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18 Mar FOS Rufous Hummingbird ["brasuel" ] 17 Mar Tahoe thrasher and some other, less interesting bits [Will Richardson ] 14 Mar Truckee - Cassin's Finches Return [] 12 Mar looking for Mtn Quail ["John Sterling" ] 13 Mar Donner Lake nest sighting ["rosita94598" ] 9 Mar Swan Lake, Rosewood, and Damonte ["Kirk Hardie" ] 08 Mar More cranes on the move ["ghupp920" ] 07 Mar Another Early Bird ["marinbirder" ] 05 Mar Early Spring Birds ["marinbirder" ] 28 Feb Sandhill Cranes [Diane Marten ] 26 Feb central valley cranes ["lakecanon" ] 28 Feb Sandhill Cranes migrating ["Frank" ] 26 Feb Breeding Raptors (PLA) ["rossierran" ] 25 Feb Golden-crowned Kinglet in Truckee [] 24 Feb Mono and Plumas County Birds [] 19 Feb Low Elevation Winter Mtn. Quail (PLA) ["rossierran" ] 17 Feb Sandhill Cranes over Grass Valley ["William" ] 17 Feb 16 Feb 10 Kern River Valley [Bob Barnes ] 15 Feb A Sheehey's Male Williamson's Sapsucker [Bob Barnes ] 14 Feb NEV Eurasian Wigeon ["Frances Oliver" ] 13 Feb NEV Eurasian Wigeon ["Rudy Darling" ] 12 Feb Scodie Park (Onyx, Kern Co.) YB Sapsucker Continues [Bob Barnes ] 08 Feb Some Brief Notes on the 2009 Auburn Area CBC (PLA / NEV) ["rossierran" ] 05 Feb Very Early FOS Western Kingbirds [Bob Barnes ] 05 Feb Barrow's Goldeneyes in Alta (PLA) ["rossierran" ] 04 Feb 4 Feb 10 South Fork Kern River Valley [Bob Barnes ] 04 Feb 4 Feb 10 South Fork Kern River Valley [Bob Barnes ] 04 Feb 3 Feb 10 Kern River Valley [Bob Barnes ] 1 Feb Pacific Loon at Almanor [] 01 Feb 31 Jan 10: Inyo Birders' Kern River Valley Field Trip [Bob Barnes ] 26 Jan Truckee Sightings, Nevada County [] 26 Jan Yosemite Winter birds ["marinbirder" ] 24 Jan NEW! Ad. Male YB Sapsucker: 1/24/10-Canebrake ER [Bob Barnes ] 21 Jan Singing Crossbill [Will Richardson ] 12 Jan Barrow's Goldeneye at Halsey Forebay (PLA) ["rossierran" ] 10 Jan Re: Folsom CBC Summary from 3 Jan 2010 [Bob Barnes ] 31 Dec Re: quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFI [Jeff Davis ] 31 Dec Re: quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFI [Will Richardson ] 31 Dec quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFI [Will Richardson ] 29 Dec Prineville CBC ["Charles Gates" ] 28 Dec Prineville CBC ["Charles Gates" ] 16 Dec Lassen & Plumas Co. ["Frances Oliver" ] 15 Dec South Lake Tahoe CBC results [Will Richardson ] 13 Dec Truckee Sightings [] 9 Dec South Lake Tahoe CBC - 14 December [Will Richardson ] 09 Dec (Another) Lassen Country Varied Thrush ["lovechild89507" ] 09 Dec Varied Thrushes in East Auburn (PLA) ["rossierran" ] 8 Dec 'Snow' Grosbeak in Sutter Creek [] 7 Dec Honey Lake CBC -- December 15, 2009; Marysville CBC -- December 22, 2009 [] 7 Dec Honey Lake CBC -- December 15, 2009; Marysville CBC -- December 22, 2009 [] 07 Dec Brown Creeper in Truckee [] 2 Dec Alpine Co ["John Luther" ] 2 Dec American Tree Sparrow-Alpine Co. (correction) ["Frances Oliver" ] 2 Dec American Tree Sparrow-Alpine Co. ["Frances Oliver" ] 1 Dec NAB Reminder [Jeff Davis ] 30 Nov 30 Nov 09: Isabella Reservoir, Southern Sierra Nevada [Bob Barnes ] 30 Nov Lake Almanor ["Steve Hampton" ] 28 Nov 27 Nov 09: Kern River Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada [Bob Barnes ] 27 Nov Listowner message: DO NOT OPEN message from GWPOTT [] 26 Nov No Subject [] 25 Nov Tahoe Hoodies [] 25 Nov 25 Nov 09: Kern R Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada [Bob Barnes ] 25 Nov Sierraville ["Kirk Hardie" ] 19 Nov Lassen County Varied Thrush ["lovechild89507" ] 17 Nov Sierra Meadows Birdless [] 15 Nov Northern Flickers in Truckee, Nevada County [] 6 Nov Mono Co. - White-winged Scoters [Kathryn Parker ] 4 Nov S. Lake Tahoe CBC input needed [Will Richardson ] 04 Nov Tahoe Rim Trail and Truckee River [] 03 Nov Sierra Valley Northern Shrike (otherwise, pretty slow) [] 2 Nov Tahoe City ["Kirk Hardie" ] 2 Nov RE: Sierra County incl.FOS? Bald Eagle [] 02 Nov Coldstream Canyon Near Truckee [] 27 Oct South Lake Tahoe birds 10/27/09 [Steve Abbott ] 27 Oct Mono Lake and Yosemite NP ["Kirk Hardie" ] 26 Oct Drake Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid - Upper Truckee ["Donald" ] Subject: FOS Rufous Hummingbird From: "brasuel" <Delphinus AT starband.net> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:06:49 -0000 Fist of season male Rufous Hummingbird came to our feeder yesterday, March 17. Summer Brasuel Somerset, CA El Dorado Co. elev. 3150 ft.Subject: Tahoe thrasher and some other, less interesting bits From: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:00:58 -0700 Late morning today (3/17), I ducked out of a conference in Incline Village for a quick cruise around the Village Green/Incline Creek area. Not expecting much, I was quite pleased that the second bird I actually looked at was a Sage Thrasher. I only know of one prior spring record, plus two fall records, for Tahoe. This is a fairly worthwhile spot during migration and summer, and worth a quick lap if you're ever looking to bird in that corner of the Lake - but be warned that it's definitely a dog park! In other news, I've been remiss in posting the recent smaller items that are perhaps of note. On 28 February, Kirk Hardie and I conducted a raptor count in Sierra Valley, as part of Zach Smith and Ed Pandolfino's effort. Perhaps the highlight was the presence of two Sandhill Cranes up near Beckworth. Also interesting, to me anyway, is that Eurasian Collared-Doves appear to be firmly established at Loyalton; they were there all winter. It's starting to really feel like spring around here: a few days ago, I noticed a Raven carrying nesting material to the bridge where I-80 crosses the Truckee River near Hirschdale. Bluebirds have returned to my neighborhood in a big way lately, and I've also noticed a lot of robin and flicker movement. Chickadees are checking out the nest boxes, and one particular Pygmy Nuthatch is feverishly attempting to drill holes through my siding. Will Richardson Truckee, CASubject: Truckee - Cassin's Finches Return From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:51:37 -0400 After a foot of new snow I put out some extra sunflower seeds yesterday and saw a pair of Cassin's Finches which I have not seen for some time. As usual there were at least 20 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Steller's Jays, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos and a beautiful, male, Red-shafted No. Flicker. This flicker has been here daily for the past week and is really enjoying our suet. Andrea Oddo, Tahoe donner, Elev. 6680'Subject: looking for Mtn Quail From: "John Sterling" <jsterling AT wavecable.com> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:09:20 -0800 I'll be looking for Mtn Quail on Tuesday. Does anyone know of a specific location where I can find them-bird feeders??? John Sterling VVVVVVVVVV 26 Palm Ave Woodland, CA 95695 cell 530 908-3836 jsterling AT wavecable.com check out my photos at http://sterlingbirds.smugmug.com www.sterlingbirds.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Donner Lake nest sighting From: "rosita94598" <rosita94598 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:32:34 -0000 As we passed high above Donner Lake yesterday while returning to the Bay Area on the Reno Snow Train yesterday, I noticed the occupied nest of our national bird. We saw it last year, too. Hugh B. Harvey Walnut CreekSubject: Swan Lake, Rosewood, and Damonte From: "Kirk Hardie" <krhardie AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:11:04 -0800 Hello birders, The Sierra Nevada College field ornithology class had its second field in the Reno area last Saturday (3/6). Fortunately, the rain stayed away and we had a very good day of birding. We started at Swan Lake where we had 13 species of ducks. We also had a flock of about 20 AMERICAN AVOCETS that looked about halfway to molting into their breeding plumage. Over by the board walk, we had WESTERN MEADOWLARKS singing away and SAVANNAH SPARROWS hopping along the canal. There was not much water out on the board and consequently, we did not hear any Virginia Rails that I had hoped for. Our second stop was Rosewood Lakes Golf Course which was surprisingly devoid of ducks except for a few MALLARDS and some HOODED MERGANSERS. Our last stop was Damonte Ranch Wetlands where the students loved getting to watch a female MERLIN eating what appeared to be a SAY'S PHOEBE. An AMERICAN KESTREL displaced the Merlin at one point, but the Merlin kept its meal. I heard a VIRGINIA RAIL call, but none of the students were out of their vehicles in time to catch it. We tallied 38 species seen and one heard for the day. Here are the complete lists for the sites: Swan Lake: Tundra Swan Canada Goose Mallard Northern Pintail Gadwall American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Cinnamon Teal Green-winged Teal Lesserscaup Canvas Back Redhead Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Killdeer American Avocet Dowitcher (spp) California Gull Black-billed Magpie European Starling Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Western Meadowlark Red-winged Blackbird Rosewood Lakes Golf Course: Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Canada Goose Mallard Hooded Merganser American Coot Killdeer Ring-billed Gull California Gull Mourning Dove Red-winged Blackbird Damonte Ranch Wetlands: Pied-billed Grebe Tundra Swan Canada Goose Mallard Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Common Merganser Ruddy Duck American Kestrel Merlin (female) American Coot Virginia Rail (heard) Killdeer Ring-billed Gull California Gull Say's Phoebe Kirk Hardie Reno, NV "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - From a sign in Albert Einstein's office at Princeton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: More cranes on the move From: "ghupp920" <ghupp AT directcon.net> Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:12:32 -0000 On Sunday around 1:30, a large flock of Sandhill Cranes passed directly over our house in Pleasant Valley (southeast of Placerville). I estimated well over 100 -- more like 150 to 200. As they approached, they were travelling due north. Then, directly overhead, they broke "formation" and formed into a large kettle, circling 6 or 7 times and gaining altitude, calling all the while. Then the group formed back into loose V's, continuing north and slightly east. I have observed this over our house once before -- I think the hills on our north side must provide a reliable updraft to gain altitude over Camino and Pollock Pines. Ginny Hupp ghupp AT directcon.netSubject: Another Early Bird From: "marinbirder" <david AT sierranaturalist.com> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:11:13 -0000 Another early bird showed up today in Groveland (3000 feet), the first Rufous Hummingbird of the year. David LukasSubject: Early Spring Birds From: "marinbirder" <david AT sierranaturalist.com> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:34:06 -0000 Today on this gorgeous spring day between storms, I saw 2 fast-moving swallows (almost certainly Tree Swallows) and my first Orange-crowned Warbler of the year. Both of these were on Table Mountain just outside Jamestown in Tuolumne County. David Lukas Big Oak FlatSubject: Sandhill Cranes From: Diane Marten <dianemarten AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:03:19 -0800 I heard a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying over Lake Wildwood in Penn Valley this afternoon between the end of the hockey game and the beginning of overtime! Diane MartenSubject: central valley cranes From: "lakecanon" <agjtahoe AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:41:11 -0000 For those in the Sierra that want to take a trip to the valley...the Sandhill Cranes are still there. Feb 25th there were somewhere close to 100 at the Cosumnes River Preserve near the end of the Wetlands boardwalk. Lots of the usual winter birds still there too. Well worth a trip. Alice Jones S Lake TahoeSubject: Sandhill Cranes migrating