A Bird's Heaven and A Birder's Paradise: Shollenberger Park and the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility

Canada Geese over Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility

Dates: November 3, 11 and 12, 2016
Place: Shollenberger Park and the Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, Petaluma, California
Coordinates: 38.229431, -122.598254
Length: 4 miles
Level: easy

Last fall I scouted the North Bay in search of nice birding trails for our 4-H Hiking Project. I had my mind on the San Pedro NWR but thought I'd look around some more. A green spot on the map labeled 'Petaluma Marsh' grabbed my attention so I drove there. I couldn't find how to enter the place and soon was lost in some damp area that didn't look very inviting. I turned around and was making my way slowly back to the freeway when I saw an official looking pickup truck heading my way. As the truck approached I rolled down my window and hailed the driver, saying I was lost and asking for directions  to the Petaluma Marsh. The driver scratched his head, saying he wasn't familiar with any such place. Then his eyes lit up. "You must mean the Shollenberger Park," he said, and proceeded in giving me directions. It wasn't what I meant but I nodded anyway, seeing that I won't be getting to Petaluma Marsh that day. I was quite fine with checking out the Shollenberger Park instead.

I followed the instructions to the town of Petaluma and found the narrow road hidden between large industrial building that led to the park's parking lot.
After passing the reeds and brambles that block my view of the park the first thing I saw is a wide, shallow lagoon, flanked by reddish-brown wetland vegetation.

Shollenberger Lagoon

 An elderly birder approaches me and we engage in a small chat during which he points out to me a large bird on a human-made nesting box. It is a red-shouldered hawk and I am pleased to photograph it. That same hawk was present also a week later when I come back with my entire family, and Pappa Quail also took its photo, perched on a street light near the parking area.

Red-shouldered Hawk

The main trail of the park circumvents the large lagoon. I said goodbye to the birder and started going south, going counterclockwise around the lagoon.

Our hike on November 12, 2016, as captured by Pappa Quail's GPS

A short distance into the hike I saw hidden in the hedge a narrow trail fork, leading west. I turned to check it out. The trail crosses a narrow creek and continues west toward the freeway. I stopped on the bridge and looked down: a single snowy egret was prowling the mud, foraging. It looked a bit different than other snowy egrets I've seen - its crest and tail had a rusty color that stood out against the white plumage. That individual was a resident there - I've seen its photos posted by others onthe California Birding page. Sure enough - it was still there when I arrived there a week later with my family.

Snowy Egret, 11/12/2016

I returned to the main trail and continued counterclockwise around the lagoon. The western side of the loop is somewhat removed from the water, separated by a flat area of grass and shrubs. Near the shrubs I could see the large ears of jackrabbits moving about in the tall grass. I tried focusing on the hares for a clear photo when I detected another small, gray animal, about the rabbit's size but without the long ears - a domestic cat. It didn't move, but its presence made for a nice rabbit photobomb.

Surprise Cat

Of course the nicer photo of a jackrabbit was taken by Pappa Quail on my following visit there at the time of which the cat was nowhere to be seen. 

Jack Rabbit

The western part of the loop reaches the Petaluma River, where I went on an observation deck over the water and looked across the water.

Petaluma River

There were a few mallards there, a great blue heron standing on a post protruding put of the water, and cormorants. The cormorants were still there on the following week.

Double-crested Cormorant, November 12

Pappa Quail didn't look just on the water but in the air too. On November 12 the water and the sky had the same color - a gloomy gray.

California Gull

Birds are clearly the main attraction of this place. But other creatures, even other winged creatures, are also present, and nice to see. 

A moth

The trail curves eastward and follows the river for a stretch. There were very few birds on the river itself - a coot, a few mallards and a couple of grebe. On the opposite bank however, I saw a family of mute swans: two adults and four, almost full-size young, still wearing their grayish youth plumage and bill. The photos I took didn't come out all that well, and by the following week when I returned with Pappa Quail, this swan family was no longer there.
The trail curved back north. I left the river bank and was walking on a levee between the lagoon and a large mud flat flanked with dry cattail and other wetland vegetation.

Naturally I started to search for rails. I even saw one but it was far and stayed among the reeds. Pappa Quail had better success on the following week, but even that was after a long and patient search.

