Buena Vista Lagoon November

Last week I went home for Thanksgiving break, and went to the monthly brid count at the Buena Vista Lagoon last Saturday. Instead of doing our usual driving route around the lagoon, we took a different route, by foot. We walked up from the Nature Center to Maxton Brown park, and then walked to the beach and back. It was overcast and a bit chilly, and it rained later in the day (not while we were birdwatching). Unfortunately, since it was overcast, it was dark, and so a lot of my photos are also very dark. Below are seven views around the lagoon. The four larger dark shapes on the water in the first photo are coots. The small one in the bottom right corner is a Common Yellowthroat flying by.

 

Early in the morning, there was a group of American Coots swimming around near the fishing bridge. They were chasing each other around. Below is one of them.

American Coot

Although most of the swallows have left for South America, I saw a single Northern Rough-winged Swallow flying around above the lagoon. Below is a photo of it.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Also early in the morning, there was a female American Kestrel sitting on the telephone wire across from the Nature Center. It was watching the ground, looking for a meal, and then swooped down to catch a snail. It brought the snail back up to the wire and ate it, then flew away. Below are three photos of the kestrel: one before it caught the snail, one with the snail in its beak, and one after it ate the snail.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

There were a few Marsh Wrens hopping around. They were unusually bold and sat out in the open, rather than hiding in the reeds. Below is one of them.

Marsh Wren

There's work being done to clear away some of the overgrown reeds at the lagoon. When I walked along the trail behind the Nature Center, there was a hole cut through the reeds, and I could see straight out into the middle of the lagoon, where a large group of California Gulls were floating. There were also some coots swimming around in the now open water between the walls of reeds. Below are four photos. The first two are of the areas where reeds were cut away, the third is of the California Gulls, and the fourth is of one of the coots.

California Gulls

American Coot

There were quite a few Cassin's Kingbirds around. Below is one of them sitting on a telephone wire.

Cassin's Kingbird

As we walked up the road to Maxton Brown park, we spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched atop a dead palm tree. It stayed there the entire time we were birdwatching, as we saw it again when we were walking back from the beach. Below are two photos of the Red-tailed Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

The most exciting bird (at least, for me) was a little Black-and-White Warbler at Maxton Brown Park. Black-and-White Warblers are almost entirely black and white streaked, and they have long bills and black legs with yellow feet. Females have faintly yellowish sides and white throats (breeding males have black throats). They behave like nuthatches, creeping up and around trees searching for insects hidden in the bark, and they nest on the ground, at the base of trees. They are normally found in southern Mexico, Florida, and Central America in the winter (they summer in eastern North America), but every year, some of them find themselves in the western United States. Even though they regularly wander, at most I only see one a year, so it's pretty exciting to see one. Plus, they're very cute and fun to watch as they spin around and around tree branches. Below is a photo of the Black-and-white Warbler (sorry, just its back).

Black-and-white Warbler

We also saw a Hermit Thrush at the park. It only stayed up for a short time, then disappeared back into the bushes. Below is a photo of it.

Hermit Thrush

Along the way to the park, and in the park, there were several Ruby-crowned Kinglets hopping around in the bushes and trees. They were very tiny and cute. Below is one of them in a bush in the park.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

After the park, we headed to the beach. There were a few shorebirds, as well as some cormorants, gulls, and Western Grebes out on the ocean, which was surprising, since the water was a bit rough. Below are three photos. The first is of a Willet and a Sanderling, and the second two are of another Sanderling.

Willet and Sanderling

Sanderling

Sanderling

We saw a pair of Killdeer running around in the sand closer to the lagoon. There were also a few American Coots. Below are three photos. The first two are of one of the Killdeer, and the third is of the other Killdeer and a coot.

Killdeer

Killdeer

American Coot and Killdeer

Scattered around the lagoon were some Northern Shovelers. Toward the end of the birdwatching trip, a large group of shovelers had gathered to forage together. Below is part of the group.

Northern Shovelers