Sky Surfing Osprey and Flavifrons Too!

I have been watching the tide charts since a few of my walks have been at high tide and the bird subjects were very scarce. The tide was going to be low at about 1:30pm so there was no hurry to get to the San Elijo Lagoon today.

It was around 11:40 when I finally arrived at the visitor center parking lot at the San Elijo Nature Reserve. The water in the tide channel was flowing out and the shoreline was starting to appear. A Snowy Egret was already working his favorite fishing spot at the south end of the trail.

 I arrive at the south point of the trail and get a nice frontal shot of this beauty. 

He wades out on the sand bar and begins to fish using a unique technique. He appears to stick his beak halfway into the water and maybe use his tongue as bait or even some regurgitation. I would like to have more info on this technique of fishing by the Snowy Egrets.

What ever he does with the submerged beak, he is very successful. Look at the size of his catch. 

Quick swallow and back to blowing bubbles ...

 

Another fish lured to his mouth. 

A few squeezes of his bill and down the hatch. 

The tide has gone down enough now that it is attracting other shorebirds. A beautiful Whimbrel lands looking for lunch.

Probing for crabs.

 

His beak is a perfect tool to get at the juicy little crabs. 

Got one and it is swallowed instantly.

 

A large bird gets my attention flying over the Rios Pole trail and it is a young male Osprey with a small fish. 

Back to the sandbar and a new Snowy Egret lands and uses another type of fishing technique. He hunts over the tide pools in the sandbar left by the receding water filled with tiny little fish. He got himself a little snack.

He peck at the shallows much like a chicken pecking at the ground as it walks. He gets his snacks as he walks.

 

Another Snowy is using the edge of a mudflat to grab the tiny fish. 

 

It is amazing how fast they are able to strike at such a tiny little fish and be so successful. 

 

A Sandpiper lands and hops across a tide pool hoping to get some snacks on the mudflats, too. 

I decided to check out the duck pond and was not disappointed. A beautiful little Sora made an appearance but only for a moment. 

 

Walking past the duck pond and to the far side of the trail that parallels Manchester Drive, I spot a small bird that I believe to be Hutton's Vireo. But I received feedback from several experts that suggested it was a Hammond's Flycatcher. Thanks to everyone that has helped ID this cutie!  A back view.

Right profile.

 

One last shot before he flew. 

 

I heard a familiar call coming from a nearby tree. I only heard the calls at first but finally he made an appearance. It was the Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons  again!

It has been almost a month since I have seen him and I thought he had moved on. What a pleasant surprise to see this little beauty back at the lagoon!

 

A side pose. Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo Flavifrons  measures 5.5 inches long with a wingspan of 9.5 inches.

He appeared quite anxious and kept looking up. Probably keeping an eye out for the Red-shouldered Hawk that has been a frequent visitor to our lagoon in the last few weeks. 

Showing his yellow throat.

 

I finally get a cute little pose. 

 

A shot from a different angle. 

LOL this angle makes him look quite stubby. 

A good profile shot of his head. 

A  look at his underside. 

 

He keeps looking up checking for predators. 

Hope he stays alert. We love having this beautiful and uncommon visitor and hope to see again. 

What a fun birding day this has been. It's time for me to head for home and as I walk by the sandbar at the south end of the trail, I see that a Long-billed Curlew has got itself a nice little crab.

Here is a close-up of the crab. It is swallowed in an instant by the Curlew.

As I head towards the parking lot, a familiar sight catches my attention but there is something strange about what this Osprey is carrying... it's a log, not a fish!

He circles around flying quite high and appears to be having fun with his log/old fence post. I feel like I am watching an Osprey Sky Surfing with this piece of log. What a wonderful sight to see. 

  

Does another flyby surfing the log.

 

Perfect form!

 

Another circle above with his "skyboard".

A look at the plank that he is flying around with. What a wonderful bird this Osprey is! He is so fun to watch as he flies over again. 

Sky surfing!

I love this bird!

 

He may have been inspired by the surfers he saw yesterday at Cardiff Beach. I believe that it is the same juvenile Osprey that I photographed at sunrise. He was cruising by the surfers enjoying the beautiful morning at the beach. 

 

Lots of fun waves for our local surfers that are willing to get up and dawn patrol. If you wait till the sun comes up, the place gets quite crowded.

The Osprey flies towards the campgrounds where he spots a young surfer waiting for his wave.

 

The Osprey enjoying his "wave of the day"! He soon settles on the scaffolding that surrounds the main lifeguard tower that is being refurbished.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!