Bobcat and Weasel

Sounds like the title for a children’s book – one that could be written here at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.  These animals are spotted every now and then and its always a thrill.  This last June, a bobcat was spotted walking past the picnic tables and into the woods.  That same month a young Long-tailed Weasel ran past the visitor center and disappeared into a hole in the ground.

 

Elkhorn Slough Bird Sightings June – August

These are the bird sightings recorded by the docents at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve June – August 2009.  Special thanks to all the great spotters: Annie McNeill; Katherine Klein, Shirley Murphy, Marth Kenner, Linda Jordan, Caroline Rodgers; Plant ladies and your reporter Sheryl Gaebelein

AUGUST

South Marsh Loop and Five Fingers/Long Valley : Western Grebe; American White & Brown Pelicans; Great & Snowy Egrets; Great Blue Heron; Double-crested Cormorants; Mallards; Canada Geese; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; California Quail; Greater Yellowlegs; Willets; Marbled Godwit; Whimbrel; Long-billed Curlew; Sandpiper spp.; Western Gulls; Caspian Tern;  Acorn Woodpeckers; Black Phoebe; Hutton’s Vireo; Anna’s Hummingbird;  Western Scrub Jay; Tree Swallows;  Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Bushtits; Bewick’s Wren; California & Spotted Towhee; & Song Sparrow; House Finch

 

In addition – South Marsh Loop:

Black-bellied Plover; Black-necked Stilts; American Avocets; Spotted Sandpiper; Ring-billed Gull; Mourning Dove; Barn Owl; Belted Kingfisher; Northern Flicker;  Downy Woodpecker; Pacific Slope Flycatcher;  Barn & Cliff Swallows; Western Bluebird; Common Yellowthroat; Brewer’s Blackbird; Wrentit

In addition: Five Fingers/Long Valley:

Osprey; American Crow; White-crowned Sparrow; American Goldfinch;

North Marsh Overlook:   American White Pelican; Brown Pelican; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egret; Black-necked Stilts

 VC Area :   Western Bluebirds

 

JULY

South Marsh Loop:  Am.White Pelicans; Loon spp.; Western, Clarke’s & Horned Grebes; Double-crested & Pelagic Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egret; Black-crowned Night Heron; Canada Geese; Mallards; Northern Harrier; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered, Red-tailed & Cooper’s Hawks; Black-bellied Plover; California Quail; Killdeer; Willets; Greater Yellowlegs; Long-billed Curlew; Marbled Godwit; Sandpiper spp.; Dowitcher spp.; Ring-billed & Western Gull; Mourning Dove; Barn Owl; Caspian, Elegant, Forster’s Terns; Black Skimmer; Rock Pigeon; Anna’s & Rufous Hummingbirds; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn, Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers;  Northern Flicker; Pacific Slope Flycatcher; Steller’s Jay; Black Phoebe; Western Scrub Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Barn, Tree & Cliff Swallow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Brown Creeper; Oak Titmouse; Western Bluebird; European Starling; Bushtit; Bewick’s Wren; Hermit Thrush; Common Yellowthroat; Wilson’s Warbler;  Spotted & CA. Towhee; Black-headed Grosbeak; Song Sparrow; Brown-headed Cowbird; Red-winged Blackbirds; Wrentit; House Finch;  Dark-eyed Junco;  Am. & Lesser Goldfinch

VC Area :   Western Bluebirds; Dark-eyed Juncos

Jetty Rd : Pacific & Red-throated Loon; Western & Eared Grebes; American White & Brown Pelicans; Double-crested, Brandt’s, & Pelagic Cormorants; Mallards; Am.  Avocets; Western Gulls; Black-crowned Night Herons; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egret; Greater Yellowlegs; Willets; Marbled Godwits; Long-billed Curlew; Western Gulls w/ chicks; Caspian Terns; White-crowned Sparrows

 

