A little bird told me.....

San Carlos has an abundance of bird life and the local "What's Up in San Carlos" online newsletter carries a birding report which reports recent sightings in the area.  We also refer to "The SIBLEY Field Guide to Birds of Western North America" as one of our sources to puzzle out visitors to the marina waters and around our rental accommodation.

This little fellow is a sparrow - perhaps a Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri) or Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina).  They appear in flocks of six to a dozen in the empty lots nearby and forage on the ground amongst the mixed grasses and bushes.

My initial reaction to spotting this solitary bird was 'a cardinal'.  The birding reports mentioned spotting Northern Cardinals and Pyrrhuloxias, a name I wasn't familiar with.  Sibley's pointed the way and the photo below, not as clear as I'd like, is of Cardinalis sinuatus.  "Common in brushy desert habitat; moving in small groups through brushy vegetation; stubby, curved, yellowish bill and longer pointed crest" (page 398).

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)

This photo was taken with my cellphone, so is not distinct.  This particular Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) was intent on some fish in the water between A and B dock, near the entrance ramps.  SIBLEY'S states:  "forages for small fish in shallow water, actively crouching and running" (page 57) - exactly what we observed.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) at marina

We don't have clear photos of the gatherings of water birds visiting the marina this past week, but Kelly identified them as Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis). They are also known as Black-necked grebes. [I am taking the liberty of copying a photo from Wikipedia, with thanks, until we can get a clear photo of our own to use.]  These birds "winter on open water from small ponds to open ocean, often in groups of up to 100 or more; dives for aquatic insects and crustaceans".

Eared or Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) courtesy of Wikipedia

Now that I recall, we saw 'rafts' of birds when we were anchored in Caleta San Juanico and they could have been the same bird.

Raft up of seabirds - possibly Eared Grebes - San Juanico 2012

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are common sightings as well.  These photos were on San Francisco Beach on our visit to the Estero. The pelicans are a delight to watch as they plunge-dive into the water to catch their meal.  I particularly love to watch them as they fly in a low formation just above the water, keeping in time, rising and falling. 

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

The Turkey Vulture has a "distinctive flight with wings raised in dihedral and tilting gently from side to side" (Sibley, page 96).

Always on the lookout for new sightings.