The word digest is not permitted in any Calbirds message subject. The
message has been removed from the archives. Do not respond to the message
without correcting the subject to an acceptable one.

At 09:32 AM 2003-07-11 -0700, Richard Carlson wrote:
>Ringtails can be seen almost nightly in Arizona's Madera Canyon at the
>lodge, they visit the bird feeders at night just as it gets dark, right
>after the Elf Owl show.
>Incredible creatures.
>
>I've seen antelope in Sierra Meadows N. of Truckee.

Good birding,
Steve Sosensky
Toluca Lake, CA                                34.15645 N, 118.36715 W
        <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only
Co-listowner, Calbirds http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calbirds

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Ringtails can be seen almost nightly in Arizona's Madera Canyon at the
lodge, they visit the bird feeders at night just as it gets dark, right
after the Elf Owl show.
Incredible creatures.

I've seen antelope in Sierra Meadows N. of Truckee.

Bobcats are amazingly easy to see in Palo Alto's Foothill Park in the meadow
on quiet days.  They just come out in the afternoon to sun themselves and
catch gophers.  Springtime best.  Also common in Alum Rock Park in SJ -- I
have pictures of a pair in mating display just off the trail.

A Bobcat drinks from my water feeder at our Tucson place.

If you want to see bear, come to Tahoe, we have too many this year.

Richard C. Carlson
Full Time Birder, Biker & Rotary Bureaucrat
Part-time Economist
Palo Alto & Lake Tahoe, CA & Tucson, AZ
rccarl@...
Palo Alto: 650-949-9590
Tucson: 520-760-4935
Tahoe: 530-581-0624

Calbirders,

The mammal thread is now closed. We're not CalMammals. I don't mind an
occasional post answering where to find mammals while folks are birding,
but stories on that cute badger you saw are too far off topic.

Also, please remember, you do not have permission to change the subject
line in any thread unless the subject no longer reflects the contents of
the post. Every time you change the subject, the thread is no longer easy
to follow.


Good birding,
Steve Sosensky
Toluca Lake, CA                                34.15645 N, 118.36715 W
        <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only
Co-listowner, Calbirds http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calbirds

Unsubscribe: mailto:CALBIRDS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
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these addresses:
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I understand perfectly well from Steve Sosensky why the word "digest" can not
appear in a CALBIRDS subject line.  EVERY memo goes out as a "Digest," so
that word makes it impossible to use any search function; it's as useless as "a"
or "the." Further I understand why we should not discuss mammals, save perhaps
those that a bird can "digest," such as a Hawk's McRat lunch, or, those that
"digest" a bird, pet felines as notorious as any for that.

Really it's an elementary, er, alimentary issue. Birds simply represent the
most visible and arguably beautiful part of the environment. By appreciating
such, we inescapably gain a larger and more complete connection to universal
issues of ecology and conservation, which always run in silent parallel
"birding"
alone.

Alan Birnbaum
Fresno, CA
Member Audubon since 2003
Member Sierra Club since 1967


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

Hi folks,

thanks to everyone who sent me valuable suggestions in
reply to my earlier post, I had a fabulous birding trip
to Yosemite National Park and the Mono Lake area over the
July 4th weekend.

Highlights:

7/4: GREAT GRAY OWL at Chevron Meadow (Crane Flat) in Yosemite
7/5: SAGE GROUSE in the Bodie Hills
7/6: BLUE GROUSE at Olmstead Point in Yosemite

GREAT GRAY OWL:

I waited in Chevron Meadow from 7:30 pm to 9 pm,
hoping for a glimpse of the big owl.
Not knowing where or how to look for the owl, I walked
down the center of the meadow a 100 yards away from the
gas station, and just stood still.
This location allowed me to survey most of the meadow.
It got very quiet at 8:15, and only a few small bats
were out and about.
At 8:28 pm, the silence was broken by a brief commotion of
small birds in the woods to my left, and sure enough, a large
owl flew out of the tree-tops and gently flapped and glided
its way across the meadow and vanished into the trees
to my right.
Although the bird flew just 25 meters in front of me, I
could see neither the color of the bill nor its eyes.
All I could see was its size, shape, flight pattern,
and its underside, which was pale with brown markings.

SAGE GROUSE:

At 5:45 am, en route to Bodie, I found a female Sage Grouse and
five chicks foraging along CA-270 about 5 miles from US-395.
I didn't leave my car, as this little flock strolled
up the road past my stopped car busily foraging.
A few miles later I also saw a lone female in a pasture to the left.
Bodie State Park was closed at that hour (6 am).

BLUE GROUSE:

This bird was slightly tricky to find.
As suggested by Francis Toldi, I went to Olmstead Point
on Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park at 6:30 am
and listened for booming in the valley below.
In about 15 minutes, the booming started and my search began.
I followed the sounds and scrambled about a quarter of a mile down,
until it got really loud and seemed very close.
It seemed to come from behind a large rock out-cropping, but
I was unable to find the source by quietly sneaking around the rock.
As I stood there confounded, a bright yellow spot and movement on
top of the rock caught my attention, and I was staring at a
male Blue Grouse in full boom.
It just completely blended in with the rock surface and
seemed unafraid of me as I watched it boom away for half an hour
from just 10 yards, until the mosquitoes got to me.

Other Unusual Mono Lake Birds:

   PINYON JAY
     large flock near the marsh along CA-270 en route to Bodie
     small flock at the turn-off to South Tufa from US-120

   LEWIS' WOODPECKER
     one bird in the first pines along US-120, a few miles
       past the turn-off to South Tufa

   COMMON SNIPE
     calling loudly atop a tufa near the boardwalk at the County Park

Other Unusual Yosemite Birds:

   I had no luck with any of the uncommon finches although I tried.

   LINCOLN'S SPARROW
     lots of these along the edges of Chevron Meadow

   CHIPPING SPARROW
     several in the meadow by Bridalveil Creek campground


Happy birding!

