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Thanks to Bob Barnes for helping to track down so many of these reports. From: Clay Kempf: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 Panoche Valley Christmas Bird Count & Photo Highlights. Thanks to the great efforts of Panoche Valley fans, 80 species were tallied Wednesday 3 Jan on the Panoche Valley Christmas Bird Count. CASSIN's KINGBIRD and GREATER YELLOWLEGS were the most unusual birds of the day, with only a handful of previous records of either for the CBC.
Other sightings of interest included a continuing LEWIS
WOODPECKER at the lone oak across from the cattle pens near
milepost 98 (don't quote me on the milepost); several GREATER
ROADRUNNERS, CANYON WREN, SAGE THRASHER, SAGE SPARROW, Misses for the day included Mountain Bluebird and Mountain Plover, despite considerable effort by several parties to find them. Mountain Plovers have been extremely scarce this season, with only two sightings of a total of four birds that I'm aware of. Thanks to everyone for helping out and making this count a continued success and enjoyable experience. For those interested, a couple photos from the count (Sage Sparrow, Roadunner, LE Owl) can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/ternvomitthief/capn_2007 From: Andy Engilis: Wed, 03 Jan 2007
Rio Cosumnes CBC
Results. I want to thank all 50+ participants on this year's
Rio Cosumnes Christmas Count held on 2 January 2007. The
fantastic weather and exceptional access yielded a new record
high (tentative) of 160 species. Highlights included a Brown
Thrasher (Tall Forest Cosumnes River Preserve), a male
Bullock's Oriole (Cosumnes Preserve), Blue Grosbeak (Merritt
Island), Horned Grebe and Barrow's Goldeneye (West Laguna
Lake), Mountain Bluebirds (Snodgrass Slough), Thayer's Gull The Thrasher and Oriole are in a section of the Preserve that is closed to the public. From: Bob Ramer: Tue, 02 Jan 2007
Moss Landing CBC I know
a lot of folks were celebrating New Year's Eve along the
central California coast; but most of the whooping and
hollering that was heard the evening of New Year's Day was
when Bruce Barret announced that this year's tentative total
for the Moss Landing CBC had reached 209 species. (And, for
those who asked last night, 209 represents our fourth highest Reaching these lofty heights takes a combination of an area with diverse habitat types, good weather, and an army of great counters; and Moss Landing has been blessed with at least 2 of these 3 components for each of its 32 years of existence. And this year we exchanged a foul-weather day for a fowl-plentiful day to achieve this year's total. As mentioned last night, we extend a special "thank you" to the skippers who launch their boats on count day: so another round of thanks to Yohn Gideon for taking the Slough Safari up Elkhorn Slough and to Wayne Macon for taking his private boat offshore. Another very special group of people who I forgot to acknowledge last night are those gracious land owners who grant us permission to survey their spectacular properties on count day: this list includes Diane Cooley, Colleen Kelly, Sally-Christine Rodgers, and Robert Stephens. The additional species that these boat parties and inland parties add to our species list is the delta between a count that falls below the 200 mark and a count that breaks this mystical threshold. A listing of the more unusual sightings from this year's CBC follows. (Birds highlighted in capital letters represent the second time that those species have been observed on our count.)
Tundra Swan: College Lake area As this list shows, the birding was great--but our birders are the best ever! So John, Ricky, Bernadette and I extend our appreciation to the 80 wonderful folks who gave up their New Year's Day holiday to spend it with the birds. Wishing everyone all the best in 2007 From: Alison Sheehey: Wed 3 Jan 2007 The Kern Valley CBC was held on a beautiful yet chilly day (22ºF start temp). The 22 field birders in 12 groups and 5 feeder watchers produced 128 species with one additional species during count week. The best bird was John Schmitt's record White-throated Sparrow. Bob Barnes and Marya & Darrell Barnes both teams found a new species in Eurasian Collared Dove. Sandra Wieser and I found a very rare to this valley American Avocet. The best part of this count was the tally of owls, all species expected within the count circle were found including: Barn, Western Screech, Long-eared, Great Horned, Northern Pygmy, Northern Saw-whet, Spotted, Burrowing. Thanks to the owling teams of Michael McQuerrey and Gary File, John Schmitt, and Bob Barnes. Thanks to all of you for helping and a big thank you to Ron Gillentine for another fantastic post birding feast! From Chris Conard: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 Folsom CBC 12/31/06. We had wonderful weather for a change and some good birds. The preliminary species total is 134. The total is about average (with a range of 123 to 143). Best finds were a Northern Saw-whet Owl by Mark Martucci and a Northern Shrike by Craig Swolgaard and Ginny Hupp. The owl was not refound today. The shrike, an immature, was near Folsom High School off of Iron Point Rd. This is just east of Prairie City Rd. It was on the east side of Willow Hill Reservoir. Access is tricky, but you may be able to gain views of the reservoir and surrounding land from the school. There are pathways from the new development just southeast of the high school, but the ownership of the adjacent land is unclear to me. Other highlights include the continuing Red-breasted Merganser at Sailor Bar/downstream of Nimbus Hatchery, Common Loon (8), over 200 Horned Grebes, Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Mew, Thayer's, and Glaucous-winged Gulls (and 30,000 gulls on Folsom Lake off Beal's and Folsom Points. 20,000 were flying in over the dam (seen from Folsom Pt) from 4:20 to 4:50), 5 Burrowing Owls, Hairy Woodpecker (one west of Brown's Ravine in El Do), Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Varied Thrush, Common Yellowthroat (often missed), Western Tanager, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Great-tailed Grackle (42 at Mimi's Cafe: 2719 E. Bidwell St.). The merganser was seen from both sides of the river, perhaps most easily by walking downstream for the Nimbus Hatchery. This morning the bird continued in the boat launch at Sailor Bar, but was flushed by a fishing boat before I was able to get a picture. If you have a photo of the bird, I'd appreciate being able to submit it with the documentation for the count. Misses include Canvasback (count week on Bass Lake), Redhead (missing this millennium, but regular before), Ring-necked Pheasant, American Bittern (often missed), Golden Eagle (too many houses? The answer is yes, but is that why we're missing this bird?), Long-billed Dowitcher (often missed), Western Screech-Owl, Lewis's Woodpecker (two years in a row), Steller's Jay (two years in a row), Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon Wren, California Thrasher (most reliable spot now closed), Vesper Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird (!). We nearly missed Orange-crowned Warbler. Thanks to all who helped with the count. From: Bob (& Carol) Yutzy: Tues, 2 Jan 2007 Fall River Count, Tuesday, Jan. 2nd, Preliminary Totals. Happy New Year to all! We had a pretty darn good count considering....! Preliminary total is 123 Species (with the previous average at 114.5 species) There were 14 somewhat notable misses (did anybody see one of these and forget to tally them?) (We have NEVER missed Red-breasted Nuthatch or Brown Creeper, and only a few misses out of 23 counts of Western Grebe, Pheasant, Barn Owl, Loggerhead Shrike, Horned Lark, and Pygmy Nuthatch!) There were about 20 good to great finds...