From: "Frank" <frankseverson AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:59:17 -0000 On CV Birds, Ann Burris reported Sandhill Cranes flying over her West Sac home today. She said they never fly over her home except during migration. I'm north-east of Placerville, 60 miles east of her, and, like Ann, they only fly over our home during migration. And I just heard a flock of them, FOS! I never saw them, however; I'm in a dense forest of conifers and oaks. By the time I retrieved my binoculars, the cranes were east of me and I couldn't see them through the trees. Frank J. Severson Placerville CA 95667 11 miles north of Placerville, at 3000 feet elevation, in the ponderosa Pine Belt El Dorado County Home: (530) 642-1787 Work: (916) 341-6259Subject: Breeding Raptors (PLA) From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:24:40 -0000 Hello Birders, Just a note for folks keeping breeding records. In the Sierra foothill region of Placer County, one pair of Bald Eagles has started nesting and is believed to be incubating. Also, today I observed an adult pair of Peregrine Falcons copulating above the eyrie. To my knowledge, this is the second confirmed Peregrine nesting record in the county. Of particular interest at the falcon cliff site was the bright orange ornithocoprophilous lichens covering the dark gray stone perches. These bird-dung-loving lichens are the result of high levels of calcium and phosphorous or the high pH of bird-dung. Upon writing this post, it became very apparent to me, as a 49 year resident of Placer County, that the recent breeding status of both Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons is a truly remarkable occurance in the county. To my knowledge, there are no historical breeding records inthe county for these two birds. They weren't here when I was growing up in Placer. What a story! Still waiting for the Purple Martins to return to the Placer County Courthouse in Auburn. Bird is the Word, Deren Ross Auburn, CaSubject: Golden-crowned Kinglet in Truckee From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:44:49 -0500 At 4 pm today I noticed my dog staring out the window at our snowy deck. There was a ball of fluff that looked like a mouse. When I went outside to investigate it I found it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet who had probably hit our window. I held it until it stirred and then placed it high in a wreath hanging on our outdoor trellis. He sat there for almost an hour and then started hopping around. He stayed until almost dark and then flew away, hopefully fully recovered. We have been here 21 years and I have never seen this bird near our cabin. He was adorable and sat on my finger for a while. I have pictures if anyone would like to see him, email me and I'll send them on. Andrea Oddo, Tahoe Donner, Truckee, elev. 6680' In the last week we have only seen Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches an occasional Steller's Jay and a pair of Ravens. = [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Mono and Plumas County Birds From: dillingham7 AT digitalpath.net Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:36:13 -0800 (PST) I apologize in getting these notes out a bit late, but better late than never - BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER - Mono County, in burn about 150 yards East of Hwy 395, 0.8 miles North of Hwy 158 (June Lake road junction, south end of June Lake Loop). This was an adult male seen on Feb 15. AMERICAN HERRING GULL - Plumas County, Lake Almanor, adult seen on gravel bar immediately north of Canyon Dam boat ramp on Feb 17 seen by Colin and Henry Dillingham. NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER - Plumas County, Chester, 3rd and Riverside, female feeding in cottonwood trees with downy and hairy woodpeckers, seen Feb 18 by Colin and Henry Dillingham. -- Colin Dillingham 530-283-1133Subject: Low Elevation Winter Mtn. Quail (PLA) From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:09:55 -0000 Hello Birders, Today, at close proximity, a friend and I heard two Mountain Quail calling from within a heavily wooded (pine-oak), massive boulder strewn, steep canyon along the lower Bear River in Placer County. The elevation is approximately 1300 feet. I found it noteworthy that this particular area, which was somewhat difficult access, more closely resembled the rocky-woodland-canyon habitat of higher elevations where Mountain Quail are typically known. Bird is the word, Deren Ross Auburn, CaSubject: Sandhill Cranes over Grass Valley From: "William" <dcrane AT applelinks.net> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:50:46 -0000 Just now a flock of about 100 Sandhill Cranes passed over my house south of Grass Valley. Circling and calling, spring must almost be here. Bill Moore Grass ValleySubject: 16 Feb 10 Kern River Valley From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:41:45 -0800 Hi, Tu, 16 Feb 10 Ken River Valley Highights. Canebrake Ecological Reserve: Tree Swallow (fist of spring for Kern River Valley ... first observed by Alison Sheehey at same location on 15 Feb 10), Tricolored Blackbird - 50, Lawrence's Goldfinch - 4 (1female, 3 males) on barbed wire fence along Public Access Trail (catchy name isn't it?:) at rock house. Isabella Reservoir: Common Merganser - 1 male (For first tie this winter could not find large flock ... up to 5000 individuals) Kelso Creek Rd.: Chukar 1, Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1 Kelso Valley Rd.: Cactus Wren 1, Mountain Bluebird - 14 two small flocks), American Pipit - 370 (one large flock) Scodie Park, Onyx: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Red-breasted Sapsucker 2 Tillie Creek Campground, Wofford Heights: Band-tailed Pigeon 1, Red-naped Sapsucker 1, Townsend's Solitaire 1 Day's List: Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Green-winged Teal Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Chukar California Quail Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark's Grebe American White Pelican Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Osprey Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin American Coot Ring-billed Gull California Gull Band-tailed Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Anna's Hummingbird Acorn Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-breasted Sapsucker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Nuttall's Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Black Phoebe Say's Phoebe Loggerhead Shrike Western Scrub-Jay Common Raven Horned Lark Tree Swallow Mountain Chickadee Oak Titmouse Bushtit White-breasted Nuthatch Cactus Wren Rock Wren Bewick's Wren Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire Hermit Thrush American Robin Wrentit Northern Mockingbird European Starling American Pipit Phainopepla Yellow-rumped Warbler Spotted Towhee California Towhee Rufous-crowned Sparrow Lark Sparrow Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Tricolored Blackbird Western Meadowlark Brewer's Blackbird Purple Finch House Finch Pine Siskin Lesser Goldfinch Lawrence's Goldfinch American Goldfinch House Sparrow Continued Happy & Productive Birding, Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: A Sheehey's Male Williamson's Sapsucker From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:46:44 -0800 Hi,
A posting for Alison Sheehey who is currently on the road for
Presidents' Day birding/bird photographing...
Alison Sheehey just called to report observations made a few minutes
ago (Mo, 15 Feb 10) at Scodie Park, Onyx, in the South Fork (Kern
River) Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada including:
* WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER 1 (a male - the first to be reported
from there this winter ... no female found this visit)
* YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 1 (continuing)
* RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER 2
Alison further reports that yesterday (Su, 14 Feb 10) Scodie Park
hosted the continuing YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and the continuing
female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER.
For Alison Sheehey,
Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: NEV Eurasian WigeonFrom: "Frances Oliver" <hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:44:07 -0800 This morning Liz West & I drove up to Nevada Co. hoping that the Eurasian Wigeon was still around. And just before Rosemary Lane we ran into Ed Pandolfino who had just seen it (good news for us!). A few minutes later I found the male EURASIAN WIGEON, swimming amongst his American Wigeon friends. Thanks for reporting the wigeon Rudy! Restating Rudy's directions: To get to the pond from Hwy 49 coming from Auburn, turn left on Wolf Road then left on Garden Bar where the road T's (Wolf continues to the right), turn right on Rosemary Lane (1-2 miles down Garden Bar). Drive past the barns on the left and the pond will come into view. Best view is from under the lone tree opposite mid-pond. Decided to bird a few other roads looking for winter raptors. Along Garden Bar had a COOPER'S HAWK; a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was on a fence on Wolf Rd; a WT KITE was sitting on a bush up on the hillside at White Oak Rd, and RT HAWKS & AM KESTRELS everywhere. Oh and skunked again on the Northern Harrier that was seen yesterday! Found 3 YB MAGPIES standing in a field along Wolf Road (close to Wolf Glen). And 2 NO. MOCKINGBIRDS along White Oak. Both were unusual sightings for me, since I have seen very few of either in the county. It was nice to be out of the fog for awhile! Frances Lodi, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: NEV Eurasian Wigeon From: "Rudy Darling" <rdarling AT sbbmail.com> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:22:47 -0800 This noon (Sat. 2/13) there was a Eurasian Wigeon on the pond on Rosemary Lane in western Nevada County. To get to the pond from Hwy 49 coming from Auburn, turn left on Wolf Road then left on Garden Bar where the road T's (Wolf continues to the right), turn right on Rosemary Lane (1-2 miles down Garden Bar). Drive past the barns on the left and the pond will come into view. Best view is from under the lone tree opposite mid-pond. Also in the area today (and all winter) was a Say's Phoebe in the fields past the pond. Keep an eye out for various raptors in the area as well (past finds have been Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Harrier, Golden Eagle, Sharp-shinned, etc. At Sanford Road about 1/2 mile before Rosemary on the opposite side of Garden Bar, we found Lewis' Woodpeckers. Drive in until the road forks and take the right fork. Watch in the trees on the right. They seem to be camped there, as they were also present during the mid-December Auburn CBC. Also on this Sierra Foothills Audubon field trip we got great looks at a California Thrasher (off Perimeter Road) and Rufous-crowned Sparrow (on Perimeter Road), and saw White-tailed Kite (White Oak Lane), Harrier (White Oak), and several Phainopeplas (Perimeter and Garden Bar and Sanford). Rudy Darling Nevada City [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Scodie Park (Onyx, Kern Co.) YB Sapsucker Continues From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:01:36 -0800 Hi,
A lingering (just short of an hour) visit to Scodie Park, Onyx, in
the South Fork (Kern River) Valley late yesterday afternoon (11 Feb
10) finally resulted in the observation of the continuing
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A continuing Mountain Chickadee added more
spice to the visit to Scodie Park.
A flock of over 100 Mountain Bluebirds were still present on Kelso
Valley Rd. ... 4+ miles south of CA Hwy 178.
Red-naped Sapsucker and a "ton" of Phainopeplas were still present at
Tillie Creek Campground.
Other Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada, Kern County,
observations made yesterday between 2500' and 6200' elevation follow.