--Sidd Ramachandramurthi
   Mountain View, CA

Hello all,
          I also took a brief trip to Yosemite and Mono (as well as
Sequoia/Kings and Death Valley) late last week. And, while this whirlwind
trip didn't allow time to see all (or any) of the impressive species that
Sidd found, in addition to some neat places, I did see a few birds that
were definitely highlights for me.
          On Wednesday (7/2), I had nice looks at a single female
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch near the dam on Tioga Lake (east & downhill of
Tioga Pass).  I got out of the car for a picture of the patch of snow just
off the road and walked up to the dam (delaying a little in hopes of
finding this bird).  My father, who was with me, spotted the bird first on
the rocks along the lake near the small dam.  I think he could easily tell
from my reaction that this was a life bird for me...and an  especially good
one.
          Earlier that day, I saw a few Black Swifts amist (I couldn't
resist) the White-throateds at Bridalveil Falls at Yosemite.  The W-t's
were mostly staying above the falls and the Blacks could be picked out
despite difficult lighting since they, not surprisingly, dared to approach
the waterfall and wet cliffs.  A short hike in Tuolumne Meadows turned up
some Cassin's Finches, Pine Siskins and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
          Then later in the day on 7/3, the South Tufa area at Mono Lake
yielded a few Sage Thrashers chasing brine flies and a Common Nighthawk
"peenting" overhead as the sun set beyond the Sierra.  And on 7/3, Death
Valley was essentially birdless, which was to be expected, although I did
briefly see some distant larks or sparrows up near Stovepipe.

Good Birding,
Matt Williams
Oceanside, CA

At 04:05 AM 7/12/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>thanks to everyone who sent me valuable suggestions in
>reply to my earlier post, I had a fabulous birding trip
>to Yosemite National Park and the Mono Lake area over the
>July 4th weekend.
>
>Highlights:
>
>7/4: GREAT GRAY OWL at Chevron Meadow (Crane Flat) in Yosemite
>7/5: SAGE GROUSE in the Bodie Hills
>7/6: BLUE GROUSE at Olmstead Point in Yosemite

As a bit of a follow-on from the earlier post about Yellow-billed
Magpies, my wife and I just moved to San Francisco last month and
we're slowly getting the lay of the land in the Bay Area.  Having
seen many of the more common birds (although there are always more to
see), we were thinking of heading out in the direction of Mines Road
this weekend or next in the hopes of finding Yellow-billed Magpies
and Lawrence's Goldfinches.

Are there any spots along Mines Road (or elsewhere, for that matter)
that have been more reliable than others for those species lately?
Is Del Valle Regional Park worth checking out for anything in
particular?

Many thanks - and we look forward to bumping into fellow birders as
we get out and about.

Phil Eager
Mimi Calter
phileager AT earthlink.net

There is a splendid web page which answers all your questions about Mines
Road:

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/ala1.htm

Have a wonderful time - Mines Road is one of the most rewarding Bay Area
birding trips.

Jennifer Rycenga
Berkeley, California
gyrrlfalcon@...
"Among other seabirds, the Skua is like a heavy truck among sport cars." -
Louis Halle


>From: "phileager" <philatty@...>
>To: CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [CALBIRDS] RFI:  Mines Road - Magpies, Goldfinches
>Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 05:57:32 -0000
>
>As a bit of a follow-on from the earlier post about Yellow-billed
>Magpies, my wife and I just moved to San Francisco last month and
>we're slowly getting the lay of the land in the Bay Area.  Having
>seen many of the more common birds (although there are always more to
>see), we were thinking of heading out in the direction of Mines Road
>this weekend or next in the hopes of finding Yellow-billed Magpies
>and Lawrence's Goldfinches.
>
>Are there any spots along Mines Road (or elsewhere, for that matter)
>that have been more reliable than others for those species lately?
>Is Del Valle Regional Park worth checking out for anything in
>particular?
>
>Many thanks - and we look forward to bumping into fellow birders as
>we get out and about.
>
>Phil Eager
>Mimi Calter
>phileager AT earthlink.net
>

_________________________________________________________________
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Greetings, birders,

Unfortunately, too few people signed up for the August 10 Cordell Bank trip to
cover the cost of the boat, so the trip is canceled.  Sorry, maybe another time!

Ken Burton
Inverness


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

Hi all,

It was brought to my attention that the Glossy Ibis, found in Imperial
County by Guy McCaskie and Jon Dunn on July 9, is possibly a hybrid. I have
added more pictures to our website that are zoomed in on the face and offer
comparison with a White-faced Ibis that it was associating with at the time.

  http://www.southwestbirders.com/ss030709_glossy%20ibis.htm



    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
    {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
=='''='''==
Southwest Birders
P.O. Box 599
Calipatria, CA. 92233
Imperial County, CA
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

Hi all

I recently found out that the URL for the Kern River Preserve website was
lost to the ether in a bureaucratic snafu.

Anyone looking for information on the Kern River Preserve, the site still
exists, just the URL is unavailable at this point. I hope to refind and
purchase the name soon, but until then, please use:
http://audubon.org/local/sanctuary/kernriver

Thanks for your time.

Alison - webmaster

WEBSITES designed by Nature Ali
Audubon California: http://ca.audubon.org
Audubon California's Kern River Preserve:
http://audubon.org/local/sanctuary/kernriver
A Vision for the Kern River Valley; ecologically sound development:
www.kernvalleyvision.org
Buena Vista Group, Kern Kaweah Chapter Sierra Club:
http://kernkaweah.sierraclub.org/buena_vista/index.html
California Parrot Project: www.ParrotProject.org
For the Birds & More; Pet Shop: www.ForTheBirdsandMore.com
Kern Audubon Society: www.NatureAli.com/Kern_Audubon/index.html
Kern National Wildlife Refuge: www.natureali.com/KNWR.htm
Pixley National Wildlife Refuge: www.natureali.com/pixley.htm
Valley Pain and Wellness Medical Center: www.valleypw.com
Valley Wild; Ecotourism activities in Kern River Valley and surrounding
Mountains: www.ValleyWild.org

We will be birding in California for 3 weeks in September - no fixed
itinerary, but will probably go no farther north than Point Reyes / Yosemite
/ Mono Lake.

We would greatly appreciate any advice on recommended sites for seeing (or
at least hearing) any of the following owls:

Flammulated, Western Screech, Northern Pygmy, Spotted & Northern Saw-whet.

