At 05:50 PM 10/8/2002 -0700, Kimball Garrett wrote:
>First, most or all of us in the very tiny community of scientific
>collectors of birds in California agree heartily with Chris that "staked
>out" birds should not be collected and that this particular case
>represented, at best, very poor judgment on the part of the
>collector.  The fact is, the taking of staked-out birds almost never
>happens and there are more important issues for us all to be concerned about.
>
>Second, I would urge everybody to remember that this is about the
>particular issue of collecting staked-out birds and not about scientific
>collecting in general.  Any communications to the Department of Fish and
>Game regarding the collection of these woodpeckers should be factual and,
>in my opinion, limited to this particular case and not to the whole issue
>of collecting.

Kimball, Chris, and Calbirders,

To me, there are worse offenses involved in this case than taking
staked-out birds. Much more heinous is that the birds were the only two
adult females in the area and both were taken from active nests. That is
the point I stressed in my email to Dan Steele.

In my opinion, collecting should be done only in areas where the local
population is not significantly impacted, and on places like the Farallons
where the likelihood of the bird ever seeing land again is very slim.


Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                34:09:23.411 N, 118:21:56.678 W
Audubon in So. California                www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/
San Fernando Valley AS       www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

Todd Easterla wrote:
>
> Hello All,
>
> I guess that I will start reporting birds seen in the desert from now on, ....


Todd,
I, for one, greatly enjoy and appreciate all reports of birds seen out
in the desert.

They give me "eyes to see" in places I can not, at the moment, go to.

They give me a seasonal frame of reference of what to expect when we do
get out that way.

Thank you so much for you willingness to make the effort.

Delores Jenisch
Fullerton, North Orange County

Spent 5 hours at Furnace Creek today, almost all of it in the area
where the Le Conte's Sparrow was reported. No Le Conte's Sparrows were
found. In addition, when we first arrived at 11 AM, I met another
birder who reported looking for it unsuccessfully for 2 separate hour
periods earlier in the day. The was also another birder still looking
as I left. Of course, no guarantee is given that the bird is no longer
there.

Birds seen included:

2 western race Palm Warblers. One was along the edge of the golf
course, at the south edge of the sparrow area and the other next to
the northwest corner of the parking lot near building 700.
3 or so White-throated Sparrows
1 Swamp Sparrow

Dick Norton
Topanga, CA
ae327@... or N6AA@...

To process a complaint, we need this collector's name. I saw these birds. I'm
glad I wasn't there when they were collected or the collector would have been
collected.

Jim
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Chris Howard
   To: CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 4:49 PM
   Subject: [CALBIRDS] Re: Mono Lake & June lake RFI


   John and Calbirders-

   If you have not already heard, I regret to inform you that two of the
   Mono Basin Black-backed Woodpeckers have been collected.

   The very unfortunate incident occurred last April when a
   birder/collector shot 2 female Black-backed Woodpeckers in the
   recently burned forest south of Mono Lake.  The collector apparently
   did not consider the importance of these birds to the birding
   community.  The circumstances were as follows: 1) approximately four
   BBWO's colonized an area where the species had never been recorded;
   2) these birds received major publicity through a "Winging It"
   article and were featured on the Mono Lake Committee website.
   Birders from around the state and beyond came to visit these birds;
   3) the collector shot two of the female BBWO's in the peak of the
   breeding season.

   When birders and other collectors learned of this incident they
   became justifiably outraged.  That a collector unilaterally decided
   these specific, publicly-valued woodpeckers would be better off in a
   museum is despicable.

   As birders, I think most of us can appreciate good science.  To this
   end, I believe limited scientific collecting does have its place in
   modern ornithology.  However, scientific collectors need to factor in
   all ramifications, including affecting the birding public, before
   deciding to collect.  In California, there are legitimate and ethical
   scientific collectors who feel the BBWO collector's decision is
   disgraceful.  Nearly everyone I've talked to feels this collector
   should have his scientific collection permit revoked.  Further, this
   collector apparently has a history of collecting publicly-
   valued "stakeout" birds, e.g., Least Flycatcher last winter on a
   Christmas Bird Count.

   If you feel, as I do, this individual should have his scientific
   collecting permit revoked please contact Dale Steele, Supervising
   Biologist, Fish and Game Department Species Conservation and Recovery
   Program at dsteele@... or (916) 653-3444.

   By the way, I have not heard of any recent reports on the remaining
   BBWO's since the collecting, but have had luck in Toulumne Meadows
   and Devils Postpile.

   Regards,
   Chris Howard
   Bishop


   --- In CALBIRDS@y..., JLobel@a... wrote:
   > We'll be there next weekend.
   >
   > Any recent sightings of Black-backed Woodpecker at the forest near
   the South
   > Tufa area? Or any recent sightings of them in the general area?
   >
   > Thanks!
   > John
   >
   >
   > John Lobel
   > Thousand Oaks, CA
   > JLobel@a...


         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
               ADVERTISEMENT





   Unsubscribe: mailto:CALBIRDS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS
   Listowners: mailto:CALBIRDS-owner@yahoogroups.com

   For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership
and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses:
   Turn off email delivery: mailto:CALBIRDS-nomail@yahoogroups.com
   Resume email delivery: mailto:CALBIRDS-normal@yahoogroups.com



   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Steve:

Why am I still getting CALBIRDS when I put "no mail" in my group
preferences? Since I'm going to be gone for 5 days, I don't want to have
so much mail piling up.

Thanks, as usual, for your help. I'll see you at the conference and will
have a couple of Tanagers for you.

Jean

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I did not respond to the original RFI because I didn't consider last July to
be "recent". But in light of the posts on the collecting of two BBWO in
April, it may be of interest to note that I saw two female BBWO in the Mono
burn on July 10. I also know that Ed Hall and Jim Zimmer from San Diego saw
both male and female BBWO there on July 18 or 19.

In both cases it took a couple hours or more to locate them.

Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
donlewis@...

Hi, all!

Today I teamed up with visiting birder Brandon from Pueblo, Colorado, and we
set off to chase some of the recent rarities.  Ruff and Red-throated Pipit
were high on his list, so we headed for the sod farms in the TRV first.  We
circled the entire place before seeing any birds at all, really: we scared up
the flock of White-fronted Geese on the south side (they made a bee-line for
the border but seemed to take a hard left right at the fence-line; that
woulda made a good Mexican tick!)  We were almost to the starting point when
we finally spotted a couple of Long-billed Curlews and the Pectoral
Sandpiper.

