Hello, Birders.  I will be birding the eastern Kern desert this
Sunday, for anyone who might be interested in joining me.  Please
contact me offlist.
Michael McQuerrey
Macbirder@...

I was just informed by Ken and Brenda Kyle,that Winged Migration will
be showing at the Fox Theater in Bakersfield on Friday,Oct.17th at
7:30p.m. The doors will be open at 7:00. The price of a ticket is
$4.oo.
Good Birding,
Gary File

This afternoon there was a Bay-breasted Warbler at Cerro Coso Community
College in Ridgecrest.  It was loosely associated with a large flock of
yellow-rumped warblers and was last seen in the sculpture garden area.
Susan

Status & Distribution Note: Very Late YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO Nesting

THE START OF THE STORY (e-mailed earlier):
Saturday, August 30, 2003 - Adolph Tetsekoua (ADTE) found an active nest in
the
South Fork Wildlife Area of this species with an adult on the nest incubating
... a new late record for incubation of this species in its South Fork Kern
River nesting range."

THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY (e-mailed 11 Sep):
We, 10 Sep 03  - ADTE found two adult Yellow-billed Cuckoos with nestlings
estimated to be two-three days old...based on no nestlings detected 2-3 days
earlier.

THE END OF THE STORY:
Sa, 13 Sep 03 - continued presence of nestlings this morning. ADTE.

Tu, 16 Sep 03 -  -Two adults and two fledglings. Based on the fact that on Sa,
13 Sep 03 the two young birds were still nestlings and based on the distance
this morning of the fledglings from the nest and their size, it is estimated
that they left the nest sometime Sunday or Monday. ADTE.

Su, 21 Sep 03 - Continued presence of fledglings. The fledglings were found
approximately 100 meters from the actual nest location. ADTE.

Su, 28 Sep 03 - An adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo with a fledgling continues ...
far surpassing previous late date of 12 Sep. ADTE.

Su, 5 Oct 03 - A visit to the YBCU nesting territory this morning yielded no
Yellow-billed Cuckoos. ADTE.

No visits were made between the morning of 28 Sep and the morning of 5 Oct.
Therefore, the established late date remains at 28 Sep 03. ADTE.

Happy & Productive Birding.

Best,

Bob

Bob Barnes, Outreach Director
Audubon-California's Kern River Preserve
P.O. Box 953, Weldon, CA 93283
FedEx/UPS: 18747 Hwy. 178, Weldon, CA 93283
E-mail: krpfriends@...
Phone: (760) 378-3044
Web Sites:
http://audubon.org/local/sanctuary/kernriver
http://www.valleywild.org

Hello, Birders.  A beautiful CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was the hilight
of a relatively slow day at Galileo Hill, today.  An adult, male
AMERICAN REDSTART as well as a female, were seen.  The female HOODED
WARBLER continues, although she is mostly silent now, and much harder
to see.  A RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER also continues.  California City had
more birds, but less variety.  Only a female AMERICAN REDSTART was
significant, although the male VERMILION FLYCATCHER has returned to
its old haunts.
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California

Hi

For those interested, as Kern centric as I am, I have created a page that
lists ONLY the Kern County Christmas Bird Count schedule and a recap of last
season's CBCs.
http://www.natureali.com/kerncbcs.htm

I hope to one year compilers would like to coordinate the CBC schedule so if
one wanted to they could participate in every single Kern County count.
Would be kind of cool to visit all of the varied habitats and be introduced
to all of the regions of the county.

For those of you not just interested in Kern, many compilers have supplied
the dates of their upcoming CBC, you can find the information on mirror
pages; http://ca.audubon.org/cbcs.htm or http://www.natureali.com/cbcs.htm

Your's in nature,

Ali


WEBSITES designed by NatureAli.org
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.org/Kern_Audubon/index.html
Kern National Wildlife Refuge: www.natureali.org/KNWR.htm
Pixley National Wildlife Refuge: www.natureali.org/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

Excuse me while I check my grammar at the door...

... I hope one year all county compilers will consider coordinating the CBC
schedule, so if a birder was so inclined, they could participate in every
single Kern County count.

Ali

Birders:  A MAGNOLIA WARBLER (initially mis-id'ed by yours truly as a
Grace's - oops)was present at Galileo Hill, this morning.  Also
present were a male and female AMERICAN REDSTART and the continuing
female HOODED WARBLER (vocalizing, again).  The Magnolia was missing
most of its tail.  There were 7 other warbler species represented and
a report of a WINTER WREN.
Michael McQuerrey

Birders:  It was a slow day in the desert.  At Galileo Hill, a RED-
NAPED SAPSUCKER, a female HOODED WARBLER, and at least 2 AMERICAN
REDSTARTS continue.  In California City, a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was a
nice surprise and my first this fall.  A male and a female VERMILION
FLYCATCHER were also present.  My first of fall CANVASBACK in our
desert was also in CalCity.
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California

Hi Kern Co. Birders,

I've had several requests lately for directions to various parts of Silver
Saddle Ranch & Club at Galileo Hill. There are maps available at the
registration desk. I have made a color version and posted it on the website
for this list in the Files section. Go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerncobirding, click on the Files link on the
left side, then look in the Maps folder.

