[SBB] Western Grebe courtship

[Janna Pauser <[[email protected]]>]

Lee and I did a strenuous 3 hour hike on the Los Cerritos trail in Calero 
C.P. today. The trail had many muddy stretches to wade through. Seems we 
were a bit too early for a wide variety of wildflowers.

Wild Turkeys were seen roosting in a tree along the trail. As we walked on 
the east side of the reservoir we saw a flotilla of Ruddy Ducks, Bufflehead 
and Gadwall pairs, 2 Common Merganser pair, 4 male and surprisingly 22 
female Common Goldeneye. Cormorants, Greater Scaup, Mallard and Killdeer, 
and Great Egrets were seen. The real treat were 7 Western Grebes. We 
watched 2 pairs perform their synchronized courtship behavior. Stand 
straight, look left, look right, left and right again, then walk on water. 
Amazing!! It was just like in the movies!!

Many Tree and Cliff Swallows soared overhead. Two Red-shouldered Hawk pair, 
Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, White-tailed Kites and a Sharp-shinned Hawk 
were seen. Six No. Flickers, several Nuttalls, and Acorn Woodpeckers mostly 
heard. We saw many of the woodland species, Oak Titmouse, W.B. Nuthatches, 
Chickadees, Bewicks Wren, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 
Bushtits. It seemed whenever I heard an Orange crowned Warbler, a Huttons 
Vireo would also be heard. We saw two pair of W. Bluebirds and 4 Savannah 
Sparrows, a few Meadowlarks and Lesser Goldfinch, lots of R.W. Blackbirds 
and Crows and half a dozen Black Phoebes.

We stopped at Schillingsburg on McKean Rd. and found an adult Golden Eagle 
on the nest. I didn't have a scope but saw it looking down at the nest 
before it flew off.

Janna Pauser


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