Many thanks in advance.

Richard & Erica Klim
Somerset, UK





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We found a second nest for the pair of Black-backed woodpeckers
in Paige Meadows South of Tahoe City.  The young male is very close to
fledging.

The Meadows are found by going S from Tahoe City on 89 about 2 miles to a
rt. on Pine.  Take the next right up the steep hill on Tahoe Park Heights to
the multiple intersection at the top.  Rt. on Big Pine then left on
Silvertip to the end.  Hike out the dirt rd past first intersection about
200 yards.  Go rt. at the first "No motor Vehicles" sign marking entrance to
the meadows.  (first, now empty nest was at second "No Motor Vehicles" sign,
50 yards farther.) The nest is in the 5th meadow, just off the Tahoe Rim
trail.  Go left across concrete causeway in first meadow, then right in the
second meadow.  Long trail takes you thru 3rd meadow to #4.  Go right at
concrete causeway and follow the TRT to edge of 5th meadow.   At large tree
with TRT sign break-off from mail trail and follow the slight track to
rt. -SE end of meadow.  The nest is 4 ft off the ground , facing south, in
large half dead Aspen with dead tree leaning just above the nest, just where
the meadow closes off.  Youngster 2??? is making a big racket.
  Perfect viewing in great light all day.  Adults visit every 20 minutes if
you stand far enough away.

Richard C. Carlson
Full Time Birder, Biker & Rotary Bureaucrat
Part-time Economist
Palo Alto & Lake Tahoe, CA & Tucson, AZ
rccarl@...
Palo Alto: 650-949-9590
Tucson: 520-760-4935
Tahoe: 530-581-0624

Howdy,
I put the newly updated Trinity County Birdlist on my website at
http://www.cal.net/~ani/california_county_birding.htm  Please feel free to
download, copy, send to friends!  Get the word out and get out there and
find some interesting birds in Trinity County.  Still lots to find that
would be a first county record and there are still many species represented
by few records.

John Hunter took the lead on this second edition and formatted it to print
out as a field checklist.  Great work, John!

see you in the field,
John

**********************************
John Sterling
26 Palm Ave
Woodland, CA 95695
530 668-8694 (home office)
530 668-1985 (home)
916 737-3000 ext 3593 (Sacramento office)
916 752-0899 (cell phone)

Hi -

I just wanted to thank everyone who sent along suggestions about YB
Magpies, Lawrence's Goldfinch and the Mines Road area in general.  We
did manage to get out this Sunday and, as predicted, had no trouble
finding the Magpies fairly early on along Mines Road.

As we were heading up Mines Road, real life intervened for a while as
we came across a serious motorcycle accident and had to turn around
to try and find help (since there was no cell phone coverage up
there).  A bit of unwanted (and harrowing) excitement (including the
landing of the CalStar helicopter on Mines Road itself) that tends to
put things in perspective.

So, by the time we got up to the Junction, it was in the heat of
midday and bird activity had definitely slowed.  Heading down Del
Pueblo Canyon Road, we lucked out and found a few Lawrence's
Goldfinch in Frank Raines Regional Park, along with good numbers of
Lessers, plus a few WB Nuthatches and a number of Bluebirds, etc.
Plus, it was a bit cooler among the trees at that point.

We did also manage to catch a fleeting glimpse of a Roadrunner along
Mines Road (a bird for the California list at least).

So, thanks again for your suggestions.  Hopefully, it will only be a
matter of time before we can contribute more substantively to the
list, instead of just asking for info.

In the meantime, we'd love to help if people need any info about our
old stomping grounds of New York City and the Jersey Shore.

Thanks.

Phil Eager
Mimi Calter
San Francisco, CA

When you see those vast rafts of wintering and long strings of migrant Surf
Scoters scooting by the CA/OR/WA/BC coast in the Spring, did you ever wonder
where exactly some of them end up and path they take to get there?  The Western
Ecological Research Center and USGS has put some of these tracking data on an
interesting website viewed at:

     http://www.werc.usgs.gov/scoter/maps.html

This is all very new information linking the wintering birds to their
breeding areas. Check it out.  Particularly interesting is Surf Scoter #39983
originating/wintering in the San Francisco Bay Area, moving north along the
CA/OR/WA
coast to about Vancouver, BC, then turning sharply NE, then E, crossing over
the Cascades and Canadian Rockies, finally coming to rest on the shores of
Hudson Bay, Manitoba / NWT, just north of Churchill.

****************************************************
Richard Rowlett
Seattle / Bellevue (Eastgate), WA, USA

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what
nobody has thought" --Albert Szent-Gyorgi (1893-1986).
****************************************************

Foggy conditions prevailed for the morning of our July 13 seabirding
trip. In fact we heard our first Humpback Whale before we saw it!

Just past Pt. Pinos near the bell buoy we had distant views of a TUFTED
PUFFIN  flying away from the boat. We attempted to refind it but never
saw it land.  Our vessel, the  Sea Wolf II headed out 16 miles W of Pt.
Pinos. In the deep waters over the sea canyon we came upon a longlining
fishing boat hauling in its catch with 20 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS
  feeding upon the bycatch of Pacific Hake. These black fish had their
swim bladders inflated like a ballon out of their mouths and bulging
eyes as a result of being pulled up quickly from a great depth. Bad
decompression!

The albatrosses attraction to longliners can be a hazardous one. For
more info. on this issue and to express your concern  go to
http://www.albatrossaction.org/     I also recommend the book Eye of the
Albatross by Carl Safina for an excellent overview of this dilemma. It
is a wonderfully written book about seabirds and other fauna of the Pacific.

A Blue Whale appeared out of the fog fairly close to the boat and
thrilling all on board. At different points we had both Pacific
White-sided and Northern Right Whale Dolphins riding the bow.

Among the many SOOTY SHEARWATERS  we came upon only 2 PINK-FOOTED
SHEARWATERS  for the day.

