WILD GOOSE CHASE

Despite what you might expect, a Big Year's not all jet-setting, gin and tonics, fine dining and glamor. There's actually a lot of standing around and waiting involved. And it's not like you can read a book while you're waiting. Or catch up on the latest Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. But maybe it's made me a more calm and patient person? (Hmmm. No. I really don't think it has.) 

Today was a bit of a wild goose chase. No, wait, today was an *actual* wild goose chase! A Bean Goose chase. Or more of a Bean Goose wait. Nine hours of waiting for a bird that never turned up (there - I've given away the plot at the start!) I'm here with Chris Hitt, who's been birding CA and AZ recently, and who's making the wait more enjoyable. (Although an actual Bean Goose would have made it even more enjoyable.)

I'd flown home from California to Boston on Saturday after being away from home for almost a month. After Alaska and several pelagics in CA (including Bodega Bay - described below) I was ready for a long weekend of sleep, coffee, watching the Red Sox, sleep, enjoying what's left of the New England fall, sleep and spending time with Gerri and the cats. But mostly sleeping. But my R&R plans were ruined as soon as I landed and turned on my stupid phone: Bean Goose at the Salton Sea! That's a good bird. It's a goose - so could possibly stay all winter (one did back in 2010-11.) But I couldn't relax this weekend knowing it was out there. [Actually - there's also a Golden-crowned Warbler in Texas that gave me even less reason to let up and rest this weekend.) Reluctantly, I booked pretty much the next flight back out west.

And so, I'm back at the Salton Sea - which thankfully isn't as stupidly hot as it was back in the summer. (But "less than stupidly hot" is still hot!) There are lots of geese around. But apart from one Cackling Goose, they're all white - Snow Geese and Ross's Geese.

 Field of Geese (Snow and Ross's)

But despite the 9 hour vigil, the Bean Goose never appears. It wasn't seen yesterday either. It's probably in Mexico by now, knocking back Margaritas. 

Despite the disappointing goose no show, we did have time to see the now famous Blue-footed Boobies at nearby Obsidian Butte.

 Blue-footed Boobies (7 juveniles)

Part of the recent invasion of this species from Mexico.

Other highlights were American Bittern, Roadrunner (which apparently forgot how to make the "meep meep" call that of course all Roadrunners make) and the resident Barn Owl at the Sonny Bono visitor center. Oh - and lot's of honking Sandhill Cranes, newly arrived for the winter.

Sandhill Cranes - flying into the sunset

Last week, before the brief trip home, was also a bit of a wild goose chase - the goose was a Cackling Goose, and the chase a pelagic trip with Debi Shearwater out of Bodega Bay.

Cackling Goose - on the Cordell Bank, more than 25 miles out to sea.

Bodega Bay, in northern California, has more records of rare seabirds than any other US port - and so this was one trip I didn't want to miss. Jay Lehman joined me, as well as Brian Patteson and Kate Sutherland who run the pelagic trips out of Hatteras, North Carolina.

Despite the rarity history of this place, the Cackling Goose was the rarest bird we could pull out of the proverbial hat. (Debi thinks this is the first Cackling Goose she's ever had on a pelagic trip in over 30 years!) One nice surprise was a Brown Booby (adult) that flew over the boat several times,

 Brown Booby (adult) - my first for California.

as well as two Flesh-footed Shearwaters, and great looks at Short-tailed Shearwater on the water - a bird I've previously seen flying in the Bering Sea

Short-tailed Shearwater - previously called Slender-billed Shearwater

And another Laysan Albatross - a bird I've had on almost all of Debi's boats this year

Laysan Albatross. Individuals can be recognized by 

the unique black-and-white underwing patterns.

So new birds in Bodega, but still a fun trip.

After the Bean Goose chase today, I'm heading to Texas tomorrow for the Golden-crowned Warbler in the Rio Grande Valley. It's a very rare Mexican warbler (code 4)  that could well spend the winter here - but I'm not going to risk waiting any longer. Will I get the bird? Since I'm actually writing this post after getting back from Texas I could tell you know that I...Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!

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BIG YEAR LIST: 724 + 2 provisional (Rufous-necked Wood-rail, Common Redstart)

NEW YEAR BIRDS (0): 

FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER

It's Sunday, so it must be Half Moon Bay. This is the third pelagic in as many days. Which means it's also the third morning waking up in a bed that has a steering wheel and a gear stick. (And I'm less than impressed with the outdoor toilet.)

