Colusa National Wildlife Refuge: Get Goosed

You show me Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, and I will show you a Falcated Duck. It's true. I've looked for the bird three times, three different years, and seen it every time.  I know most people don't have that kind of luck.  This may sound all nerdy and braggy but I just experienced one of the worst dips in my life (more on that soon), so cut me some slack.

Anyways, I didn't crush a Falcated Duck this time, but there are a handful of other birds that use the refuge, as you can see.  This post is about those birds.

The Central Valley is the realm of the goose.  The popular and somewhat sought-after Ross's Goose winters in abundance. Remarkably, in the early 30's their entire population was thought to be down to 6,000 individuals or less, mostly as a consequence of market hunting. Obviously, they have since rebounded, with a total population around 2 million.

As I've said before, Ross's Goose is the cutest goose, especially when they're not blowing up with warts.

A favorite fact of mine to learn about a particular bird species is the longevity record, so here we go; the oldest known Ross's Goose was "collected" at the ripe age of 22 and a half.

Many Ross's Geese have a lot of warty growth at the base of their bill. Here I have documented a Rhinoceros Goose. FACT: The first known description of a Ross's Goose, years before being formally described by science, called it the "horned wavey".  I have no idea what a wavey is, of course.

Snow Geese are a bit more common.  "Lesser" Snow Goose is the expected type here in California.

One of my most long-lasting birding memories from my formative birding years was seeing huge flocks of Snow and Ross's Geese for the very first time.  It's really a spectacle, and it has never gotten old.

And now, I present to you The Best Snow Goose I Have Ever Seen.  Is this not the Goose of Ages?

This Snow Goose rolls with just one black primary on each wing.  This bird is pretty much the physical manifestation of not giving a fuck.  Who needs those black primaries anyway?  Why not just be hella white?

Here it is attacking a normal, black-winged Snow Goose.  All geese bow down to Snowy Snow Goose.

Cackling Geese are uncommon at Colusa, but investing any sort of mild effort this time of year should result in turning up a few.  It's not like there's a shortage of geese to look through.

Let's not forget the humble "specklebelly", as bird destroyers call them.  The Great Ornithologist Felonious Jive is known to hold this bird in especially high regard.  Could it be because of the pleasant slope of the culmen?  The slightly hoarse honk?  Or that time he had words with a photographer and was skull-bashed with a 800mm lens?

One of the highlights of the day was a pair of ostensible Snow X Greater white-fronted Geese, which Felonious Jive featured at 10,000 Birds this month.  Here is a link to another very similar bird, found on the internets.

Fine, fine, here is a nongoose.  No, not a mongoose, a nongoose.  Northern Pintails are elegant ducks, I don't think that statement requires any further elucidation.  Thanks to Abe Borker for organizing a check-in with the Falcated Duck, and for Officer John Garrett for providing safe passage and general bird policing services.  

Tongue-Gnawing Rarity...A Falcated Duck Abides...This Cat Is Distracting...Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.

Why this strapping duck was called a teal at any point, I don't know. All photos today are from Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, CA.

"There was a fast and terrible speed to it that was almost biblical - like the Book of Revelation, where the rivers fill with blood and the seeds of the land turn to poison and men will gnaw their tongues for pain." - Hunter S. Thompson, in Generation of Swine.

This description summed up how I felt shortly after I learned of Colusa National Wildlife Refuge's Falcated Duck. After the initial giddiness of learning about the bird wore off, the terrible reality that I might not see it set in and I began to panic. Terrible flashbacks of The Ivory Gull Incident blazed through my mind. What began as joy turned into a nightmarish sludge of nail-biting anxiety and Doom. Before I knew what had happened, I had torn out large clumps of hair and had chewed my nails down to bloody nubs....

Which was all for nothing, as you all know, as I was able to see the bird back in December, the day after it was found. But it was just so damn far away that it just didn't feel right, weeks later, when I saw daily reports of the bird being right next to the road and offering itself up for decent quality photographs. So I did what I thought was best and headed back there earlier this month.

A Falcated Duck is a true crippler. Not only is it an exceptionally rare bird ("MEGA"), it's also extremely good looking, and sports a classy word in its name ("Falcated", obvi) that no nonbirders have even heard of and relatively few birders comprehend. The majority of the world's population spends the winter in China, Japan and the Koreas, so this bird is a long way from home. For once, the California birding community has not seriously entertained the few feeble and baseless claims that this was a captive-released individual.

The duck stands out among its peers. I'm really glad that it survived hunting season. Suck it, trophy hunters!

Falcation!!!! "Falcated" means "sickle-shaped", which is a reference to those fancy extra-long tertial feathers you see here.

This is probably my best shot of a Greater White-fronted Goose. I am now accepting glory and adulation from all.


I would venture to guess that Florida's Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has been the most blogged about National Wildlife Refuge the past several months in the Birdosphere, due to a recent birding festival held nearby and it's proximity to various highly gifted bird photographers. For a change of pace, I figured I would give some more publicity to northern California's own Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. No, it doesn't have Roseate Spoonbills and Reddish Egrets, but it was the only place in the Lower 48 where someone could see a Falcated Duck this winter.

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is located north of Sacramento, CA, just off Highway 5, so it's an easy detour for a birder travelling up or down the center of the state. It is definitely managed as a classic waterfowl refuge, but of course the huge wetland complex attracts all sorts of raptors and other marsh birds. I've only thoroughly birded there in winter, and I'm curious about what it draws in during migration.

