Green Heron (adult) - Butorides virescens
Last Friday, my husband and I made our annual drive down to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in California's Central Valley, near Gridley. To my DELIGHT we saw two different, adult Green Herons in our first five minutes! WOW! Apparently these Herons live here year round, and are commonly seen. My bird book states that they are un-common, but the Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that they are common in wetland thickets across North America. I was just thrilled to see them, uncommon or not!
Green Heron (adult) - Butorides virescens
I think that they are absolutely stunning in their rust and navy blue colors! Their name apparently comes from the green color of the feathers on the tops of their heads and backs, but I haven't yet seen these feathers look green. It must happen only at a particular angle of the light.
The following information about Green Herons is from the Cornell Ornithology Lab website https://birdsoftheworld.org :
"Green Herons feed day or night, standing patiently in shallow water waiting for fish, slowly stalking them through the shallows or diving on them from above. They are among the few tool-using birds, fabricating various baits that entice fish to where they can grab them. Overall diet includes invertebrates such as leeches; earthworms; aquatic and terrestrial insects such as adult and larval dragonflies, damselflies, waterbugs, diving beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, katydids; spiders; crayfish, crabs, prawns; snails; fresh and saltwater fish; frogs, toads, tadpoles, and newts; snakes and lizards; and rodents. Fish constitute their primary food."
Great Blue Heron - Great Egret
Ardea herodias - Ardea alba
Just a little further along the paved trail we came across a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. Both of these bird species mainly eat fish, but will also consume small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, crayfish, and aquatic insects. They hunt in belly-deep or shallower water in marine, brackish, and freshwater wetlands, alone or in groups. They may wade while searching for prey, or just stand still to wait for prey to approach.
The Great Egret is the symbol of the Audubon Society, which was founded to stop the killing of birds for their feathers. Wikipedia states;
"In 1895, the first Audubon Society was created. Cousins and Boston socialites Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, disturbed by the destruction left by plume hunters, organized a series of afternoon teas with other wealthy local women, encouraging them to avoid feathered garments. They also sent literature asking these women to, in Hall's words, "join a society for the protection of birds, especially the egret." Later that same year, they founded the Massachusettes Audubon Society. Over 900 women came together with Hemenway and Hall, and across the country, many others were doing the same. These boycotts were largely successful, and the efforts of the early society members helped bring about the end of the plume trade and assisted in the introduction of early conservation legislation such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act."
Northern Pintail (female - males) - Spatula cyanoptera
Dabbling Ducks
In another half-mile along the paved path we came to a raised, wooden, observation platform, that afforded a view to the north and a large wetland. In some years there are thousands of Snow Geese in this area, but not this year. There were however, lots and lots of ducks. I've written about all of these species in the past (Just type in "Gray Lodge" in the "search this blog" bar on the top right of the home page, for information on all these waterfowl.), so today I'd thought I'd write about the characteristics of these "dabbling ducks" for a change.
There are also thousands of ducks overwintering at Gray Lodge. Most of them are dabbling ducks, which mainly breed in the north central part of the U.S. and the prairie-pothole region of Canada and Alaska. The following information on their feeding habits is from thespruce.com.
"A dabbling duck is a type of shallow water duck that feeds primarily along the surface of the water or by tipping headfirst into the water to graze on aquatic plants, vegetation, larvae, and insects. These ducks are infrequent divers and are usually found in small ponds, rivers, and other shallow waterways, or else they may stay near the shallow, slower edges of larger waterways and swamps.
Surface Feeding: This involves skimming along the surface of the water with the neck stretched out and the bill parallel to the water. The bill is quickly "chewing" or "nibbling" at the water with little bites, and the duck may sweep its head from side to side at the same time to cover more surface area. This is an efficient way to feed on small aquatic insects that stay on the water's surface or to forage through floating algae and plants. While dabbling ducks do use this technique, many other types of ducks and other waterfowl also use surface feeding.
Tipping Up: This type of feeding is true dabbling, tipping up with the duck's butt out of the water and pointing the tail straight up as the head and neck are below the water to nibble through mud or algae. When tipped up, the duck may wag or spread its feet and legs to keep balanced, or the tail may slowly wave or wag to counterbalance the underwater head movements. Underwater, the duck is stretching to reach either the bottom or may be feeding along submerged plants. This type of feeding is very characteristic and common among all dabblers.
Dabbling ducks also forage on land for seeds, grains, nuts, and insects, grazing with similar nibbling bill motions as surface feeding. These are often omnivorous birds, and will sample a wide range of foods through their different feeding styles."
