Date: 6/28/26 7:08 pm From: john tsortos via groups.io <jtsortos99...> Subject: [southbaybirds] SCVBA Año Nuevo Field Trip
Hello South Bay Birders,
This morning, Connor Christensen and I led 9 participants on a SCVBA Field
Trip to Año Nuevo State Park. We lucked out with a clear, sunny day and
little to no wind. We started the morning observing *Cliff Swallows* nesting
outside the visitor center and using a scope to observe the distant *Bank
Swallow* nests on South Point. In the midst of observing the various nests,
we had a surprise *White-throated Swift* fly overhead. This was a
good visual reminder of what a non-Black Swift looked like. Hopefully, we
would later see some Black Swifts to compare!
We slowly made our way out to the staging pond while *Bushtits *and
*Wrentits* serenaded us. Upon arriving at the staging pond, bird activity
was lower than we had expected. Fortunately, we had a male *Northern
Harrier* circle over the pond several times, giving us great looks, and we
had plenty of *Brown Pelicans* and *Western Gulls* flying between the pond
and the coast. Eventually, a male *Common Yellowthroat* gave us a few
phrases of its song, and then we started to see some *Barn Swallows* and *Cliff
Swallows*.
We gave the pond several more minutes, and just as we were about to move
on, a small *San Francisco Garter Snake* slithered out of the grass! These
snakes are endangered due to extensive habitat loss, and Año Nuevo State
Park is one of the only places left to see them in the world. This was a
lifer snake for everyone in the group, and some folks managed to get a
decent photo (see the checklist) before it disappeared into the grass!
At the end of the staging pond, we spotted dozens of *Heermann's
Gulls* roosting on
the beach below along with a couple of *Black Oystercatchers*, and many
more *Western Gulls* and *Brown Pelicans*. We also got a great scope-view
of some *Pelagic Cormorant* nests on South Point, where we could observe
chicks begging their parents for food.
Above us in the pine trees, we observed several *Purple Finches*, some of
which were gathering nesting material, as well as an *Olive-sided
Flycatcher* spotted by Linda that gave us only a brief look. We also had a
female *Belted Kingfisher* that circled high over the pond, and made a
couple of passes directly overhead! Around the bend we had great looks at
an obliging pair of *Wrentits*, our first *Chestnut-backed Chickadees* of
the day, and a distant *American Kestrel *that was escorted by a group of
angry songbirds.
Once we made it up to the path that goes across the top of South Point, we
managed to get several looks at *Bank Swallows*. While the looks weren't
all great, it was a good opportunity to practice differentiating them from
the Cliff Swallows based on their field marks. We also spotted a *White-tailed
Kite* in the trees where they are presumably nesting. The bushes were also
littered with *White-crowned Sparrows* (Nuttalli ssp.) and *Song Sparrows*,
some of which were feeding fledglings.
As we made our way along the path towards the staging area, we began to
spot more snakes. What was initially one or two garter snakes, turned into
6 *Coastal Garter Snakes* (T. elegans terrestris) and a *Western
Yellow-bellied Racer*. Three different snake species on a birding field
trip is a record for me! The excitement didn't stop there - we also
observed a *Peregrine Falcon* flying powerfully over the field
towards a *Brandt's
Cormorant* which it chased briefly. We wondered if this behavior was
evidence of a nearby nest on the cliffs. A few minutes later we could see
it harassing a *Western Gull* in the distance.
Once we got to the staging area, we observed several *Pigeon
Guillemots* floating
on the water surface below and confirmed our snake identifications with one
of the park's docents. Then, we headed off towards the elephant seal
viewing areas in the preserve. After a few minutes down this trail, we
finally found a large foraging flock of swallows. While we didn't add any
new swallow species to our list, we finally managed to spot a *Black
Swift* flying
high over the swallows! This was a lifer bird for many in the group, and we
managed to get better and better looks as we made our way further down the
trail. We even had two in view simultaneously at one point.
Stopping at some of the ocean overlooks, we attempted to search for these
sea caves where the *Black Swifts* nest. While searching, we managed to
spot not one, but two *Ospreys* ascending over the coastal cliffs carrying
fish right in front of us before flying up and over towards inland perches
out of sight. These sightings were just minutes apart from each other, and
we are confident that we had two different individuals as they were both
carrying different fish. Eventually we managed to spot some of the Black
Swift sea caves, marvelling at how incredible these birds are for nesting
in such inaccessible areas.
We eventually made our way to Bight Beach to view the immature *Northern
Elephant Seals* hanging around to complete their molt. These seals were
accompanied by dozens of *European Starlings* as well as a pair of
*Killdeer* on the beach. In the distance we could see Año Nuevo Island in
the scope, and we managed to spot a few enormous *Steller's Sea Lions* amongst
the *California Sea Lions*. As we made our way back, we rounded out the
checklist with a few *California Gulls*, *Pine Siskins*, and a vibrant male*
Ruddy Duck*.
Do not disclose information that identifies the location of nesting birds of any species, to minimize stress on the nesting birds and the risk of vandalism or abuse.