GOODIES!
Seen 3 x or less - TOP SPOTS NEW BIRDS were 25 Eurasian Collared Doves, 1 Chipping Sparrow. ZOWEE! Counters - Thanks for all the hard work & hope to see everybody next year on the first Saturday of the count period - December 15th, 2007 (no rescheduling, barring an earthquake or squall!) From: Tom Rusert: Tue, 02 Jan 2007 Sonoma Valley CBC - Unofficial Results Including (CW) Here is the unofficial results going into the final CW stretch of midnight tonight 1/1/07. Total Species for the SV-CBC (CASZ) 163 plus (6) in CW = 169
Total Birds counter - 55,015 - (last year 50,605) CW details are posted at http://www.sonomabirding.org/ on the home page. The spread sheet results by Area will be updated this week. We will keep you posted if there are any more developments. From: Bill Oliver: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 Redding Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 30. The weather was great and so was the attendance. We had 36 participants 10 more than last year which was then the high number. We tallied 117 species which is a few more than the recent average. High numbers were found for Canada Goose (in spite of rather low numbers of water birds), Wild Turkey, Bald Eagle (12 each of immature and mature), Spotted Sandpiper, and Black Phoebe. New for the count was one Black-throated Gray Warbler and three Greater Yellowlegs. See only once or twice before in the 32 years were Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Townsend's Warbler. From: Rob Hewitt: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 In the absence of Doc Harris who compiles the Centerville CBC here is a quick summary of nice finds. They include Crested Caracara, Slaty-backed Gull, Pacific Golden Plover, Rock Sandpiper, Lapland Longspur, Say's Phoebe, Black-and-white Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, and more, look for updates today from Ken Burton who is leading a follow up trip. A possible 184 species, not bad for our latitude. In fact it can be the highest count for this far north. From: Clifford Hawley: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 The Sacramento CBC was held in beautiful weather yesterday and looks to have tied the previous high species tally. We didn't have many big misses other than both eagles, Wild Turkey and Cackling Goose.
Highlights of the count include: Those are the highlights for this year. Good birding. From: Kevin Enns-Rempel: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 Lost Lake CBC: preliminary report. I haven't got the data yet from Bob Winter and Carl Johannson, but with 11 of 12 precincts reporting I can say that the Lost Lake CBC had at least 131 species and more than 27,850 individual birds. Best birds of the day were Eastern Phoebe (Lost Lake), Swamp Sparrow (Lost Lake) and Northern Waterthrush (Rank Island). I will submit a complete report once the last group's data are in. Thanks to everyone who helped with this year's count. Despite the less-than-perfect weather, I think we had a very good day. From Don Roberson: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 Here is a brief summary of the results of yesterday's (28 Dec) Monterey Peninsula CBC. The preliminary total was 185 species -- quite a good count for us. The weather was crisp and clear but quite windy in the morning. Indeed, it was so windy in the morning that the scheduled boat trip did not go out, so we are missing some pelagics (e.g., fulmar, kittiwake, Pink-foot..... we'd welcome any reports from afternoon whale-watching boats!). Still, this was a fine count for recent years.
Some highlights: Many thanks to all the participants. From: Ed Pandolfino: Thu, 28 Dec 2006
Lincoln Christmas
Bird Count recap. Yesterday we enjoyed a brisk day in
the field with rain in the early morning No really unusual birds found, but we did add five new species for the count: Blue-winged Teal, Osprey (count week), Eurasian Collared Dove, Mountain Bluebird (in two different places) and Purple Finch. Other good finds were significant numbers of American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts in multiple locations, Western Sandpiper, Winter Wren and Varied Thrush in multiple places. Misses included Gadwall (first time), Hooded Merganser and Lesser Scaup (second time), Peregrine Falcon (second time), Burrowing Owl (first time), Wrentit (second time) and White-throated Sparrow (second time). Two likely escapees of interest were the male Mandarin Duck returning for a second year and a possible Orange Bishop. My thanks to all who helped. From: Harold Reeve: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 The 38th Los Banos CBC was windy, chilly, and birdy. Eleven birders found 128 species, a bit below the 10-year average of 130. Highlights included Ruff (2nd record for count), Spizella sp.(1st record), and Semipalmated Plover (2nd record). Other notable birds were Townsend's Warbler (new to count), Mew Gull (4th record), Snowy Plover (5th record), 2 Peregrine Falcons, Barn Swallows, Forster's Terns, and 116 Great-tailed Grackles. Species we usually get but missed this year include Tundra Swan, Redhead, Rough-legged Hawk, Sandhill Crane, House Wren, and Fox Sparrow. Sorry for the day-late post, but if anyone wants to chase something, here are some locations of rarities. The Ruff was near the end of Criswell Rd. From the intersection of Mercy Springs Rd. (Hwy 165) and Pacheco Blvd (Hwy 152) in Los Banos go east nearly 4 miles and turn left on Delta Rd. Take Delta Rd. about 1.5 miles north and turn left on Criswell Ave. Go one mile west to where Criswell dead ends at a duck club. The Ruff was seen feeding in weeds along pond margins near the first telephone pole east (back on Criswell) from the end of the road. The Spizella sp. was thought to be a Clay-colored but Chipping could not be ruled out under the conditions and duration of the observation. It was just outside of the town of Los Banos along Ingomar Grade Rd. about midway between Overland Rd. and Colorado Ave. The bird was on the north side of Ingomar Grade in the tall weeds between the road and the railroad tracks. A long row of trees, mostly cottonwoods, parallels the tracks. The bird was adjacent to the area near the middle of the row of trees where poplars predominate rather than the cottonwoods. The bird was seen mid morning and looked for extensively later in the day without success. The Semipalmated and Snowy plovers were at the Los Banos sewage treatment plant in the nearly-dry southeast pond. The Townsend's Warbler was an adult male located in a tiny city park between the canal and Monte Vista Ave. near the intersection of Monte Vista and Harrison avenues. This location is 3 or 4 blocks south of Los Banos High School. From: Michael Mammoser: Tues, 19 Dec 2006 On Sunday, 17 Dec 07, I provided roaming coverage for the San Jose CBC, starting the day at Lake Cunningham. Here I ran into Jim and Sue Liskovec, and while we talked Jim saw an OSPREY over the lake. Within a few minutes, a number of swallows showed up and I was able to pick out 3 TREES and 12 VIOLET-GREENS. A good start to the day. I then headed for the EEC in Alviso to try for more good birds. I soon had both of the YELLOW WARBLERS that have been in the butterfly garden and heard the HOUSE WREN calling on two occasions (Bruce Barrett saw it