Feel free to contact me off list if you are interested in specific
locations for any of the following:
* Gadwall
* American Wigeon
* Mallard
* Green-winged Teal
* Common Goldeneye
* Common Merganser
* Chukar
* Wild Turkey
* California Quail
* Eared Grebe
* Western Grebe
* Clark's Grebe
* American White Pelican
* Double-crested Cormorant
* Great Blue Heron
* Osprey
* Bald Eagle
* Sharp-shinned Hawk
* Red-shouldered Hawk
* Red-tailed Hawk
* Ferruginous Hawk
* American Kestrel
* Prairie Falcon
* Virginia Rail
* American Coot
* Ring-billed Gull
* California Gull
* Eurasian Collared-Dove
* Mourning Dove
* Anna's Hummingbird
* Acorn Woodpecker
* Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
* Red-naped Sapsucker
* Ladder-backed Woodpecker
* Nuttall's Woodpecker
* Downy Woodpecker
* Hairy Woodpecker
* Northern Flicker
* Black Phoebe
* Say's Phoebe
* Loggerhead Shrike
* Steller's Jay
* Western Scrub-Jay
* Common Raven
* Horned Lark
* Mountain Chickadee
* Oak Titmouse
* Bushtit
* Red-breasted Nuthatch
* White-breasted Nuthatch
* Cactus Wren
* Rock Wen
* Canyon Wren
* Bewick's Wren
* Marsh Wren
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet
* Western Bluebird
* Mountain Bluebird
* Townsend's Solitaire
* Hermit Thrush
* American Robin
* Northern Mockingbird
* European Staling
* American Pipit
* Phainopepla
* Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler
* Spotted Towhee
* California Towhee
* Rufous-crowned Sparrow
* Lark Sparrow
* Song Sparrow
* White-crowned Sparrow
* Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon and Slate-colored)
* Red-winged Blackbird
* Tricolored Blackbird
* Western Meadowlark
* Brewer's Blackbird
* Purple Finch
* House Finch
* American Goldfinch
* House Sparrow
Continued Happy & Productive Birding,
Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, California
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Some Brief Notes on the 2009 Auburn Area CBC (PLA / NEV)From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:43:04 -0000 On Saturday, December 19th, 47 friends of Audubon tallied 121 species. Of special note were: * High count of 6 Merlin with 4 reported in one area by Brian Willams and Co. * High count of 1039 Western Bluebirds which amounted to a remarkable 20% increase, * An encouraging 28% increase in Yellow-billed Magpie from 2008 to 2009. On a related note, the Lake of the Pines (Nevada County) Trumpeter Swan first reported during the 2008 Auburn CBC by Jeri Langham and crew was accepted in 2009 by the California Birds Record Committee. Further details, including additional high counts, will be available in the next issue of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society Newsletter. Bird is the word, Deren Ross Auburn, CaSubject: Very Early FOS Western Kingbirds From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:18:35 -0800 Hi: WESTERN KINGBIRD: John Schmitt reports that late morning yesterday (Th, 4 Feb 10) he observed two Western Kingbirds "flying about, fussing with each other, and calling" around the Alta One Credit Union property off the southeast side of Lake Isabella Blvd. in the community of Lake Isabella (Elevation: 2469') in the southern Sierra Nevada portion of Kern County. A check of Kern County records entered on eBird shows the earliest Kern County records for Western Kingbird in the first week of March. Matt Heindel's Birds of Eastern Kern County (Dec. 2000) shows the earliest Kern County deserts record as March 12th (with "first arrival closer to 20 March"). Therefore, John's observation appears to be one month earlier than prior record Kern early date(s). Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Barrow's Goldeneyes in Alta (PLA) From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:57:08 -0000 Hello Birders, There were five Barrow's Goldenye, two male and three female, on Lake Alta this morning which is located near the town of Alta, approx. 3500 ft. elevation, in Placer County. The lake is private but can be viewed from the the perimeter. A home is being rebuilt on the northwest end of the lake. From here, I was kindly permitted access to a new, large covered deck overlooking the lake. Between heavy gray skies and glassy emerald green water, I was delighted to see the the females bright and solid yellowish-orange bills. As many locals know, the Alta-Dutch Flat area is a regular winter watering hole for the Barrow's. Other local spots include several P.G & E. forebays and afterbays, the Goldrun Rest Stop waste pond, and the Alta Reservoir. The male Barrow's at Halsey Forebay near Auburn that I posted on previously was still present as of this week. I made a quick run out to Lover's Leap, overlooking Giant Gap or as Thomas Moran in his sketch called it "Giant's Gap", to check on the Golden Eagle nesting status. No eagles were seen at either of two cliff sites but nests looked good and the views were magnificent as always. Good birding, Deren Ross Auburn,CaSubject: 4 Feb 10 South Fork Kern River Valley From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:58:24 -0800 4 Feb 10 - South Fork Kern River Valley, Kern County... Chimney Peak National Back Country Byway: Mountain Bluebird 11 (0.5 mi. fr. CA Hwy 178) Sage Thrasher 2 (1 mi. fr. Hwy 178), Black-throated Sparrow 2 (1 mi. fr. Hwy 178),... Kelso Creek Rd.: Chukar 1 (observed on top of rock on top of ridge between Short Canyon and Cholla Canyon), Common Raven 313 (on ground in ag. fields). Kelso Valley Rd.: Chukar 4 (at 4 separate locations), Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1 & Cactus Wren 1 (10.5 mi.-11 mi. s. of CA Hwy 178), Mountain Bluebird 207 (201 in one flock 4 mi. s. of CA Hwy 178; 6 in 2nd flock 6 mi. s.) Scodie Park (2 acres) in Onyx: Acorn Woodpecker 4, WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER 1 (female), Red-breasted Sapsucker 2, Nuttall's Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1,... Canebrake Ecological Reserve: Ferruginous Hawk 1 light morph, Merlin 1, Virginia Rail 2, Canyon Wren 1, Tricolored Blackbird 5+,... En Route: Prairie Falcon, Canyon Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow,... Complete List: Mallard, Chukar, California Quail, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Virginia Rail, American Coot, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus Wren, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Wrentit, Northern Mockingbird, Sage Thrasher, California Thrasher, European Starling, Phainopepla, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, House Finch, House Sparrow,... Continued Happy & Productive Birding, Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: 4 Feb 10 South Fork Kern River Valley From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:38:39 -0800 4 Feb 10 - South Fork Kern River Valley, Kern County... Chimney Peak National Back Country Byway: Mountain Bluebird 11 (0.5 mi. fr. CA Hwy 178) Sage Thrasher 2 (1 mi. fr. Hwy 178), Black-throated Sparrow 2 (1 mi. fr. Hwy 178),... Kelso Creek Rd.: Chukar 1 (observed on top of rock on top of ridge between Short Canyon and Cholla Canyon), Common Raven 313 (on ground in ag. fields). Kelso Valley Rd.: Chukar 4 (at 4 separate locations), Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1 & Cactus Wren 1 (10.5 mi.-11 mi. s. of CA Hwy 178), Mountain Bluebird 207 (201 in one flock 4 mi. s. of CA Hwy 178; 6 in 2nd flock 6 mi. s.) Scodie Park (2 acres) in Onyx: Acorn Woodpecker 4, WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER 1 (female), Red-breasted Sapsucker 2, Nuttall's Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1,... Canebrake Ecological Reserve: Ferruginous Hawk 1 light morph, Merlin 1, Virginia Rail 2, Canyon Wren 1, Tricolored Blackbird 5+,... En Route: Prairie Falcon, Canyon Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow,... Complete List: Mallard, Chukar, California Quail, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Virginia Rail, American Coot, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Continued Happy & Productive Birding, Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: 3 Feb 10 Kern River Valley From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:35:51 -0800 3 Feb 10 - Kern River Valley... Isabella Reservoir-Kissack Cove, Mountain Mesa: American White-Pelican 67, Osprey 1,... Isabella Reservoir-North Fork, Wofford Heights: Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 1 (adult),... Isabella Reservoir-Nuui Cunni Cultural Center at French Gulch (Main Dam area): Common Merganser 4000+, Western/Clark's Grebe 1000,... Lake Isabella-Barlow Rd.: Common Goldeneye 2;... Slippery Rock Launch Site (Kern River across/downstream from Main Dam Campground entrance): Canyon Wren 1, American Dipper 1,... Tillie Creek Campground, Wofford Heights: Band-tailed Pigeon 30, Red-naped Sapsucker 1, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE 4 (all calling during same time period in vicinity of campsite 16 - additional observer: John Schmitt),... 7am-8:10am, Live Oak Campground (across CA Hwy. 155 from Tillie Creek Campground) complete list: California Quail 6 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Eurasian Collared-Dove 2 Mourning Dove 7 Anna's Hummingbird 1 Acorn Woodpecker 18 sapsucker spp. 1 Not a Williamson's female or male. Nuttall's Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1 Black Phoebe 1 Western Scrub-Jay 20 Common Raven 1 Oak Titmouse 18 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Western Bluebird 15 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 1 Northern Mockingbird 4 European Starling 8 Phainopepla 18 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2 Spotted Towhee 22 California Towhee 11 White-crowned Sparrow 40 Golden-crowned Sparrow 1 Dark-eyed Junco 4 Purple Finch (Western) 2 House Finch 7 House Sparrow 2 Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Pacific Loon at Almanor From: dillingham7 AT digitalpath.net Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 19:03:52 -0800 (PST) Yesterday, Jan 31, I found a PACIFIC LOON at Lake Almanor near the Canyon Dam boat ramp. A flock of 24 SNOW GEESE flew over and 2 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were swimming while I was there as well. EARED GREBE were numerous, about 500 seen on the southern half of the lake. There were 1200 TUNDRA SWAN at the northeast end of the lake, along with 800 CANVASBACK. At the mouth of the North Fork of the Feather River, out of Chester, I found an adult male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Accessing the mouth of the river required a x-county ski journey to access, as the snow is about 2 feet deep. -- Colin Dillingham 530-283-1133Subject: 31 Jan 10: Inyo Birders' Kern River Valley Field Trip From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:08:52 -0800 Hi,
Susan Steele from Inyokern led a Su, 31 Jan 10 field trip to the Kern
River Valley for a group of five birders from Inyo County ... Kathy
Duvall, Claus Englehardt, Connie Englehardt, Nancy Overholtz, Ron
Overholtz. They were joined by Alison Sheehey from Weldon and Bob
Barnes from Ridgecrest.
The elevation range of observations was roughly 2500'-3000'.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Canebrake Ecological Reserve - Virginia Rail (heard only),
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (continuing adult male in gray pine at end
of Public Access Trail ... scope views), Oak Titmouse, Rock Wren,
Canyon Wren ("killer" scope views), Western Bluebird, Wrentit (heard
only), Rufous-crowned Sparrow ("killer" scope views), Lark Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Tricolored Blackbird,...
Scodie Park - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (continuing juvenile male),
Red-breasted Sapsucker, American Robin,...
Kelso Valley Road - Merlin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mountain Bluebird,
Lark Sparrow....
Slippery Rock Launch Site - Spotted Sandpiper, American Dipper,...
Tillie Creek Campground - Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn Woodpecker,
Red-naped Sapsucker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, California
Thrasher, Phainopepla, Purple Finch,...
Isabella Reservoir's North arm - American White Pelican, Osprey, Bald
Eagle (adult), feeders attracting Pine Siskin/Lesser
Goldfinch/American Goldfinch,...
Isabella Reservoir Main Dam area as viewed from below Nuui Cunni
Cultural Center at French Gulch - Common Merganser, Eared Grebe,
Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, American White Pelican, Merlin, ..
Isabella Reservoir Auxiliary Dam area - Common Goldeneye
Isabella Reservoir's Kissack Cove - Osprey, Peregrine Falcon,
American White Pelican (67), Herring Gull
en route - Bald Eagle (adult), Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon,...