JUNE

South Marsh Loop:  American White Pelicans; Loon spp.; Western Grebe; Clark’s Grebe; American White & Brown Pelicans; Brandt’s & Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egrets; Black-crowned Night Heron;  Canada Geese; Gadwalls; Mallards; Turkey Vulture;  White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; Long-billed Curlew; American Kestrel; California Quail; Willets; Greater Yellowlegs; Marbled Godwit;  Western Gull; Mourning Dove; Great Horned Owl; Barn Owl; Caspian Tern; Rock Pigeon; Anna’s Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn Woodpecker; Downy Woodpecker; Pacific Slope Flycatcher; Black Phoebe; Steller’s Jay;  Western Scrub-Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Barn, Tree & Cliff Swallows; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Western Bluebird; European Starling; Bushtit;  Bewick’s Wren; Common Yellowthroat ; Wilson’s Warbler; Spotted Towhee; California Towhee; Song Sparrow; Black-headed Grosbeak; Red-winged Blackbirds; American Robin; Wrentit; California Thrasher; House Finch;  Dark-eyed Junco; Lesser Goldfinch; American Goldfinch

 Five Fingers/Long Valley :  American White Pelican; Double-crested Cormorants; Great & Snowy Egrets; Great Blue Heron; Mallards; Turkey Vultures; White-tailed Kites; Marbled Godwits; Greater Yellowlegs; Red-tailed Hawk; Cooper’s Hawk; Western Gulls; Pacific Slope Flycatchers; Black Phoebe; Hairy Woodpecker; Western Scrub-Jay; American Crows; Cliff Swallows; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Bushtits; Common Yellowthroat ; Spotted Towhee; Dark-eyed Junco 

Visitor Center Area: Anna’s Hummingbird; American Crow; Cliff Swallow; Western Bluebirds; American Robin; California Towhee

 

Elkhorn Slough Nudibranch

This beautiful sea slug was found in the Slough.  The photo was sent in from Linda Jordan – an Elkhorn Slough Reserve Docent.

It is Phyllaplysia taylori – an eelgrass specialist.

 

Nightime visitor

Love this blog entry by Bree about a nightime visitor to the ESNERR nursery.

http://elkhornsloughrestoration.blogspot.com/2009/07/day-at-nursery.html

 

Sheep Crab washed up in South Marsh

A giant sheep crab carapace washed up in South Marsh. Probably the biggest crab you’ve ever seen!

Connie and Kerstin found it washed up in South Marsh of Elkhorn Slough, but no doubt in life it lived offshore.

Rikke keyed it out as a sheep crab, Loxorhynchus grandis. Below is a link to a bit of information on this species from the MB Aquarium’s website.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=1rze/EC78JCkKKr3Ar2dxQ==

 

Elkhorn Slough Reserve Sightings – June 2009

South Marsh Loop: American White Pelicans; Loon spp.; Western Grebe; Clark’s Grebe; Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egrets; Black-crowned Night Herons; Green Heron; Northern Pintails; Canada Geese; Mallards;  Northern Harrier; Turkey Vulture;  White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; Sharp-shinned Hawk; California Quail; Killdeer; Willets; American Avocets; Black-bellied Plovers; Greater Yellowlegs; Long-billed Curlew; Whimbrel; Marbled Godwit; Dunlins; Spotted Sandpiper; Sandpiper spp.; Dowitchers spp.; Ring-billed Gull; Western Gull; Mourning Dove; Barn Owl; Great-horned Owl; Caspian Tern; Forster’s Tern; Band-tailed Pigeons; Anna’s Hummingbird; Allen’s Hummingbird; Rufous Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn & Downy, Nuttall’s Woodpecker; Pacific-sloped Flycatcher; Black Phoebe; Steller’s Jay; Western Scrub-Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Raven; Barn, Tree, Cliff & Violet-green Swallows; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Western Bluebird; European Starling; Bushtit;  Bewick’s Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Western Kingbird; Common Yellowthroat; Wilson’s Warbler; Audubon Warbler; Spotted Towhee; California Towhee; Song Sparrow; Brewer’s Blackbird; Red-winged Blackbirds; Brown-headed Cowbirds; Western Meadowlark; Black-headed Grosbeak; American Robin; Wrentit; House Finch; House Sparrow;  Dark-eyed Junco; White & Golden-crowned Sparrow;  American Goldfinch

Long Valley: Marbled Godwits; Western Kingbird; American Crow; Cliff Swallow;

Chestnut-backed Chickadee; California & Spotted Towhee

Jetty Road : Western Grebe; Brown Pelican; Double-crested Cormorants; Marbled Godwits; Great & Snowy Egrets; Willets; Western Gulls