We then swung over to Meyer's Ranch where some interesting warblers had been
seen earlier in the week, but the only thing we could kick up besides
Butterbutts was a female Black-throated Gray.  Heading over to 5th Street, we
took the trail to the Tijuana River mouth, where on the way we picked up
House and Marsh Wren, plus lots of Horned Larks in the air field in addition
to the expected stuff.  There were plenty of birds at the mouth, including
one of Brandon's targets: a flock of Elegant Terns (which promptly took off,
never to se seen again...)!  We scanned carefully for Pacific Golden Plover
and just got the expected shorebirds (a Ruddy Turnstone was nice, along with
a few Dunlin).  On the way back, however, we hit the jackpot: while checking
over some Blackbellies in the air field, sure enough, a smaller, slimmer PG
Plover was in with them!  And just like the terns, the bird took off shortly
after we spotted him, calling very nicely and showing all the classic field
marks (or lack thereof)!  We also kicked up a very cooperative Large-billed
Savannah Sparrow which miraculously stayed put through two passings of
joggers!

Brandon wanted to take another shot at the Ruff, so back to the sod farms we
went, where the bird activity had increased quite a bit: lots of meadowlarks
and curlews were around, and several pipts gave close looks, but alas, they
were all Americans.  We ran into a couple of female birders who had just seen
the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, but we theorized that he had made himself scarce
somehow when the Peregrine we just saw flew over.  We continued on, enjoying
a close-up Roadrunner who caught a huge bright green bug of some kind (I
thought it was a lizard at first)!

From there we went to Fort Rosecrans where things were fairly quiet; what DID
chirp usually flew overhead or landed WAY up high in the trees.  We managed
to pick up a few more Black-throated Grays in addition to the ubiquitous
Butterbutts, an Orangecrown here and there, the Chippie flock (no
Clay-colored) in addition to all the Whiteys (no Goldies), and Brandon picked
out a Townsend's.  We also found an Empid but didn't get a great look; we
wondered whether this could have been Joe's reported Least Flycatcher.  The
only other flycatcher was a pewee, and a White-breasted Nuthatch was whanging
away on a tree so loudly we thought it might have been a sapsucker!  The
icing on the cake, however, was a nice Black and White Warbler in the
southwest cul-de-sac area!

Headed home after that, with two lifers for Brandon and a couple of year
birds for me (at least one, anyway, I think...)  Bird list:

   Brown Pelican                         Pelecanus occidentalis
   Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus
   Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias
   Great Egret                           Ardea alba
   Snowy Egret                           Egretta thula
   Greater White-fronted Goose           Anser albifrons
   Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos
   Northern Harrier                      Circus cyaneus
   Cooper's Hawk                         Accipiter cooperii
   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius
   Peregrine Falcon                      Falco peregrinus
   Pacific Golden-Plover                 Pluvialis fulva
   Black-bellied Plover                  Pluvialis squatarola
   Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus
   Short-billed Dowitcher                Limnodromus griseus
   Marbled Godwit                        Limosa fedoa
   Whimbrel                              Numenius phaeopus
   Long-billed Curlew                    Numenius americanus
   Greater Yellowlegs                    Tringa melanoleuca
   Willet                                Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
   Ruddy Turnstone                       Arenaria interpres
   Western Sandpiper                     Calidris mauri
   Least Sandpiper                       Calidris minutilla
   Pectoral Sandpiper                    Calidris melanotos
   Dunlin                                Calidris alpina
   Western Gull                          Larus occidentalis
   Elegant Tern                          Sterna elegans
   Forster's Tern                        Sterna forsteri
   Rock Dove                             Columba livia
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Greater Roadrunner                    Geococcyx californianus
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Western Wood-Pewee                    Contopus sordidulus
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Say's Phoebe                          Sayornis saya
   Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris
   Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica
   American Pipit                        Anthus rubescens
   Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   Marsh Wren                            Cistothorus palustris
   Northern Mockingbird                  Mimus polyglottos
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris
   House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata
   Black-throated Gray Warbler           Dendroica nigrescens
   Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia
   Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina
   Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis
   Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia
   White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys
   Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus
   Western Meadowlark                    Sturnella neglecta

63 SPECIES

Mary Beth Stowe
MiriamEagl@...
San Diego, CA

Hi All,

I've had email from several subscribers complaining about their inability
to change their subscription options to No Mail.

It appears that the part of the Yahoo Groups server that manages the
membership list is responding very slowly. Everybody who contacted me on
Tuesday had now been updated, so please be patient. You may get some
messages after you submit your changes, but your update will go into effect
eventually


Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                34:09:23.411 N, 118:21:56.678 W
Audubon in So. California                www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/
San Fernando Valley AS       www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

(No apologies for cross-posting)  This afternoon from 2-3 PM I had a very
cooperative Ovenbird at Big Sycamore Canyon Campground, just off the PCH, in
Ventura County.  The bird spent its time walking around on the ground under
some sycamore trees flipping leaves and feeding on any insects it
encountered.  It was quite unafraid and if I stood still it would come
within 20' of me.  If anyone is interested in seeing this bird, tomorrow
morning would be the best time, as the campground fills up on weekends.
From campsite 50 follow the path behind it that leads to a walk-in campsite
under some large sycamores.  The bird spent most of its time on and to the
right of the path, between the dip in the path and a picnic table 100'
beyond.  Stand still and look for movement on the ground.  The bird does fly
off 50-100' when people walk by, but it eventually returns to the same
general area.

Good Luck,

Walter Wehtje

- RBA [RARE BIRD ALERT]
* California
* San Diego
* October 11, 2002
* CASD0210.11

- Birds mentioned:
____________________

Swainson's Hawk
Pectoral Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff
Pacific Golden Plover
Lewis's Woodpecker
Red-throated Pipit
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Canada Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
____________________

Names in capital letters are on the California Bird Records Committee
Review Species List;

- Transcript
hotline:  San Diego County, California
date:  October 11, 2002
number: (619) 688-2473 [619-NUT-BIRD]
for SAN DIEGO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS
compiler:  Michael Evans, mailto:muevans@...
_________________________________________

Swainson's Hawk, 1, 10/5/02, Anza Borrego DSP [Desert State Park],
Font's Point

Pectoral Sandpiper, 1, 10/6/02, 10/7/02, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod
farm, NE-corner

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 1, 10/5/02-10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner [I-5, S to Dairy Mart Rd turnoff, then south 0.5 mi)

Ruff, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm, NW-corner

Pacific Golden Plover, 1, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, Ream Field, from
S-end, 5th St