Day's List (NOTE: My written notes and memory may have missed some
species; especially those observed by others during the day.):
* Gadwall
* American Wigeon
* Mallard
* Green-winged Teal
* Common Goldeneye
* Common Merganser
* California Quail
* Pied-billed Grebe
* Eared Grebe
* Western Grebe
* Clark's Grebe
* American White Pelican
* Double-crested Cormorant
* Great Blue Heron
* Osprey
* Bald Eagle
* Red-shouldered Hawk
* Red-tailed Hawk
* Ferruginous Hawk
* American Kestrel
* Merlin
* Peregrine Falcon
* Prairie Falcon
* Virginia Rail
* American Coot
* Killdeer
* Spotted Sandpiper
* Least Sandpiper
* Ring-billed Gull
* California Gull
* Herring Gull
* Band-tailed Pigeon
* Mourning Dove
* Anna's Hummingbird
* Acorn Woodpecker
* Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
* Red-naped Sapsucker
* Red-breasted Sapsucker
* Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Alison Sheehey only)
* Nuttall's Woodpecker
* Downy Woodpecker
* Hairy Woodpecker
* Northern Flicker
* Black Phoebe
* Say's Phoebe
* Loggerhead Shrike
* Western Scrub-Jay
* Common Raven
* Horned Lark
* Oak Titmouse
* White-breasted Nuthatch
* Cactus Wren
* Rock Wren
* Canyon Wren
* Bewick's Wren
* American Dipper
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet
* Western Bluebird
* Mountain Bluebird
* Hermit Thrush
* American Robin
* Wrentit
* Northern Mockingbird
* California Thrasher
* European Starling
* American Pipit
* Phainopepla
* Yellow-rumped Warbler
* Spotted Towhee
* California Towhee
* Rufous-crowned Sparrow
* Lark Sparrow
* Savannah Sparrow
* Song Sparrow
* White-crowned Sparrow
* Golden-crowned Sparrow
* Dark-eyed Junco
* Red-winged Blackbird
* Tricolored Blackbird
* Western Meadowlark
* Brewer's Blackbird
* Purple Finch
* House Finch
* Pine Siskin
* Lesser Goldfinch
* American Goldfinch
* House Sparrow
Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, California
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Subject: Truckee Sightings, Nevada CountyFrom: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:50:59 -0500 For the last snowy month we have seen numerous extremely busy Mountain Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Steller's Jays and Red-breasted Nuthatches. We occasionally see a Brown Creeper (never at our feeders). The Red-shafted Northern Flicker also drops in for occasional suet feedings. Today we had a male Hairy Woodpecker gorging on our suet for over ten minutes. It is still snowing and we have 6' on the ground. Andrea Oddo, Tahoe Donner, elev. 6,680' [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Yosemite Winter birds From: "marinbirder" <david AT sierranaturalist.com> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:07:43 -0000 Given the incredible snow loads after the last storms it was quite a shock to find a group of 23 western bluebirds cruising over the top of Crane Flat Lookout (~6600 feet) in Yosemite National Park on January 23. Then even more unexpected, the next day, I had an oak titmouse feeding among densely snow-covered white fir branches at 6050 feet, just below the lookout. Both were well above their usual winter range, and really out of place among the tremendous snow drifts. David Lukas Groveland, CASubject: NEW! Ad. Male YB Sapsucker: 1/24/10-Canebrake ER From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:33:42 -0800 24 Jan 2010 HIGHLIGHT: ADULT MALE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in a gray
pine at the end of the one mile long Public Access Trail on the
California Department of Fish & Game's Canebrake Ecological Reserve
at the east end of the South Fork Kern River Valley (see notes below
in species list), northern Kern County/southern Sierra Nevada. This
location is about seven miles east of the JUVENILE YELLOW-BELLIED
SAPSUCKER first found by Alison Sheehey on 9 Jan 2010 and continuing
though at least 23 Jan 2010 in the pine trees at Scodie Park; a small
(2 acre) Kern County park in the community of Onyx.
Location: South Fork Valley--Canebrake Ecological Reserve, Kern
County, Southern Sierra Nevada
Elevation: 2950' at Yellow-bellied Sapsucker observation site
Observation time/date: 6:40am-8:205am, 1/24/10
Temperature at Start-Finish: 26F-35F
Observer: Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA
Number of species: 33
Highlight: Adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (see notes below)
* Mallard 10
* Wild Turkey 1
* California Quail 10
* Great Blue Heron 1
* Red-shouldered Hawk 1
* Red-tailed Hawk 2
* YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 1 NOTES: LOCATION - The
Canebrake ER Public Access Trail is one mile long. It parallels an
east to west peninsular hillside with a filled-in-with-dirt flume
running along it c. 50' above the valley floor during the last 1000'+
of the trail. At the trail's end is a single, isolated, large gray
pine next to the flume. A sapsucker call was head from the end of the
trail. It was soon pin-pointed as being in the gray pine. When the
bird was located in the pre-sunrise light tapping on the side of the
larger vertical branches of the gray pine this bird was determined to
be a Red-naped Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, or a hybrid.
After the sun hit the gray pine and a vantage point on top of the
dirt-filled flume was secured, numerous excellent views were made
looking southwest/west into/up 30-40' in the gray pine tree for the
next 20-25 minutes. FIELD MARKS NOTED: large, vertical, white wing
patch; solid red throat with bold black line bordering/framing the
red throat; solid red crown patch on head; hind crown and back of
neck black and white with not even a trace of red in the nape ... a
very clean bird; a bold, bright, wide eyebrow-stripe; a bold black
line running back through the eye from the base of the bill to the
upper neck; a bold, wide, white stripe between the black eye-line and
black frame of the red throat and bordering said frame; two rows of
buffy (not white, not off-white)horizontal ragged "stripes" running
essentially the vertical length of the back; a narrow vertical break
separating the two buffy rows on the back; no hint of juvenile
brownish plumage anywhere in the head and neck region (This was a
very clean black, white, and red bird from the neck up.); brownish
markings ("spotting") on the hind end of the flanks. The preceding
observed field marks led to the conclusion that this particular
individual sapsucker was an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Observer: Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA
* Nuttall's Woodpecker 4
* Northern Flicker 2
* Black Phoebe 3
* Say's Phoebe 1
* Western Scrub-Jay 1
* Common Raven 3
* Oak Titmouse 4
* Rock Wren 1
* Canyon Wren 1
* Bewick's Wren 3
* Marsh Wren 1
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
* Western Bluebird 14
* Hermit Thrush 2
* Wrentit 1
* European Starling 4
* Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
* Spotted Towhee 1
* California Towhee 4
* Lark Sparrow 1
* Song Sparrow 6
* Lincoln's Sparrow 1
* White-crowned Sparrow 67
* Red-winged Blackbird 35
* Tricolored Blackbird 15
* blackbird sp. 350
* House Finch 30
The base of the above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, California
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Subject: Singing CrossbillFrom: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:22:46 -0800 While shoveling away this morning, I was treated to the usual sounds of distant explosions echoing off the mountains: avalanche control at the ski resorts. Less typical, but certainly as ear-catching, was the Red Crossbill vigorously singing away from the top of a Jeffrey Pine just across the street. It's amazing to contemplate nesting right now, in the midst of this significant winter storm cycle, but that may well be what they're up to. We definitely had a monster crop of Jeffrey Pine seeds this year. Will Richardson Truckee, CASubject: Barrow's Goldeneye at Halsey Forebay (PLA) From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:08:26 -0000 Hello Birders, Around noon, a male Barrow's Goldeneye was seen on Halsey Forebay, east of Auburn, Placer County. I had gone there to look for the Barrow's in prep of a planned search this Saturday. This is the first time I've seen a Barrow's here which is surprising considering the small P.G.& E reservoir always has a good number of Commons in winter. Halsey Forebay is located on Christian Valley Road which is just east of Auburn. Birdstrong, Deren Ross Auburn, CaSubject: Re: Folsom CBC Summary from 3 Jan 2010 From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:59:21 -0800 Chris (and Sierra Nevada Birds subscribers): Terrific summary! Informational, fun and rewarding!!! I wish all compilers could and/or would write a summary such as yours!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!! I like reading your perspectives and comparing them to the more southerly ones I have gathered based on Kern Co. CBCs ... valley floor vs. Sierra foothills; comparative lack of waterfowl and, especially, shorebird diversity in the foothills; presence virtually annually of one to several vireos, Townsend's Warblers, and Black-throated Gray Warblers on the valley floor Bakersfield CBC vs. very hard to come by on Kern foothill and east side CBCs; seeing Lawrence's Goldfinch reported for the Folsom CBC as well as other California CBCs besides the 175+ individuals found on Kern's Buena Vista CBC; the struggle to avoid double-counting of individuals; the continuous spread of Eurasian-collared Doves; the reminder that Great Horned Owls are already sitting on nests; the good to better Lewis's Woodpecker year; the absence of counted Band-tiled Pigeons; Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reminding me that the South Fork (Kern River) Valley CBC recorded one individual this CBC season - a rare find; etc.; etc.; etc. Your report of the miss of Pine Siskin on the Folsom CBC reminds me that this species would have been missed on several past South Fork Valley CBCs if a group of individuals (nine during the 2 Jan 10 CBC) did not appear virtually annually to feed on a small group (10-15 trees) of alders on the Canebrake Ecological Reserve shortly after the sun hits them. No visit to these trees during a relatively short period of time of day and no Pine Siskins would have been tallied on several South Fork Valley CBCs! With the presence of thistle feeders at the Kern River Preserve those alder trees have not been as critical in recent CBCs. But, they were again this most recent CBC. Thank you again for sharing a Folsom CBC summary with Sierra Nevada Birds listserv subscribers. Continued Happy & Productive Birding, Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, California At 09:48 PM 1/9/2010, you wrote: >Folks, > >The 31st Folsom CBC was held last Sunday, January 3rd, 2010. This year >there were 75 participants--the second highest in count history (there were >79 in the count's first year). The 8 area leaders did an admirable job >further dividing their areas into a total of 26 sub-groups, each with at >least one experienced leader. The count obviously wouldn't be possible >without the participants, but the great work of the area and sub-area >leaders can't be overstated. Thank you. > >Last year we reached 146 species (the highest count total so far), and when >I heard some of the excellent finds, I thought we might break the 150 >barrier this time. But it was not to be. Our total was a respectable 138 >(within an historic range of 123-146). To break 150--who knows if that will >happen--will require getting nearly all of the regular and not-so-regular >species, and several rarities. The Folsom CBC, as compared with Sacramento >and Rio Cosumnes, which regularly top 150 nowadays, gets a few >foothills/mountain species the flatland counts miss, but loses far more with >low diversity of waterfowl and very low diversity of shorebirds. This count >also almost never hosts a wintering warbler like Townsend's (only once, with >Black-throated Gray twice and Black-and-white once). > >There were several standouts this year. These include the count's first >Red-throated Loon (Mormon Is access at Folsom Lake), a Northern Pygmy-Owl >(the first since 1994), a Red-naped Sapsucker along the north shore of Lake >Natoma (don't know the exact location), which is the first since 1995, a >Northern Shrike at Beal's Point (5th count record), Sage Sparrows (private >property), and Lawrence's Goldfinches. Also new for the count, but far less >of a highlight, were a total of 5 Eurasian Collared-Doves. > >Other highlights include two Green-winged Teal (easy to miss), 7 (trying to >account for potential double-counting) Common Loons, several Ospreys and >Bald Eagles, 10 Ferruginous Hawks, 4 Merlins, 2 Peregrine Falcons (only >recently very hard to come by, but now expected), 10 Prairie Falcons (a new >count high, between two very experienced parties aware of the pitfalls of >double-counting), 15 Virginia Rails and 7 Soras were both good counts, Mew >Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull (overall gull numbers were well >down, around 10,000, probably resulting from the paucity of salmon), 2 >Western Screech-Owls, at least two Great Horned Owls already sitting on >nests, 2 Burrowing Owls, 64 Lewis's Woodpeckers, a Hairy Woodpecker, Common >Raven (2 areas, and for the 2nd year in a row, but only the 4th count >record), 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Golden-crowned Kinglets (often missed), >Mountain Bluebirds (two locations), Varied Thrush (only 1, but easy to miss, >and a bit of a surprise, as they've been hard to come by this year), >California Thrasher, 3 Orange-crowned Warblers (easy to miss, always low >numbers), 101 Phainopeplas (2nd count high, with a range of 13 to 107), a >White-throated Sparrow, and at least 100 Tricolored Blackbirds among a mix >of 600 mostly Red-wingeds coming out of a pond at daybreak along Natoma >Station Drive. > >Despite the great finds and good finds, misses were plentiful: geese other >than Cackling and Canada, Tundra Swan, Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback (I don't >bother including Redhead as a miss any longer), Black-crowned Night-Heron, >Rough-legged Hawk (tough year for this one), Golden Eagle (count week, >ouch), Long-billed Dowitcher, rare gulls, Band-tailed Pigeon, Steller's Jay, >any swallows, Red-breasted Nuthatch or Brown Creeper, Canyon Wren, Common >Yellowthroat (easy to miss despite what looks like a lot of good habitat), >Vesper Sparrow, and Pine Siskin (a tough year for this one). Without the >rarities, it would have been a low species total. Kind of an odd year, >lacking any of what might be considered warm weather species trying to >overwinter (like swallows or yellowthroat) and lacking birds coming out of >the mountains (Red-breasted Nuthatch, creeper, siskin). All said, it was a >great day to be in the field, with weather about as good as you could expect >on a CBC, and a far cry from the cold, foggy, and overcast conditions that >have a hold on the valley right now. > >I haven't added up all of the numbers on all species yet, but one that >stands out a is 94 Yellow-billed Magpies. After an average of ~150, numbers >went 67, 41, 47, 72, and, now 94. Not to read too much into this or to >claim they are out of the woods yet (more of an oak savanna bird, anyway), >but an encouraging trend all the same. Only 4 Loggerhead Shrikes is less >so. > >Thanks again to all who participated, and especially to the area and >sub-area leaders. > >Chris Conard >Sacramento > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Re: quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFI From: Jeff Davis <jndavis AT ucsc.edu> Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:17:21 -0800 If the info is in this monograph, it's not readily apparent.
