Peregrine Audubon Field Trip

Trip Report by George Chaniot & Cheryl Watson

Saturday 31 Oct 2009 -- Clear Lake State Park

Places Visited: Campgrounds, sloughs, beach, and mouth of Kelsey Creek

Participants: Sue Carter, George Chaniot, Nan Frenkel, Geoff Heinecken, Tom Jacobson, Helen and David Menasian, Beth Pacheco, Marcia Pratt, Barbara Vaughn, Chuck Vaughn (leader) Vishnu, Cheryl Watson, Rudy Yakzan, and Lena Yakzan.

Photo © 2009 by Vishnu At the mouth of Kelsey Creek we found a cooperative Peregrine Falcon perched.
Peregrine preparing to fly

Photo © 2009 by Vishnu But when we got too close, it took off.
Peregrine flies off

Photo © 2009 by David Menasian The shorebirds scattered when the Peregrine took off, but the pelicans and cormorants were unperturbed.
Lena Yakzan and pelicans

In this group of pelicans we saw one with a red wing-tag number 913. It turns out that this pelican was tagged on July 31 of this year as a juvenile too young to fly at Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in Cassia County, Idaho by Dr. Rex Sallabanks of the Idaho Fish and Game.

Species: Below is a full list of the birds seen or heard by participants:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
California Quail
Pacific Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Dowitcher sp.
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Sooty Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

74 Bird Species

Bird of the Day: American White Pelicans, for their dramatic appearance from the west.

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Last revised November 16, 2009