Todd Newberry spins stories
for new "birders"

This summer, the Friends of Pajaro Dunes sponsored evening birdwalks in July and September guided by Todd Newberry from the Santa Cruz Bird Club. In late June, over 20 people took advantage of the Friends of Pajaro Dunes first bird walk of the season. A blend of residents, weekend renters, and visitors from the local area took advantage of the mild weather to participate in a leisurely stroll to the Pajaro River Mouth to observe the early evening birdlife.

Not waiting to have reached our destination, Todd Newberry took advantage of the birds that graced the lawn area adjacent to the Sandpiper Center. Todd shared birding techniques using the numerous Robins and Brewer's Blackbird's feeding nearby.

The beautifully restored Pelican Point provided a great staging area for birding as everyone was able to comfortably set up a myriad of spotting scopes to view that evening's show. Double-Crested Cormorants, Caspian Terns, and a myriad of gulls had settled in the lagoon for the evening. Bird activity increased as a tern returned from a successful fishing expedition only to be challenged by hundreds of birds for his reward. Shortly thereafter, a Tern began chasing a passing Peregrine Falcon. Feeling outnumbered, the falcon settled on a nearby power pole seemingly to allow the birding party to observe it for several minutes.

The party eyed several Snowy Plovers nesting nearby in the dunes beyond the fence. These seemed unaffected by the action nearby as their camouflage allowed them to nest in relative isolation.

Returning Shorebirds Highlight of September Walk

The success of the early summer birdwalk encouraged The Friends of Pajaro Dunes to invite Todd to lead another walk in early fall to view the birds returning to the slough for the fall. A combination of the busy Labor Day weekend and word of mouth of the previous birdwalk resulted in 35 people participating in the second walk.

The birds didn't disappoint as guests were introduced to many bird species including: the Black-winged Kite, Dowitchers, Gulls, Pelicans, Terns, Ducks, Egrets and Sanderlings.

Todd was a wonderful guide and imparted knowledge and birding hints to enhance the birding experience. In fact, Todd is the author of a new book, Ardent Birder: On the Craft of Birdwatching, which is due to release in early October. You will be able to find it at many bookstores or on Amazon.