Bewick’s Wren - A hidden Bay Area bird worth seeking!

Greetings Birders!
Did you like the game of hide-and-seek as a child? If so, then birding for wrens will likely strike you as extra fun. As a clan, they are some of the Bay Area’s most secretive little birds, more often heard than seen. A flash of clay or chestnut in the scrub or reeds, the flick of a tail, the glimpse of a bright black eye, tantalizing the birder who will stand there for minutes at a time, yearning to make a correct identification.

Today, we’ll turn our gaze on Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii, one of the larger SF Bay Area Wrens. My Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, says Bewick’s Wren is a year-round resident, but I see the bird so sporadically, I can’t confirm this from my own experience, and Sibley has been wrong on occasion in this regard. Measuring an average of 5.25″ from beak to tail, Bewick’s Wren, like most wrens, will instantly strike you as being ‘all-tail’. With the exception of the Winter Wren, which looks like it has almost no tail, wrens have some of the most splendid, striped tails on the local birding scene. Identification clue number one for wrens is that they tend to hold their tails up-turned, as if proud of their lovely plumes.

Again, like most wrens, their movements through the brush are flickering, turning this way and that, seeming to flash from branch to branch rather than flap or fly. Whenever I see Bewick’s Wren, I am struck by how nuthatch-like he is, not only in his movements, but in his overall shape. The long beak, small oval body and stiff tail are all reminiscent of the White-breasted Nuthatch. The Brown Creeper also comes strongly to mind when looking at wrens.

Color is very important in identifying wrens. Some are a rich, burnished copper, others a duller brown. Bewick’s Wren’s overall hue is somewhat muddy, with gleams of chestnut in his long tail. But the most important identification mark on this bird is his prominent white eyebrow. It stands out quite clearly from his brown and grey tones, and the other thing to observe is the overall plainness of his back and shoulders which are unmarked.

Comparing Bewick’s Wren to the Marsh Wren
At right, you will see my illustration of a Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris. I felt it would be helpful for local birders to compare these 2 birds to see the differences between them. Wren identification can be challenging for new birders, because all wrens tend to be brownish, striped beings. In differentiating between these 2 wrens, you will have two big clues:

1) Markings - Scroll back and forth between the Marsh Wren and Bewick’s Wren. Yes, they both have those white eyebrows. But look at the backs of the birds. The black striped patch of the Marsh Wren instantly confirms who he is, and lets you see how much plainer the Bewick’s Wren is by comparison. Overall, the rich chestnut tones of the smaller Marsh Wren are much more vivid than the soft browns of Bewick’s.

2) Habitat - This is a major factor. Bewick’s Wren inhabits the understorey brush of coniferous and deciduous forests, where he is at home with his secretive habits, hiding amongst bracken. By contrast, the Marsh Wren’s name correctly identifies his home - in the reeds around ponds and in wetlands.

Other local wrens include the House Wren and the Winter Wren. Each has it’s own markings and habitat. So, very often, getting a correct I.D. involves the birder asking, “where are the stripes?” and, “what is the habitat I’m in?”

Further field notes on Bewick’s Wren
Though not quite as much like the old electric-typewriter-gone-haywire calls of the Marsh Wren, the Bewick’s Wren’s song is complex, consisting of metallic trills and buzzes, not exactly musical, but very fascinating to hear in the forest. The long, down-curved beak of this bird is an important tool, as you might guess, enabling him to pry into crevices and along the ground for insects and spiders. Bewick’s Wrens nest in cavities or holes and 4-7 white or pink speckled eggs are common. Patience and good ear birding are often your best tools in honing in on this charming and interesting local bird.

Where to see Bewick’s Wren in Sonoma County
As the accompanying map will show, Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen, California, yet again proves itself superior birding habitat when it comes to Bewick’s Wren. When you go through the toll booth, turn right into the upper parking lot, drive to the far end of the lot and park near the narrow trail entrance by the eucalyptus grove. In addition to being great woodpecker habitat, and a good spot for migratory warblers, this grove of trees has become our likely spot for Bewick’s Wren. About halfway between the entrance of this short trail and the ‘t’ it comes to out in the sun at the end of it, on the left hand side of the path, there is a scrubby area where we have repeatedly seen a pair of Bewick’s Wrens, and with patience, have gotten excellent up close views. Bring a picnic, bring your birding binoculars and have a fabulous day in this wonderful park.

