Cory’s Shearwater off the coast of Madeira, Portugal Photo Credit – Author Cory’s Shearwater is a large, heavy bird and a member of the seabird family Procelleridae. It breeds primarily in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira and the Canary Islands, Spain. …
Northern Mockingbird Photo Credit – the Author Amidst a cacophony of mid-morning birdsong, a medium-sized bird, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in length, caught my eye. Its tail, as long as its body, was a striking feature. The bird’s plumage was a mix of …
Greater Scaup (male with the white plumage)
California winter visitors, the Greater Scaup, have recently left the coastal creek near my home and returned to their breeding grounds along the West Coast up to Alaska. Previously, I have written about ducks known as Buffleheads and Teal; now, it is the turn of the Scaup: Lesser and Greater. The name probably originates from the Scot’s word scalp, meaning a bed of shellfish, a favorite food of the duck. Alternatively, some suggest the word comes from the female’s scaup call. Its nickname in North America is Bluebill because of its distinctive blue bill.
Both species of Scaup are medium-sized and similar in appearance, except for the longer, whitish band on the wings of the Greater Scaup and its rounded head, whereas the Lesser Scaup’s head is peaked. Large bodies of water, often near the coast, are home to the Greater, and the Lesser inhabits marshes and ponds. Both dive underwater for food, and while the most common dabbling duck in the United States is the Mallard, the Lesser Scaup is the most numerous diving duck.
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Greater is whiter)
I recorded Scaup during my childhood in Yorkshire, England. After leaving their breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia, and western Russia, they were winter visitors. As winters have become warmer and wetter, there are fewer Scaup, with the British population estimated to have shrunk 75 percent since the mid-1970s. Britain also hosts the “Lesser” variety as a rare vagrant, with the first recorded sighting in the 1980s.
Greater Scaup Global Range
Blue: breeding; Red: winter and migration
Lesser Scaup Range
What makes a Scaup a duck and not a goose since both are in the same waterfowl family, Anatidae? Experts identify the number of bones the bird has in its neck. Ducks have 16 or fewer, while geese have between 17 and 24. Other differences include ducks with broader and longer beaks, geese typically larger, and ducks with more colorful plumage, especially males.
For now, I must be patient. The Greater Scaup will return in October. In the meantime, I can look for the widespread Mallard found virtually on all bodies of water or search in California for breeding Gadwalls and Cinnamon Teals.
Gadwall
Cinnamon Teal
Eurasian or Common Kestrel: Photo Credit – Wikipedia American Kestrel Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology Thank you, Sonoma Land Trust, for connecting me with the beautiful American Kestrel, the smallest raptor in North America, during a recent visit to the Sonoma …
Humming-bird Hawk-moth Photo Credit – Graeham Mounteney, Butterfly Conservation Hummingbirds are small, often migratory birds that inhabit the Americas. They have compact bodies, long, narrow beaks, and relatively long blade-like wings. The latter allows them to fly in every direction and to hover. Typically, …
Belted Kingfisher
I usually hear the Belted Kingfisher rather than see one when walking alongside the Corte Madera Creek near San Francisco. Occasionally, you might observe one perched above the water or hovering on rapidly beating wings. The Belted Kingfisher is a member of about 120 species worldwide, with the most prominent being the Kookaburra, native to Australia and New Guinea. Kingfishers have big heads, dagger bills, and tiny feet. Only the Belted Kingfisher and two other species are resident in the United States. Neither of the other two, the Green Kingfisher and the Ringed Kingfisher, is present in California.
Green Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher
The global population of the Belted Kingfisher is approximately two million, of which two-thirds inhabit North America. It is abundant and widespread near lakes, streams, and estuaries, and is of Least Concern under the United States classification of Birds of Conservation Concern.
Here is some information on kingfishers in general and Belted Kingfishers in particular:
Painting by Herbert James Draper, 1915: “Halcyone”
Common/Eurasian Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher, Nest
Belted Kingfisher Native American Art
It is a bird that I love to hear as much as to see.
