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8 Feb Devereux Snowy Plovers ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 7 Feb Goldfinch, Lawrence's [Alex Viduetsky ] 08 Feb 2/7/10 Cuyama Valley ["Noah" ] 07 Feb Brewer's Sparrows on Armour Rd plus ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 7 Feb Shorebird migrants already? ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 07 Feb Brown Pelicans Having a Hard Time ["Elliot" ] 6 Feb Cool yard bird ["capnbob" ] 5 Feb Santa Monica Creek at Via Real [Eric Culbs ] 05 Feb Eastern Phoebe continues at Ocean Meadows ["Adam" ] 04 Feb Santa Ynez Valley ["Wes Fritz" ] 04 Feb Continuing Common Goldeneye at Ocean Park ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 03 Feb Lompoc/Solvang 2/2/10 ["Wes Fritz" ] 03 Feb Santa Maria / Goleta ["Wes Fritz" ] 02 Feb UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 2 Feb Cackling Geese pictures ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 2 Feb Devereux and OMGC [Wim van Dam ] 02 Feb Carp Salt Marsh ["robdenholtz" ] 1 Feb Brown Creeper @ Natural History Museum [Dennis Ringer ] 01 Feb Grace's Warbler Continues ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 01 Feb Lark Sparrows at SMFP ["Yuji" ] 01 Feb Lawrence's Goldfinches at San Marcos Foothills ["Noah" ] 1 Feb 101 Vista Point Surf Scoters [Peter Dullea ] 01 Feb Mountain Plovers ["GardenGuru" ] 31 Jan Ocean Meadows Golf Course and surroundings (not much) [Wim van Dam ] 31 Jan Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 25 - Sunday January 31, 2010 ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 31 Jan RN Grebe ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 30 Jan The Condor Express ["Wes Fritz" ] 31 Jan Canada Larga list ["robdenholtz" ] 30 Jan today at Canada Larga ["robdenholtz" ] 30 Jan Reducing aircraft-wildlife strikes at airports ["kennedym2009" ] 28 Jan South Base Common Raven [Jamie Chavez ] 28 Jan Audubon-sponsored Field Trip to see Sandhill Cranes and more Feb 13/14 ["Adam" ] 28 Jan Re: Friday Bird Walk at Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant (Rescheduled) ["Adam" ] 27 Jan Re: some bird notes from Mon. the 25 & Wed. the 27th of Jan. ["Wes Fritz" ] 27 Jan Fw: [CALBIRDS] May 1 LAAS Deepwater Pelagic from Santa Barbara ["Wes Fritz" ] 27 Jan UCSB Campus notes [Florence Sanchez ] 27 Jan some bird notes from Mon. the 25 & Wed. the 27th of Jan. ["Joan Lentz" ] 26 Jan LLC Tuesday [Hugh Ranson ] 26 Jan Re: low gull numbers ["lbvireo" ] 26 Jan UCSB Campus Notes [Florence Sanchez ] 26 Jan Re: Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc [Jamie Chavez ] 26 Jan Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc ["Wes Fritz" ] 25 Jan UCSB Campus Notes [Florence Sanchez ] 25 Jan Guadalupe area [Cher Hollingworth ] 25 Jan Audubon sponsored lecture on Bird Conservation Wednesday evening ["Adam" ] 24 Jan Re: Beach changes ["Ria Marsh" ] 24 Jan Misc weekend birds [David Compton ] 24 Jan RE: Lake Cahuma ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 24 Jan Beach changes ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 24 Jan Lauro Resevoir ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 24 Jan Lake Cahuma ["Wes Fritz" ] 24 Jan Coal Oil Point Reserve, after the storm, Snowy Plover count day - 01/23/2010 ["Callie" ] 24 Jan Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 18 - Sunday January 24, 2010 ["Kelly, Melissa" ] 23 Jan Devereux ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 23 Jan Guadalupe y Santa Maria [Mark Holmgren ] 23 Jan potential windfalls [Don Tate ] 23 Jan Guadalupe y Santa Maria ["markbrown1848" ] 23 Jan San Marcos Foothills Preserve Jan 22 ["Yuji" ] 22 Jan Re: Goleta beach ["Wes Fritz" ] 22 Jan Goleta beach [nancy states ] 22 Jan Santa Ynez River Mouth ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 22 Jan Phalaropes at Ocean Park ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 22 Jan Re: Out on the ocean [David Pereksta ] 21 Jan Large Godwit flock in Goleta Slough ["Adam" ] 20 Jan RE: Out on the ocean ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 20 Jan lompoc ["Wes Fritz" ] 20 Jan Re: Out on the ocean [Dave Compton ] 21 Jan Out on the ocean ["nlameijer" ] 20 Jan Friday Bird Walk at Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant ["Adam" ] 20 Jan Pics from the weekend... ["matt v" ] 19 Jan Eurasian Wigeon at Area K ["kylebraunger" ] 19 Jan East Beach Tuesday Morning 1/19/10. [] 19 Jan SB Bird Refuge, Sunday, 17 Jan, 2010 ["Chelsea O'Connell" ] 19 Jan Pine Siskin on Lompoc Southside ["Paul G. Rosso" ] 19 Jan potential windfalls [Don Tate ] 19 Jan Ocean Meadows and Devereux Slough ["Callie" ] Subject: Devereux Snowy Plovers From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 12:23:13 -0600 All: This AM I had a remarkable 162 Snowy Plovers on the slough itself. I walked the beach on Sunday to the slough mouth and so much sand has been lost that they don't have so much suitable roosting (or nesting?) habitat there right now. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Goldfinch, Lawrence's From: Alex Viduetsky <aviduetsky AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 22:37:12 -0800 (PST) Hello Birders, Today (Feb. 07, 2010,) I observed a flock of at least 25-30 Lawrence's Goldfinches at San Marcos Foothills. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33691985 AT N08/4339426533/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33691985 AT N08/4340170578/sizes/o/ Alexander Viduetsky Valley Village, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: 2/7/10 Cuyama Valley From: "Noah" <skater_ako1 AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:46:08 -0000 2/7/09 Wes Fritz and I birded the Cuyama Valley today. We started at 7:30am and ended at 5:30pm. The weather was fairly miserable with intermittent cold showers throughout the day. However, we still had a fun and productive day. We made a rough clockwise loop around the valley: 166 (E) to 33 (S) to Foothill (W) to Bell (N). We did take many detours down muddy farm roads that were barely passable. We also stopped by several private residences that Wes has access to only because he has taken time to cultivate friendships with the landowners. This route took us through both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties although the majority of the birds were seen in Santa Barbara county. Birds seen in SLO and not SBA will be noted. Birds of Regional Interest in District V. Common Merganser: 16 in the pond W of 33 opposite Quatal Canyon Rd. Double-crested Cormorant: 1. Same as above. American Wigeon: 2. Pond off of 33 just south of 166. Female wigeon sp. 1. Shallow pond along 166 W of Cottonwood Canyon Rd. Cinnamon Teal: 3. Same pond as above. Long-billed Dowicher: 8. Same ponds as above Wilson's Snipe: 11. Same as above. Great Blue Heron: 2. Ponds off of 33. Mountain Chickadee: 1. At a private residence off Quatal Canyon Rd. Raptors: Red-tailed Hawk: 43. Including 1 fuertes ssp. Ferruginous Hawk: 15 total including 4 dark morphs. 2 dark and 1 light in SLO. Golden Eagle: 2 Adults seen well while 1 was eating a Jackrabbit off of Quatal Canyon rd. Northern Harrier: A male along Santa Barbara Canyon Rd. Merlin: A possible suckleyi along Santa Barbara Canyon Rd. I will check photos later. American Kestrel: 6. A rather low count. Burrowing Owl: 2 in a burrow together on the W side of Perkins, south of 166. Barn Owl: 1 on private property along Santa Barbara Canyon rd. Another hunting along 166 in SLO. Great Horned Owl: 1 flying at dusk along 166 in SLO. Other birds of note: Greater Roadrunner: 1 (finally) where Perkins goes through a ditch. Loggerhead Shrike: 7 Northern Flicker: Red/yellow shafted integrade on private property off of 166. Red-breasted Sapsucker: 3 in one private yard. Nuttall's Woodpecker: 2 in one private yard and 1 in another. American Pipit: A large flock of 450 in an alfalfa field off of Foothill. Mountain Bluebird: 1 off foothill, 24 in a group along Santa Barbara Canyon Rd. Lawrence's Goldfinches: Several heard flying over near water and tall trees throughout. Tricolored Blackbird: ~25 at the dairy on Kirschenmann. Noah Gaines Santa Barbara, CA Subject: Brewer's Sparrows on Armour Rd plus From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:26:29 -0800 This morning, Feb 7th around 9:30 am, there were 3 Brewer's Sparrows feeding on the ground at Armour Rd and Count Fleet. I watched them over 5 minutes left and returned 10 minutes later and they were still feeding. Around 7:30 am Rita found 4 Ferruginous Hawks in the Torrey Pine at C and Olive on Lompoc's Southside. At 8:30 am,there were still 3 there of which 2 were adults. Earlier in the fall and winter, juveniles were the only ones there. Driving out RT 246 about a half mile before RT 154 there was a flying Prairie Falcon on the southside of the road. On the return trip, at Vineyard View and RT 246 (east of the 15 mile marker), this is about 5 miles east of Lompoc, there was a mixed flock of blackbirds and starlings in which there were at least 30 male Tricolored Blackbirds. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Shorebird migrants already? From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 13:44:08 -0600 All: I was at Devereux today and counted at least 18 Western Sandpipers and 5 Dunlin, both obvious increases on the Xmas count period. There have been many Semipalmated (102) and Snowy (81) Plovers on the slough recently as well. There was a very cooperative Red-throated Loon fishing in the slough along with the 3 'redhead' RB Mergs. Nick Lethaby Manager, Software Partner Network Texas Instruments nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brown Pelicans Having a Hard Time From: "Elliot" <romancandle1 AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:14:35 -0000 In the wake of being removed from the federal Endangered Species Act, brown pelicans are having another hard winter. Last winter pelicans overstaying in Oregon were hit hard by a sudden cold snap. This year, the reasoning is as of yet unknown. Here is a LA Times article on the issue: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-dying-pelicans5-2010feb05,0,3591984.story Elliot Subject: Cool yard bird From: "capnbob" <capnbob AT sbceo.org> Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 17:21:36 -0800 5:15 pm Sat. 2/6 Just got home to find an adult Lark Sparrow in my front yard about one block inland from Atascadero Creek near Walnut in Goleta. Don't recall seeing them in such a place previously. Ain't storms wonderful? Rob Lindsay No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2667 - Release Date: 02/06/10 11:35:00 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Santa Monica Creek at Via Real From: Eric Culbs <ericculbs AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 