Early Fall Inventory, November 2, 2026

This is a collection of pics and videos of the abundant life along the South Fork of the Eel over the first eight weeks or so of fall, 2026. Many pics are documentary quality, included just to convey the incredible variety we get to savor. This is a long post, so make yourself comfy, and enjoy.

Fishing Buddies

I noticed several times that Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons got clues from Common Mergansers as to where the fishing might be good.

*Common Mergansers seem to drive the fish into a compact bunch, and then the Egret had an easier time plucking its prey out of the water.*

*Common Mergansers in a brief squabble at the feet of the Egret*

*Great Blue Heron contorting its neck to look for prey. The Mergansers behind form a kind of water plow, likely driving the fish toward the heron.*

The video shows how the Mergansers and Egret and Heron sometimes work together to corral the fish

The Air Show

*Common Ravens make great sport out of harassing young Turkey Vultures*

*Two immature Sharp-shinned Hawks building skills* *as they chase each other around*

*Vaux’s swift*, *a tiny bullet of a bird who cannot walk, and does everything on the wing.*

*More harassment of a young Turkey Vulture*

*A young Merlin chasing a Turkey Vulture*

*Migration formation: Look closely, these are not geese.*

*Long tails, and long skinny bills, plus complete silence, indicate these are Double-crested Cormorants.*

*Cackling Geese are smaller than Canadas, have a white collar showing at the base of the shorter neck*, *and make a high-pitched “cackling” sound as they fly.*

Strangers in a Strange Land

While not technically rare, these species are uncommon in our area.

*Snowy Egrets are much smaller than Great Egrets, are more active in their fishing practices, and have a black bill and orange feet*.

*Once quite regularly seen along the river, American Pipits have become increasingly uncommon in the last few years.*

*Say’s Phoebe* *is an uncommon winter visitor to our area.*

*Willow Flycatchers show up at the river very briefly each early fall as they disperse from their breeding areas*

This is a Northern Flicker. She has the “yellow-shafted” trait, unlike what we normally see around here, the “red-shafted.” This one is an “intergrade”, a hybrid of true red-shafted and yellow-shafted as she has traits of both varieties. If she were a full yellow-shafted she would have a red chevron on the back of her neck.

*This is another intergrade flicker, this time a male who has red shafts but also the red Chevron on the nape, typically a trait of the yellow-shafted.*

*Pied-billed Grebe was around for a few days*.

*Rock Wren* *was a surprise to see by the river. It’s the first one I’ve ever seen here.*

Short video shows Rock Wren foraging for food beside the river

California Gray Squirrel

Squirrels are busy stashing acorns

*An acrobatic leap on the way to a caching spot*

*Squirrel making its way to the river for a drink*

Video showing squirrel behavior near the river

Raptors

*Red-tailed Hawk. I believe this is the dad of a pair that breeds nearby every year.*

*This immature Peregrine Falcon caused quite a stir among the Ravens when it showed up.*

*This Merlin was one of three different Merlins I have seen this fall. They are our second smallest falcon.*

*This immature Cooper’s Hawk had just taken a swipe at a Black-tailed Jackrabbit next to the river. It is just learning how to hunt.*

*Male American Kestrel, our smallest falcon.*

*Bald Eagle stopped by for a brief visit*.

*Merlin. Falcons give the best side-eye.*

Arrivals and Departures

*Cedar Waxwings come through in big groups each fall, feasting on berries and insects.*

*Cedar Waxwing showing the red waxy feather tips the bird is named for. The tips increase as the bird ages and may be a kind of waxwing status symbol*, *leading more mature birds to choose other mature birds as mates.*

*Two species of warbler who stay a little later than some other neo-tropical migrants. Common Yellow throat female on the left and Yellow Warbler female on the right.*

*Immature White-crowned Sparrow has arrived for the winter from breeding grounds* *to the north.*

*This Western Warbling Vireo is another neo-tropical migrant who stays around a bit later after breeding nearby*

*One of my favorite winter arrivals is the Varied Thrush*

Pine Siskins are unpredictable irruptive winter visitors. Some years we don’t see them, other years they are everywhere. A small member of the finch family, I have been seeing numerous flocks of siskins moving through this fall

*Another neo-tropical migrant that stays late is the Western Tanager.*

American Robins have been arriving by the hundreds over the past couple weeks. The red berries produced by toyon and madrone are a favorite food. The berries are abundant this year, and the Robins have taken notice.

*American Robins. I wonder if the bird on the right is immature as it’s in the “begging for food” posture, seemingly being ignored by the adult on the left.*

*Young Common Yellowthroat male was likely hatched nearby and has by now made his first migratory flight at least hundreds of miles south.*

*Golden-crowned Sparrow has flown* *here from far north breeding grounds*. *Their song sounds, appropriately enough, like a weary sigh*.

*Mature Golden-crowned Sparrow, recently arrived for the winter.*

*Group of Canada Geese. They may be resting from their long migration journey*

*Tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglets are often heard before they are seen when they arrive for the winter. Their “electric typewriter” sound is distinctive. They weigh between 5 and 10 grams*.

*It is rare to get a glimpse of the male’s Ruby crown, most often displayed when the bird is excited or agitated*

Video gives an idea of how fast these tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglets flit about as they hunt for insects

Band-tailed Pigeon Invasion

One morning last week I estimated that about 500 Band-tailed Pigeons were making their way through the area on their migratory route south. A contingent of a hundred or so rested over the South Fork of the Eel and slowly, tentatively made their way down to the water for a drink.

*Band-tailed Pigeons are our largest member of the dove family.*

*Both birds in this frame are well-camouflaged, Spotted Sandpiper on the left, Band-tail on the right*

*Band-tails have beautiful subtle coloring ranging from lavender to pale gray*

Shenanigans

Videos and pics showing the hilarious interactions of Common Ravens and Steller’s Jays with other species, and a clip of Acorn Woodpeckers vocalizing.