Eurasian Collared Doves Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology Recently, I was walking alongside my local creek-side in Northern California when I heard the purring sound of goo-Goo-goo, and strove to find out what it was. I discovered a pair of Eurasian Collared …
Western Bluebirds Male & Female Photo Credit – National Geographic The number of Western Bluebirds fluttering and dropping to the ground in search of insects appears to have dramatically increased this fall around the golf course I use here in northern California. What is …
Black-Headed Grosbeak
The fall migration is underway. There are birds appearing in my Northern California backyard which I have not identified before. First there was the Black-Headed Grosbeak, a member of the Cardinal family, inspecting my bird feeder, probably looking for its favorite seed, the sunflower, and then there was a terrible accident involving a Western Tanager. These are not rare birds in California, just unusual in my backyard.
Black-Headed Grosbeak Range
The Black-Headed Grosbeak is a medium sized bird, about the size of a Starling, and is widespread and common in most parts of California, with its numbers appearing stable. It breeds as far north as southwest British Columbia. The average life span is approximately seven years. It chooses oak and mixed woodland for its summer habitat, but as it starts to migrate during September, to spend up to seven months wintering in central Mexico, it tends to choose open woodland, trees alongside streams, and suburban areas, as its preferred environment.
Black-Headed Grosbeak, Both Sexes
The plumage of the male and female is somewhat different, but both genders possess a deep, conical beak, which gives the bird its name. The male has a black head, black speckled white back and tail, and an orangish neck, breast, and sides. The female is browner, with a whitish belly and streaking on the sides.
Their diet is mainly insects, snails, and spiders during summer, but they switch to seeds, berries, and fruit in winter. They are one of the few birds that eat monarch butterflies, despite the noxious chemicals these insects contain after eating milkweed during their larval stage.
Spotted Towhee
Beware of confusing the Black-Headed Grosbeak with a Spotted Towhee. The latter can be distinguished by its smaller bill and longer tail, and the orange coloring is restricted to its sides.
Evening Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
There are other species of Grosbeak to be found in California, such as the Evening Grosbeak, so-named because, at first, it was thought only to sing at dusk, the Blue Grosbeak, and the occasional Pine Grosbeak, which is widespread across northern Europe and Asia as well as North America. The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak breeds primarily in the forests of the eastern United States, and winters in central and southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America.
Western Tanager, Male and Female
The Western Tanager that made it to my backyard unfortunately never left. It flew into a house window during the daytime, and died on impact. I hoped it was only stunned but that was not the case. I need to do something about my window!
Fatal Accident
Glass windows are worse than invisible. They either reflect foliage and the sky, or face off against another window, and appear not to exist. Up to an estimated one billion birds die annually from window strikes in the United States. I am considering what I should do. Should I place decals or stickers on the window despite its large size? The alternatives include installing shutters, using a mosquito screen or netting, adding a series of rope bird-savers, or inside, maybe I could add blinds, the simplest solution.
Western Tanager Range Map:
Western Tanagers breed in the mountains of California, and as far north as Alaska, and winter in north-west Mexico, and as far south as central Costa Rica. Despite their name, the species is a member of the Cardinal family. They eat insects, fruit, and berries. Males are readily recognized by their bright red head, lemon-yellow breast and back, and black wings, shoulders, and tail. Both sexes possess a relatively small, light-colored beak. They are a couple of inches shorter than an American Robin and slightly smaller than a Black-Headed Grosbeak. Their typical life span, excluding accidents, is around eight years.
I await the arrival of my next unusual species of bird.
Bald Eagle in Marin County (Photo Credit – Elyse Omernick, Marin Living Magazine) A friend of mine recently sighted a Bald Eagle near Fairfax, CA. an event that was inconceivable a few years ago. The Bald Eagle returned to Marin County, CA. in 2008 …
Barn Owls Photo Credit – Birds and Blooms Someone from San Anselmo recently asked me about Owls in Marin, and expressed interest in installing an Owl Box. I believe Owl Boxes are available as part of the Hungry Owls Project sponsored by the WildCare …
I was first introduced during the late 1950s to the small songbird, a member of the finch family, called the Linnet or Common Linnet, when I was associated with the Bootham School Natural History Club in York, England. Founded in 1834, the society was one of the first such school organizations, and included ornithologists who reported on birds in the York area. My references are taken from their Bird List publication, dated March 1958. Coincidentally, at the time of the society’s formation, Darwin was sailing on the HMS Beagle along the west coast of South America, and a year later began his studies in the evolution of the Galapagos finches.