Visitor Center : Western Bluebirds

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill; Katherine Klein, Shirley Murphy, Marth Kenner, Mark    Paxton; Linda Jordon, Plant ladies and your reporter Sheryl Gaebelein

Barn owls fledged from box behind Visitors Center about May 1-3 – Shirley

 

Elkhorn Slough Reserve Sightings – May 2009

South Marsh Loop: American White Pelicans; Loon spp.; Western Grebe; Clark’s Grebe; Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egret; Buffleheads; Red-breasted Mergansers; Northern Pintails; Canada Geese; Mallards; Northern Harrier; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks; Peregrine Falcon; California Quail; Killdeer; Willets; American Avocets; Lesser & Greater Yellowlegs; Long-billed Curlew; Marbled Godwit; Spotted Sandpiper; Sandpiper spp.; Dowitchers spp.; Ring-billed Gull; Western Gull; Mourning Dove; Barn Owl; Caspian Tern; Forster’s Tern; Band-tailed Pigeons; Anna’s Hummingbird; Allen’s Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn Woodpecker; Downy Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Pacific-slope Flycatcher; Steller’s Jay; Western Scrub-Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Tree & Cliff Swallow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Western Bluebird; European Starling; Bushtit; Bewick’s Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Common Yellowthroat; Wilson’s Warbler; Audubon Warbler; Spotted & Cal. Towhee; Song Sparrow; Brewer’s & Red-winged Blackbirds; American Robin; Wrentit; House Finch; Dark-eyed Junco; White & Golden-crowned Sparrow; Lesser Goldfinch

Five Fingers/Long Valley : Western Grebe; American White Pelican; Great & Snowy Egret; Great Blue Heron; Mallards; Canada Geese; Northern Pintail; Scaup spp.; Ruddy Ducks; Red-breasted Mergansers; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-tailed Hawk; Willets; Marbled Godwit; Western Gulls; Black-bellied plovers; Semi-plated plovers; Dunlins; Forster’s Tern; Acorn Woodpeckers; Pacific-sloped Flycatcher; Allen’s & Anna’s Hummingbird; Western Scrub-Jay; American Crow; Tree Swallows;  Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Bushtits; Bewick’s Wren; Cal.& Spotted Towhee; Song Sparrow; Golden-crowned Sparrow

Hudson’s Landing : Western Grebe; American Wigeon;  Blue-winged & Green-winged; Scaup spp.; American Coots; Black-bellied Plovers; Greater Yellowlegs; Marbled Godwits; Willets

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill; Katherine Klein, Shirley Murphy, Marth Kenner, Elenita  Mathews, Deirdre Baxter, Plant ladies and your reporter Sheryl Gaebelein

 

Info about Cormorants in Monterey Bay

This is a response about the dead birds being found in Elkhorn Slough from Kerstin Wasson, Research Coordinator at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve:

It appears that these dead birds are part of a larger event — a lot of cormorants and grebes have been dying of starvation due to lack of anchovy food resources this spring.  Vets have conducted fairly extensive tests and have thus ruled out all diseases that might be expected.  So while sad, this appears to be part of natural cycles of richness and scarcity in the ocean.

Below are links from two recent articles on the subject.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_12284334?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/02/MNE817D1TI.DTL&hw=cormorants&sn=001&sc=1000

 

March Bird Sightings from the Elkhorn Slough Reserve

South Marsh Loop: Common & Red-throated Loons; Pied-billed,Western & Clark’s Grebes; Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egrets; Buffleheads; Red-breasted Mergansers; Northern Pintails; Common Goldeneye; Canada Geese; Mallards; Northern Harrier; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawk; California Quail; Killdeer; Willets; American Avocets; Lesser & Greater Yellowlegs; Long-billed Curlew; Marbled Godwit; Spotted Sandpiper; Sandpiper spp.; Dowitchers spp.; Ring-billed & Western Gulls; Mourning Dove; Barn Owl; Forster’s Tern; Band-tailed Pigeons; Anna’s & Rufous Hummingbirds; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn, Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers; Northern Flicker; Black & Say’s Phoebe; Steller’s & Western Scrub-Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Tree & Cliff Swallow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; European Starling; Bushtit; Pygmy Nuthatch; Bewick’s Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Cedar Waxwings; CA. Thrasher; Orange-crowned, Yellow, Townsend’s & Wilson’s Warblers; Common Yellowthroat; Spotted & CA. Towhee; Song Sparrow; Brewer’s & Red-winged Blackbirds; American Robin; Western Meadowlark; House Finch; Dark-eyed Junco; White & Golden-crowned Sparrow; American Goldfinch; Lesser Goldfinch