19:27:10 -0800 (PST) February 5, 2010 While driving Via Real at roughly 11am today, I spotted an Eared Grebe sitting in the middle of the road. I had just crossed Santa Monica Creek heading towards Santa Barbara by car. The Grebe was in the middle of the left hand lane and was surrounded by 3-4 crows. I was not driving and so did not stop to further investigate. I looked back though and as a car approached, the grebe took to the air, still over the road, in the opposite direction. This past Tuesday, sometime around 1pm I called the SBWildlife care network to report a Brown Pelican in Santa Monica Creek. The bird was on the mountain side of the footbridge at Via Real. The Pelican was alive but hunkered down against one side of the creeks concrete wall. Eric Culbertson Carpinteria Subject: Eastern Phoebe continues at Ocean Meadows From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:41:30 -0000 The bird was seen Thursday afternoon in the fields just west of the parking lot for Ocean Meadows. Today's snapshot at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbfledgling/4331273173/ Adam Lewis Goleta Subject: Santa Ynez Valley From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:04:38 -0800 S.B. birders, I birded around the Santa Ynez Valley today. The rain from the last couple of weeks has brought some new birds to the valley. I have found 7 Red-breasted Sapsuckers, in the rows of Pepper Trees. I have only checked the trees on the south side of the valley. The first sapsucker was a male Red-naped Sapsucker in my yard. I was actually home to see it. I birded a farm pond next to the river and saw 16 Wood Ducks and about 35 Ring-necked Ducks. I then went over to the Hwy 154 bridge that crosses the Santa Ynez River and saw 4 Hooded Mergansers, 2 Common Goldeneyes and 10 Buffleheads. I went over to Armour Ranch Road and birded for a hour or so. I saw 1 Prairie Falcon, 8 Mountain Bluebirds and 1 Lewis's Woodpecker. I missed the 20 Chestnut-collared Longspurs that I saw last Thursday 1/31/2010. I ended up at Cruz Phillips ranch, we watched a White Throated X White-crowned Sparrow hybrid feeding in the sparrow flock. This is the second year it has been present. Has anybody noticed a increase of White-crowned Sparrows, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, American Robins or Lawrence's Goldfinches since the rains. Have any of you noticed the low numbers of Loggerhead Shrikes, Dark-eyed Junco's or Fox Sparrows, this winter season.I'm just curious if it is just me, or the birds. I know that gull patrol is all messed up and ducks are in low numbers, except the Ring-necked Ducks numbers are way higher than normal. If any of you birders would like to bird at Cruz Phillips ranch. You can call her and make some arrangements, the best time to call her is around 6:30 to 7:30pm, her home phone number is 805 688-8233. Good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Continuing Common Goldeneye at Ocean Park From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:21:14 -0800 The Common Goldeneye continued at Ocean Park on Wed, Feb 3rd at 1 pm (high tide). It was east of the train trestle swimming with a group of Lesser Scaup. There was a flock of over 30 Royal Terns west of the train trestle on the north side of the Santa Ynez River. There were also Cinnamon Teals and Horned Grebes. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA Cell: 805-588-4320 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lompoc/Solvang 2/2/10 From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:17:59 -0800 S.B. Birders, I birded around Lompoc and Solvang yesterday. I started out with a short sea watch at Surf Beach, nothing to report. I then went down to Ocean Park and saw Mark Brown looking at a Common Goldeneye. It was between the train trestle and the island, no sign of the white headed Ruddy Duck. Most all of the ducks were on the VAFB side, in the back pond between the train tracks and the sand dunes They have a nice assortment of ducks. The old washed out bridge is on VAFB property and they are sighting/ticketing anyone that is trespassing out there. The base police seem to be serious about this. I just lost another favorite place to bird. I checked out the "0" Street and Olive Street retention basin, all it had was about 12 or so Ring-necked Ducks. My next stop was at River Park, nothing reportable, just 6 Ring-necked Ducks and a few Lesser Scaup. I then went over to the Mission Hills sewage works. The number of Ring-necked Ducks were impressive, with about 60. The Green-winged Teal numbers are way down, with a couple of Cinnamon Teal still there. All of the Hooded Mergansers are gone and the Gadwall numbers have dropped off as well, along with the Northern Shovelers. I made a couple of stops on some farm ponds that are on private property, on Hwy 246. All of the ponds had Ring-necked Ducks, with a few Buffleheads and American Wigeons. My last stop was at Buellflat Rock Co. in Solvang, all of their ponds had Ring-necked Ducks also with a few Buffleheads. The Santa Ynez River corridor and the adjacent ponds had more Ring-necked Ducks than I can recall. If I would have known there would have been that many R.N. Ducks, I would have counted them one by one. Good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Santa Maria / Goleta From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:28:53 -0800 S.B. birders, I birded Santa Maria and Goleta today. My first stop was about 4 miles south of Clark Rd in Orcutt. I was looking for the Mountain Plovers. I missed them, I did see 173 Long-billed Curlews, 40ish Killdeer, 1 Mountain Bluebird and a Ferruginous Hawk. I then birded the water retention basin at Prell and Micholson, it was surprisingly dry and had no birds. Next stop was the pond behind Pappy's Dinner on Betteravia, the reeds have been removed, no sign of bird life. then I went to the ponds at Prell and Telephone Rd, it had 6 Long-billed Dowitchers and 6 Mallards that flushed fairly easy. Next I checked out the vernal pool on a side road just south of Prell and saw about 30 Mallards and some Coots. I stopped by 2025 Betteravia and checked out there pond and saw 2 Wilson's Snipe and 2 Long-billed Dowitchers. Next I went over to the pond that is on the east side of Rosemary Road, it's reeds have been removed also, no birds. I tried the pond at Darren's Berry's it is about 1/4 mile east from Hwy 101 on Stowell. It was mostly dry, strangely it had 13 Killdeer in it. My next stop was at River Oaks Park, the best birds were 2 American White Pelicans and 4 Ringed-billed Gulls. Peskier Park was very noisy, so I left. My next stop was at Canal and Blosser to check out that retention basin. It was pretty dead, with a few Gadwall, Mallards and 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Do American Coots count? I made my way over to the "A" Street ponds, the first wetland spot at the corner of Battles and A street was still flooded. It had a Pied-billed Grebe fishing in way muddy water. The north A street pond was way full with no birds,the middle one had only coots. The southerly pond had 8 Lesser Scaup and 1 Bufflehead. Next I went over to Black Road, most of the standing water has soaked in. I saw 1 Burrowing Owl, more L.B. Dows and Killdeer in the field, south of Black Road Auto. At the Santa Maria sewage works, the birds seemed to be in low numbers. I was thinking there should be more birds there after most of the flooded fields dried up. the Birds of note are 52 Long-billed Dowitchers, 16 Greater Yellowlegs, low numbers of Least Sandpipers, 22 Cinnamon Teal, 12 Green-winged Teal, and 30ish Gadwall. The numbers of Mallards and Northern Shovelers were way down from December. The gull numbers were also disappointing with 4 Ring-billed and 22 Mew Gulls. I then started birding in Guadalupe, I relocated the 2 Pacific Golden Plovers, they were in the pastures at the end of 6th Street in Guadalupe. Next stop was Jack O'Connell Park, just killdeer were present. I think they may have ruined the park for the Pacific Golden Plovers, they have added a electric scoreboard, football goal post and a cross fence. I have not seen the plovers there since they did this. The best birds seen in the Guadalupe pastures were 29 Greater-White-fronted Geese, 1 Snow Goose, 48 Canada Geese, 8 Canvasback Ducks and all of the other expected ducks. The most surprising bird found in the pond was a Red-throated Loon. The SMRE is still a mess, with little or no bird life. A short sea watch proved to be uneventful. The County of Santa Barbara has taken control of this park. It will be interesting to see what changes they make and the new rules that will be enforced. I went to check out that large flooded area between Brown and Black Road, on Hwy 1. It had no water and no birds, not even a killdeer. My next stop for the Santa Maria Valley was at the Laguna Sewage works, still NO WAGTAIL, the last confirmed sighting was on Jan, 2nd, 2010. The back large lake/reservoir had a nice assortment of ducks, 200ish American Wigeon, some Ring-necked Ducks, Canvasback Ducks and the rest of the expected ducks. The Laguna Sewage works is closed to the public, please no trespassing. On my way to Goleta I saw a Ferruginous Hawk by Clark and Hwy 1. I stopped in at the Goleta sewage works, nothing to exciting, 8 Cinnamon Teal and 12 Mew Gulls. In the flooded area across from the entrance to Goleta Beach Park, I believe I saw a Lesser Yellowlegs. The traffic was busy and I did not get a good enough look. Goleta Beach had 2 Glaucous-winged Gulls. Good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:49:44 -0800 Today I walked along the north shore of the Lagoon. Most interesting bird present was a lone Brant opposite the Island. Ducks present over the past few days have included several American Wigeons and Gadwall, a couple of pairs of Redhead, Buffleheads, and Ruddy Ducks. Shorebirds seen today are pretty typical for the past few days: 60-70 Dowitchers (presumably Long-billed from the calls) 2-3 Dunlin 12-15 Least Sandpipers 5-6 Black-necked Stilts 6 Willets several Kildeer Florence Sanchez Subject: Cackling Geese pictures From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 16:43:11 -0600 All: I was wondering if anyone has decent pictures of the various Cackling and Lesser Canada Geese that have been hanging about Devereux/Ocean Meadows this winter. I would like to send a few off to get expert opinion. For those who want to try to get photos, the birds have been often near the clubhouse in recent afternoons. Thanks, Nick [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Devereux and OMGC From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 14:39:31 -0800 This morning 4 Cinnamon Teals landed in Devereux, which is four more than I have seen there for a long time. The golf course had 6 Cackling Geese, and, all of a sudden, American and Lesser Goldfinches everywhere. - Wim Subject: Carp Salt Marsh From: "robdenholtz" <robdenholtz AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:30:37 -0000 Tuesday morning, Feb. 2, 2010, Carp Salt Marsh - Peregrine Falcon eating a large bird in tall euc at outflow of Santa Monica Creek. Great Blue Heron at top of tallest conifer at east end of South Marsh. A second GBH flew in carrying nest-building material. A cross-billed Song Sparrow in the Nature Park. Teal: Cinnamon 1 Blue-winged 7 Green-winged 25 Rob Denholtz, Carpinteria Subject: Brown Creeper @ Natural History Museum From: Dennis Ringer <rd_ringer AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 21:24:44 -0800 (PST) Today just before the start of Rebecca Coulter's Monday birding walk around the Natural History Museum grounds a Brown Creeper was seen in the pines near the entry to the parking lot.  