My experience with the American House Finch came much later when I resumed bird spotting during the COVID pandemic.
Early Photo of Bootham School Natural History Outing
The name Linnet comes from lin, meaning flax, and linum, Latin for feeding on flax seeds. Back in time, flax seed formed most of the birds’ diet. As well as widely distributed in the UK, Linnets are found across Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, and inhabit farmlands, scrubland, hedgerows, parks, and orchards. They were also introduced into the Dominican Republic.
Linnet Distribution Map
Light green: breeding; dark green: resident: blue: non-breeding.
During the 1950s, these birds were reported around York year-round, they nested in the area, and were joined by large migrating flocks during winter. In the early 1960s, at Spurn Point, I observed several hundred migrating Linnets a day, and before dawn, you could hear them twittering high above in the dark, as they traveled along the coastline. They are one of the first species of bird to make it onto my Life List, along with other finch family members, such as the Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, and the winter visitor known as the Brambling. I describe the Chaffinch in Chapter 20 of my novel She Wore a Yellow Dress.
Because of their twittering, back in the 19th century, Linnets were a very popular cage bird.
Chaffinch, Male
Male Linnets have grey heads, dark pink foreheads and breasts, and rich brown backs. Females are more modestly colored. They feed on the ground and in hedgerows, gorse thickets, heathland, and scrub, and consume mainly seeds. Their numbers have fallen. Between 1970 and 2014, the estimated decline in the UK was 54 percent, and across Europe, from 1980 to 2008, a 62 percent reduction is estimated. Changes in farm practices, removal of hedges, and the greater use of herbicides and fertilizers are causes of this decline.
Here in California, the most common species of bird that visits my birdfeeders is the House Finch. They are similar in size to Linnets (around 5.5 inches/14 cm long), and the males have red markings, comparable to the male Linnets. They are year-round residents, and nest in bushes, or in ivy on buildings, or holes and ledges on manmade structures, and occasionally use the abandoned nests of other birds. They are strongly attracted to bird feeders, preferring to eat small sunflower seeds. They also enjoy using bird baths.
House Finches at Author’s Bird Feeder
Of note, some of the male birds’ coloration comes from pigments in the berries and fruit that they eat. If present when molting, the pigment in their feathers will become a stronger red. This is important since females prefer to mate with the reddest of males they can find.
House Finch Distribution Map
House Finches are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, with California as their capital, and they are mainly permanent residents. Today, an introduced population has established itself on the eastern side of the country. Many of these eastern birds migrate south for winter, with the females flying further south than the males. These birds originate from past practices when caged birds were transported to New York for sale as pets. In 1940, several Long Island shop-owners decided to release their birds to avoid prosecution for selling them. These few released birds multiplied during the following years, and the species’ current population, including those in the southwest, is estimated at between 250 million to over one billion. The species was also introduced in Hawaii around 1859.
Some Californians have suggested that the name House Finch should be changed to Linnet, or California Linnet, because of the bird’s similarity in appearance to the Eurasian Linnet, and the prestige that the new name would carry. So far the idea has not caught on. There is no close genetic relationship between the two species, and flax, after which the Linnet is named, is not a native plant to North America.
Comparison of Purple Finch with House Finch
Before I end, I should mention the Purple Finch. This is a bird whose appearance is the most like the House Finch, especially the females, and it can be tricky distinguishing between the two. However, male Purple Finches are colored a deep cranberry or raspberry red, whereas male House Finches are more orangey- red. Additionally, the male House Finch has brown streaking under its wings, and the territory of the Purple Finch is mainly further north than the House Finch.
Purple Finch Distribution Map
In summary, if you are in California, go listen to the twittering of House Finches, as they hide among the branches for their turn to eat at the bird feeder. If you don’t have a bird feeder, possibly buy one? If you are in England, you probably will have to travel to the countryside to see the Linnet, since these birds have not yet been persuaded to use garden bird tables.