Virginia Rail

The sora was a bit more yielding. Just a bit more.

Sora

While the lagoon to my west was mostly vacant, the mud flat to my east was teaming with waterfowl, waders, and an occasional turkey vulture.

Green-winged Teal and friends

A number of canals criss-crossed the mud flat, seen from above only as darker lines along the surface. Once at level with the canal I could see all the waterfowl that were casually swimming in it.

But then again, some waterfowl are just not short enough to inconspicuously remain below the mud surface. On the other hand, they have the benefit of seeing what's up before any of the other canal's residents.

Mute Swan, November 12

The lagoon on the west was mainly empty of waterfowl, but that meant a beautiful reflection to appreciate .

The water levels were quite low. At the time we had no foretelling of the wet winter to come, only the wake of a 5-years long drought.

Shollenberger Park Lagoon

The dry area between the vegetation belt and the water was empty when I was there on my solo hike. A week later, however, we saw there tow carnal representative of the highest Native American holy spirits - Coyote and Raven. I wonder what they were discussing at the time.

Raven and Coyote

When I arrived at the north segment of the lagoon-surrounding trail I needed to make a choice. A left turn would bring be back to the parking lot after completing the loop around the lagoon. To my right, however, was a trail connecting to the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility (WRF), that according to the information sign posted at the trail intersection, was a worthy place to see.
A quick look at the time left - and my decision was made - I took the right turn.

The way to Ellis Creek Water Facility

The area between Shollenberger Park and the Ellis Creek facility and area of tall weeds and some human-planted trees among which several cottontail rabbits were hopping.
I also brought my family down this trail on my second visit there. A tiny hummingbird observed us from atop one of these small trees. There were hardly any flowers blooming at the time, and the few that did were dandelions and relatives, which do not offer nectar to hummingbirds. Yet the Anna's hummingbird overwinter in the area. It is a relatively new knowledge to me that these birds main food is in fact small insects. Nectar, apparently, is just their energy drink to supplement their animal protein meals.

Anna's Hummingbird

But I've seen there birds much better suited for flycatching, like this Say's phoebe that guarded the information post near the WRF pond.

Say's Phoebe

As I approached the pond I found another formidable hunter - a great egret that was ambushing some unsuspecting amphibian or rodent.
Egrets eat whatever they can catch. And they are lightning-quick catchers. Once I saw a great egret catching a hummingbird, plucking it from the air in mid-flight. This one in the photo below, however, remained still and didn't budge even as I walked past it on the nearby trail.

Great Egret

The water recycling facility has four ponds separated by levees and connected by underground pipes and pumps that move water from one pond to another. The ponds are surrounded by thick belts of tall tule, but at fairly regular intervals there are breaks in the tule that allow a look onto the pond itself.
I started my tour of the place around the largest pond. Each time I came by a tule gap I stopped and searched the water for fowl. Looking through one of the nearest gaps I saw a sora and a couple of couple of common gallinule. But the best photo I took there was of the tule reflection.

Tule

Pappa Quail did better with the gallinule on the following hike.

Common Gallinule

As I came upon a wider gap in in the tule I saw a family of mute swans, just like the one I saw earlier on the bank of the Petaluma River. It wasn't the same family, but the composition was the same: two adults and four maturing youth.

Mute Swans

Mute swans are an introduced species in North America, brought here for pond decorative purposes, and kept from flying by the awful practice of wing clipping. Swans, however, can also walk, and can certainly breed. Enough mute swans made their escape so that now feral mute swans can be seen in places, like at the Shollenberger Park and the Ellis Creek WRF.
One of the adults in the family I saw was a clipped-winged escapee. I couldn't tell that as long as the swans were swimming in the pond. At some point however, the swans took to the air: five of them did. The sixth one, the clipped adult, tried to take off too, only to sink miserably back to the water. Then I also found out that mute swans aren't really mute. I watched the flying parent and youth and listened to the parent left behind calling after them and my heart went out to it.

Mute Swans

The swans were there also on the following week and Pappa Quail took some nice close up photos of them.

No enchanted princess. A Mute Swan at the Ellis Creek WRF

It wasn't all about swans, though. Plenty of other birds enjoy the Ellis Creek ponds as well, and we got to enjoy watching them all.