Heading east into Santa Cruz county waters  the sun broke out as the fog
dissipated making for a spectacular day on the Monterey Bay. We came
upon some XANTUS'S MURRELETS (3) thanks to some good spotting on the bow
from local birder Tim Amaral and John Covenely, a visiting birder from
Ireland. Unfortunately these birds had no interest in sticking around
and we had to be content with views of them flying away.  CASSIN'S
AUKLETS were back in force with large numbers of them in the vicinity of
Soquel Canyon in particular.

Other alcids included COMMON MURRE,  including several father and chick
pairs, a few RHINOCEROS AUKLETS and PIGEON GUILLEMOTS.

Special thanks to our leaders Don Roberson, Dan Singer and Stephen F.
Bailey and our skipper Richard Ternullo. Our next trip will be on Aug.
10. Several of our regulars will  able to take advantage of our take 3
trips and and the 4th is free policy in 2003. Cost is $70 per person.

On Sept. 21 we will offer a 12 hour trip out to the albacore grounds and
the following day Sept. 22  we will focus on the Monterey sea canyon and
the Storm-petrel flocks.   Oct. 11-12 we are offering a 24 hour
deepwater pelagic to the Davidson Seamount. For further info. and
details go to our website. http://www.montereyseabirds.com

Cheers,
Roger Wolfe
Monterey Bay, CA

Trip list for July 13, 2003

Black-footed Albatross
Pink-footed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Brown Pelican
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Heerman's Gull
Western Gull
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Xantus's Murrelet
Cassin's Auklet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Tufted Puffin

Mammals:

Blue Whale
Humpback Whale
Pacific White-sided Dolphin
Harbor Seal
Northern Elephant Seal
California Sea Lion

I just got back from a successful trip to Yosemite.  A big thanks to
everyone who responded to my RFI, your information was invaluable.  I saw a
single GREAT GRAY OWL right at dusk in the meadow behind the Chevron Station
on the 13th.  All I did was walk straight back through the forest behind the
gas station to the big meadow there, and I just happened to notice one
sitting in a dead tree.  I never did hear it call.  Also around this meadow
were a pair of MacGillivary's Warbler, a White-headed Woodpecker, a couple
of Dusky and Hammond's Flycatchers, and other typical higher elevation
species.

The next day, the 14th, we headed out to the Tioga Lake area, in search of
Rosy Finches.  Along the way, on Tenaya Lake were two HERRING GULLS, along
with a few California Gulls.  I was really surprised to see these birds, but
I'm very sure the were Herrings.  Also on the lake was a Common Merganser.

At Saddlebag Lake I had two GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES fly over head,
calling.  Also on the lake were more California Gulls, and in the rocks were
a few ROCK WRENS.  At the dam on Ellery Lake was another GCRF, picking
around on the ground just below the pylon, and there were at least two
CASPIAN TERNS flying around the lake with the Cal Gulls.

We also stopped at White Wolf, the Tuolumne Grove, and Crane Flats
Campground in search of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, but we didn't have any
success, though we did see more of the common higher elevation species
including a large flock of CASSIN'S FINCHES and PINE SISKINS.

If anyone has questions regarding any of these species or more specific
directions, I'll be more than happy to answer them.

Matt Brady
Ukiah, CA
zerogambit@...
AIM: Podoces

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Hi, all!

It was supposed to be horribly hot today up in the mountains, but it really
wasn't all that bad; in fact, I actually got rained on!  (Must have been
Claudette...)  Got up to Mount Palomar a little after sunrise, and when I
stopped in
the Observatory Campground to use the facilities I was very happy to see that
the White-headed Woodpeckers haven't abandoned the place!

The first hike was up at the top end of the Observatory Trail; the parking
lot was still closed, but there was a little pulloff before the No Parking area
where I could squeeze the car in.  Lots of full-grown babies were the order of
the day all over, with plenty of Bushtits, chickadees, Scrub Jays, and House
Wrens along this trail.  I had just bought a new Olympus digital camera with a
10x zoom, and it was taking a little bit of getting used to waiting for the
thing to focus and then using the flash; the shutter isn't as quick on the draw
as my old Canon EOS!  (I'll try and post some of the shots taken today on the
SDBirds photo site...)  A Bullock's Oriole was chattering at the resting
spot, and a singing Band-tailed Pigeon greeted me on the way out.

A walk up the road at Fry Creek Campground was very productive, with two
singing Cassin's Vireos, a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, a calling
Western Tanager, and lots of pewees and a Pacific-slope thrown in.  A female
Purple Finch flitted around the ground, and Lawrence's Goldfinches tinkled in
the
trees on the way out.

Headed down S7 to 76, and west to the San Luis Rey Picnic Area.  Hutton's
Vireos greeted me right away, and the place seemed inundated with Yellow
Warblers.  Yellowthroats came out for pictures, as well as very curious baby
House
Wrens who actually sat still long enough for the camera to decide to focus on
them and deploy the flash!  Baby Song Sparrows also came out to see what the
fuss
was all about, and a liquid "whip" revealed the presence of at least one
Willow Flycatcher, which I was hoping to at least hear for the year (as they
breed
here).  The best show was at the resting spot on the rocks at the trail's
end, where both a male Lesser and Lawrence's Goldfinch came down for a drink!
(In fact, I didn't know the Lesser was there until I looked at the photo and saw
him behind the Lawrence's!)

Swung in Lake Henshaw where both a Lazuli Bunting and Blue Grosbeak were
singing from the same bush on the road in!  At the lake itself, the air was
alive
with Western and Clark's Grebe noises, and a quick scan of the lake revealed
lots of babies as well!  Was surprised (or maybe I shouldn't have been) to hear
a Great-tailed Grackle yelling from the wetland vegetation, and even more
surprised to see a young Brown Pelican sitting on some wooden something-or-other
out in the water, near the docks!  I drove over to get a shot, finding some
knockout Western Bluebirds in the parking lot, and added baby coots to the day
list, as well as some raggedy-looking Brewer's Blackbirds and Crows.

