John Fulton
Past Board Member of the Central Valley Bird Club

Hooked on birding:
Please describe:

a. How you became interested in bird watching. While a student at CSU Fresno I would often bicycle near Millerton Lake. I was impressed by the big 3 birds I saw one spring day and looked them up in a field guide. Flushing a Great Blue Heron enticed me to stop pedaling. Then a Long-Eared Owl flushed and landed 20 yards further up a little further away. On the way home a pair of Golden Eagles soared overhead while I passed a group of red-winged black birds that had strange albinistic bars along the bottom of the red areas. I naturally thought that the Red-winged Blackbirds that I knew as a child in the East must be the Tri-colored's because they were black, red and yellow. Having grown up during the civil-rights era of the 1950's I never guessed that white meant colored. I then learned that the phone company charged extra for any colored phone which meant anything other than black. Birders and the phone company agreed that "white" is colored.     

b. What you did to increase your bird identification skills. As a child my parents would take me, and as an adult I continue to go, to natural history museums and zoos. That got me to look closely at things. Then I started looking for meanings, not just “Why?” but other meanings as well. The colors and shapes of feet, wings and bills were tied to habitat and behavior. I ask myself, “How do different species adapt to individual niches?” I study how species live; then I am better able to predict and identify a species because it is expected in a habitat doing a predicted behavior. Knowing the common species well helps me recognize the unusual ones as being worthy of a closer look.      

c. Why you continue to enjoy bird watching. I still enjoy learning. There are many species that I wish to learn about in greater depth.      

Field of Dreams:

a. Share one of your memorable birding experiences in Stanislaus or Merced County. Only one? The movie “Wings of Migration” is a wonderful visual spectacle. The sounds of wings have provided me with several wonderful memories. It is amazing how much we can discern about wildlife during even the foggiest of winter days in the Central Valley. Well before sunrise I often would be in the marsh. A series of splashes was possibly a trotting coyote putting paws into the cold water. Within a moment I would hear the wings of 20,000 awakened geese lifting off in the dark. The commotion rousted 5,000 cranes from slumber and they registered their vocal opinions as well. This happened on more than one trip to check hunters at Merced NWR where the sound may be audible at times from Sandy Mush Road. At San Joaquin River NWR the sound can often be heard during the day in December when the corn has been knocked down near the Beckwith Road platform.

Another memorable birding experience in Merced County was finding owls in burrows along the banks of Salt Slough. I have seen Burrowing Owls but this was different. I had never previously seen burrowing Barn Owls. Along this tributary of the San Joaquin River the vertical face of the wet sand bank had been excavated that previous evening to about a depth of 2 feet and a diameter of 4 inches. A Barn Owl was visible in the burrow at the far end. observation      

b. Identify a birding location in Stanislaus or Merced County that you enjoy going to and explain why you like to bird there. O’Neill Forebay provides ducks and gulls in profusion. Many vagrants are attracted to this large water body. Large numbers of common species provide good comparisons side-by-side with any oddities.      

c Identify a birding spot outside of Stanislaus or Merced County that you enjoy going to and explain why you like to bird there. The Kern River Preserve began restoring riparian habitat about a decade ago. The large size of their restored willow forest has brought back Yellow Warbler numbers, and encouraged Yellow-billed Cuckoos to return. A smaller restoration project would not have supported these breeding populations of birds.      

A Few of My Favorite Things:

a. Pick 2 or 3 Stanislaus or Merced County bird species and explain why you look forward to seeing them. Sandhill Cranes, Long-billed Curlews and White-faced Ibis are the birds that I associate with the grasslands of the Central Valley. They each show special adaptations to the historic marshlands that once covered so much of the Central Valley but is now gone. These species remind me of what it must have been like when we had 5 million acres of wetlands in California.      

b. What bird species that you have not already seen in Stanislaus or Merced County would you would like to find next? Least Bell’s Vireo and Yellow-billed Cuckoo

c. What is your favorite bird field guide that you take with you in the field (or have in your car)? Sibley has replaced NGS as my favorite but I usually carry both.      

d. What kind of equipment (binoculars, telescopes, cameras, etc.) do you take along with you while birding? Brunton Eternas 7X42 bins and a 28 year old Bausch and Lomb Discoverer 15-60X Spotting Scope on a Bogen tripod.     

Dear Abby:

a. What advice would you give to a new bird watcher? Join or go on Audubon hikes with knowledgeable birders. Buy a bird guide and put a pair of bins where you can see your feeder Have fun and enjoy the smells and sounds as well as the view outside. Attend the Birding Symposium if you are serious about learning more.      

b. What suggestions would you give to a parent to help them encourage their children to become bird watchers? Do not push past their attention span. Just spend time outside with your children, letting the children explore on their own. A child’s curiosity will cause them to ask questions so let the interests of the child direct the duration, intensity and timing of each outdoor experience and the associated natural history lessons. I pushed my children too hard and they lost interest. Enthusiasm is infectious. If you show excitement they will want to explore what it is that you find so engaging.