Bobcat at the Slough

Our Land Steward surprised this bobcat who was crossing the road from the Elkhorn Slough Reserve to ESF’s protected lands.

 

January 8th sightings from Kirby Park

Here’s a few bird sightings from January 8th at Kirby Park on Elkhorn Road sent in by Rick Francona:

American widgens, belted kingfisher, common Yellowthroat, curlews, marbled godwit, killdeer

See the rest of his images here

 

Sightings from the Elkhorn Slough Reserve December 2011

Here are the Recent Sightings reported from the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve for the month of December 2011

South Marsh Loop: Pied-billed Grebe; Eared Grebe; Western & Clark’s  Grebe; American White Pelican; Brown Pelican; Double-crested Cormorant; Pelagic Cormorant; Great Blue Heron; Great Egret; Snowy Egret; Turkey Vulture; Tundra Swan; Mallard; Bufflehead; Common Goldeneye; Scaup spp. Northern Pintail; Hooded Merganser; Red-breasted Merganser; Northern Harrier; Cooper’s Hawk; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; White-tailed Kite; American Kestrel; California Quail; American Coot; Black-bellied Plover; Killdeer; Greater Yellowlegs; Willet;  Marbled Godwit; Least Sandpiper;  Spotted & Western Sandpiper; Dunlin; Long-billed Curlew; Western Gull; Bonaparte’s Gull; Ring-billed Gull; Forester’s Tern; Anna’s Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn Woodpecker; Nuttall’s Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Black Phoebe; Say’s Phoebe;  Hutton’s Vireo; Steller’s Jay; Western Scrub-Jay; American Crow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Bushtit; Brown Creeper;  Bewick’s Wren; Marsh Wren; American Robin;  Wrentit; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Western Bluebird; Hermit Thrush; European Starling; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Townsend’s, Orange-crowned Warbler; Common Yellowthroat; California Towhee; Spotted Towhee; Song Sparrow; Lincoln’s Sparrow; Golden-crowned Sparrow; White-crowned Sparrow; Dark-eyed Junco; Western Meadowlark; Lesser Goldfinch; House Finch; Bobcat, Brush rabbits; Deer; Fox Squirrel

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill, Caroline Rodgers; Marth Kenner; Elenita Mathew; Plant Ladies; Shirley Murphy

AND November

South Marsh Loop: Common Loon; Pied-billed Grebe, Eared & Horned Grebe; Western & Clark’s  Grebe; Red-necked Grebe; American White Pelican; Brown Pelican; Double-crested Cormorant; Pelagic Cormorant; Brandt’s  Cormorant; Great Blue Heron; Great Egret; Snowy Egret; WHITE-FACED IBIS; Mallard; Bufflehead; Teal spp.; Northern Pintail; Hooded Merganser; Red-breasted Merganser; Northern Harrier; Osprey; Cooper’s Hawk; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; White-tailed Kite; American Kestrel; Peregrine Falcon; California Quail; American Coot; Black-bellied Plover; Killdeer; Greater Yellowlegs; Willet;  Marbled Godwit; Short-billed Dowitcher; Spotted Sandpiper; Long-billed Curlew; Western Gull; Bonaparte’s Gull; Ring-billed Gull; Mourning Dove; Anna’s Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn Woodpecker; Downy Woodpecker; Hairy Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Black Phoebe; Say’s Phoebe; Steller’s Jay; Western Scrub-Jay; American Crow; Tree Swallow; Barn Swallow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Bushtit;  Bewick’s Wren; Marsh Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Western Bluebird; Hermit Thrush; European Starling; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Townsend’s Warbler; Common Yellowthroat; California Towhee; Spotted Towhee; Song Sparrow; Lincoln’s Sparrow; Golden-crowned Sparrow; White-crowned Sparrow; Dark-eyed Junco; Western Meadowlark; American Goldfinch; Lesser Goldfinch; House Finch; Bobcat, Brush rabbits; lizards, King snake

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill, Caroline Rodgers; Marth Kenner; Elenita Mathew; Plant Ladies; Shirley Murphy

 

Some New Year sightings

Sent in 1/1/12 by Emily Francona:

Visited most birding areas around and sighted flocks of curlews, pairs of yellowlegs, egrets, herons, stilts. And new to us, a cinnamon teal and a pair of yellowthroat.

Here’s a link to more photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2744456206352.137709.1105905001&type=1&l=7f9a3c6a6a

 

Happy New Year!

Photo by Clay Kempf

 

Virginia Rail

Spotted 12/23 by Russ Lipkin.

This photo is the winner of our Best Shot photo contest.  Find out the details of this photo here…

 

Green Heron

Sent in by Rich Roberts 12/28/11:

Superb sighting this morning – perched on a dead tree limb over a lagoon – of an immature Green Heron on the way back from Hummingbird Island

 

Office Visitor

Working at the Elkhorn Slough has it’s benefits.  Beyond the great staff and beautiful scenery, the wildlife sightings always remind us why we’re working so hard to conserve this special place. This week we were visited by a sweet little fawn.

These photos were taken by our Development Director, Lorili Toth.

 

Squid!

Friday, September 9
by Rikke Kvist Preisler, Estuarine Ecologist at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

While doing fish surveys in the slough, she and her crew found a squid.

According to the “Changes in a California Estuary” book, the market
squid, Loligo opalescens is on the slough invert species list. The
reference is “Nybakken, personal communication”.

 

Red-tailed Hawk’s Catch of the Day

These were sent in by Gary Lynn:

Yesterday (Saturday 7-23) we were outside and noticed a hawk with something in it’s talons. When a car drove by it it flew to the phone wires directly in front of us. We were 20 to 30 feet away from it. My grandson snapped a couple of photos.

Nature in action!!

Gary