Last area to do was Black Canyon Road, where I picked up Lark Sparrow for the
day along Mesa Grande Road (this is also where I got rained on).  It was
actually very productive: both Red-winged and Tricolored Blackbirds were up by
the
farms as well as lots of Western Kingbirds, and the usual oak and chaparral
stuff showed up as I descended.  There were quite a few Phainopeplas around,
and four kinds of hummingbirds showed up along the course of the drive (one of
them simply Selasphorus sp.).  The only Orange-crowned Warbler of the day sang
along a draw with some sycamore-looking trees, and past the bridge (after it
quit raining) managed to pish up baby Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows
and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, as well as lots of towhees.  A small group of
Cliff Swallows speeding through the chaparral seemed rather incongruous.

A quick stop at Ramona Pond on the way home revealed that the baby avocets
from Monday seemed to have grown rapidly!  They were nearly as big as the
adults, but their beaks weren't quite as long yet...  Bird List:

   Western Grebe                         Aechmophorus occidentalis
   Clark's Grebe                         Aechmophorus clarkii
   Brown Pelican                         Pelecanus occidentalis
   Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus
   Great Egret                           Ardea alba
   Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos
   Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura
   American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius
   American Coot                         Fulica americana
   American Avocet                       Recurvirostra americana
   Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus
   Least Sandpiper                       Calidris minutilla
   Band-tailed Pigeon                    Columba fasciata
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Black-chinned Hummingbird             Archilochus alexandri
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Costa's Hummingbird                   Calypte costae
   Selasphorus Hummingbird                    Selasphorus sp.
   Acorn Woodpecker                      Melanerpes formicivorus
   Red-breasted Sapsucker                Sphyrapicus ruber
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus
   White-headed Woodpecker               Picoides albolarvatus
   Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus
   Western Wood-Pewee                    Contopus sordidulus
   Willow Flycatcher                     Empidonax traillii
   Pacific-slope Flycatcher              Empidonax difficilis
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Ash-throated Flycatcher               Myiarchus cinerascens
   Western Kingbird                      Tyrannus verticalis
   Cliff Swallow                         Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
   Phainopepla                           Phainopepla nitens
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   California Thrasher                   Toxostoma redivivum
   Western Bluebird                      Sialia mexicana
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   Mountain Chickadee                    Poecile gambeli
   Oak Titmouse                          Baeolophus inornatus
   White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis
   Steller's Jay                         Cyanocitta stelleri
   Western Scrub-Jay                     Aphelocoma californica
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   Cassin's Vireo                        Vireo cassinii
   Hutton's Vireo                        Vireo huttoni
   Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   Lawrence's Goldfinch                  Carduelis lawrencei
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia
   Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas
   Western Tanager                       Piranga ludoviciana
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Rufous-crowned Sparrow                Aimophila ruficeps
   Black-chinned Sparrow                 Spizella atrogularis
   Lark Sparrow                          Chondestes grammacus
   Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia
   Black-headed Grosbeak                 Pheucticus melanocephalus
   Blue Grosbeak                         Passerina caerulea
   Lazuli Bunting                        Passerina amoena
   Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus
   Tricolored Blackbird                  Agelaius tricolor
   Brewer's Blackbird                    Euphagus cyanocephalus
   Great-tailed Grackle                  Quiscalus mexicanus
   Bullock's Oriole                      Icterus bullockii

70 SPECIES

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


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

While no cases of West Nile Virus have yet been documented this year west of
Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado or New Mexico, the risk for this problem spreading
into California remains substantial, according to California public health
authorities, including Evelyn Tu, whose excellent talk to our local hospital I
just finished hearing.  The virus causes anything from nothing, to generally a
flu-like illness, to unfortunately, some serious forms of meningits,
encephalitis, and disorders resembling Guillian-Barre syndrome.

Understandably, with 82% of cases detected having been documented in birds,
"sentinel surveillance" becomes increasingly important in this state, even
though only one of the over 4000 human cases during 2002 occurred in California.
The laboratory tests include both those for the specific IgM antibody, and also
some PCR (live virus detection) techniques.

Few groups better than birders would be prepared to note recently (<24 hours)
deceased corvids and raptors, the two groups that Public Health Departments
will be testing.  "Dead birds that will not qualify for testing include those
dead for more than 24 hours, those with maggots or rigor, and those decomposed
or scavenged," per an advisory letter from our county's Acting Health
Director, one Kenneth D. Bird, MD.  Dead birds can be reported using:

DHS hotline: 1-877-WNV-BIRD

Obviously, I'd think that VERY precise descriptions of carcass location, up
to and including GPS coordinates, relationship to roads and landmarks, etc.,
would be very helpful.  One should NOT pick up dead birds, due to the potential
risk, and it's actually beiing illegal, without a permit.

Additional information is available from:

http://www.westnile.ca.gov

This will include discussion of routine precautions, such as wearing
longsleeve shirts, and long pants, in areas at risk, use of DEET and avoidance
of
areas at risk at dawn or dusk (NOT easy for serious birders!?)

Alan M. Birnbaum, MD
Fresno, CA
Neurologist
Fresno Audubon


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

Hi, all!

What a surprise to get dripped on both coming and going today!  Usually I
expect it to be hot and sunny this time of year, but they DID forecast scattered
thunderstorms in the mountains, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised.
It was cool and overcast all day; had lots of birds along Eagle Peak Road, but
the most interesting thing was a singing Canyon Wren and a Bobcat loping
along the road!  At the end had both Rufous-crowned and Sage Sparrows calling,
as
well as a scolding Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Had William Heise Park all to myself (almost ran down a family of Turkeys on
the way in); hiked the Cedar Trail from the picnic area, and while I expected
the little oak flies to be a nuicance, I DIDN'T expect to be descended upon by
mosquitos!  I guess I've been fortunate in that department since coming to
San Diego 20+ years ago, but I've never really been bothered by them before.
Did get the Brown Creeper calling, so it was worth it.

Headed over to the Lagunas after that, hiking the Pedro Fegas Trail up to the
little knoll overlooking Cuyamaca Lake.  Didn't pick up many birds, but DID
pick up lots of stickers; boy those weeds have taken over the place!  The wind
was picking up pretty good, too, and I was hoping I wasn't gonna be a
lightning rod sitting on those rocks!  (No thunder, though, so I think I was
safe...)

