Bird Encounters in the California Countryside

Birding on the rural backroads is my favorite place to find birds! This time, we spotted a vibrant male American Kestrel, Black Phoebes, and more. I'm convinced those two Turkey Vultures are up to no good...

Plus, I never thought we'd encounter the second-largest living rodent during our birding adventure!

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Birdwatching in Your Car

Crank up your favorite tunes and let's go on a road trip!

One of the greatest things about birding--besides the beautiful birds, wonderful birdsong, and the fact that it's one giant scavenger hunt--is that you can do it from your car! Taking a drive through the auto tour at your local wildlife refuge is fun and easy. Plus, using your vehicle as a blind means you get to see even more birds that would normally be scared away if you were on a walking trail.

Some of our best bird sightings have been on the auto tour. This time, we saw our first-ever Horned Lark! It's always exciting to add another bird to the lifelist...

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Cosumnes River Preserve ~ Birding in Sacramento County, California

While we were walking the beautiful trails at the Cosumnes River Preserve, it didn't feel like the birds were cooperating with wanting their picture taken.

But when I went through the photos later, I found that plenty had turned out and were definitely post-worthy!

Which is a good thing considering we took over 800 photos of the wonderful wildlife and scenery we saw during our walk!

There were also tons of wildflowers blooming and I'll be posting those pretty pics over at Wildflower Wednesday.

Here is the website for the Cosumnes River Preserve so that you can plan your visit when/if you're ever in the area.

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Let's go birding!

American Kestrel ☼ North America’s Littlest Falcon

I put together a video of all of my best Kestrel photos...

5 Worst Things About Birding

Last month, I posted my 10 Best Things About Birding list. Today, I'm flipping over to the other side of the coin and sharing the five worst things about my favorite hobby.

If you follow any of my accounts on social media (author, travel, birder), you know that I'd gnaw off my own arm before posting something negative. Goodness knows there's already plenty of negativity out there and I only want to put positive things out into the universe for people to enjoy. Good thing this list isn't meant to be negative at all! If anything, the title is just click-bait, but sometimes you have to be a little sneaky to get your message out, am I right?

Let's see if you agree with these observations about the downsides of birding...

1. Not everyone gets it. The things I'm fascinated with may seem as dull as dirt to others, but to me, birds are extraordinary and worth talking about and photographing and obsessing over. Own it. It's your hobby and you don't have to explain your love of birds to anyone. Especially me. They're birds. They can fly. That alone makes them the most interesting creature on the planet, in my opinion.

2. Birds are naturally flighty and wary of humans--no matter how pure your intentions are. It can be frustrating when all you want is to take their picture, but then again, maybe that's what makes each bird sighting so unique. You never know how long its going to last, so you are forced to cherish every single second of it.

3. It's addicting. It's all I want to do. I want to travel across the country and get my National Wildlife Refuge Blue Goose Passport stamped at every refuge, but unfortunately, I haven't found a way to get paid to do it. After all, I do need money for gas, food, etc. Let me know if you're a willing sponsor with deep pockets!

4. Birding sometimes exposes you to the not-so-warm-and-fuzzy side of nature. Not that that's a bad thing. It just takes some getting used to. Some birds kill other birds in order to survive and put food in their bellies. It's simply a fact of life, but it can be a little strange to witness the first time you see it happen with your own two eyes. Especially if you're squeamish and don't want a glimpse behind that particular curtain. I'm sure no one is clamoring to watch me scarf down a Quarter Pounder with Cheese after a long day of birding, but it's a natural part of life.

5. Insane jealousy of other people's sightings. I don't know about you, but I usually find myself gravitating toward wanting what I don't have. Therefore, I get a little jealous of other people's White-tailed Kite sightings, for example. I want so very badly to see a Kite and don't care to be left in the dust by other birders. Maybe it's time I take my own advice from my 5 Birding Tips for Beginners list and be patient. I'll get one someday. The anticipation of that magnificent sighting is what fuels me.

After all, after years of waiting, we finally spotted a Western Tanager and it was truly spectacular. Be patient, grasshopper! You'll get that bird that's been eluding you for what seems like forever. You'll have an awesome, unexpected sighting of a rare bird that makes everyone else green with envy. Mwa-hah-ha!

Well, there it is! See, I told you the negative things about birding weren't that bad. If everything was perfect and hunky-dory all the time, you'd never appreciate the good times and be grateful for them, right? That's what I tell myself anyway.