Male Black-throated Gray Warbler (Photo Credit eBird) During May this year, the Black-throated Gray Warbler made its way onto my birding “life list” as a result of a visit to Yosemite Valley. Not that these birds are rare in California ,but I had never …
Eurasian Hoopoe (Photo Credit eBird) I have just returned from a trip to Israel, a country that adopted the Hoopoe as its national bird in May 2008. I was fortunate enough to see one hunting for food on the lawns of HaPisga Gardens in …
Ridgway’s Rail
Some people hold the opinion that the saying “As Thin as a Rail” derives from a comparison with the skinny and slender shape of birds known as Rails, including the Ridgway’s Rail. Many of these species have laterally compressed bodies, which from the front make them appear thin, but from the side they look full-bodied. This unusual form permits each bird to pass easily through thick vegetation that grows in freshwater and saltwater marshlands. The alternative opinion is that the maxim refers to the more mundane wooden rail, stick, or bar used in the construction of fences. Etymology suggests that the bird took its name from the Latin and Old French word “rascula” that means “to rail” or “to mock”, and is likely a description of the hoarse vocalizations that these birds make. The Latin word “regula” is probably the source of “As Thin as a Rail” since it translates as “a straight stick”. Whichever is correct, this month’s Bird Blog features representatives of the Rail family of birds, and two species in particular that I am familiar with – the fairly abundant Water Rail in Europe and the very rare California Ridgway’s Rail in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Thin-as-a-Rail
Back during 1960, I recorded my first sighting of the elusive Water Rail. I do not recall its location but the most likely place was Fairburn Ings in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Back then, the site was an enormous slag heap of mining waste overlooking an area of open water and marshland created by ground subsidence caused by underground coal extraction. While the location was not a bird sanctuary until later that decade, I found it accessible for my childhood birdwatching. “Ings” is an Old English word to describe an area of water meadows and marshland.
European Water Rail
Water Rails are hen-sized birds, about 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28cm) long, with chestnut-brown upperparts mottled with a black pattern, gray underparts and face, black-and-white barred flanks, and a mainly reddish- orange, long bill, used to probe mud and shallow water in search of food. The plumage affords excellent camouflage during the breeding season, and in winter, while the birds are potentially more visible, they skulk among the reeds and generally stay hidden. You are more likely to hear them emitting their pig-like grunts and rasping calls, than to see them. Also, as with other species of rail, they are rarely seen in flight preferring to move significant distances only under the cover of darkness.
Currently, it is estimated there are about 4000 breeding pairs in Britain, primarily distributed in the eastern region of England, and in winter they are joined by birds that migrate from Central and Eastern Europe. Western European Water Rails generally are sedentary thanks to the warmer weather. Conservation-wise, the species is considered of “Least Concern”, with a stable population in the UK, although their numbers are at risk due to flooding and freezing, habitat loss, and predation. The Water Rail population in Europe is estimated at around 700,000 birds.
European Water Rail Range Map
Green – resident; Blue – winter; Yellow – summer; Orange – passage.
Move the clock forward about 60 years to last month when I had the satisfaction of sighting my first of another type of rail – the California Ridgway’s Rail. Prior to 2014, it was called the Clapper Rail, but following genetic research, this species was split into three regional groups, one known as the Mangrove Rail inhabiting the east coast of South America, the Clapper Rail that inhabits the US East Coast and Caribbean, down to Central America, and the Ridgway’s Rail for those resident in California, Arizona, Nevada, and along the western coast of Mexico. All three species are secretive wetland birds, the size of about a chicken, and are known for their loud rattling and chattering calls. The Ridgway’s Rail has been further separated into three subspecies, with the name of Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail given to birds in Southern California and Mexico, the Yuma Ridgway’s Rail to those found in the lower Colorado River and salty waters of the Salton Sea, and the name of California Ridgway’s Rail to those in the San Francisco Bay Area.
East Coast Clapper Rail
Mangrove Rail
In addition, there is the King Rail, the largest bird in the rail family, at 15 to 19 inches (38 to 48 cm) in length, and one which is widely distributed throughout the eastern half of the United States. It prefers freshwater habitats. Also, in 2014, the Aztec Rail, about two inches smaller than the King Rail, was spun off from the King Rail as a separate species, and is resident in Mexico’s interior freshwater marshes.