It’s October now, so keep an eye out in the park for Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Oak Titmice, Stellar’s Jays, Pileated, Downy, Nuttall’s and Acorn Woodpeckers, Flickers, the last of the Western Tanagers, Western Bluebirds and White-breasted Nuthatches. Soon, the fantastic Varied Thrushes should be flying into the park. Last year - the winter 2006/2007 season - was an irruptive year for the Varied Thrush, bringing us more of these birds than normal, and Jack London State Park was literally spangled with them. Oh, things are getting exciting in the birding world this month. Keep your eyes open!

Sparrow Indentification in Sonoma County, California

How to tell our common White-crowned Sparrows and Golden Crowned Sparrows apart

Greetings!
To the right, you will see that trusty, abundant, Sonoma County bird: the adult, White-crowned Sparrow. His presence is almost a given beneath any hedge in your neighborhood. He is the most common sparrow in our neck of the woods, and his bold black-and-white striped head make identification a snap for even beginning birders. Birds out here along the Pacific have the lovely yellow bill, though their relations in other parts of the U.S. have a pink one. The White-crowned Sparrow is a great friend of mine and his three note song is one of my favorites. So, if you see a bird with the distinct markings shown in my sketch, you can feel pretty confident that you are looking at the grown-up White-crowned Sparrow.

Certainty of this kind tends to be a rarity in the sparrow kingdom, however, and I have spent several winters puzzling over a backyard bird conundrum caused by the extraordinary similarity between two members of the mixed flock of small brown birds that hop around beneath my feeders. Both of these two mystery birds have a yellowish head stripe, and I would look out my window saying, “that’s the narrow head stripe one…and there’s the broad head stripe one.” They looked almost exactly alike, to my eyes, apart from that difference in head marking width, and the constant presence of the more obvious adult White-crowned made me feel pretty certain that some of the birds were his family members. Additionally, I had a pretty good feeling that some of the birds were Golden-crowned Sparrows. I just couldn’t say which was which.

Tonight, I’m writing this post to announce that I’ve figured it out! I know how to tell the two apart, and I’ve discovered why this has been confusing me all this time. I want to share this information with you so that you, too, can identify the sparrows in your own backyard.

The sparrow puzzle solved
As I’ve said, the White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys, is a year-round Bay Area bird. The Golden-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla, is only with us in the winter months. Both birds appear in abundance, and often in mixed winter flocks. When you take a gander, below, at my sketch of the two birds, I hope you will sympathize with my identification dilemma:

Here’s what going on with this picture. The birds shown are the 1st winter birds of both species. Because the Golden-crowned Sparrow is only here from August-March, chances are, we are unlikely to see him in his much more obvious breeding plumage. That would make things too easy! So, instead, what we are seeing is the 1st winter plumage of both sparrows, and they are, indeed, remarkably alike.

How to tell them apart? Look at my sketch above. As you can see, the White-crowned does have a narrower yellowish stripe on top of his head than the Golden-crowned. However, this isn’t a terribly good field mark to pass on to another birder. Rather, look at the bills! The White-crowned youngster has a yellow bill, and the Golden-crowned youngster has a grey bill. That’s important field mark #1.

Tip #2 for identifying these sparrows is shown in my sketch above. The White-crowned Sparrow has a dark eye stripe, right across his face. The Golden-crowned Sparrow does not.

So, to repeat that. Yellow bill + eye stripe = White-crowned Sparrow. Grey bill + no eye stripe = Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Because I’m only using this post for identification tips to help you to be able to name two of our most common and abundant local sparrows, I won’t go into detail about the lives of each. But, I did think it might be useful to bring up something new birders often wonder. How does one remember all of these field marks? How can you ever feel confident out in the field that you’re looking at a Winter Wren, not a Bewick’s Wren, or a Red-tailed Hawk instead of a Red-shouldered Hawk. The fact is, getting to observe a bird regularly eventually just lets you know who it is you’re looking at. There’s really no question. However, when you’re just getting acquainted with a new bird, you might find the following tip helpful.