It was in association with a number of White-breasted Nuthatches. Dennis Ringer Goleta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grace's Warbler Continues From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:18:15 -0800 Feb 1st -- 9 am, the Grace's Warbler continued in the Pine Trees on the southside of Bella Vista Open Space in Goleta. The best viewing was by using the sidewalk entrance on Padova west of Placer. At this time of day the sun was in the ideal position. Around 2 pm found 5 Black Skimmers on East Beach. Paul Rosso Lompoc, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lark Sparrows at SMFP From: "Yuji" <gobi2goby AT yahoo.co.jp> Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:01:41 -0000 Hi all, Yesterday(Jan. 30) I visited San Marcos Foothills Preserve. In addition to Noah's report, about 15 Lark Sparrows were seen by the north part of hiking trail on the central mesa. Yuji Subject: Lawrence's Goldfinches at San Marcos Foothills From: "Noah" <skater_ako1 AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:56:58 -0000 1/31/10 Today I went up to the SM Foothills around noon and quickly relocated the Lawrence's GOldfinches. The flock was HUGE maybe 50 birds total but spread out in about 2-3 smaller groups. I was able to get a picture with 20 in it, so 50 is most likely a low estimate. http://picasaweb.google.com/NoahGaines/2010Birds#5433118969763264722 The finches were roughly N, E, and W of the orange plastic container. They would feed in the path, flush, get water, flush, fly around, flush. Etc. Other nice birds were several Rock Wren, 2-3 Cassin's Kingbird, 1 flyover VG Swallow. I could not find the Burrowing Owls but did see 2 Coyotes. Noah Gaines Subject: 101 Vista Point Surf Scoters From: Peter Dullea <pdullea AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 02:11:31 +0000 Yesterday (Saturday) morning about 8:00 am there were seven or eight Surf Scoters loafing in the water about 150 yards offshore from the vista point on southbound US 101 between Gaviota and Refugio. They were very easy to observe because the cliff is so high at that point that you are practically looking down on the birds; the never disappear behind the waves. Peter Dullea P.O. Box 415 Buellton, CA 93427 (805) 350-1304 KI6PWE [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Mountain Plovers From: "GardenGuru" <thegardenguru AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:35:14 -0000 8 to 10 (or more?) MOUNTAIN PLOVERS (biggish slender plovers, long-legged, palest buff, small head and short-medium bill) were walking the roadside cow pasture 6 miles north of Los Alamos at 12:30pm today, Sunday. I was heading south on the 101 and saw them on the west side of the road. I could only slow down to confirm the ID but I was running late for a seminar in Buellton so I wasn't able to stop. On the way home (going north on the 101), I was able to determine some location markers/distances. They were (I didn't see them on the way back home at 5:00-ish) within 1 mile south of "Exit 161" or barely north of it on an expanse of grass pasture that went maybe 100-200 feet wide, to the west, before the hill rose sharply. Just visible from the road heading south. Joe Subject: Ocean Meadows Golf Course and surroundings (not much) From: Wim van Dam <wim.van.dam AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:46:58 -0800 Unfortunately I have nothing particularly new to report from the Ocean Meadows Golf Course and its surroundings. The past week some birds of the 'continuing kind' have been: Green Heron, Loggerhead Shrike, 1 Greater White-fronted Goose and several Cackling Geese with the Canada Geese on the golf course, Savannah Sparrows, Golden Crowned Sparrows, American Pipits, and Western Meadowlarks. Devereux 'Bay' today had a Tropical Kingbird and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers. - Wim (Goleta) Subject: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 25 - Sunday January 31, 2010 From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:14:17 -0800 Howdy Folks, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at the Nature Center feeder Tues 26Jan; it was gone on Wednesday. 2 EARED GREBES were seen Friday 3 LEAST SANDPIPERS on the marina logline Also saw 2 RUSH DISPLAYS (WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES) in the marina Friday afternoon RED-TAILED HAWK carrying nest material RED SHOULDERED HAWK was in the nest tree beside the Nature Center checking out last year's nest Saturday: 4 AMERICAN WIDGEON 3 LEAST SANDPIPERS FORSTER'S TERN COMMON GOLDENEYE Saw two GREAT BLUE HERONS together beside one of the nests on Santa Cruz Flat. Today, Sunday: 3 BUFFLEHEAD 4 AMERICAN WIDGEON 7 WHITE PELICANS 20-30 CANADA GEESE 1 CACKLING GEESE NORTHERN HARRIER 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL 4 immature BALD EAGLES 3 RUSH DISPLAYS in Santa Cruz Bay; the grebes are definitely thinking prurient thoughts, but so far they've been slow to act on them. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 25 - Sunday January 31, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mute Swan Cygnus olor Gadwall Anas strepera American Wigeon Anas americana Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Common Merganser Mergus merganser 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 American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias 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 Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull Larus californicus Herring Gull Larus argentatus Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis 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: RN Grebe From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:29:08 -0600 All: I saw a RN Grebe at the N end of Devereux this AM. It was heavily oiled on the belly so probably won't last very long. I don't have the details for the Wildlife Car Network handy so if someone could forward the details to them, it would be appreciated. Please report any subsequent observations to them as the bird will likely move as the tide drops. Nick Subject: The Condor Express From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:17:45 -0800 S.B. Birders. I birded on the Condor Express today. It was a 4 hour whale watching trip, which we did that. We never made it into the Santa Rosa Gap, we saw 10 very cooperative Gray Whales at the west end of Santa Cruz Island. The other fish type creatures, were 400 Common Long-beaked Dolphins and 10 Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins. I am not going to get all crazy and list the Pinnipeds, this a bird list serve. The birds saw today are. All three of the loons 5+ Horned Grebes several Western type grebes 3 Pink-footed Shearwaters 45 Black-vented Shearwaters 1 Sooty type Shearwater 6 Pelagic Cormorants, out by the island. 3 Red Phalaropes 7 Pomarine Jaegers, 2 were dark-morph, 1 adult with full spoons and the other was a subadult, with nearly full spoons also, a way cool bird. 3 Parasitic Jaegers 135 Common Murres 3 Xantus's Murrelets 36 Cassin's Auklets 72 Rhinoceros Auklets Good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Canada Larga list From: "robdenholtz" <robdenholtz AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:17:58 -0000 Here's the complete list from Canada Larga, Sat., Jan. 30 . . . Location: Canada Larga Observation date: 1/30/10 Notes: Lots of Lewis's Number of species: 34 California Quail 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Northern Harrier 2 Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 3 American Kestrel 2 Long-billed Dowitcher 0 Anna's Hummingbird 1 Lewis's Woodpecker 5 Acorn Woodpecker 2 Nuttall's Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Black Phoebe 3 Say's Phoebe 2 Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 8 American Crow 8 Common Raven 6 Oak Titmouse 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Bewick's Wren 1 Western Bluebird 6 American Robin 1 Northern Mockingbird 3 European Starling 40 Phainopepla 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 12 California Towhee 3 Song Sparrow 1 White-crowned Sparrow 100 Red-winged Blackbird 8 Western Meadowlark 30 Brewer's Blackbird 5 House Finch 2 Lesser Goldfinch 6 Rob Denholtz, Carpinteria Subject: today at Canada Larga From: "robdenholtz" <robdenholtz AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:56:08 -0000 Saturday morning, Jan. 30, 2010 - Geoff Stearns and I birded Canada Larga today. Lots of birds. Believe it or not, Lewis's Woodpeckers outnumbered Acorns, 5 to 2. Saw a PAIR of Lewis's in a tree; three other widely-spaced individual sightings. Ravens were a surprise as was the absence of Spotted Towhees and Sparrows (except for large foraging flock of White-crowned [no Golden-crowned among them]). The complete list follows: Number of species: 34 California Quail 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Northern Harrier 2 Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 3 American Kestrel 2 Anna's Hummingbird 1 Lewis's Woodpecker 5 Acorn Woodpecker 2 Nuttall's Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Black Phoebe 3 Say's Phoebe 2 Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 8 American Crow 8 Common Raven 6 Oak Titmouse 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Bewick's Wren 1 Western Bluebird 6 American Robin 1 Northern Mockingbird 3 European Starling 40 Phainopepla 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 12 California Towhee 3 Song Sparrow 1 White-crowned Sparrow 100 Red-winged Blackbird 8 Western Meadowlark 30 Brewer's Blackbird 5 House Finch 2 Lesser Goldfinch 6 Rob Denholtz, Carpinteria Subject: Reducing aircraft-wildlife strikes at airports From: "kennedym2009" <kennedym2009 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:07:37 -0000 Although this