Buena Vista Lagoon February

Yesterday was the bird count at the Buena Vista Lagoon. It had showered a little during the night, so the water level in the lagoon was a bit higher than usual (it can be seen in the third photo - the path isn't usually that flooded). We didn't see very many birds, though we still managed to spot fifty species. Below are five views around the lagoon.

One of the first animals I saw when we arrived was a large bullfrog sitting in the water. Below is a photo of it.

Bullfrog

At the fishing bridge, I saw an American Coot floating along. Suddenly, a Pied-billed Grebe came up out of the water underneath the coot. The coot was very startled and grebe got angry. Although the grebe was much smaller than the coot, it fluffed itself up and charged. The coot flew away. Below are two photos. The first is of the grebe about to charge, and the second is the grebe after the coot had flown away.

American Coot and Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

I saw another coot later on. It remained in the reeds when I walked up, then all of a sudden decided to burst out of the reeds into the water. It didn't seem to be afraid, because it swam very near me, so I don't know why it jumped out like that (it really startled me). Below is the coot.

American Coot

There were quite a few Anna's Hummingbirds around the lagoon. There weren't very many Allen's Hummingbirds, however. Below is an Anna's Hummingbird.

Anna's Hummingbird

I spotted a number of birds gathering nesting material. Along the trail behind the nature center, there were groups of House Finches gathering fluff from the cattails. They were so busy, they didn't seem to notice me at all. Below is a female finch gathering fluff.

House Finch

Unlike last month, I didn't see very many White-crowned Sparrows. I didn't even hear them singing. I don't believe they're migrating yet, because there are still a lot of them in my backyard. Below is a White-crowned Sparrow that had just taken a bath.

White-crowned Sparrow

There was one little Nuttall's Woodpecker behind the nature center, singing its trilling song high up in a sycamore tree. Below is a photo of it.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

There were many more Orange-crowned Warblers around than usual. There seemed to be one or two in every bush. Below is one of the Orange-crowned Warblers.

Orange-crowned Warbler

American Crows were also gathering material for nests. I saw a few crows carrying large sticks into pine trees. The crow below was gathering some material from a palm tree, though was having quite a bit of difficulty trying to pull anything off the tree. Eventually, it gave up and pulled a few twigs off a sycamore tree instead.

American Crow

There were a few Mourning Doves here and there. Below is one climbing a little hill.

Mourning Dove

Because it was warm for a little while, a bunch of California Ground-Squirrels and Western Fence-Lizards came out. Below are two photos of a ground-squirrel, and one of a very blue Western Fence-Lizard.

California Ground Squirrel

California Ground Squirrel

Western Fence-Lizard

We saw hundreds of gulls; more gulls than I think I've ever seen. There were a few large flocks that occasionally flew together and became one giant group, circling high above the lagoon. Most of them were California Gulls. There were Ring-billed Gulls, too, but they stayed separate for the most part. Below are four photos. The first is of Ring-billed Gulls in a parking lot. The next three are of giant flocks, probably made up of mostly California Gulls.

Ring-billed Gulls

California Gulls

California Gulls

California Gulls

Unfortunately, we did not see many of the herons and egrets we usually see. There were a few Snowy Egrets, but I think that's all. Below is one of them standing beside the road.

Snowy Egret

There were a lot of Northern Shovelers at the lagoon. Some were swimming around, but most were sleeping along the shore. Below are some male shovelers sleeping.

Northern Shovelers

There are never large numbers of Mallards at the lagoon, but there are always a few. There were some yesterday, and they seemed to be paired up now. Below is a pair of Mallards.

Mallard

There was one Hermit Thrush at Maxton Brown Park. It perched in a tree for a while, then hopped around on the ground. The thrushes at that park don't seem to mind being out in the open, though anywhere else they refuse to come out of the bushes. Below are two photos of the Hermit Thrush.

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush

There were quite a few Song Sparrows around, singing up in the bushes. Below is one gathering material for a nest.

Song Sparrow

While we were at the park, a Brown Pelican flew over from the ocean and landed in the lagoon. Then it seemed to change its mind and took off again toward the ocean, startling a group of seagulls floating on the lagoon. Below is a photo of the pelican flying.

Brown Pelican

After the count was over, I went for a short walk behind the nature center. Though I didn't see any birds, I did see Mourning Cloak and Monarch butterflies. They were very large and beautiful. Below is one of the Monarchs.

Monarch