later). Two BARN OWLS were in the nest box along the slough and a BURROWING OWL was on the little mound near the railroad tracks. A male EURASIAN WIGEON was on salt pond A16 out front of the EEC, and both SORAS and VIRGINIA RAILS were calling from the slough. A SAY’S PHOEBE was along the tracks, 23 WILSON’S SNIPE were on a little island at the corner of Grand and Spreckles, 5 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were in the pond at State and Spreckles, as were 13 MEW GULLS. While at this location a MERLIN flew by, heading towards the north. I made some stops that didn’t pay off, such as the Gold St bridge over Alviso Slough looking for Swamp Sparrow and to Calabazas Marsh to try for American Bittern. So, I checked a closed pond in Alviso and found a SNOWY PLOVER and a SANDERLING, but I don’t know if these were seen there by the normal party. Finally, it took me 3 trips to the EEC entrance road before I found the wintering RUFF, and one more to get a LESSER YELLOWLEGS. I ended up with 7 writeup birds, not bad for a poacher. On Monday, 18 Dec 07, I worked the Palo Alto CBC, covering the salt ponds behind Moffatt Field between Stevens Creek and the Sunnyvale sewage ponds. A BURROWING OWL greeted me at the start, from the side of the old landfill next to the sewage plant. The Lockheed Ponds next to the landfill produced a nice male BLUE-WINGED TEAL. My usual ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was at the fennel patch cornering the landfill next to the Yahoo parking garage. It was interesting to watch an adult male COOPER’S HAWK at the Lockheed Ponds chasing crowned sparrows through the coyote brush and fennel. It would just crash into the vegetation and I could hear its wings smacking the small branches as it chased the birds unseen, only to pop out and crash back in at another spot. Finally, it just stayed hidden for some minutes in the undergrowth and I left, not knowing if it was successful or not. Other highlights included 2 HORNED GREBES, 7 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, and 2 each of WESTERN and CLARK’S GREBES. I found 11 REDHEADS in a large flock of CANVASBACKS. A MERLIN flew by just 10 feet over my head at Crittenden Marsh. At the end of the day I did my paperwork at Byxbee Park and then walked out to look for owls in the Palo Alto flood control basin. I met John Meyer on the way and we both took up the vigil. At last we had a SHORT-EARED OWL working low over the reeds, along with a BARN OWL. On the way back to the parking lot, the Barn Owl came by just across Matadero Creek from us and dove down into the vegetation, flushing out a male RING-NECKED PHEASANT. I couldn’t imagine the owl taking on a pheasant, but that seemed to be what it was after. The pheasant escaped, issuing a “crow” of resentment. On Tuesday, 19 Dec 07, I decided to chase rarities. I went to Upper Penitencia Creek Park and spent 2.5 hours looking for the Black-and-White Warbler, along with a number of other people. Failing that, I headed for Mountain View. Walking out through the overflow parking lot at Shoreline, I saw the 2 SNOW GEESE in with a number of CANADAS. I went out to salt pond A2W and was able to find 1 of the PELAGIC CORMORANTS that had been found the previous day. On the way back I passed Mike Rogers, who had told me of the arrival of the BRANT and CACKLING GEESE in the lot and, sure enough, they were there as I returned. I returned to Penitencia Creek Park and, as I walked onto the little wooden bridge, saw the BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER on a sycamore branch not 20 feet from me. I followed this bird for the next 30+ minutes, eventually being joined by Dean Manley and Mike Rogers. At one point Dean and I had this confiding bird foraging on a branch about 5 feet from our heads. Sweet! From: Al Eisner: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 Several participants on the Dec. 18 Palo Alto CBC (which straddles the Santa Clara/San Mateo County line) have already posted their observations, but others have not. This note summarizes notable species found on the count. I'll post more details about the count as a whole after it has been compiled. The preliminary total number of species is 170, toward the high end of past counts; a few more species could be added pending review of documentation. In Santa Clara County, all the previously-found species of geese were refound on the count: 3 Greater White-fronted, 2 Snow, 6 to 7 Cackling, and the Brant. (The latter, a county rarity, was seen at the Shoreline overflow parking lot.) Blue-winged Teal and Eurasian Wigeon are regular on the count, but still interesting -- we had 9 and 8, respectively. The 2 Pelagic Cormorants on salt pond A2W marked only their third appearance on the count. Short-eared Owl used to be regular, but has been scarce on the count in recent years; the one at Byxbee Park was seen on the count, and has been rather cooperative the past few days. The continuing House Wren along Stevens Creek near Crittenden was seen, only the fourth count record. A Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, found on count day near the Emily Renzel marsh, was even rarer. The stakeout Black-throated Gray Warbler along Stevens Creek was seen, as was a newly-found individual along San Francisquito Creek near Fulton. As Mike Rogers has reported, two different Northern Waterthrushes were seen along Stevens Creek (and one, presumed one of those, at the Charleston Road Marsh). Four Western Tanagers (including the two previously reported at Stanford) was an unusually high total. Two White-throated Sparrows (a bit below average) included one near lower Matadero Creek. One Slate-colored Junco was also found (I'm not sure in which county). Last but not least: an impressive total of 18 Lawrence's Goldfinches were seen departing early morning from Garth Harwood's favorite spot at the Montebello Open Space Preserve. In San Mateo County, the above two Snow Geese were seen by two additional parties. A Common Loon was at Bear Gulch Reservoir (no public access). An Osprey (only the third count record) was on a transmission tower out toward the Bay from Bayfront Park. Also at Bayfront was a Brn Swallow, our only swallow of the count. A Lesser Yellowlegs was seen near Sun Microsystems. A Hermit Warbler near Horseshoe Lake at Skyline OSP was in the same area where the species has recently summered. We had three species new to the count: the continuing Brant (there is one previous count-week report) and -- more surprising that these are new -- Barn Swallow (congratulations to Bob Power) and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (likewise to Richard Jeffers). Thanks, indeed, to all the participants, and to the count organizer, Jack Cole, for a very successful day From: Kirsten R. Holmquist: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 The San Jose Christmas Bird Count this year was gifted with beautiful weather. It turned out to be the kind of day where nature opens up a window and all you can do is just smile and be grateful. The preliminary species total for the count is 172. This marks only the second time in the history of the San Jose count that we have broken the 170 mark and falls only one shy of the record. To all those who helped count, give yourselves a pat on the back. You rock!
