Weekly Bird Walk with Andrew Ford – Saturday, October 19th at 8:00 a.m. – Huichica Wetlands

This Saturday, October 19th, we will be checking out the wetlands of Huichica Creek since we should have some water, waterfowl are returning and we SHOULD be right before the opener of the waterfowl season, slated to start Oct 26. We will be looking for the waterfowl and shorebirds in the flooded ponds. OVERVIEW: The wetlands are a small part of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Complex. This area is a hotspot for wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. Many interesting birds have been reported in the area in the past. We are likely to find Northern Shoveler, Double-Crested Cormorant, White-Tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Green-Winged Teal, American White Pelican, Eared and Horned Grebe, American Kestrel, Black-Necked Stilt, and American Avocet. Uncommon birds in the area include Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Short-Eared Owl, Bonaparte’s Gull, Dunlin and Osprey. Semipalmated Sandpiper and Eurasian Wigeon have been seen in the past. Just a note for walkers, all birds in the above list were seen at one point and time. Birds will vary at location and though I mention the birds on this list, we may see many or just a few. This all varies on the day! See Andrew’s eBlast or our Calendar for more details.

Directions: Head South from Las Amigas Road on Buchli Station Road. We will meet in the parking lot that is located at the very end of Buchli Station Road. Head down Buchli Station Road and go past Bouchaine Winery and past Rancheria Vineyard Management facilities at which point Buchli Station Road becomes a dirt road. Continue on until the road takes a sharp right hand turn and soon thereafter a left hand turn crossing the Railroad Tracks to the small parking lot. We will meet in the parking lot at 8:00 a.m.

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