Lesser Goldfinch, male

I was a bit short of time on my solo hike there, so I walked around one pond only. On my second visit there with my family we had more time to enjoy the ponds and walked around and between all four of them. 

On my way back to the Shollenberger Park I saw a northern harrier circling above. One harrier, and later on one kite. And that was all for non-scavenger raptors.

Northern Harrier

On our second hike there we a vulture standing behind the fence that separated the northern trail segment from the nearby buildings. The vulture was busy eating a possum that looked long time dead already.

Turkey Vulture eating a Possum

Walking back westward along the Shollenberger Lagoon I looked more closely at the small group of birds that were resting in a tight group near the northern shore.

Most of the sleepers were northern shoveler ducks.

Northern Shoveler

Here and there there were a few stilt too, standing or wading around the group.

Black-necked Stilt

We completed the loop around the Shollenberger Lagoon. The dray cattail and brambles that separated the trail from the street and the parking area was full of birds. Our second hike was later in the afternoon and all the red-winged blackbirds were settling in the thicket for the night and before going to sleep they were making the loudest and shrillest cacophony ever. 

But there was a great blue heron there too, and it was very quiet.

Great Blue Heron

On the lagoon side of the trail down below where the cattails were green Pappa Quail caught a marsh wren on camera. They sing really nice, but are not easy to spot, let alone to see.

Marsh Wren

Our family hike at the Shollenberger Park/Ellis Creek WRF was part of a family weekend out in the Novato-Petaluma area. On the Sunday following our hike there we went to explore some of the waterfalls near Novato, and we were done with that sooner than I had thought. I had no plan as to what to do next, so I suggested going back to the Ellis Creek facility to see the evening birds there. Pappa Quail and the elder chika agreed before I even finished my suggestion. So we went back there, this time parking right away at the Ellis Creek WRF.
Right there at the parking lot a California towhee was scratching in the leaves looking for some good eats. 

California Towhee

 Not far from there near the parking area still, a kite stood atop a small willow tree. A wary blackbird watched it really closely from behind.

White-tailed Kite

 We hiked slowly around the large pond, looking at the swans and ducks. I said to the others that it would be nice to see a bittern to complete our birrding experience of that place. Sure enough, within a few minutes, an American bittern jumped out of the tule near us and flew across the pond, settling in the tule on the other side. I took some time to see it there, but Pappa Quail found it right away.

American Bittern, November 12

 At the smaller ponds we split. Pappa Quail and the elder chika went around one pondwhile me and the younger chika went around another. Pappa Quail's pond was shallower and had some nice waders prowling it's water.

American Avocet

Avocets were many all throughout the park, but the yellowlegs is a more solitary bird. It too was wading the shallows in search of food.

Yellowlegs

We had a lovely and very peaceful evening stroll, enjoying the nice weather and the beatiful colors of the slowly setting sun. Blackbirds were coming in for the night, perching on tule and calling their shrill cries at the top of their lungs.

Red-winged Blackbird, male

Female red-winged blackbirds look so much like sparrows that they have an entry at the birder guide book right next to them.

Red-winged Blackbird, female, November 12

Everything that evening was mellow and peaceful, and the sun was setting in a beautiful color display. Then we noticed the clouds. Black clouds that were moving fast, and as Aragorn had said - not in the direction of the wind. These were starlings. Many, many starlings. Clouds of them, murmurating (yes, this is a real word). That means, flying in complete synchronization, all thousands of them. Here is a video I took of the murmuration:

 

Pappa Quail noticed something else and took a fully zoomed image: a peregrine falcon was flying among the starlings. It was flying in and out of the bird cloud, trying to capture dinner, no doubt.

Starlings, mumurating

Either the falcon wasn't giving it its best shot or that there really is safety in numbers and the starlings managed to confuse the falcon into going to bed hungry, but for all the time we observed the phenomenon, and that was until nightfall, the falcon hasn't managed to catch any starling. Moreover, while busy with the starlings the falcon had completely ignored other, solitary fowl the flew nearby.

Peregrine Falcon

The starling clouds converged on the facility ponds, flying over our heads. Like other clouds, these were dripping too, and not water. The chikas hurried and hid under the information sign while Pappa Quail and I braved the 'rain' and observed and photographed until nightfall. When the starlings finally settled in the tule we made our way in the dark back to the car and drove off to our hotel to shower off all the 'rain' marks.