Searching the MVZ bird specimen database wasn't helpful either.
California Cordilleran specimens at MVZ that Ned and others collected
are from Modoc and Siskiyou counties, with a couple others from San
Bernardino County. Nevada specimens are largely from the Snake Range
and the northeastern part of the state. I suppose the Warner
Mountains could be "just north of Lake Tahoe" if your perspective is
the species' entire range...
A bit south of Lake Tahoe,
Jeff Davis
Fresno, CA
On Dec 31, 2009, at 5:25 PM, Will Richardson wrote:
> Thanks to all who've responded so far, but I should have pointed out
> that I know the specific reference and it is not available online (at
> least not so far as I've been able to find). Here it is:
>
> Johnson, N. K. 1980. Character variation and evolution of sibling
> species in the Empidonax difficilis-flavescens complex (Aves:
> Tyrannidae). Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 112:1-151.
>
> Somewhere buried in those 151 pages is the info I seek. I was just
> hoping somebody might already know where those specimen localities
> were, but I'll look it up next time I'm on the UNR campus (assuming
> they have a copy), and report back for those curious few.
> Thanks again, and Happy New Years!
> Will Richardson, Truckee ("just north of Lake Tahoe")
Subject: Re: quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFIFrom: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:25:05 -0800 Thanks to all who've responded so far, but I should have pointed out
that I know the specific reference and it is not available online (at
least not so far as I've been able to find). Here it is:
Johnson, N. K. 1980. Character variation and evolution of sibling
species in the Empidonax difficilis-flavescens complex (Aves:
Tyrannidae). Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 112:1-151.
Somewhere buried in those 151 pages is the info I seek. I was just
hoping somebody might already know where those specimen localities
were, but I'll look it up next time I'm on the UNR campus (assuming
they have a copy), and report back for those curious few.
Thanks again, and Happy New Years!
Will Richardson, Truckee ("just north of Lake Tahoe")
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: quick Cordilleran Flycatcher RFIFrom: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:14:49 -0800 Hey folks, I was just looking at the BNA account for Cordilleran Flycatcher and noticed something that I hadn't before: "apart from specimen localities noted by Johnson (1980) near California-Nevada border just north of Lake Tahoe, breeding not known immediately east of Sierra Nevada southward " That's some clunky wording, but it seems to suggest that Johnson found Cordillerans breeding along the border, just north of Tahoe. I won't have a chance to get to a library anytime soon, so I was wondering if any of you scholarly types happen to either have Johnson's manuscript on hand or just the knowledge of these localities. Does anybody know where these specimen localities "just north of Lake Tahoe" might be? Thanks and Happy New Years! Will Richardson Truckee, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Prineville CBC From: "Charles Gates" <cgates326 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:14:05 -0800 The Prineville CBC is pretty full so, if you haven't signed up with me by now,
please let me know that you are coming. We only have 6 routes and I now have 6
groups of 4 people plus a couple more. Let me know if I missed anyone.
Chuck Gates
Rosie Sanchez
Tina Zhu
Brittany
David Schas
Judy Meredith
Howard Horvath
Dean Hale
Kevin Smith
Peter Low
Mike Golden
Kim Kathol
Don Sutherland
Craig Miller
Marilyn Miller
Scott Staats
Darwin Wile
Pam Rivers
Mason Rivers
John Gerke
Anne Gerke
Denise Reinhart
Powers 1
Powers 2
Powers 3
Sharon Peters (Feeder Watcher)
Patti Van Vlack (Feeder Watcher) _______________________________________________
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Subject: Prineville CBCFrom: "Charles Gates" <cgates326 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:12:32 -0800 The Prineville Christmas Bird Count will be this Thursday, December 31st. We meet at McDonalds near the center of Prineville between 7:00 and 7:30. We will meet at the Apple Peddler on the east end of town to do the final countdown. Please let me know if you are going to participate so I can organize the teams. If you have already told me you will be there, do it again just to be safe. Hope to see you there. Chuck Gates_______________________________________________ COBOL mailing list COBOL AT lists.oregonstate.edu http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/cobol To unsubscribe, send a message to: COBOL-request AT lists.oregonstate.edu with the word "unsubscribe" in the body.Subject: Lassen & Plumas Co. From: "Frances Oliver" <hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:42:00 -0800 Just returned from the Honey Lake CBC, Lassen Co (12/15/09). Beside it being really cold the foot of snow really slowed down our birding. Best bird was a LAPLAND LONGSPUR (found by Ed Harper along Beckwith Loop) in over 2500 Horned Larks! Today, on our way home we (Jon Dunn, Ed Harper & I) stopped off at the Lake Almanor Causeway. Very little open water, but there was a few noteworthy birds: Among the many HOODED MERGANSERS, were 2 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 2 CANVASBACKS, 1 GREATER & 2 LESSER SCAUP, some AM WIGEON, 3 BONAPARTE'S GULLS (also seen 12/14), & 2 HERRING GULLS. On the snow lining the lake we saw over 200 TUNDRA SWANS, 3 BALD EAGLES (1 adult & 2 juv), & 2 RL HAWKS. The 9 GB HERON'S looked strangely out of place. Even had a DOWNY WOODPECKER in a tree along the roadway. It truly was a Winter Wonderland! Frances Lodi, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: South Lake Tahoe CBC results From: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:52:08 -0800 A mere handful of birders took to the field yesterday, taking advantage of a gorgeous break in the storms. Unfortunately, those same storms had all but flushed the Tahoe Basin of passerines altogether, but we did manage to pick up 62 species, plus a few other count week species (so far). We did miss a lot of the usual suspects, so maybe we'll add a few more by Thursday. Anyhow, this year's count will be remembered for all the predation: both successful and attempted witnessed live, and lots of sign of recent predation events. Blood, tracks and feather impressions in the snow, and plucked feathers everywhere - Nature, red in tooth and claw. As far as we could tell, coots had been high on the menu in recent days. Horned Larks, however, were at the top of yesterday's menu. We were treated to stunning close-up views of a subadult Sharp-shinned Hawk, who posed at the top of a small pine tree for five minutes, before pouncing on a Horned Lark, all right in front of us. We also got to witness a trio of ravens trying to catch another Horned Lark. Fascinating behavior that I'd never witnessed, and especially interesting to see how the Horned Lark was dealing with it, by flying near the ravens, staying airborne and keeping too close for the ravens to make a stoop. With the multiple ravens there were a couple of close calls! After what felt like an eternity in the air, eventually the lark dove into some vegetation. A few other highlights: One group had a Pileated Woodpecker, always nice to pick up on a count A Steller's Jay at Alice's house doing a very convincing Red- shouldered Hawk for the whole group. Four Red-shouldered Hawks, Prairie Falcon, at least four Bald Eagles, single harrier. Large numbers of scaup and Redhead at the mouth of the Tahoe Keys. I counted 116 Greater and 60 Lesser Scaup, and we had 47 Redhead. Quite a few Canvasback and Ring-necked Ducks too (but no Tufted). Nine Tundra Swans, that slowly congregated over the course of the day. A total of 86 Canada Geese may be a record low count. Frozen ponds + creeks and rivers being mostly or entirely frozen + deep snow on all the lawns = no geese. Will Richardson Truckee, CASubject: Truckee Sightings From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:48:35 -0500 Although we have had over 2' of new snow AND a Douglas Squirrel who is encamped in one of our "squirrel-proof" feeders, I observed many Mountain Chickadees today. They are very busy, eating and hiding sunflower seeds. Also had two Dark-eyed Juncos, 4-5 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers and one Steller's Jay. A pair of Ravens flew over our cabin. The chickadees are really enjoying the warmed water that we have out for them. Andrea Oddo, Tahoe Donner, Truckee, Elev. 6680'Subject: South Lake Tahoe CBC - 14 December From: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:38:21 -0800 Those few that voted have been heard, and we're on for next Monday. If I haven't already heard from you, please let me know of your interest, so that I can update everybody with details (without bothering the rest of the list). Thanks!! Will Richardson Truckee, CASubject: (Another) Lassen Country Varied Thrush From: "lovechild89507" <battis AT frontiernet.net> Date: Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:45:24 -0000 This one appears to be a juvenile and looks very much out of place in the snow here. Chris Battis Southernmost Lassen County (near SR 70)Subject: Varied Thrushes in East Auburn (PLA) From: "rossierran" <derenross AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:02:58 -0000 Hello Birders, This morning, I heard several Varied Thrushes singing from an oak-woodland near the Bowman Water Treatment Plant on Christian Valley Road. Elevation is approximately 1800' with 6" or so of snow. The nearest major intersection is I-80 and Dry Creek Road. In addition, the polar express has brought in a remarkable number of crows, jays, and raven to the Auburn area. BIRDSTRONG, Deren Ross Auburn, CaSubject: 'Snow' Grosbeak in Sutter Creek From: ERPfromCA AT aol.com Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:13:14 EST I posted a photo in the 'Grosbeaks' folder on the Sierra-nevadabirds Yahoogroups site of a Black-headed Grosbeak that has been coming to a feeder in 'snowy' Sutter Creek (Amador County, Elev. 1300 ft). The photo is by Mary Petrone using a camera phone so you'll have to zoom in to the feeder to see the bird. For any photographers who want the rare opportunity to get a pic of Black-headed Grosbeak in the snow (quickly before it melts) you can contact Mary at _petrone AT apple.com_ (mailto:petrone AT apple.com) If you get a good one, please send me a copy. Ed Pandolfino Carmichael, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Honey Lake CBC -- December 15, 2009; Marysville CBC -- December 22, 2009 From: ylightfoot AT aol.com Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:10:25 EST Hi folks: Just a reminder of count dates for the Honey Lake (Tuesday, December 15) and Marysville (Tuesday, December 22) CBC dates. Please let me know if you plan to attend either or both. Cheers, Tim Manolis [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Honey Lake CBC -- December 15, 2009; Marysville CBC -- December 22, 2009 From: YLIGHTFOOT AT AOL.COM Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:10:25 EST Hi folks: Just a reminder of count dates for the Honey Lake (Tuesday, December 15) and Marysville (Tuesday, December 22) CBC dates. Please let me know if you plan to attend either or both. Cheers, Tim Manolis [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Brown Creeper in Truckee From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:39:37 -0500 We have over two feet of new snow this morning and a flock of extremely busy Mountain Chickadees with a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos. I just spotted our resident, but elusive, Brown Creeper. One Cassin's Finch, whom we haven't seen for a while, also visited our feeder, and one Red-shafted Northern Flicker. Andrea Oddo, Elevation 6, 680' [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Alpine Co From: "John Luther" <aplomado-falcon AT worldnet.att.net> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 22:37:26 -0800 I made a quick trip to Alpine Co today. I could not find any sparrows or other birds along Fredericksburg Road as reported by Jon Dunn yesterday. I did find scattered sparrows along Emigrant Trail just west of highway 88. Emigrant Trail is the road that goes west off highway 88 about a half mile south of Fredericksburg Road. Emigrant Trail and Fredericksburg are parallel to each other. The scattered flock of sparrows (including at least one American Tree Sparrow, 20+ White-crowned Sparrows and 5+ Song Sparrows) was mostly in short willows along the south side of the road only about a 100 yards west of 88. The sparrows would often fly south into the field and into the tall grass there and then return to the small willows by the road. Some also flew east to the tall willows along 88. I had the feeling that these birds were doing much moving around and might not be always found in this same spot. In Hope Valley I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk standing on a fence post. This is the first Red-shouldered Hawk that I have seen in Hope Valley. John Luther OaklandSubject: American Tree Sparrow-Alpine Co. (correction) From: "Frances Oliver" <hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:56:58 -0800 From Jon Dunn: There is an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW along Fredericksburg Ln in Alpine Co. It was found in a flock of WC Sparrows about 0.1mi W of Hwy 88 yesterday. This is just a short distance away from the Nevada State line Good Birding! Frances Lodi, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: American Tree Sparrow-Alpine Co. From: "Frances Oliver" <hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:55:11 -0800 From Jon Dunn: There is an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW along Fredericksburg Ln in Alpine Co. It was found in a flock of WC Sparrows about 0.1mi E of Hwy 88 yesterday. This is just a short distance away from the Nevada State line Good Birding! Frances Lodi, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: NAB Reminder From: Jeff Davis <jndavis AT ucsc.edu> Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 19:43:39 -0800 Dear North American Birds contributors,
The fall season has come to a close. Please submit your noteworthy
bird records from the Northern California Region for the period 1
August – 30 November to the appropriate Subregional Editors (SREs) by
10 December.
SREs diligently keep track of records within their counties. By
sending your records to the SREs, you are contributing to their
county files as well as to North American Birds. If you wish to send
records to the Regional Editors, we welcome them. But please send
records to the SREs as well. If you have a noteworthy record from a
county without an SRE, please send it to the Regional Editors.
