February 15

In Birds We Trust joined the Wintu Audubon Society on Lincoln’s Birthday for a ramble around Turtle Bay in Redding. We were impressed, as always, at the coots in evidence. No, not those ubiquitous black water birds that flock to marshy areas throughout California. We found those, of course. (The avian coots were swimming as usual, pumping their heads back and froth, showing off their white beaks.) In addition, we found a plenty of knowledgeable, generous human coots of both genders, who provide their time, experience, and learning to willing neighbors, apparently for the joy of sharing something good. Turtle Bay itself is right in downtown, in the shadow of the spectacular Sundial Bridge. It is thoroughly worked over territory on the Sacramento River. Loggers floated enormous logs to the Bay in the early years of the century, down the Pit River to a mill located here. And dam-builders mined gravel here in the 1930’s and 40’s to build Shasta Dam. Today a bicycle and walking trail winds along the bay and river, ideal for birding.

Large portions of this birding were all about ducks. We saw dabbling or puddle ducks. These are always charming as they upend, showing their rumps, to find water plants and animals. We saw Mallards (metallic green head on the males), Gadwalls (chestnut and black colors with white bellies), and American Wigeons (natty white caps on the males and a green stripe through the male’s eye).

We saw pochards or bay ducks, who are divers and whose feet are set further back on their bodies than the dabblers. We learned to recognize Canvasbacks (chestnut heads on the males and whitish backs and sides) by their very sloping foreheads. We saw Ring-necked ducks, whose necks aren’t ringed but their beaks are (dark heads that are a little peaked); and Lesser Scaups (dark head nearly purplish, no white ring on the bill).

We saw sea ducks (which often live in freshwater areas as well as the sea), who are also divers. There were Common Goldeneye, with checkered white on their wings and a round white spot on the cheek of the male. There were Bufflehead, whose head is such a puffball, with a large white patch on the male’s head. And we saw Common Mergansers (reddish bill, long neck, and a tuft of hair that catches the wind. One of our group called it a Lyle Lovett start-up kit), and Hooded Mergansers (darker bill than the Common, and white head patches).

Altogether, we had a satisfying adventure: more of our sightings soon.

Total, to 2/15: 14