I'm back on Debi's boat, and Jay's back too. We're making another try for Flesh-footed Shearwater - which we've both missed so far.

It's a beautiful day. As we're leaving the harbor we start spotting Marbled Murrelets bobbing on the water. They're in their handsome black-and-white winter plumage...

Marbled Murrelet

For a long time Marbled Murrelets were an enigma to the avian world - no one had any idea where they nested. Most alcids nest on islands, often on cliff edges or burrows. But apparently not these guys. It wasn't until 1974 that their nests were found - at the top of trees! They favor mature, old-growth trees in coastal forests. Oh, and they're rather partial to mossy trees - and for Douglas Firs the mossification process is only complete after about 150 years.

Juvenile bird calling to its parent.

Marbled Murrelets are threatened due to logging, and the replacement of old mossy trees by young unmossy ones doesn't help. In many California parks the really old trees can often be found around picnic areas, which also attracts Steller's Jays. As well as eating human trash, the latter also like eating eggs, especially Murrelet eggs. Current Murrelet conservation efforts are focusing on stopping the jays' feeding behavior - eggs that look like Murrelet eggs are planted around picnic areas. These eggs are mildly toxic - so when the Jays eat them, they throw up, and feel nauseous (I think they put something disgusting in them - like Reese's chocolate.) So far, the program has been very successful - not only do the Jays learn not to eat the Murrelet eggs, but they seem to be teaching their young not to do so either.

As we leave the harbor and progress through the open ocean we start seeing more pelagic species - including one of my favorites, the Buller's Shearwater...

Buller's Shearwater - a graceful shearwater with deep wingbeats

and beautifully-patterned upperwings.

As well as the heavy-set Pomarine Jaeger - one of many jaegers we've seen this weekend. 

Pomarine Jaeger.

"Flesh-foot!" The boat suddenly wakes up. "3 o' clock on the horizon" We all rush over to the starboard side. The "horizon" is a nebulous concept, loosely defined by the edge of a bank of fog that surrounds the boat. This is our target bird, and I'm nervous about missing it. Which I kinda do. I'm searching with my binoculars until I find a dark shearwater, way, way out, that lacks the silvery underwing of the potentially similar Sooty Shearwater. As I'm trying to see the pink in the bill, it slowly slips into the fog. Gone.

Jay doesn't get on the bird at all, and I'm left with a very unsatisfying and probably uncountable sighting. Neither of us are very happy.

As we're replaying the brief encounter / miss in our heads we're diverted by a somewhat ridiculous fish. It's an Ocean Sunfish - the heaviest bony fish in the world, and probably the ugliest too. They feed almost exclusively on jellyfish - which aren't very nutritionally rich. So rather than evolve into eating something slightly more sensible, they just stuff themselves with as much jellyfish as possible.

Ocean Sunfish - or Mola mola.

Don't eat too much jellyfish - or you could look like this!

"Shearwaters!" and we're back to birding. Debi's spotted a large group of her namesake bird on the water. We point the boat in their direction and gently approach. "You two up front. Now!" Debi's making sure Jay and I have front row seats for the Shearwater show.

In front of us is a small raft of about 15 birds. They're all Pink-footed Shearwaters, and a few dark gulls. We were hoping for a mixed flock that might have held a Flesh-footed. Oh well. As they start lifting off the water I hear Debi and Jay screaming beside me - "Flesh-footed." And this time, it's right in front of the boat - an all-dark, chocolate brown bird with a bright pink bill. We'd missed it - it must have been sitting among the shearwaters doing a good impression of a Pink-footed.

Flesh-footed Shearwater. Bright pink bill with a dark tip and chocolate-brown plumage.

And that's it for CA. I'm flying back tonight on the red-eye (that'll make 4 nights in a row without sleeping in a bed) to Boston for *1* night. Then back west to Alaska. After an unsuccessful Gambell trip I need to catch up on Asian vagrants. So - I'm heading back to St. Paul (Pribilofs) for a week, before meeting up with Jay and heading to Barrow with John Puschock - for Ross's and Ivory Gulls.

But first, I'm looking forward to resting my own flesh-footed legs in a real bed...

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BIG YEAR LIST: 713 + 1 provisional

NEW YEAR BIRDS (1): Flesh-footed Shearwater