Buena Vista Lagoon November

Last week was the Buena Vista Lagoon bird count.  It wasn't at all foggy like last month.  There were some clouds, but it was mostly clear.  Below are two photos of the lagoon when we first arrived.

One of the first birds I saw was an Allen's hummingbird.  From the front, it almost looked like a rufous, but on its back it was green.  Below is a photo of it.  (The green back can't be seen in this photo.)

Allen's Hummingbird

There were several common yellowthroats flitting around in the reeds and bushes.  Below is a photo of a male.

Common Yellowthroat

We didn't see as many double-crested cormorants as usual, but we did see a few.  Double-crested cormorants are found year-round all along the east and west coasts of the United States, including Alaska.  In the interior, they summer in the northern United States and southern Canada, and winter in the southeast down into Mexico.  They are the most common cormorant in the United States, and usually the only kind in the interior states, since most other species are pelagic.  They can usually be told apart from other cormorants by their larger size and orange face.  Below is a double-crested cormorant sitting on what seems to be a pipe sticking out of the lagoon.

Double-crested Cormorant

There weren't that many American coots at the lagoon.  There were only a few here and there.  Below is one of the coots.

American Coot

There were a few mallards swimming around taking baths.  Below is a male flapping its wings taking a bath.  The other ducks were nearby.

Mallard

There were hundreds of seagulls everywhere.  A lot of them were ring-billed gulls.  Below is part of a large flock circling over a shopping center.

Seagulls

An exciting sight was a merlin.  It was sitting on a dead tree beside the road.  We stopped so I could take a photo, and it turned out to be a very good view.  Below is a photo of it.  It had its leg tucked up.

Merlin

We went down to the beach.  Below is a view of the beach.

There were a few flocks of sanderlings running up to and away from the waves.  Sanderlings are found in the Arctic Circle in the summer and along the coasts of North and South America in the winter.  They are very pale with dark legs and beaks and patches on their shoulders.  In the summer they have reddish heads and chests.  Below is a group of six sanderlings.

Sanderlings

We saw an American kestrel as well as the merlin (both little falcons).  It was a male sitting on a telephone wire looking down at us.  Below is a photo of it.

American Kestrel

There were a few groups of brown pelicans flying over the ocean.  Below is one that was flying alone.  It looks very large with its wings fully spread.

Brown Pelican

There were only a few whimbrels.  There were perhaps two to four of them. Below are two of them with the waves behind them.

Whimbrels