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17 Mar 2 oddities on East Beach ["jared.dawson40" ] 18 Mar F OS female oriole ["birdsplants22" ] 18 Mar Miguelito Park arrivals ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 18 Mar Re: warbler split? ["Brad Schram" ] 18 Mar Lake Los Carneros Thursday morning ["Dianna" ] 18 Mar Re: warbler split? [] 18 Mar warbler split? [Hugh Ranson ] 17 Mar Re: Common Poorwill ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 18 Mar Solitary Sandpiper; Lawrence's Goldfinches ["kylebraunger" ] 16 Mar Common Poorwill [Cher Hollingworth ] 16 Mar Bates Rd. & Canada Larga ["ash34958" ] 16 Mar Common Raven [Eric Culbs ] 16 Mar UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 16 Mar UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 16 Mar meep-meep Roadrunner at Elings Park ["michellemccutchan" ] 15 Mar Fwd: eBird Report - Campus Pt. , 3/15/10 [Wim van Dam ] 14 Mar Birds of Cachuma Lake Monday March 8 - Sunday March 14, 2010 ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 14 Mar Oak Titmouse nesting ["icbflys" ] 14 Mar Solitary Sandpiper [Evan Caves ] 13 Mar Coal Oil Point [Wim van Dam ] 13 Mar Bird Photography Talk by Roger Millikan ["Ken Pfeiffer" ] 13 Mar Sat Mar 20 Audubon Field Trip to Rancho Santa Barbara ["Adam" ] 13 Mar Friday Mar 19 Bird Walk at Elings Park ["Adam" ] 13 Mar Eurasian Wigeon ["capnbob" ] 13 Mar Re: FOS Hooded Oriole ["Ronald" ] 12 Mar RE: FOS Hooded Oriole ["goletajeff" ] 12 Mar UCSB campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 12 Mar FOS: Hooded Oriole in Lompoc ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 12 Mar Devereux Slough, 3/11/10 [Wim van Dam ] 11 Mar Re: Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today ["lbvireo" ] 11 Mar Re: 205 nesting Sandspit Snowy Plover, and other birds, photos ["lbvireo" ] 11 Mar Re: Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today ["lbvireo" ] 10 Mar Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today [Mark Holmgren ] 10 Mar UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 9 Mar N Coast Herring Gull Migration ["Brad Schram" ] 10 Mar More on Goose IDs ["Adam" ] 09 Mar UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 7 Mar RE: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 7 Mar Re: Wildlife officials say bad weather, food shortages likely t... [] 7 Mar Brown Creeper - Cuyama Valley [] 7 Mar Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 07 Mar Wildlife officials say bad weather, food shortages likely to blame for recent die-off of brown pelicans ["Patrick McNulty" ] 7 Mar RE: Pelican deaths? ["Adam Lewis" ] 7 Mar hum-drum March weekend birding [Dave Compton ] 7 Mar Re: Pelican deaths? [Mark Holmgren ] 07 Mar Re: Pelican deaths? [Jamie Chavez ] 7 Mar Pelican deaths? ["capnbob" ] 07 Mar Re: Various Goleta locales, Saturday morning ["Dianna" ] 07 Mar Various Goleta locales, Saturday morning ["Dianna" ] 05 Mar Fw: [CALBIRDS] Galileo Hill Update ["Wes Fritz" ] 2 Mar Devereux ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 2 Mar new yard bird [] 01 Mar RFI Ohio birders [Michael Gordon ] 28 Feb Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday February 22 - Sunday February 28, 2010 ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 28 Feb Devereux and Cachuma birds ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 27 Feb RE: Devereux Slough, 2/27/10 ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 27 Feb Devereux Slough, 2/27/10 [Wim van Dam ] 27 Feb Scoter Migration ["kylebraunger" ] 27 Feb correction on Greater Scaup NOT at Devereux yesterday ["Joan Lentz" ] 26 Feb birding this a.m., Fri. Feb. 26 ["Joan Lentz" ] 26 Feb Ellwood Beach: oiled Common Murre ["Marian Cohen" ] 25 Feb Goleta Beach Great Blue Heron Rookery [Mark Holmgren ] 25 Feb East Beach: Snowy Plovers, Mew Gulls [] 24 Feb Audubon's Friday Bird Walk Feb 26 at San Jose Creek ["Adam" ] 24 Feb Tucker's Grove Red-naped Sapsucker ["kylebraunger" ] 23 Feb UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 21 Feb Wednesday Feb 24 Audubon Lecture by Roger Millikan ["Adam" ] 21 Feb Graciosa ravens [Don Tate ] 20 Feb Saturday birds ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 20 Feb 3 Brant at Devereux [Wim van Dam ] 19 Feb Preisker Park Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Jamie Chavez ] 18 Feb Devereux ducks [Wim van Dam ] 19 Feb Cackling Goose 'Aleutian' ["Adam" ] 17 Feb Campus and other bird notes [Florence Sanchez ] 17 Feb sightings recent and recent-ish ["matt v" ] 16 Feb Ocean Meadows Geese ["Lethaby, Nick" ] Subject: 2 oddities on East Beach From: "jared.dawson40" <jared.dawson40 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:16:01 -0000 I scoped the harbor and ocean this morning (the 17th) from the wharf, and later walked the beach on the west and east sides of the wharf. Nothing more unusual than 2 Horned Grebes on the water. Close to the base of the wharf, there was a Willet with a malformed bill which made it decurved, and from a distance more interesting. While I was scanning the large gull flock (along with a dozen Royal Terns), a Common Murre beached for a brief time. It was heavily oiled from its lower breast to its vent. It otherwise appeared healthy, and it moved out again to sea and dove. I have photos of both. A single Western Sandpiper almost walked up to my shoes while here. At the west side pelican and skimmer roost, there were 23 Royal Terns along with the usual gulls. Jared Dawson Santa Barbara Subject: F OS female oriole From: "birdsplants22" <fred_kel AT msn.com> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:09:14 -0000 We had a FOS female oriole at our humming bird feeder today. We are near the San Roqe bridge east end north of Foothill. Fred Keller Santa Barbara Subject: Miguelito Park arrivals From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:53 -0700 This morning, March 18th, Miguelito Park south of Lompoc had its usual spring arrivals. There were at least four Pacific-slope Flycatchers and at least eight Warbling Vireos. There were also a pair of Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Townsend Warblers, Purple Finches, Band-tailed Pigeons,and a Hutton's Vireo. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: warbler split? From: "Brad Schram" <gonebrdn AT lightspeed.net> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:14:23 -0700 Here is the citation from the IOC. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/documents/TheYellow-rumpedWarblerspeciesgroup.html I haven't heard any word from the AOU checklist committee about this yet, which will have to concur with the split before it becomes a formal change to our hobby lists. I don't see any pending proposals for the split on the AOU site: http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/pending.php I'm not Zone A on the issue however and there could be something brewing beyond the IOC and the buzz we've heard around this species group for some time. Brad Schram Arroyo Grande ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hugh Ranson" To: Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 6:43 AM Subject: [sbcobirding] warbler split? > This gleaned from Surfbirds: > > Yellow-rumped Warbler is being split again, into four species: Myrtle > Warbler, Audubon's Warbler, Black-fronted Warbler, Goldman's Warbler > > http://www.worldbirdnames.org/docume...ciesgroup.html > > > Hugh R. > SB > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > For everything birding in Santa Barbara County: http://www.sbcobirding.com > . Yahoo! Groups Links > > > Subject: Lake Los Carneros Thursday morning From: "Dianna" <proscript.inc AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:19:46 -0000 Between 8 and 9 a.m. Don and I saw a beautiful male Bullock's Oriole from the bridge at Lake Los Carneros. There was a Pacific Slope Flycatcher in the eucalyptus grove on the east side of the lake and possibly another one in the eucalyptus trees next to the parking lot, but we only heard that one once and didn't see it. There were very few ducks on the lake other than the usual Mallards, several Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks. Many Common Yellowthroats and Song Sparrows were singing. Also seen were a White-tailed Kite, a Brown-headed Cowbird, a Spotted Sandpiper, the Lewis's Woodpecker, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, some Lesser Goldfinches, White-crowned Sparrows, a pair of California Thrashers, and a Bewick's Wren. Dianna Ricky Santa Barbara Subject: Re: warbler split? From: <guy.tingos AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 8:30:12 -0700 I think the link for this article is http://worldbirdnames.org/documents/TheYellow-rumpedWarblerspeciesgroup.html Guy Tingos Santa Barbara ---- Hugh Ranson wrote: ============= This gleaned from Surfbirds: Yellow-rumped Warbler is being split again, into four species: Myrtle Warbler, Audubon's Warbler, Black-fronted Warbler, Goldman's Warbler http://www.worldbirdnames.org/docume...ciesgroup.html Hugh R. SB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: warbler split? From: Hugh Ranson <zonetail AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:43:12 -0700 This gleaned from Surfbirds: Yellow-rumped Warbler is being split again, into four species: Myrtle Warbler, Audubon's Warbler, Black-fronted Warbler, Goldman's Warbler http://www.worldbirdnames.org/docume...ciesgroup.html Hugh R. SB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Common Poorwill From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:33:48 -0700 The Common Poorwill was there tonight March 17th at about the same place and time plus there were a total of 3. At the 4.5 mile mark was a flying W. Screech Owl coming across the road. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: Cher Hollingworth To: sbcobirding Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 8:15 PM Subject: [sbcobirding] Common Poorwill At 19:50, there was one Common Poorwill at the 6mi marker on Miguelito Cyn Rd. Cher Hollingworth Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Solitary Sandpiper; Lawrence's Goldfinches From: "kylebraunger" <kylebraunger AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:21:27 -0000 The Solitary Sandpiper found by Evan last Sunday in the debris basin above Tucker's Grove was actively feeding along the pond margin today. Small numbers of Lawrence's Goldfinches continue to be attracted to a patch of Fiddleneck along the eastern edge of More Mesa. Yuji first saw them at this location over a month ago. Kyle Braunger Subject: Common Poorwill From: Cher Hollingworth <chollingw AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:15:09 -0700 (PDT) At 19:50, there was one Common Poorwill at the 6mi marker on Miguelito Cyn Rd. Cher Hollingworth Lompoc Subject: Bates Rd. & Canada Larga From: "ash34958" <ash34958 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:00:29 -0000 Barb & Geoff Stearns, Andrea Adams Morden (plus two friends) and I birded Bates Road and Canada Larga this morning (Tues., Mar. 16). The Bates Road bridge was usually birdy and we saw 23 species in a little less than an hour. Highlights were my season's first Pacific Slope Flycatcher, a flock of 25 Cedar Waxwings and four warblers: Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, Townsend's and Orange-crowned. Canada Larga (granted, it's in Ventura Co. - but easily accessible to SB Co. birders) was fabulously beautiful . . . all green and busy bird-wise. Thirty-six species were recorded, including MANY Red-tailed Hawks (with lots of pairing ritual and displays), Northern Harrier, American Kestral, Roadrunner, 2 Lewis's Woodpeckers, 2 Cassin's Kingbirds (season's first for me), 15 Northern Rough-winged Swallows (also season's first), a huge flock of perhaps 50 Robins foraging in and around a flowering euc., 17 Cedar Waxwings and 4 Phainopepla. In the Carp. Salt Marsh Nature Park, the GB Herons I'd been watching building a nest have not been around for a week or more. Rob Denholtz Carpinteria Subject: Common Raven From: Eric Culbs <ericculbs AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:46:21 -0700 (PDT) Hi all, This afternoon (march 16) at 4:30pm I watched a common raven from my house in carpinteria. I live less then a quarter mile below foothill and have never seen a raven from my own backyard, nor anywhere else in carpinteria. The bird stayed above my yard circling with two red-tails and 2-4 unidentified gulls. After ten minutes of soaring flight the birds got to a considerable height and the raven took of flying northeast. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:16:27 -0700 Today I retraced my steps from yesterday, this time walking from east to west along the bluffs, rounding Campus Point, and continuing past the Manzanita Housing complex. The only bird flying west past Campus POint was a lone Brandt's Cormorant, which may have simply been returning to the Ellwood offshore roost. There was a Gray Whale sounding just off Campus Point, and that was nice to see. On the rocks at Campus POint, there was a lone Common Murre in breeding plumage. The bird showed oil streaks on its white breast. A potential rescuer got within a few feet of the bird, but it suddenly dived down into the surf and swam away. Elsewhere on the rocks was a flock of Sanderlings and one Black Turnstone. No Surfbirds yet. Gulls on the point were the usual Western and Heerman's Gulls. One of the Heerman's was leucistic--a sort of washed out gray beige. Florence Sanchez Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:35:23 -0700 Yesterday, I walked east along the bluffs from the Manzanita dorms past Campus Point and then along Lagoon Road. Not much was passing Campus Point: 1 Surf Scoter and 1 Red-breasted Merganser. Each could have been a winter resident heading out to feed, rather than a migrant. A flock of 18 Royal Terns went out past the point and then circled back. There was a large flock of Marbled Godwits feeding high up in soft sand between the Point and the Island. A pair of Lesser Scaup were in the far southwest end of the Lagoon. In the past few days on campus, I have been watching a male Downy Woodpecker in the early mornings. He has been drumming on two different sources: A dead Agave stalk in front of Cheadle Hall and a dead stub on a eucalyptus tree next to the southwest corner of Ellison Hall. Yesterday, I noticed that the agave stalk now has three woodpecker holes in it. Observations of this species at the Botanic Garden indicate that they excavate more holes than they use, but it will be interesting to watch this stalk to see if any of the holes serve that purpose this year. Florence Sanchez Subject: meep-meep Roadrunner at Elings Park From: "michellemccutchan" <michellemccutchan AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:59:23 -0000 Monday, March 15th at Noon. One roadrunner zipping along the path and rock wall at Singleton lawn in upper Elings Park. After watching it for a few minutes it zoomed off down the hill as I tried to approach for a better look. It went out the park boundary fence and raced down Valerio St. Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Campus Pt. , 3/15/10 From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:56:23 -0700 A brief walk on the beach near Campus Point this afternoon gave close views of a Horned Grebe and very close views of a Glaucous-winged Gull sitting on the light posts in front of the KITP building on Lagoon Road. - Wim (Goleta) Begin forwarded message: > > Subject: eBird Report - Campus Pt. , 3/15/10 > > Location: Campus Pt. > Observation date: 3/15/10 > Number of species: 20 > > Brant (Black) - Branta bernicla nigricans 3 > Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata 1 > Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus 1 > Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis X > Western/Clark's Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis/clarkii X > Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis X > Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus X > Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca X > Willet - Tringa semipalmata X > Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus X > Long-billed Curlew - Numenius americanus X > Heermann's Gull - Larus heermanni X > Western Gull - Larus occidentalis X > Glaucous-winged Gull - Larus glaucescens 1 > gull sp. - Larinae sp. X > Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia 1 > Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna X > Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans X > American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos X > Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis X > Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos X > White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys X > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Birds of Cachuma Lake Monday March 8 - Sunday March 14, 2010 From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:50:49 -0700 Howdy Folks, Even though we didn't get the promised rain this week, the Lake is still rising; only 7.57 feet to go 'til full. Hormone levels are rising too; the AECHMOPHORUS GREBES are finally taking their courtship seriously. We watched 7 rush displays during this morning's cruise and there were no signs of letting up when we had to leave. The level of activity really was noticeably spiked today; birds were singing all over the lake; ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, HUTTON'S VIREOS, SONG SPARROWS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, WRENTITS, ROCK WRENS, CALIFORNIA THRASHERS, OAK TITMICE, PURPLE FINCHES, HOUSE FINCHES, AMERICAN ROBINS, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and, of course, the WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES; nothing unusual, just lots of it. On Friday March 12: One WOOD DUCK in Lil Cachuma; one male HOODED MERGANSER with a pair of COMMON GOLDENEYE at the back of Cachuma Bay; five more COMMON GOLDENEYE in Martini Cove, a PEREGRINE FALCON at the Intake, and 3 WHITE PELICANS at the East End. Sat March 13: Two male blue-billed RUDDY DUCKS at the back of Cachuma Bay, 8 SCAUP spp at the back of Santa Cruz and 42 BUFFLEHEAD behind Arrowhead Island. There have been 100's of swallows around all week; mostly TREE, but quite a few VIOLET-GREENS, and this morning two ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS were exploring cavities at the back of Cachuma Bay and along the north shore. At least two COMMON LOONS are still here. So far there are four active GREAT BLUE HERON nests on Santa Cruz Flat. Still seeing an immature BALD EAGLE at the back of Santa Cruz Bay. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 8 - Sunday March 14, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Mute Swan Cygnus olor Wood Duck Aix sponsa Gadwall Anas strepera Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Scaup Aythya spp Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus Common Merganser Mergus merganser Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo - I California Quail Callipepla californica Common Loon Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel Falco sparverius Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus American Coot Fulica americana Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull Larus californicus Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria House Sparrow Passer domesticus - I I Bird your blues away :^) Melissa Kelly Assistant Naturalist Cachuma Lake County Park Santa Barbara County, CA 805.688-4515 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Oak Titmouse nesting From: "icbflys" <icbflys AT cox.net> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:55:03 -0000 I live near the Mission on the upper east side. Yesterday a Titmouse pair was gathering nesting material on my deck. The material of choice was loose dog hair. That is the really fluffy soft undercoat hairs. I say a pair, because though I only saw one bird at a time gathering fur I did see a second Titmouse join the first after 4 visits. The second one didn't pick up fur. It just seemed, to me, to be encouraging the first one to hurry it up. No return visits after that. I haven't been seeing them at my feeder, so was excited to see them here for the nesting material. Mary Shepherd Santa Barbara Subject: Solitary Sandpiper From: Evan Caves <evan AT occamnetworks.com> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:48:33 -0700 There was a Solitary Sandpiper at the dam above Tucker's Grove this morning. The dam area has a receding pond with a fair bit of mudflats at the moment. The creek is running quite fast as well which was nice. I have a couple of pics if someone wants to confirm Id but from the size, coloration, white eye spectacles and tail pattern its pretty conclusive. evan - -- This email and any attachments thereto may contain private, confidential, and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this email (or any attachments thereto) by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this email and any attachments thereto. Please consider the environment before printing this email Subject: Coal Oil Point From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:43:49 -0800 Brant migration appears in full swing today. This morning from the Cliff House at Coal Oil Point I saw groups flying by on a regular basis. From the same position I also had 2 Common Murre in the water. There could have been more as there were several, to me, un-ID-able specks in the choppy waves. Devereux still has 2 Brant and now 7 Scaup. - Wim (Goleta) Subject: Bird Photography Talk by Roger Millikan From: "Ken Pfeiffer" <keagle10 AT cox.net> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:26:22 -0800 Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Farrand Hall, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 2559 Puesta Del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 Doors open 7:00 PM Program begins 