What are your least favorite things about birding? I know, I know, I'm a firm believer in taking the negative and turning it into a positive. Now, where's that handy-dandy magic wand of mine? I know I left it around here somewhere...

Let's go birding!

5 More Birding Tips for Beginners

Last month, I offered some birding tips to keep in mind while you start the wonderful adventure that is birding. (You can read that post here.) Because this hobby is the ultimate learning experience, I thought of a few more bits of advice that might help...

1. If you find yourself having trouble identifying a bird you spotted, keep in mind that it could be a juvenile. Some species of birds start out looking nothing like the end product. Take, for instance, the Black-crowned Night Heron shown below. Even though their body shape is similar, their markings make them look like completely different species. There is a heron rookery on the auto tour of the Colusa NWR and we're lucky to get to see them in both stages of life.

You might wish the bird to be a different species, just so you can add a new bird to your lifelist, but sometimes it's just a youngster growing into his own. Take comfort in knowing that birds go through that awkward adolescent stage just like humans. For example, it takes Bald Eagles a few years to grow into their regal plumage. So, if you can't ID a particular bird, consider that it might just be a teenage version of one you already know and love.

Get yourself a good field guide and familiarize yourself with the birds in your area and what they look like when they're immature and adult. The one pictured below has birds separated by color which was extremely helpful to me as a beginner. Stan Tekiela has a ton of guides for every different state which you can purchase HERE.

The Merlin Bird ID app has also been awesome for identifying birds I'm not familiar with. It's free and you can download it HERE. The iBird Pro Guide is packed full of information about birds, too.

2. Don't make assumptions. Check again. Even if you think it's "just a blackbird," zoom in and double check for sure. I'll give you two examples of when I was guilty of this and almost missed a sighting. Phainopepla. I thought it was just a blackbird in the distance. Then we saw white on the wings when it flew away and heard another one make a sound we'd never heard before. Luckily there were several in the trees, fluttering from one branch to another, so I could get a closer look. Check it out, otherwise you might miss a great/rare sighting.

Female Phainopepla (the male is black)

Example number two: My first American Kestrel. I thought it was a sparrow in the top of a tree. Nope. It was an American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon. I had no idea a bird of prey could be that small!

American Kestrel

Bonus example: Western Meadowlark on a telephone wire. Again, we thought it was "just a blackbird" when we looked up. We'd never seen a Meadowlark on a phone line before and had only ever seen them on the ground and occasionally in trees. Birds will continue to surprise you no matter how long you've been watching them. That's one of the things that makes birding so fun!

Great Egret

3. Keep track of your sightings. In a journal, a blog, etc. On a really good day at the refuge, you might see dozens of different species in the span of only an hour or two and remembering everything you saw can get overwhelming. And, for future reference, label the folders of photos on your computer by date and location so you can easily refer back to when and where you saw a bird.

4. I found it helpful to switch from binoculars to a camera. Instead of taking the precious time to focus and find a bird through binoculars and try to remember identifying details, now I simply use my camera, snap a few photos, and that way I can identify it later on the app if needed. That's the great thing about digital cameras--the photos are free and you can take as many as you want without having to wait for your expensive film to be developed. There will be plenty of blurry, non Instagram-worthy shots, but no one has to see those!

Llano Seco Unit, part of the North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area

5. Go on your birding trips whenever you can, all different times of day. Most people recommend spotting birds in the early morning and late evening, but we manage to see them at all times. Find what works best for you and switch it up occasionally for a change of scenery and lighting. Cloudy days are even better than bright sunshiney ones so you don't get that harsh glare from the sun.

All righty, that's it for today. I hope you can take something away from these tips and get the most out of your birding adventures!

Happy Birding!
Rachelle Vaughn

Let's go birding!

Birds and Barbed Wire ☼ Rural Birding ☼ Glenn County, California

As you've probably noticed by now, some of our best (and most memorable) bird sightings have been on the country backroads around the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. So, I just had to put together a little tribute video in honor of my favorite road...

Some of the birds in this video include: Red-tailed Hawk, Western Kingbird, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, and Cattle Egret.

Let's go birding!

Beautiful Modoc National Wildlife Refuge ☼ Alturas California

Out of the all wildlife refuges I've been to in northern California, Modoc National Wildlife Refuge is my personal favorite. This gorgeous spot in remote Alturas has 360 degree views and hardly anyone around to distract you from getting your nature vibes.