Lewis's Woodpecker, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner

Red-throated Pipit, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner

Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed), 1, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, Ream Field,
from S-end, 5th St

Chestnut-sided Warbler, 1-2, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, 10/8/02, Ft Rosecrans
NC, E-side, Sec Q, S-committal center

Grace's Warbler, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Ft Rosecrans NC [National
Cemetery], W-side, dip area, Sec. W

Prairie Warbler, 1, 10/7/02, Cabrillo NM [National Monument], near
vending machine, visitor center

Palm Warbler, 1, 10/8/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, E-side, S of euc grove; 1,
10/10/02, Famosa Slough [West Point Loma Blvd], NW corner, by bench

Blackpoll Warbler, 1, 10/5/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, E-side, near main
entrance

Black-and-white Warbler, 1, 10/9/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, SW-loop road
Canada Warbler, 1, (F/1st), 10/6/02-10/7/02, Tijuana R Vly, regional
park visitor's center, off Hollister St. (Meyer's Rch), in tamarisk,
W-of visitor's center

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 1 (M), 10/7/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, NE-loop

_________________________________________

For directions to many of the locations listed here,
See Thomas Brothers Map Book for San Diego County, or:
http://www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/sd-locs.htm

See also:  http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/%7Ejmorlan/sd.htm

For San Diego Field Ornithologists Web Page, w/some archives, see:
http://homepage.mac.com/aves/SanDiego.html

To download PDF file of ALL BIRDS REPORTED THIS PERIOD, see (may be
late in posting):
http://homepage.mac.com/aves/FileSharing5.html

Send reports on California Bird Record Committee
Review Species sightings to:

Guy McCaskie, Secretary
California Bird Records Committee
P.O. Box 275
Imperial Beach, CA 91933-0275
mailto:guymcc@...

Send local rarity descriptions to:

Elizabeth Copper, Subregional Field Notes Editor
mailto:ecopper@...

End transcript




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>>>SORRY FOR REPOSTING, WITH SUBJECT LINE THIS TIME<<<<
- RBA [RARE BIRD ALERT]
* California
* San Diego
* October 11, 2002
* CASD0210.11

- Birds mentioned:
____________________

Swainson's Hawk
Pectoral Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff
Pacific Golden Plover
Lewis's Woodpecker
Red-throated Pipit
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Canada Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
____________________

Names in capital letters are on the California Bird Records Committee
Review Species List;

- Transcript
hotline:  San Diego County, California
date:  October 11, 2002
number: (619) 688-2473 [619-NUT-BIRD]
for SAN DIEGO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS
compiler:  Michael Evans, mailto:muevans@...
_________________________________________

Swainson's Hawk, 1, 10/5/02, Anza Borrego DSP [Desert State Park],
Font's Point

Pectoral Sandpiper, 1, 10/6/02, 10/7/02, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod
farm, NE-corner

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 1, 10/5/02-10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner [I-5, S to Dairy Mart Rd turnoff, then south 0.5 mi)

Ruff, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm, NW-corner

Pacific Golden Plover, 1, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, Ream Field, from
S-end, 5th St

Lewis's Woodpecker, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner

Red-throated Pipit, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Tijuana R Vly, sod farm,
NW-corner

Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed), 1, 10/9/02, Tijuana R Vly, Ream Field,
from S-end, 5th St

Chestnut-sided Warbler, 1-2, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, 10/8/02, Ft Rosecrans
NC, E-side, Sec Q, S-committal center

Grace's Warbler, 1, 10/5/02, 10/6/02, Ft Rosecrans NC [National
Cemetery], W-side, dip area, Sec. W

Prairie Warbler, 1, 10/7/02, Cabrillo NM [National Monument], near
vending machine, visitor center

Palm Warbler, 1, 10/8/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, E-side, S of euc grove; 1,
10/10/02, Famosa Slough [West Point Loma Blvd], NW corner, by bench

Blackpoll Warbler, 1, 10/5/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, E-side, near main
entrance

Black-and-white Warbler, 1, 10/9/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, SW-loop road
Canada Warbler, 1, (F/1st), 10/6/02-10/7/02, Tijuana R Vly, regional
park visitor's center, off Hollister St. (Meyer's Rch), in tamarisk,
W-of visitor's center

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 1 (M), 10/7/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, NE-loop

_________________________________________

For directions to many of the locations listed here,
See Thomas Brothers Map Book for San Diego County, or:
http://www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/sd-locs.htm

See also:  http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/%7Ejmorlan/sd.htm

For San Diego Field Ornithologists Web Page, w/some archives, see:
http://homepage.mac.com/aves/SanDiego.html

To download PDF file of ALL BIRDS REPORTED THIS PERIOD, see (may be
late in posting):
http://homepage.mac.com/aves/FileSharing5.html

Send reports on California Bird Record Committee
Review Species sightings to:

Guy McCaskie, Secretary
California Bird Records Committee
P.O. Box 275
Imperial Beach, CA 91933-0275
mailto:guymcc@...

Send local rarity descriptions to:

Elizabeth Copper, Subregional Field Notes Editor
mailto:ecopper@...

End transcript





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am looking for information on Short-eared Owls anywhere in the State of
California for an account for the California Department of Fish and Game's
Species of Special Concern.  If you have data or know of anyone who does, I
would appreciate hearing from you.  I am interested in known local or regional
declines (or increases) in Short-eared Owl populations in areas where you may
have personal experience, hopefully gained over a long period of time.  If you
can document suspected reasons for their disappearance I would very much list to
hear about that as well.  Your contribution will be duly acknowledged.

You can reach me by email or ground mail.

Thank you

Jon Winter
wint@...
5331 El Mercado Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA 95403


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Turkey Vulture Count

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!


This is the month when the Turkey Vultures migrate south for the
winter, passing over a ridge of mountains south of Lake Isabella
in the Kern River Valley.  It is the largest known Turkey
Vulture migration route in the US.
The Kern River Research Center has been keeping records of this
migration for the past 6 years.  In order to insure that the
data is accurate, it is necessary to have a complete record of
each day’s migration sightings. There are only 5 days left
for this count and HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.  One person
cannot do it alone!

What does a counter have to do?  The essential qualification, of
course, is that you can recognize a Turkey Vulture in flight,
from a distance, looking up in the air at it, or looking across
the valley at it.  You will be spotting the vultures singly as
well as in giant kettles.  It will help if you can identify
other raptors as well.  You can do the count in 3 hours shifts,
from 9 am to 12 noon or from 12 noon to 3 pm, or the whole 6
hour period.  An experienced counter will be there with you to
show you how it’s done.  However, no one person can spot all
the birds because they fly over using different routes.  Often
while one person is counting birds in one kettle, another kettle
will form in another area of the sky.

