I really don't like to look at the past, but I have to admit that I do it a lot. It seems as you get older, your past seems to become a bigger part of your life. So, I'm looking at my 2012 bird list and photographs to draw on. Without those two 'crutches' I wouldn't be able to even remember what I saw, when it was, or where I saw it. Kinda 'funny' in a way, but really not amusing at all.
I started taking digital photos around 2003. My first several years of photos were mostly of my kids playing sports, but I dabbled at taking bird photos as well, as a way to remember what I saw in the few fleeting moments I could see the bird. I had come to realize that seeing a bird in the binoculars or through a spotting scope as it moved on its way, was just too brief. I wasn't able to remember the details. While some folks will go to field sketching to help them remember and learn, I can barely draw a stick figure (human or otherwise). It was around 2003 that digital cameras started becoming affordable and available to us hobbyists. I had taken photos since I was a child, using my Kodak Instamatic, and as an adult using one Kodak camera or another. I also have an Olympus SLR film camera that I played some years back. But, film was a hassle. You had to get it developed--wait days, weeks, or months, to see what you did. Many of my film photos were less than desirable. But then, in the days before digital, that's all there was.
I love digital photography - it's instant gratification! Take a thousand photos, review them all the same day, and trash 90% of them. Keep the rest, fix them in Aperture, Photoshop, what-have-you; keyword them, caption them, and organize them; show them on your photo site; use them in your blog; print them, make calendars and books. It's a wonderful world!
So, photography has become my memory, as has my ebird list.
One of the most memorable birds of 2012 was the appearance of a Common Cuckoo at the end of September in Watsonville Slough, Santa Cruz County. This bird is a first record for California and I believe only the second record for North America. I usually don't go chasing for birds outside my very local area, but with time on my hands, and a friend to go with, we headed down to the location on October 2nd, several days after it had first been sighted and after hoards of birders were able to see it. It took about an hour before another birder nearby found the bird and the word went out on the slough. I was able to get good looks and some photos, but was disappointed that it was hanging out in the shade. The previous photos had shown the bird in nice morning or late afternoon sunlight. Oh, well. Below is one of my photos of the bird. This photo was picked up by the Sightings editor of the ABA Birding publication and printed on page 24 of the November 2012 issue.
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| Common Cuckoo © Brooke A Miller (Oct. 2, 2012) |
Perhaps the second most memorable bird of 2012 was the Magnolia Warbler at Coyote Hills Regional Park, Alameda County. I had just gotten my 500mm lens and this was one of the first birds I took photos of with it. I learned right away that having such a premiere lens with that much reach doesn't automatically get you good photos. Rather, it really accentuates your inabilities and need for lots of practice. Although not a Life Bird for me, it was definitely the best views of one I'd ever seen. I did manage to get a few decent photos of the bird. One is below.
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| Magnolia Warbler © Brooke A Miller (Oct. 17, 2012) |
Also memorable for the year was a juvenile, first winter Franklin's Gull at Struve Slough, Santa Cruz County, on October 20th. I was on a field trip with my birding class. It was a very gray day and taking good photos was difficult. And, again, I had my new 500mm lens and using a tripod, both still very new to me. This was a Life Bird for me.
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| Franklin's Gull © Brooke Miller (Oct. 20, 2012) |
A Connecticut Warbler, at Point Reyes National Seashore, on Sept. 29th, was also a Life Bird for me. This bird was way out of its area! It was skulking on the ground in a very dark area at one of the Ranches. Point Reyes never disappoints during fall migration! Also of note and seen that day, a field trip with my birding class, was an Ovenbird (no photos).
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| Connecticut Warbler © Brooke Miller (Sept. 29, 2012) |
It was also a huge year for Red-necked Phalaropes and Red-breasted Nuthatches in late summer-early fall. They were both birds I had seen in the past, although I hadn't seen many, and I hadn't had good looks. I saw Red-necked Phalaropes in just about every plumage other than full-alternate. Shorebirds coming through the Bay Area in late summer/early fall can be in all sorts of plumages. There's always great lessons to learn and refresh one's memory. I believe that we experienced so many Red-breasted Nuthatches was because of a failure of a/the cone crop up north somewhere.
