USA 2023 - Birding on Alcatraz Island, San Francisco

Thursday 13 April 2023

Birdwatching probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Alactraz. I doubt whether many - or indeed any - of the tourists that flock to this famous prison have come to mainly to look at the seabirds. But, as a predator-free island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, it's hardly surprising that birds have chosen to nest here. The photo above shows one of the main concentrations of Brandt's Cormorants on an old jetty next to the prison yard.

In fact, the island is named after birds - although, typically, the explorer responsible (one Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775) got it wrong. Alcatraz is Spanish for Gannet, which is a bird that you definitely won't see here. Various online sources tie themselves in knots trying to explain this: one possibility is that alcatraz is an archaic Spanish name for a pelican (this is now pelícano). There are pelicans in the San Francisco area, but none are currently nesting on Alcatraz. More likely, our explorer simply didn't know his birds.

Alcatraz island

The prison is clearly the main attraction, and the self-guided tour is grim but fascinating. I'd been before, and wanted to concentrate on the island's natural history. And the excitement starts even before you board the ferry. Some Pigeon Guillemots (below) flew in and started diving for fish just off Pier 33, which is where the boat departs from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Looking very like Black Guillemots, these have a black bar projecting into the white wing patch.

Pigeon Guillemot - Pier 33, San Francisco. (Note the dark bar through the white wing patch.)

Pigeon Guillemots - Pier 33, San Francisco

Once out into the Bay, we could see flying seabirds, including a Pelagic Cormorant, showing its distinctive white patch, and several Common Murres (the same species as Common Guillemot on 'our' side of the Atlantic). It was a bit unsettling to see this mix of familiar and new species in the same habitat.

As the boat approached Alcatraz, we were hit by that overpowering smell of guano that is common to seabird islands the world over, but which for me only ever says one thing: the Farnes! We were moving quickly towards the landing stage, which gave very little time to scan the seaweed-covered rocks (below) as we passed by. 

Approaching the jetty on Alcatraz

Western Gulls and Brandt's Cormorants were the most conspicuous birds here, but I was pleased to pick out three Black Turnstones just above the waterline. Here's a terrible record photo:

Black Turnstones (record) - there are two below the gull's feet and one more bottom right.

Black Turnstones winter on this coast, heading north to Alaska to breed. eBird suggests that they are absent from Alcatraz in May and June, so we were lucky to catch them.  Mind you, Black Oystercatchers are there all year round (with two pairs this year), but I failed to spot any – and it’s not as if Oystercatchers are inconspicuous, either. One for my next West Coast trip, I hope

At the jetty, I was interested to see the year's waterbird count data (below) – also reminiscent of a similar notice-board on Inner Farne – although it hadn’t been updated for a week (it’s dated 6 April). The right-hand column has the 2022 data. We had arrived early in the season, and it looked like numbers of breeding birds on the island would carry on increasing. I was keen to get exploring, but first we sped up the hill to do the tour of the cellhouse, getting there before the rest of the boat’s passengers who weren’t moving quickly. If you haven't been on the self-guided tour, it's certainly worth doing.

Alcatraz bird count April 2023 (2022 data on the right)

The jailhouse tour finished in the exercise yard: I popped back into the cellblock to return our headsets and we then exited the yard though a side gate. This led to a steep flight of steps, which led to a path looking over a magnificent colony of Brandt’s Cormorants (see below and also the photo at the start of this post). Nest building was in progress and most – but not all – birds were sitting on a small patch of seaweed; some piles were obviously green and recently-foraged. A few of the breeding birds were showing vibrant cobalt blue throat skins.

Brandt's Cormorants (mostly) - Alcatraz CA

Brandt's Cormorants (with passing Western Gull) - Alcatraz CA

Brandt's Cormorant - Alactraz CA - detail

What the photos can’t convey is the all-pervasive ammonia-laden smell; I doubt whether large seabird colonies were allowed or encouraged during the island’s prison years. But now the birds have regained control - at least of some parts of the island.

Just offshore were two more Pigeon Guillemots (below), showing off their red legs nicely. 

