January brought some good birding, and a new life bird for me. We started off the new year with a new activity for me – snowshoeing. Of course, I had to take my binoculars along with me if we were to encounter any birds. While there, the area we went to on New Year’s Day didn’t offer much in the way of birding, but I did catch a new life bird – a pair of Black-Backed Woodpeckers perched in a tree at Hope Valley near Carson Pass. It took a while to identify them, but we finally did. The only other birds we saw were three Steller’s Jays. I’ve been in love with those birds ever since I first saw them years and years ago. I’ve always admired their blue body and black crested head.
I’ve never birded in Hope Valley before, but I want to go back after the snow melts and the weather warms and hike around to see what else may be there. I’m hoping to go back this summer.
A couple of weeks later, we went to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park for some hiking, and of course we took our binoculars with us. It’s been many years since I’ve been there. The weather was pleasant, but on the cool side. We could hear more birds than we could see. We saw Dark Eyed Juncos, California Scrub Jays, an Oak Titmouse, Anna’s Hummingbird, a Western Bluebird, a pair of Acorn Woodpeckers, and a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.
Toward the end of the month, we sent to Willow Hills Reservoir Community Park in Folsom. I used to bird there a lot. Like the other two locations, there was not a lot going on bird-wise. In the spring and summer, the park is alive with bird activity. I’ve counted thousands of birds there in the past (not in one outing of course). In the past, the park has been loaded with American Coots, but I only counted five when we were there, and only four Canada Geese. Among other birds, we saw a Common Gallinule, less than a handful of Mallard Ducks, some Black Phoebes, Anna’s Hummingbird, a Red Shouldered Hawk, a couple of California Towhees and Acorn Woodpeckers, an Oak Titmouse, a couple of Western Bluebirds, one of which was a juvenile, and a ton of Rock Pigeons.
Next month is going to be big for me. I’m going to Hawaii for the first time, so I’m going to be adding more birds to my life list. I’m pretty excited about that.