doesn't necessarily pertain to Santa Barbara County birding, I am permitting the posting of this message at this time. Please reply to the author if you have comments. Jamie Chavez moderator ------------------ Dear fellow birding enthusiasts, As a lifelong birder and professional aviator for over 16 years, I am conducting a nation-wide study on the level of community support for the mitigation measures used at airports to reduce the wildlife strike hazard to commercial aircraft. Getting input from different regions of the country is necessary to gauge whether there are regional differences due to varying bird populations or possible high profile incidents involving wildlife strikes on aircraft. Responses are submitted electronically to a database that does not identify users, so your answers will be completely confidential. Findings will be released only as analyzed data or summaries in which no individual's answers can be identified. Please take a few moments to share your opinions and experiences. I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to contribute toward this important research about community views on wildlife mitigation measures at airports. The survey can be accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XTVS225 If you would like a summary of my findings, please send me your e-mail address at kennedym2009 AT yahoo.com. Once the study is complete, I will e-mail the summary to you. Best Regards, Matt Kennedy Graduate student in Aeronautical Science Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Omaha, NE Subject: South Base Common Raven From: Jamie Chavez <almiyi AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:24:42 -0800 I spotted a Common Raven circling over the SLC-6 launch tower on south Base this morning on a stunning, calm, crystal clear day. Ravens are still quite scarce along the immediate coast in the north county. -- Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Audubon-sponsored Field Trip to see Sandhill Cranes and more Feb 13/14 From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:08:12 -0000 Sandhill Crane Overnight Field Trip Saturday February 13, and Sunday February 14th 2010 For the 5th year, Jack Sanford will lead a birding field trip to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park ( Burrowing Owls), Pixley National Wildlife Refuge (Sandhill Cranes) and Kern National Wildlife Refuge (over 50 species nest here). All three locations are approximately 50 miles north of Bakersfield. It will be an overnight trip utilizing camping facilities or nearby motels. We will return Sunday evening. Please check the Audubon web page http://www.santabarbaraaudubon.org/sbasfieldtrips.html#feb13 for complete information. Adam Lewis for the Santa Barbara Audubon Society Subject: Re: Friday Bird Walk at Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant (Rescheduled) From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:01:06 -0000 This walk is rescheduled for tomorrow Jan 29. Adam --- In sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com, "Adam" wrote: > > Where: Goleta Treatment Plant > When: Friday January 22, 2010 8:30am - 10:30am > Target Birds: Shorebirds > Sponsor: SB Audubon Society > Bird walk leader: Jack Sanford 566-2191 or jacksanford AT ... > > Directions: Heading south on Hwy 101 take the Fairview off ramp and head towards the ocean. Follow Fairview Ave it changes to Fowler St and the Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant is across the street from the Santa Barbara Airport. Heading north on Hwy 101 take Ward Memorial Blvd. Take the last turn off before UCSB to Fowler St. (SB Airport). Turn right on Fowler and the Treatment Plant is on your right. Park in the parking lot and sign in at the office. > Subject: Re: some bird notes from Mon. the 25 & Wed. the 27th of Jan. From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:55:01 -0800 S.B. Birders, The Eastern Phoebe was seen in the field west of the pro shop. It was feeding off of the fence that boarders the field. This was at 11:00 am today. The Grace's Warbler was easily located today, it was chipping when we got out of the car and was seen within a few minutes. Good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Joan Lentz To: sbcobirding Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:10 PM Subject: [sbcobirding] some bird notes from Mon. the 25 & Wed. the 27th of Jan. Hi All: On Monday, there were 3 Rock Wrens around the dam up at Lauro Reservoir. Couldn't see any Wood Ducks on the lake, but lots of Lesser Scaup. Today, we missed the Eastern Phoebe at the corner of Whittier and Storke Rd. I understand it was seen this past weekend, but we had no luck from 8:00-8:30 a.m. & from 9:45-10 a.m. In between, a walk out to Devereux slough was very interesting & beautiful. There were 2 Caspian Terns resting on the sandbar w/ the gulls that we could see from the north end of the slough from the bridge over Devereux Crk. Lots of unidentifiable peep at a distance. The slough is tidal now, which is pretty neat. We saw several Tree Swallows. Good birding! Joan Lentz Santa Barbara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fw: [CALBIRDS] May 1 LAAS Deepwater Pelagic from Santa Barbara From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:45:01 -0800 ----- Original Message ----- From: toddamcgrath To: CALBIRDS AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:06 PM Subject: [CALBIRDS] May 1 LAAS Deepwater Pelagic from Santa Barbara S.B. Birders, This a great oppertunity to get some county birds and take some great photographs of seabirds that are seen well offshore. I thought that you local birders would like to know, that we have some of the best pelagic birding in the state. We also have the fastest pelagic boat in the state, that can chase down the mega rareities and it is here in our home town. I hope to see you at sea. Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net Calbirders, I am pleased to announce that The Los Angeles Audubon Society will again be sponsoring a series of pelagic trips off Southern California in 2010. Three of these trips will be out of Santa Barbara on the fast and comfortable "Condor Express." This is a great boat, with a huge cabin, outstanding galley, and one of the best Captains and crew in the business. There will also be our usual core of excellent leaders. The speed of the Condor Express allows us to reach areas like the San Juan Seamount, and the 2,000 fathom waters where pterodroma petrels and other goodies can be found. On our way out and back to the deepwater we cross several productive canyons and basins, giving us ample opportunities study more nearshore species. We have two13 hour deepwater trips planned, the first of which is May 1st. Rarities found on past spring trips include Murphy's and Hawaiian Petrels, Parakeet Auklets, and both Horned and Tufted Puffins. Cost is $195 and the boat departs at 7:00AM (meet at 6:30AM). Sign-up information is at the bottom of the message. Spring Migration will be in full swing, and we often see Black-footed (regular) and Laysan (uncommon) Albatrosses, all 3 jaegers (Long-tailed rare but regular in spring) Pink-footed, Sooty, Back-vented, and Flesh-footed (rare) shearwaters. Xantus's Murrelets are breeding on the Channel Islands at this time of year, and are usually present in numbers near the islands. Black, Leach's and Ashy storm-petrels are often present, and we are likely to see numbers of Phalaropes (both Red and Red-necked) as well as Sabine's Gulls. We are likely to see good numbers of Cassin's Auklets and some Rhinoceros Auklets as well. We did 5 trips with the Condor Express in 2009 (2 LA Audubon trips, as well as a charter, and two pelagics run directly by Condor Cruises). Our Spring deepwater trip was weathered out. If you managed to be on all five trips last year, you ended up with a pretty good seabird list, including Cook's Petrel (134 in July, spectacular views) Red-billed Tropicbird (1 in July) Parakeet Auklet (2 in March) Horned Puffin (1 in May) Brown Booby (one in Santa Barbara in Sept), Blue-footed Booby (Ventura's first record) and Least Storm-petrel (Sept). Plus all the regularly expected species. Socalbirding.com has full trip reports for these trips, plus all the great trips sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon out of San Diego. The full schedule of 2010 trips is also available there. Will 2010 be able to top 2009? I have no idea, but I know we are going to have a lot of fun trying. Note that there is different booking process for the Los Angeles Audubon trips on the Condor Express. In order to make the booking process easier, the Sea Landing in Santa Barbara will handle all bookings for these trips. Here's how to contact Sea Landing: PHONE: (805) 882-0088 / FAX: (805) 965-0942 TOLL-FREE IN THE U.S.: (888) 77-WHALE May 1st Deepwater pelagic Cost $195 Departure: 7:00 AM (meet at 6:30AM) Duration 13+ hours I hope to see you onboard. Todd McGrath Skua AT msn.com Calabasas, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: UCSB Campus notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:33:01 -0800 There was a Merlin flyover in the area south of the Manzanita dorms at noon today. It continued on to the beach where it sent the shorebirds shrieking. Four to six Dunlins continue hanging out with the Dowitchers in the UCSB Lagoon margins. Best bird today was an immature Hermit Warbler working the very large Bunya-Bunya tree near the base of the steps that lead down from the Art building toward the faculty Green and the Lagoon. This is probably the same bird that Wes Fritz found on campus in December near the Career and Counseling Center. As the bird flies, there's just the Art building between the two sites. Florence Sanchez Subject: some bird notes from Mon. the 25 & Wed. the 27th of Jan. From: "Joan Lentz" <joanlentz AT cox.net> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:10:52 -0800 Hi All: On Monday, there were 3 Rock Wrens around the dam up at Lauro Reservoir. Couldn't see any Wood Ducks on the lake, but lots of Lesser Scaup. Today, we missed the Eastern Phoebe at the corner of Whittier and Storke Rd. I understand it was seen this past weekend, but we had no luck from 8:00-8:30 a.m. & from 9:45-10 a.m. In between, a walk out to Devereux slough was very interesting & beautiful. There were 2 Caspian Terns resting on the sandbar w/ the gulls that we could see from the north end of the slough from the bridge over Devereux Crk. Lots of unidentifiable peep at a distance. The slough is tidal now, which is pretty neat. We saw several Tree Swallows. Good birding! Joan Lentz Santa Barbara Subject: LLC Tuesday From: Hugh Ranson <zonetail AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:47:19 -0800 I paid a quick but productive late