7:30 PM Free to the public Digital cameras appeared on the consumer scene scarcely ten years ago, and changed photography forever. Consider: Kodak no longer makes film cameras! This revolution has also changed birding and especially bird photography. Roger rode this wave starting with a 2 megapixel Fujifilm camera. Seven cameras later he uses an 18 megapixel Canon DSLR. Needless to say, his pictures today are better than they used to be. In this presentation Roger will briefly discuss how digital photography works, and what camera choices are best for bird photography. Field techniques and post processing of the images will also be discussed. Ken Pfeiffer for the Channel City Camera Club Santa Barbara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sat Mar 20 Audubon Field Trip to Rancho Santa Barbara From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:42:45 -0000 Where: Rancho Santa Barbara (former Lone Star) at east end of Lake Cachuma When: Saturday March 20, 2010 (8am -12noon)(7:30am at car pool place) Leader: Rob Lindsay Sponsor: Santa Barbara Audubon Society Target Birds: geese, Common Goldeneye, Wood Duck, Lewis's Woodpecker, Bald Eagle, Clark's Grebe, American White Pelican and other water and song birds Directions: To Car Pool area: Coming from the south take Hwy 101 to the Lake Cachuma/State Street exit (#101B)in Santa Barbara. Turn right on State St and right again into the Five Points Shopping Center and park near Carl's Jr (3925 State St). We will car pool at 7:30am from this parking lot(no gas money required). If coming from the north take the State St off ramp and continue to the 5 Points Shopping center on your right immediately after you cross the 101 freeway. Or you can meet us at 8:00am at the gate to the Rancho Santa Barbara (4001 Hwy 154, pipe gate with large star on it). We must all meet at the gate and enter the ranch as a group. Wear walking shoes. Binoculars and spotting scopes are useful. Bring water and a snack. Enjoy ranch owners Lee Carr and his brother Charles Carr's hospitality at one of the best inland winter birding areas in the county! Adam Lewis for the SBAS Subject: Friday Mar 19 Bird Walk at Elings Park From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:46:42 -0000 Date: Friday March 19, 2010 (Note: This is the 3rd Friday of the month) Time: 8:30-10:30am Target Birds: Raptors, song birds, Juncos, Warblers, Finches, etc Sponsor: anta Barbara Audubon Society Bird Walk Leader: Jack Sanford 566-2191 jacksanford AT hotmail.com Directions: From Hwy 101 either direction take the Las Positas off ramp and head towards the ocean. Look for the Elings Park entrance sign and turn left on Jerry Harwin Parkway. Proceed to the Battistone Foundation Soccer parking lot located in front of the park office building. Park in that immediate area. We will meet there and bird the area. Adam Lewis for the SBAS Subject: Eurasian Wigeon From: "capnbob" <capnbob AT sbceo.org> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:28:20 -0800 Sat. 3/13 8:30 am Walked around Devereaux Slough this morning. Not terribly interesting. Best bird of the day was a Eurasian Wigeon on the east side of the slough. Complete list of birds below. Not very impressive for this time of year. I was surprised to see no swallows, few land birds, and to find the pool below the oil storage tanks empty of birds. The mouth of the slough is open but crossable. The beach is quite eroded and no snowy plovers were in view. Killdeer Black-bellied Plover Black-necked Stilt Least Sandpiper Sanderling Black Turnstone Willet Whimbrel Marbled Godwit Greater Yellowlegs Western Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Double-crested Cormorant Brown Pelican Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Great Blue Heron Swan Canada Goose Mallard American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Gadwall Green-winged Teal Bufflehead Turkey Vulture Red-shouldered Hawk Cooper's Hawk American Kestral American Coot Cassin's Kingbird Song Sparrow Anna's Hummingbird White-crowned Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler Bewick's Wren Bushtit Downy Woodpecker No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2742 - Release Date: 03/12/10 23:33:00 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: FOS Hooded Oriole From: "Ronald" <sbtech AT aol.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:24:07 -0000 I had a Hooded Oriole calling in my yard last Sunday the 7th. Yesterday the 12th a group of Great-tailed Grackles were obvious in the 5 Points shopping center. A large and glossy and exceptionally long-tailed male was strutting around the sidewalks. I believe they just arrived since I haven't seen them there in my daily lunch visits over the last few weeks. Ron Hirst SB --- In sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com, "goletajeff" wrote: > > Hi All, > "My" Goleta Hooded Oriole arrived Thursday afternoon, March 11, beating last years arrival by 2 days. This will be the 5th year. > Jeff Hanson > Goleta > Subject: RE: FOS Hooded Oriole From: "goletajeff" <jlh749 AT cox.net> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:40:38 -0000 Hi All, "My" Goleta Hooded Oriole arrived Thursday afternoon, March 11, beating last years arrival by 2 days. This will be the 5th year. Jeff Hanson Goleta Subject: UCSB campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:29:49 -0800 Today at noon there was a lone male (apparently Lesser) Scaup in the UCSB Lagoon. Walking east along the beach from the Lagoon outfall around campus point, I found few shorebirds. The only birds roosting on the Point itself was a flock of Brown Pelicans. The gull flock by the marine biology lab was again only comprised of Heerman's, Western, and California Gulls. There are still a few adult Heerman's in the flock. Four Royal Terns were also present. The most interesting birds were two Brants of the race nigricans foraging in the shallows behind the gull flock. As I watched, they took off to the southwest. Shorebirds on the beaches included a few Willets, 2 Marbled Godwits, and 1 Long-billed Curlew. The campus lagoon continues to have Dowitchers, Black-necked Stilts, and Least Sandpipers haging around. Florence Sanchez Subject: FOS: Hooded Oriole in Lompoc From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:05:45 -0800 This morning, March 12th at 9:30 am a male Hooded Oriole came to our hummingbird feeder (seeable from the street). They have nested here on Santa Clara Drive on Lompoc southside for almost 40 years that we have been here. The females should be here in about 2 weeks. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux Slough, 3/11/10 From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:26 -0800 Yesterday afternoon Devereux had large numbers of ducks and peeps, but nothing out of the ordinary. The water has lowered significantly and it appears less muddy than previously. There were hundreds of ducks, mostly Mallards, Northern Shovelers and American Wigeon. Among them there were also a handful of Green-winged Teals, 2 Brant, and 1 Eurasian Wigeon. There were also 6 scaup; to my eyes: 1 male Lesser, 2 female Lesser, 1 male Greater, and 2 undetermined female. The two Mute Swan are still sticking around. The plovers and peeps were strongly favoring the east side of the slough, which put most of them out of reach for me. There were several dozen Black-bellied Plovers and many more Sandpipers, no doubt almost all Least and Western. -Wim (Goleta) > Location: Devereux Slough > Observation date: 3/11/10 > Number of species: 47 > > Brant (Black) - Branta bernicla nigricans 2 > Mute Swan - Cygnus olor 2 > Gadwall - Anas strepera X > Eurasian Wigeon - Anas penelope 1 > American Wigeon - Anas americana X > Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos X > Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata X > Green-winged Teal (American) - Anas crecca carolinensis X > Greater Scaup - Aythya marila 1 > Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis 3 > Greater/Lesser Scaup - Aythya marila/affinis 2 > Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola X > Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis X > Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps X > Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus X > Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias X > Great Egret - Ardea alba X > Snowy Egret - Egretta thula X > Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura X > White-tailed Kite - Elanus leucurus 1 > Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1 > American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 1 > American Coot - Fulica americana X > Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola X > Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus X > Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus X > Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus X > Willet - Tringa semipalmata X > Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus X > Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri X > Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla X > Western Gull - Larus occidentalis X > Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura X > Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna X > hummingbird sp. - Trochilidae sp. X > Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 1 > Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans X > Say's Phoebe - Sayornis saya X > Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans X > American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos X > Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis 1 > Bushtit - Psaltriparus minimus X > Wrentit - Chamaea fasciata X > Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos X > Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas X > California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis X > Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia X > White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys X > Lesser Goldfinch - Carduelis psaltria X > goldfinch sp. - Carduelis sp. (goldfinch sp.) X > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Re: Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today From: "lbvireo" <lbviman AT blackfoot.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:15:49 -0000 Mark -- This is GREAT news! SHE was also photographed in April 2005 at Coal Oil Point by Calli Bowdish, nearly a month before laying eggs at the Sandspit; her photo is still on Calli's site at bottom of one of the pages of banded plovers from that year! Thank you for update - I was just wondering last week if she were still around -- Jim Greaves, Thompson Falls MT --- In sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com, Mark Holmgren wrote: > > The third fledged from Ft. Ord (just upcoast of Monterey) in 2004. It is one member of the pair that nested on the Santa Barbara Sandspit in 2005. It went missing for several years, then reappeared this winter first seen on 17 Sept 2009. Subject: Re: 205 nesting Sandspit Snowy Plover, and other birds, photos From: "lbvireo" <lbviman AT blackfoot.