Today (Oct 9) Doug Karalun, Dave Goodward, Brad Singer, and I birded the eastern
Mojave desert oases looking for migrants and vagrants. Our best bird of the day
was an adult Broad-winged Hawk spotted near Chet Huffman Park by John Tomlinson.
We were able to drive a half-mile down the road to where the bird was and had it
circling right over our heads for great views. Our second best "bird" of the day
was an American Badger that scurried out from some dead vegetation at Horse
Thief Springs and gave us great views as it moved away from us and up the desert
slope.

We started the day at Zzyzx Desert Studies Center at 7:15 where the only bird of
note was a Common Ground-dove on one of the islands in the poop pond. We hit the
usual spots in Baker, turning up a Greater White-fronted Goose at the sewage
ponds (as well as the Broad-winged Hawk mentioned above). At Horse Thief Springs
the female Varied Thrush continued, and we also saw two male Cassin's Finches
and at least three Pine Siskins, along with a male Yellow-shafted X Red-shafted
Northern Flicker hybrid. Beck Spring held two Red-breasted Nuthatches and a
Slate-colored Fox Sparrow (apparently the Canadian Rocky Mountains type
illustrated in Sibley), and Crystal Spring had a Red-breasted Sapsucker (and an
American Snout). We returned home via Kelso, Newberry Springs, and Daggett,
where the only notable birds were three Pectoral Sandpipers at the Piute Road
dairy.

Tom Benson
San Bernardino, CA








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

A photo of the Broad-winged Hawk seen today at Baker may be seen by clicking the
link below.

Tom Benson
San Bernardino, CA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097@N07/5066912462/








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

A side note on the A. Badger.  Tom unknowingly walked very close to the
carnivore, scaring it; Dave, seeing the large furry ball darting out yelled
at the top of his lungs (in atypical Dave fashion), "Badger, Badger,
Badger."  This in turn scared the heck out of me, but somehow I managed to
get a photo of a large gray hair mass running up the hill.  Overall an
exciting exchange with an animal that none of us have ever seen in the wild
before (the badger is probably somewhere near the north end of the Salton
Sea by now).  Anyway, below is a terrible photo of the gray mass along with
a few other pics from the day.
Brad Singer
Badger:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/5066404573/
Broad-winged Hawk:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/5067005870/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/5066395367/
White-fronted Goose:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/5066395409/
Hammond's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/5067014978/
On Sat, Oct 9, 2010 at 9:00 PM, <Thomasabenson@...> wrote:

>
>
> Today (Oct 9) Doug Karalun, Dave Goodward, Brad Singer, and I birded the
> eastern Mojave desert oases looking for migrants and vagrants. Our best bird
> of the day was an adult Broad-winged Hawk spotted near Chet Huffman Park by
> John Tomlinson. We were able to drive a half-mile down the road to where the
> bird was and had it circling right over our heads for great views. Our
> second best "bird" of the day was an American Badger that scurried out from
> some dead vegetation at Horse Thief Springs and gave us great views as it
> moved away from us and up the desert slope.
>
> We started the day at Zzyzx Desert Studies Center at 7:15 where the only
> bird of note was a Common Ground-dove on one of the islands in the poop
> pond. We hit the usual spots in Baker, turning up a Greater White-fronted
> Goose at the sewage ponds (as well as the Broad-winged Hawk mentioned
> above). At Horse Thief Springs the female Varied Thrush continued, and we
> also saw two male Cassin's Finches and at least three Pine Siskins, along
> with a male Yellow-shafted X Red-shafted Northern Flicker hybrid. Beck
> Spring held two Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
> (apparently the Canadian Rocky Mountains type illustrated in Sibley), and
> Crystal Spring had a Red-breasted Sapsucker (and an American Snout). We
> returned home via Kelso, Newberry Springs, and Daggett, where the only
> notable birds were three Pectoral Sandpipers at the Piute Road dairy.
>
> Tom Benson
> San Bernardino, CA
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


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

The female Black-throated Blue Warbler was fleetingly at Horsethief
Spring at about 10:30 Saturday morning, and there was one Lincoln's
Sparrow (which may not be newsworthy, but it's the first I've seen this
Fall).