Pigeon Guillemots - Alcatraz, CA

Rather than returning through the cell block, we took a path through the gardens (being carefully tended by volunteers), where a Song Sparrow (below) perched up nicely. It’s common on both west and east coasts of the US. North American sparrows can be confusing, but the russet-brown crown and eye stripe, with a streaked breast, made this one reassuringly straightforward to identify.

Song Sparrow - Alcatraz CA

As well as volunteer gardeners, there was a volunteer birder on hand who knew his stuff. He was particularly interested in the herons that nest on the island, the most obvious of which was a nearby Snowy Egret (below), although this one looked like it was roosting rather than nesting. 

Snowy Egret - Alcatraz, CA

Much less obvious, in fact I would have missed it had the ranger not pointed it out, was a Black-crowned Night Heron (record photo below). These were building nests (there were 125 nests of this species in 2022), that were well-concealed in the verdant bushes.

Black-crowned Night Heron (record photo) - Alcatraz CA

‘Have you seen the Great Blue Herons?’ the ranger asked. ‘Err … no,’ was my response.  It turned out that we'd walked right underneath them when we had first arrived on the island. They were in a large, and rather incongruous, eucalyptus tree on the other side of the cell block. The information board said that there were 7 nests, with 2 incubating eggs. Not all of the nests looked occupied, but I was able to pick out a couple of birds. This adult Great Blue Heron (below) was sitting on its nest, so very likely incubating.

Great Blue Heron on nest - Alcatraz, CA

And, with that, we joined a long queue for the boat back to Pier 33. It was farewell to Alcatraz, and also the end of a memorable holiday to West Coast USA. I would love to return ...

  

 

USA 2023 - Death Valley - Flowers, Birds and a Coyote

 9-11 April 2023

At first sight, California's Death Valley seems an unlikely place to look for birds. Or any wildlife for that matter. But, as ever, if you look properly there are things to find. While the Mesquite Flat sand dunes (above) provide one of the valley's enduring images, this harsh environment is not typical of the wider area. The alluvial fans a short distance to the south, on the road from Furnace Creek to Stovepipe Wells, were dotted with colour after the recent rainfall. Plants in flower included Desert Gold (or Hairy Desertsunflower) Geraea canescens, Browneyes Chylismia claviformis and the ubiquitous Creosote Bushes Larrea tridentata (all pictured below).

Desert Gold Geraea canescens - Death Valley CA

Browneyes Chylismia claviformis - Death Valley CA

Creosote Bush (detail) Larrea tridentata - Death Valley CA

It's worth mentioning a few useful plant identification websites that came to my assistance here - notably wildflowersearch.org, which allows you to specify the search area (which could be 'Death Valley National Park' or a trail like Mosaic Canyon), southwestdesertflora.com and calscape.org (the Californian Native Plant Society). 

On arrival the previous afternoon, our first stop had been the National Park Visitor Centre at Furnace Creek. This is worth a look, if only to fill up your water bottles, pay the park entrance fee and visit the loo. Outside, a flycatcher was zipping in and out of the centre’s covered area, presumably feeding young in a nest.  It was Say’s Phoebe (below), the key identification feature being the light orange (Sibley says ‘dull cinnamon’) vent and belly, an open country species of the western USA and Mexico. 

Say's Phoebe - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

Our first day's hike was up Mosaic Canyon, with an early start to avoid the full heat of the day (which rose to the mid-30s Celsius or mid-90s Farenheit). It's a great walk; the canyon narrows down to single file sections where you have to scramble over the smoothly polished marble. The steep canyon walls kept it shady and cool in the lower sections, although things got hotter and sunnier as it widened out. 

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley CA

The birdlife was enjoying the shade as well. Just past the first narrow section I heard a loud chirpy whistle coming from the canyon wall. “Probably a Canyon Wren”, advised a passing hiker. By this point on the trip I had learned to be cautious about other people's identification skills - and with good reason. Although the bird was plainly in a canyon, it was a Rock Wren (below), looking far more like the image of that species in Sibley than the one that I’d seen at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada (see earlier blog post here). For the record, Canyon Wrens have a deeper, rufous colour, with a white throat and breast. 

