White-tailed Kite at Point Reyes Seashore

Point Reyes is described as the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place in North America. The area known as the Point Reyes Headlands juts 10 miles out to sea posing danger for ships coming into San Francisco.

The historic lighthouse functioned from 1870 to 1975, warning approaching ships, until it was retired and replaced with automated lights.

Needless to say, the walk to the lighthouse is spectacular.    

After our visit with the elephant seals, we walked back to the parking area and spread a blanket on the grass to eat the lunches we had packed.

This fence row near the parking area happens to be the favorite perch for a beautiful White-tailed Kite!  The kite's primary food source is voles which suffered a decline due to heavy grazing, and subsequently, kites declined.  California bought some of the former pastures to allow native grasses to grow, and the voles population increased and the kites are recovering.

While we ate, the kite hunted near us, circling the field, hovering above, and extending his legs and feet downward.  Cornell says kites hover as much as 80 feet above the ground and maintain their position without flapping by facing into the wind.  The leg hanging helps them to hold their position while hovering.

Visit Conrad Tan's beautiful images of the White-tailed Kite and watch a nuptial food exchange in flight.

Exciting bird!

Point Reyes National Seashore
Stinson Beach, California
Cornell--White-tailed Kite
History of the Point Reyes Lighthouse

Rock Wrens at Point Reyes National Seashore

I had only taken a few steps past the gate leading to the Point Reyes Lighthouse when movement on the rocks ahead of me caught my attention.

Along the rocky slope, adjacent to the trail, I discovered a pair of Rock Wrens.  From my position, they looked so tiny, yet they are the size of our Carolina Wrens, and sometimes an inch taller.  Their plumage so closely matched the rocks around them, that if I looked away and they were standing still when I searched again, it took some effort to find them.  

Rock Wrens are at home year-round in this area of coastal California.  

They measure 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches from the top of their heads to the tip of their tails and, standing on tall legs, appear more slender than their Carolina Wren cousins. The Birds of North America account of this species describes these wrens as a "mysterious" bird that has been little studied.  That may be, in part, due to its inaccessible nesting habitat.   

And here is one of those mysterious things that little is known about.  A breeding pair creates a "pebble path" three or more inches wide that leads to the nest cavity and the nest. No one actually knows what purpose this structure serves, but a great deal of effort goes into it.  

As you can see in the images above and below, these loose surfaced, sloping, rock ledges that form the cliffs descending to the Pacific Ocean, are not the most inviting of habitats for extensive human observation. 

Rock wrens are found in western arid areas and usually nest on rocky slopes or any place where there are lots of crevices, passageways, cavities, and "nooks and crannies of diverse sizes and shapes." The male is described as an incredible singer and having a repertoir of over 100 songs.

Both members of the pair gather rocks, sticks, and other extraneous materials (which may include nails and bits of trash) to construct the "pavement" leading to the nest site and the platform on which the nest is built (which the female builds alone).  In one two-hour observation, the female of a pair made 91 trips during the construction of the pavement and nest platform.  All of those rocks were carried in that tiny little bill!  

I don't keep a "life list", but I do know when I've seen a species for the first time.  Another first encounter for me, among many on this trip, and a delightful one!

Next:  Elephant Seals

Point Reyes National Seashore
Stinson Beach
Rock Wren at Cornell's All About Birds
Other "life" birds seen on this trip:  Snowy Plover
Carolina Wren

Point Reyes National Seashore--Common Murre and Peregrines

The earth is stunningly beautiful and the state of California possesses a wealth of breath-taking coastal areas. 

Our first destination at the seashore--the light house.  

As we reached the first viewing platform, it was about 9:45 a.m. and the gate to the light house was still locked.  My birding companion and guide today (February 21st) was Talissa Ralph who lives in Knoxville, where I live, but is practically a native of Stinson Beach from a lifetime of exploring the area.   We stood on the deck looking down on the light house and checked out the colony of Common Murre crowded on a rock shelf below us.    

Lighthouse Rock Murre colony.

Common Murre are seabirds that weigh about two pounds, are about the size of a football and spend most of their life on the water.  During the nesting season, from April to July, they gather in crowded colonies on rock surfaces to nest. Their eggs are varied in colors and spots and are uniquely shaped with one end more pointed so that a disturbed egg rolls in a tight circle.  About 16,000 murres nest here on Lighthouse Rock.

As we observed the murres, we caught a glimpse of gray wings disappearing behind a boulder just as the park ranger arrived to open the gate to the stairs that lead to the lighthouse.  Talissa asked if there were falcons in the area. He answered, "yes", and walked closer to the fence on the other side of the bolder, motioning for us to join him.. "Look right down there." 

Not one, but a PAIR of Peregrine Falcons were perched on the rocks below!  A breathless view.  

One of the pair flew before I could get an image of them together but this beautiful peregrine remained for a while. See if you can locate her in the image below after I zoomed out to show the surrounding habitat.   (she is on a boulder on the left half of the image)

Zooming brings her closer, below.

and cropping, even closer.

Below, she assumes a pre-flight position just prior to lifting off and disappearing behind the cliffs to my right. Peregrines nest on cliff ledges and lay their eggs on simple rock scrapes, usually under a protective overhang. This was a breath-taking look at these resident falcons and their habitat with all the characteristics needed to sustain their life cycle.  

Her departure was actually a good thing.  We had a lot to see on our visit to the seashore and I'm not sure I would have left this spot with the opportunity to observe this falcon still possible!

"Peregrine Falcon" -- watercolor by Vickie Henderson

Next:  The light house and a pair of Rock Wrens!

Peregrine Falcon
My website:  Vickie Henderson Art
Painting a Peregrine at Vickie's Sketchbook

The Common Murre Restoration Project
A Day in the Life of a Murre Biologist
Point Reyes Light House history
Point Reyes National Seashore