SUBREGIONAL EDITORS
Alameda (ALA)
Bob Richmond
24650 Amador St. #15
Hayward, CA 94544
brichmond94544 AT earthlink.net
Alpine (ALP), Calaveras (CLV), Modoc (MOD), & Yolo (YOL)
John Sterling
29 Palm Ave.
Woodland, CA 95695
jsterling AT wavecable.com
Amador (AMA) & El Dorado (ED)
Tim Steurer
4042 Bancroft Dr.
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
tsteurer AT hotmail.com
Butte (BUT), Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Tehama (TEH), & Yuba (YUB)
Bruce Deuel
18730 Live Oak Rd.
Red Bluff, CA 96080
bdeuel AT wildblue.net
Contra Costa (CC)
Steve Glover
5108 Shelly Ray Rd.
Keller, TX 76244
countylines AT sbcglobal.net
Fresno (FRE)
Gary W. Potter
2183 Walton Ave.
Sanger, CA 93657
gwpott AT aol.com
Humboldt (HUM)
Rob Fowler
2277 Heather Ln., Apt. D
Arcata, CA 95521
migratoriusfwlr AT gmail.com
Kings (KIN)
Jeff Seay
7815 N. Palm Ave., Ste. 310
Fresno, CA 93711
jseay AT harveyecology.com
Lake (LAK)
Jerry R. White
P.O. Box 113
Kelseyville, CA 95451
grwhite AT jps.net
Lassen (LAS)
Ken Able
Bob’s Creek Ranch
535-000 Little Valley Rd.
McArthur, CA 96056
kenable AT hughes.net
Madera (MAD)
Jeff N. Davis
7815 N. Palm Ave., Ste, 310
Fresno, CA 93711
jdavis AT harveyecology.com
Marin (MRN)
Ryan Terrill
1619 El Dorado St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
enicurus AT yahoo.com
Mariposa (MRP)
David Vander Pluym
1683 Buena Vista St.
Ventura, CA 93001
scre AT aol.com
Mendocino (MEN)
Bob Keiffer
P.O. Box 354
Hopland, CA 95449
rjkeiffer AT ucdavis.edu
Merced (MER) & San Benito (SBT)
Kent Van Vuren
26 Vista Dr.
Salinas, CA 93907
vanvurenk AT aol.com
Mono (MNO)
Kristie Nelson
P.O. Box 402
Lee Vining, CA 93541
storm_petrel AT hotmail.com
Monterey (MTY)
Don Roberson
282 Grove Acre
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
creagrus AT montereybay.com
Napa (NAP)
Murray Burner
210 Monte Vista
Napa, CA 94558
vireocity AT hotmail.com
Nevada (NEV)
Rudy Darling
12143 Big Blue Rd.
Nevada City, CA 95959
rdarling AT sbbmail.com
Placer (PLA)
Ed Pandolfino
5530 Del Rose Crt.
Carmichael, CA 95608
erpfromca AT aol.com
Plumas (PLU) & Sierra (SIE)
Colin Dillingham
400 First St.
Quincy, CA 95971
cdillingham AT fs.fed.us
Sacramento (SAC)
Chris Conard
2405 Rio Bravo Cir.
Sacramento, CA 95826
conardc AT gmail.com
San Francisco (SF)
Mainland: Mark Eaton
1524 36th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
mweaton AT pacbell.net
San Francisco (SF)
Farallones: Jim Tietz
P.O. Box 373
Shaver Lake, CA 93664
jimtietz AT yahoo.com
San Joaquin (SJ)
Frances Oliver
1817 Songbird Pl.
Lodi, CA 95240
hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net
San Mateo (SM)
Peter J. Metropulos
2940 Turk Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118
pjmetrop AT pacbell.net
Santa Clara (SCL)
William G. Bousman
321 Arlington Way
Menlo Park, CA 94025
barlowi AT earthlink.net
Santa Cruz (SCZ)
David Suddjian and Steve Gerow
801 Monterey Ave.
Capitola, CA 95010
dsuddjian AT aol.com
stephengerow AT aol.com
Shasta (SHA)
Bob Yutzy
P.O. Box 990237
Redding, CA 96099
boby AT c-zone.net
Siskiyou (SIS)
Ray Ekstrom
2209 Delphic Rd.
Montague, CA 96064
Solano (SOL)
Robin Leong
336 Benson Ave.
Vallejo, CA 94590
robin_leong AT netzero.net
Sonoma (SON)
Ruth Rudesill
P.O. Box 371
Kenwood, CA 95452
ruthier AT sonic.net
Stanislaus (STA)
Harold Reeve
birder AT sbcglobal.net
Trinity (TRI)
John E. Hunter
P.O. Box 4483
Arcata, CA 95518
jhunter323 AT aol.com
Tulare (TUL)
Steven Summers
2553 W. Michelle Ln.
Porterville, CA 93257
summers AT ocnet.net
Tuolumne (TUO)
Steven Umland
15818 Parkridge Ave.
Sonora, CA 95370
sumland AT skywayusa.net
REGIONAL EDITORS
Mike Rogers
(waterfowl through quail and herons through shorebirds)
499 Novato Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
m.m.rogers AT comcast.net
Steve Rottenborn
(loons through frigatebirds and larids through alcids)
983 University Ave., Bldg. D
Los Gatos, CA 95032
srottenborn AT harveyecology.com
Jeff Davis
(doves through thrushes/Wrentit)
7815 N. Palm Ave., Ste. 310
Fresno, CA 93711
jdavis AT harveyecology.com
Ed Pandolfino
(thrashers through finches)
5530 Delrose Crt.
Carmichael, CA 95608
erpfromca AT aol.com
The Reporting Deadlines are:
Spring Summer Fall Winter
Season ends May 31 July 31 Nov 30 Feb 28
Observer reports to Subregional Editors (SREs)
June 10 Aug 10 Dec 10 Mar 10
Observer reports to Regional Editors (if not sent to SRE)
June 10 Aug 10 Dec 10 Mar 10
SRE reports to Regional Editors
June 20 Aug 20 Dec 20 Mar 20
Regional Editors final text to ABA office
July 10 Sep 10 Jan 10
Apr 10
Please send reports in our database format: species, date(s)
[including year], locale separated by a space from county
abbreviation, number of birds, and observers, and then, on a second
line, any comments. Please separate these sections by a
"tab" (except just a space between locale and county abbreviation).
Here's an example of the correct format:
Grace's Warbler 12/13/98-2/20/99 Jacks Peak
MTY 1 RFT, mob
A second record for the Region (the first was 6/26/91 at Deer
Spring, Glass Mt. MNO) which wintered with a large flock of
Townsend's & Hermit warblers at the very top of Jacks Peak in Jacks
Peak Regional Park. Details by Tintle and others are enclosed.
Many thanks to all contributors and Subregional Editors who make
these reports possible!
Sincerely,
Jeff Davis, Ed Pandolfino, Steve Rottenborn, and Mike Rogers
Northern California Regional Editors
(North American Birds is a quarterly journal of ornithological record
published by the American Birding Association. For details see
http://www.aba.org/nab/.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Subject: 30 Nov 09: Isabella Reservoir, Southern Sierra NevadaFrom: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:25:59 -0800 Location: Lake Isabella, Southern Sierra Nevada, Kern County Observation date: 11/30/09 Locations: Kissack Cove (8:20am-9:50am), Paradise Cove (9:50am-10am), South Fork Marina (10am-10:40am), Engineer Point (10:45am-11:50am), Hwy 155 at Main Dam pull-out (12pm-12:05pm), French Gulch Marina (12:10pm-12:15pm), North Fork Marina (12:25pm-12:50pm). Reservoir was counted in sectors to avoid count duplication. NOTE: Another day with outstanding birding conditions ... clear, bright, smooth water. However, unsuccessful in search for hoped-for species from among scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, and rarer gulls. Still, numbers of Common Mergansers (450), Eared Grebe (1625), Western/Clark's Grebes (2635), Double-crested Cormorant (392), plus 5 Ospreys and an adult Bald Eagle. Number of species: 38 Gadwall 40 American Wigeon 30 Mallard 130 Green-winged Teal 45 Bufflehead 12 Common Merganser 450 Pied-billed Grebe 3 Eared Grebe 1625 Western Grebe 10 Clark's Grebe 5 Western/Clark's Grebe 2620 American White Pelican 53 Double-crested Cormorant 392 Great Blue Heron 17 Osprey 5 Bald Eagle 1 adult Delta in the North Fork... American Coot 85 Killdeer 11 Least Sandpiper 82 Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Ring-billed Gull 16 California Gull 330 Herring Gull 1 1st cycle...at Kissack Cove... gull sp. 150 Say's Phoebe 2 Western Scrub-Jay 1 Common Raven 24 Horned Lark 4 Rock Wren 1 Bewick's Wren 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 European Starling 1 American Pipit 1 Phainopepla 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Savannah Sparrow 2 White-crowned Sparrow 10 Western Meadowlark 15 Brewer's Blackbird 117 House Finch 12 The above report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/california/) Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Lake Almanor From: "Steve Hampton" <shampton AT ospr.dfg.ca.gov> Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:49:19 -0800 Thanksgiving Day at Lake Almanor, I walked out on the south spit of land from the causeway. Thousands of waterfowl: Tundra Swans, 1 Snow Goose plus a flyover flock, Am Wigeon, Mallard, Canvasback, GW Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Com. Goldeneye, Pintail, Common and Hooded Mergs, and more. Overhead, a Peregrine Falcon was dive-bombing an adult Bald Eagle. Three 1Y eagles were on the spit. Bonaparte's and RB Gulls were also there. In the trees, Pygmy Nuthatches were in a mixed flock with both kinglets, RB Nuthatch, Mtn Chickadee, Brown Creeper, and juncos. Steve Hampton ________________ Resource Economist Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Dept of Fish and Game PO Box 944209 Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 ----------------------------------- (916) 323-4724 phone (916) 324-8829 faxSubject: 27 Nov 09: Kern River Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:35:04 -0800 27 Nov 09: Kern River Valley (CA Hwy. 178 through the South Fork Kern
River Valley IBA, Slippery Rock Launch Site, Tillie Creek Campground,
Isabella Reservoir's North Fork, FS 24S15 (Greenhorn Summit n. to
Kern Co./Tulare Co. line), Isabella Reservoir's Engineer Point,
Isabella Reservoir's Kissack Cove, and South Fork Valley's Paul's Place)...