John Thomlinson



San Pedro and CSU Dominguez Hills



"It is absolutely a crime for any man to die possessed of useful knowledge in
which nobody shares."  J.A.L. Waddell, 1916.




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

The Dickcissel continued this morning (Oct 10) at Covington Park/Big Morongo
Canyon Preserve. Howard King re-found the bird about 7:15 AM around the
abandoned restrooms as described in the previous post. The bird then flew into
the yellow-flowering shrubs between the barbed wire fence and the restrooms near
the Big Morongo parking lot. It was seen later in the morning at the feeders and
drip at Fisher's Point. I also received a second-hand report of an Ovenbird that
was present yesterday (Oct 9) at Fisher's Point. By the way, there is a previous
report of a Dickcissel from Morongo Valley on 07 Sep 1964 (AFN 19:82), although
I do not know the exact location.

Tom Benson
San Bernardino, CA






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

Hi all,

Birded the SE Salton Sea and Imperial Valley with Len on Sunday. Started the day
at Carter and Fites which was birdy and we did get Crissal Thrasher. On to Poe
Road where we saw no Jaegers but did photograph a Harlan's Red Tailed Hawk in
the tamarisk at the end of Poe Road. Seven Brant were there as well. Not much
activity at Unit One but did have six Sandhill Cranes fly into the first pond on
the left going in and is the only one with water in it so far. The end of Bowles
Road had a lot of water and birds. About a dozen Stilt Sandpiper were close with
about the same numbers of Snowy Plover and Semipalmated Plover as well. Ran the
seawall all the way up and across Obsidian Butte then to Salton Sea NWR HQ. Had
only four Yellow-footed Gull of which all were adult. Did not find the Ruff on
Schrimpf near Garst with about an hour of hard scanning. Does not mean it is not
there, just means I have tried four times and not seen it yet! Davis Road up to
Pound where we had nice looks at a checkered garter snake then into Niland for a
late lunch. A ride up to Slab City and Salvation Mountain for a brief visit into
the Twighlight Zone. East Highline Canal to Flowing Wells then back down
Noffsinger to Welch and then Burke Road where we had Sage, Vesper and Savannah
Sparrow with numerous White-crowned Sparrow and House Finch. Blair Road back to
Calipatria and then Ramer Lake where the Great horned Owl sat right out in the
open near the east kiosk just at sunset. Two Peregrine, two Cooper's Hawk and
three Osprey on the day. 106 species for the day. Temps hit 100 about 3pm but a
light breeze made it bearable.

    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
   {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
  ='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

This will bore all the passerine fans out there, but a flight of 31 Canada Geese
just landed at Zzyzx on Lake Tuendae (aka the "pimp pond" - as opposed to the
"poop pond" - they're not stupid).  The coots are not happy.  Photo attached.
--
Robert Fulton
Manager, CSU Desert Studies Center
POB 1
Baker, CA 92309
Phone/SMS  714.936.0461
rfulton@...


P1012394.JPG



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

Today, Oct 11, Bob McKernan and I did some scouting for this week's W.F.O. field
trips. We started at North Shore (Common Loon), looked around at Mecca Beach,
the SRA (did not see the Brown Booby), Palm Island Drive shoreline, and a new
spot for me - Stillwater Ranch (north of Cleveland, west of 70th, just east of
the  railroad tracks). At that place, Bob found  a Yellow-throated Vireo in a
decadent nursery of dense willows. This may be the first record for the Salton
Sea, as it is on the hypothetical "next twenty" (pages 11 and 66) in
Patten/McCaskie/Unitt. I believe I have successfully attached the exact Google
Maps location.
     We continued around to 84th and 85th, saw lots of the expected birds, and
noticed the new Herring Gulls. We did not see the Reddish Egret.
Chet



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

I forgot to mention but it is important to note -- Stillwater Ranch is private
property. Should you go look for the vireo, respect signs, crops, people, of
course.
Chet

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

Apparently my Google Earth attachment didn't make it through Yahoo and my
personal orientation was 90 degrees off.

From 111 go north on Cleveland, west on 70th, turn south at the small Stillwater
Ranch sign, proceed south and then turn left (east) just before you hit the
railroad). Keep right, near the railroad, until you reach the decadent nursery
and an open sod field. Park at the southwest corner of the sod. Sorry I have no
distances for these segments.

