Natural History Journal

Gulls are a fun challenge for birders, from beginners to experts.  A few things make gulls an interesting study: they are large and conspicuous in their open habitats, so they are easy to see, easy to put a scope on, and easy to watch and study for long periods of time.  Furthermore, gulls are almost always identifiable as gulls; none of this confusing warbler/vireo/kinglet nonsense! And yet, gulls are almost impossibly difficult!  (Though perhaps not nearly as difficult as Empidonax flycatchers!) An intimidating scene to many a birder: a mixed flock of gulls.  I see five different species of gull here. Oh, and one American Coot in the background. One of the reasons they are so complicated is most gull species take two or three years to achieve adult plumage, and go through multiple molts in a year.  So, you may be looking at three or four gulls together that look like four completely different species, when they are actually just different ages (...

Sometimes, a photo doesn't have to be good; it just has to be good enough to make a positive identification.  Such was the case with the Rough-legged Hawk encountered a few days ago on the grasslands east of Le Grand. The Rough-legged Hawk ( Buteo lagopus ) is a species that makes me feel awed and humbled in its presence.  It breeds high in the Arctic, then travels thousands of miles to overwinter across much of the United States.  Much like my experiences with Tundra Swans , Surfbirds  and Sanderlings , I am utterly amazed that this great traveler deigns to spend its winters in California's lowly grasslands and foothills.  It is incredible to think that this grand bird in front of me hatched and fledged on a remote and rugged Arctic cliffside, and eventually found its way to the prairielands bordering our own less-than-spectacular Central Valley.  This is wild America, folks, just beyond our doorsteps.  That is why I am okay with sub-par photogra...

Winter is a great time to see raptors in the wilds of California - particularly in the patches of grassland and prairie that remain in the Central Valley and adjacent foothills.  A few days ago, while searching for winter raptors like Ferruginous Hawks and Rough-legged Hawks (both of which we found), we happened upon four Bald Eagles (as well as two Golden Eagles).  Two of the Bald Eagles were adults, with snowy white heads, and the other two were immature birds, as evidenced by their mottled brown-and-white appearance.  It takes five years for a young Bald Eagle to develop the characteristic white feathers on its head. Immature Bald Eagle While Bald Eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) breed largely in the north, in forested areas near bodies of water, during the winter they are found across much of the United States, always near water.  Look for them near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, coastlines and at many of our National Wildlife Refuges. Mature...

While snow blankets the high Sierra to our east, and sunny days prevail along the coast to our west, California's Great Central Valley experiences the unique winter of a Mediterranean climate.  Nights can be thick with tule fog and days dreary and gray with low skies; on other days, skies may be high, clear and bright azure, with freezing nights preceding mornings white with wintry frost.  It may not be the postcard winter scene (no stunning red cardinals against a backdrop of snowy conifers here), but it is wintertime nonetheless, with its own beauty to be found in the quiet landscape. White-tailed Kite, San Joaquin River NWR Winter is a good time to look for raptors, like the beautiful White-tailed Kite ( Elanus leucurus ) pictured above.  Watching these stunning birds hunt, hovering or "kiting" in mid-air while they scan the ground for rodent prey, is a real treat. Another marshland hunter, the Northern Harrier ( Circus cyaneus ), is readily identifiable by it...