Subject: Christmas on the run in CA
Date: Dec 27 08:25:30 1996
From: Peggi & Ben Rodgers - woodduck at cruzio.com


A Christmas trip to my folks in Santa Rosa produced some interesting
sightings. Among a bevy of Red-tailed hawks, we saw a red-shouldered hawk,
several Kestrals. There were Great egrets in most of the fields/marshes and
a Great Blue Heron on Highway 12. At the Petaluma KOA there was a
woodpecker I could hear and not see, and a Black-headed Phoebe flitting about.

Additionally, at Spring Lake Park (just east of Santa Rosa on Highway 12
heading toward Sonoma), there was a Plain Titmouse and a Bluebird. I wasn't
able to distinguish whether it was a Mountain or Western Bluebird.

My parents' feeder in Oakmont (the same one that had a pair of Acorn
Woodpeckers last summer) produced a Black-throated sparrow and several
California Quail.

There was a fun TV experience also on Highway 12. Because we were too early
to arrive we drove around a bit and kept passing the same area of road where
a deer had been killed. The first time by there was one vulture perched on
the wires above the carcass and one circling. The second time by there were
two sitting and one on the ground. The final time by there were three on
the wires, two in the trees and three crows on the ground. Great photo
opportunities.

Also, a Red-tailed observation. One of three had killed something and was
sitting on the ground with it while the other two bickered over whatever it
was. They were chasing each other down, and it seemed like they were trying
to force each other to the ground, similar to hummingbirds fighting. I
don't know if hawks do this, or even if that's what they were doing (do
hawks share catches, I wonder?) as I'm not familiar with raptor habits.

Anyway, it was a fun trip.
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"