afternoon visit to Lake Los Carneros today. I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a male Redhead, four species of swallow (Tree, Violet-Green, Rough-winged, and Barn), and a bobcat. Hugh R. SB Subject: Re: low gull numbers From: "lbvireo" <lbviman AT blackfoot.net> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:37:28 -0000 This winter is mild inland Northwest, Oregon to Montana; many lakes and rivers frozen over last year have water bank to bank. It may be gulls also didn't move en masse to the coast, as well as not moving southward once there. Oregon birders report lots of California gulls this winter, compared to whatever is considered "normal", which is being attributed to El Nino... - Jim, MT --- In sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com, Jamie Chavez wrote: > > Thanks to Wes for his exhaustive north county report. My only comment > has to do with gull numbers. For those not subscribed to the Calgulls > listserve ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgulls/ ) there was recent > discussion earlier in the month about the low number of gulls up and > down the CA coast. One comment made attributed the low numbers to the > possibility that this is an El Niño year and good numbers of gulls have > been reported along the Oregon coast. I think you must be a subscriber > to the Calgulls group to read messages in the archive. > > Jamie M. Chavez > Santa Maria, CA > > On 1/26/2010 12:22 AM, Wes Fritz wrote: > > I barely made it to the Mission Hills sewage works, again no gulls, what's up with this no gull thing? > > > > > > Wes Fritz > > Solvang, Ca. > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > Subject: UCSB Campus Notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:23:47 -0800 At noon I checked the vernal pools and the northern part of the UCSB Lagoon. The vernal pools on the Manzanita Housing bluffs are nice and full. Tome will tell what birds they bring in, but a Mallard was in "Lake Manzanita," and a Black-necked Stilt was working the vernal pools on the south side of the bluffs. Long-billed Dowitchers were working the Lagoon in two flocks, one near the Faculty Club and one closer to the UCEN. With each group were Dunlins--four with the first group and two with the second. Also with them was a small flock of Least Sandpipers. There was a large flock of diving ducks against the north shore of the Island. I wasn't walking that way so surveyed them from quite a distance. There were definitely some Redheads and at least 10 Scaup, species not identified, in this flock of about 40-50 birds. Florence Sanchez Subject: Re: Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc From: Jamie Chavez <almiyi AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:41:10 -0800 Thanks to Wes for his exhaustive north county report. My only comment has to do with gull numbers. For those not subscribed to the Calgulls listserve ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgulls/ ) there was recent discussion earlier in the month about the low number of gulls up and down the CA coast. One comment made attributed the low numbers to the possibility that this is an El Niño year and good numbers of gulls have been reported along the Oregon coast. I think you must be a subscriber to the Calgulls group to read messages in the archive. Jamie M. Chavez Santa Maria, CA On 1/26/2010 12:22 AM, Wes Fritz wrote: > I barely made it to the Mission Hills sewage works, again no gulls, what's up with this no gull thing? > > > Wes Fritz > Solvang, Ca. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:22:32 -0800 S.B. Birders, My first stop was at the Laguna sewage works. No wagtail. I talked to the employees in the front office for about 1/2 hour. The manager had just left, so we had a nice chit chat about the White Wagtail. One of the workers is a novice birdwatcher and he saw the wagtail well several times while it was present. He told me he had not seen the wagtail since January 2nd. he has also said that he looks for it several times a day, when he is making the rounds. I have been there multiple times, sometimes staying as long as 6 hours in a single visit. I am starting to believe the wagtail may be gone from this area. On my way to the Santa Maria sewage works, I checked the field for the Burrowing Owl, on Black Road. I believe I saw the top of it's head, but by the time I got my scope out, it disappeared. I will check it again next week. Many of the ag fields are still flooded, and have a lot of waders feeding on the edges like Greater Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, Long-billed Curlews etc. I then birded out the Santa Maria sewage works, no birds of note. It was pretty slow birding with few shorebirds, low numbers of duck species, not even a Cinnamon Teal. The gull numbers were really below average, with about 20 Bonaparte's Gulls and no Mew Gulls. The roads around the sewage works are still fairly muddy, with standing water in some places. My next stop was Jack O'Connell Park in Guadalupe, the south west corner had a small pond going on. It was dowitcher fest, no less than 60 birds were hang out there with a few Greater Yellowlegs and Black-bellied Plovers. At the Guadalupe pastures the road was way to muddy to go out on, so I checked it out from the green gate area. I saw Cher's 29 Greater White-fronted Geese and the Snow Goose. I counted over 50 Canada Geese, there may have been a couple of Cackling Geese in there as well. The duck numbers were low here as well, along with the waders and Black-bellied Plovers. In the flooded area just east of the green gate, I saw 16 Cinnamon Teal. I managed to see the female Vermillion Flycatcher, it is back for its 3rd winter. I then headed out to the SMRE, they just opened the road and it is still really flooded. The SMRE has broken open and has drained, the only real reportable birds are the 89 Snowy Plovers. Really, no gulls, 2 pelicans and a few Sanderlings. There were a lot of wader type birds and a lot of Long-billed Curlews in the flooded fields, just past the entrance of the park. I then checked out the Blue Barn pastures, they have been grazed quite well, making it nice for the many Black-bellied Plovers and the grasspipers, no birds of note. On my way to Lompoc on Hwy 1 on the north side of the road between Black Rd and Brown Rd. there has been some major flooding. It is like a small lake, it is full of waterfowl, waders, gulls and peeps. This is where all of the Santa Maria and Guadalupe birds are. They have some no trespassing signs posted, so, I drove out there as far as I could with out getting stuck. This place even had 12 Canvasback ducks, it was going off. As I was headed to Lompoc, I saw 2 Golden Eagles on Hwy 1 a mile or so past Clark Ave. I had to check out the Punch Bowl pond on VAFB, The pond went nearly dry before the rain, it needs to come up a couple of more feet to hit the reeds, NO DUCKS. The Lompoc Federal Penitentiary dairy has 2 Yellow-headed Blackbirds and a few Tricolored Blackbirds hanging out with the other Blackbirds. I then went to Ocean Park, I was going to walk out on the old washed out bridge. I was stopped by two guys with shaved heads carrying guns, they suggested I return to my car, so I did. At Ocean Park, I saw the 2 Red and 1 Red-necked Phalaropes, there was many ducks and gulls NO WHITE WINGED GULLS The only duck worth mentioning is that the white headed Ruddy Duck is still present. I Checked out Ryan Park and the middle school, no gulls. I also checked out the O Street and Olive Street water retention basin, still no gulls, but the Ringed-necked Ducks are starting to show up there. My next stop was River Park, a few cheezy gulls and some more Ringed-necked Ducks. It was starting to get late, I barely made it to the Mission Hills sewage works, again no gulls, what's up with this no gull thing? All of the Hooded Mergansers are gone and the freaky N. Shoveler with the red breast and the facial crescent has been gone for my last two visits. Lastly if you like to trespass, there is a adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the La Purisima Golf Course, it moves between the oaks and the pine trees between the two ponds. Good luck and good birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: UCSB Campus Notes From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:39:40 -0800 When I left the campus last Friday at mid-day, I noticed that most of the nearby wetlands were full of water and starting to attract ducks. Of particular interest was the wetland on the south side of Mesa Road. This area is almost always dry, but last Friday, it had plenty of water and lots of Shovelers. Today, I rechecked several of the areas I had noticed on Friday. Area K has plenty of water and a fair assortment of Ducks, though not in huge numbers. Among the species I found were American Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, a few Green-winged Teal, and 1 pair of Redheads. The wetland on the south side of Mesa Road no longer has standing water and therefore had no ducks. I didn't get up to the wetlands at Mesa and Los Carneros Road today It was full of water on Friday and didn't have too many ducks. The field on the West side of Los Carneros ("Delco Lake" to old-timers) had lots of water in it Friday and quite a few Shovelers were taking advantage of it. Today I walked down Los Carneros to observe the newly restored campus wetland to the South. There is plenty of water in the various pools, but the only waterfowl present were Mallards and Coots. This area is growing in nicely and I suspect will become more attractive to waterfowl in the future. Florence Sanchez Subject: Guadalupe area From: Cher Hollingworth <chollingw AT verizon.net> Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:24:10 -0800 (PST) I went to look for Golden-Plovers at Jack O'Connell Park in Guadalupe, but did not find any.   The park had many Long-billed Dowitchers and Killdeer, and a few Black-bellied Plovers.  But at the pasture gate at the end, were 29 Greater White-fronted Geese and one Snow Goose.   