Maybe Bob can provide coordinates.

Chet



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

To: inlandcountybirds@yahoogroups.com
From: chetmcgaugh@...
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:12:23 -0700
Subject: [inlandcountybirds] NESS YTVI directions






Apparently my Google Earth attachment didn't make it through Yahoo and my
personal orientation was 90 degrees off.

From 111 go north on Cleveland, west on 70th, turn south at the small Stillwater
Ranch sign, proceed south and then turn left (east) just before you hit the
railroad). Keep right, near the railroad, until you reach the decadent nursery
and an open sod field. Park at the southwest corner of the sod. Sorry I have no
distances for these segments.

Maybe Bob can provide coordinates.

Chet

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





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

Chet is correct with the directions.  N 33 32.139' W 115 59.638'    This
location is private property so please be mindful of the land owner, this
thicket has been available to birders for >30 years relative to respect for the
owner.   Actually this thicket can be reached easily from Hwy 111 by walking
across the rail line.  It is a lovely postage stamp in the Coachella...

Bob McKernan
SBCM



To: inlandcountybirds@yahoogroups.com
From: chetmcgaugh@...
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:12:23 -0700
Subject: [inlandcountybirds] NESS YTVI directions






Apparently my Google Earth attachment didn't make it through Yahoo and my
personal orientation was 90 degrees off.

From 111 go north on Cleveland, west on 70th, turn south at the small Stillwater
Ranch sign, proceed south and then turn left (east) just before you hit the
railroad). Keep right, near the railroad, until you reach the decadent nursery
and an open sod field. Park at the southwest corner of the sod. Sorry I have no
distances for these segments.

Maybe Bob can provide coordinates.

Chet

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





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

Mon 10-12-10 at 5:30 PM, a flock of 13 Swaninson's hawks flew low over my
neighborhood in Canyon Crest (Riverside), a mixed flock of mostly dark-morph
birds.

Mike G.

Seen from my office window this morning. That brings the "Library Office Window
Warbler List" to five species.

Kyri Freeman
Barstow, CA

Inlandcountybirders,



This morning Steve Myers, Bill Hopson, and I searched unsuccessfully for the
previously reported Yellow-throated Vireo at Stillwater Ranch.



Later in the day we visited Chiriaco Summit which was unusually birdy, but
the only species of note were a Red-breasted Nuthatch and at least two
Townsend's Solitaires.



Cactus City is still closed.



John Green

Riverside, CA



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.862 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3190 - Release Date: 10/10/10
23:34:00




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

Ninety-one (91) Swainson's Hawks were perching in small trees, shrubs, and
fences on the east side (west of dry Mystic Lake) of  the San Jacinto Wildlife
Area this morning, October 13. Several soaring behind them as I scoped across
the trees put the number close to 100.
     The ponds are still filling with water, ducks, grebes, and coots,and
shorebird habitat is shrinking, but Pectoral Sandpipers (10+) Long-billed
Curlews (20+), and a Dunlin were among the twelve shorebird species this
morning.
Chet



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

Hi all,

Forgot to mention that we had one dark morph Swainson's Hawk near Carter and
Fites on Sunday 10.

    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
   {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
  ='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* October 14, 2010
* CASE1010.14


This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial,
Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records
Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. Names in the report
are generally those of the reporting party and not necessarily the
person claiming the first sighting. If you are receiving this report
only through Birdwest, you can get MORE FREQUENT AND COMPREHENSIVE
UPDATES by subscribing to inlandcountybirds (see below).

The bird alert phone line housed at the San Bernardino County Museum is
no longer in service. If you have a rare bird to report and must use a
phone line, please call 909-648-0899.


Birds mentioned:

Greater White-fronted Goose
Brant
*NEOTROPIC CORMORANT*
Broad-winged Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Ruddy Turnstone
Ruff
Western Gull
*LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL*
Arctic Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Vermilion Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Varied Thrush
Black-throated Blue Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Dickcissel
Cassin's Finch


- Transcript

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was seen at Zzyzx Desert Studies Center on Oct
8 (Bill Deppe).

