A California Endemic, A Nuttall's Woodpecker on the Tuolumne Parkway

Sometimes I am just being a snot, by posting pictures of birds that no one outside of California can see unless they come here. There aren't that many birds that are endemic just to California, really just two (the Yellow-billed Magpie, and the Channel Islands Scrub Jay), but the Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) is one as well, as long as we count the northern end of Baja California as part of California (and why not?). There is a single record of one in Oregon.

This one was on the Tuolumne River the other day in its characteristic habitat of an oak woodland. Although they live almost exclusively among the oaks, they don't consume acorns. They mostly eat insects that they dig out of the bark, and occasionally they will eat native berries, like elderberries or poison oak.

A California Endemic, Nuttall's Woodpecker on the Tuolumne River

The Tuolumne River Parkway Trail has been closed for a couple of weeks while the operators of Don Pedro Reservoir try to build up some storage space by flooding the lower river. The waters have been flowing at around 10,000 cubic feet per second since early January. The emergency spillway was open for several days, increasing flows to 18,000 cfs, and putting portions of the trail underwater, but the spillway closed a few days ago, so the river level has fallen a little. I got down to the trail this afternoon, and except for one makeshift detour past a flooded stretch, I was able to follow the whole trail. And no one else was there. Except for lots of birds.

The most striking discovery of the day were several Nuttall's Woodpeckers (Picoides nuttallii) exploring the old cottonwood trees above the river. I haven't seen any since May of last year, so it was a bit of a delight. I wasted a lot of shots trying to hit fast-moving targets.

Along with the Yellow-billed Magpies and the Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay, the Nuttall's Woodpecker is endemic to California (at least as long as you count Baja; about 1% of the population is found there). They live in the oak woodlands and chaparral zones of the state, although they don't consume acorns. They mostly spend their time search the crevices in tree bark for insects.

Nuttall's Woodpecker, a California Endemic, on the MJC East Campus

I don't see them that often, but the Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) is a California original. There are a few rare sightings in southern Oregon, and a fair number of sightings in Baja California, but Baja is part of California anyway (international boundaries are human things). They are showy enough that they get sighted pretty often, but the total population is estimated at about 600,000 birds, with 99% of them in California state. They are mainly prefer oak woodlands, although they have fared well in urban settings as well. It was in fact an urban setting where I saw this one.

People wonder why I always have a camera close at hand, even when running mundane errands. In this instance I was rushing to join the graduation ceremony at MJC on Friday when I heard an odd sound in the tree above my parking spot. I looked up and saw the woodpecker practically over my head. So I put down the robes, and got my camera out! You just never know when you'll see something and wish you had a camera.

Away from the River Too Long: Nuttall's Woodpecker on the Tuolumne

A combination of extensive travels and orthopedic problems have kept me away from my own backyard wilderness along the Tuolumne River. It's been a month or more, so I headed down today to see how the spring bloom was progressing.

I saw more than the normal number of birds, including a first time sighting of this one, a Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii). I've seen them in the area, but not on the river before. Nuttall's Woodpeckers are very nearly one of the few California endemic species, with a range that extends just over the Mexican border (1% of their population lives there), and maybe just a little bit into Oregon. They prefer the oak woodlands that are so prevalent in the state, although they don't eat acorns. They're usually chasing down insects, and occasionally some fruits.

The River Parkway Trail is "nearing completion" as they have been saying for months now, but it is walkable, and spring is beginning. Some of the nut trees are reawakening, and the grass is knee-high. A few flowers are starting to appear here and there. It was a delightful return to strolling along the Tuolumne River.

Nuttall's Woodpecker at Horseshoe Pond on the Stanislaus River

I've been on somewhat of a tear with woodpeckers of late. There was the Northern Flicker along the Tuolumne River bluffs, as well as a Downy Woodpecker at Turlock Lake Reservoir, the first one I've seen on my bird travels (they're not rare; I've just not been observant). So, the other day we were exploring around Horseshoe Pond on the Stanislaus River, and one more kind of woodpecker made an appearance. It was a Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii).

Horseshoe Pond appears to be an abandoned gravel quarry that is fed by groundwater. The Stanislaus River follows a bend on the south side of the pond. The site is shaded by cottonwoods and oak trees, with willow thickets as well. It was established as a park in the aftermath of the construction of New Melones Reservoir in the 1970s. The parks were to make up for the loss of a beautiful stretch of river upstream from the dam.

The Nuttall's Woodpecker is a California species, seen in oak woodlands from Northern California to Baja. According to Sierra Nevada Birds by David Lukas (my latest acquisition in the birding book department), the bird is not particularly well-known or well-studied, at least in the Sierra Nevada region. This is supported by the very limited information on the Cornell birding site, mostly single sentences about the bird's nesting feeding habits. Though the bird lives in oak habitat, it doesn't eat acorns. Instead it searches for insects in the bark of trees. Today's bird was a female; the male has a red spot on the head.

What will the next woodpecker be? The Stanislaus County bird list shows 3 more relative common ones (Lewis Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Hairy Woodpecker), and two more that have been seen, but only rarely (Red-naped Sapsucker, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker). I'll be watching!

Bird of the Day: Nuttall's Woodpecker in the Pasture II

I was walking around the pasture this morning and the Western Bluebirds were out, hanging around on the fence that surrounds the pasture near my house. One of them didn't fit the color pattern and I realized it was a Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) searching the fenceposts for goodies. As I mentioned in the previous post on woodpeckers, Nuttall's Woodpeckers are pretty much an Alta California endemic, with a bit of their range slipping south of the border into Baja California. They hang out almost exclusively in oak woodlands but don't eat acorns. They are after insects and other arthropods and occasionally some fruit.

This might be the same individual I photographed at the beginning of the month, but I was unhappy with those shots.  Some of these are still just a bit fuzzy, but I liked catching these poses of the bird exploring and checking out the stuff on the fence.

I had sat down on the curb across the street to take the pictures, and he only acknowledged me once, staring from around the post.

He went along exploring and eventually flew up into the old Walnut tree and out of sight. My walk continued. It's been a good couple of days for birdwatching!

Bird of the Day: Nuttall's Woodpecker in the "Pasture"

I was getting back into my habit of morning walks today and noticed a lot of racket from some Mockingbirds in the nearly dead oak tree next to the pasture I walk around. I looked up expecting Mockingbirds, but instead just twenty feet away there was a Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) in the same tree. I got the camera on and snapped two quick shots before it wandered off.

Nuttall's Woodpeckers are pretty much an Alta California endemic, with a bit of their range slipping south of the border into Baja California. They hang out almost exclusively in oak woodlands but don't eat acorns. They are after insects and other arthropods and occasionally some fruit. I've seen the Nuttall's Woodpecker in my neighborhood a few times now, and it was one of the biggest surprises since I started exploring the blocks around my house.