APRIL 25

WE DID IT!!! We identified nearly 50 new birds on our Godwit Days birding festival in Arcata and the north coast, taking us well over our 100-bird goal. It will take us several posts to give you the details of our finds, but we have completed our challenge: we thought we could, and we did.

We saw some terrific hawks. We identified a Red-shouldered Hawk, swooping over a tidal marshy area in Arcata. These are primarily east coast birds, but California boasts an isolated population, as we confirmed. We saw a White-tailed Kite, now often known as a Black-shouldered Kite, and that about sums up the description. And we saw a Peregrine Falcon, a species hard hit by use of the pesticide DDT and PCBs. PCBs are released when plastic burns, and among its insidious effects are the delay of the onset of breeding, low sexual drive, and feeble prenatal care. Aggressive conservation efforts for these falcons include captive breeding and, of course, the elimination of some pesticides in the environment.

We saw a Pelagic Cormorant, smaller and darker than the more frequently-seen Double-crested Cormorant. He had, however, that up-tilted beak so characteristic of cormorants, in the harbor at Crescent City.

And then we saw the loons and grebes. We saw Common Loons. These water creatures have legs set so far back on their bodies that the legs cannot support them on land. But this placement accounts for its strong dives and capacity to swim underwater after fish. This loon also can expel its air and sink gradually down into the water. At least one of the Common Loons we saw was in breeding plumage, with checkerboard markings on its wings and neck. We also saw a Red-throated Loon, with more white spotting on its back. We did not see the red patch on its neck that occurs during breeding, but during our journeys on this weekend breeding plumage was scattered, not uniform, in the birds we saw.

We saw an array of grebes. We saw the Western Grebe, with its long, graceful neck and yellowish bill. We saw an Eared Grebe, much smaller than the Western and with a black marking down on its cheek. We believe we saw a similar Horned Grebe, about the same size as the Eared Grebe but with a black cap that does not go down onto the cheek. Neither of these birds had the flaring chestnut face feathers they will develop in breeding plumage. And we saw a Pied-billed Grebe, a much plainer, brownish bird but with a black ring around its stout little bill. All these grebes area strong swimmers and divers.

Rhoda introduced us to the concept of the Bird of the Day. Although it is always hard to choose, there is almost always one bird that lights up your list, through its rarity, or its attractiveness, or its clarity that allows you to capture its look for the future. For David the Bird of the Day on Sunday was the Green Heron. These are hulking birds, usually seen alone, as was ours this day. These birds have a chestnut neck, and green and blue-gray back and sides. This chunky bird looks a little embarrassed at lacking the long elegant neck of some of its heron cousins.

Total to 4/25: 78