A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen near Chet Huffman Park, and the female
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER and VARIED THRUSH continued at Horse Thief
Springs on Oct 9 (John Thomlinson).

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen at the Baker sewage ponds and two
male CASSIN'S FINCHES were at Horse Thief Springs on Oct 9 (Tom Benson).

A DICKCISSEL was seen at Covington Park Oct 9-10 (Dee Zeller).


RIVERSIDE COUNTY

A YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was found in a stand of willows north of the
railroad tracks near the intersection of Hwy 111 and Arthur Street in
Mecca on Oct 11. This is private property, so please be respectful if
you look for this bird (Bob McKernan).


IMPERIAL COUNTY

The following birds were reported from the Imperial Valley and south end
of the Salton Sea on Oct 6: 7 BRANT at the west end of Young Road (3)
and the north end of Poe Road (4), a *NEOTROPIC CORMORANT* at Fig
Lagoon, 13 RUDDY TURNSTONES at Obsidian Butte (10) and the north end of
Poe Road (3), a RUFF near the intersection of Schrimpf and Garst Roads,
2 WESTERN GULLS at Obsidian Butte (1) and the intersection of Lack and
Lindsey Roads (1), 2 *LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS* at Red Hill (1) and
Obsidian Butte (1), an ARCTIC TERN at Fig Lagoon, 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS
and a LONG-TAILED JAEGER at the north end of Poe Road, and a female
VERMILION FLYCATCHER in Niland (Guy McCaskie).

Seven BRANT were seen at the end of Poe Road and a SWAINSON'S HAWK was
seen near the intersection of Carter and Fites on Oct 10 (Bob Miller).


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In general, birds that are on this weekly summary are those that are
classified as at least rare in “Birds of Southern California” by Garrett
and Dunn, “Birds of the Salton Sea” by Patten, McCaskie, and Unitt, or
in “Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley” by Rosenberg, Ohmart,
Hunter, and Anderson. Rarity can be regional or seasonal. For example, a
nuthatch reported at the Salton Sea, where it is rare, may be on the
summary. That same bird reported from the San Bernardino Mountains,
where it is common, would not be. A sparrow reported as a rarity in
Riverside in July, may be common there in December.

To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (see below)!!! If there is
some reason that you cannot post there, or do not want to, e-mail Tom
Benson at tbenson@... or call (909) 648-0899. Note that the phone
hotline is no longer available.

Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records
Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to:

Guy McCaskie, Secretary, P.O. Box 275, Imperial Beach, CA 91933-0275,
E-mail: guymcc@...

Additionally, CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity
should be reported to the "North American Birds" County Coordinators.
They are:

IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, 954 Grove Avenue, Imperial Beach, CA
91932, guymcc@...

INYO COUNTY: Tom & Jo Heindel, P.O. Box 400, Big Pine CA 93513,
tjheindel@...

KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, 1819 Locust Ravine, Bakersfield CA
93306, kkheindel@...

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: John F. Green, 3120 Mount Vernon Ave., Riverside, CA
92507, bewickwren@...

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, 1357 Paige Lane, Redlands,
CA 92373, sandy_koonce@...

************
In addition the the Southeastern CA RBA, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa
Barbara, and San Diego County reports are posted on BIRDWEST. To
subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@... with
SUBSCRIBE BIRDWEST YOUR NAME in the message (and YOUR NAME = your real
name).

There is an Inland Counties (San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial)
bird report & discussion group. You can view messages at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inlandcountybirds/

Other birding listservs that include reports of birds in southern
California are:

Inyo County: http://www.esaudubon.org/birds/

Kern County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerncobirding

Los Angeles County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds

Pasadena area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PasadenaAudubon

Orange County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OrangeCountyBirding

San Diego County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SDBIRDS

San Luis Obispo County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slocobirding

Santa Barbara County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sbcobirding

Ventura County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturacobirding

California (statewide): http://groups.yahoo.com/CALBIRDS

************
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is
available on the SBVAS website at http://www.sbvas.org/calendar.htm

Maps/directions to local birding sites are available on the SBVAS
website at http://www.sbvas.org/maps.htm

Important Southern California Bird Alert and Wildlife Phone Numbers:
Los Angeles RBA (323) 874-1318
Orange County RBA (949) 487-6869
San Diego RBA (619) 688-2473
Southeastern CA Bird Alert report to (909) 648-0899
CalTip (CA Fish & Game) (800) 952-5400 (to report wildlife violations)
--

For BirdWest archives go to
http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwest.html
To change your subscription options, including your address, go to
http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwest
To contact a listowner, send a message to
mailto:birdwest-request@...