Last stop was Pioneer Mail, and I realized I hadn't hiked this trail since
the Pines Fire over a year ago!  It wasn't bad: most of the habitat was still
intact, and I logged two birds that I've never had on this trail before but have
been loyal fire-followers on our burn surveys: Lazuli Bunting and Lark
Sparrows (all juvies), along with a few Lawrence's Goldfinches that bounced
over.  A
male Black-headed Grosbeak came in for a good look, and the titmice were as
curious as ever.

Headed home after that with 51 species for the day.  Bird list:

   Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura
   Red-shouldered Hawk                   Buteo lineatus
   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius
   Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo
   California Quail                      Callipepla californica
   Rock Dove                             Columba livia
   Band-tailed Pigeon                    Columba fasciata
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Acorn Woodpecker                      Melanerpes formicivorus
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus
   Western Wood-Pewee                    Contopus sordidulus
   Pacific-slope Flycatcher              Empidonax difficilis
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Ash-throated Flycatcher               Myiarchus cinerascens
   Violet-green Swallow                  Tachycineta thalassina
   Phainopepla                           Phainopepla nitens
   Canyon Wren                           Catherpes mexicanus
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   Northern Mockingbird                  Mimus polyglottos
   California Thrasher                   Toxostoma redivivum
   Western Bluebird                      Sialia mexicana
   American Robin                        Turdus migratorius
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Mountain Chickadee                    Poecile gambeli
   Oak Titmouse                          Baeolophus inornatus
   White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis
   Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana
   Steller's Jay                         Cyanocitta stelleri
   Western Scrub-Jay                     Aphelocoma californica
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus
   Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   Lawrence's Goldfinch                  Carduelis lawrencei
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Rufous-crowned Sparrow                Aimophila ruficeps
   Lark Sparrow                          Chondestes grammacus
   Sage Sparrow                          Amphispiza belli
   Dark-eyed Junco                       Junco hyemalis
   Black-headed Grosbeak                 Pheucticus melanocephalus
   Lazuli Bunting                        Passerina amoena
   Western Meadowlark                    Sturnella neglecta

51 SPECIES

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


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

Hi folks,

I birded Mines Road southwards from Livermore up to the
Santa Clara county line this morning from 8 AM to 11 AM.

Avian Highlights:

WILD TURKEY (1 Male, 1 Female, 6 chicks)
             at the intersection of Mines Rd and DelValle Rd.
CANYON WREN (1, singing in plain sight)
             at the 5.1 mile marker
NUTTALL's WOODPECKER (1)
             at the 5.1 mile marker
PHAINOPEPLA (2 Female)
             at the 5.1 mile marker
CALIFORNIA THRASHER (2)
             at the 12.1 mile marker
RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW (3)
             at the 12.1 mile marker
CALIFORNIA QUAIL (1 Male, 1 Female, 1 tennis-ball-sized chick)
             at the 19.4 mile marker

I also saw good numbers of the usual suspects such as
YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER,
CALIFORNIA TOWHEE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK etc.

Question:

What's a good place to look for BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW?
Do they occur along Mines Road?

Thanks.

--Sidd Ramachandramurthi
   Mountain View, CA

Hello, I will be visiting the Southern California area July 25-29. After
having gleaned the ABA/Lane Guide to Southern California, I'll be trying
to bird some of the following areas: Salton Sea, Brawley, New
River Wetlands,San Jacinto Mtns, San Gabriel Mtns, San Bernadino Mtns,
Upper Newport Bay, and Bolsa Chica.  Species of particular interest are
Barn Owl, Lucy's Warbler, Tricolored Blackbird, and Lawrence's Goldfinch.

I read a trip report of Salton Sea/Brawley area from July 27 of last
year and Barn Owls were mentioned in an old haystack on Walker Road.  It
wasn't clear from the trip report which town Walker Road was in. I've
searched my S. California DeLorme in vain looking for this road.  Could
someone point me in the right direction as regards this road and where
the haystack might be located?  Are there other spots that should be
checked for Barn Owls?

I understand the Lucy's Warbler is a rare breeder at Big Morongo
Preserve. Have they been seen there this year?

I searched in vain for Tricolored Blackbird last September in the
Southern California area. Unfortunately, the San Jacinto/Hemet
Wastewater ponds were drawn down when I visited.  And a trip to the San
Jacinto WA only turned up Red-winged Blackbirds.  Does anyone know the
current state of the wastewater ponds and whether Tricolored Blackbirds
are there?  It appears that Tricolored Blackbirds have been seen at Lake
Hemet.  Would this be a reliable location for this species or is there a
better site?

The San Jacinto Mountains look like the best area for Lawrence's
Goldfinch. From what I have read, it appears that the Pathfinder Ranch
neighborhood is a good place to look for them.  Is this area open to
birders?  Is there a better place in the San Jacintos (or any other
locales I've mentioned previously) to look for this species.

Thanks to anyone who can provide guidance for the upcoming trip.


David Whiteley
Cincinnati, OH
ABA Member (page 229, 2003 Membership Directory)

Hi folks,

I received several requests to share any helpful hints that
I collect for finding some of the elusive birds of Yosemite.
Here is a summary of the birding sites recommended by
various birders and books, for my target species.

Caveat Emptor:
   I did not visit all these sites.
   If I found a bird at one site, I looked no further for it.
   Visiting all the sites still failed to produce some species.
   So, your mileage may vary.

