After the Rains

The arroyo was swollen and coursing fast yesterday after the recent rains we received. It's color was chocolaty (in a bad sort of way), the spillways were frothy (again in a bad sort of way), and all sorts of detritus from the streets drifted by as I strolled the banks. Most of the birds stayed away, but a lone Bufflehead did make an appearance as did a Double-Crested Cormorant. The trees adjacent to the arroyo near the path spur at Ward Avenue (behind the Discovery Church) always seem to yield a few interesting sightings. Yesterday, it was an Orange-Crowned Warbler that was flitting about in the branches.



A Bufflehead plies the murky arroyo waters



Double-Crested Cormorant drying its wings



Orange-Crowned Warbler in the trees behind Discovery Church

Still Morning in the Arroyo

It was cold early this morning and the arroyo between Madera Road and First Street was quiet. There were a few scattered Mallards, Wigeons, and Coots about, but many of the usual suspects were nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, since the last rains scoured the arroyo channel, I've noticed a distinct change. Activity has slowed dramatically. All three species of Teal, which in the past have been a common occurrence this time of year, are curiously absent. But there was some activity. A lone Sora made an appearance as did a few other regulars.



Sora Near Madera Road Bridge

Great Egret Putting on a Display

White-Faced Ibis

Great Egret Warming Itself in the Morning Sun

Resting White-Faced Ibis

Green Heron

 

Horned Grebe

Yesterday was a cool and blustery day. The arroyo was rather quiet except for a bunch of California Gulls and a rather boisterous assemblage of American Crows. Absent were the Teals, Egrets, Herons, and Ibises that normally dominate the arroyo between Madera and First Street. Despite this apparent absence of anything interesting to see, I continued my trek eastward because I was already there and moving anyway.

But things aren't always as they first appear. As I slowed my pace and tuned into my surroundings, I found that not all activity had ceased with the less than optimal conditions. A flash here, a squawk belied the dormancy of the arroyo.

So I began to look more closely. And that looking allowed me to see a couple of interesting specimens that I might ordinarily overlook. In the trees behind Discovery Church I observed a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flitting furiously about. In those same trees, there was also a couple of brightly-colored Townsend's Warblers. Nothing terribly unique or unusual mind you, but nice to see nonetheless because of their irritating propensity to masque themselves in the dense foliage.

In the arroyo itself, there were a few Mallards, a stray American Coot or three, and this guy: a Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus).



Horned Grebe in the Arroyo Simi

I realize that it's not spectacularly unusual, but to date I've personally not seen a Horned Grebe in the arroyo. Eared Grebes and their ubiquitous brethren, the Pied-bill Grebe "yes," but this was the first Horned Grebe that I've logged.

At first, I thought this was an Eared Grebe. The Eared Grebe and the Horned Grebe are easy to confuse for an amateur like me because their look and size, particularly in winter plumage, is similar.
But as my Kaufman Guide teaches, the Horned Grebe has a more gently sloping forehead and a thicker, white-tipped bill. It also lacks the puffy rear-end and post-auricular patches of the Eared Grebe. On closer examination, this guy had all the characteristics of a Horned Grebe.

Here's a few more images.

Horned Grebe in the Arroyo Simi

Horned Grebe in the Arroyo Simi

Horned Grebe in the Arroyo Simi

Horned Grebe in the Arroyo Simi

Miscellaneous Photos

Audubon's Warbler

Merlin

Green Heron

Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

The arroyo is unquestionably a good place to observe water-fowl and songbirds, but that is by no means all that is there. Below is some wobbly footage of a Red-Shouldered Hawk that I have seen with fair regularity along the south side of the arroyo just week of Rancho Simi Community Park. Scan the eucalyptus, sycamore, and pine trees lining the service road behind the softball fields.