For more information or to sign up to help with the Turkey
Vulture Count, contact Terri Gallion at 760-378-4173, or you can
email her at: vulturewatcher@...
They have an excellent website with all sorts of information:
www.valleywild.org/TVcount.htm

If you have difficulty contacting Terri (she’ll be out
working on the count site everyday from 9 to 3),  contact Nancy
Kenyon at 949-786-3160 or by email at:  kenyon@...

Oct. 13 Trip Report

Thick  morning fog made for less than ideal seabirding on our Oct 13
seabirding cruise with Monterey Bay Whalewatch. Seas were calm and the
water temp at 56 F.  We followed a different route than on our previous
trips by heading south along  Monterey County's Big Sur coastline
towards Pt. Sur to the  offshore waters in the vicinity of the Sur
Ridge. Our skipper, Richard Ternullo, knew that albacore fishing had
been good in this area and the odds good  for some interesting seabirds.
Our return route was via Carmel Bay and Cypress Point.

The SURFBIRDS along the Coast Guard jetty were cooperative as we left
the harbor. Today's group was comprised of mostly local birders but we
did have a few from out of the area and a visitor from Sweden. The
locals acting as hosts and helping the visitors and neophyte seabirders
to get on the birds and sharing the marine sanctuary with them.

BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS were seen inside the bay and as we passed out
of the bay waters we came upon a nice mixed flock of shearwaters flying
in and out of the fog but managed ot get everyone on our lone
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER of the day. Here we also had our first of many
BULLER'S and PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS. SOOTY SHEARWATER numbers were way
down with only 20 seen on the day.

We had many NORTHERN FULMARS in fresh plumage and various morphs, a
dozen CASSIN'S AUKLETS, one right next to the boat. POMARINE JAEGERS
were numerous but only a few PARASITIC were seen. Many small flocks of
RED PHALAROPES. A lone SABIN'ES GULL was seen in the distance as the fog
relented around noon.

We had  one landbird that circled the boat but refused to land. It
created a bit of excitement as we tried to identify it on the wing.
There was mention of a rare bunting or two but the group consensus was
that it was likely a very lost SWAMP SPARROW.

The highlight of our trip was non avian. In his 28 years leading natural
history trips almost daily out of Monterey this was only our skipper's
third sighting of a SEI WHALE!  We all had nice looks at this whale
before it dove once and for all. On the way back in we spotted a pair of
BLUE WHALES but before we got to them a pod of 4 KILLER WHALES/ORCAS
appeared. The Blues wanted nothing to do with them and  powered out of
the area in a panic. The Orcas were cooperative and made for a great
photo opportunity.

In addition to the usual MOLA-MOLA SUNFISH we saw a BLUE SHARK and
several leaping ALBACORE TUNA.

Lastly, as we approached the harbor we spotted a single SHORT-TAILED
SHEARWATER  for our 6th species of shearwater on the day.

Special thanks to our leaders Don Roberson and Todd Easterla

Our next trip is next Sunday Oct. 20. Spaces are available. Cost is $65
per person.

See you on the water,
Roger Wolfe for Monterey Bay Whalewatch
http://montereyseabirds.com

On Thu, 10 Oct 2002 20:11:34 -0700 (PDT), walter wehtje
<wehtje@...> wrote:

> This afternoon from 2-3 PM I had a very
>cooperative Ovenbird at Big Sycamore Canyon Campground, just off the PCH, in
>Ventura County.

Thanks to a contribution from David Pereksta, I have posted two images
of this bird taken Saturday at:

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/gallery.htm

Enjoy!


--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044: mailto:jmorlan@...
Fall Birding Classes start Sept 4: http://fog.ccsf.org/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Turkey Vulture Count

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!


This is the month when the Turkey Vultures migrate south for the
winter, passing over a ridge of mountains south of Lake Isabella
in the Kern River Valley.  It is the largest known Turkey
Vulture migration route in the US.
The Kern River Research Center has been keeping records of this
migration for the past 6 years.  In order to insure that the
data is accurate, it is necessary to have a complete record of
each day’s migration sightings. There are only 5 days left
for this count and HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.  One person
cannot do it alone!

What does a counter have to do?  The essential qualification, of
course, is that you can recognize a Turkey Vulture in flight,
from a distance, looking up in the air at it, or looking across
the valley at it.  You will be spotting the vultures singly as
well as in giant kettles.  It will help if you can identify
other raptors as well.  You can do the count in 3 hours shifts,
from 9 am to 12 noon or from 12 noon to 3 pm, or the whole 6
hour period.  An experienced counter will be there with you to
show you how it’s done.  However, no one person can spot all
the birds because they fly over using different routes.  Often
while one person is counting birds in one kettle, another kettle
will form in another area of the sky.

For more information or to sign up to help with the Turkey
Vulture Count, contact Terri Gallion at 760-378-4173, or you can
email her at: vulturewatcher@...
They have an excellent website with all sorts of information:
www.valleywild.org/TVcount.htm

If you have difficulty contacting Terri (she’ll be out
working on the count site everyday from 9 to 3),  contact Nancy
Kenyon at 949-786-3160 or by email at:  kenyon@...

Spent a very pleasant week in the LA and Santa Barbara areas last
week, while my husband was on a business trip. I went to the South
Coast Botanic Gardens on Crenshaw in Palos Verdes and I saw 3 unusual
birds in the reeds by the lake. They looked like Nutmeg Mannikins
(Lonchura punctulata) to me, having seen them in Bali a couple of
years ago, and the Nat. Geog. guide does list them as established in
the greater LA area. There were 2 juveniles and an adult with the
scaly breast. I presume they are not countable by ABA standards, but
just wanted to know if anyone else can confirm them as being seen
there? They are not listed on the garden's checklist, sponsored by
the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, but this hasn't been
updated since 1990.

I had a very pleasant time watching the Allen's and Anna's
hummingbirds, feeding on the purple salvia by the Rose Garden.