  

Rock Wren - Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley CA

Further up, where the canyon widened out, a loud chirping led me to a nice family scene: a male House Finch was feeding his young (below). They had bred early here, probably to escape the extreme heat of the summer. House Finches are attractive birds; it's a pity that some people discount common species, no matter how colourful they may be.  

Feeding time! House Finches in Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley CA

Our base in the National Park was The Ranch at Furnace Creek, which I would recommend as a place to stay - although, in fairness, there aren't many other local options. The campsite at Furnace Creek looked almost full, although it can't have been comfortable camping in the heat (and this was only April!). This campsite actually closes in the summer. 

For birdwatching, Furnace Creek is a bit of a magnet - for what I would argue are all of the wrong reasons. Breathtakingly, somebody decided that this would be the ideal place for a golf course. So the desert gives way to a complex of well-watered lawns, clumps of trees and a couple of decent-sized lakes. Naturally, all of this water acts as an avian magnet.

I had an evening walk around part of the golf course - a bit nervously, as I wasn't sure how birders would be received here. As it turned out, there were no problems. It might have helped that nobody was playing. In fact, apart from a few greenkeepers, who paid me no attention, there was no-one out on the course for the two days that we stayed at Furnace Creek. I wondered why they had bothered creating it.

My walk took me to the smaller pond, which contained couple of Cinnamon Teal and three Ruddy Ducks. Five American Coots (one pictured below) were stalking around on the fairway nearby. At first sight, these are very like the UK's Common Coot, but note the dark patch (actually red) at the top of the frontal shield. Clearly, none of these birds would normally be found here.

American Coot - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

An American Robin (below) perched nicely for me on a sawn-off log.  

American Robin - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

And a Turkey Vulture (below) floated over, missing the tips of some of its primaries. At least this was a 'proper' Death Valley resident.

Turkey Vulture - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

The following morning I was out of our room at dawn (just after 6am). My plan was to walk an anticlockwise circuit of Furnace Creek, heading up to the main road, along to the visitor centre and campsite, then down the airstrip road to the larger golf course pond, which I hadn’t found on my previous walk, then returning across the golf course.

There was very little bird activity in the hotel grounds, the first two species being both non-native - House Sparrow and Collared Dove. More movement (both avian and human) was apparent over at the campsite, where a mobile flock of around twenty Brewer’s Blackbirds (female pictured below) and a smaller number of Great-tailed Grackles were poking around the picnic tables. Brewer's Blackbirds (and indeed the grackles) are members of the Icterid (New World Blackbird) family, rather than thrushes. They are common in the western USA. The males are a bit smarter than the females: glossy black, with a white eye. 

Brewer's Blackbird female - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

I made my way across the campsite and joined the road that runs down to the airstrip. Two Canada Geese flew over (I would meet them later on), followed by a Wilson's Snipe. Death Valley is to the south of the snipe's year-round resident range, so this bird had likely either over-wintered here or was on passage to the north. I was very pleased to see it, even if only in flight. Further down the road, a small passerine in a tree turned out to be an Audubon’s Warbler: there were a few about.

The airstrip road took me near to the larger golf course pond. This was equipped with a wooden viewing platform (below), so it appeared that birders were being positively welcomed to this corner of the golf course.

Viewing platform - Furnace Creek gold course CA

The platform boasted a small notice celebrating the property's 'achievements in environmental sustainability'. I can't really comment on this, except to say that the presence of ponds, reed beds and well-watered fairways looked rather out of place in this arid desert landscape.

Audubon environmental sustainability notice

I wasn’t alone: another birder, who was from the east of the USA, so not completely familiar with the local birdlife, had beaten me to it. We had a brief chat and gazed across the pond, which contained a pair of Ruddy Ducks and three American Coots. Two more unusual birds then flew in. Most exciting for me was this beautiful male Yellow-headed Blackbird (below) - another icterid - which sat obligingly at the top of a Tamarisk tree.

Yellow-headed Blackbird (male) - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

This is a wetland species, so Death Valley wouldn’t be a natural place to find it. The same could be said about the Belted Kingfisher (below) which arrived next, looking almost green in the morning light. We’re out of range for Green Kingfisher here in any event, but the shaggy crest is a good identification feature for Belted (Green has a neater pointed crest). Belted Kingfishers are seen as far south as Colombia and Venezuela.  

