Swainson’s Thrush - Strangest Bay Area Bird Call of All!

July 7, 2007 on 4:03 pm | In Daily Local Birder | 3 Comments

Greetings, birders!

Have you had the strange feeling that you’ve been being followed by a pint-sized vehicle with an infinitesimal, buzzy car alarm since spring arrived in the Bay Area? Brace up! Tiny aliens with bitty noisemakers have not taken over the planet, nor are you going crazy. Chances are, Swainson’s Thrush is lurking in the underbrush nearby.

This fantastically secretive bird stops people in their tracks each year when it arrives from the south for the warm season and begins sounding its other-worldly song. The musician’s ear detects a couple of grace notes followed by an ethereal series of rising triplets, all rendered in a most unusual, wheezy, electronic-sounding voice. We honor this unique wild bird with having the very strangest of all calls in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As my illustration of Swainson’s Thrush, Catharus ustulatus, shows, this is a somewhat plain looking bird with a dusty top half and spotted breast. Pacific coast birds are ruddier than inland ones, but the overall appearance of this fowl is sedate when compared to his relative, the brilliant orange and black Varied Thrush who was with us in the winter. Nevertheless, we absolutely love this fine wild bird, and only wish we could catch more than a glimpse of him in his hiding places beneath thick hedges, generally near a body of water. He is one of Sonoma County’s most reclusive inhabitants.

Swainson’s Thrush measures, on average, 7″ from his strong beak to his tail. He has a prominent cream colored eye ring and a very soft, blurry look to his plumes. He forages on the ground for both insects and berries and builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs, leaves, roots and moss. 3-5 blue eggs are typical of this bird. The birds maintain a very small territory, making it possible for the birder to be surrounded by serenading male Swainson’s Thrushes in a single large yard or on a short creekside path.

My husband and I had our first encounter with Swainson’s Thrush at Willowside Rd. creek in Santa Rosa, CA. I clearly remember the sweltering hot day, and the two of us going up and down, up and down the path trying to figure out where that crazy noise was coming from. We never saw the bird and were driven almost to distraction by his persistent, mysterious fanfares. Thankfully, our bird songs DVD solved the problem for us when we got home and we immediately recognized the the sound that had so baffled us by the stream.

I have not heard a single Swainson’s Thrush in the Sonoma Valley area of Sonoma County. Perhaps their habitat has been destroyed by the monotonous vineyards that leave no hedges or trees for birds to make their homes in, or perhaps this thrush simply doesn’t like the layout here. West Santa Rosa seems to be a good place to go, locally, to find Swainson’s Thrush, and the Willowside Road area almost guarantees the sound, if not the sight, of one.

However, if you want to get to Swainson’s Thrush heaven, simply drive out to West Marin County, to the Point Reyes National Seashore area. The parking lot at Heart’s Desire beach should be renamed Swainson’s Thrush Official Headquarters. There must be thousands of these birds in this area and it is simply amazing to listen to them, and to try to spot one in the bracken. In addition to their rising mechanical call, they also give a single flute-like note frequently. Mornings and evenings are the best time to attend this free concert by the sea.

*An important hint on identifying Swainson’s Thrush: if you see a bird that looks very much like my sketch, but it is out in the open, going about its business, chances are, you may be seeing a Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus. The Hermit Thrush is seen most often in the winter here in Sonoma County, but some are year-round, so that’s not a definite help. What does help me is to look at the tail of the bird. The Hermit Thrush’s tail tends to be an extremely vivid cinnamon color. But, for a positive ID, you do need to hear the songs. Swainson’s call rises, but the Hermit’s call, though quite similar in its electronic sound, just twirls around in one place rather than going up or down. The Kenwood/Glen Ellen area is an excellent place to look for Hermit Thrushes and despite their shy sounding name, they are much more extroverted than the Swainson’s Thrush, in our experience.

Swainson’s Thrush is proof that you must never judge a bird by it’s ‘cover’. Who would ever guess that this sedate looking fellow would be such an audacious caroler? He is just one of the many fascinating oddities that keep us always birding, always in a state of awe over the varied wonders of the bird world.

Birder Interview - Steve Byland, New Jersey Birder

July 3, 2007 on 1:20 am | In Interviews with Birders | No Comments

When you see a guy getting out of his car with a camera around his neck with a GIANT lens on it, and he comes up and asks what you’re looking at in the bushes, you know you’re standing face to face with a BIRDER!

This was how my husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Byland a couple of months ago in the Hearts Desire Beach parking lot in Point Reyes. We spent a couple of hours birding around the lot with Steve, and were blown away by his digital camera. He mentioned to us that he posts his photos on Flickr, and when we got home that night, we were even more blown away by the exquisite quality of Steve’s work.

Get ready to join us in becoming Steve Byland fans. This man has the talent, the eye and the
serendipity of a truly great bird photographer!

1) Steve, we met with you at the Point Reyes National Seashore here in Northern California. That’s a long way from your home state of New Jersey. Can you tell us what you like best about the birding opportunities here on the west coast?

There are so many things I really love about the west coast – birding is just one of them. The scenery is wonderful and the people are so friendly that it makes it a very special place to visit. The birds are just a great bonus. For me, the nicest thing about the birds is the opportunity to see a number of species that rarely, if ever, can be found closer to my home in New Jersey. Add to that the beauty of the mountains, the desert and the rugged ocean and I feel like I’m in heaven.

One of my favorite birding spots in California is Mines Road and Del Puerto Canyon Road, south of Livermore. Every time I visit the Bay area, I make a point of stopping there at least once. Combine that with a stop at Point Reyes and a short trip to Yosemite and you will have memories to last a lifetime.