This morning there was a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW at Morongo Valley. It was with
Chipping Sparrows behind the baseball field on Park. It was last seen flying
towards Covington Park.
cheers..Howard King

Today about 11:30 I got a great look at a gray catbird in the olives by the
Amargosa Conservancy building. It was cat calling, and I could see the rusty
colored undertail and the black cap, and uniform gray catbird color. I'm from
Maine so this is a familiar bird to me but not here! I also saw a red breasted
nuthatch this am. Anyone wishing to go birding around Shoshone, I would be happy
to show some paths soon to be open behind Crowbar.We have a free bird walk  for
anyone Every SAT. at 730-9am begins at Crowbar Restaurant.
  OR for a free Shoshone birding tour call me at 760-852-1001.
Cheers,
Len Warren
Staff Naturalist
Shoshone Village, Ca

Among the yellow-rumped warblers, white crowned sparrows, northern flickers and
goldfinches on the lawn was a Ruddy ground dove Thursday afternoon.  I did not
see it Wednesday AM when I stopped by.  It was by the soccer goal on the east
side.

Larry LaPre






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

Hi all,

The WFO Anza-Borrego Field Trip will be on Sunday morning. We would all
appreciate it very much if anyone birding Borrego Springs Friday and Saturday
would post their sightings Saturday evening if you get a chance. If anyone finds
the Harris's Hawk please tell it to "sit" and "stay" in a commanding voice.


-----Original Message-----
>From: Richard J Norton <richardjnorton@...>
>Sent: Oct 15, 2010 6:17 AM
>To: SD Birds <sdbirds@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: Re: [SDBIRDS] No Harris's Hawk
>
>Two hours of scanning trees and poles while driving the streets of Borrego
>Springs around noon yesterday, including places where the birds were seen 10
>or more years ago, produced no Harris Hawk sightings either.
>
>Dick Norton
>Topanga, CA
>
>On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 11:24 PM, <barbarac2003@...> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Multiple eyes looked for the Harris's Hawk in the vicinity of Tilting T and
>> Club Circle this evening but to no avail. There's a Great Horned Owl
>> calling, so it might not be the best place to roost.
>>
>> I know of a few others who were going to check on Friday/Saturday. Please
>> post your efforts/results.
>>
>> Barbara Carlson
>> San Diego
>> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>


    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
   {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
  ='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

A group of about a dozen Snow/Ross's Geese showed up on Monday Oct. 11 out at
Unit 1.  Also at Unit 1 on Tuesday Oct. 12- Greater White-fronted Geese (~150) &
Sandhill Cranes (70+).

Naomi Baucom
Biological Science Technician
SB Salton Sea NWR

Hi all,

Am posting some of the hightlights for the trip lead by Guy McCaskie as I
brought up the rear of the caravan.

Brant - several at Young Road and the seawall and one at Poe Road

Sanderling - several at Red Hill from the north jetty of the boat launch

Stilt Sandpiper - possibly hundreds at end of Bowles Road

Heerman's Gulll - one at corner of seawall at south entrance to Obsidian Butte

Western Gull - immature at Red Hill from the north jetty of the boat launch

Yellow-footed Gull - only two! One at ne corner of Obsidian Butte and one at Poe
Road

Glaucous-winged Gull imm. - (alias Fred) corner of seawall at south entrance to
Obsidian Butte

Gull-billed Tern - fly-by adult at end of Bowles Road

imm. Jaeger - possibly Parasitic flying well north of the end of Poe Road

Northern Parula - in Niland .3 miles west of Hwy 111 on Fourth Street

Sage Sparrow - one near first large parking lot at Wister HQ on Davis at Hwy 111

About 110 species on a warm day that peaked out at 103 on my vehicle
thermometer.