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| Red-necked Phalarope, Palo Alto Baylands © Brooke A Miller (Sept. 1, 2012) |
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| Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pt Reyes Nat'l Seashore © Brooke A Miller (Sept. 29, 2012) |
Fall seemed to be the best time for birding in 2012, but it usually is. But, spring also held many beautiful and memorable birds.
Lazuli Bunting is one of my most favorite and colorful birds of the spring. On a field trip with Lisa Myers and Let's Go Birding, on May 5th, we were treated to several nice Lazuli Buntings up on Lone Tree Road, San Benito County. Other birds of note that day were Grasshopper Sparrows, a Cassin's Kingbird, Osprey, and Lawrence's Goldfinches. Oh, and don't forget the 'Loo'.
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Lazuli Bunting, Lone Tree Rd. © Brooke A Miller (May 5, 2012)
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| Lisa tows a retired CalTrans 'Loo' for her participant's comfort © Brooke A Miller (May 5, 2012) |
This pair of Bald Eagles reared 2 chicks on top of this power tower above Calaveras Reservoir, Santa Clara County. Another pair of Bald Eagles at Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Mateo County, failed at their first nesting attempt at that location in 2012. However, the Crystal Springs pair are already back and working on the nest for 2013! Always something to look forward to!
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| Bald Eagle Family, Calaveras Reservoir © Brooke Miller (Apr. 28, 2012) |
Below is a Killdeer nest I found at the local elementary school just down the street from my home in Los Altos, Santa Clara County. As Killdeer do, it was barely a scrape in the tanbark. I'm thinking that another human, not the birds, marked the spot with the wood pieces. I had been seeing a couple of Killdeer at the location while on my walk, but it was hard to finally find their nest. I don't know what happened with the eggs. I never saw the chicks or the adults after the day I snapped this photo.
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| Killdeer Nest, Los Altos © Brooke Miller (Apr. 13, 2012) |
A lone White-faced Ibis in the marsh near the visitor center at Coyote Hills Regional Park, Alameda County, gave lots of good looks and poses on March 26.
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| White-faced Ibis, Coyote Hills RP © Brooke A Miller (Mar. 26, 2012) |
Evening Grosbeaks invaded Downtown Los Altos, Santa Clara County, in late December. These are rare birds for this area, and it was such a treat to watch and listen to them in my hometown. They were gorging on Chinese Pistache berries above the sidewalk on State Street. They're absolutely gorgeous birds as you can see!
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| Evening Grosbeak - Male, Downtown Los Altos © Brooke A Miller (Dec. 20, 2012) |
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| Evening Grosbeak - Female, Downtown Los Altos © Brooke A Miller (Dec. 20, 2012) |
There were many more birds and many more experiences in 2012. Matthew Dodder's Palo Alto Adult School Advanced Birding Class field trips provided many of the outings. Birding on my own, birding with friends, field trips with Let's Go Birding, yard and neighborhood birding, and birding with the Sequoia Audubon First Wednesday field trips with Leslie Flint filled in most of the rest of the birding year. There were trips to Bodega Bay--Sonoma County, Las Gallinas Ponds--Marin County, Pt. Reyes Nat'l Seashore--Marin County, Redwood Shores--San Mateo County, Palo Alto Baylands--Santa Clara County, Sunol Regional Wilderness--Alameda County, Moss Landing, Moon Glow Dairy, and Elkhorn Slough--Santa Cruz County, Fort Funston--San Francisco County, Gilroy Hot Springs Road and that area--San Benito County, and many others. There was the Yellow-Rumped Squatters 4-hour big sit for Santa Clara Valley Audubon, there was the Intrepid A to Z'ers for SFBBO, there were four CBC's (Christmas Bird Counts) I took part in.
2012 was quite a memorable birding year! I am SO looking forward to 2013!
Brooke A Miller
December 28, 2012
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