Helen Baines
Richmond, TX

Hello all,
I have attached a message from the Humboldt listserve of a reported
Black-backed Woodpecker in Sonoma Co.  If correct this is a phenomenal find.
The NAB notebooks show no sightings from the Coast Ranges except apparently
unnacceptable historical reports from Montery and Marin Cos.  and a sighting
from Tehama Co. 5/22/1978.  I don't have that issue of American Birds so I
have no idea if it was published or not. The Marin record was at Inverness
8/8/1965.  The Monterey bird was thought to be a Hairy Woodpecker.
Steve Glover
Dublin

Friday,October 4, 2002.  While doing a bird census at Jack London State
park, I came across a large flock of foraging birds which included many
chestnut-backed chickadees, ruby crowned kinglets,and audubon's warblers.
Also in the immediate area were numerous oak titmice, acorn woodpeckers, and
white breasted nuthatches.three birds flew in close to me on the edge of a
stand of eucalyptus trees. One was a white breasted nuthatch, the second was
a downy woodpecker, and the third, (another woodpecker) took me a moment to
identify. The first thing I noticed was that this bird was heavily barred on
the flanks. It's size was about that of a hairy woodpecker (it was side by
side with the downy, they were ~ 6 inches apart). The next thing I noticed
was a pale yellow cap at the front of the head. It then circled around the
tree with the other woodpecker, foraging under the peeling bark
(eucalyptus). At this point it's back was directly facing me and I noted
that the entire back was black, as were the wings. The birds then flew away
as a group, deeper into the stand and were lost to sight. This observation
occurred at ~ 07:15 am. weather was clear, no clouds, no wind, temp. was
18C. Location was the picnic area just above the trailhead to the lake,
~150m from the north parking lot. Surrounding habitat was mostly mixed oak
with mixed oak/coniferous to the NW which is the direction the birds were
last headed.The birds were actually foraging in the eucalyptus to the north
side of the picnic area. This was a very busy morning, bird wise. In my
first 20 min survey I documented 27 species, including 6 other types of
woodpecker, all within a 3ha radius. Other species were; acorn woodpecker;
nutall's woodpecker; red-breasted sapsucker; pileated woodpecker; northern
flicker; and hairy woodpecker.
     Mark Morrissette, biological field tech w/ redwood sciences lab, USFS

The "Highlights of 2002 in Monterey County" page has been updated with a short
summary of local fall migration to date, and shots of a species never before
photographed in the county. It is at
http://montereybay.com/creagrus/MTY_2002.html

That is all.
D. Roberson
Pacific Grove MTY, CA

California Birders:

I'm pleased to announce that the 2001 San Francisco Field Ornithologists' (SFFO)
Field Journal has been published on the SFFO web site:

          http://www.sffo.org

It has articles of particular interest to those who regular bird, or would like
to bird, our fair city, including highlights of the year in SF, a species list
of all birds seen in the city in 2001, detailed accounts of two local hotspots
(Sutro Heights and Mount Davidson) and a photo section with some crippling views
of SF birds.  Thanks to Mark Eaton (SFFO President and Field Journal editor),
Hugh Cotter, Paul Saraceni, Myra Ulvang, and all the SF birders whose field
contributions (and gorgeous photos) are featured.

Luke

Luke W. Cole
Secretary, SFFO
luke@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Turkey Vulture Count

Date: Thursday, October 17, 2002
Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!


This is the month when the Turkey Vultures migrate south for the
winter, passing over a ridge of mountains south of Lake Isabella
in the Kern River Valley.  It is the largest known Turkey
Vulture migration route in the US.
The Kern River Research Center has been keeping records of this
migration for the past 6 years.  In order to insure that the
data is accurate, it is necessary to have a complete record of
each day’s migration sightings. There are only 5 days left
for this count and HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.  One person
cannot do it alone!

What does a counter have to do?  The essential qualification, of
course, is that you can recognize a Turkey Vulture in flight,
from a distance, looking up in the air at it, or looking across
the valley at it.  You will be spotting the vultures singly as
well as in giant kettles.  It will help if you can identify
other raptors as well.  You can do the count in 3 hours shifts,
from 9 am to 12 noon or from 12 noon to 3 pm, or the whole 6
hour period.  An experienced counter will be there with you to
show you how it’s done.  However, no one person can spot all
the birds because they fly over using different routes.  Often
while one person is counting birds in one kettle, another kettle
will form in another area of the sky.

For more information or to sign up to help with the Turkey
Vulture Count, contact Terri Gallion at 760-378-4173, or you can
email her at: vulturewatcher@...
They have an excellent website with all sorts of information:
www.valleywild.org/TVcount.htm

If you have difficulty contacting Terri (she’ll be out
working on the count site everyday from 9 to 3),  contact Nancy
Kenyon at 949-786-3160 or by email at:  kenyon@...

Yahoo! ID:  unknown

Subject: Unauthorized Subscription

What Group are you reporting?
   Calbirds

Type your feedback here:
  I am a moderator of this group. Someone is sending messages
to the group using the group address as their from address.
As this is not permitted in our group, I tried to ban the
group address and got this result:

You have successfully banned 0 members.
You failed to ban 1 members:
1 members could not be banned for the following reasons:
·  1 are blocked automatically.



Members that could not be banned (1)
Email Address  Reason
calbirds@yahoogroups.com  Automatically blocked (no need to
ban)

Obviously, your blocking does not work. Here is the header
of the message so you can investigate:

X-Persona: (Mobile)
Return-Path: (sentto-3482464-1487-1034784152-
mobile=sosensky.com@...)
Delivered-To: mobile@...
Received: (qmail 44514 invoked by uid 88); 16 Oct 2002
09:13:16 -0700
Received: from unknown (HELO n5.grp.scd.yahoo.com)
(66.218.66.89)
   by 0 with SMTP; 16 Oct 2002 09:13:16 -0700
X-eGroups-Return: sentto-3482464-1487-1034784152-
mobile=sosensky.com@...
Received: from [66.218.66.95] by n5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with
NNFMP; 16 Oct 2002 16:02:32 -0000
Received: (qmail 84550 invoked by uid 7800); 16 Oct 2002
16:02:32 -0000
Message-ID: (1034784152.72.84538.m7@yahoogroups.com)
X-eGroups-Application: calendar
From: CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com
To: CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Mailing-List: list CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com; contact
CALBIRDS-owner@yahoogroups.com
Delivered-To: mailing list CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
List-Unsubscribe: (mailto:CALBIRDS-
unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com)
Date: 16 Oct 2002 16:02:32 -0000
Subject: [CALBIRDS] Reminder - Turkey Vulture Count
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Please let me know how this is resolved.