2) Cape May, New Jersey is one of the most important places for birds in North America. It even has a warbler named after the area. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences in this famous area and the birds you’ve seen there?

A trip to Cape May is certain not to disappoint! It is a large peninsula at the southern tip of New Jersey and acts as a funnel point for migrating birds. This makes it one of the best places in North America to find a huge number of different bird species in a very small area. One day in a small field, I saw a Brown-chested Martin (one of only a handful ever seen in North America), along with a MacGillivray’s Warbler and Western Tanager which are extremely rare on the east coast. It is not at all unusual during migration for the birds in Cape May to number in the hundreds of thousands. There are so many really outstanding birders in Cape May that, when something interesting shows up, the word gets out fast.

3) You talked with us in person a bit about your experiences with the World Series of Birding. Can you explain more about your involvement with this annual event and tell us a favorite memory you have from taking part in this competition?

The whole idea of the World Series of Birding is to find as many different species of birds as you can in a 24 hour period. You can go anywhere in the state or limit yourself to a specific geographic area. I’ve done the state-wide event a couple of times, but it is really punishing physically and uses a lot of gas. I now do an area limited to the 7,600 acre Great Swamp National Wildlife. We usually find somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 different species of birds and have a lot of fun doing it. Once, in the middle of the night, I was trying to slow down to make a turn and the clutch failed and would not disengage. We just about ended up in the water.

4) While birding with us in Point Reyes, you mentioned to us that you are a raptor man. Where is the best place to see raptors in New Jersey and what it is the birding like there?

Cape May in the fall is one of the best places to see huge numbers of hawks up close and personal. They get upwards of 40,000 raptors between September and November. Many people bird the local fields in the morning and then spend the afternoon at the hawk watch platform. Mid-September through the mid-October is the best time to visit. The Montclair Hawk Lookout is another outstanding place. Located in a suburban neighborhood, it has a fabulous view of the New York City skyline and is one of the best places to watch the spectacle of the Broad-winged Hawk migration during mid-September. Both places are fantastic spots to watch for migrating songbirds as well.

5) Your wildlife photographs on Flickr are simply amazing. Your detailed close-ups of both birds and animals are absolutely beautiful. Can you tell us about the cameras and equipment that you use and have used in the past? Any recommendations on equipment for beginning birders on a budget?

I use a Canon 20d body with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS Zoom. This package is a bit pricey at a bit over $2,000 now, but it is really versatile. Unfortunately, birds are small and quick which can make them really tough to photograph. I have tried photographing them with less expensive equipment, but I wasn’t happy with the results. With my equipment, I can get shots that can be almost as good as what I could take with a $10,000 package – it just takes a bit more work and luck.

6) What are some other birding spots in America that you have traveled to? Any other well-known spots that birders are familiar with, or perhaps some special places not generally known to birdwatching?

Florida is an incredible place to go birding. In late winter to early spring, the weather is fabulous and the number of birds is staggering. I think everyone knows about Ding Darling and the Everglades, but some of my favorite places are around the West Palm Beach area (Green Cay, Wakodahatchee, Loxahatchee). You can get so close to birds and wildlife that you have to see it for yourself to believe it.

7) You gave us some demonstrations of a birding technique known as “pishing”, whereby you can get more secretive birds to come out into the open by making some noises that draw them out. You also mentioned that this practice yields better results on the east coast than out here in the west. Can you tell some of our new birding readers about how this works, and on which birds it works best?

“Pishing” is essentially making a sound like “pshh pshh pshh” in an imitation of a scolding call used by Tufted Titmice. They are extremely common here which may be why this technique works better on the east coast. Other birds join in to scold and come out in the open. It doesn’t take them long to figure out that there isn’t anything of interest, but it may give you a quick peek at whatever birds are lurking nearby. It seems to work very well for common birds and not so well for whatever bird you really want to get a closer look at. It is also a good way to convince non-birders that you are truly nuts.

8) You’re a very experienced birder, but no doubt there are many birds here in the United States that you have yet to see. Any dream birds out there that you hope to see one day?

I’m partial to raptors and I’ve not seen a Swallow-tailed Kite yet. Generally, though, I try not to get my hopes up too high about seeing any one bird because I don’t want to introduce any disappointment into my hobby. I’m just happy to get a couple of new birds once in a while and get some nice photos along the way.

9) Of all the photographs you’ve taken of birds, which is your favorite?

This is an easy one. I took several pictures of an immature Northern Goshawk in flight last fall at Sunrise Mountain in New Jersey. The photos I got are probably some of the best that I’ve taken of any bird and this is a species that is rarely seen in my part of the country. There was a lot of luck involved – I had perfect light, a fantastic subject at close range and it flew by in the perfect pose. I had actually seen one earlier and messed up the shots badly. I was heartbroken and then I somehow got another chance. I guess my Karma was perfect on that day!

10) Do you keep a life list? If so, would you share your current count with us?

I have a modest life list of 483 birds. I would really need to travel to some different places like Arizona and Alaska to really boost the numbers, but that will come with time. Additionally, I keep a “yard list” with 148 different species of birds seen in my yard. I have also seen six different species of Parrots (not really countable) near where I live in Central New Jersey with three of them coming in my own backyard. That has to be some kind of record!

Steve, it’s been an immense pleasure talking to you, and we’re so glad we got to meet you on your trip out here to the west.

Please, birding readers, take a gander at Steve Byland’s photo stream. It’s a treasure trove of fabulous bird images!