2014 Introduction of new rail species
King Rail
Not shown on the above map is the distribution of the smaller rails which are native to North America. There is the Black Rail, a very rare and elusive bird, and difficult to spot because of its color. It is a mouse-sized representative, found in the southeastern coastal parts of the United States and interior sites, plus California. Its population is approximately 50,000, and of these, about 5,000 live in California primarily among the marshes of the northern Bay Area. The Virginia Rail, about 10 inches (25 cm) long, is more widespread and has a presence in northern California, the Central Valley of California, and the San Francisco Bay area. Finally, the scarce Yellow Rail, which is about six inches (15cm) long, breeds in Canada and winters along the Gulf Coast. A small population is present in California during winter, particularly in central California and along the coast.
Black Rail
Virginia Rail
Yellow Rail
But now let me address the California Ridgway’s Rail. It is 13 to 19 inches (33 to 48 cm) in length and named after Robert Ridgway, an important ornithologist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who for 40 years, was the Curator of Birds at the Smithsonian Institution. Among his many accomplishments was describing the taxonomy of the birds that now bear his name.
Like other species, the California Ridgway’s Rail is highly secretive and lives concealed among cordgrass, pickleweed, and saltgrass growing in salty and brackish water along the San Francisco Bay estuary. These birds are non-migratory. Over decades, large segments of the species’ habitat have been lost to urban development and in-filling, and as a result, by the 1970s, the bird was declared “endangered”. Today its population hovers around 1,100, and the majority live in wildlife refuges and ecological reserves, including the newly-restored four acre tidal wetland near my home that is part of the over 200 acres of salt marsh known as the Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve. It is situated across from San Quentin Prison and the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, and during construction, non-native vegetation was replaced with around 17,000 salt-tolerant native seedlings.
Corte Madera Ecological Reserve
On a Sunday during March this year I was walking along the loop trail at low tide when a flock of what appeared to be Western Meadowlarks flew in and settled in the grass, maybe 20 yards (18 meters) away from me. I wanted to confirm the identification through my binoculars. As I looked, there was no sign of the Meadowlarks, but suddenly a larger bird’s head and body popped up above the grass, giving the appearance on wanting to know “what is happening around here?”. By the time I comprehended what I was looking at, it had vanished into the grass, and I lost the opportunity to take a photo. It was a hansom grey bird, with a pinkish breast, and a whitish rump patch that was not visible to me. The shape was what you would expect, and its long, prominent bill was clearly seen.
California Ridgway’s Rails forage by probing into muddy wetlands in search of invertebrate prey and prefer to inhabit areas with tall plant material that gives them protection. A special salt gland is used to drink seawater, and nesting usually takes place from mid-March to August. An average of seven eggs is incubated, and both partners share in the incubation. Once the chicks are hatched, they will leave the nest in a couple of days and may be carried on the backs of their parents during their first two weeks to help them survive high tides and to cross open water. The chicks are vulnerable to predatory fish, and the adults are preyed on by raptors, owls, foxes, and feral cats.
California Ridgway’s Rail with Young
I feel honored to have observed this species in their natural habitat and hope that their present numbers will at least be sustained. Not only are they vulnerable to loss of habitat, but rising sea levels offers them a new threat.
Hopefully, you have found my description of this family of birds at least of interest, if not useful. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention the most abundant and wide-spread rail in North America. It differs from other species in that it possesses a uniquely short and conical lemon-yellow colored bill and black face, and goes by the name of Sora rather than Rail. It can be found in freshwater marshes, including at the edges of water, and can be seen by me close by at the Las Gallinas Sanitary Ponds in San Rafael. The origin of the name is unclear but most likely comes from a Native American word, although no one knows which language and which indigenous people.
It is a small, chubby, highly secretive and stealthy, chicken-like bird (8 to10 inches/20 to 25 cm long). Most of its reproduction occurs in the north-central United States and Canada although, for winter, it migrates long distances, and flies as far south as Central and South America. Some pass through California, and there is a small resident population of Soras across the north and center of the state in places where suitable habitat exists. Its call is distinctive, either a high-pitched shout of “your-it, your-it” or a fast horse-like whiny. I hope to see one soon.
Sora
Finally, I acknowledge that this family of birds may seem a little daunting to you, not least because of the many species (there are 152 species worldwide in the avian family of Rallidae), and most are difficult to see because of their size, and their skulking and secretive behaviors. Maybe consequently they have not attracted much attention other than those varieties that face extinction. This could be the reason why I overlooked this family of birds when I published my novel She Wore a Yellow Dress.