While Viewing: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/groups-38.html

Yahoo ID: stevesosensky : no amt link
Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)
REMOTE_ADDR: 63.204.250.24
REMOTE_HOST: unknown
Date Originated: Wednesday October 16, 2002 - 10:49:07
-------

CalBirders,

While I have no problem with the content of this message and encourage you
to participate if you can, I find the method in which it was sent to be
reprehensible. The email address from which it claims to have been sent
does not belong to any real person. The address has been spoofed. It is my
opinion that spoofing email addresses should be illegal on the internet and
punishable by heavy fines. It also violates the regulations of this list
and will not be tolerated. Yahoo is supposed to block this address
automatically, but somehow this message did not get blocked.

ANYONE CAUGHT USING calbirds@yahoogroups.com AS A FROM ADDRESS IN THE
FUTURE WILL BE PERMANENTLY BANNED FROM THE LIST. THIS RULE ALSO APPLIES TO
ANY OTHER EMAIL ADDRESS WHICH IS NOT SUBSCRIBED TO CALBIRDS. THIS STOPS NOW.

At 04:02 PM 10/16/2002 +0000, CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
>
>Turkey Vulture Count
>
>Date: Thursday, October 17, 2002
>Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)
>
>YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
>
>
>For more information or to sign up to help with the Turkey
>Vulture Count, contact Terri Gallion at 760-378-4173, or you can
>email her at: vulturewatcher@...
>They have an excellent website with all sorts of information:
>www.valleywild.org/TVcount.htm
>
>If you have difficulty contacting Terri (she'll be out
>working on the count site everyday from 9 to 3),  contact Nancy
>Kenyon at 949-786-3160 or by email at:  kenyon@...
>

Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                34:09:23.411 N, 118:21:56.678 W
Audubon in So. California                www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/
San Fernando Valley AS       www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

Hi CalBirders,

Sorry for my previous rant. I learn something new every day. I also usually
don't learn about things unless I try to use them.

Nancy Kenyon wrote and told me that the message was sent by the Calendar at
the Calbirds website.

I either didn't know or forgot that we could set up automated messages from
the Calendar. When you set up a Calendar Event, Yahoo allows you to
schedule repeated reminder messages, but does not ask for your email
address. It just uses the list address to send out the message. Since I was
not aware of that, it made it appear that someone was spoofing the Calbirds
address. That troubled me because if the list address can be spoofed, then
people who know how to do it can send spam to the list that the moderators
cannot control.

To prevent this type of confusion in the future, please add the following
paragraph to the front of any automated message you set up in the Calendar:

This is an automated event reminder sent by the Calendar at the CalBirds
website. Do not reply to this message. Please reply to
mailto:youraddress@yourISP or see contact information provided in the text
below.

I'm going to require that this paragraph be inserted in any automated
message put in the Calendar. Unfortunately, there is currently no way that
I can make the paragraph an automatic prefix. I'll write to Yahoo and ask
that they provide a way to solve the problem. The best would be to have the
person making the Calendar entry put their email address into the form.


Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only
Co-listowner, Calbirds http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calbirds

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                34:09:23.411 N, 118:21:56.678 W
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

Hi All,

The LAAS trip on the Catamaran Islander trip on 11/9 past San Miguel Island
is not filling up. This will be the only Catamaran trip to deep water that
will be under $100. Next year all the prices are going up.

Saturday, November 9 - Ventura Marina toward San Miguel Island
Time:   0800 - 1700 (9 hrs.)
Port:   Ventura Marina
Boat:   Catamaran M/V Islander
Price:  $79
Spaces: 44
Food:   sandwiches and snacks available for purchase
Leaders: Mitch Heindel, Kevin Larson, David Pereksta and Bernardo Alps.

Description:
toward San Miguel Island on the new, fast Catamaran M/V Islander. Nine-hour
trip departs from Ventura at 8:00 a.m. After dropping off campers on Santa
Cruz Island, we have the boat to ourselves, and will head toward the 1000
fathom water about 10 miles from San Miguel Island.

Birds seen this time of year and which are expected:
Northern Fulmar; Black-vented, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters; Black
Storm-Petrel; South Polar Skua; Pomarine Jaeger; rocky shorebirds (up to
five); Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets. Occasionally: Craveri's Murrelet.
Rarities: Leach's Storm-Petrel; Flesh-footed and Buller's Shearwaters;
Black-footed Albatross.

If the trip is to go, we must have sign-ups immediately. People should call
Audubon House (323) 876-0202 and tell them that a check is on it's way. We
can't wait past Friday.

Many feel that the Islander is an easier boat to bird from than the Condor.


Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                34:09:23.411 N, 118:21:56.678 W
Audubon in So. California                www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/
San Fernando Valley AS       www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Turkey Vulture Count

Date: Friday, October 18, 2002
Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

This is an automated event reminder sent by the Calendar at the
CalBirds website. Do not reply to this message. Contact
information is provided in the text below.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!


This is the month when the Turkey Vultures migrate south for the
winter, passing over a ridge of mountains south of Lake Isabella
in the Kern River Valley.  It is the largest known Turkey
Vulture migration route in the US.
The Kern River Research Center has been keeping records of this
migration for the past 6 years.  In order to insure that the
data is accurate, it is necessary to have a complete record of
each day’s migration sightings. There are only 5 days left
for this count and HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.  One person
cannot do it alone!

What does a counter have to do?  The essential qualification, of
course, is that you can recognize a Turkey Vulture in flight,
from a distance, looking up in the air at it, or looking across
the valley at it.  You will be spotting the vultures singly as
well as in giant kettles.  It will help if you can identify
other raptors as well.  You can do the count in 3 hours shifts,
from 9 am to 12 noon or from 12 noon to 3 pm, or the whole 6
hour period.  An experienced counter will be there with you to
show you how it’s done.  However, no one person can spot all
the birds because they fly over using different routes.  Often
while one person is counting birds in one kettle, another kettle
will form in another area of the sky.

For more information or to sign up to help with the Turkey
Vulture Count, contact Terri Gallion at 760-378-4173, or you can
email her at: vulturewatcher@...
They have an excellent website with all sorts of information:
www.valleywild.org/TVcount.htm

If you have difficulty contacting Terri (she’ll be out
working on the count site everyday from 9 to 3),  contact Nancy
Kenyon at 949-786-3160 or by email at:  kenyon@...