Belted Kingfisher- Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

Canada Geese (below), are so familiar in the UK as a non-native species that it felt odd taking their photo. But here they are native, setting aside the artificial nature of this particular habitat in this particular location. Death Valley sits right at the southern end of their resident range, so it’s unclear whether these two were going to stay here and breed or fly north.  

Canada Geese - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

Time was moving on, so I walked back to the hotel taking a more direct route across the golf course. Near to the accommodation blocks I encountered the local Coyote (below) walking along the side of a fairway and across a green.

Coyote - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

Coyote (detail) - Furnace Creek, Death Valley CA

We had seen a Coyote crossing the fairway here the previous evening, so I guessed that this was the same individual on its usual round. In appearance, Coyotes sit somewhere between a fox and a wolf to my eyes. While the ones that I’ve come across elsewhere in the USA have looked pretty lean and hungry, this Furnace Creek resident appeared to be in fairly good condition. Although there are no livestock, and very few wild ungulates, in Death Valley, it is likely that the golf course’s substantial Desert Cottontail population is the main prey item. And I doubt that losing a few bunnies would upset the golf course managers.

It was time for our last Death Valley breakfast. By the time that car was packed, the thermometer was already showing a toasty 91 degrees Farenheit (33 degrees Celsius). We were heading back to the coast.

To be continued ...  

Reference:

Sibley, D. (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America. London: Christopher Helm.

  

USA 2023 - Grand Canyon Birds (and more)

Sunday 9 April 2023

Steller's Jay - Grand Canyon AZ

We had arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on the previous afternoon, after a five and a half hour drive from Las Vegas across the vast, open landscapes of the Arizona uplands. First impressions of were off-putting: there was a 40 minute traffic queue to get through the National Park entrance, and the car parks on the South Rim were jammed. Our fault for arriving during the Easter weekend; we had been lucky to snatch a late room vacancy.

Grand Canyon AZ - view from South Rim

It wasn't any quieter when we had sorted ourselves out, got checked in at the lodge and walked over to the canyon edge. The view is, of course, sensational and it was great to be back after a 30 year absence. But the crowds had scared away most of the wildlife. A few Violet-green Swallows were flying above the canyon rim, and the only bird on the ground was this sharply-marked Spotted Towhee (below) searching for bits and pieces just over the wall at the edge of the viewing area. This is very much a bird of the western USA, its range extending into south-west Canada and down the spine of Mexico.

Spotted Towhee - Grand Canyon AZ

Also here was a Cliff Chipmunk (record photo below), also looking for scraps left by visitors. We only saw a couple of these: they had been a lot more common on my previous visit, although that had been in high summer. Today there was still snow on the shadier north-facing slopes.

Cliff Chipmunk (record photo) - Grand Canyon AZ

Fortunately, things improved considerably the following morning. As ever, it pays to be up early, and we were out of bed before 0600 to watch the sunrise. The first wildlife reward was a group of four or five Mule Deer nosing around the Thunderbird Lodge building, and looking very much at home. It wasn't a surprise: I had seen Mule Deer at sunrise by the Bright Angel trailhead on my last visit.

Mule Deer - Grand Canyon AZ

Mule Deer group - Grand Canyon AZ 

It was time for the obligatory sunrise photo shoot. The morning light was superb: clear and crisp.  It was fabulous to be out. 

Grand Canyon at sunrise

Once the sun had lifted above the canyon rim, we walked east along the Rim Trail, soon leaving our fellow sunrise gazers behind. There was much more bird activity in the forest than the previous afternoon (there could hardly have been less!), but my first sighting had me leafing through my copy of Sibley. Although looking like something new, the mystery bird turned out to be a Dark-eyed Junco (below).

Dark-eyed Junco (Grey-headed) - Grand Canyon AZ

The reason for my confusion was that Dark-eyed Juncos are variable, with 15 subspecies recognised in the HBW/Birdlife International Checklist. This form is known as a Grey-headed Junco (subspecies caniceps), with a more restricted distribution across the south-western states. Its rufous mantle is just visible.  