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:24:33 -0000 Regarding Mark's sighting of a banded female Snowy Plover at East Beach, I forgot to include link to Sandspit/Breakwater birds seen in 2005, including the pair of SNPL that nested in Harbor that year: http://blackfoot.net/~larkwick/SantaBarbaraCityHarbor.html - and for the Snowy Plover pair [bottom of page links from above]: http://blackfoot.net/~larkwick/SantaBarbaraCityHarbor_3.html - follow links at bottom of 3rd page to follow male's tribulations of 2+ months, until last (and only surviving) chick of 3 was "solo"... We had been trying to find rare curlews, or red knots, or anything, in spring, but "had" to settle for host of terns, shorebirds, and other birds that did present themselves to us over the 3 months or so of visiting the spit, nearly every day. Enjoy, and happy spring! Jim and Lark Subject: Re: Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today From: "lbvireo" <lbviman AT blackfoot.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:15:42 -0000 Mark -- This is GREAT news! SHE was also photographed in April 2005 at Coal Oil Point by Calli Bowdish, nearly a month before laying eggs at the Sandspit; her photo is still on Calli's site at bottom of one of the pages of banded plovers from that year! Thank you for update - I was just wondering last week if she were still around -- Jim Greaves, Thompson Falls MT --- In sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com, Mark Holmgren wrote: > > The third fledged from Ft. Ord (just upcoast of Monterey) in 2004. It is one member of the pair that nested on the Santa Barbara Sandspit in 2005. It went missing for several years, then reappeared this winter first seen on 17 Sept 2009. Subject: Snowy Plover count at East Beach Santa Barbara today From: Mark Holmgren <maholmgren AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00:09 -0800 (PST) I followed George Roland on his regular trek to count Snowy Plover at Santa Barbara East Beach this morning. Immediately, near the Santa Barbara cemetery a flock of 30 Brant were moving west in formation close to shore despite the stiff wind. We found 46 plovers among the volleyball courts of which 3 were banded. The histories on these birds are: * One banded last summer at the Salinas NWR (mouth of the Salina River in Monterey). It was also seen in September at McGrath SB, and has spent part of this winter at East Beach. * One fledged in 2009 at Oceano Dunes, Pismo State Beach. First seen on East Beach 9 November 2009. It has been seen repeatedly at East Beach this winter. * The third fledged from Ft. Ord (just upcoast of Monterey) in 2004. It is one member of the pair that nested on the Santa Barbara Sandspit in 2005. It went missing for several years, then reappeared this winter first seen on 17 Sept 2009. After seeing these birds at Point A, the same 46 birds greeted us a second time at Point B on this map: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=34.41391,-119.68365&z=15&t=H&marker0=34.41718%2C-119.66477%2C2.2%20mi%20E%20of%20Santa%20Barbara%20CA&marker1=34.41391%2C-119.68365%2C1.3%20mi%20ExSE%20of%20Santa%20Barbara%20CA No pairing, courtship, territoriality or any other indications that these bird had breeding in mind was evident. Any birds that may have been visible on the sandspit were obstructed by all the dredging machinery in the harbor. About 70 Black Skimmers were present between mission Creek and Stearn’s Wharf. Mark Holmgren Santa Barbara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:42:45 -0800 Today around 1 p.m. I walked the beach below the east-facing campus bluffs down to Campus Point and back. The wind was so strong with blowing sand west of campus point that I didn't continue in that direction, even though it was low tide and conditions were otherwise good for beach walking. Shorebirds were limited to a few Willets and one Whimbrel. There was a large flock of gulls on the beach near the Marine biology labs. After reading Brad Schram's post about Herring gulls, I was hopeful that I'd find a few in the flock, but no luck. Only three species were present: Western, Heerman's and California Gulls. There were several adult Heerman's in the flock. Tern species have changed in the last couple of weeks. There was only one Royal Tern in a flock of about 70 Forster's Terns. A pair of Rough-winged Swallows was working the bluffs. Florence Sanchez Subject: N Coast Herring Gull Migration From: "Brad Schram" <gonebrdn AT lightspeed.net> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 19:39:03 -0800 Birding at Santa Maria River Mouth this morning with Dave Lawrence (also of AG); we noticed that spring HERRING GULL migration is in full swing. Included with a smallish flock of loafing California and Western Gulls were seventeen adult and three imm. (2 1yr, 1 2yr) Herring Gulls. While walking back to the parking lot from the outflow we noted four more adult and one year-old Herring flying north up the surf line toward the flock. I suspect a few hours of counting would have produced an impressive number moving up-coast. Brad Schram Arroyo Grande, CA http://flickr.com/photos/chaparralbrad/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: More on Goose IDs From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:36:16 -0000 Nick Lethaby led the charge to obtain IDs on the geese at Ocean Meadows. It was instructive for me to follow along so I pulled out the ones with positive IDs and made small Flickr photo sets for each subspecies, for those interested in the details. The ID of one bird in the large flock was controversial. It's labeled 'species unknown' in the Ocean Meadows photo set. Cackling Goose minima (6 photos) http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/sets/72157623444913329/ Lesser Canada Goose parvipes (3 photos) http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/sets/72157623569494110/ Captions updated to reflect IDs on Ocean Meadows flock (23 photos) http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/sets/72157623412003310/ Photos of the 'Aleutian' Cackling Goose leucopareia at the Bird Refuge (4 photos) was recently posted http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/sets/72157623462089884/ Thanks, Nick, for providing good coaching. Adam Lewis Goleta Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:55:19 -0800 I've been out sporadically over the past couple of weeks, so here are some cumulative observations. Area K--A quick trip past there last week found several species of ducks present, but none in any great numbers. About a Dozen Ring-necked ducks were hanging out near the middle of the area. Goleta Beach--A walk to the mouth of the river last week didn't produce much but a lot of noise and dust from the sand restoration until I got to the very east end. There was a nice mixed flock of gulls and terns on the sandbar, but nothing rare. One immature Glaucous-winged and a few adult Heerman's Gulls were in the mix of Western, Ring-billed, and California Gulls. In years past, I've been hard-pressed to find adult Heerman's in March. Los Carneros wetlands--today I checked the ponds on both sides of the road. A few ducks were present in the west pond, including American Wigeons, Bufflehead, Redheads, and Cinnamon Teal. Also present was a pair of Canada Geese. Only Ruddy Ducks and coots were in the East pond. There was a nice mixed flock of swallows overhead--mostly Tree Swallows, but also one each of Rough-winged, Violet-green, and Cliff Swallows. On campus, everything is singing, residents and migrants, including some of the Yellowrumps. My husband found a singing Wilson's Warbler on the SB Golf course yesterday. Spring can't be far away. Florence Sanchez Subject: RE: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:36:21 -0600 All: Obviously these goldeneye are migrating but I'd like to know where from. Isn't this species pretty rare to the S of us. Nick ________________________________ From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kelly, Melissa Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 4:15 PM To: 'sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com' Subject: [sbcobirding] Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 Howdy Folks, The Lake is still rising, only 8.31 feet to go. The tules at Storke Flat are inundated and paired Mallards and Coots are already checking it out. 8-9 COMMON GOLDENEYES in Cachuma Bay and in Santa Cruz Bay The COMMON LOONS are starting to come into their breeding plumage. Still seeing at least one immature BALD EAGLE at the lake, mostly at the East End. The PEREGRINE FALCON and a NORTHERN HARRIER were here this morning. Two CINNAMON TEAL flew into the back of Santa Cruz Bay. Thousands of TREE SWALLOWS were out today, and we spotted at least 12 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, 1 BARN SWALLOW, and 1 CLIFF SWALLOW. Our two resident adult BALD EAGLES were out today taking advantage of the high winds. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mute Swan Cygnus olor Wood Duck Aix sponsa Gadwall Anas strepera American Wigeon Anas americana Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Common Merganser Mergus merganser Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo - I California Quail Callipepla californica Common Loon Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel Falco sparverius Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus American Coot Fulica americana Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull Larus californicus Herring Gull Larus argentatus Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii House Wren Troglodytes aedon Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria House Sparrow Passer domesticus - I I Assistant Naturalist Cachuma Lake County Park Santa Barbara County, CA 805.688-4515 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Wildlife officials say bad weather, food shortages likely t... From: TEdell AT aol.com Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:58:10 EST Here is a DFG news release that points to a cyclical event driven largely by weather and oceanographic conditions. Tom Edell Cayucos, CA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - California Department of Fish and Game News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 22, 2010 Contacts: Esther Burkett, Wildlife Biologist, (916) 445-3764 Dana Michaels, Information Officer, (916) 322-2420 Scientists Zero In on Causes of Pelican Stranding Along California Coast Scientific investigation indicates shortages of preferred prey items, like anchovies and sardines, and rough winter weather as primary causes for the pelican mass-stranding. Scientists from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Sea World San Diego and International Bird Rescue Research Center pooled their resources to determine why so many brown pelicans are