Ash-throated Flycatchers at Turlock Lake and on the Tuolumne River

I seem to see these birds at one time of the year, as I posted on them last May, and a year earlier in late April. We were at Turlock Lake State Recreational Area and this Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) landed in the oak tree on the hill top hardly ten feet away from me. It sang for a fair amount of time (enough for the video below), and actually waited for me to wander away.

This species of flycatcher is really a desert species, with a range across the U.S. Southwest and winters spent in Mexico and the tropics. They aren't seen much north of Oregon. Being creatures of the desert, they don't need to drink, getting most of their moisture from their food.

Strangely enough, after not seeing them for almost a year, I saw a second Ash-throated Flycatcher just up the road at the Joe Domecq Wilderness Area along the Tuolumne River near Basso Bridge!

Canada Goose "Gang Brood" at Turlock Lake State Recreational Area

It was a beautiful spring day, so we headed out for a short excursion up the Tuolumne River. We hunted for birds at Turlock Lake State Recreational Area for a bit, and then headed east on Lake Road towards the Joe Domecq Wilderness (a county wilderness park developed on an old dredge field). On the way between the parks, we passed an overflow pond for Turlock Lake Reservoir and I saw lots of Canada Geese and a few goslings. We stopped for a few moments to have a look, and soon I saw a caravan of twenty goslings between two adults. I've never seen such a large group of young ones, but apparently the geese like to form "gang broods" of up to five individual families. It's sort of an avian kindergarten, I guess. Whatever it is, it was the cutest thing in my day! 

Canada Goose Family in Tuolumne River Water (but not in the Tuolumne River)

It's a bit of an odd title, but I'll explain. This sweet little family of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) was feeding in the grass along a canal that feeds water from Don Pedro Reservoir into Turlock Lake Reservoir. They jumped into the fast flowing water as I walked over the bridge. So the water the geese were cavorting in was Tuolumne River water, but it wasn't the Tuolumne River. It was probably first diverted at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and sent through penstocks to produce electricity before stored once again in Don Pedro Reservoir. The water was then sent through the canal into Turlock Lake Reservoir before being divvied out to the irrigated fields of the Great Valley. Such is the complicated way we utilize our precious rivers.

Um...aren't Canada Geese supposed to be breeding far to the north in Canada? It seems there are more and more who like Central California during the summer and hang around rather than make the hazardous migration north. At times they become somewhat of a pest in parks and lawns. But those goslings sure are cute!

An Inventory of Osprey's Nests on the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers

We can't resist the urge to check the Mother Lode Osprey nests each week when we get a chance to go outdoors. There are at least four of them along the lower reaches of the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers that we've found so far, and a fifth hidden in the forest near Table Mountain in the drainage of the Stanislaus River.

The birds themselves are spectacular to watch, if they are out and about. They have a huge wingspan, and are graceful flyers.

Activity at the nests is pretty muted, as we have yet to see any chicks. They may very well be there, but the nests are huge and deep. They are used year after year, and each year brings new sticks and other nest materials. The largest nests can be thirteen feet deep and six or seven feet wide. They have been encouraged to use artificial poles and platforms in our region.

There is a nest at the south end of Roberts Ferry Bridge on the Tuolumne River east of Waterford.

There is another nest on an old telephone pole almost hidden in the trees just south of the Merced River near McSwain Dam. One of the biggest nests is on a pole at the junction of Merced Falls Road and Hornitos Road at Merced Falls (below).

The nearest nest to us is on Lake Road just east of Turlock Lake State Recreation Area. The Ospreys there have both the reservoir and the Tuolumne River to utilize as a source of fish.

Under the category of "what did they ever do before telephone poles?", here is an Osprey nest in the top of a conifer tree near Table Mountain and Jamestown that I saw on a hike last week.

I wonder how often such nests collapse under their own weight?

We'll keep an eye out for young Ospreys and let you know when we get some pictures!