Atlasing at Rana Creek Preserve - 5/24/26

We had a fantastic trip to Rana Creek Preserve, managed by Wildlands Conservancy. Natural Resource Manager Kat Hardisty-Cranstone and Docent Ernie. With Trip Leaders Kai Russell and Karen Kreiger, we were astounded by the beauty and biodiversity of this area, from 56 bird species seen over the course of 3 hours to a hillside of California bunch grasses, a wolf spider and some late blooming Elegant Clarkia. This event is part of the California Bird Atlas project, where community scientists converge to document bird breeding and how birds use our landscape.

Trip Report written by Kai Russell

The low cloud cover meant that raptors were readily visible - a pair of Golden Eagles, a Bald Eagle, Turkey Vultures, and Red-tailed Hawks were all circling low above the valley of Rana Creek as we walked along. Many passerines like Western Warbling Vireo, Purple Finch, and Lawrence's Goldfinch were present, and we observed breeding behaviors in several species at this peak time of year. We were happy to confirm breeding for Western Bluebird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, and Black Phoebe. Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher were slightly surprising to find, and will make good targets to confirm breeding for on our upcoming June 6 trip. All were in good spirits from observing the many birds in this beautiful habitat. A big thank you to Kat Hardisty-Cranstone and Ernie for hosting us!

eBird trip report by Kai Russell: https://ebird.org/tripreport/528489

Kai Russell is a volunteer Monterey County Regional Coordinator for the California Bird Atlas and Board Member of Monterey Audubon Society,

Trip Photos