Greater White-fronted Geese. The lead bird is an immature (note lack of black barring on the belly).

I don't have a lot of silhouette shots I really like, but I think this White-faced Ibis came out ok.

This Great Egret helped out the photograph by putting its neck in Question Mark Position. By the way, there is a cat licking the hell out of my right arm right now and it's making it difficult to concentrate.

Most people will tell you that Northern Pintails are their favorite dabbling duck. But most people have not seen a Falcated Duck.

Unsurprisingly, the only approachable American Bittern I have seen in years also happened to be in some of the worst light possible. Oh well, still a rad bird.

I'll get you next time bittern.....next time.

Gadwall, a strict adherent to the philosophy of Economy Of Style. 

Snow Geese abound!

You asked for it....The Bellowing Falcated. What did it sound like? A bizarre mix of Russian and Chinese...a very communist quack, I suppose.

Falcated Falcated Falcated

Greater White-fronted Geese at Colusa National Falcated Duck Refuge.

I am just now coming out of a sort of paralysis after seeing the male Falcated Duck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. Truly a stunning bird, even if viewed from so far away that I didn't even bother digiscoping it. Spotting scopes people...they are crucial. As far as I know, it wasn't seen yesterday, so I'm glad I went when I did.

Upon checking the internets after awakening, I have come to find that various mentally stunted birders are still running their mouths and making us all look bad. One birder, upon finding out about the inacessbile Red-flanked Bluetail on San Clemente Island, publicly complained that birds that he was not able to look for should not be reported. Thankfully, he has been ridiculed and condemned by just about everyone, and has now been sent to Birding Jail, a fate even worse than just being a regular birder.

American Pipit strutting. Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

Another argument that has always annoyed me is debating whether or not certain rare birds, like the duck, are of "natural origin". Granted, this is a valid question sometimes, but I think the issue is raised a bit too frequently. I have heard some absolutely stupid arguments by people claiming that certain vagrants have spent time in captivity*, and of course a couple people have already begun asking questions about the duck. Aside from being unbanded, having its hind toes (many captive ducks get theirs clipped off...ouch though), looking and acting very normal, and being someplace where hundreds of thousands of waterfowl concentrate, there is also the fact that there are zero recent records of free-flying Garganeys, Falcated Ducks, Baikal Teal, Smews, Tufted Ducks, Common Pochards, etc. in California that are thought to be from captive populations. None at all...well, that I know of. Anyways, that's something to think about before you start the atavistic argument of "natural origin".

Ross' Goose is a pretty popular rarity in the east. If you have not seen one, here are many. Rest assured there are no Snow Geese in this photo. Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

How do you like that nerd rant? Have a good Sunday everyone.

* = The absolute best claim I've heard was about a Gray Silky-Flycatcher that was in the mountains of Orange County years ago, which I was lucky enough to see. One birder said that it did not appear to move around a lot because it was used to the confines of a small cage. Reason #738,392 that birders are not scientists.

Bang Bang The Bullets Fly

A couple weeks ago, I met up with my dad out in Williams to spend some time at some of the wildlife refuges in the region. We hung out at Sacramento NWR, Colusa NWR, drove by Delevan NWR and hung out at Grey Lodge Wildlife Area. Nothing to write home about in terms of rare birds, let alone bring back to mother, but fun nonetheless. Hanging out next to thousands of ducks and geese never get old....at one point I passed out next to a flock of honking geese, simply because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It was a hell of a lot better than passing out to Catch Me If You Can, which is what I did last night. Highlights were several American Bitterns, about 15 Eurasian Wigeon (plus a token hybrid), 9+ Bald Eagles, plus a few Tundra Swans and Sandhill Cranes. Since my dad has seemed to abandon any youthful aspect of humanity in his life, I was forced to attempt to sleep at godawful early hours, which required me to drink vast quantities of Jim Beam and Olympia in order to fall asleep so early.......I thought it was rather appropriate for Williams, for those who have ever been there.



This was one of the friendliest bitterns Ive had the pleasure of meeting. It ate a tadpole and otherwise just stood around....sounds good to me.



This is a pretty classic scene. Snow Geese and Red-winged Blackbirds, Colusa NWR.



"Specklebellies".



Friendly neighborhood Red-tailed Hawk. Bloodthirsty killer extraordinaire.



Bald Eagle. One of many at Sacramento NWR...this one was eying small children at the refuge's visitor center.



Close-up of the same bittern as above. Classy.

Several potential birding spots in the area were completely closed because they were reserved for hunters only, which bites the big one in my opinion. Birding areas like this, where huge roadside billboards advertise guided snow goose hunts instead of the newest Hollywood blockbuster/shitfest, brings one to think about hunting....its a topic birders, biologists and other wildlife-minded folk have conflicted views about. Is hunting your own food better than buying filthy, factory-farmed meat from Walmart or Safeway? You bet it is. Do hunters bring anything to The Table, the proverbial Big Picture? Of course. It gets people focused on the value of nature and wildlife, not to mention that the average hunter, in terms of pure economics, does a hell of a lot more for habitat conservation than the average birder. But thats not really the whole story. The hickish, conservative, anthropocentric idealism that often (not always) accompanies the hunting culture cannot be overlooked, can it? And how many species of wildlife in the world have been put to extinction or are well on their way there because of hunting pressure or indiscriminate shooting? A hell of a lot.....many thousands. Like most human activities, it can be quite beneficial if done right or brutally catastrophic if left unchecked.

However, there is one aspect of it that everyone can agree on......shooting shit is awesome.