For comparison, here (below) is a more 'normal' Dark-eyed Junco from California's Monterey Bay coast. This subspecies is known as the Oregon Junco (ssp. oreganus), and is a common and familiar sight on the West coast of the USA. I took this photo a week before in our hotel car park.  

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon Junco) - Aptos CA

While I was puzzling over the junco a woodpecker swooped in, perched in a pine and then flew onto a nicely exposed branch (below). It was clearly a Northern Flicker, which I had previously seen on a visit to New England. However, the species has now been split, so this is my first Red-shafted Flicker. It had an impressively long tongue (bottom image); although they can eat fruit and seeds, most of their diet comprises insects, especially ants. They often feed on the ground, like the Green Woodpecker in the UK and Europe.

Red-shafted Flicker - Grand Canyon AZ

Red-shafted Flicker showing tongue - Grand Canyon AZ

The eastern form of Northern Flicker now called the Yellow-shafted Flicker. The new names relate to the shafts of the wing and tail feathers, which are not easily seen - except in the hand, I guess. More obvious differences are that Red-shafted Flicker lacks a red nape (which Yellow-shafted has), but has a red moustachial stripe (compared to a black stripe on Yellow-shafted). The red stripe shows up well in this record photo below.

Red-shafted Flicker (detail) - Grand Canyon AZ

Posing no identification problems, but proving photographically difficult as it was constantly on the move, was this Pygmy Nuthatch (below) climbing down the trunk of a pine.

Pygmy Nuthatch (record photo) - Grand Canyon AZ

A bird that I had been particularly keen to see, the Pygmy Nuthatch is a western species, its range extending from southern Canada (just) down into Mexico. Oddly, we saw neither of the more common North American nuthatches (White and Red-breasted) on this trip; both are found on the Grand Canyon South Rim (says eBird) and elsewhere in California, too. Pygmy Nuthatch is a bird of conifer forests, while the other two species are less fussy.

Next up was the arrival of a pointy-crested Steller’s Jay (see image at the start of this post). Another western species, Steller’s Jay ranges from coastal Alaska to Central America. There are 16 subspecies; this Grand Canyon example was subspecies macrolopha (the inland  form). Note the white marks on the head; these are absent in the coastal nominate subspecies. Steller’s Jays prefer coniferous or mixed woods; I haven't seen it on the coast. Which can’t be said for the final bird that appeared: a Western Scrub-Jay (below).

Western (Woodhouse's) Scrub-Jay - Grand Canyon AZ

This looked so different from the coastal form that I had seen the previous week (see image at the end of this blog post), that I wondered at first whether it was a different species. But in fact it's the inland form of Western Scrub-Jay, known as Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay. (Although possibly not for very much longer if the proposed renaming of American common bird names goes ahead.)

And that was it for our morning Grand Canyon bird walk. We had breakfast at the lodge, packed our bags and started the long drive east ... to the considerably more arid surroundings of Death Valley.

To be continued ...

Reference

Sibley, D. (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America. London: Christopher Helm.

 
 

USA 2023 - Desert Plants and Birds at Red Rock Canyon NV

Friday 7 April 2023

Eastern Joshua Tree - Red Rock Canyon NV

If you're staying in Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a great place for getting out of the city and exploring the desert. It’s close to the built-up area of Vegas - almost too close, perhaps. New housing schemes are relentlessly marching out towards the protected area. 

The cost of this proximity is popularity. Red Rock Canyon has a scenic drive that needs to be booked in advance. We hadn’t done that, but I’d seen online that several trails started from the visitor centre, so had thought that we wouldn’t need to do the drive to be able to hike the trails. Nothing so straightforward, unfortunately. A checkpoint (“fee station”) between the public road and the visitor centre diverted non-booked vehicles straight back out of the reserve. Very annoying. But we were determined not to be beaten. A few cars had parked just off the main road outside the vehicle exit. So, after a quick chat with a local coming back from a run, we left the car there and walked back up the road into the reserve.

