Central California
Part 1: Baikal Teal Hunt
Yep! He's BAAAaaak! I didn't have time to rush up here with the mob to see
the Baikal Teal when he first showed up last month, so I was praying that he'd
stick around until I left for the
Morro Bay Bird Fest. My hopes weren't up,
as he hadn't been seen since Christmas, I believe, but I figured it couldn't
hurt to try. (Oh, SLO/N/L stands for the Bird Fest in SLO, then exploring
Napa and Lake Counties...)
I headed north from San Diego and decided to bypass LA totally, going up I-15
to 138 to 14 to I-15 to 101 at Ventura, and aside from one parking lot before
the 91 near Corona, it was smooth sailing (and a lot prettier scenery, I might
add). Nothing out of the ordinary birdwise on the way, and I arrived at the
sewer ponds (excellent directions, BTW) around 2:00. Talked to the fellow in
the office, and they were saying the duck hadn't been seen in a couple of
weeks, but he said I was welcome to park outside and walk in if I wanted.
Seeing the crunch was long over and I was the only one there, I went ahead and
did that, seeing as the view was clearer from there than from up on the hill
(for me, anyway).
The first couple of ponds (with the tarp around them) had a flock of Mew Gulls
merrily picking something off the surface. A flock of coots had been in the
bushes until I came close, then the whole convention moved over to the pond.
The guard geese hissed and flapped their wings at me, but they apparently
didn't want a confrontation as they gave me a wide berth! There were plenty
of Blue-winged Teal in those first ponds, as well as some Mallards,
Ring-necked Ducks, a couple of Bufflehead, and a single Ruddy.
Mew Gulls
Ubiquitous American Coots Mallard pair
Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead
Things started hopping up the little rise and in the long, grass-lined ponds.
Lots of female Green-winged Teal were in this one (in addition to the other
ducks), and a Snowy Egret sat Ed Sullivan-like on the bank. The next pond
over had more of the same, and as I scanned the bank, I couldn't believe it:
there was the Baikal about halfway down on the left (with a lady Green-winged,
I might add J ) giving me the looking
over! He stayed put long enough for several digiscoped shots, and when I
leaned in to get another scope view, he suddenly wasn't there! He had flown
over to the next pond just like that, and was out in the middle along with the
male Green-winged Teals and several Shovelers! What a bird! I hiked down to
the end just to see what else was in the area, but of course everything else
was anticlimactic; had both flavors of Butterbutt in the big euc which was
interesting and added Acorn and Nuttall's Woodpeckers that were calling across
the way to the trip list. The Coot Convention moved back across the dike en
masse again as I walked back, and when I reported the bird to the guy in the
office he was elated and said, "Are you sure?!" (Like there's anything else
you could confuse it with...) I showed him the picture just to save my
honor...
Male Baikal Teal (right) with lady friend After fleeing to the other pond... The more expected Green-winged Teal
I have no clue where I'll be birding tomorrow, as the hunt today was a
success; somewhere between here and Buttonwillow!