Peregrine Falcon amid Starlings

Shollenberger Park and Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility are a bird haven and a birder's paradise.Now we know where to stop whenever we're in the area. If that nice fellow in the truck I had run into on November 3rd happens to read this post - many thanks to you!

A Bittern Day at the Arcata Marsh

American Bittern at the Arcata Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Date: November 29, 2014
Place: Arcata Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary,  Arcata, California
Coordinates: 40.859204, -124.089787
Length: 2.7 miles
Level: easy

The forecast promised us rain for the second half of Thanksgiving week. After getting drenched at Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP I had my doubts about pulling my family out for another wet hike, but we were surprised with a reasonably clear morning. We had spent the night at Arcata and the morning was overcast, but there was no rain.
On our previous visit to the area we hiked at the  Humboldt Bay NWR south of Eureka and I had with me several brochures of area Nature attractions I had picked up when we were there. We had already a very rewarding visit at Tolowa Dunes SP, about which we learned from one of these brochures. This time we planned to explore the Arcata Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

We arrived at the local education center early in the morning and I was glad that it was not opened yet. The chikas were grumpy and I didn't want to get them distracted before the planned hike.

Arcata Marsh is located at the City of  Arcata wastewater treatment facility. There are several ponds and a tidal slough channeling ocean water from the Humboldt Bay. A system of easy-walking trails meanders between the ponds and along the Bay shore. We walked a wide loop trail through most habitats present in the sanctuary.

Our hike at the Arcata Marsh as captured by our GPS

Our first encounter, however, was right by the education center: a kingfisher on the lookout.

Kingfisher

We started north along the west bank of Log Pond. To our left the vegetation was cleared by a brush fire, but around the pond itself was a thicket of cattails and willows, on many of which perched night herons.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Whenever we passed a gap in the vegetation we could see ducks. There weren't as many ducks as we expected to see, but there was much variation among those we did see.

Green-winged Teal, male and female

Papa Quail took his time giving each duck a close and personal attention. I was busy managing the chikas, who were yet unimpressed by their surrounding.

American Wigeon, male

Until they found the frogs, that is. From then on, they were completely engaged, and kept looking for more wildlife.

California Red-legged Frog

Not much was blooming there at the time. I didn't expect to see any flowers that time of year, but they were a few.

Pacific Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense)

The view west was not hindered by vegetation, but there were also fewer ducks. A single great egret stood quietly in the water but flew to the opposite bank as we approached.

Great Egret

We walked along the slough to the end of the Log Pond, then crossed the railroad and continued to the nearby Brackish Pond.

A tidal slough at the Arcata Marsh

It remained overcast throughout our hike, the gray sky enhancing the greens and browns of the land below. Having a good wet fall, new vegetation was taking over the dead remains of last year's annual plants. Little bush birds were chirping everywhere.

Many of these plants are invasive species that came along with the European-descent immigrants. One of these is the carding plant, or teasel. They were brought along for their dry, yesteryear's inflorescences: they were used for carding wool.
They are also an excellent food source for little seed-eating birds.
A large and noisy group of LBBs (Little Brown Birds) was busy in a patch of yesteryear's teasel. Papa Quail stood there for a long time trying to capture them on camera. Me, thinking they were 'just' sparrows, took the chikas and moved along.
But not every LBB is a sparrow. Days later, on our home computer, Papa Quail had identified them as Pine Siskin: a species we had not observes before.

Pine Siskin feasting on teasel seeds

One of my birding desires whenever we go to a wetland area is to see a bittern. They are not particularly rare but they are very difficult to see because they normally hide in the reeds and they wear perfect camouflage. I have seen bitterns only a couple of times before and only very fleetingly. Naturally, this bird was high on my wish list for the Arcata Marsh.
Earlier that November my wish came true at a boat tour on the Sacramento River Delta we took during the 2014 Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. The boast skipper had seen one the day before and upon hearing my wish took us to that place.
But that has not quenched any of my excitement when I saw the first bittern standing in the dry weeds near the Brackish Pond. Me and the chikas were ahead when I noticed the bird: Papa Quail had lagged behind with Grandma Quail. I sent my elder chika to hurry him along, but by the time he arrived the bittern had already moved into thicker vegetation.
The disappointment didn't last very long: just around the corner I spotted another bittern, and it was closer and more visible. This time Papa Quail was ready:

American Bittern

We stayed at that spot for a pretty long time to observe and appreciate this beautiful bird. It didn't seem to mind being observed but eventually it too became one with the reeds and we moved along, vaguely remembering that there were other birds in that sanctuary.