There were many Canada Geese in the field, too. Cher Hollingworth Lompoc Subject: Audubon sponsored lecture on Bird Conservation Wednesday evening From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:32:39 -0000 Adventures in Bird Conservation by Glenn Olson Donal O'Brien Chair in Bird Conservation and Public Policy National Audubon Society Wednesday, January 27, 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 Long-time California conservation leader Glenn Olson has recently been selected by the National Audubon Society to expand nationwide bird conservation initiatives to safeguard migratory birds that travel throughout the western hemisphere. With 30 years experience at Audubon, most recently as executive director of Audubon California, Olson will build upon the organization's one hundred year legacy of bird conservation and scientific expertise to address the threats to a host of bird species. Glenn will lead Audubon's campaign to conserve, restore, and sustain America's bird populations and the landscapes and flyways they depend upon. Please come and join us to hear Glenn discuss his new assignment and learn about Audubon's accomplishments in California and his vision for bird conservation in America and the western hemisphere. Adam Lewis for the Santa Barbara Audubon Society Subject: Re: Beach changes From: "Ria Marsh" <rrsmarsh AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:00:04 -0800 Sycamore Creek meandered far to the west and has carved out a wide swath leaving a high cliff of sand. There have been 11 boats (from Fools' Harbor) beached this week between West Beach and Butterfly Beach, most of which are still there. Lots of folks coming and going to look and take photos. At East Beach this afternoon there were Snowy Plovers along with the usual Sanderlings, Godwits, BB Plovers and a couple Whimbrels. Ria Marsh East Beach ----- Original Message ----- From: Lethaby, Nick To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 3:36 PM Subject: [sbcobirding] Beach changes All: I visited Hendry's beach today and found the beach was pretty much gone. COPR got clobbered moderately badly as well but not as bad as this. Has anyone seen what has happened around East Beach or Goleta Beach? Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Misc weekend birds From: David Compton <davcompton AT verizon.net> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:19:35 -0800 (PST) Minor highlights from weekend birding below. Saturday, 23 Jan McCaw Ave, SB muni golf course: Western Tanager, no orioles Ocean Meadows golf course, Goleta: 2+ minima Cackling Geese 1 Greater White-fronted Goose No Eastern Phoebe Sunday, 24 Jan Lake Los Carneros, Goleta: female Summer Tanager nr Stowe House Lewis's Woodpecker well south of railroad museum Dave Compton Santa Barbara Sent from my iPhone Subject: RE: Lake Cahuma From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:42:55 -0800 Hey Thanks Wes!! I was hoping someone would let me know what's at the East End :^) And you're right, everything's flowing pretty good! Lis Assistant Naturalist Cachuma Lake County Park Santa Barbara County, CA 805.688-4515 ________________________________ From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Wes Fritz Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 3:13 PM To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [sbcobirding] Lake Cahuma S.B. birders, I drove by Lake Cachuma today, making a few stops. I saw Melissa's 6 White Pelicans at the East end of the lake. One of the pelicans appears to some growth or abscessed thing on it's neck. I saw very few ducks and no shorebirds, the canada geese were in the brush and were hard to count. Although, I did see a juvi Bald Eagle and some Tree Swallows. I counted 13 Osprey between the East end and the Bradbury dam look overlook. I often wonder how many Osprey are really at the lake. The river seemed to be flowing in pretty good. Thanks Melissa for the update. Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Beach changes From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:36:47 -0600 All: I visited Hendry's beach today and found the beach was pretty much gone. COPR got clobbered moderately badly as well but not as bad as this. Has anyone seen what has happened around East Beach or Goleta Beach? Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lauro Resevoir From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:28:17 -0600 All: I had 11 Wood Ducks and 2 Rock Wrens here today. I think these have all been previously reported by Wes and others. Lots of Lesser Scaup (80) but surprisingly no RN Ducks. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lake Cahuma From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:13:17 -0800 S.B. birders, I drove by Lake Cachuma today, making a few stops. I saw Melissa's 6 White Pelicans at the East end of the lake. One of the pelicans appears to some growth or abscessed thing on it's neck. I saw very few ducks and no shorebirds, the canada geese were in the brush and were hard to count. Although, I did see a juvi Bald Eagle and some Tree Swallows. I counted 13 Osprey between the East end and the Bradbury dam look overlook. I often wonder how many Osprey are really at the lake. The river seemed to be flowing in pretty good. Thanks Melissa for the update. Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Coal Oil Point Reserve, after the storm, Snowy Plover count day - 01/23/2010 From: "Callie" <cjbowdish AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:06:02 -0000 http://homepage.mac.com/cjbowdish/COPR2010-01-23/index.html Subject: Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 18 - Sunday January 24, 2010 From: "Kelly, Melissa" <mkelly AT co.santa-barbara.ca.us> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:44:07 -0800 Howdy Folks, The lake level has risen 6.86 feet as of this morning, so Jack Rabbit Flat and Storke Flat are just about nil; Santa Cruz still has some flat lands but the lake is still rising and there's more rain on the way. The flats are good for falcons and eagles, but inundated tules may bring us Grebe chicks this spring; a fair trade :^) We seem to have WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES coming in or moving thru, can't tell which, but lots of flying and flapping grebes this week. This morning there were 2 male CANVASBACK and 3 LESSER SCAUP hiding behind Arrowhead Island. All our WHITE PELICANS seem to have disappeared; not even one on the lake today; Saturday we still had at least 6 here. 2 VIOLET GREEN SWALLOWS with ~25 TREE SWALLOWS at the back of Cachuma Bay Saturday. A few LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS are still flycatching at the NE corner of the lake near the Narrows. A WHITE-TAILED KITE has been hanging out on west Storke Flat the last couple of weeks. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS have been hard to find at Cachuma this winter, but there was one at the Nature Center feeder Friday. Birds of Cachuma Lake From Monday January 18 - Sunday January 24, 2010 Mostly sightings by Liz Mason and Melissa Kelly Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mute Swan Cygnus olor Gadwall Anas strepera Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Canvasback Aythya valisineria Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola 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 Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Osprey Pandion haliaetus White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus 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 Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus 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 Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus 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 Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii House Wren Troglodytes aedon Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus American Robin Turdus migratorius Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - I Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus California Towhee Pipilo crissalis Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla 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 From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:18:41 -0600 All: I had 4 RB Mergansers (1 male), a Horned Grebe, and 2 CaspianTerns in Devereux today. Lots of shorebirds on the slough. Fewer ducks but 17 Redheads were around. I am pretty certain these are same 4 mergansers I saw off More Mesa. Has anyone seen more than 4 around the Goleta area this winter? My impression is that they are on the decline locally but perhaps they just vary winter-to-winter. This the first time any have been on Devereux for at least 3 years to my recollection. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Guadalupe y Santa Maria From: Mark Holmgren <maholmgren AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:45:46 -0800 (PST) Mark, You've posted a photo of what looks like a Marsh Sandpiper and you state that you saw this bird at Santa Maria Sewage this week. Yet the photo was taken on 1 January 2003. Would you care to explain the discrepancy? Mark Holmgren Santa Barbara ________________________________ From: markbrown1848 To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, January 22, 2010 8:47:03 PM Subject: [sbcobirding] Guadalupe y Santa Maria All: Today January 22, 2010 I tried to go out to the Santa Maria River Estuary looking for sea birds and phalaropes. The road was closed at the kiosk. The sign said the road was closed because of severe flooding. Anyone thinking of going out there should call the Guadalupe Dunes Center at 805.343.2455. At Jack O'Connell Park was a Lesser Yellowlegs. http://www.flickr. com/photos/ 33835670 AT N00/4296959684 . I had one (I think) at Santa Maria Sewage this week: http://www.flickr. com/photos/ 33835670 AT N00/4292873664 . I checked the ponds at Guadalupe Sewage and at the Santa Maria Sewage for Phalaropes but there was none. I also slipped over to SLO County at Oso Flaco (flooded also but semi-accessible) and there was no phalaropes. Also at Guadalupe Sewage was 50 Canada and one Cackling Goose and many Canvasbacks, etc. I have had a few Long-eared Owls calling during a thunder storm out in the Eastern Santa Maria Valley. Mark Brown Santa Maria [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: potential windfalls From: Don Tate <osomocoso AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:50:18 -0800 (PST) After encouraging you local birders to brave the elements at coastal points of land, it was reassuring that Niels in Carp saw a skua. (Although presumably he would have gone out anyway.) I should have mentioned that when I saw a mollymawk off Montana de Oro SP (near Morro Bay), the wind was so blustery that I had to clamp binos against a fencepost, and it was still hard to see because the wind was buffeting my head so badly. Just wanted to define "good conditions"! Good birding,   Don Tate, Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Guadalupe y Santa Maria From: "markbrown1848" <lawoffmarkbrown AT verizon.net> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:47:03 -0000 All: Today January 22, 2010 I tried to go out to the Santa Maria River Estuary looking for sea birds and phalaropes. The road was closed at the kiosk. The sign said the road was closed because of severe flooding. Anyone thinking of going out there should call the Guadalupe Dunes Center at 805.343.2455. At Jack O'Connell