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SANTA ROSA - Birds of a different feather
Usually reclusive shorebirds flock in growing numbers to noisy street's median - Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle
Two snowy egrets arched their necks, sashayed back and forth and fluffed their downy feathers in a shameless treetop courtship ritual that pretty much anybody who looked up could see. The libidinous birds are part of an unprecedented display of avian hanky- panky in Santa Rosa that even experienced bird-watchers struggle to explain.
For some reason, a mixed colony of herons and egrets have turned two otherwise nondescript eucalyptus trees -- and a couple of other nearby trees -- on the median strip on West Ninth Street into a shorebird habitat.
The aerial menagerie -- smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, across the street from an elementary school -- started innocently enough in 1997. But this spring, the love nest appears to have hit an all-time high in terms of noise, numbers and naughtiness.
The flock has, in essence, opened its boudoir to the public and let in the sounds of screaming children, boom boxes blasting hip-hop music, sirens and honking horns. It is, by all accounts, a remarkable juxtaposition of nature and civilization, a phenomenon that, experts say, is extremely rare in the Bay Area.
"We've been trying to get shots of these kinds of birds for four years and, where do we find them? In the middle of a busy street," said Kati Short, an amateur photographer from Brentwood. "These birds are in a semi-urban site, and they're not afraid of people. Why they are not afraid of people is beyond me. It's a phenomenon."
The situation is confounding even experts, who are accustomed to tiptoeing and whispering just to get within binocular distance of the normally bashful, strikingly beautiful birds.
"There aren't many streets like this," said John Kelly, who, as research director for the Audubon Canyon Ranch, has been studying Bay Area herons and egrets for 12 years. "It is a fantastic opportunity and, I would say, a rare opportunity to see these birds nesting."
Kelly said the colony in Santa Rosa is made up of black-crowned night herons, snowy egrets, cattle egrets and a few great egrets. A one-day count last year at the peak of mating season found 169 nests. They are so numerous that Santa Rosa closes the two inside lanes of the busy four-lane thoroughfare during this annual spring fling to give the feathery mischief-makers room to operate.
Signs have been posted urging pedestrians and motorists to be on the lookout for baby birds who often fall out of their nests onto the street.
So why would these shy creatures choose such a busy spot to build a home?
Diane Hichwa, the education coordinator for the nonprofit Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County, said the area, which is adjacent to Santa Rosa Creek and a 14-mile stretch of seasonal wetlands called Laguna de Santa Rosa, may be a historic nesting site. "A creek or a riparian corridor is very much like Highway 101 to the birds," she said. "They are primarily wetland eaters, so they follow the water and eat little things that they can find in the creek and laguna."
Martha Bentley, 85, a local conservationist and veteran bird watcher, said Sonoma County Water Agency projects in the 1960s may have driven the birds into populated areas. She said the agency dug a channel through the laguna back then in an effort to prevent flooding. "I have been told that during that time a great many riparian trees were cut in the area of the laguna by property owners who wanted to create agricultural land," Bentley said. "The herons had nested in those trees."
Kelly said the flock has been driven from four different nesting sites over the past 12 years by locals wielding hoses and throwing objects. Nesting trees have actually been cut down by residents and property owners desperate to get rid of the squawking hordes.
But, Kelly said, the birds have steadfastly refused to leave the area, probably because the creek and laguna provide them with such a bounty of crawdads, fish and other tasty critters. The colony was first spotted at its latest home, on West Ninth Street, between Dutton Avenue and Stony Point Road, in 1997.
Although it's rare, the Bay Area is one of the few places where herons and egrets have been known to breed in developed areas, Kelly said. He said night herons are probably responsible for this because they typically select the nesting sites, and the other species often follow along.
Colonies of herons and egrets can be found on Alcatraz Island, on the grounds of Napa State Hospital, in a neighborhood in Penngrove and at Lake Merritt in Oakland, according to Kelly. But none of those birds have created as much of a stir as the flock in Santa Rosa.
One recent day, dozens of egrets and herons were swooping over West Ninth. Several stood tantalizingly on tree branches sassily exhibiting their plumage. Some 100 nests could be seen in the two eucalyptus trees in the median strip.
"It is beautiful to watch," Hichwa said. "The males are advertising how spectacular they are because they are hoping the female will choose them."
But the reeking white deposits they inevitably leave behind can be a problem. "They ruined the paint job on that Camaro," said Jeramie Flowers, 25, pointing to his parked car on the corner of West Ninth. "It used to be black, but I would wake up in the morning and it would regularly be white."
Flowers and several other neighbors said the birds shriek and squawk all night long and drop crawdad legs and dead fish all over the place when they come back from the creek.
Even so, he said, the fight he witnessed between a hawk and a great egret almost made it all worth it. "The hawk flew over, and the biggest bird I ever saw stood up and spread its wings out like it was making a challenge," Flowers said. "Then, like that, it was on top of the hawk, just pounding him with his beak, kicking his ass. It was awesome."
The students at Lincoln Elementary School, across the street, are equally enthralled, especially since several teachers have incorporated the bird colony into their lesson plan. "I think they are really cool," said Robby Ohumukini, 9, as he stroked a garter snake he caught near the bird colony.
Hichwa said the bird sanctuary may not be in the ideal location, but it is as valuable where it is as it would be anywhere else.