At 05:30 PM 10/15/02 -0000, Helen wrote:
>Spent a very pleasant week in the LA and Santa Barbara areas last
>week, while my husband was on a business trip. I went to the South
>Coast Botanic Gardens on Crenshaw in Palos Verdes and I saw 3 unusual
>birds in the reeds by the lake. They looked like Nutmeg Mannikins
>(Lonchura punctulata) to me, having seen them in Bali a couple of
>years ago, and the Nat. Geog. guide does list them as established in
>the greater LA area. There were 2 juveniles and an adult with the
>scaly breast. I presume they are not countable by ABA standards, but
>just wanted to know if anyone else can confirm them as being seen
>there? They are not listed on the garden's checklist, sponsored by
>the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, but this hasn't been
>updated since 1990.

Helen:

Your birds were indeed Nutmeg Mannikins, a species that is now
locally established in much of the coastal slope of Los Angeles
and Orange Counties and very locally elsewhere in California
(mainly in the coastal counties).

This species has only become established in significant numbers
since the early 1990s, so it is not surprising that it is not
listed on the 1990 SCBG checklist.  Another popular birding
locality where Nutmeg Mannikins are commonly seen is Huntington
Central Park in Huntington Beach, Orange Co.

Kimball
Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
(213) 763-3368
(213) 746-2999 FAX
kgarrett@...

Calbirders,

I am posting the following trip report for debi Shearwater

Todd McGrath
SKUA@...
Marina Del Rey CA







Howdy, Seabirders,

Its getting old to say that we just completed three more fantastic
trips, but the truth is they were just wonderful. We had trips on
October 12 from Monterey, October 13 from Santa Cruz, and October 14
from Bodega Bay. The weather was good to great, each succeeding day,
better than the previous one. The 12 hour trip from Bodega Bay to
Bodega Canyon, Cordell Bank and offshore from the banks to the 1000
fathom line was without a single whitecap all day‹just beautiful. In
the trip report for October 4, 5, and 6th I mentioned that it seemed
like we were on the cusp of fall becoming winter. The three trips
this past weekend indicate that we are well on the downhill side of
fall, and moving rapidly into winter. The SOOTY SHEARWATERS have all
but left for the southern hemisphere. SHORT-TAILED and BLACK-VENTED
SHEARWATERS continue to increase in numbers, while NORTHERN FULMARS
made an excellent showing. No terns were recorded for any of the
trips. The first offshore Bonaparte's Gulls and another Black-legged
Kittiwake appeared. Alcid numbers exploded, locally. See more
details in the daily reports.

Our last trip for the fall season is Saturday, October 19th from
Monterey.Spaces are still available. If you are interested, you can
just show up at Chris' Fishing Shop on Fishermans' Wharf in Monterey
at 7am. and there will be a place for you. Dress warmly, and bring
lunch. The leaders are: Clay Kempf, Mike Rogers, Scott Terrill,
Linda Terrill, and Debra Shearwater. Call Debra at 831/637-8527 for
more information. The weather forecast is
excellent.

The October 12th trip from Monterey departed Fishermans' Wharf later
than usual, as our skipper was delayed on his return from vacation
in Hawaii. Our "substitute" skipper, John Klusmire got us off about
8 am. John worked with me in the early 1980's on the old wooden
boat, "Miss Monterey." He has been working for the past 10  years on
the research vessel, "Point Sur" based out of Moss Landing. So, we
were in great hands with John who knows the seabirds well. We passed
the usual rocky shorebirds along the Coast Guard jetty:
BLACK TURNSTONE, WANDERING TATTLER, and 5 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS along
the inshore rocks. While watching a PIGEON GUILLEMOT off of Hopkins
Marine Station, Ryan Terrill spotted two BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS close
to shore. We headed out to Point Pinos, and then offshore. BLACK-
VENTED SHEARWATERS, continental shelf dwellers, were along our
route. Todd McGrath spotted a single MANX SHEARWATER. SOOTY, PINK-
FOOTED, and BULLER'S SHEARWATERS were seen by all on board. I
stopped the boat for a dark-headed murre that I thought might be
interesting, but I did not get a definitive view before it
flew away. However, Todd confirmed that it was a THICK-BILLED MURRE.
Although October is not a time when we normally see very many
albatrosses in Monterey Bay (see the Bodega report for Oct 14th), we
did see 2 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES. We saw all three jaegers,
RHINOCEROS and CASSIN'S AUKLETS, and RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES.
We headed to the spot where we had seen storm-petrels on prior
trips, but could only find 2 ASHY STORM-PETRELS before afternoon fog
rolled in, totally engulfing us. Four HUMPBACK WHALES rounded out
our day. We returned to the dock at 3:45 pm, later than normal,
due to our late start.

The October 13th trip from Santa Cruz began with some thin fog which
quickly burned off, giving us a beautiful day. Doing trips back to
back, from one end of the Monterey Bay to the other gives us an
interesting picture of what is happening. After finding seven
MARBLED MURRELETS (a specialty of this trip as they are not
generally found on the Monterey trips), it soon became
apparent that there was a trememdous amount of food on the north
side of the bay. We concentrated our birding along the 100 fathom
line and were not disappointed. Just to compare with the trip on the
12th, we recorded 69 HUMPBACK and 5 BLUE WHALES! Lots of food! All
species of seabirds were more numerous on this side of the bay:
SOOTY, SHORT-TAILED, PINK-FOOTED, BULLER'S,and BLACK-VENTED
Shearwaters were found. The Buller's Shearwaters, in particular,
delighted many people in the early morning as they were sitting in
flocks for great photo ops. NORTHERN FULMARS were exactly double the
numbers as on the 12th. We pulled up behind a fishing vessel and
found 4 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES. A PEREGRINE FALCON flew
up the wake 13 miles offshore! But, the big news on this side of the
bay was the increase in numbers of alcids, something that signals
the oncoming winter to me. We recorded 3,025 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, 245
CASSIN'S AUKLETS, and 225 COMMON MURRES. A single TUFTED PUFFIN was
a great find. On the ride home, we were simply captivated by
breaching Humpbacks. I looked through my camera at one point, and
filling the entire field of view was just the throat pleats
of a closely (!) breaching whale!  We didn't return to the dock
until 3:45 pm‹it was just too much fun!