Making up a song can help you memorize birding field marks!
It may be due to my history of working in early childhood education, but I see no reason why adults can’t benefit from the indisputable fact that words set to music are easier for most people to memorize than just plain words. My own skill at this is so honed that it has lead to near-insanity at times, realizing that I know all of the words to a song I hate but can’t get out of my mind! Why not put this phenomenon to good use by inventing little song snippets that feature a distinctive field mark of a bird you are trying to learn to be confident about? Here is my example of my Song about the Golden-crowned Sparrow:

Sing that 30 times and you’ll never forget that the Golden-crowned has a grey bill, I guarantee it! You could use the same tune with the words “White-crown, eye stripe, sparrow” for the White-crowned Sparrow. And, if you feel diffident about doing this, why not teach it to a little one? What is it about 4-year-olds that gives us the most wonderful excuse to sing silly songs, run around the yard, and meet the world with the wonder it truly deserves?

So, there you have it. Now is the time to really get familar with the sparrows in your garden. Sonoma County is home to many, many more, but perhaps none are such dependable stand-bys as these two friendly birds.

The Lifelist of Birding Sonoma County

Greetings!

We have our Lifelist laid out in several different places and ways, but thought it was time to make it official by adding it to the Birding Sonoma County Blog. This will allow us to easily update our list every time we see a new bird.

Follow us as we strive to reach our goal of 100 bird species. Though this may be a humble goal compared to some, every wild bird on our list represents a moment of majesty and unforgettable delight for us.

It’s always funny to consider that though so many birders keep a lifelist, only the keeper truly knows what that roster of names represents. Days in the forests, wading through grasslands, or sitting by the sea. Each bird checked off the list summarizes an important event in the birder’s life.

All of the birds in the list below were observed in Sonoma County, CA except as where otherwise noted.

Acorn Woodpecker
Allen’s Hummingbird
American Avocet
American Coot
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Widgeon (Marin County)

Barn Owl
Barn Swallow (Marin County)
Belted Kingfisher
Bewick’s Wren
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-necked Stilt
Black Phoebe
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brown Creeper
Brown Pelican
Bufflehead
Bullock’s (Northern) Oriole
Bushtit

California Gull
California Quail
California Towhee
Canada Goose
Canyon Wren (Calaveras County)
Cattle Egret
Cedar Waxwing
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
Chipping Sparrow
Cliff Swallow
Common Crow
Common Loon (Marin County)
Common Merganser
Common Moorhen
Common Murre (Marin County)
Common Raven
Common Red-shafted Flicker
Common Yellowthroat (Marin County)
Cooper’s Hawk

Dark-eyed Junco
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker

Eared Grebe

Ferruginous Hawk

Golden Eagle
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Green Heron
Green-winged Teal

Hairy Woodpecker (Calaveras County)
Helmeted Guineafowl
Hermit Thrush
Hooded Merganser
House Finch
House Sparrow

Kildeer

Lazuli Bunting
Lesser Goldfinch
Lesser Yellowlegs (Marin County)
Long-billed Curlew (Marin County)

Magpie (Sonora Pass)
Mallard
Marbled Godwit
Marsh Wren
Mockingbird
Mountain Chickadee (Yosemite)
Mourning Dove
Mute Swan

Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail (Marin County)
Northern Shoveler
Nuttall’s Woodpecker

Oak Titmouse
Osprey (Marin County)

Pied-billed Grebe
Pigeon Guillemot (Marin County)
Pileated Woodpecker
Purple Finch (Marin County)
Pygmy Owl

Red-breasted Merganser (Marin County)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Dove
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruddy Duck

Say’s Phoebe
Scrub Jay
Snowy Egret
Song Sparrow
Sooty Pacific Fox Sparrow
Sora
Spotted Towhee
Starling
Stellar’s Jay
Swainson’s Thrush

Townsend’s Warbler
Tree Swallow
Tri-colored Blackbird (Calaveras County)
Turkey
Turkey Vulture

Varied Thrush
Virginia Rail

Western Bluebird
Western Grebe
Western Kingbird (Calaveras County)
Western Meadowlark
Western Tanager
White Pelican
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-headed Woodpecker (Calaveras County)
White-tailed Kite
Willet (Marin County)
Wilson’s Snipe
Wilson’s Warbler
Winter Wren
Wrentit (Marin County)

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow Warbler (Calaveras County)

Current Total: 128 Birds

BIG NEWS FLASH!!!!
January 15th 2007, was a historic day for us. We finally met our first big goal of adding the 100th bird to our lifelist!!! And, we couldn’t have asked for a better bird to register in that position - the Ferruginous Hawk! What an awesome wild bird to hold this place of honor for us. Thank you, Ferruginous Hawk, for being our 100th bird.

Somehow, I think our next goal of 150 birds is going to be a bit of challenge. Stick with us, though. We’ll do it!