stranding along the California and Oregon coast. "Working collaboratively with other organizations, we have been able to quickly examine multiple causes for the stranding event," said DFG Wildlife Veterinarian Melissa Miller, in Santa Cruz. "Unfortunately, we are looking primarily at a cyclical event driven largely by weather and oceanographic conditions. Food shortage coupled with bad weather have taken a toll on the pelicans." Mass-stranding of brown pelicans was reported along the California and Oregon coast about this time in 2009, again with widespread food shortages identified as a factor. Some stranded birds have little or no body fat stores and atypical foods in their digestive tracts. Shortages of preferred prey items could be caused in part by the current El Nino event. Some pelicans have also had waterproofing problems with their feathers, possibly related to storm runoff from recent heavy coastal rains. Preliminary findings from postmortem examinations suggest that infectious disease and/or marine toxins are not major contributors to this event. Live-stranded birds are responding quickly to feeding at rehabilitation facilities, although these facilities have been overwhelmed at the sheer magnitude of birds stranding along the coast. DFG is donating frozen trout to these organizations to assist with the rehabilitation effort. When pelicans are starving and sick they may fly into or be found in unusual places, be unaware of their surroundings, tolerate human approach or demonstrate other unusual behaviors. Anyone finding stranded or dead pelicans should not approach or handle the birds, but note their location and report it to either 800-39-WHALE in Los Angeles County or 866-WILD-911 elsewhere. #### Note: This e-mail account is used to distribute information to the public. Do not reply to this e-mail. Direct questions or comments regarding the information contained in this e-mail to the Department staff listed as points of contact for this subject. - Subscribe to DFG News via e-mail or RSS feed -- go to www.dfg.ca.gov/news - Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to DFG Marine Region News Service (e-mail notification of ocean-related news and information) at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/subscribe.asp . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brown Creeper - Cuyama Valley From: TEdell AT aol.com Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:42:44 EST Maggie Smith and I checked several locations in the Cuyama Valley this morning. Our most interesting bird was a BROWN CREEPER at the wetland area (Caliente Ranch on topo map) south of Cuyama along Hwy 166. We watched it move up the trunk of a large cotonwood. Not sure how often this species is found in the Cuyama Valley. Lehman's book does not mention it occurring in District V. We also had about 400 TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS at the Foothill Road dairy. Tom Edell Cayucos, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:15:08 -0800 Howdy Folks, The Lake is still rising, only 8.31 feet to go. The tules at Storke Flat are inundated and paired Mallards and Coots are already checking it out. 8-9 COMMON GOLDENEYES in Cachuma Bay and in Santa Cruz Bay The COMMON LOONS are starting to come into their breeding plumage. Still seeing at least one immature BALD EAGLE at the lake, mostly at the East End. The PEREGRINE FALCON and a NORTHERN HARRIER were here this morning. Two CINNAMON TEAL flew into the back of Santa Cruz Bay. Thousands of TREE SWALLOWS were out today, and we spotted at least 12 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, 1 BARN SWALLOW, and 1 CLIFF SWALLOW. Our two resident adult BALD EAGLES were out today taking advantage of the high winds. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday March 1 - Sunday March 7, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mute Swan Cygnus olor Wood Duck Aix sponsa Gadwall Anas strepera American Wigeon Anas americana Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Common Merganser Mergus merganser Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo - I California Quail Callipepla californica Common Loon Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel Falco sparverius Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus American Coot Fulica americana Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull Larus californicus Herring Gull Larus argentatus Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii House Wren Troglodytes aedon Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria House Sparrow Passer domesticus - I I Assistant Naturalist Cachuma Lake County Park Santa Barbara County, CA 805.688-4515 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wildlife officials say bad weather, food shortages likely to blame for recent die-off of brown pelicans From: "Patrick McNulty" <mcnulty AT gte.net> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:56:57 -0800 From: mcnulty AT gte.net I think a better reference would be the LA Times article from this Feb 23. I hope the link I've included below will work for recipients on the list, but if not, you get the idea and where to find the article. Patrick McNulty Santa Barbara Wildlife officials say bad weather, food shortages likely to blame for recent die-off of brown pelicans Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com Earlier this month, we told you about a disturbing trend affecting brown pelicans: Large numbers of the birds were being found malnourished, begging for food or, in some cases, dead, along the Pacific coast in Oregon and California. The reason... mcnulty AT gte.net sent this using ShareThis. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Pelican deaths? From: "Adam Lewis" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 13:33:25 -0800 Mark, I thought the same thing (article dated Jan 2009) until I read the very last entry - a comment dated March 7, 2010. Adam -----Original Message----- From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mark Holmgren Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 12:22 PM To: Jamie Chavez; capnbob Cc: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Pelican deaths? Hi Jamie, I think this is an old article, from Jan 17. Mark ________________________________ From: Jamie Chavez net> To: capnbob org> Cc: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, March 7, 2010 8:10:40 AM Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Pelican deaths? A net search brings up lots of stories on pelican deaths and fire retardant, but none of the stories I read actually linked the retardant to the pelican deaths. Just speculation until blood test results were available. It seems that lots of news outlets ran with this story. Here is a good report in the SB Independent posted just this morning in fact, which sheds light on the more likely causes. http://www.independ ent.com/news/2009/jan/17/mysterious-disease-sickening-pelicans/ Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA On 3/7/2010 7:33 AM, capnbob wrote: > > > I was recently asked to confirm a story that Brown Pelican deaths had > been linked to runoff made toxic by fire retardant after the recent > fires. Can anyone confirm this? I rather squelch any falsehoods before > they become local myths, unless, of course, it's true. > > > > Thanks, > > Rob Lindsay > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: hum-drum March weekend birding From: Dave Compton <davcompton AT verizon.net> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 13:29:23 -0800 (PST) Some notes from this weekend:   SATURDAY, 6 MARCH Lauro Reservoir - 60 Lesser Scaup, but no Greaters or Ring-neckeds.   Devereux Slough - A male Greater Scaup with three female scaup that are probably all Lessers. One of these females seems to have a pretty consistent Greater head shape, but is the same size as the Lessers, has the same bill proportions, and has a nice, narrow nail. I'm told the white on the wing is also right for Lesser. Go figure. Also two Mute Swans here. Let's hope they move on, soon (sorry all you Mute Swan lovers!).   SUNDAY, 7 MARCH Lake Los Carneros. Pretty quiet. But one Warbling Vireo hanging out in an oak south of the house was early. The Lewis's Woodpecker was in the usual spot. Some Violet-Green Swallows were around.   Dave Compton Santa Barbara     [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Pelican deaths? From: Mark Holmgren <maholmgren AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:22:04 -0800 (PST) Hi Jamie, I think this is an old article, from Jan 17. Mark ________________________________ From: Jamie Chavez To: capnbob Cc: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, March 7, 2010 8:10:40 AM Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Pelican deaths? A net search brings up lots of stories on pelican deaths and fire retardant, but none of the stories I read actually linked the retardant to the pelican deaths. Just speculation until blood test results were available. It seems that lots of news outlets ran with this story. Here is a good report in the SB Independent posted just this morning in fact, which sheds light on the more likely causes. http://www.independent.com/news/2009/jan/17/mysterious-disease-sickening-pelicans/ Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA On 3/7/2010 7:33 AM, capnbob wrote: > > > I was recently asked to confirm a story that Brown Pelican deaths had > been linked to runoff made toxic by fire retardant after the recent > fires. Can anyone confirm this? I rather squelch any falsehoods before > they become local myths, unless, of course, it's true. > > > > Thanks, > > Rob Lindsay > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Pelican deaths? From: Jamie Chavez <almiyi AT verizon.net> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:10:40 -0800 A net search brings up lots of stories on pelican deaths and fire retardant, but none of the stories I read actually linked the retardant to the pelican deaths. Just speculation until blood test results were available. It seems that lots of news outlets ran with this story. Here is a good report in the SB Independent posted just this morning in fact, which sheds light on the more likely causes. http://www.independent.com/news/2009/jan/17/mysterious-disease-sickening-pelicans/ Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA On 3/7/2010 7:33 AM, capnbob wrote: > > > I was recently asked to confirm a story that Brown Pelican deaths had > been linked to runoff made toxic by fire retardant after the recent > fires. Can anyone confirm this? I rather squelch any falsehoods before > they become local myths, unless, of course, it's true. > > > > Thanks, > > Rob Lindsay > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pelican deaths? From: "capnbob" <capnbob AT sbceo.org> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 07:33:20 -0800 I was recently asked to confirm a story that Brown Pelican deaths had been linked to runoff made toxic