HIGHLIGHTS: Common Merganser (162), Eared Grebe (111), American White
Pelican (56), Double-crested Cormorant (307), Osprey (6), Ferruginous
Hawk (1), Peregrine Falcon (1), Greater Roadrunner (1), Belted
Kingfisher (1), RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (3), White-headed Woodpecker (1),
Canyon Wren (1), Townsend's Solitaire (2), American Dipper (1),
Phainopepla (19), Purple Finch (6). Mammal: Bobcat (1).
eBird details for South Fork Valley, Slippery Rock Launch Site,
Tillie Creek Campground, Greenhorn Mountains, and Isabella Reservoir
follow now...
Location: South Fork Kern River Valley--IBA
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: Raptors observed on telephone poles and wires along CA Hwy
178 from mile marker 62.50 in Onyx to mile marker 53.00 in South Lake.
Number of species: 3
* Red-tailed Hawk 7
* Ferruginous Hawk 1 Light phase individual...
* American Kestrel 1
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Keyesville--Slippery Rock Launch Site
Observation date: 11/27/09
Number of species: 5
* California Quail 1
* Western Scrub-Jay 1
* Canyon Wren 1
* American Dipper 1
* House Finch 2
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Wofford Heights--Tillie Creek Campground
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: 7:25am-9:25am. 36F-48.3F, 43%-21.4%, 0-0 kph wind. Mammal: Bobcat 1.
Observers: Bob Barnes, John Schmitt, Mark Schmitt.
Number of species: 28
* California Quail 25
* Red-tailed Hawk 1
* Acorn Woodpecker 15
* Red-naped Sapsucker 3 An adult male was photographed by
Mark Schmitt.
* Nuttall's Woodpecker 3
* Northern Flicker 1
* Loggerhead Shrike 2
* Western Scrub-Jay 26
* Common Raven 6
* Oak Titmouse 8
* Bushtit 6
* White-breasted Nuthatch 2
* Bewick's Wren 1
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
* Western Bluebird 9
* Northern Mockingbird 4
* California Thrasher 1
* European Starling 2
* Phainopepla 19
* Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4
* Spotted Towhee 9
* California Towhee 4
* White-crowned Sparrow 27
* Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
* Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 11
* Purple Finch 6
* House Finch 22
* House Sparrow 3
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Lake Isabella--North Fork
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: 9:35am-9:55am.
Number of species: 11
* California Quail 1
* Double-crested Cormorant 41
* Great Blue Heron 4
* Osprey 2
* Peregrine Falcon 1
* Belted Kingfisher 1
* Say's Phoebe 1
* Western Scrub-Jay 1
* Common Raven 4
* White-crowned Sparrow 4
* House Sparrow 1
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Greenhorn Mountains--FS 24S15 (Greenhorn Summit to Tulare Co)
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: 10:25am-11:35am. 52F, 23% humidity at start.
Number of species: 7
* White-headed Woodpecker 1
* Steller's Jay 3
* Mountain Chickadee 9
* Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
* White-breasted Nuthatch 1
* Townsend's Solitaire 2 One of these two individuals was singing.
* American Robin 1
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Lake Isabella--Engineer Pt.
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: 12:20pm-1pm. Individuals different than those in North
Fork or at Kissack Cove.
Number of species: 13
* Mallard 9
* Common Merganser 162 Only three of the 162 individuals
were in adult male plumage.
* Eared Grebe 111 Two separate flocks (72 and 39 individuals)
* Western Grebe 3
* American White Pelican 1
* Double-crested Cormorant 88
* Great Blue Heron 2
* Osprey 2
* American Coot 7
* California Gull 10
* Greater Roadrunner 1
* Common Raven 8
* House Finch 2
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Lake Isabella--Kissack Cove
Observation date: 11/27/09
Notes: 1:10pm-1:45pm.
Number of species: 11
* Canada Goose 6 On gravel bar with pelicans...
* Gadwall 6 On small pond formed by lowered reservoir level.
* Mallard 10 On small pond formed by lowered reservoir level.
* American White Pelican 55 On gravel bar on current east
end of reservoir at Kissack Cove.
* Double-crested Cormorant 178 Most in water; several
more on snags sticking up out of reservoir
* Osprey 2 Six individuals on the reservoir (2 at North
Fork, 2 off Engineer's Point, 2 at Kissack Cove.).
* Killdeer 4 All at east end of reservoir.
* Ring-billed Gull 10
* California Gull 200
* gull sp. 290 Gull numbers continue to build. Over 500
present this day.
* Common Raven 10
* Horned Lark 40
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Bob Barnes
Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA
P: 760-382-1260
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Listowner message: DO NOT OPEN message from GWPOTTFrom: sierra-nevadabirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:38:08 -0000 A message with potential malicious software was sent to the group there was no subject line and it came from GWPOTT. GWPOTT was removed from the membership list. Bruce Webb Granite Bay, CASubject: No Subject From: GWPOTT AT aol.com Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:22:25 -0500 http://www.everestclothing.com/4Ki7BHSo9L.htmlSubject: Tahoe Hoodies From: rccarl AT pacbell.net Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:02:08 -0800 (PST) Monday, Nov. 23, I had 2 male & 1 female Hooded Margansers at the Coast Guard Pier. First ever on th lake for me. See you all in May. We're off to Tucson & Antarctica. RCC Richard Carlson Full-time Birder, Biker and Rotarian Part-time Economist Tucson, AZ, Lake Tahoe, CA, & Kirkland, WA rccarl AT pacbell.net Tucson 520-760-4935 Tahoe 530-581-0624 Kirkland 425-828-3819 Cell 650-280-2965 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: 25 Nov 09: Kern R Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada From: Bob Barnes <bbarnes AT lightspeed.net> Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:31:09 -0800 25 Nov 09: Kern River Valley (Canebrake Ecological Reserve, first 1.4
mi. of Chimney Peak National Back Country Byway, Cliff east from
Onyx's Cottage Grove Cemetery, Isabella Reservoir's Kissack Cove,
South Fork Valley's Paul's Place.) ... another day in birding
paradise (one of California's many!) ... cool, clear, abundant
sunshine, no wind.
HIGHLIGHTS: Wood Duck (1), American White Pelican (55),
Double-crested Cormorant (152), Osprey (2), Virginia Rail (6), Sora
(1), Herring Gull (1 - first cycle), Greater Roadrunner (1),
Long-eared Owl (1), Cactus Wren (4), Canyon Wren (1), Mountain
Bluebird (17 - 6f, 11m), Black-throated Sparrow (1), Tricolored
Blackbird (500),...
eBird details for Canebrake, Chimney Peak Byway, Kissack Cove, and
Paul's Place follow now...
Location: South Fork Valley--Canebrake Ecological Reserve
Observation date: 11/25/09
Notes: 6am-8:50am. 29.2F-51.1F; 52%-33% humidity; 0-0 kph wind;
clear, sunny (after 7:15am), cloudless skies. Observer: Bob Barnes,
Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA.
Number of species: 46 (in 2 hrs. 50 min.) vs. up to a maximum of
67 species during past Christmas Bird Counts (8-10 hrs. on field effort).
* Wood Duck 1
* Gadwall 2 Paired up...
* American Wigeon 8 Single small flock...
* Green-winged Teal 8 Single small flock...
* California Quail 12
* Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Appeared to be a male...
* Red-shouldered Hawk 1 An adult...
* Red-tailed Hawk 1
* Virginia Rail 6
* Sora 1
* American Coot 6
* Long-eared Owl 1 In riparian zone between Public Access
Trail and pond & marsh...
* Nuttall's Woodpecker 4
* Hairy Woodpecker 1
* Northern Flicker 2
* Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
* Black Phoebe 1
* Say's Phoebe 1
* Loggerhead Shrike 1
* Western Scrub-Jay 8
* Common Raven 6
* Oak Titmouse 2
* Bushtit 15 Single flock in Joshua tree woodland next to
parking area.
* White-breasted Nuthatch 1
* Rock Wren 2
* Canyon Wren 1 Singing from rocky hillside just east and
across Hwy 178 from reserve entrance
* Bewick's Wren 3
* Marsh Wren 2
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
* Western Bluebird 10 Includes single flock of nine plus
a separate adult male...
* Hermit Thrush 1 Along portion of Public Access Trail
through closed canopy riparian zone...
* American Robin 2
* Wrentit 1
* European Starling 18
* Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
* Spotted Towhee 1
* California Towhee 5
* Song Sparrow 9
* Lincoln's Sparrow 1
* White-crowned Sparrow 115 100 of these were in a single
flock along the drier portion of the Public Access Trail...
* Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 9
* Red-winged Blackbird 100 Foraging among cattle in
pasture on Reserve...
* Tricolored Blackbird 500 Foraging among cattle in same
pasture...
* Western Meadowlark 8 Foraging among cattle in same pasture...
* Brewer's Blackbird 200 Foraging among cattle in same pasture...
* House Finch 15
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Chimney Peak National Back Country Byway--Kern Co.
Observation date: 11/25/09
Notes: 8:55am-9:20am. Observer: Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern Co.,
CA. Only two species observed during twenty-five minutes spent on the
Chimney Peak National Back Country Byway.
Number of species: 2
* Cactus Wren 4 Two on each side of Chimney Peak National
Back Country Byway in Joshua tree woodland 1.4 mi. up the Byway from
CA Hwy 178. Observed at 9:15am
* Black-throated Sparrow 1 This adult was the first found
in November 2009. This individual was found about 1.0 mi, up the
Byway from CA Hwy 178. Observed at 9:05am.
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: Lake Isabella--Kissack Cove
Observation date: 11/25/09
Notes: 10am-11:10am. Observer: Bob Barnes.
Number of species: 24
* Gadwall 74 72 together in pond formed by low reservoir level.
* American Wigeon 20 Al in shallow pond formed by low
reservoir level.
* Mallard 1 In shallow pond formed by low reservoir level.
* Northern Shoveler 4 On main reservoir.
* Green-winged Teal 12 On shallow pond formed by low
reservoir level...
* Bufflehead 8 On main reservoir surface.
* Common Merganser 51 On main reservoir surface.
* Western/Clark's Grebe 300 On main reservoir surface.
Too far away to hear or visually identify to species...
* American White Pelican 55 Single flock on sandbar at
edge of main reservoir...
* Double-crested Cormorant 152 Perched on exposed snags
in low reservoir zone...
* Great Blue Heron 1
* Osprey 2 On snags sticking up from low reservoir...
* American Kestrel 1
* American Coot 40 On main reservoir surface...
* Killdeer 6
* Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Feeding at edge of shallow pond
formed by low reservoir.
* Ring-billed Gull 10
* California Gull 100
* Herring Gull 1 First cycle.
* gull sp. 200
* Greater Roadrunner 1
* Say's Phoebe 1
* Common Raven 6
* Horned Lark 4
* American Pipit 6
* House Finch 14
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Location: South Fork Valley--Paul's Place
Observation date: 11/25/09
Notes: 12:05pm-12:15pm. Observer: Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA.
Number of species: 4
* American Kestrel 1
* Black Phoebe 1
* Common Raven 1
* Mountain Bluebird 17 In crescent-shaped pasture framed
by CA Hwy 178 and Paul's Place on the south side of CA Hwy 178
between mile markers 56.00 and 57.00 (between Sierra Way and the Kern
River Preserve Headquarters entrance road).