We had a number of stake out birds that all came through for
us this year; however, the real rock star of the count was a
totally unexpected gift from a small urban park. Of course, I
am talking about the much reported (and photographed) on
Black-and-White Warbler (Mike Azevedo, Ann Verdi, Rich Page)
at Penitencia Creek County Park. This species is a first ever
for the San Jose CBC. The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker continued
at Ed Levin County Park and was the focus of attention of much
attention from the parties The group covering the area around the EEC was kept busy with rarities this year. Many of the stake outs were in this area and included: 1) Yellow Warblers, 2) Eurasian Wigeon, 3) Ruff, and 4) Lesser Yellowlegs. In fact, that group had an astounding 92 species for the day! Coming in a close second were the folks who covered the Sunnyvale Baylands and Pond A-4. They had 91 species. Meanwhile, Mike Rogers covering the outer salt ponds was only able to come up with a paltry 89. However, he did redeem himself by coming up with the only Redhead and Surf Scoter of the day. :-) While the party totals are partly a shameless plug for the Alviso sector for next year, it is also worth noting that even in their current degraded state, the estuary shoreline habitat clearly supports and attracts wildlife. I look forward to the day when restoration efforts make this even more rewarding a place to census and we once again register Clapper Rail in the San Jose Count with regularity. I believe the last time we had that species for the count was 10 years ago and that was a single individual.
Finally, I was asked at the countdown dinner about how this
data is used. Most obviously, it is used by the national
organization to track trends in populations. I encourage those
interested to check out the national count website at
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc. They have articles there
regarding some of the things they've learned, like the
collapse of the From: Jimm Edgar: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 Saturday, 16 Dec was the Central Contra Costa County bird count and though the day was cold, we did not have rain. The total species seen this year was 151, a very good number for an inland count. Highlights were a Bald Eagle seen at dawn fling over Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Newell Park in Concord (probably the same bird that was seen there last year.), Violet-green Swallow and Barn Swallow over the Delta, 4 Redheads at the Contra Costa water treatment reservoir in Concord, Mt. Bluebirds at the top of Mitchell Canyon on Mt. Diablo, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers on Mt. Diablo and a Yellow-headed Blackbird near the Delta Though a strange highlight I guess, we are seeing increasing numbers of Great-tailed Grackle in the county. More than 20 were seen Saturday. We missed several birds we almost always see including Western Grebe, Long-billed Dowitcher, and several shorebirds. From: Tom Benson: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 The San Jacinto Lake CBC was held yesterday, Tuesday December 19. We thank the 17 participants who braved the cold but otherwise nice weather to help us count birds. Highlights (that I can remember) from the tally last night include: 1 Green-tailed Towhee and several Whimbrel (new for the count) on private property east of Bridge Street; Mountain Plover in the sod fields along the east side of Bridge Street; 1 Short-eared Owl and 2 long-eared Owls at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area; 3 male Eurasian Wigeons, 2 Ross' Geese and 7 Snow Geese on private property near Nuevo; 1 male Eurasian Wigeon and 1 Golden Eagle near Lake Perris; Horned Grebe, Common Loon and 1 first winter Mew Gull on Lake Perris; and 28 Greater White-fronted Geese and 5 Marbled Godwits at Mystic Lake. Unfortunately we were not able to relocate the Eastern Phoebe despite several efforts by numerous people. From: Mary Freeman: Mon 1 Jan 2007 Today Nick, Larry Allen, Frank and Susan Gilliland and I participated in the Los Angeles CBC.
