight, low 0.1 mi offshore at Maverick’s, PP.
- Brown Pelican 1,200 (ad., imm) greg. most numerous and densely aggregated on harbor breakwaters, PP; some diving offshore, followed by WEGU, HEGU, DCCO and dolphins, ubiq.. (photo).
- Great Blue Heron 3 flying over saltmarsh; 1 resting on scuttled fishing boat in harbor with DCCO and BCNH, PP.
- Great Egret 1 on shore next to breakwater; 1 at edge of n marsh near runway, PP; BFP.
- Snowy Egret 5 loosely greg. at edge of n marsh near runway, BFP; ubiq..
- Black-crowned Night Heron 7 (ad., imm) on scuttled fishing boat in harbor, PP.
- Turkey Vulture 4 in flight over parking area and on shore feeding on wrack at the high tide line, VSB.
- Red-tailed Hawk 2 individuals perched in isolated trees and on utility poles; an adult declivity soaring over bluff, PP; VSB (photos).
- Belted Kingfisher 1 vocal in flight over harbor, PP.
- Northern (RS) Flicker 1 vocal (unseen) hillside conifers, PP.
- Black Phoebe 3 individuals sallying from rocks to insect swarms over beach wrack; sallying from low perches to trailside ruderal patches, PP; 1, trailside marsh, BFP.
- Say’s Phoebe 2 greg. a pair sallying from low perches in hillside chaparral, PP (photo).
- California Scrub-Jay 2 vocal, flying along hillside chaparral with scattered conifers, PP.
- American Crow 2 vocal, in flight over trail, PP.
- Common (Northern) Raven 2 greg. vocal, at hillto residence with a bird bath and cypress tree above a kayak rental shop, boat launch and breakwater, PP.
- Wrentit 1-2, vocal (unseen) hillside chaparral, PP.
- House Wren 1 active in trailside chaparral, PP.
- Bewick’s Wren 1 vocal (calls) active in trailside chaparral, PP.
- Western Bluebird 5 (m,f) greg. sallying to ruderal field from cypress tree, VSB.
- House Finch 10 (m,f) greg., vocal, brushy areas with scattered trees; shorelines and breakwaters, ubiq..
- Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco 4 greg. with WCSP, feeding on bird seed around trailhead, PP.
- White-crowned Sparrow 12 greg., vocal, feeding on bird seed scattered on the ground around at the trailhead, PP; brushy areas with scattered trees, ubiq.. (photo).
- Golden-crowned Sparrow 1 with WCSP, foraging on bird seed at trailhead, PP.
- Savannah Sparrow 2 greg. with HOFI in ruderal patch along breakwater, PP; vocal (unseen) BFP (photo).
- Song Sparrow 5 vocal (calls and song) active in trailside chaparral and edge of marsh, PP.
- California Towhee 2 vocal, at trail head in chaparral with WCSP, PP; 2 on ground at edge of ruderal field, VSB.
- Red-winged Blackbird (m,f) greg., vocal active, though remaining mostly hidden in and around fringe marsh, PP.
- Brown-headed Cowbird 4 (m,f) feeding on bird seed at trailhead, PP.
- Great-tailed Grackle 1 distantly vocal (unseen) possibly across the street in the adjacent hotel grounds or around nearby trailside picnic benches, BFP.
- Common Yellowthroat 2 (m,f) active on trailside, in lower hillside chaparral and edge of marsh, PP.
- Townsend’s Warbler 1 (m) foraging on needle clusters in outer and inner limbs of cypress trees, 8- 15 ft. agl., VSB (photo).
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