North Marsh Overlook: Greater Egrets; Canada Geese; American Wigeon; Blue-winged, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teals; Killdeer; Northern Shovelers; Northern Pintails; Black-necked Stilts; American Avocets; Greater Yellowlegs; Marbled Godwits; Dowitchers spp.; Black Phoebe; Western Scrub-Jay; Common Yellowthroat; Song Sparrow

Five Fingers/Long Valley: American White Pelican; Great & Snowy Egret; Mallards; Canada Geese; Northern Pintail; Greater Scaup; Buffleheads; Common Goldeneye; Red-breasted Mergansers; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-tailed Hawk; Cooper’s Hawk; Willet; Long-billed Curlew; Marbled Godwit; Western Gulls; Sandpiper spp.; Mourning Dove; Acorn Woodpeckers; Northern Flicker; Anna’s Hummingbird; Say’s Phoebe; Western Scrub-Jay; American Crow; Tree Swallows; American Robin; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Common Yellowthroat; Bushtits; Bewick’s Wren; Cedar Waxwings; California & Spotted Towhee; White-crowned, Golden-crowned & Song Sparrows; Brewer’s Blackbirds; American Goldfinch;  Dark-eyed Junco

Hudson’s Landing: Pied-billed Grebe; Western Grebe; Great Blue Heron; Great Egret; Canada Geese; American Wigeon; Mallards; Blue-winged, Green-winged, & Cinnamon Teals; Lesser Scaup; Buffleheads; Common Goldeneye; Ruddy Ducks; American Coots; Black-bellied Plovers; Black-necked Stilts; American Avocets; Greater Yellowlegs; Dowithcers sp.; Marbled Godwits; Willets

Visitor Center Area : Tree Swallows; Say’s Phoebe ; lots of Painted Ladies (butterflies)

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill; Katherine Klein, Shirley Murphy, Plant ladies and your  reporter Sheryl Gaebelein

 

February Sightings at Elkhorn Slough Reserve

These are the sightings from the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve from February 2009.

South Marsh Loop: Pied-billed Grebe; Western Grebe; American White Pelicans; Brown Pelicans; Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Heron; Great & Snowy Egrets; Gadwalls; Buffleheads; Ruddy Ducks; Red-breasted Mergansers; Northern Pintails; Green-winged Teals; Common Goldeneye; Canada Goose; Mallard; Scaup sp.; Northern Harrier; Turkey Vulture; White-tailed Kite; Red-shouldered Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; California Quail; Killdeer; Willets; American Avocets; Lesser Yellowlegs; Greater Yellowlegs; Long-billed Curlew; Whimbrel; Marbled Godwit; Spotted Sandpiper; Sandpiper sp.; Dowitchers sp.; Ring-billed Gull; Western Gull; Mourning Dove; Great Horned Owl; Barn Owl; Forster’s Tern; Anna’s Hummingbird; Belted Kingfisher; Acorn Woodpecker; Downy & Hairy Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Black & Say’s Phoebe; Steller’s Jay; Western Scrub-Jay; Hutton’s Vireo; American Crow; Tree Swallow; Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; European Starling; Bushtit; Bewick’s Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; California Thrasher; Wrentit; Common Yellowthroat; Yellow Warbler; Townsend’s Warbler; Spotted Towhee; California Towhee; Song Sparrow; Brewer’s Blackbird; American Robin; Western Meadowlark; House Finch; Dark-eyed Junco; White & Golden-crowned Sparrow; House Sparrow

Visitor Center Area : Western Meadowlark; Say’s Phoebe; European Starling;

Thanks again to our spotters: Annie McNeill; Katherine Klein, Shirley Murphy, Plant Ladies and your reporter Sheryl Gaebelein