The books I consulted were:
   1. "Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope"
         by David Gaines, Keith Hansen
   2. "Birding Northern California" by John Kemper

Summary of Recommended Birding Sites by Species
-----------------------------------------------

BLUE GROUSE
   Sentinel Dome
   Olmstead Point
   Glacier Point
   Hemlock forests along May Lake Road
   Trail along east side of Tenaya Lake (opposite the road)

GREAT GRAY OWL
   Crane Flat (Chevron Meadow)
   Glacier Point Road at Bridal Veil/Peregoy area

BLACK SWIFT
   Top of Yosemite Falls
   Yosemite Falls
   Bridal Veil Falls
   Vernal Falls

DUSKY FLYCATCHER
   anywhere (listen for tiddick-tiddick calls)
   brushy field next to Merced Grove trailhead
   brush fields along Big Oak Flat Road
   Crane Flat (Chevron Meadow)
   Tamarack Flat Road off Tioga Road

PINE GROSBEAK
   Trailhead for McGurk Meadow on Glacier Point Road
   White Wolf campground
   road to the corrals at White Wolf
   Porcupine Flat campground
   Soda Springs in Tuolumne Meadows

RED CROSSBILL
   Soda Springs in Tuolumne Meadows
   White Wolf campground
   Porcupine Flat campground
   conifers

GRAY-CROWNED ROSYFINCH
   Tioga Pass
   spillway to Ellery Lake
   under the Green Bridge
   Tuolumne Meadows
   Saddlebag Lake

CASSIN'S VIREO
   Mirror Lake trail
   oaks at lower elevations

SAGE GROUSE
   Bodie, CA
   Crowley Lake

GRAY FLYCATCHER
   Bodie, CA
   South Tufa (Mono Lake) area

--Sidd Ramachandramurthi
   Mountain View, CA

Many thanks to all who replied to our recent RFI on owls in California.

Richard & Erica Klim
Somerset, UK



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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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Hi all,

The bird club's website has been updated.  Additions include:
information on the upcoming Central Valley Birding Symposium(Nov 21-
23); the recently approved map for the Central Valley Bird Checklist
area; and the agenda for a bird club sponsored outing in Merced
County (Sep 6-7) that will include a weekend of outstanding birding
and presentations by regional resource/conservation experts.  Check
it out at: CVbird.org.  Feel free to send me any questions or
suggestions.

Leo

Hi, all!

It was a pleasant, overcast day up on Laguna Mountain, where I hiked the
upper Noble Canyon, Desert View, Big Laguna, Star Party, and Sunset Trails, and
birded Los Huecos Road.  No outstanding encounters (still lots of juveniles
staying fairly still for my dumb digital camera), but interesting birds included
several fly-over Purple Martins, once at Big Laguna, again at Desert View,
again at the head of Sunset Trail, and again at the end of Los Huecos Road
(which
could have been the same bird in Big Laguna, seeing as the road dead ends
there).  Also had an Olive-sided Flycatcher singing along the Sunset Trail, and
a
female Purple Finch flew by along the Desert View Trail, doing the "pik"
flight note I talked about at the last SDFO program and actually got to hear
(it's
so soft I probably never noticed it before)!  Also had yet another Lawrence's
Goldfinch along Desert View.  Selasphorus Hummers are coming through, but I
only saw a female, so I have no idea which type.

Bird List:

   Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura
   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   Band-tailed Pigeon                    Columba fasciata
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Costa's Hummingbird                   Calypte costae
   Selasphorus Hummingbird                    Selasphorus sp.
   Acorn Woodpecker                      Melanerpes formicivorus
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus
   Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus
   Olive-sided Flycatcher                Contopus cooperi
   Western Wood-Pewee                    Contopus sordidulus
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Ash-throated Flycatcher               Myiarchus cinerascens
   Purple Martin                         Progne subis
   Violet-green Swallow                  Tachycineta thalassina
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   Western Bluebird                      Sialia mexicana
   American Robin                        Turdus migratorius
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   Mountain Chickadee                    Poecile gambeli
   Oak Titmouse                          Baeolophus inornatus
   Pygmy Nuthatch                        Sitta pygmaea
   White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis
   Steller's Jay                         Cyanocitta stelleri
   Western Scrub-Jay                     Aphelocoma californica
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   Lawrence's Goldfinch                  Carduelis lawrencei
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   Dark-eyed Junco                       Junco hyemalis
   Black-headed Grosbeak                 Pheucticus melanocephalus
   Brewer's Blackbird                    Euphagus cyanocephalus

40 SPECIES

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


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

Hello, Seabirders!

Late summer and early fall seabirding is just around the corner, or should I
say, just over the next wave! Beat the inland heat, and join us on the cool,
blue waters of the central California coast. Shearwater Journeys has an
excellent line-up of trips for the coming season. As has been the case for
the past 27 years, our trips are staffed with the finest seabird leaders,
many with decades of seabird experience.
Late July and early August is a great time to see Black-footed Albatrosses.
Laysan Albatross is possible, and the last Short-tailed Albatross that I saw
in the lower 48, was on one of our early August trips from Monterey. (I
recently saw 2 Short-tailed Albatrosses on a cruise through the Aleutian
Islands). Shy Albatross was recorded on one of our late July trips from
Bodega Bay. This is, of course, a very rare species, and not to be expected
every year! Shearwater Journey's trips during this period have also turned
up some other "goodies": Great-winged Petrel, Dark-rumped Petrel, and
Bulwer's Petrel. Its a great time of year to get out to see the thousands of
Sooty Shearwaters. On July 20th, I saw about 5,000 Sootys from the beach at
Rio Del Mar near Santa Cruz. (Take the Rio Del Mar Exit off Highway 1 just
north of Santa Cruz. Best time is late in the day.) The first Buller's
Shearwaters should be showing up, and of course, Pink-footed Shearwaters
should be present. Past years have shown this to be an excellent time of
year to see the enigmatic storm-petrels at the Cordell Bank. Some years have
recorded thousands of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels at Cordell Bank, with
several hundred Ashys and Blacks. The recent southerly weather from the
hurricane may have pushed some of those southern species our way: Black
Storm-Petrels, Xantus' Murrelets, etc. Arctic Terns and Sabine's Gulls
should be coming through, as well. This is the peak season for marine
mammals, and our Cordell Bank trips have maintained a 100% success rate for
finding Blue Whales in August!

The following trips are available: from Monterey: July 25, August 2, 8, 23,
31, September 7, 15, 26; from Bodega Bay to the Cordell Bank: July 27,
August 9, September 12, 19, 28; from Santa Cruz on the north side of
Monterey Bay: September 13, 27; from Fort Bragg: August 17 (4 spaces left),
September 21. The following trips are sold out (sorry): August 10 to the
Farallon Islands; August 15, 16 from Fort Bragg, August 18 from Bodega Bay.
Check our web site for the latest updates, availability, and discounts. Hope
to see you on the cool waters one of these days!