Green-winged Teal (male) - Rudy Duck (male)
Anas crecca - Oxyura jamaicensis
Blue-winged Teals - Cinnamon Teal - Gadwalls
Spatula discors - Spatula cyanoptera - Mareca strepera
Gadwall (female - male) - Mareca strepera
Greater White-fronted Geese with Snow Geese
Anser albifrons - Anser caerulescens
Snow Geese!
At the observation platform we only saw three Snow Geese mixed in with a lot of Great White-fronted Geese! That was surprising!
Snow Geese over Gray Lodge - Anser caerulescens
Later in the day, we were hiking in another part of Gray Lodge when lots and lots of Snow Geese flew over and landed in the distant wetlands! Yay! I love seeing and hearing these black and white geese circling, calling, and landing in the refuge! They were probably coming in to roost overnight in the shallow water of the refuge.
Snow Geese roost in Gray Lodge by the thousands! Their constant loud calls permeate the wetland, and are as much a part of our experience as the physical presence of the birds. They roost on water and forage in the local fields for grains and marsh plants. Most feeding is done from early morning to late evening. They will begin their 5,000 mile migration to the arctic in February, arriving in their breeding grounds in mid to late May.
Snow Geese and Tules - Anser caerulescens
We always end the day by driving a one-mile-loop in a particular part of the refuge where no walking is allowed. There were LOTS of Snow Geese in one section of this area, as well as tons of ducks everywhere!
Snow Geese and a rare "Dark Phase" Snow Goose! - Anser caerulescens
In among the thousands of Snow Geese, I spotted a black goose! When I zoomed in with my camera I realized it was a rare "Dark Phase" Snow Goose, or a "Blue Goose". My field guide said that these are rare but increasing in number. Cornell didn't say that they were rare, but I've never seen one before! How exciting to see this unusually colored Snow Goose!
A Bald Eagle in its second-year plumage - Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Raptors!
While on the one-mile-loop drive we spotted this huge Bald Eagle, that was in its second-year plumage! WOW!!! I've never seen one in this stage! We weren't sure what it was, but iNaturalist.org confirmed my guess when we got home! Its beak was HUGE! These eagles are HUGE, measuring 31" in length, with a wingspan of 80", and a weight of 9.5 lbs!!! Shortly after I took this photo, it took off and flew low over the Snow Geese, scattering them in all directions!
The following information about Bald Eagles is from the Cornell Ornithology website birdsoftheworld.org :
"The Bald Eagle is a large fish-eagle with a dark brown body and a distinctive white head and tail acquired at 4 to 5 years of age. It is opportunistic forager, scavenging prey items when available, pirating food from other species when it can, and capturing its own prey when needed. It consumes a variety of vertebrate prey, but generally selects fish over other food types.
The list of aquatic birds serving as live prey includes not only waterfowl and waterbirds like American Coots, but also gulls, and Great Blue Herons. Large mammals are most often eaten as carrion, especially in winter; small to medium-sized mammals such as hares, rabbits, muskrat, and ground squirrels may be taken live."
A Bald Eagle in its second-year plumage - Haliaeetus leucocephalus
There are usually quite a few raptors perched in the Cottonwood Trees that grow along the edge of the wetlands at Gray Lodge. Definitely the most prevalent is the Red-tailed Hawk. I also saw one Red-shouldered Hawk scanning the ground for prey. In comparison to the Bald Eagle the Red-shouldered Hawk is only 17" long, with a wingspan of 40", and a weight of 1.4 lbs. Riparian areas are their preferred habitat.They eat reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and occasionally birds, such as Mourning Doves, House Sparrows, and Starlings.
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
I think I saw at least 6 Red-tailed Hawks over the course of the day at Gray Lodge. They are quite handsome! Red-tailed Hawks are large birds with a wingspan of 49", a length of 19", and a weight of 2.4lbs. They hunt in meadows and open areas for small mammals, snakes, lizards, waterfowl, and other birds. They use the perch-and-wait method of hunting. Once prey is sighted they will drop from their perch, flap-and-glide downward, thrust their legs forward when about 3m from prey, and grab prey with feet.
Approaching Storm Clouds
At the end of the day, dark rain clouds covered the sky and obscured the sun! So we headed home, filled with beauty from another incredible day at Gray Lodge. We are SO lucky!
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What do you think this bird is?
What's happening down in Daugherty Hill?
Is it snowing or raining in the Lakes Basin?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more.
Your questions and comments are always appreciated, please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.
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