"We can't do a whole lot to influence them. They're in charge," she said. "And they provide a very interesting opportunity in the city for children and families to learn about nature.'' article + pics
Usually reclusive shorebirds flock in growing numbers to noisy street's median - Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle
Two snowy egrets arched their necks, sashayed back and forth and fluffed their downy feathers in a shameless treetop courtship ritual that pretty much anybody who looked up could see. The libidinous birds are part of an unprecedented display of avian hanky- panky in Santa Rosa that even experienced bird-watchers struggle to explain.
For some reason, a mixed colony of herons and egrets have turned two otherwise nondescript eucalyptus trees -- and a couple of other nearby trees -- on the median strip on West Ninth Street into a shorebird habitat.
The aerial menagerie -- smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, across the street from an elementary school -- started innocently enough in 1997. But this spring, the love nest appears to have hit an all-time high in terms of noise, numbers and naughtiness.
The flock has, in essence, opened its boudoir to the public and let in the sounds of screaming children, boom boxes blasting hip-hop music, sirens and honking horns. It is, by all accounts, a remarkable juxtaposition of nature and civilization, a phenomenon that, experts say, is extremely rare in the Bay Area.
"We've been trying to get shots of these kinds of birds for four years and, where do we find them? In the middle of a busy street," said Kati Short, an amateur photographer from Brentwood. "These birds are in a semi-urban site, and they're not afraid of people. Why they are not afraid of people is beyond me. It's a phenomenon."
The situation is confounding even experts, who are accustomed to tiptoeing and whispering just to get within binocular distance of the normally bashful, strikingly beautiful birds.
"There aren't many streets like this," said John Kelly, who, as research director for the Audubon Canyon Ranch, has been studying Bay Area herons and egrets for 12 years. "It is a fantastic opportunity and, I would say, a rare opportunity to see these birds nesting."
Kelly said the colony in Santa Rosa is made up of black-crowned night herons, snowy egrets, cattle egrets and a few great egrets. A one-day count last year at the peak of mating season found 169 nests. They are so numerous that Santa Rosa closes the two inside lanes of the busy four-lane thoroughfare during this annual spring fling to give the feathery mischief-makers room to operate.
Signs have been posted urging pedestrians and motorists to be on the lookout for baby birds who often fall out of their nests onto the street.
So why would these shy creatures choose such a busy spot to build a home?
Diane Hichwa, the education coordinator for the nonprofit Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County, said the area, which is adjacent to Santa Rosa Creek and a 14-mile stretch of seasonal wetlands called Laguna de Santa Rosa, may be a historic nesting site. "A creek or a riparian corridor is very much like Highway 101 to the birds," she said. "They are primarily wetland eaters, so they follow the water and eat little things that they can find in the creek and laguna."
Martha Bentley, 85, a local conservationist and veteran bird watcher, said Sonoma County Water Agency projects in the 1960s may have driven the birds into populated areas. She said the agency dug a channel through the laguna back then in an effort to prevent flooding. "I have been told that during that time a great many riparian trees were cut in the area of the laguna by property owners who wanted to create agricultural land," Bentley said. "The herons had nested in those trees."
Kelly said the flock has been driven from four different nesting sites over the past 12 years by locals wielding hoses and throwing objects. Nesting trees have actually been cut down by residents and property owners desperate to get rid of the squawking hordes.
But, Kelly said, the birds have steadfastly refused to leave the area, probably because the creek and laguna provide them with such a bounty of crawdads, fish and other tasty critters. The colony was first spotted at its latest home, on West Ninth Street, between Dutton Avenue and Stony Point Road, in 1997.
Although it's rare, the Bay Area is one of the few places where herons and egrets have been known to breed in developed areas, Kelly said. He said night herons are probably responsible for this because they typically select the nesting sites, and the other species often follow along.
Colonies of herons and egrets can be found on Alcatraz Island, on the grounds of Napa State Hospital, in a neighborhood in Penngrove and at Lake Merritt in Oakland, according to Kelly. But none of those birds have created as much of a stir as the flock in Santa Rosa.
One recent day, dozens of egrets and herons were swooping over West Ninth. Several stood tantalizingly on tree branches sassily exhibiting their plumage. Some 100 nests could be seen in the two eucalyptus trees in the median strip.
"It is beautiful to watch," Hichwa said. "The males are advertising how spectacular they are because they are hoping the female will choose them."
But the reeking white deposits they inevitably leave behind can be a problem. "They ruined the paint job on that Camaro," said Jeramie Flowers, 25, pointing to his parked car on the corner of West Ninth. "It used to be black, but I would wake up in the morning and it would regularly be white."
Flowers and several other neighbors said the birds shriek and squawk all night long and drop crawdad legs and dead fish all over the place when they come back from the creek.
Even so, he said, the fight he witnessed between a hawk and a great egret almost made it all worth it. "The hawk flew over, and the biggest bird I ever saw stood up and spread its wings out like it was making a challenge," Flowers said. "Then, like that, it was on top of the hawk, just pounding him with his beak, kicking his ass. It was awesome."
The students at Lincoln Elementary School, across the street, are equally enthralled, especially since several teachers have incorporated the bird colony into their lesson plan. "I think they are really cool," said Robby Ohumukini, 9, as he stroked a garter snake he caught near the bird colony.
Hichwa said the bird sanctuary may not be in the ideal location, but it is as valuable where it is as it would be anywhere else.
"We can't do a whole lot to influence them. They're in charge," she said. "And they provide a very interesting opportunity in the city for children and families to learn about nature.'' article + pics
Damn near got in an accident driving down the freeway in rush hour in the middle of the desert and seeing a fucking pelican fly by! 
