Birding in the New Year

 Last bird list for 2010. Location: Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing. Kayaking with Rachel, Deb, and Rob for a few hours while the tide was receding. The weather was partly cloudy, cold, with wind less than 5 knots. Perfect conditions for a paddle on the slough. Highlights included a Belted Kingfisher and a possible Barrow’s Goldeneye. Finished up the morning with a beer and lunch from English Ales. It was nice to see some familiar birds for a change, Monterey really is one of the best places to go birding. Over 30 species in less than 2 hours.

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Brant (Branta bernicla)

Surf Scoter (Melanitta Perspicillata)

Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)

Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)

Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)

Wandering Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus)

Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

California Gull (Larus californicus)

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)

Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni)

Forester’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Rock Dove (Columba livia)

Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)

Photos: Brant with a Marbled Godwit in the background. Forester’s Tern flying away with its catch. A photo from the Christmas Bird Count on the Monterey Bay, I’ll let you ID the birds.