This year's bird walk at Bayocean came with a few surprises. Generally, our field trips begin at 9am. Last year's trip to Bayocean began at that time, but the tide was not right so we made up for it this year. We counted about twice as many birders this year over last year. Including 4 guides, twenty-nine birders gathered in the Spit's parking lot at 2pm when the tide was coming in rather than going out. That brought the shorebirds closer to us along the bank of the spit. Immediately, a young Brown-headed Cowbird was bold enough to let the birders get quite close to it, which delighted the photographers in the group. Flying over the group were gulls, terns, cormorants, and swallows. In the nearby mudflats were geese, gulls, plovers, and yellowlegs. After traveling about 1/4 to 1/3 distance to the end of the spit, most of the birders turned around and split into separate groups, some wanting to get back soon to the mudflats before the tide was completely in, others heading over to the ocean side, and a few others continuing ahead a bit further before returning back to the parking lot. Back at the cars, several folks were chatting when 3 immature Bald Eagles flew over offering perfect photo opportunities. All in all, it was once again a very enjoyable bird trip!

Sightings of the Day
Brandt Goose
Brown-headed Cowbird
Caspian Tern
Whimbrel
California Gull
Great Blue Heron
Savannah Sparrow
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Cedar Waxwing
Barn Swallow
Semipalmated Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Belted Kingfisher
Black Capped Chickadee

And those that stayed longer…..

Brown Pelican
Pacific Loon
Common Murre
American Crow
Wrentit
White Crowned Sparrow
Western Gull
Bald Eagle