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References — Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America. Frank C. Bellrose. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1976. 2nd edition. — A Field Guide to the Natural History of the San Francisco Peninsula. John C. Williams and Howard C. Monroe. Berkeley: MrCutrchan Publishing, 1967. — Honker: A Discussion of the Habits and Needs of the Largest of Our Canada Geese. Cecil S. Williams. Princeton, N.J.: D. Van Nostrand, 1967. — National Audubon Society, Field Guide to California. 
Peter Alden et al. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.Photos copyright © 2010-2012 Kat Avila Camera: Canon SD780 IS |
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| American Avocet \'æ-vǝ-sɛt\ (Recurvirostra americana): They swing their long, narrow bill side-to-side as they feed in shallow waters. Then they violently shake their head back and forth, perhaps to help them swallow. The contents of their gut include shell fragments and worms, as well as mud (Williams and Monroe, 11-12). | ||||
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 2010.5.5 |
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 in nonbreeding mode with a gray pate 2011.4.11 |
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 "Gotta pee!" 2011.4.11 |
 2011.4.18 |
 with long-billed dowitcher 2011.4.18 |
 2011.4.21 |
 "Now you see it . . ." 2011.4.21 |
 ". . . and now you don't." 2011.4.21 |
| A pair of avocets were harassing a mallard hen and her ducklings. For fun or for the feeding area, who knows. They didn't directly confront the hen, but targeted the ducklings. After some time, the avocets left the ducks alone. | ||||
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| American Coot (aka mud hen or marsh hen) (Fulica americana) | ||||
 2010.4.23 |
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 2011.2.8 |
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 2011.3.10 |
 2011.3.15 |
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| American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) | ||||
 2010.5.5 |
 "We waited and waited for you." 2011.3.17 |
 "Whaddya say we go?" 2011.3.17 |
 "I'm gonna poop on you next time." 2011.3.17 |
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| Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) | ||||
 2011.1.25 |
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| Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax): Hard to see, but there are a pair of white plumes that drop from its dark crown. | ||||
 An American avocet flies in as the night-heron takes off. 2011.4.18 |
 Western vervain in foreground 2011.4.18 |
 "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go!" ♫ 2011.4.18 |
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 Swallowing a fish down. 2011.4.18 |
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 "Ba-bye!" 2011.4.18 |
 On the other side of the pond. 2011.4.18 |
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| Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) | ||||
 2012.4.17 |
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| Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) | ||||
 2010.4.23 |
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 2011.2.25 |
 black-necked stilts, American avocets, ducks 2010.7.9 |
 black-necked stilts and cinnamon teals 2011.2.25 |
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| Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) in bushes of California encelia | ||||
 "What are you doing upside down?" 2011.1.27 |
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 2011.2.3 |
 This one is swinging up and down on stalks of California bulrush. 2011.4.11 |
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| California Quail (Callipepla californica): At first, I thought it was a rabbit, then a mourning dove. When I got closer, I realized there was a pair of quail. In a year of hiking the sanctuary, I had never seen them before. | ||||
 in area of Pond 4 2011.4.11 |
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| Canada Goose (Branta canadensis): It's a Canada goose, not a Canadian goose. One of the most moving sights you can experience is a V-formation of migratory Canadas honking by overhead, moving at 20-30 miles per hour (C. Williams, p. 116) and flying at altitudes of 750-3,500 feet (Bellrose, p. 155). There are eleven recognized varieties, which are distinguished from each other by size, i.e., lightweights (small), middleweights (medium), and heavyweights (large) (C. Williams, p. 3). Southern California tends to get the larger, more resonant honkers flying in from nearby northeasterly states (Bellrose, p. 147). The geese have a 28-day incubation period, and you are likely to see goslings between mid-March and early May (C. Williams, p. 31). | ||||
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 Before flying off, quick honking with head bobbing. 2011.3.11 |
 Takeoff! 2011.3.11 |
 close-up on wing 2011.3.11 |
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| Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) | ||||
 2011.11.23 |
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| Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera): The male (drake) cinnamon or red teal has red eyes and light blue shoulder patches. Almost all cinnamon teal spend their winters in regions south of the United States. Of those that winter in the U.S., most are in California (Bellrose, p. 288). | ||||
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 "What's back here?" 2011.2.25 |
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 2011.1.27 |
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 2011.3.7 |
 American coot in foreground 2011.11.23 |
 Could be juveniles. Not sure. 2011.11.23 |
| Cliff Swallow (Hirundo pyrrhonota): At the Campus and University overpass. | ||||
 2010.5.14 |
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| Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus): An inland cormorant. | ||||
 2011.1.27 |
 the Loch Ness monster 2011.3.15 |
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 juvenile 2011.3.15 |
 juvenile 2011.3.15 |
 flying from Pond 2 island 2011.11.23 |
 swimming in Pond 1 2011.11.23 |
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