    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
   {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
  ='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

See the link to the Federal
Register:http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-25923.pdf

Hi all,



Just downloaded my fuzzy digiscoped shots of the possible Glaucous-winged Gull
and it appears Guy's original suggestion that his bird be identified as Fred
will stand to be the correct identification.



Just spent way too much time trying to load the pics to inlandcounty but could
not get it to work and am out of time so............




-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Miller
Sent: Oct 15, 2010 12:10 PM
To: inlandcountybirds@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [inlandcountybirds] WFO Salton Sea field trip Thursday 10-14-10





Hi all,

Am posting some of the hightlights for the trip lead by Guy McCaskie as I
brought up the rear of the caravan.

Brant - several at Young Road and the seawall and one at Poe Road

Sanderling - several at Red Hill from the north jetty of the boat launch

Stilt Sandpiper - possibly hundreds at end of Bowles Road

Heerman's Gulll - one at corner of seawall at south entrance to Obsidian Butte

Western Gull - immature at Red Hill from the north jetty of the boat launch

Yellow-footed Gull - only two! One at ne corner of Obsidian Butte and one at Poe
Road

Glaucous-winged Gull imm. - (alias Fred) corner of seawall at south entrance to
Obsidian Butte

Gull-billed Tern - fly-by adult at end of Bowles Road

imm. Jaeger - possibly Parasitic flying well north of the end of Poe Road

Northern Parula - in Niland .3 miles west of Hwy 111 on Fourth Street

Sage Sparrow - one near first large parking lot at Wister HQ on Davis at Hwy 111

About 110 species on a warm day that peaked out at 103 on my vehicle
thermometer.

(!__!)
(0V0) HAPPY BIRDING
{}~~{} BOB MILLER
='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...



    (!__!)
    (0V0)      HAPPY BIRDING
   {}~~{}        BOB MILLER
  ='''='''==

Southwest Birders
Brawley, CA. 92227
Imperial County
760-455-1413
http://www.southwestbirders.com
bob.miller@...

Birded the refuge this afternoon (Friday) and counted 86 Greater White Fronted
Geese on the edge of the big pond beyond Marsh A and B.  They were a long way
away but easily seen.  Rob

Coachella Valley Wild Bird Center - Indio, CA
Fri 15 and Sat 16 Oct


Two WFO field trips visited the Wild Bird Center, and our combined list for both
days totaled 78 species. Saturday's group found 71 species, which set a new bird
walk record for WBC (previous high was 68). Thanks to all who came out to visit
the WBC, and contributed their knowledge and expertise to our walks!


The Wild Bird Center hosts regular public bird walks October through May, on the
first Saturday of the month. Our next walk will be Saturday, November 6. Meet at
the trailer office at 8am. More info (760) 347-2647 or
www.coachellavalleywildbirdcenter.org


Our combined species list is below.


Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (female)
Mallard
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Gambel's Quail
Pied-billed Grebe (4 juveniles still present)
Eared Grebe
American White Pelican
Green Heron
Cattle Egret
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
American Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Great Horned Owl
White-throated Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Costa's Hummingbird
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Verdin
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Abert's Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch





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After a fantastic WFO conference Lauren Harter and I headed back east with a
stop at Desert Center.  With Jim Lomax we had a female Indigo Bunting coming to
a feeder at the end of Catalina (Jim also had a Lazuli here).  Also of interest
we had continuing Red-breasted Sapsucker and Gray Flycatcher.  Finally on the
lake was a Greater White-fronted Goose and Lesser Scaup (seen by many including
a WFO field trip).

David Vander Pluym
Phx Arizona for the moment




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I found a fair number of migrants at Zzyzx around midday Sunday highlighted by a
RED FOX SPARROW:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Carl.Lundblad/RedFoxSparrowZzyzx10172010?feat=direct\
link


Other migrants included:

Red-naped Sapsucker 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Hermit Thrush 1
American Pipit several
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1

On Saturday Jon Dunn led a WFO Conference Field Trip to the Whitewater Delta at
the Salton Sea where notable birds included 2 BRANT and a first-cycle WESTERN
GULL.

Carl Lundblad
Amargosa Valley, NV