The above report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org/california/)
Bob Barnes
1009 Las Cruces Ave, Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA 93555
E: bbarnes AT lightspeed.net; P: 760-382-1260
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: SierravilleFrom: "Kirk Hardie" <krhardie AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:11:27 -0800 Hello birders, Lindsay and I spent last weekend in Sierraville. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day with fresh snow on the ground a barely any wind. There was just enough snow for good snowshoeing on Yuba Pass and not enough for any snow mobilers to be out. The highlights there were two WHITE-HEADED WOOODPECKERS and a BROWN CREEPER. In Sierra Valley, the highlights were a BALD EAGLE, PRAIRIE FALCON, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, and FERRUGINOUS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. Here are the complete lists: Yuba Pass Red-tailed Hawk White-headed Woodpecker Steller's Jay Mountain Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Cassin's Finch Sierra Valley Red-tailed Hawk Ferruginous Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Bald Eagle American Kestrel Prairie Falcon Rock Pigeon Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Loggerhead Shrike Common Raven Black-billed Magpie Mountain Chickadee Townsend's Solitaire European Starling Dark-eyed Junco Steller's Jay Kirk Hardie Reno, NV "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - From a sign in Albert Einstein's office at Princeton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Lassen County Varied Thrush From: "lovechild89507" <battis AT frontiernet.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:50 -0000 An adult Varied Thrush just appear on my back fence--the first one I've ever seen in the Eastern Sierra. I hope the snowstorm that's arriving tomorrow doesn't do him in. Chris Battis (Southernmost) Lassen CountySubject: Sierra Meadows Birdless From: rccarl AT pacbell.net Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:31:24 -0800 (PST) We had a pretty but nearly birdless afternoon at Sierra Meadows Nov. 16. Only bird of notwas a Ferruginous hawk near the intersection of Heriot lane and hwy 49. We also had oen Swan farther north on Heriot. NO ducks at all and one lone Goose. Never had so few birds there. RCC Richard Carlson Full-time Birder, Biker and Rotarian Part-time Economist Tucson, AZ, Lake Tahoe, CA, & Kirkland, WA rccarl AT pacbell.net Tucson 520-760-4935 Tahoe 530-581-0624 Kirkland 425-828-3819 Cell 650-280-2965 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Northern Flickers in Truckee, Nevada County From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:36:11 -0500 Yesterday while walking the Tahoe Donner Golf Course (closed for the season) we saw 6 Red Shafted Northern Flickers, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 3 Mountain Chickadees, a Red-tailed Hawk and numberous Steller's Jays. With quite a bit of snow on the ground the Robins appear to have left. Andrea Oddo, Truckee Elevation 6600'Subject: Mono Co. - White-winged Scoters From: Kathryn Parker <jandkparker AT mindspring.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:20:25 -0800 This morning, Nov. 6, at 11:00, there were 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS on Bridgeport Reservoir near the dam. Looking at my Sibley, one looked like the picture of a 1st spring female, the other looked like an adult female. They were swimming and diving together. I was on Hwy 182 driving east. Near the dam is a 40 mph curve sign. I pulled over here and the birds were across the lake, which is not very wide. I looked for some of the birds reported by Al DeMartini. I did not find the Eurasian Wigeon or the Vermilion Flycatcher, but there were 5 HOODED MERGANSERS, 3 males and 2 females, at Gull Lake near the boat ramp at the campground. There was another female on the south end of Grant Lake. Kathy Parker Los GatosSubject: S. Lake Tahoe CBC input needed From: Will Richardson <t.will.richardson AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:49:54 -0800 Hey folks, It's that time of year again. I need to schedule the South Lake Tahoe CBC, and I'd love to get some input from any would-be participants that may have scheduling conflicts. Typically, we like to hold it as early as possible, as the difference in snowpack from the beginning of CBC season to the end can be profound! But, the whole weekday vs. weekend issue seems to be a constant debate. I would like to propose either Monday Dec. 14 or Tuesday Dec. 15 if there is sufficient interest and manpower OR Saturday December 19 if I hear from enough weekend-only types. Auburn and Woodfords are both that day, so I'd consider Sunday the 20th as well. Reno and Carson are also usually the first Saturday and Sunday of the count period, respectively - more incentive to trying to do it earlier in the week. All of this, of course is subject to change due to extreme weather, but I'd like to at least pencil in a tentative date. Please email me ASAP if you're interested and have a scheduling preference. Thanks!! Will Richardson Truckee, CA t.will.richardson AT gmail.comSubject: Tahoe Rim Trail and Truckee River From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:52:17 -0500 Yesterday we hiked from Ward Creek to Tahoe City hoping to see the many woodpeckers reported earlier this week. We did see one Hairy Woodpecker and heard a flicker but that was it. At the start of the hike we saw a Red-tailed Hawk, then several Mountain Chickadees, Steller's Jays and 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches. When we reached the Truckee River in Tahoe City we saw a pair of Mallards and 5 Hooded Mergansers. My first hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail without seeing or hearing a Clark's Nutcracker or any Dark-eyed Juncos. Andrea & Andy Oddo, TruckeeSubject: Sierra Valley Northern Shrike (otherwise, pretty slow) From: martin AT sierrabirdbum.com Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:19:26 -0700 On this beautiful fall day, I took a drive through Sierra Valley. Sierraville to Sattley, up A23 to Dysan (Marble Hot Springs Rd), across Dysan to Heriot (Harriet -- depends on which end of the road you are at when you look at the sign), down Heriot to 49, over to Loyalton, up A24 to Dysan and east to 49, then north to 70. (Eventually left the valley going east on 70 to 395 and north to Red Rock Road, a location with the nice feature of being able to see Juniper Titmouse in both California and Nevada on one short walk. But I digress...) At the first 90 degree turn on Dysan (as you travel east from A23), there was a young Northern Shrike. (That's in Plumas.) This is about a week or so earlier than my usual first sighting for the species in the area, but probably not unusually early. Other than that, birding was quite slow. The only waterfowl encountered consisted of a flock of large Canada Geese and some Buffleheads at the pond just west of Sierraville. Raptor numbers were quite low. I spotted only 3 Red-tailed Hawks in Sierra County and 6 in Plumas. I've had counts above 50 or several occasions in November (although usually a bit later in the month.) I saw only two Ferruginous Hawks (but it was a wonderful sighting -- one light, one dark, circling together near Loyalton. Dark morph Ferruginous is one of my favorite raptors!) A few Northern Harriers and one American Kestrel completed the raptor list. I was surprised not to see a Rough-legged Hawk. Other than that, some Mountain Bluebirds, a few American Pipits, and the rest of the usual suspects. Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: Tahoe City From: "Kirk Hardie" <krhardie AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 21:34:54 -0800 Hello birders, I hiked along the Tahoe Rim Trail from Tahoe City to Ward Canyon yesterday. It turned out to be a beautiful day to be on a hike. There was nothing unusual, but there was a noticeable absence of one species: there were no dark-eyed juncos seen. Woodpeckers were abundant though. There were at least 4 WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKERS, at least 4 HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and even though no FLICKERS were seen, many were heard. We also came across a snag that looked like a pileated woodpecker had searched for food in. Here's the (short) complete list: White-headed Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker (heard) Steller's Jay Mountain Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Evening Grosbeak (heard) Kirk Hardie Reno, NV "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - From a sign in Albert Einstein's office at Princeton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: RE: Sierra County incl.FOS? Bald Eagle From: PAGPEG AT aol.com Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 11:47:53 EST Greetings SIE - NEV Birders, Yesterday, Sunday, 1 Nov. 2009, returning from Plumas Co. to the S.F.Bay Area via Hwy 89, my wife Pat and I stopped at the artificial pond along Hwy 89 ca. 2 mi. north of Sierraville, SIE Co. Among the 70 +/- Canada Geese (including 3+ very large, white breasted/bellied individuals) were one Greater White-fronted Goose and an adult and an immature Snow Goose (white forms). An Adult Bald Eagle was conspicuously perched on a tree snag alongside of the Little Truckee River, just south of the Hwy 89 bridge below Little Truckee Campground (USFS), SIE Co. This is about 10 miles south of Sierraville (1/2 way to Truckee). A first, unexpected location for us in several decades of travel; although they regularly winter in Sierra Valley, PLU & SIE Cos, 25+ miles away). P.S. This morning our garbage can lid birdbath (Blairsden, PLU Co., 4,800ft.) was visited by a female Williamson's Sapsucker (among the 8 woodpecker species found here = "Woodpecker Woods"). Happy Fall Birding, Phil & Pat Gordon Hayward, ALA Co. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Coldstream Canyon Near Truckee From: aaagolfers AT aol.com Date: Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:04:34 -0500 Yesterday while walking up Coldstream Canyon (in the railroad track horseshoe) we spotted 30 Common Mergansers in the ponds, 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 20 Dark-eyed Juncos, 6 Red-breasted Northern Flickers, and 3 Steller's Jays. Andrea Oddo, Truckee= [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: South Lake Tahoe birds 10/27/09 From: Steve Abbott <papasula AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:59:40 -0700 Birders, A few cold birds at the Upper Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe (El Dorado County) included: 2 AMERICAN AVOCETS 1 HERRING GULL 1 juv. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK 1 LARK SPARROW Some photos are posted on my blog at: http://papasula.blogspot.com/2009/10/upper-truckee-marsh-102709.html Good birding, Steve Abbott Cameron Park, CA > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Mono Lake and Yosemite NP From: "Kirk Hardie" <krhardie AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:23:54 -0700 Hello birders, I took a quick trip to Bridgeport, Mono Lake and Yosemite last week (10/20-10/22). I had planned to spend two nights in Yosemite, but ice on Tioga Pass kept me in Lee Vining for a night until the Pass opened on the 21st. There was nothing out of the ordinary at Bridgeport Reservoir. I did see a number of AVOCETS and GREATER YELLOWLEGS there. Mono Lake amazed me with the sheer number of EARED GREBES. It appeared that the entire lake was covered with a grebe per 20 square feet. Amazing! I also found a PRAIRIE FALCON at Black Point on the lake and a juvenile COMMON YELLOWTHROAT at South Tufa. Up at June Lakes, Grant Lake had a number of COMMON LOONS and plenty of AM. COOTS. The highlight of Yosemite was seeing a PILEATED WOODPECKER at Mirror Lake in Yosemite Valley. I also picked up CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE and BAND-TAILED PIGEONS in the valley. I hiked up to Sentinel Dome (near Glacier Point) where I saw well over a hundred DARK-EYED JUNCOS in a single flock. I was amazed at they continued to come out of the forest in wave after wave. I have never seen so many together. Here are the complete lists: Bridgeport Reservoir Eared Grebe Pied-billed Grebe Western Grebe Clark's Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Canada Goose Mallard Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier American Avocet Greater Yellowlegs Ring-billed Gull Northern Flicker Black-billed Magpie Common Raven Yellow-rumped Warbler Song Sparrow American Coot Red-winged Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Lee Vining/Mono Lake Yellow-rumped Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Eared Grebe (1000s) Western Grebe Mallard Northern Shoveler Ruddy Duck American Coot California Gull Dowitcher sp Northern Flicker Black-billed Magpie Marsh Wren Bewick's Wren Cedar Waxwing European Starling Song Sparrow Western Meadowlark Prairie Falcon European Collared-Dove Lesser Goldfinch Steller's Jay Clark's Nutcracker Common Raven Killdeer Horned Lark Common Yellowthroat (juv) Red-winged Blackbird Great Egret Northern Harrier American Pippit Brewer's Blackbird Red-tailed Hawk Yosemite NP Red-tailed Hawk Hairy Woodpecker White-headed Woodpecker Steller's Jay Clark's Nutcracker Common Raven Mountain Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Yellow-rumped Warbler Dark-eyed Junco Chestnut-backed Chickadee Pileated Woodpecker Acorn Woodpecker Bushtits Band-tailed Pigeons Kirk Hardie Reno, NV "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - From a sign in Albert Einstein's office at Princeton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Drake Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid - Upper Truckee From: "Donald" <donh AT netfeed.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:42:48 -0000 Out at the Upper Truckee Marsh this morning - had a Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid in the Upper Truckee just above the mouth. Don Harriman South Lake Tahoe |