 

Miscellaneous Field Notes

Since it has been some time since I have posted anything new, I thought I’d update the site with a few observations from the field. Now that winter has returned and the arroyo has re-awakened from its summer hibernation, I hope to update the site more frequently. With that in mind:

·         Since I started this project in mid-2011, I have identified 79 different bird species in or immediately adjacent to the Arroyo Simi. As surprising as that is (at least to me), I know there is more here.  I have caught glimpses of it on occasion, but have been unable to identify it. I have also read reports by others that tell me that there is still more here to see. So, I guess I’ll continue with what my daughter call my “nerd field trips” to see what else I can find.

·         I recently read about the passing of Rich Stallcup, who I understand had some stature in the bird watching community. From what I’ve read, Stallcup was able to amass quite an impressive list of rarities by looking at every single bird no matter how ordinary or common. After considering this strategy, I employed it on one of my recent forays and was able to locate (i.e., see) a solitary female Wood Duck preening among a bunch of American Wigeon. I would have completely missed it if I hadn’t taken the time to look again at the American Wigeons that I’ve seen a million times in the arroyo. So, although I never knew (or even knew of) Rich Stallcup, I have learned from him. I suspect that, in and of itself, is a testament to the man and his knowledge.

·         On Christmas Day, I went back to the arroyo with my camera looking for the Wood Duck and hoping that she would be there with a date from her species. No luck. But, I did come across something pretty exciting. I flushed a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk from the shrubs along the footpath that had just taken an American Crow. Upon my approach, the hawk took flight with the crow clutched tightly in its talons and alighted in a tree on the other side. Not something you see everyday, and the impressive thing about it was that the prey was almost as big as the predator. I was able to sit and watch through binoculars for about 10 minutes until the hawk eventually dropped below a wood fence with its meal and disappeared.

And now, a sampling of some of the recent visitors to the arroyo. All of these pictures were taken along the bike path on the north side of the arroyo between  Madera Road and First Street:

Canada Goose

Canada Goose

Female Common Merganser

Female Common Merganser

Blue-Winged Teal

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egrets

Agitated Snowy Egrets

White-Faced Ibis

Egrets and Ibis (Ibises? Ibisii?)

Great Egret

Greater White-Fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

Common Name: Greater White-Fronted Goose

Scientific Name: Anser albifrons

Date: April 1, 2012

Time: ~8:45 a.m.

Location: Ranch Simi Community Park Duck Pond

Season: Early Spring

Conditions: Clear, calm and cool; low 50s

Sex: Undetermined

Habitat: During breeding season, the tundra and the taiga wetlands; winters in marshes, lakes, ponds, bays, and estuaries.

Status and Distribution: Populations are increasing, although still uncommon in Ventura County. In winter, found in coastal Texas and Louisiana; Pacific populations winter in southern Oregon, Northern California and in the San Joaquin Valley.  

Notes: The Greater White-Fronted Goose has one of the largest ranges of any species of goose in the world.

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)

Common Name: Common Merganser

Scientific Name: Mergus merganser

Date: March 11, 2012

Time: ~7:45 a.m.

Location: Arroyo Simi (west of First Street)

Season: Late Winter

Conditions: Clear, calm and cool; low 50s

Sex: Male and Female

Habitat: Lakes, rivers, coastal bays, and estuaries.

Status and Distribution: Considered common in North America, although a vagrant in the east. Winters as far north as there is open water. Summer range includes the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, and Canada to Alaska.  

Notes: The Common Mergansers is reported to be a good indicator species for determining the contamination levels.

Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

Common Name: Wilson’s Snipe

Scientific Name: Gallinago delicata

Date: February 25, 2012

Time: ~5:30 p.m.

Location: Arroyo Simi (west of Madera Road)

Season: Late Winter

Conditions: Mild, clear, and cool; high 50s

Sex: Undetermined

Habitat: Wet, grassy areas such as marshes, damp fields, the muddy edges of creeks, and other wetlands.

Status and Distribution: Common, but overlooked. Winters in southern North America to northern South America; in summer, common through the northern plains states, Canada, and Alaska.

Notes: very elusive and difficult to detect due to field markings which allow them to blend into the background.