by fire retardant after the recent fires. Can anyone confirm this? I rather squelch any falsehoods before they become local myths, unless, of course, it's true. Thanks, Rob Lindsay No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2722 - Release Date: 03/06/10 11:34:00 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Various Goleta locales, Saturday morning From: "Dianna" <proscript.inc AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:39:39 -0000 Thank you to those to replied to my post yesterday that that the grebe at Devereux was actually an EARED GREBE, not a RED-NECKED. Sorry for the misidentification. Dianna Ricky Santa Barbara Subject: Various Goleta locales, Saturday morning From: "Dianna" <proscript.inc AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:14:57 -0000 This morning Don and I drove up Farren Road. The only birds of some interest were Western Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2 pair of American Kestrels in love (as Joan Lentz would say), a sad-looking Savannah Sparrow, and a Red-Shouldered Hawk. As we drove south on Hollister Avenue the skies looked ominous and a funnel cloud appeared, lowered, then quickly dissipated into the cloud cover. I was able to catch a couple photos. Later we saw Nancy States, who said she had also seen it plus a second smaller funnel cloud. At Devereux we found a flock of Forster's Terns. They later flew towards Coal Oil Point. The best bird was a RED-NECKED GREBE, probably the one Nick reported recently. Also seen were 1 male Greater Scaup, 2 female Greaters plus a 3rd female that I think is a Greater, American Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Ducks, Pied-Billed Grebes, Buffleheads, Black-necked Stilts, and a Greater Yellowlegs. Goleta Beach was pretty quiet until a Peregrine Falcon flew over the estuary and landed on a snag on the bluff. Here is a link to my Picasa album. http://picasaweb.google.com/proscript.inc/March62010Goleta?feat=directlink Dianna Ricky Santa Barbara Subject: Fw: [CALBIRDS] Galileo Hill Update From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:56:27 -0800 Hi all, I apologize for this non county related post. I thought that some you might be interested in this great migrant trap's future. I am not sure if any of you birders have ever had the great pleasure to witness this mega-rarity hot spot. It has had some of the best birds found in the state like Eyebrowed Thrush, Grove-billed Ani, Common Black-Hawk, Upland Sandpiper, Pine Grosbeak, Mourning Warbler not to mention two Artic Warblers on the same day. The diversity of the mega-rarities was staggering, the string of rarities goes on and on. This location was one of Kern Counties most favored birding destinations. A must stop birding location when passing or by, or just wanting to experience a major migration stop over. Some days were just magical out there on the fallout days, when the birds littered the lawn. I do regret sharing this news, I will miss birding there. Good luck and good birding. Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Barnes To: CALBIRDS AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 7:13 PM Subject: [CALBIRDS] Galileo Hill Update CALBIRDS Subscribers: Unfortunate news from remaining staff at Silver Saddle Ranch & Club at the desert oasis of Galileo Hill in the Mojave Desert of eastern Kern County: * Galileo Hill/Silver Saddle is closed period (to both non-members and members). * Galileo Hill/Silver Saddle is for sale. * No offers on Galileo Hill/Silver Saddle from potential buyers have been made to date. * Therefore, the ultimate future regarding birders and Galileo Hill is yet to be determined and birders are asked not to visit the site in the meantime. Since Galileo Hill is written up in ABA's A Birders Guide to Southern California, feel free to forward this message to those whom you think should know to help avoid visits by those who might not otherwise be advised of the closure. For Jean Brandt and Kelli Levinson, Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, California [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 19:12:45 -0600 All: Devereux seems to have at least partially busted out as the water level was lower today with much mud exposed. The Mute Swans, 50+ Forster's Terns, and plenty of shorebirds and ducks were around. Highlights were: Merlin - 1 Western Sandpiper - 25 Dunlin - 1 Cinnamon Teal - 17 (migration is clearly kicking in for this species the last week or so) Greater Scaup - 2 or 3, I am fairly sure that these bird include the 2 birds I was telling Wim and Joan were Lessers! One of these birds again showed a white secondary wing-bar and duller primary wing-bar when flapping and had a bit of a squared off nape most of the time. However it didn't seem particularly smaller than the other two, which I feel pretty confident are Greaters. As usual the birds were diving non-stop and at medium range. I will try to get better looks tomorrow to resolve the id of the third bird. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: new yard bird From: <guy.tingos AT cox.net> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 7:38:51 -0800 This morning, I heard the unmistakable call notes of a Canyon Wren. The bird moved from our backyard to the front and both Betsy and I got good looks. We are not on a creek and live just south of Cathedral Oaks, so the locale is a bit unusual. Guy Tingos Santa Barbara Subject: RFI Ohio birders From: Michael Gordon <gordo92151 AT bex.net> Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:50:33 -0500 My wife and I are from Ohio and we will be birding in Santa Barbara, Kern and San Diego counties in the middle of March for 9 days. I have Brad Schrams "Birders Guide to Southern California". I would appreciate any help in finding some of our target birds which include the following Mountain Quail Tricolored Blackbird Lawrence's Goldinch Band Tailed Pigeon Elegant Tern Crissal Thrasher LeContes Thrasher Thick billed Fox Sparrow Hooded Oriole Scotts Oriole California Condor Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please respond to email address Thank you in advance Mike Gordon Sylvania,Ohio Subject: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday February 22 - Sunday February 28, 2010 From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:43 -0800 Howdy Folks, Thank-you Nick for that wonderful report on the East End. My last visit there was last Monday and there were no where near that many birds; only NORTHERN SHOVELLERS, CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, and a few GADWALL. The BRANT, REDHEADS, CANVASBACK, CINNAMON TEAL, and the WOOD DUCKS are a big surprise You might think it would be easy for us to get just 8 miles down the road to see what's there for ourselves, but our days are pretty full, so we really only get to see what's on the lake proper. We always appreciate East End reports and those notes go into our records. [Nick - you mention quite a few teal around in addition to the earlier mention of Cinnamon Teal. I'm assuming you saw quite a few GREEN-WINGED TEAL?] The WHITE PELICANS must be gone; we haven't seen them on the lake or at the East End this week. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS are singing. Still at least three immature BALD EAGLES hanging around, and the PEREGRINE FALCON. We had a brief view of one of the adult BALD EALGLES today, but it had barely perched before a RED-TAILED HAWK chased it off. Red-tails and RED-SHOULDERED'S are busy all over the lake; several pairs of both species are making themselves felt. 100+ SCAUP flew over the lake Saturday, and there were two NORTHERN HARRIERS; a group of 32 BUFFLEHEAD has been around all week. Liz had a BONEPART'S GULL and four COMMON GOLDENEYES last Tuesday; Goldeneyes have been very scarce this year. At least one COMMON LOON is still around, and today we saw two EARED GREBES. We found only one LEWIS' WOODPECKER in the Narrows today, but Liz had two there earlier in the week. So far five of the GREAT BLUE HERON nests on Santa Cruz Flat are active; it looks like they're laying eggs. I haven't yet checked out the rookery at the East End this season. ROCK WREN, TREE SWALLOWS, and WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS are out and about too. We can see the lake rising everyday, and we have just10 feet to the fill line. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday February 22 - Sunday February 28, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mute Swan Cygnus olor Wood Duck Aix sponsa Gadwall Anas strepera American Wigeon Anas americana Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Common Merganser Mergus merganser Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo - I California Quail Callipepla californica Common Loon Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel Falco sparverius Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus American Coot Fulica americana Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull Larus californicus Herring Gull Larus argentatus Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria House Sparrow Passer domesticus - I I Melissa Kelly Assistant Naturalist Cachuma Lake County Park Santa Barbara County, CA 805.688-4515 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux and Cachuma birds From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:12:47 -0600 All: This morning I had a large count of 53 Forster's Terns at the N. end of Devereux. Even more surprising was a Royal Tern, which I think is the first I have seen there. A summer-plumaged Avocet was also present. The two Mute Swans were still present, giving me 3 in the county in one day. I headed over to the E. end of Cachuma, where Wes hold told me a lot of birds were now present. He was certainly right. Highlights were: Bald Eagle - 1 imm Mute Swan - 1 Black Brant - 1 Aleutian Cackling Goose - 4 'minima' Cackling Goose - 1 Gadwall - 70 Cinnamon Teal - 10 Redhead - 6 Canvasback - 5 Lesser Scaup - 115 Ring-necked Duck - 80 Wood Duck - 18 Quite a few wigeon, teal, mallard, shoveler, and ruddy ducks were around too. No mergansers. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Devereux Slough, 2/27/10 From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:41:34 -0600 Wim: I saw your hybrid wigeon a couple of days ago at Devereux. I had the same stuff as you in quick stop today. Nick ________________________________ From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Wim van Dam Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 3:43 PM To: SBCo Birding Subject: [sbcobirding] Devereux Slough, 2/27/10 Walking around Devereux this morning was wet, muddy, slippery and fun. Duck-wise, 12 Cinnamon Teals were notable. It's nice to see all the ducks in breeding plumage now. A Red-breasted Merganser was present as well. Among the standard gulls there was a Bonaparte's Gull, a Caspian and 6 Forster's Terns. The pair of White-tailed Kites continue to cause a ruckus; earlier this week I saw them exchanging prey. More worryingly, the Mute Swan that has been at Devereux for the past week has also found a partner, so now there are two of those. Also unusual was a dead Elephant Seal at Ellwood beach. - Wim (Goleta) > Location: Devereux Slough > Observation date: 2/27/10 > Number of species: 37 > > Mute Swan - Cygnus olor 2 > Gadwall - Anas strepera X > American Wigeon - Anas americana X > Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos X > Cinnamon Teal - Anas cyanoptera 12 > Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata X > Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 2 > Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola X > Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator 1 > Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis X > Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps X > Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus X > Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias X > Great Egret - Ardea alba X > Snowy Egret - Egretta thula X > Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura X > White-tailed Kite - Elanus leucurus 2 > American Coot - Fulica americana X > Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola X > Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus X > Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus X > Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus X > Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus X > Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla X > peep sp. - Calidris sp. X > Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia 1 > Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis X > Western Gull - Larus occidentalis X > California Gull - Larus californicus X > Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia 1 > Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri 6 > Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna X > Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans X > Say's Phoebe - Sayornis saya X > Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans X > American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos X > California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis X > Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia X > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/california/ > ) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux Slough, 2/27/10 From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:42:33 -0800 Walking around Devereux this morning was wet, muddy, slippery and fun. Duck-wise, 12 Cinnamon Teals were notable. It's nice to see all the ducks in breeding plumage now. A Red-breasted Merganser was present as well. Among the standard gulls there was a Bonaparte's Gull, a Caspian and 6 Forster's Terns. The pair of White-tailed Kites continue to cause a ruckus; earlier this week I saw them exchanging prey. More worryingly, the Mute Swan that has been at Devereux for the past week has also found a partner, so now there are two of those. Also unusual was a dead Elephant Seal at Ellwood beach. - Wim (Goleta) > Location: Devereux Slough > Observation date: 2/27/10 > Number of species: 37 > > Mute Swan - Cygnus olor 2 > Gadwall - Anas strepera X > American Wigeon - Anas americana X > Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos X > Cinnamon Teal - Anas cyanoptera 12 > Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata X > Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 2 > Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola X > Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator 1 > Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis X > Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps X > Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus X > Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias X > Great Egret - Ardea alba X > Snowy Egret - Egretta thula X > Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura X > White-tailed Kite - Elanus leucurus 2 > American Coot - Fulica americana X > Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola X > Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus X > Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus X > Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus X > Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus X > Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla X > peep sp. - Calidris sp. X > Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia 1 > Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis X > Western Gull - Larus occidentalis X > California Gull - Larus californicus X > Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia 1 > Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri 6 > Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna X > Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans X > Say's Phoebe - Sayornis saya X > Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans X > American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos X > California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis X > Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia X > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/california/ > ) Subject: Scoter Migration From: "kylebraunger" <kylebraunger AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:24:37 -0000 This morning 300+ northbound Scoters flew past Goleta Pt. in less than an hour. The largest flock was 70+ and a WW Scoter was visible in one of the flocks that passed by fairly close to the point. No Brant were seen and only a small number of solitary loons(mostly Red-throated) flew by, a number of which were flying southbound. Kyle Braunger Subject: correction on Greater Scaup NOT at Devereux yesterday From: "Joan Lentz" <joanlentz AT cox.net> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:40:37 -0800 Hi Everyone: Nick Lethaby, who checks Devereux regularly, says he has seen the two female scaup, one of which I thought was a Greater Scaup. He believes that, altho the one female appears to have some Greater Scaup-like characters, he has seen it spread its wings & noted that the white wing patch is restricted, unlike that of the Greater Scaup. So...I think that pretty much throws out my i.d. ;-) The two are both Lesser Scaups. Sorry about that, Joan Lentz Santa Barbara Subject: birding this a.m., Fri. Feb. 26 From: "Joan Lentz" <joanlentz AT cox.net> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:53:16 -0800 Hi All: This morning Rebecca Coulter & I got out to do some birding. We started at Goleta Beach, where we were impressed w/ the no. of Great Blue Heron nests in the rookery & the presence of a pair of Great Egrets there as well. The tide was exceedingly high & shorebirds were feeding up in the wrack, as well as some Marbled Godwits in the grass. A pair of Belted Kingfishers were flying around like crazy & acting chummy. About a dozen Royal Terns mixed in with mostly Heermann's Gulls. We were happy to see that the sand enrichment was at the west end of the beach, so we could bird the east end without being disturbed by massive trucks, etc. Then we went to the UCSB overlook (Area K) which was full of water, as were more distant ponds in Goleta Slough. We looked in vain for the Eur. Wigeon, but had a smattering of Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, a couple of Cinnamon Teal, a pair of Gr-w. Teal, a bunch of No. Shovellers, a couple of pair of Canada Geese, a No. Harrier perched up nicely. Then to Devereux, very full of water, although I assume it's still tidal. Not as many ducks as I'd hoped. Shorebirds distant: Least Sands., Black-bell. Plovers, Semipalm Plovers--none in great numbers. We did find one definite female Greater Scaup down near the bridge to nowhere. A Merlin was strafing a Cooper's Hawk down by the bridge. Red-tails were in love. Nancy States & Debbie Konkel drove up & said they'd seen a pair of Wh-tail. Kites but we missed them. Has anyone checked the vernal pools on either side of Camino Corto? They should be full & I wondered if they were attracting any birds. Joan Lentz Santa Barbara Subject: Ellwood Beach: oiled Common Murre From: "Marian Cohen" <mcohen AT commserv.ucsb.edu> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:32:10 -0800 Yesterday afternoon (Thursday, Feb 25) I found a Common Murre on the beach below Ellwood Mesa, unable to fly because of tar, but otherwise looking sleek and healthy. I took it to the seabird rescue facility at June Taylor's home. She will send it down to the IBRRC in San Pedro. Marian Cohen Goleta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Goleta Beach Great Blue Heron Rookery From: Mark Holmgren <maholmgren AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:21:53 -0800 (PST) On 19 February 2010, I examined the rookery through a scope and binocs from three angles and counted a minimum of 18 nests that had Great Blue Heron attending. 1 pr of Great Egrets were at a nest in the middle of the Euc grove toward the N side of the Eucs. This seems early relative to other years the Egrets have nested here. No cormorants were attending nests yet. Mark Holmgren Santa Barbara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: East Beach: Snowy Plovers, Mew Gulls From: <georger244 AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:05:00 -0500 Hello all: My count of Snowy Plovers on East Beach in Santa Barbara today was 97. I found three color-banded birds in the flock. These were all repeats that I have seen for a few months now. One of them was raised in Goleta, one fledged on Vandenberg AFB and one fledged at Salinas National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of the Salinas River in Monterey County. At the Mission Creek Outfall there was a flock of 34 Mew Gulls. Lots of Sanderlings along the beach. Bird on... George Roland, Montecito. Subject: Audubon's Friday Bird Walk Feb 26 at San Jose Creek From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:34:26 -0000 Where: San Jose Creek Area (near Kellogg Tennis Courts) When: Friday February 26, 2009 8:30-10:30am Sponsor: SB Audubon Society Target Birds: Song birds, woodpeckers, thrashers, thrushes, kinglets etc. Bird walk leader: Jack Sanford 566-2191 or jacksanford AT hotmail.com Directions: From Hwy l01 take the Patterson Ave off ramp and head towards the mountains. Turn left on Cathedral Oaks Rd. Turn left at the Kellogg Rd stop light. Park and meet near the tennis courts. Adam Lewis for the SBAS Subject: Tucker's Grove Red-naped Sapsucker From: "kylebraunger" <kylebraunger AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:32:35 -0000 This afternoon there was a RN Sapsucker in the willow near the lower end of the upper parking lot. Last week a female-plumaged Summer Tanager was observed in an oak near the entrance restroom. At least 2 and maybe 3 Canyon Wrens are wintering along the creek in the park. Kyle Braunger Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:37:38 -0800 Today I walked the beach at low tide from the stairs on the east-facing bluffs, around