PAAU Twitch info request

[Bird-Boys]

Hello all,

We are planning on going up to SF sometime this month (June) to chase the PAAU, and are wondering if anyone has any info/advice on chasing it??

Thanks

@Connor Cochrane@DLecy@AlexHenry@Aidan B

[Connor Cochrane]

I've gone for it 7 times and never got it (though admittedly I've never put more than two hours). It's pretty simple, theres an overlook on trail over hermit rock, and you scope from there, waiting for the bird to fly off the rock or finding it on the waters around. Let me know when you head up

[DLecy]

Yeah, it's not a slam dunk bird. I got in on my 4th trip. After whiffing three previous times, I had it flying around at eye level at the labyrinth. If I had a better camera back then I would have obliterated it. It just takes time or luck to get it, but the spot (Hermit Rock) is reliable. Good luck.

[Bird-Boys]

Great help, thx guys. We have yet to discuss dates, but are basically thinking of an overnight thing, have a whole day there, then the nxt morning if needed type deal, but definitely in June. I'll keep you guys posted on date... 

[Bird-Boys]

Trip Report: 

https://ebird.org/tripreport/66978 

Alright, so we ended up going on July 9th and we decided to go for two nights, instead of just one.

Day 1

We started this morning early, getting up at 3:45 am, and leaving at 4:40 am. First bird of the trip was a Northern Mockingbird heard singing as we were packing up the car. We planned to basically go straight to Lands Ends to see the Parakeet Auklet before checking into our hotel, and we saw some good birds along the way, such as a Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier and some White-throated Swifts. Upon arriving at Lands End at about 8:30 am, we were immediately greeted by the song of a Pacific Wren and peeping of Pygmy Nuthatches. We walked down the stairs to the spot where the PAAU hangs out, where there was already another birder from Victoria, BC staked out looking for it. He informed us that he had just seen it a half hour earlier, and that it disappeared soon after that. With our excited optimism slightly dampened, we prepared for a long stakeout. Only a few minutes later, however, the Parakeet Auklet suddenly materialized in the waves below us! We were able to photograph it for about 20 seconds, until it flew up to the beach. We quickly ran down the nearby trail to the beach, hopping over large slippery rocks, and quickly got to where it flew up but it wasn't there. We then hiked back up to the viewpoint, but we never saw it again. Other interesting birds we saw there was a flyby 1st-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull, which was flagged as late on eBird. 

Not satisfied with our experiences with PAWRs at Lands End (we only heard several), we headed to nearby Golden Gate Park, and proceeded to walk around the Botanical Garden there. We never made it past the first courtyard, however, because we were immediately greeted by very obliging Pacific Wrens! They responded quite well to playback, and often landed and sang only a few feet from us! After spending some considerable time there, and having some camera difficulties, we left and went to Fort Mason Park. Our target bird here was Red-masked Parakeet, but it soon became evident that they may only roost here, because there was nothing in the way of Parakeets, or any other birds for that matter. After that we decided to go back to Lands End to try for the Parakeet Auklet again, but no dice. We did, however, drive by Ocean Beach on our way out, and were able to relocate and photograph the flyby Glaucous-winged Gull from earlier that morning. After making a few more uneventful stops, we then headed back and checked into our hotel. 

[BirdNrd]

Day 2

This morning we woke up a little later, around 6:00, and left at 7:00. Were were on our way to Marin Co. to bird with @Connor Cochrane. On the way we saw birds such as 20 Black-necked Stilts and a Hooded Oriole. We met with Connor at 9:00 at Phoenix Lake and started on the trail. Along the way, we heard Pileated Woodpeckers, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Hermit Thrush, and an out of place Hooded Oriole. We also saw a skink run across the trail! After saying our goodbyes (thanks Connor!), we went over to Marta's Marsh to look for Ridgway's and maybe Black Rail. We dipped on both, but we did see a few peeps, as well as 3-4 Bat Rays! 

We then decided to head back to San Francisco to try and see the Parakeet Auklet again. Dipped on that one as well, so we decided to try and go over to a park to see Red-masked Parakeet. We didn't see one, but we heard one squawking. After stopping there for a little bit, we went over to Golden Gate Park, and saw some cool birds, as well as animals. Some interesting things were 3 Raccoons, a Coyote, a very cooperative Greater White-fronted Goose, another Glaucous-winged Gull, and lots of expected species. After spending another hour there, we decided to go back to the hotel early because we wanted to get up early the next morning. But, on the way, in downtown San Francisco, we heard two Red-masked Parakeet. We quickly pulled over and saw them sitting on a power line. We took some pictures, and then got back into the car and went back to the hotel. All in all a very good day!

 

[BirdNrd]

Day 3

Our last day of the trip. We got up early, around 5:00, and packed up the car with all of our stuff, and left at 6:30. We got to our first stop, Coyote Hills Regional Park, at 7:00. We decided that instead of waiting until the gate opened at 8:00, we would walk to the bay. We started walking the road, scanning for Ring-necked Pheasant in the grasses. We didn't see any there, so we decided to carry on. We took a trail leading to a dyke, which eventually leads to the bay. Some interesting birds we saw along the way were 9 Wild Turkey, Ring-necked Pheasant (lifer for me), 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilts, a Lark Sparrow, and a Black-headed Grosbeak. We then continued down the dyke to the ocean let out, and saw both Forster's and Caspian Tern, tons of Cali Gull, and a couple Oystercatchers. We then walked the trail and started going back to the car. By this time, our feet were starting to ache, having walked 6+ miles already carrying a heavy scope and a bit of gear. We didn't see much after this point, but we ended up walking a little over 9 miles in 7 hours. We were going to go somewhere else but decided to cancel it due to time of day. Overall, a good, but somewhat painful (due to distance traveled) last day, and a great trip!