We began the day at the end of the Venice Pier at Venice Beach
with the following highlights. Here we counted 600+ SURF
SCOTER and were pleasantly surprised to locate 3 BLACK SCOTER
(immatures) and 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (immatures, one had a
very dark blackish head) in the same flock. I found a distant
PARASITIC JAEGER and we also saw a few shearwaters - too hazy
and distant to get a diagnostic ID. We found the expected
western gulls as well plus numerous HORNED GREBE. The scoters
and grebes were under the pier and we enjoyed watching them so
close! Some of the scoters were plucking mussels from the
pylons
Then at the Ballona Channel bridge, we came across a first
year THAYER'S GULL. 2 more first year Thayer's Gulls were
located up From: Dan Cooper: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 Santa Clarita CBC. Despite apocalyptic weather forecast (flash-floods, 75-mph gusts...), dawn broke partly-cloudy and calm in Santa Clarita this morning, much to the relief of the count participants. By the time the winds did pick up around 11:00 am, we'd enjoyed a picture-perfect morning of birding, cool and crisp. I don't have numbers yet, but highlights included first count records of: Cattle Egret (2 following a bulldozer near Newhall!), Ferruginous Hawk (along Hwy. 126), and Long-billed Dowitcher (Castaic Lagoon). We picked up a great array of uncommon species, including Snow Goose (Stevenson Ranch), Thayer's Gull (Castaic Lagoon), Canyon Wren, Varied Thrush (pr., Bouquet Cyn.), Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird (Castaic Jct.), Vesper Sparrow (Castaic Jct.) and Swamp Sparrow (Castaic Lagoon). Many "common" birds were seen by just one party, so everyone's help was definitely appreciated. There were very few real misses, but kestrel was our only falcon, and Golden Eagle was a no-show again; an Orange-crowned Warbler sighting was submitted without details - they're strangely rare in the circle in winter. A post-lunch push added Greater Roadrunner and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (tough on cold days), and we await word from feeder-watchers on Red-breasted Nuthatch and Cactus Wren near the eastern edge of the circle. Right now, we are looking at just over 130 species for the day. There is still a lot of open land in the count circle, and flocks of meadowlarks and pipits were a treat to many observers. Thanks one and all for a great count!! From: Kevin Larson: Sat, 30 Dec 2006
Carol Selvey and I pitched in on the Long Beach - El Dorado
CBC today, doing DeForest Park (DP) and the LA River (LAR)
from south of Willow St. north to Artesia Blvd. From: Kevin Larson: Fri 29 Dec 2006 The Palos Verdes Peninsula CBC was held on Saturday, 23 Dec. By my count at the tally, we recorded 171 species on count day. This is unofficial since all of the checklists have not been compiled yet. An additional 15 species were seen 20-26 Dec, making a satisfying total of 186 for count week. And, based on what we saw before and after count week, there were more birds than that in the circle.
Highlights: From: Joel Weintraub: Sun 17 Dec 2006 San Juan Capistrano CBC (South County) Under overcast skies and sometimes windy conditions, with only (in my area) a brief episode of rain, we have a preliminary total count figure of 155 or so species tallied during our compilation dinner at a local pizza parlor. When all parties full lists are sent in, we might get close to 160 species. The "best" species include (and I've probably left off some things): Cackling Goose (1st time... after the split with Canada Goose), Hooded Merganser, Short-tailed Shearwater (1st time on count), Black Oystercatcher (5 individuals bathing at the mouth of San Juan Creek, 1st time on the count), "Kumlien's" Gull refound (initially photographed by Jim Pike on the 12th, refound the morning of the count, taxonomic status debated, might be a hybrid between Iceland and Thayer's), Loggerhead Shrike (nice to see it again on the South County CBC), Eurasian Collared-Dove (population established around the Costco center...look on wires, discovered by Peyton Cook this fall, 1st time on count... don't know if that's a highlight or not), Broad-billed Hummingbird (returning for 2nd winter), Brown Creeper (two locations), Rock Wren (usual place below Headlands at Dana Point), Mountain Bluebird, American Redstart (returning..Laguna Niguel Regional Park), Summer and Western Tanager, White-throated Sparrow, and Bullock's Oriole. From: Joan Lentz: Sun, 31 Dec 2006
Santa Barbara, CA, CBC
preliminary totals for Dec. 30, 2006. In what turned
out to be an amazing CBC with absolutely perfect weather, a
ton of good birders, lots of good birds, & an all-out effort,
Santa Barbara's CBC yielded an initial total of 227 species
tallied. Before anyone writes that number down, be aware that
there are already 2 or 3 species that are questionable, so the
much more likely total is 224. However, I thought I'd put you
out of your misery & post this before we actually knew the
exact & final total! In any case, it breaks the old record of
219 tallied in the 1982-83 CBC for this count circle. From: Mark Holmgren: Tue, 2 Jan 2007 The Cachuma CBC went well on 28 December 2006. The fierce winds of the past several days abated, at low elevations at least, by 0930 hrs. 26 observers in 9 groups participated. We found 138 species, which is about the mean for this count when the weather cooperates. New species for the count were Cackling Goose, Mew Gull, and Spotted Owl. Other interesting finds were Peregrine Falcon, approx. 28 Osprey, perhaps 6 Bald Eagles and not all at Cachuma Lake, several Barn Swallows, Tree and Violet-green Swallows, White-throated Sparrow, Phainopepla, Mountain Bluebird, Vesper Sparrows, and Townsend's Solitaire. Special misses were White Pelican, Eared Grebe (we're stunned by that), Prairie Falcon, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. Very fun day and nice dinner thanks to Cruz Phillips. Thanks to everyone who participated. From: Ken Weaver: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 The Escondido CBC currently stands at 147 species with several teams yet to report. As with most CBCs this year, we recorded no remarkably rare species (at least so far). Some of the scarcer or more noteworthy birds for this area of North County include:
