The Friday Cyclotouriste

The 4th annual Pt. Reyes Birding and Nature Festival is going on this weekend.

As a novice birder, I settled on a beginner’s 3-hour bird walk through the meadows and forests near the Pt. Reyes visitor center off of Bear Valley Road. Rich Cimino, with 45-years of birding experience, lead the walk. (Rich also runs a company, Yellowbilled Birding, specializing in small group, birding trips, in the western US.)

The most exciting sightings for me were the Purple Finch and Winter Wren. The latter has one of the most complex songs of any bird (listen on this page). The Winter Wren can be quite elusive and difficult to spot. Rich said it takes some California birders many years before they see one!

Here’s my list of the birds I spotted:

1. California Quail
2. Turkey Vulture
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Acorn Woodpecker
5. Nuttall’s Woodpecker
6. Great Horned Owl (heard, not seen)
7. Stellar’s Jay
8. Western Scrub Jay
9. American Crow
10. Common Raven
11. Violet-green Swallow
12. Winter Wren
13. American Robin
14. Wilson’s Warbler (heard, not seen)
15. Purple Finch

The previous day’s schedule had a workshop called Birding by Bike at Bolinas. Here’s an excerpt from the on-line class description.

Whether you are a beginning birder or have been at it for decades, bicycling adds a whole new dimension to the pursuit and study of birds…Bolinas has a rich diversity of habitats and there is no better way to experience those qualities than by bicycle. As we move through the landscape we will be birding by ear, listening for the voices of returning migrant breeding and resident species alike…With so many habitats all mashed together, participants will take advantage of the opportunity to visit at least seven distinct habitat types and learn a bit about the plant communities therein. Being the height of spring, bird birdsong and bird detectability will be at their peak. As it happens, bird diversity is also at its spring peak during this period. The group will make frequent stops on our “migration” to search out as many species as possible.

I’m not completely on-board with mixing these two activities. I feel the same about SUP yoga — each one (yoga and stand-up paddle-boarding) already seems whole and complete on its own.  Combining the two risks lessening the other, don’t you think?