February 17

We saw more than ducks on our Turtle Bay expedition. We saw Canada Geese, sometimes called Honkers because of their familiar call. Equally familiar are their heads, looking like a black stocking with a white chin strap. We have a history with cousins of these geese: A small race of Canada goose, the Aleutian goose, is an endangered species success story. These Aleutian geese travel every year from islands in the Aleutian chain to the rich forage of California. By the early years of this century they were nearly extinct, largely due to the introduction of foxes onto their breeding islands in the Aleutians (placed there so that the fox coats would grow more lushly for a harvest for coats and hats). With the elimination of the foxes and some protection to their wintering grounds in California, they have rebounded in great numbers. We have travelled to Crescent City in the past for a goose festival, the high point of which is watching hundreds of the geese lift off at dawn, heading for the Aleutians after carbo-loading in the grain fields of Crescent City. We’ve had a fondness for the Canada goose ever since.

We saw European Starlings in Turtle Bay. These were introduced in 19th century New York from Europe, and are generally thought to be a pest, dislodging other cavity-nesting birds like nuthatches and flickers. Still, their speckled looks are cheerful. And there were Scrub Jays, long-tailed blue-gray birds. These are corvids, related to crows, magpies and ravens. And they have a bad reputation, especially for eating the eggs and young of other birds as well as crop nuts. But they are easy to spot, and welcoming as they bob and bow on their perches.

We saw Great Egrets, those elegant white birds with big yellow bills and black legs and feet. These birds were decimated by hunters seeking their plumes for hats, but have since recovered. They are patient fishermen, standing and waiting for what swims by, but will also eat frogs and other small creatures. There were Double-Crested Cormorants; their double crests not visible on this day. They are recognizable, however, for their stance with beak tilted to the sky, and for their habit of spreading their wings as they stand, apparently to dry. And we saw a Belted Kingfisher, apparently fishing companionably with a Great Egret. These stocky birds with their big heads look on patrol as they perch watchfully on the riverbank.

We saw groups of Tree Swallows. The exact species of swallow would be difficult for us to distinguish were we not with experienced birders. Swallows generally have poorly developed legs and feet and rarely are seen on the ground. They swoop and turn and climb and turn, apparently with their mouths wide open to scoop up those tasty insects. There were Mourning Doves, with their small heads, and their evocative coo-coos.

There were Black Phoebes in the trees, with their black head and chest and white belly, a member of the Tyrant Flycatcher family. We presume that they are called Tyrants because of their alert posture, looking for insects. And on the edge of the parking lot, some Brewer’s Blackbirds, scooting along the verge as they forage for food. They are modest little birds, black (males) and brown (females).

Total, to 2/17: 24