Wild Turkey, Pamo Valley, 75 pairs of drumsticks! One good note. Linda Johnson reports that the injured screech owl she and Ron found will survive and will probably stay permanently at the wildlife rehab center she took the bird to. From: Roger Zachary: Mon 1 Jan 2007 Just wanted to inform everyone about the results of the Carrizo CBC on Dec. 30, 2006. It was a beautiful clear day out on the Carrizo Plain with chilly morning temperatures warming to about 65 degrees in the afternoon. Soda Lake was dry as well as most of the other wet areas. Ten sections were surveyed and 65 species identified. Normally the range of species seen is from 55-70. Some of the noteworthy birds included Turkey Vulture (1), Rough-legged Hawk (2), Long-billed Curlew (1404), Spotted Sandpiper (1) the first on the count since 1970, Burrowing Owl (8) most were found in the burn areas, Long-eared Owl (6), Sage Thrasher (1), and LeConte's Thrasher (1). Otherwise we had a good cross section of wintering birds out there. Once I get the data into the Audubon's CBC website you can view the full numbers and species. I'd like to thank the 36 birders who helped with the Carrizo Plain CBC survey. The next Carrizo CBC will be Dec. 29, 2007. Mark your calendars. Have a Happy New Year and fun/exciting/successful birding in 2007. From: David Pereksta: Mon 1 Jan 2007 We held the Thousand Oaks CBC on Sunday 12/31 which resulted in a preliminary total (all districts not reporting yet) of 190 species! This is likely a new record for this count. A lot of dedicated birders put forth a great effort that yielded a number of good birds. Highlights included: Eurasian wigeon - Mugu Lagoon, Black scoter (6) - Mugu Lagoon, White-winged scoter - Mugu Rock, Swainson's hawk (dark morph) - Point Mugu, Clapper rail - Point Mugu, Black-legged kittiwake - Mugu lagoon (offshore), Marbled murrelet (2) - Mugu Rock, Ancient murrelet (2) - Mugu Lagoon (offshore), Burrowing owl (5) - Point Mugu, Short-eared owl - Mugu Lagoon at high tide, Yellow-bellied sapsucker - Pepper Tree Park near Newbury Park, Red-naped sapsucker - Lake Sherwood, one other area (?), Vermilion flycatcher - Point Mugu, White-throated sparrow - Hill Canyon These are just some of the highlights from the count and hopefully we may get a few more birds after all results are turned in. Thanks again to all those who participated and made this such a great count. From: Rudy Darling: Mon 1 Jan 2007 Grass Valley CBC was held Sat. Dec. 30. The preliminary total of 110 species, the second highest of our 13 years, and well above our average of 101. Isn't it great what good weather will do! New birds for the count were Snowy Egret (2) and a female Williamson's Sapsucker (outside Nevada City). Good birds for western Nevada County included: Cackling Goose, Gr. White-fronted Goose, Canvasback, Merlin, Golden Eagle, Black Rail, Rock Wren, and Lewis' Woodpecker. For a final analysis check the March issue of the Phoebe, the bi-monthly bulletin of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society. It can be viewed at www.sierrafoothillsaudubon.com
From: Chris Howard: Sat 16 Dec 2006 Many thanks to everyone who contributed. We saw many really great birds on a day when I doubt any of us would have been birding at all! A very special thank you to James and Kay Wilson, who offered their warm, beautiful home for the tally potluck. From: Rob Santry: Tues, Dec 26, 2006 We conducted the Unofficial Anderson count this Saturday with good results. The total species count is now 110 species ( I had to track Randy down on his bittern sighting)! The day started out slightly drizzly but by the time we started, the weather cleared, and finally it was a nice winter day. Seventeen people showed up for the count and this still left some areas under-counted. We could only bird Lake California for one hour and I know if this zone was birded all day, we would see many more birds and hopefully a few more species! Also, we shut the count down at 2:00 rather than dusk which may have also limited us somewhat. But, overall, I think the species count was more than I expected. Waterfowl came through and we even had some shorebirds mixed in. Also, some good birding by the group found some unexpected birds. Of the 110 species seen, 13 were not on the Redding CBC list that we used, which shows the change in bird habitat between Redding and Anderson. The thirteen are: House Wren - 9, Ring-necked Pheasant - 1, Tricolored Blackbird - 750!, Ferruginous Hawk - 7, Say's Phoebe - 2, White-tailed Kite - 2, Rough-legged Hawk - 2 , one of which was in the valley farmlands!!, Greater Roadrunner - 1, Phainopepla - 3, Loggerhead Shrike - 2, Least Sandpipers - 23, Wild Turkeys - 23, American Bittern - 1, Other good sightings were: Barrow's Goldeneye, Northern Pintail, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Thayer's Gull From: Gerry Wolfe: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 Eight birders, from 3 different counties (Inyo, Kern & San Mateo!), turned out for this year's Death Valley CBC on 12/22. We tied our previous (2004) high species total of 54 for count day. An additional 5 species during count week gave us an all-time high species count of 59! Highlights for count day were a near perfect morning and 70 degree high temperature, the female vermillion flycatcher wintering at the big pond on the golf course, the 1st great blue heron and American kestrel in a decade for the count, a flock of 28 horned larks on the golf course fairways, and the first ever bushtits for the count. Thanks again to all who participated. FYI, the last CW species was a canvasback drake I saw on the big pond while golfing Christmas morning. From: Oscar Johnson: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 The Salton Sea (South) CBC was conducted yesterday (Tuesday, 19 December). We had decent weather (mid 30's to lower 60's). 174 species were seen, plus three on count week. Noteworthy observations included: Horned Grebe (3-one at Wiley Reservoir, two in Wister), BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY (1-north side of Mullet Island, seen from an airboat), Greater White-fronted Goose (2-circling over Ramer Lake), Surf Scoter (1-near the end of Bowles Road), Common Merganser (4-Wiley Reservoir), PIPING PLOVER (1-on the shore of the sea due east of Mullet Island, seen from an airboat), Mountain Plover (138-Seventy-five near Bowles and Lack, sixty-three near the Calipatria Prison), Whimbrel (1-Duck club near Foulds and Bruchard), Red-necked Phalarope (1- Intersection of Bowles and Young Roads), Laughing Gull (100+ in a flooded field south of Obsidian Butte), Heermann's Gull (1-Mullet Island), Mew Gull (1-end of Bowles Road), Thayer's Gull (1-Obsidian Butte), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2-Red Hill Marina), Yellow-footed Gull (2-Red Hill Marina), Western Gull (2-Red Hill Marina), Glaucous-winged Gull (8-along the shore of the sea), White-winged Dove (3- one at Sperry and Eddins, two in Niland), Ruddy Ground-Dove (3-Sperry and Eddins), Western Screech-Owl (2-Niland), Gila Woodpecker (2-near Sperry and Eddins), Eastern Phoebe (1-McDonald Road just east of Davis Road), Plumbeous Vireo (1-Niland, Noffsinger just east of International), N Rough-winged Swallow (1-Ramer Lake), Bank Swallow (3-Wister Unit), SEDGE WREN (1-East side of an okra field at the intersection of Noffsinger and International in Niland), Sprague's Pipit (3-two in