The morning of October 14th was calmer than any of the previous two
calm days, even though they were calm! It is a wonderful treat to go
out of Bodega Bay on smooth seas, as many trips are weathered-out
from this port. Monterey Bay, being half-moon shaped, is protected
from the prevailing northwest winds by the Santa Cruz mountains.
Bodega Bay has no such protection. It is roughly a two hour boat
ride to the Cordell Bank and Bodega Canyon. The differences between
all of these trips is just amazing. In contrast to the Monterey Bay
trips, this trip recorded 145 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES! One
individual had a yellow leg band. SOOTY, SHORT-TAILED,
PINK-FOOTED, BULLER'S, and 2 FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATERS were recorded.
No Black-vents were found. Northern Fulmars were in abundant. Along
the 500 fathom line, we found 380 ASHY STORM-PETRELS and one BLACK
STORM-PETREL. Several particpants found one WILSON'S STORM-PETREL.
Two SOUTH POLAR SKUAS were recorded along with POMARINE (12),
PARASITIC (1), and LONG-TAILED (1 juv.) JAEGERS. Nine species of
gulls were found: THAYER'S (2-3), HERRING (5), GLAUCOUS-WINGED (3),
WESTERN (800), CALIFORNIA (450), HEERMANN'S (15), BONAPARTE'S (4),
SABINE'S (41), and BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (1). A special
treat was 3 XANTUS' MURRELETS in the early morning. CASSIN'S AUKLETS
are very concentrated around the banks‹over 3,000! In the very calm
seas, everyone was having excellent views of this, our
little "darling of the sea." Three different TUFTED PUFFINS were
recorded, along with the other usual alcids. Two PEREGRINE FALCONS
flew past the boat, well offshore. Only RED PHALAROPES were found.
Two BLUE WHALES and 8-10 HUMPBACKS were around, some breaching.
Three NORTHERN FUR SEALS, and a STELLER'S SEA LION added to
the marine mammals sightings. The boat returned to the dock about 6
pm. It was a beautiful day for our last Bodega Bay trip of the year.

Many folks from out-of-state did all three trips‹nineteen different
states were represented on these trips. The leader/participant ratio
was: 1/6, 1/4.3, and 1/4.8. Join us on our last fall trip on October
19th from Monterey's Fishermans' Wharf at 7 am.

Our entirely pelagic Christmas Bird Count for Monterey Submarine
Canyon is on Monday, December 16th. This count was started in 1983.
We usually find Black-footed Albatross, Sooty, Short-tailed, Black-
vented, and Pink-footed Shearwaters. Black-legged Kittiwakes,
Northern Fulmars, and Ancient Murrelets are usually recorded. We
have found such rarities as: Yellow-billed Loon, Laysan Albatross,
SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS (very rare!), and Manx and Flesh-footed
Shearwaters. This trip departs from Fishermans' Wharf at 8:30 am.
and returns at 3:30 pm. Contact Debi Shearwater for more
information. The fee is $75/person, + the CBC fee of $5 for National
Audubon Society.

Good Seabirding,
Debra Shearwater
---
http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com
Debi Shearwater <debiluv@...>
Shearwater Journeys
P.O. Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831-637-8527

Paul Lohse found a Common Greenshank 10-18-02 at the Arcata Marsh and
Wildlife Sanctuary (Arcata Marsh Project) in Humboldt County.  It was
identified a little before 3 and called in to the BirdBox (707) 822-5666
quickly.  I saw the bird in the company of Paul, Stan Harris, Elias Elias,
Bryon Cariss, Frank Anderson and others about 3:30-4:00.

Tide was falling in the bay, with mudflats exposed in North Bay.  The bird
nevertheless was with several Greater Yellowlegs at one of three shorebird
high-tide roosting islets in Klopp Lake.  It was on the east side of the
islet.  As the yellowlegs commonly use that side, be forewarned that you
can't view this side of the islet from the parking lot at the foot of I
Street;  one needs to walk the dike (easy, it's a jogging path) and look at
the back side of it.

Shorebirds concentrate at this site at high water.  It is reasonable to
speculate that the greenshank had been there for some hours earlier.
Tomorrow's high tide corrected for Arcata is 6:40 in the evening.  The flats
will become covered there a couple of hours before that, perhaps driving the
bird into Klopp Lake with the other shorebirds that resort to it.

To reach this site, exit at the Arcata-Samoa overpass on 101, go west over
the freeway, and continue west into Arcata, turning left on I Street (first
street beyond the second of two signals).  This will put you at the dead-end
foot of I Street and at the west side of Klopp Lake.

This wader is a Tringa about 90-95% the bulk of a Greater Yellowlegs and
almost identically proportioned.  At a glance it looks very similar to a big
legs and could easily be overlooked, especially if it is sleeping among a
crowded group of them.

I found this bird drabber than last year's at the Mad River estuary (about
six miles NNW) and lacking really distinctive patterns.  The lower upper
scaps are gray with dark narrow centers flaring blurrily into a dark
subterminal area and then pale-tipped.  The whole bank of scaps is just
slightly grayer (paler) than the exposed median and greater coverts.  The
tertials appear unmarked but for thin, even, complete pale buff edges.
Possibly the outermost tertial has notching along the outer edge.  Three
primaries appear to project beyond the bank of folded tertials;  each is
narrowly but visibly pale-tipped.  I think this is a juvenile but it was far
enough off that I can't tell.  If so, it must be well underway toward
completing a prebasic molt.

Of course the bird has a great big old white gurf up the back, visible as a
bright white line along its lower back profile as it roosts with head tucked
under.

The legs are drab pale greenish throughout.  The feet were not seen by me.
It gave a ringing three-note call almost exactly like a GRYE but, while
nearly as loud, it sounded last arresting, with no real drop in power and
pitch in the last tone given.

Observers who had seen the 2001 bird agree that the bill is distinctly
heavier than the one last year.  It is quite thick-based, tapering
noticeably in its first third to a more even narrowing farther out.  The
proximal 60% of the bill (both mandibles) is noticeably blue-gray, with an
ill-defined darkening from there out through the tip, which is dark.

As with the 2001 bird, this one has a somewhat paler supraloral area which,
combined with a white throat, causes the grizzled grayish of the front of
the face to contrast a bit with those white areas.  It has a prominent
irregular white eye-ring that has a thin, decurved, demure appendix in the
rear suggesting the face of a female Wood Duck   A Demure Appendix.  Well
what the hell, they all tell me I'm a writer.

I'm sure the BirdBox will carry updates on this bird.  If the Box is broken
this weekend (as in endlessly 'busy'), anyone who is interested in seeing
this bird (...are there any who dipped on the Mad River shank?) can call
Jude and me at 822-3613 but please try to use the box first.

David Fix

David Fix & Jude Claire Power
40'51"N  124'04"W
Nation of Humboldt
Klamath Konundrum, Gaia, Yellow Dwarf/G System
Milky Way, Local Cluster,Wherewithal & Why ?

The LOW, not high tide tomorrow Sat 10-19 at Arcata is at 6:40 P.M.

David Fix
Arcata CA