Blue-Winged Teal (Anas discors)

Common Name: Blue-Winged Teal

Scientific Name: Anas discors

Date: March 3, 2012

Time: ~8:00 a.m.

Location: Arroyo Simi (between Madera Road and First Street)

Season: Late Winter

Conditions: Mild, clear, and breezy; low 60s

Sex: Both males and females observed

Habitat: Fresh and brackish vegetated wetlands (marshes, ponds, prairie potholes)

Status and Distribution: Common south to northern half of South America. Late spring and early fall migrant. Winters in South America, but some remain in southern states primarily in coastal regions. Population is stable or increasing.

Notes: At least four (4) Blue-Winged Teal were observed (2 male/female pairs), although it is probable that there were six (6) of the species in the arroyo this morning and possibly eight (8). Counting was difficult as the bird kept moving upon my approach.

Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)

On Sunday, February 19, 2012, I ran into a fellow birder walking along the service road just west of Madera Road. I had stopped to document a Cinnamon Teal I had just seen when we struck up a conversation. The guy had started off from the Simi Valley Community Park near Royal and Erringer and asked me if I had seen the Eurasian Wigeon that was frequenting the duck pond there. When he told me that he had seen it there an hour or two earlier, I jumped in the car and head to the park.

Sure enough, at the duck pond, there amongst the chaos of ducks, geese and coots that call the duck pond home was a solitary, male Eurasian Wigeon. Like its new world counterpart, the Eurasian Wigeon is a dabbling duck. According to the Kaufman Field Guide to North American Birds, the Eurasian Wigeon is a native to Europe and Asia. It is a rare, winter visitor to North America that is most often seen with flocks of American Wigeons. Male Eurasian Wigeons are identified by their rusty heads, buff crown stripe, and gray body. Females are very similar to female American Wigeons although they may have a slightly browner head.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

On January 22, 2012 I caught a glimpse of this Great Blue Heron in the arroyo from the service road just west of Erringer Road. (S)he was very skittish upon each of my approaches which made getting a decent photograph difficult. The Great Blue Heron is our most widely distributed and largest heron. It can be found in both wetland and upland habitats where it feeds on crustaceans, vertebrates, and small mammals. The Great Blue Heron is often a solitary bird except when it gathers in breeding colonies called "heronries" to build stick nests high in trees. The species has a pure white morph (the  Great White Heron) which can be mistaken for a Great Egret and is sometimes considered a distinct species.

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Ok, this is probably cheating a bit as I saw these guys at the duck pond at the Rancho Simi Community Park, but the park is immediately adjacent to, and contiguous with the arroyo so I think it's reasonable to view the two as essentially one and the same habitat. Moreover, I have seen Black-Crowned Night Herons in the arroyo, but have simply not been quick enough to get footage, so the images below will serve as surrogates for the ones that got away.

Anyhoo, depicted below are both adult and juvenile Black-Crowned Night Herons. The juvenile is perched on the rock while the adults are in the trees. The Black-Crowned Night Heron is the most wide-spread Heron in the world ranging over five continents. It inhabits salt, brackish and freshwater marshes, streams and lakes where it fees on aquatic invertebrates, fish, insects, amphibians and small reptiles. It nests colonially in trees and cattails. Because the Black-Crowned Night Heron's is so widely distributed, it is a good indicator species of an ecosystem's overall health.

White-Faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 14, 2012, I ventured out along the arroyo between Rancho Simi Community Park and First Street. During the two or so hours that I was out, I spotted 6 White-Faced Ibises- 1 perched in the trees at the duck pond and 5 in the arroyo itself. I have also seen White-Faced Ibises on several occasions in the arroyo just west of Madera Road. The White-Faced Ibis is identified by its long legs and decurved bill, and its chesnut body with green, purple and pink gloss on the wings. It looks very similar to the Glossy Ibis and thus is distinguished from it primarily by range. Ibises are tactile feeder who use their long bills to forage for fish and aquatic invertebrates in shallow and fresh water. They will also forage visually in uplands and feed on terrestrial invertebrates.