fields east of the Calipatria Prison, one at the intersection of Blair and Sinclair), Yellow Warbler (3-Niland), American Redstart (2-one at the duck club near Foulds and Bruchard, one on Beach near Highway 111), Wilson's Warbler (1-Memphis and Fourth in Niland), Harris's Sparrow (1-Sperry and Eddins), Golden-crowned Sparrow (3-two in Niland, one at Ramer Lake), Dark-eyed Junco (one "Slate-colored" on the Alamo River near Garst, unknown number at Sperry and Eddins), in stark contrast to last year only one Chestnut-collared Longspur was recorded (in a field just west of the NWR Headquarters), Lapland Longspur (count week, near English and Sinclair). Birds missed on count day include: Least Bittern, Clapper Rail, Cactus Wren, and Lapland Longspur. If anyone saw any of these species on count day or count week, please let me know. These are preliminary results, subject to further revision. Thanks to all who participated in the count. From: Gary Lester: Tues, Dec 26, 2006 Details on the Willow Creek CBC, Dec 23, are now available on-line (http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html). At the countdown Saturday evening, we had 84 species. Biggest misses were many raptors, House Finch, Hutton’s Vireo and House Sparrow (foul conditions). Only one real rarity appeared (a male Red-naped Sapsucker), but species of note included Common Goldeneye, White-breasted Nuthatch, California Towhee, Barn Owl, White-headed Woodpecker, Townsend Solitaire and Sora. Thanks again to all who spent their Saturday prior to Christmas counting birds, and yes, I too take full responsibility for the weather this year. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! From: Pete Woodman: Sun, Dec 17, 2006 The China Lake CBC (Ridgecrest, in the Mojave Desert portion of Kern County) had a record 104 species on Sunday, December 17, 2006. Highlights from combined reports from participants Bob Barnes and Susan Steele are: COUNT FIRSTS! - RED PHALAROPE 1 (Bob Steele - seen & photographed at Inyokern Sewer Ponds in the a.m., refound in the p.m.) and NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER 1 (Joyce Seibold ). ALSO - Tundra Swan 6, Snow Goose 3200+ (record high), Ross's Goose 428 (record high), Cackling Goose 7, Chukar 30, Redhead 3, American White Pelican 3, Black-crowned Night-Heron 1, Common Moorhen 2, American Avocet 1, Dunlin 4, Long-billed Dowitcher 24, Long-eared Owl 32, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 1, Red-naped Sapsucker 2, Hairy Woodpecker 2, Steller's Jay 1, Barn Swallow 2, Oak Titmouse 4, Bushtit 11, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Cactus Wren 2, Mountain Bluebird 130 (record high), Varied Thrush 1, Le Conte's Thrasher 5, Cedar Waxwing 6, Orange-crowned Warbler 2, Brewer's Sparrow 1, and Fox Sparrow 1. From: Nick & Mary Freeman: Sun, Dec. 17, 2006 Despite the impending storm, the Lancaster CBC held on 12/16/06 was blessed with good weather, and narry a hitch. Highlights of the count were two GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS (new for the count), six PHAINOPEPLAS (seen only once before), and OSPREY (seen twice), as well as the return of SHORT-EARED OWL to the count (none in the last 6 years). Next Lancaster CBC December 15, 2007; so mark your calendars! From Tom Edell: Tues, Dec. 19, 2006 The Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley CBC was held on December 16. The two standout birds of the count were a nominate "eastern" BELL'S VIREO and female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (both on private property). Other good birds included a juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK reported near the Nature Center at Whittier Narrows (entrance on Durfee, east of Santa Anita Ave.), a THAYER'S GULL along the San Gabriel River, COMMON GROUND-DOVE (Hahamongna Watershed Park (aka Oak Grove Park), a female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (Vina Vieja Park, Pasadena), a TROPICAL KINGBIRD at Lincoln Park (corner of Mission and Valley in Los Angeles), two WESTERN TANAGERS (Huntington Gardens & Debs Park), two BULLOCK'S ORIOLES (both at Huntington Gardens), a VESPER SPARROW, several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and VERMILION FLYCATCHER (all by the soccer fields at the west end of Rush Street, South El Monte). The species total currently stands at 161. From Tom Edell: Mon, Dec. 18, 2006 The Morro Bay Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 16. The count was granted a reprise from the forecast of rain and wind and managed to pull together a count of 204 species. All of the data hasn't been compiled yet, so the following is probably incomplete though the species total appears solid. In spite of the positive weather, the ocean was pretty rough and we were unable to get a boat offshore. Brad Schram had a phenomenal day scoping from the bluffs of Montana de Oro State Park where he witnessed a strong southbound movement of almost 6,000 Pacific Loons. Also seen offshore were 800 Black-vented Shearwaters, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, six Ancient Murrelets, Common Murres, Cassin's Auklets, and Rhinocerous Auklets. He even managed to find a single Ruddy Turnstone along the rocky shoreline. Also recorded in the park was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in east Hazard Canyon. Highlights from Morro Bay included Ross's and Snow Goose at the Sea Pines Golf Course in Los Osos, Eurasian Wigeon, Red-necked Grebe, Black Rail, Pigeon Guillemot, and Swamp Sparrow around the bay. The owling was spectacular with nine species recorded (Barn, W. Screech, Great Horned, Northern Pygmy, Burrowing, Spotted, Long-eared, Short-eared, and Northern Saw-whet). Inland, a Cackling Goose was recorded at the Daily Creek Golf Course and two parties reported Rough-legged Hawk (first since 1995) in that vicinity. The lone Green Heron was found at Chorro Reservoir on Camp San Luis Obispo. Mountain Quail and Sage Sparrows were recorded on Cuesta Ridge. Thayer's Gull, Greater White-fronted Goose and Hooded Merganser were at Laguna Lake. On the campus of Cal Poly State University were Red-naped Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe (4th count record), Western Tanager, and Cassin's Kingbird. A White-winged Dove at a feeder in San Luis Obispo accounted for the fourth count record. A White-throated Sparrow was at base of Hollister Peak. Varied Thrush, an often missed species, was recorded in a few locations this year. Our big miss this year was Horned Lark which was last missed in 1970! Common Goldeneye was also an unexpected miss. Although the Morro Bay count has recorded many warblers over the year, this year nothing better than a Wilson's was recorded and a total of only five species. Thanks to the 80 plus participants that helped make the count a success and to the count coordinators Bert and Elaine Townsend and Sector