#377 Pygmy Nuthatch in Golden Gate Park

After striking out at Mount Davidson, I arrived at Golden Gate Park at about 10:30 A.M. on Sunday. The 43 bus left me off roughly at Ninth Ave. so that’s where I entered (near the Lawn Bowling Club). A Great Blue Heron flew over almost immediately. Song Sparrows were calling from multiple locations. Tree Swallows were hawking for insects. Black Phoebes were flycatching over a ballfield. I zigzagged back and forth across the park to the west end for the next five hours or so, getting frequently lost and accidentally backtracking a lot. Thank god for GPS.

Overall, though, it It was a slow start in Golden Gate too. I saw a Western Scrub-jay in the Aids Memorial Grove, a few hummingbirds in the Botanical gardens and the Tea Garden, but nothing hugely exciting. Then, about 2:00 P.M., I’m sitting on a bench on the north end of a small pond.¹ when a Pygmy Nuthatch flies into the conifer immediately to my left! It forages for a minute or two; then flies off. It’s a small bird, but I managed one recognizable photo before it took off.

Prior to the nuthatch, the day didn’t really start to pick up till I got to Stow Lake which had American Coot, Mallard, Muscovy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, and Canada Goose. Canada Geese aren’t nearly as common in San Francisco as they are in New York, but that probably won’t last for very much longer. These geese had two full broods of chicks.

I climbed to the top of Strawberry Hill, and circled the lake a couple of times.

A little later, after the nuthatch, near the Bison paddock, a Red-tailed Hawk was circling with a small mammal it had caught:

When I reached the Bison Paddock, I discovered that cowbirds like Bison too:

I’d suspected as much, but I hadn’t actually seen any cowbirds there on my previous visits. Maybe they’re afternoon birds. :-)

I finished up with a quick swing around the North and South lakes. The North Lake produced a single Cedar Waxwing, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, and Pied-billed Grebe. The South Lake had mallards and one of the strangest ducks I’ve ever seen:

It was following two mallards half its size that seemed to me to be trying to stay as far away from this creature as they could. Probably some weird domestic hybrid.

I walked home through the woods along the south edge of the park. No new birds, but I did see one fresh Red Admiral butterfly:

Total avian species count for the day was 32 (33 if you count the Muscovy):

• Canada Goose
• Muscovy Duck
• Mallard
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Great Blue Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Coot
• Western Gull
• Rock Pigeon
• Mourning Dove
• Anna’s Hummingbird
• Allen’s Hummingbird
• Black Phoebe
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Common Raven
• Tree Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Pygmy Nuthatch
• American Robin
• European Starling
• Cedar Waxwing
• California Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• American Goldfinch
• House Sparrow

Not the best day I’ve ever had in Golden Gate Park, and not as impressive as the Presidio was (despite the life bird) but a good day nonetheless. I’d be curious to see what’s around here in the winter some time.

¹ I can’t seem to find this pond on any maps of the park, but it’s the one with the small waterfall fed by a stream that runs from a larger pond with a larger waterfall a little further east; and I’m pretty sure it’s west of Stow Lake and east of Spreckels Lake.)

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 13th, 2007 at 8:52 PM and is filed under Birding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the Atom feed. You can make a comment, Digg this story, or trackback from your own site.