Red Rock Canyon NV

As it turned out, this was a good thing. Being on foot in a desert means that you see a whole lot more than when you're whizzing through in a car. Starting with the plants. Dotted around were many Mojave Yuccas Yucca schidigera (below). There are several confusion species, but the key ID features for Mojave Yucca are, first, the yellowish-green leaf colour (not blue-green), which is seen well in these photos, and, second, the thick hairs on the leaf edges. Mature plants can grow branched stems. 

Mojave Yucca - Red Rock Canyon NV

Mojave Yucca (detail) - Red Rock Canyon NV

Dominating the landscape were the Joshua Trees (see the photo at the start of this post). Nothing growing in the desert is as big as this. They stand out as obvious landmarks above the lower shrubs, each of their twisted and complex forms seeming unique. Never mind the U2 album, this tree is one of the few that has a national park named after it (others include Sequoia and Coastal Redwood). It’s an iconic species. 

Joshua Trees are yuccas, which becomes obvious when you look more closely. This one had buds developing (below), looking almost sculptural in form. Each of these will grow into a cluster of flowers, which have no nectar and very little pollen. They are pollinated by micro-moths; the moths lay eggs, and some of the yucca’s seeds end up as food for the developing caterpillars.

Eastern Joshua Tree bud - Red Rock Canyon NV

As ever, the taxonomists have been having a go at the Joshua Tree. More dated field guides (and some less dated websites) list the species as Yucca brevifolia. I guess that the scientific name refers to its leaves, which are short by yucca standards. Previously, it was accepted that there were two subspecies of Joshua Tree: however, in 2007 these were upgraded to two full species – Western Joshua Tree Yucca brevifolia and Eastern Joshua Tree Y. jaegeriana. I was going to get grumpy and ignore the split, but the IUCN red list and the US Department of Fish & Wildlife both recognise it, so I shall go with the flow.  So – the trees here at Red Rock Canyon are Eastern Joshua Trees and those around Mojave, which we saw on the drive to Vegas the previous day, are Western Joshua Trees. The differences are subtle, and relate to size and branching pattern.

We walked on, past the fee station (where we’d been turned away when driving) and found a trail heading up to the visitor centre. I noticed a sudden movement in the vegetation.  It took me a while to locate the bird concerned – a Black-throated Sparrow (below) one of two.

Black-throated Sparrow on Mohave Yucca - Red Rock Canyon NV

Black-throated Sparrows are neat little birds (who says that sparrows are dull?) that are real desert specialists. They are resident in the northern half of Mexico, as well as southern California, Arizona and a bit of Nevada (here!). In summer they also breed further north. A nice find. There is life in the desert, and it’s exciting when you find it. Also here were a couple of American Robins.

From the visitor centre, we started hiking the first section of the Calico Hills Trail, which begins with a meaninglessly convoluted loop. We soon lost the crowds ...

Calico Hills - Red Rock Canyon NV

... but found them again at the first parking area, where a short trail leads down to a viewpoint of the Calico Hills. The sandstone cliffs are extraordinary, but most wildlife had made itself scarce. However, all was not lost: looking down from the road I saw a bird flitting around the rocks – my first Rock Wren (below). This is the commonest wren in the Las Vegas area, although both Canyon and Cactus Wren are also present at Red Rock Canyon (among others). Note the pale eyebrow stripe and the dark bars on its underside. 

Rock Wren - Red Rock Canyon NV

From the parking area, we retraced our steps along the trail to the visitor centre. On the way I was looking for more plants.

Beavertail Cactus - Red Rock Canyon NV

There’s something satisfying about finding cacti in a desert. They may be the stereotypical desert flora, but most of the deserts that I’ve explored have been pretty cactus-deficient. There were a few around here though, including Beavertail Cactus Opuntia basilaris (above). It’s obvious how it got its common name. The species is almost a US endemic, just overlapping the Mexican border.  Red Rock Canyon is in the middle of its distribution range, which extends over the deserts of the southwestern states.

Back at the visitor centre we admired the captive Desert Tortoises and had a quick mooch in the bookshop. I'll end this post with an image of an Anna's Hummingbird, that was making the most of a feeder there. Red Rock Canyon would certainly merit a revisit.

Anna's Hummingbird - Red Rock Canyon NV