Park was a Lesser Yellowlegs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33835670 AT N00/4296959684 . I had one (I think) at Santa Maria Sewage this week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33835670 AT N00/4292873664 . I checked the ponds at Guadalupe Sewage and at the Santa Maria Sewage for Phalaropes but there was none. I also slipped over to SLO County at Oso Flaco (flooded also but semi-accessible) and there was no phalaropes. Also at Guadalupe Sewage was 50 Canada and one Cackling Goose and many Canvasbacks, etc. I have had a few Long-eared Owls calling during a thunder storm out in the Eastern Santa Maria Valley. Mark Brown Santa Maria Subject: San Marcos Foothills Preserve Jan 22 From: "Yuji" <gobi2goby AT yahoo.co.jp> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:31:29 -0000 Hi all, Today I visited West area of San Marcos Foothills Preserve. However I did not see Mountain Bluebird today, a flock (about 20 individuals) of Laurence's Goldfinches were seen. They fed very actively in Fiddleneck bushes. Some photos of Laurence's Goldfinches http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugene2010/4296376409/in/set-72157622999768458/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugene2010/4297123156/in/set-72157622999768458/ I also visited Goleta Beach yesterday and today. I gave up counting at 100 yesterday. Some photos of Black Skimmer http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugene2010/4294287723/in/set-72157622151542137/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugene2010/4294307209/in/set-72157622151542137/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugene2010/4297121976/in/set-72157622151542137/ Yuji Kozaki Subject: Re: Goleta beach From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:41:22 -0800 Hi all, Nice count Nancy, I stopped by Goleta Beach as well. I wanted to check on the Black Skimmers, they normally show up there after a big storm. I only counted 52 but, that was this morning. I also saw 2 Glaucous-winged Gulls. At the Goleta Sewage Works I counted 11 Black Skimmers and 8 Cinnamon teal. Good Birding, Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net ----- Original Message ----- From: nancy states To: COBIRD SB Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 4:42 PM Subject: [sbcobirding] Goleta beach I went out to see the waves this afternoon. Pretty awesome. Over on the slough side i saw at least 75 Black Skimmers among the gulls and terns. Two Peregrine falcons were perched in a tree over at the gas plant site. Nancy States Santa Barbara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Goleta beach From: nancy states <bnstates AT cox.net> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:42:13 -0800 I went out to see the waves this afternoon. Pretty awesome. Over on the slough side i saw at least 75 Black Skimmers among the gulls and terns. Two Peregrine falcons were perched in a tree over at the gas plant site. Nancy States Santa Barbara Subject: Santa Ynez River Mouth From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:29:23 -0600 All: Ken Hollinga and I birded here, arriving as Paul Rosso was leaving. We saw the two Red Phalaropes very well along with great looks at two different Large-billed Savannah Sparrows. A couple of close Horned Grebes were by the road in. The gull flock held nothing much of interest. There were very good numbers of ducks. I didn't count the dabblers but aythyas included 29 Redhead, 23 Canvasback, 40 Lesser Scaup, a fem Greater Scaup and 2 RN Ducks. There were about 20 Cinnamon Teal. There were lots of Sanderlings and a few G. Yellowlegs feeding on the exposed mud. Nick Lethaby nlethaby AT ti.com +1 805 562 5106 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Phalaropes at Ocean Park From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:18:13 -0800 Jan 22nd, The Santa Ynez River has broken through the sandbar will all the rain. The road to Ocean Park is still closed because of the debris. Not a bad hike. There were two types of Phalaropes in the estuary Red (2) and a Red-necked. They were just north of the parking lot. Some other birds were: Marsh Wren Lincoln Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow,Song Sparrow American Pipit Say's Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler's (Audubon and Myrtle's) Brown Pelican (sitting on the road) Horned, Eared, Pied -billed, Clark's and Western Grebes Killdeer, Sanderling Am Coot,Double crested Cormorant Bufflehead, Redhead, Canvasback, N. Shoveler, N. Pintail, American Wigeon,Gadwall, Green-winged Teal,Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Cinnamon Teal and Ring-necked Ducks N. Harrier, Am Kestrel Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbirds Lots of gulls, which I did not go through. Paul Rosso Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Out on the ocean From: David Pereksta <pereksta AT pacbell.net> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:16:49 -0800 (PST) For what it is worth, a number of us saw a South Polar Skua between Santa Cruz Island and San Nicolas Island on a December pelagic in 2001.  That might not be midwinter, but it does indicate that they may be out there at this time of year. Dave Pereksta Ventura ________________________________ From: "Lethaby, Nick" To: Dave Compton ; "sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com" ; nlameijer Sent: Wed, January 20, 2010 8:59:42 PM Subject: RE: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean   I think there was a CBC record from Florence in OR years ago. While I agree that it would be an unusual record, I would point out that there are very few pelagic trips offshore in CA at this time of year and it's not often that we get good on-shore winds. So it's probably a bit more frequent than records imply. ____________ _________ _________ __ From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups. com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Dave Compton Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:31 PM To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups. com; nlameijer Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean Hi Niels and everyone, I just wanted to put the report of a South Polar Skua in winter and from shore in perspective. Lehman's Birds of Santa Barbara County, California mentions just one record of this species from shore, and he calls this record "exceptional. " I know of none from shore since then, so that alone would make such a record very significant. But even more unexpected would be seeing one in midwinter. There are certainly no midwinter records for Santa Barbara County, and I'm told there are none for California. So, obviously, such a report would require VERY convincing documentation to be included in the record. Dave Compton Santa Barbara --- On Wed, 1/20/10, nlameijer > wrote: From: nlameijer > Subject: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups. com Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 5:39 PM Just before sunset I sat on Carp Beach with my scope watching sea birds, like I used to do weekly in Holland. Not a lot going on in scope range (lot of activity far off shore. There was a nice surprise not too far out. Close enough to make out a clear Skua, flying South!! Maybe even more interesting finds when the following storms hit :) 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 Mew Gull (American) 1 South Polar Skua 2 jaeger sp. far out chasing gulls. Niels Carpinteria ------------ --------- --------- ------ For everything birding in Santa Barbara County: http://www.sbcobirding.com .. Yahoo! Groups Links [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: Large Godwit flock in Goleta Slough From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:03:54 -0000 Here's another unusual sighting related to the weather. At the east end of Goleta Beach Wednesday afternoon the slough was flowing heavily into the ocean. The flow was somewhat counterbalanced by a heavy surf coming in - heavy enough that the pier was closed to foot traffic. Across the water on the eastern sand bar was a large foraging group of Marbled Godwits... I counted 102! It's been 2 years since I've seen more than 10 at a time in Goleta. Also Devereux was down a few feet. There was a heavy inflow from the creek as seen from the north pullout. Presumeably the surf was pushing water back in as I did not see much current at the south pullout. (I didn't venture out to the sand berm to gauge the depth of the breach.) Adam Lewis Goleta Subject: RE: Out on the ocean From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:59:42 -0600 I think there was a CBC record from Florence in OR years ago. While I agree that it would be an unusual record, I would point out that there are very few pelagic trips offshore in CA at this time of year and it's not often that we get good on-shore winds. So it's probably a bit more frequent than records imply. ________________________________ From: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dave Compton Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:31 PM To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com; nlameijer Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean Hi Niels and everyone, I just wanted to put the report of a South Polar Skua in winter and from shore in perspective. Lehman's Birds of Santa Barbara County, California mentions just one record of this species from shore, and he calls this record "exceptional." I know of none from shore since then, so that alone would make such a record very significant. But even more unexpected would be seeing one in midwinter. There are certainly no midwinter records for Santa Barbara County, and I'm told there are none for California. So, obviously, such a report would require VERY convincing documentation to be included in the record. Dave Compton Santa Barbara --- On Wed, 1/20/10, nlameijer > wrote: From: nlameijer > Subject: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 5:39 PM Just before sunset I sat on Carp Beach with my scope watching sea birds, like I used to do weekly in Holland. Not a lot going on in scope range (lot of activity far off shore. There was a nice surprise not too far out. Close enough to make out a clear Skua, flying South!! Maybe even more interesting finds when the following storms hit :) 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 Mew Gull (American) 1 South Polar Skua 2 jaeger sp. far out chasing gulls. Niels Carpinteria ------------------------------------ For everything birding in Santa Barbara County: http://www.sbcobirding.com .. Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: lompoc From: "Wes Fritz" <wes-fritz AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:41:02 -0800 S.B. birders, I birded around Lompoc today looking for gulls and ducks. Many of the ducks are moving around due to the storms. The lack of white-winged gulls is very puzzling. My first stop of the day was at River Park, birds of note were 1 1st cycle Western Gull, 1 male Greater scaup and 18 Ring-necked Ducks. I then headed over to the Lompoc Middle School, this can be a great location to study gulls. On the lawn, visible from Olive Street there was only about 15 gulls hanging out. The Olive and O Street water retention basin has always been good for ducks and bathing gulls returning from the dump. No birds were present. I then went out to Ocean Park, the gate has been locked for a few days due to flooding. I looked over the estuary from the overlook, only a few gulls and ducks were detected, mostly Cal gulls and N. Shovelers with a few Ruddys. The flooded conditions were perfect for duck watching, if the SYRE had some ducks. Last week the estuary was full of ducks, Mallards, Gadwalls, N, Pintail, Am.Wigeon, N.Shoveler, Cinnamon, Blue-winged, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead and Ruddy Ducks. The good news is the SYRE has been flowing over the sand berm for 3 days now, with this next rain storm coming, it could totally break through. This would drain the SYRE forcing the ducks to move, hopefully to near by locations. I then went over to the Mission Hills sewage works, normally they have a few Mew, Bonaparte's and Cal.Gulls. Again, no gulls and the duck population was well below last weeks count. MHSW went from having 38 Hooded Mergansers to 0 in less than a month. The Buffleheads were at the lowest numbers since they arrived. The only new arrival was 1 Blue-winged Teal. I went to check out the lawns at the schools, it was after lunch now. Lompoc High School had about 200 gulls, mostly California's and good numbers of Mew with a few Western Gulls. I hit the Lompoc Middle School again, it had about 75 gulls, mostly California's, maybe 20 Mews and 5 Western Gulls. My next stop was the retention basin on Olive Street, still no gulls. So, I went back out to the SYRE and looked for ducks and grebes, still no luck. The gull flock was just south of the river mouth, it had about 1,500 to 2,000 gulls. The weather was still pretty gnarly, so I figured I would hike out there in a couple of days, or the road might be open by then. I started birding my home and saw about 100 gulls at Ryan Park on the lawn, again mostly California's some Mews and a few Western Gulls. I hit River park again, this time I saw a 2nd cycle Glaucous-winged Gull and 1 Thayer's Gull, were the best gulls, Liz or Melissa, please keep us informed on the lake level and if you start seeing an increase of ducks. I checked out Lake Cachuma yesterday, it was pretty duckless. I did see 6 Common Mergansers, from the Bradbury overlook. Mark Brown, or anybody birding the SMRE please keep us informed if estuary breaks through. It's just a matter of time, before we see a good turn over of ducks. As Don Tate mentions, this is a good time to walk the beaches looking for washed up sea birds. Good sea bird specimens are hard to come by. Good birding. Wes Fritz Solvang, Ca. (805) 895-0685 wes-fritz AT verizon.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Out on the ocean From: Dave Compton <davcompton AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:31:14 -0800 (PST) Hi Niels and everyone,   I just wanted to put the report of a South Polar Skua in winter and from shore in perspective. Lehman's Birds of Santa Barbara County, California mentions just one record of this species from shore, and he calls this record "exceptional." I know of none from shore since then, so that alone would make such a record very significant. But even more unexpected would be seeing one in midwinter. There are certainly no midwinter records for Santa Barbara County, and I'm told there are none for California. So, obviously, such a report would require VERY convincing documentation to be included in the record.   Dave Compton Santa Barbara --- On Wed, 1/20/10, nlameijer wrote: From: nlameijer Subject: [sbcobirding] Out on the ocean To: sbcobirding AT yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 5:39 PM Just before sunset I sat on Carp Beach with my scope watching sea birds, like I used to do weekly in Holland. Not a lot going on in scope range (lot of activity far off shore. There was a nice surprise not too far out. Close enough to make out a clear Skua, flying South!!  Maybe even more interesting finds when the following storms hit :) 2    Peregrine Falcon 2    Mew Gull (American) 1    South Polar Skua 2    jaeger sp. far out chasing gulls. Niels Carpinteria ------------------------------------ For everything birding in Santa Barbara County: http://www.sbcobirding.com .. Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Out on the ocean From: "nlameijer" <nlameijer AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:39:43 -0000 Just before sunset I sat on Carp Beach with my scope watching sea birds, like I used to do weekly in Holland. Not a lot going on in scope range (lot of activity far off shore. There was a nice surprise not too far out. Close enough to make out a clear Skua, flying South!! Maybe even more interesting finds when the following storms hit :) 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 Mew Gull (American) 1 South Polar Skua 2 jaeger sp. far out chasing gulls. Niels Carpinteria Subject: Friday Bird Walk at Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant From: "Adam" <aj.lewis AT cox.net> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:09:50 -0000 Where: Goleta Treatment Plant When: Friday January 22, 2010 8:30am - 10:30am Target Birds: Shorebirds Sponsor: SB Audubon Society Bird walk leader: Jack Sanford 566-2191 or jacksanford AT hotmail.com Directions: Heading south on Hwy 101 take the Fairview off ramp and head towards the ocean. Follow Fairview Ave it changes to Fowler St and the Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant is across the street from the Santa Barbara Airport. Heading north on Hwy 101 take Ward Memorial Blvd. Take the last turn off before UCSB to Fowler St. (SB Airport). Turn right on Fowler and the Treatment Plant is on your right. Park in the parking lot and sign in at the office. Subject: Pics from the weekend... From: "matt v" <fickity AT netscape.net> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:55:38 -0000 Greetings! Went by Goleta Beach today about noon. Waves were fierce, the largest I have ever seen. I scanned what Gulls there were, up and down both lots. Best Larid was a Bonaparte's Gull near Campus. Couple Mews, nothing else of note. No Jaegers, Alcids, nor Albatross, alas... I did manage to add a new folder to my Picasa. Images from the Santa Cruz Island Daytrip. http://picasaweb.google.com/fickity.net Mostly mammals, but some ok shots of RHINO AUKLET and BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER are included. Enjoy it on a rainy day? -- 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: Eurasian Wigeon at Area K From: "kylebraunger" <kylebraunger AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:22:36 -0000 The Eurasian Wigeon that has been seen at Devereux, Atascadero Cr., and the GSD facility this winter was at Area K this morning. Kyle Braunger Subject: East Beach Tuesday Morning 1/19/10. From: <georger244 AT cox.net> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:18:08 -0500 Hello all: Santa Barbara's East Beach was a wild and windy place this morning with pretty constant wind 15-25 mph and very high surf and then the rain started and it got worse. It reminded me of a winter day on the South Shore of Nova Scotia ... except that the wind chill wasn't nearly low enough. I walked from the volleyball courts to the harbor. The spit was under water and surf and no access to the breakwater was permitted which is a good thing because it looked pretty dangerous out there. Actually I was surprised at how few birds there were. Those that were flying had two airspeeds: very very slow flying eastward into the wind and pretty bleep bleep fast flying west downwind. The only unusual bird I saw was a female Red-breasted Merganser in the pool at the outlet of the Bird Refuge. I counted the Snowy Plover flock at 111 birds including three PRBO color-banded birds. Visibility was pretty bad looking offshore but I didn't see any pelagics. I didn't scope however. Bird on...George Roland, Montecito Subject: SB Bird Refuge, Sunday, 17 Jan, 2010 From: "Chelsea O'Connell" <oconnell AT sbcc.edu> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:27:49 -0800 Went to investigate the sighting of the Chinese geese and saw them exactly where George Roland mentioned they were; in the far NW corner of the Bird Refuge nearest the zoo and the only way I could see them was by standing on the bench and looking through the reeds. The larger goose has some wing feathers on the right side that are sticking straight up in the air, perhaps an injury or results of pinioning (forgive spelling if wrong) of the wing? Also saw Hooded Mergansers m/f, Lesser Scaups, Ruddy Duck, lots of Shovelers, the continuing Cackling goose, Red-winged Blackbirds m/f, and a Common Yellowthroat. Nice morning overall before the rain started. Chelsea O'Connell Montecito, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pine Siskin on Lompoc Southside From: "Paul G. Rosso" <prrosso AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:24:50 -0800 Late yesterday, Jan 18th, after the storm had passed a Pine Siskin (F) came to our streetside feeder on Santa Clara Dr.on Lompoc's Southside. Paul Rosso Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: potential windfalls From: Don Tate <osomocoso AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:00:56 -0800 (PST) I hope the hot birders won't think I'm pretentious for proffering this reminder, but big storms & their blustery aftermaths could induce fulmars etc to sit on beaches, and albatrosses etc to come within sight of land (Coal Oil Point for example). I've seen the former at SB Mesa bluffs, and the latter (mollymawk) at Montana de Oro SP. Cold fronts could blow in pelagic storm-kills, especially on the exposed north county coast. Flooded estuaries might bring skulkers into view. So when opportunity presents, by all means drain another cup of cocoa, and connect with your inner Teddy Roosevelts!   Don Tate, Lompoc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Ocean Meadows and Devereux Slough From: "Callie" <cjbowdish AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:59:04 -0000 Wetlands start to fill up with first pulse of the rain storms for this week, Ocean Meadows and Devereux Slough - January 18, 2010 http://homepage.mac.com/cjbowdish/Wetland2010-01-18/