Leaders Bill Bouton, Mike Stiles and Maggie Smith. To those that missed the compilation potluck, it was a feast as always with many great dishes and deserts. From Dave Quady: Mon, Dec. 18, 2006 The 66th Oakland Christmas Bird Count was held yesterday (Sunday) in glorious weather that made for a vastly more pleasant count than the year before. You can read about some aspects of the count here Our preliminary Count Day total (some areas not yet heard from, rare birds not yet reviewed) was 174 species, close to our recent average. Thanks to the nearly 200 birders who contributed to this successful count. On Count Day we missed five species usually found recently: Cackling Goose Tufted Duck White-winged Scoter Cattle Egret (the long-lived Lake Merritt bird has evidently passed from the scene) Ruddy Turnstone. Our Count Week extends from Thursday, December 14 through Wednesday, December 20. If you see any of these missing species, or already saw one, or know of someone who sees one during Count Week that MIGHT be within the Oakland Count Circle, please send me a note with date and time, exact location, number of individual birds, etc. Please report any unusual species, too! Thanks. Birders found these unusual species yesterday: Ross's Goose -- Lew Galbraith Golf Course Lesser Yellowlegs -- tidal pond just south of the ferry terminal on Bay Farm Island Wandering Tattler -- northeast edge of Treasure Island Surfbird -- west end of the derelict Berkeley pier Common Murre -- southwest side of Yerba Buena Island, north of the Bay Bridge Palm Warbler -- Children's Fairyland near Lake Merritt Swamp Sparrow -- in a closed area of the proposed Alameda National Wildlife Refuge (chosen as the count's Best Bird) From Robert Patton: Tues, Dec. 19, 2006 Notes: Rancho Santa Fe CBC. Thanks to all who participated today! Haven't heard from a few groups yet, but reports of additional species keep trickling in, with the tentative tally at 184 species (annual average 169, count max. 189). In addition to the rarities already posted by Gjon, Terry, & Matt, I jotted notes (I apologize for any mistakes and/or omissions) of reports that Sue Smith & Tom Blackman had an American bittern at San Elijo Lagoon east of I-5, Phil Unitt had lesser yellowlegs & snow geese in San Dieguito River Valley (likely same seen this evening flying in to San Elijo), Kirsten Winter had a cackling goose at the pond near the Scripps Ranch library, the Eurasian wigeon (possible hybrid?) was refound in NW San Elijo, Stan Walens had red & red-necked phalaropes, pomarine & parasitic jaegers, & a common murre offshore of Torrey Pines, Kathy Estey & Barbara Moore had rough-winged swallow at Penasquitos lagoon near the bridge, violet-green swallow was seen this evening at San Elijo east of I-5, Sue Smith had golden-crowned kinglets off Portofino & Del Mar Heights, Pete Ginsburg & Brian Loly refound the plumbeous vireo at San Elijo SE of the new boardwalk, Pete had hermit warbler along Crest Dr in Encinitas and myrtle warbler was near the intersection of Encinitas Blvd & Rancho Sta Fe Rd, Maryanne Bache, Carol Manning, & Joan Herskowitz had mountain chickadee & painted redstart at the Harmony Grove Cottages Retreat, Gjon Hazard had a Wilson's warbler in Olivenhain, a grasshopper sparrow & chestnut-collared longspurs were on private property in the 4-S Ranch area west of Rancho Bernardo, Clark Mahrdt had a Scott's oriole at Lake Hodges, and Joe Barth had Lawrence's goldfinches in Rancho Penasquitos. addendum report: Additional hooded mergansers were seen in the lower pond of San Dieguito Park off El Camino Real by Mona Baumgartel, Paul Zucker, & Joni Ciarletta, and in San Dieguito River Valley by Phil Unitt. Phil also had an additional Selasphorus hummingbird. Additional mountain chickadees were seen by Claude Edwards & Michael Green in Del Dios, and Orval Carter & Tim Burr had a burrowing owl adjacent to Lake Hodges. That boosts the preliminary count total to 184 species. From Robert Thériault: Sun, Dec. 17th 2006 In addition to Jay DesGrosellier's report from the Anza-Borrego CBC, reported birds of interest included: 1. White-throated Sparrow 2. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3. Gray Flycatcher (2) 4. Hooded Merganser (4) 5. Turkey Vulture Our mountain team (which covers upper Cougar and Palm Canyons, accessed via Los Coyotes Indian Reservation) was blasted out by viscious weather - this will contribute to an overall low species count this year. Our Eurasian Collared-Dove population continues to grow, with 58 reported today. From: Larry Parmeter: Sun, 17 Dec 2006
Today's Milburn-Fresno CBC
was an outstanding success, with beautiful weather and lots of
birds. A total of 104 species was counted, with estimates of
over 50,000 birds. Highlights included an Eastern Phoebe and a
Herring Gull at the Milburn Unit, a Yellow-shafted Flicker
near the Riverside golf course, Varied Thrushes in several
locations, 2 Snow Geese at the Fresno Wastewater Treatment
Plant, and a Golden Eagle at Kearney Park. (Also, a mystery
hawk was seen at the wastewater plant, a large raptor with a
white head, all white chest, dark back, and a reddish tail
with a dark stripe. A hybrid perhaps? Anyone have any ideas on
what it might be, contact me)-The best sighting, though, had
to be a huge flock of blackbirds, probably 10,000 or more,
which morphed from one beautiful pattern into another in the
skies over the treatment plant- From: Jerry White: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 The Clear Lake CBC was held on Saturday December 16th, the coldest day of the year. Despite the weather the preliminary total was 143 species. This will, I believe, be the 3rd highest count ever. Two new species were added to the cumulative total. A Spotted Owl was heard by Dave & Brian Woodward near Boggs Lake and a Tufted Duck was found by Floyd Hayes at Borax Lake. From Jay Desgrosellier: Sun, Dec. 17th 2006 5:30 am-1 pm Anza-Borrego CBC: Route 5 For the Anza-Borrego CBC today I surveyed some of the Borrego valley floor habitats with Grace Clark, Suzanne Schmidt and Dick Ingwall. The route covers the area between Borrego Valley Road and Borrego Springs Road from west to east and Henderson Canyon Road in the north to the border with the Roadrunner club in the south. Without a doubt the highlight of the day was a flock of about 30 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS in a large cleared field along DiGiorgio Road. Other interesting finds for the desert were 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS in the date farm on Borrego Valley Road and 4 CHIPPING SPARROWS in with the goats at Riviera Farms on Borrego Springs Rd. Lowlights included a complete lack of birds in native valley bottom habitats. Last year these areas were very productive for many sparrow species. What a difference a year makes. Perhaps this is due to the lack of rain in |