A gaggle changing location

Wetlands are essential stops for migratory birds along the Pacific route. They are also home to many resident species as well. For a bird watcher, a hike in a coastal wetland area is a wonderful treat. 

Fox Sparrow

I've been paying more attention to the coastal birds in recent years. It seems to me that this winter of 2014-2015 there were considerably fewer birds than in past winters. And species not common to the area were making appearance in greater numbers. 

Log Pond

Still, tthere were enough birds to observe and enjoy. 

Duck Siesta

There weren't very many birds in Log Pond, but those present were active and interesting to watch. 

Pied-billed Grebe holding the Catch of the Day

West of Log Pond there are tidal areas and the tide was low, exposing the mud flats. Tidal areas are rich feeding grounds for wader birds, such as snowy egrets. We turned our attention to the mud flats in time to see two snowy egrets facing off.

Two snowy egrets facing off at the mud flats

The conflict never developed beyond jumping in place and puffing feathers, but in the end, one of the egrets flew away, leaving the other one in control of the muddy territory. 

 Snowy Egret's 'I'm Pissed' pose

Other waders were poking the mud for morsels. 

Greater Yellowlegs

We moved away from the mud flats and the Log Pond. To our left was another pond, framed with cattail and sedges. A wide strip of waterlilies stretched along the edge of the pond. A few coots were moving in and out of the waterlilies.

Papa Quail was ahead of me. Suddenly he got all excited and motioned me over. When I caught up with him, he pointed at a patch of cattails in the middle of the pond. He had seen an American bittern flying over and landing there in front of the cattails. 

I raised my binoculars to the point Papa Quail pointed at and saw nothing but cattails. 

Then I saw a movement and the image dissolved into a background and a large, striped bird. An American Bittern, the third we've seen tat day. What a lucky day! 

American Bittern

We continued our stroll and eventually got to the bay shore. 

Humboldt Bay

Although we walked at a snail's pace the tide was still low when we got to the waterfront. We didn't see too many birds in the area facing the open bay. Save for a few ducks and coots, the mud was empty. 

Green-winged Teal

Right by the waterfront there is a small picnic area where we sat down for a snack break. While the chikas were busy munching I checked the vegetation. It wasn't different from anything we've seen previously on that trail, but I did see patches of mushrooms here and there. Being consistent with the theme of our 2014 Thanksgiving Vacation, I post one on them here.  

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Following our break we begun looping our way back along the bay shore. The mud flats were exposed still and a few birds were walking on the mud. It looked as if we, too, could walk across the mud to get to the other side of the bay. We didn't try. Quails don't have webbed feet. 

Canada Goose Crossing

Soon there was another pond, Kloppe Lake,  to our laft. No cattails and waterlilies, but thick willows along the banks. The perch of choice for night herons. I stopped counting after the first 10. 

Night herons perching on willow bushes by Kloppe Lake

A narrow channel of water connected the slough and the receded Bay. Coots and ducks lined along the side while grebes patrolled the water and great egrets stood motionless at regular intervals, ambushing the fish.

The channel narrowed as we approached the end of our hike. Lagging behind once more, I sidestepped onto an old wood railroad bridge transversing the slough. From there I watched a trio of coots holding a lively discussion below. The discussion ended with the tree of them crossing to the other side.

Why did the coot cross the slough?

When we finished the loop trail the education center was open and we entered. We spent a good hour inside, talking to the docents and comparing notes and photos, all excited still about having seen three bitterns. When we left eventually, I had a few more brochures in my hand, of other wildlife areas along the Humboldt coast. Something to look for for our next trip there.

Song Sparrow

We stayed in Arcata for lunch, and by the time we left town on our way south the rain had resumed. We still had enough daylight for another hike so we located a green spot on the map that looked nice and turned our car there: we were on our way to Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.