From the auto tour route, you can blindly stick your camera out the window, snap a photo and it's guaranteed to be amazing! I literally did that very thing, and when I went through my photos after we came back home, I couldn't figure out which photo it was.

Tricolored Blackbird

There is a paved walking trail, viewing blind, and the Visitor Center is shiny and new after being completely rebuilt after a fire in 2015. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

Tree Swallow

During our visit, we spotted Northern Shrike, American Kestrel, Willet, Northern Harrier, Black-necked Stilt, Sandhill Cranes, Cinnamon Teal, Marsh Wrens, among dozens of other birds. I made a video of the refuge which includes--you guessed it!--a 360 pan of scenic gorgeousness. I also threw in some dashcam footage of the auto tour and boundary roads, a Northern Harrier in flight, and a Willet with its wings spread...

Visit the Modoc NWR refuge website here.

☼

Let's go birding!

5 Birding Tips for Beginners

Birding can be as relaxing or as adventurous as you want it to be. Watching out the window from the comfort of your recliner at home, a leisurely stroll in the park, or a trip to your local wildlife refuge where you don't know what kind of birds you're going to spot. Every time we go out in search of birds, it's not only fun but an eye-opening learning experience. So, today I thought I'd share a few tips to help you get started in this wonderful, inexpensive, life-enriching hobby.

1. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but don't! Learning to identify the birds you see takes time and is completely worth it. You don't just jump into learning and mastering a new language in one day. Same thing with birding.

Like anything else, birding takes practice. At first, you might not know the difference between a finch and sparrow, but in good time you will. The more you see of different birds (and the same ones, too), you'll learn to identify their differences, no matter how subtle they might be. A little stripe here, a dash of coloring there just might be the difference between two different species.

American Kestrel

2. Be patient. Birds don't always like to cooperate with your eyes or your camera. Waterbirds and shorebirds are larger and easier to spot, but they will fly away if you get too close. Imagine how wonderful it must be to be able to spread your wings and fly away at the first sign of trouble! Ah well, that's another post for another day.

Littler birds are even more difficult to pin down. Take warblers, for instance. Yellow-rumped Warblers can be the most frustrating to get photos of (at least for me anyway.) And don't even get me started on Mountain Chickadees. I'm sure every birder has one that continues to elude their eager camera lens.Yellow-rumped Warblers are quite possibly one of the cutest little birds I've ever seen and yet I can't seem to get a decent photo of one to save my life. Maybe that's part of what makes them so special.

There's a lot of luck involved when birding, and more often than not we find ourselves in "right place at the right time" scenarios.

Dunlin

3. Go easy on yourself. I've misidentified birds before (and still do!), only to have someone point it out to me here on my blog or on social media. There's always going to be someone better or more experienced than you, but that's all apart of the learning process I mentioned earlier.

Birds' plumage can vary greatly between summer/winter, male/female, and young/adult. Some birds (like Red-tailed Hawks) can even stump experts because there are so many different forms and variations.

American Robin

4. Get ready for an adventure. Not only are you opening yourself up to new knowledge about the wildlife around you, you're giving yourself the opportunity to see and experience the extraordinary. Spotting a Vermilion Flycatcher in a cemetery in Northern California continues to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. (Read more about that particular birding adventure here). Birds can go way off course from their migratory route and end up giving you the thrill of a lifetime!

You truly never know what you're going to see each time you raise those binoculars up to your eyes. Isn't that the reason for watching birds in the first place? The possibility of spotting something rare? You betcha!

Red-tailed Hawk

5. Appreciate each sighting, no matter how common. No matter how many White-crowned Sparrows I encounter, I still love each and every one of them. I enjoy seeing them wherever I go--the mountains, the coast, and especially in my own backyard. They genuinely feel like friends, popping in to say hello, and I take pride in knowing that the ones with brown stripes on their heads instead of white are young juveniles.

Every bird is special and unique in its own way, and it's up to you to never take that fact for granted.

Yellow-billed Magpie

I hope you find these tips helpful for when you're just starting out on birding adventures of your own. May you see flocks that take your breath away and individual birds that remind you that there is indeed an abundant supply of beauty still left in the world.

Happy Birding!
Rachelle Vaughn

Let's go birding!