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

I am going to Teton NP and Yellowstone NP on Aug 11.  Can
anyone give me info on good birding locations?  I can't do
too much hiking at that altitude so possibly easy access
locations would be great.
thanks
Kathy
Woveris@...

=====
Kathy Woveris
San Jose, CA USA
Woveris@...

__________________________________
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Hi, all!

Today I started up at the top of Kitchen Creek Road (KCR), birded the road,
and hiked the three trails along said road before birding Cameron Valley Road.
It was really a lovely day; didn't start getting really warm until you hit
the PCT at the cattle guard along KCR.  But there were lots of birds along the
road, and things were especially thick up in the pines: White-breasted
Nuthatches actually outnumbered the Pygmies, and I had a really weird Nuttall's
Woodpecker that I thought might have been a hybrid (it really sounded more like
a
Ladder-backed), but since juveniles of any species can sound bizarre, I figured
that's probably what it was (looked like it could have been; for all intents
and purposes it looked like a good Nuttall's otherwise).  Also had Hairy
Woodpecker in here, along with Pewees and other high-mountain type things.  Down
in
the chaparral ran into a family of Black-chinned Sparrows (learned THEIR call
notes can sound awfully junco-like, too, so it isn't always necessarily a Sage
Sparrow you're hearing!) as well as the common stuff expected in THAT
habitat.  Several quail kept exploding from the road but wouldn't land where I
could
see them; finally one of them gave me enough of a view to determine that they
were Mountain Quail.  A young hummer got in my face, which I assumed was an
Anna's at first but then it started making Black-chinned noises!  I sure
wouldn't expect one in THIS kind of habitat, but with a youngster, who knows??? 
(I
got a digi-photo if anyone's interested...)

Hiked the Cibbet Flats Trail, which (not surprisingly) had lots of Lawrence's
and Lesser Goldfinches, as they seem to be all over this year.  A Band-tailed
Pigeon was singing, and the place was alive with Selasphorus Hummers, but the
only ones I could actually see were all female-types.  The trail also had
tons of Black-headed Grosbeaks, the juveniles giving their little mellow
Cockatiel whistle.  A nice Pacific-slope Flycatcher came in to say hello at the
resting spot, and the jays were mad as usual (it always amuses me that there's
always a group of Steller's Jays way down here)  Got one lonely Hutton's Vireo
to
tentatively sing for me on the way out, but the star of the trail was a
knockout male Western Tanager that sat out in plain view!

Fred Canyon Road was finally open, so I crawled up to the PCT.  Either I
never noticed it before, or else they had just put up a new marker for the PCT,
because I discovered the southbound trail, even though I had always apparently
parked right next to it and never saw it!  So since it looked rather flat, I
decided to try it, and it was marvelous, much nicer than the northbound section!
  For one thing, you pass by a nice little riparian area (not right next to
the trail, but close enough to hear stuff), and even though there IS a slight
downhill slope after awhile, it's very mild, and the hike back up is nothing at
all compared to that northbound trek!  Had the normal chaparral and oak
woodland stuff as well as more Lawrence's Goldfinches, and at the turnaround
point
something tentatively gave me one little phrase that COULD have been a Gray
Vireo, but its delivery was so slow (what there was of it) I wasn't convinced it
wasn't a Cassin's Vireo who had wandered down from the mountain.  An
Ash-throated Flycatcher flew up in my face as well, giving me more practice with
the
silly digital (because sometimes it doesn't wanna focus, and sometimes it
doesn't wanna give me the right exposure--it's got a mind of its own).  Also had
a
couple of young Lazuli Buntings pop up as well.  A juvenile Rock Wren checked
me out on the way back.

As I mentioned, down at the next PCT crossing it was starting to warm up and
I really thought I wouldn't get ANY birds for this trail, but at the overlook
ironically things started to pick up with a group of hidden Mountain Quail
giving quite a sharp alarm call!  An Oak Titmouse scolded me on the way back,
and
some California Quail clucked down below not too far from where the Mountains
were.  But the jewel was the singing Gray Vireo, right where he always seems
to be!  The heat wasn't bothering HIM any!

Headed down to Cameron Valley Road, where it was REALLY warm, but still
beautiful, and managed to pick up a few new birds for the day, including Western
Bluebird, Raven (!), and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks.  Warning: they're doing
major roadwork on Buckman Springs with long waits, so if you're out that way,
try to find an alternate route!  All in all, wound up with 50 species for the
day.

Bird List:

   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius
   Mountain Quail                        Oreortyx pictus
   California Quail                      Callipepla californica
   Band-tailed Pigeon                    Columba fasciata
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Black-chinned Hummingbird             Archilochus alexandri
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Costa's Hummingbird                   Calypte costae
   Rufous Hummingbird                    Selasphorus rufus
   Acorn Woodpecker                      Melanerpes formicivorus
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus
   Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus
   Western Wood-Pewee                    Contopus sordidulus
   Pacific-slope Flycatcher              Empidonax difficilis
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Ash-throated Flycatcher               Myiarchus cinerascens
   Violet-green Swallow                  Tachycineta thalassina
   Phainopepla                           Phainopepla nitens
   Rock Wren                             Salpinctes obsoletus
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   California Thrasher                   Toxostoma redivivum
   Western Bluebird                      Sialia mexicana
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   Mountain Chickadee                    Poecile gambeli
   Oak Titmouse                          Baeolophus inornatus
   Pygmy Nuthatch                        Sitta pygmaea
   White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis
   Steller's Jay                         Cyanocitta stelleri
   Western Scrub-Jay                     Aphelocoma californica
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   Gray Vireo                            Vireo vicinior
   Hutton's Vireo                        Vireo huttoni
   Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   Lawrence's Goldfinch                  Carduelis lawrencei
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Western Tanager                       Piranga ludoviciana
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Black-chinned Sparrow                 Spizella atrogularis
   Black-headed Grosbeak                 Pheucticus melanocephalus
   Lazuli Bunting                        Passerina amoena
   Bullock's Oriole                      Icterus bullockii

50 SPECIES

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


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