The PhotoNaturalist

Birding Northern California Part 4—Pine Flat Road, Titlow Mountain Road, Golden Gate Park. Bird Highlights include booming Sooty Grouse, Red-breasted Sapsucker nest, Mountain Quail covey, California Thrasher, Cassin’s Vireo, Bell’s Sparrow. And Sparky squeeks in a Bobcat to within 20 feet!

Sparky finally makes it to Coastal California to do some more birding and bird photography—Point Reyes, Bodega Head, Elk Head Trail at Trinidad Beach. Lifer Elephant Seal appears at Drake’s Beach! Inland bird highlights include Chestnut-backed Chickadees, singing Wilson’s Warblers, fruit-eating Band-tailed Pigeon, curious California Thrasher pair, and a surprisingly loud Yellow-breasted Chat.

On the way to the Coast Sparky detours to enjoy the MASSIVE California Redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants and Founders Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. He even drives THROUGH the Chandelier Tree!

Along the Coast, the best sightings were a couple pairs of enigmatic Black Oystercatchers, Western Gull with four fuzzy chicks, Heerman’s Gulls, Pelagic Cormorants, thousands of nesting Common Murres and watching the fascinating courtship and mating rituals of the Brandt’s Cormorant.

Sparky birds northern California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park in this episode. Unfortunately the late spring has the road through the park still blocked by snow. But he is able to see a bunch of cool mountain birds including Hermit Warbler, Mountain Chickadee, “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow, “Audubon’s” Warbler, Western Tanager, Clark’s Nutcracker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and he finds the nests of Steller’s Jay and Dark-eyed Junco.

But something is calling incessantly from a steep bank. Sparky investigates and finds a day-old Mule Deer fawn wedged in a rock crevice.  See what happens next!

In Part 1 of Birding Northern California. Sparky heads out to San Francisco to fill in some gaps in his ABA Life List. He also hopes to get photos of birds he hasn’t seen in 20 years or more.

He visits Ellis Creek Water Recycling in Petaluma, Red Bluff Recreation Area, Rayhouse Road/Road 40, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, Whiskeytown NRA, and some random roadside spots.

Avian Highlights include Yellow-billed Magpie, Lazuli Bunting, “California” Red-shouldered Hawk, Black Phoebe, Acorn and White-headed woodpeckers, Wrentit, Bushtit, Acorn Titmouse and a happy family of Common Mergansers. 

More coming in Parts 2, 3 and 4!

Sparky visits three of his favorite spring birding and bird photography spots in western Minnesota…Lake Osakis by kayak (Western Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Marsh Wren, Forster’s Terns), Felton Prairie in Clay County (Marbled Godwits, Greater Prairie Chickens, Bobolinks) and Thief Lake WMA by floating blind (floating hide) (Franklin’s Gulls, Dunlin, Forster’s Terns)

A day trip to northern Minnesota’s Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge yields some nice photo opportunities including Thumper the drumming Ruffed Grouse, goslings out for a walk, Golden-winged Warbler, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that is quite a ways north of its normal range.

We also tour the Warren Nelson photo blind.

American White Pelicans stage on the St. Louis River of Fond du Lac, Duluth MInnesota every spring from late April through mid May. Their antics are entertaining! They glide on 9-foot wingspans (second widest in North America!) over the hilly landscape and perform surprisingly graceful “waterski” landings. My favorite is their bill stretching exercises…and I have several clips of this. One catches a fish that is nearly too big to swallow.

Need a creative jumpstart to your wildlife photography? In this video I try and backlight the pelicans pouch and create a “stained glass” effect. I also share other backlighting wildlife photography tips.

Spring in Sax-Zim Bog filmed on April 25, 2024: Season FIVE of Virtually Live from Sax-Zim Bog begins with Sparky seeing what spring migrants have returned to northern Minnesota. Along McDavitt Road he finds TWO rarely seen behaviors…Mating Sandhill Cranes and two leaping Black Bears! We also see some crazy video clips of our 8-year old friend Blake who has an American Woodcock that has chosen him as a mate! Other avian highlights include cooperative Green-winged Teal, courtship display of the Broad-winged Hawk, and slow-motion Trumpeter Swans.

Sparky also encourages everyone to join Friends of Sax-Zim Bog’s big spring event called the Big Week. It runs from May 11-18.

Floating Blind Photography UNEXPECTED FINDS! Earth Day Floating Hide

Sparky and Ryan take their floating blinds out for some morning bird photography at Tobin-Kimmes Wetlands in Wisconsin. Curious Trumpeter Swans come very close and check out Sparky in his portable “muskrat house.” Great encounter with a close Hooded Merganser results in Sparky’s best photos of the female of this species ever! And finally, Sparky spends about 45 minutes with an unexpected guest as a Belted Kingfisher drops in on the marsh.

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Lots of positive and exciting things going on in Sax-Zim Bog! Sparky spends some time with the Evening Grosbeak researchers David and Mallory as they track the birds with satellite transmitters.

We also enjoy one last look at the beautiful white male Snowy Owl that graced Sax-Zim with its presence for a few weeks before being hit and killed by a train.

Sparky interviews young brothers Ari & Asher from Tennessee about their trip, and also runs across Big Year birders Owen & Quentin whom share in a close Black-backed Woodpecker sighting.

And how about some hockey at the Zim Rec rink?