campus point, and then west to the end of the Lagoon. The Beach was very quiet, with few shorebirds. Checks of the gull flocks behind the marine biology lab and on the point have sometimes yielded good birds in February, such as Black-legged Kittiwake and Franklin's Gull, but not this year. The best gulls I found today were an adult Herring Gull and an immature Glaucous-winged Gull. There was another immature gull on the Point that might have been a first year Thayer's, but I'm always iffy on identifying this species. There are still some adult Heerman's Gulls hanging around--they should have all migrated by now. Nothing else of note on the beach and nothing moving offshore. Florence Sanchez Subject: Wednesday Feb 24 Audubon Lecture by Roger Millikan From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:03:02 -0000 Like Audubon, I shoot birds – but I do it with a digital camera Roger Millikan Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Farrand Hall, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 2559 Puesta Del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 Doors open 7:00 PM Program begins 7:30 PM Free to the public Digital cameras appeared on the consumer scene scarcely ten years ago, and changed photography forever. Consider: Kodak no longer makes film cameras! This revolution has also changed birding and especially bird photography. Roger rode this wave starting with a 2 megapixel Fujifilm camera. Seven cameras later he uses an 18 megapixel Canon DSLR. Needless to say, his pictures today are better than they used to be. In this presentation Roger will briefly discuss how digital photography works, and what camera choices are best for bird photography. Field techniques and post processing of the images will also be discussed. Roger will discuss the question of, once you have your pictures, what can you do with them? One important use is for proving to Audubon committees that you really saw and correctly identified that rare bird you claimed. Nowadays, photo evidence is often required. You can also use your pictures to study bird behavior. Comparing photo sequences over time proves to be very helpful. Roger will provide examples. And finally you can seek to publish your photographs. For Roger, one outlet has been to join with Karen Bridgers to supply photos to go with her bird column in the Santa Barbara News Press. And recently Roger has published a small book: Birds of Cachuma Lake – you will most likely see. Roger says there is a learning curve involved with publishing and that he will discuss some of the important aspects. All in all Roger says it has been great fun. Adam Lewis for the Santa Barbara Audubon Society Subject: Graciosa ravens From: Don Tate <osomocoso AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:08:05 -0800 (PST) 2 ravens indeed, over Hwy 1 between Orcutt and Graciosa Sunday morning.   Don Tate, Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Saturday birds From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:04:51 -0600 All: There seemed to be a number of swallows around today. I saw Tree and Barn at Devereux and RW and Violet-Green at Lauro Resevoir. I had the Eurasian Wigeon and 8 Western Sandpipers at Devereux and 2 Wood Ducks at Lauro. All pretty ho-hum. I noticed a comment in a UK birding blog about the lack of Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, so perhaps there was a pan-Arctic breeding failure for arctic gull species, accounting for the miserable showing of Thayer's down here. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: 3 Brant at Devereux From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:52:11 -0800 This Saturday afternoon, late, there were 3 Brant at Devereux. The two female scaup that I initially thought to be Greater are also still there. Others have told me that they have seen two Lesser Scaup at the same spot, so I probably made a mistake in thinking that they were Greater. I did not refind the Europian-ish Wigeon. - Wim (Goleta) Subject: Preisker Park Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: Jamie Chavez <almiyi AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:49:23 -0800 All, I had good luck observing the wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Santa Maria's Preisker Park today. The bird was vocal and conspicuous in the bare Modesto Ash trees (I think) around Area 1 at the entrance to the park off Hidden Pines Way. I heard a second sapsucker nearby while I was digiscoping the YB, but I never saw this other bird to know what type it might have been. Photos are at the link below if interested. http://www.flickr.com/photos/almiyi/ -- Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux ducks From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:49:29 -0800 Devereux presented me two duck challenges this afternoon. First, there is a female scaup and I'm inclined to say that it is a Greater Scaup. (Yesterday there was a 2nd female scaup, which, from a distance, also could have been a Greater.) Second, among the wigeons, there is one drake with a rufous, Eurasian head, and a more brown, American body. This one appears different from the 'obvious, 100% Eurasian' Wigeon that has been seen at Devereux earlier this winter. Because of the combination of colors I'd say that this could be a hybrid Eurasian x American Wigeon. Not really earth shattering stuff, I know, but if people have opinions about this, I wouldn't mind hearing them. - Wim (Goleta) Subject: Cackling Goose 'Aleutian' From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:18:38 -0000 The recent postings on Cackling and Canada Geese prompted this post about the subspecies leucopareia. In January a lone Aleutian hung around at the SB bird refuge, foraging with coots. Fortunately the chinstrap, listed on several sites as almost always present on the Aleutian subspecies and a key field mark, was visible. The bird's relatively small size, thick neck ring and chinstrap are shown in these 4 photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/sets/72157623462089884/ My thanks to Nick and Wim for previewing the Flickr text and photos. Adam Lewis Goleta Subject: Campus and other bird notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:51:34 -0800 I have been birding, both on campus and elsewhere, but I never seem to find time to make a post. So here are some summary comments about what I've seen the past few days. Among the shorebirds that hang out at the UCSB lagoon, at least two dunlins remain, usually with the Dowtichers. A Mute Swan has also returned to the Lagoon this week. I walked on top of the bluff at campus point this week and last week walked around it at low tide a couple of times--no sign of any sea watch type activity yet. There has been no sign of the juvenile Red Knot for several weeks. A Pelagic Cormorant was roosting on the rocks one day last week. Brandts do this occasionally, but usually the only time I see one from the Point is flying by. On Monday, I finally got up to the San Marcos grasslands to see the Lawrence's Goldfinches. They didn't disappoint! I had only time for a brief walk, so didn't run down the Rock Wrens or Burrowing Owls. I did flush a large flock of American Pipits (at least 100). I could not pull out any Horned Larks from the flock. Interestingly, I found only 1 Western Meadowlark and no Bluebirds during my time there. It was a pleasure to see nice drifts of early wildflowers throughout the preserve (Fiddleneck, Popcorn Flower, Blue Dicks, and one large patch of Shooting Stars). At home, a Red-breasted Sapsucker returned to our Gingko tree in Monday. This is the first sapsucker we've had in about four months. They tend to be fall visitors only at our house. Florence Sanchez Subject: sightings recent and recent-ish From: "matt v" <fickity AT netscape.net> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:30:50 -0000 Greetings! This evening at LLC, I observed a small, adult male SHARP-SHINNED HAWK really marauding! He was strafing songbirds along the lakeshore during my run. When he approached the oaks over the paved path, a female COOPERS HAWK adult appeared, and gave an aggressive chase. Witnessing the obvious size difference as they acrobatically swerved through the trees, one might wonder why it would be difficult to separate and distinguish the two species... On 2-14 Sunday, we rode back to Jameson Lake. In the early am, we flushed a GREAT HORNED OWL. Later, a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL was heard and photographed along the Santa Ynez River. Oddly, sparrows were absent... Butterflies really put on a show! California Tortoiseshell and Sara Orangetips mostly, but a few Silvery Blues too. Herps included W. fence, Side-blotch and S. Alligator Lizard. A great find were several CALIFORNIA TREEFROGS that we photographed. The previous week I worked at Devereux. While supervising my crew, some nice surprises were found. Both ANNAS and ALLENS nests were located. The ALLENS has two eggs... Two GREAT HORNED OWLS were found roosting. Also, a RED FOX!!! Another day, we were sent to Hope Ranch and I found an ANNAS nest with two nestlings. Soon new pics will be added to my Picasa. It appears this year my images will not be strictly SB County, we have many trips planned. Check back often if you are interested, I'll point out any SB Bird additions... -- Matt Victoria Sylvan Dr. Goleta, CA 93117 webpage: http://www.fickity.net http://picasaweb.google.com/fickity.net "If it walks like a Duck, and quacks like a Duck; it may yet be construed a hybrid." *************************************************************** Subject: Ocean Meadows Geese From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:03:06 -0600 All: Thanks to photos by Marge Thornton, Adam Lewis, and Wes Fritz, I was able to get the more interesting geese among the Canada flock at Ocean meadows reviewed by a few goose experts in OR and the central valley. Everyone was unanimous in agreeing that there is a parvipes in the flock and that most of the small cacklers are minimas. There was some difference of opinion on the two slightly larger paler cacklers that hung out with the minimas. The central valley expert felt they were probably taverneri but the OR experts all concluded they were most likely larger paler minimas. Having looked a bunch of photos of minima and tarverneri flocks on the Oregon Fish and Game site, I am tending to agree with the conclusion of the OR experts. The other thing that stood out in reviewing the OR pics were that wide white neck rings occur enough in non-Aleutian birds that I need to be more careful about identifying birds as Aleutians purely on this. Generally identification of lone individuals can be problematic but fortunately we often get small groups here where we can apply average characteristics with more reliability. Even so, there was a particular confusing flock of 4 cacklers at Devereux in the fall that seemed to multiple forms in it. Regards, Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]