I invite those of you with other maps to post them on the website.


Good birding,

Steve Sosensky, SoCA Bird Guides            www.sosensky.com/guides/
          <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
          <mailto:mobile@...> rare birds and emergencies only
Toluca Lake, CA 91602       818-508-4946     34.15645 N, 118.36715 W
www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/  www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22       SMS: stevesosensky@...

The worm-eating warbler was seen again today at Galileo.  The only other
birds of note were a Lewis' Woodpecker and YB Sapsucker.  Susan

This afternoon about 30 Pinyon Jays went through my yard headed East.  Later
while walking the dog three Lewis's Woodpeckers flew over headed West,
toward where they spent the winter two years ago.
John

This evening at the college I noted the continuing presence of 2 Acorn
Woodies and a Townsend's Solitaire.  The only new and significant bird was a
Lewis' Woodie.

If you happen to bird at Cerro Coso, try and bring the Acorn Woodies
something to eat.  They don't appear to be doing well.  I know that they'll
eat peanuts.  Does anyone else know if they will eat cracked corn or mixed
birdseed?  Susan

F YI: forwarded for Terri

One American Crow  was seen from the at the Kern Valley Vulture Watch site
today, 16 Oct 2003. It called and circled briefly before flying south.

Terri & Jenna

"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe,
we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return
for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made."
--Roger Caras


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

Today at the pond in Frazier Park there was an immature male Wood Duck and a
Double-Crested Cormorant.  At the Fort Tejon Historical Park there was a
Northern Water Thrush.

John

On Monday, October 27 we were told by a great guy at Galileo about his
sighting of a Magnolia Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler . We were able
to locate the male Black-throated Blue Warbler about 1:00 PM on the grounds
where the horses were tied. It was on the grass near the road leading to the
Pavilion. We also saw the first fall Magnolia Warbler around the Pavilion. It
was
by dripping water on the south side of snackbar at the Pavilion, then in the
grape vine, and then in a Poplar tree on the north side of the Pavilion. Also,
we saw one Prairie Falcon. Earlier that morning at Hart Park in Bakersfield,
Ken took a photo of a Red-shouldered Hawk with a coot it had killed. The
Red-shouldered Hawk flew to the island of the main lake carrying the Coot.
                                Ken and Brenda Kyle

This morning at 8:00 AM We saw one Cassin's Kingbird on the telephone wire
located to the right of the main entrance gate to Lake Ming. It was calling. We
could hear a second Cassin's Kingbird calling nearby. This is the same are the
Cassin's Kingbirds wee seen last year.
                       Ken and Brenda Kyle

This morning about 10:00 I saw on adult Northern Parula north of the
Equestrian Center. At noon Ken and I saw a Magnolia Warbler near the Pavilion.
It was
in the area between the Pavilion and the Snack Bar . It was cold and very
windy today.
                         Ken and Brenda Kyle

One Acorn Woodpecker was also seen at Galileo today. We forgot to mention
this on the earlier posting.
                Ken and Brenda Kyle

Hi All

While counting migrating vultures during the tenth annual Kern Valley
Vulture Watch, I was able to photograph an Anna's Hummingbird and a
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird in a territorial battle. While not the greatest
shot I have ever taken, it certainly conveys the emotion of the combatants.

I have posted this image at the bottom of the page on the new website I am
working on.  http://natureali.org (It is a work in progress and is taking a
while to do the reformat).  Enjoy.

Alison Sheehey
P.O. Box 153
Weldon, CA
93283

***********************************************************************
Nature Ali - http://natureali.org & http://natureali.com
Educating the world about Central California's unique biodiversity.
***********************************************************************

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 09:03:43 EST, kbgoldennugget2@... wrote:

> We were able
>to locate the male Black-throated Blue Warbler about 1:00 PM on the grounds
>where the horses were tied. It was on the grass near the road leading to the
>Pavilion.

Thanks to a contribution by Kelli Levinson, I have posted an interesting
image of this bird at:

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/gallery.htm

Enjoy!

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044 jmorlan@...
California Birding & new rarities http://fog.ccsf.org/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

This morning at Lake Ming we saw one Common Loon in winter plumage. It was on
the west end of the lake.
                               Ken and Brenda Kyle

Birders: A Myiarchus flycatcher with characteristics consistent with
a NUTTING'S FLYCATCHER was seen this morning at the group picnic area
east of Lake Ming, northeast of Bakersfield.  The mouth lining was
not seen clearly to determine color, but other field marks suggested
Nutting's.  It was seen in the trees nearest the paved parking lot
next to the picnic area, and was especially fond of the two trees
directly west of the first, smaller restroom.  One of those trees is
full of small red berries on which the bird was feeding.  Other birds
of interest were a COMMON LOON and a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE on
Lake Ming and two CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS along the south fenceline of
Lake Ming.  Further sightings reports re: the flycatcher would be
appreciated.
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California

Birders:  The possible NUTTING'S FLYCATCHER was still present in the
group picnic area, east of Lake Ming, northeast of Bakersfield, all
day, today, 3 November.  Multiple digiscopes have now been taken as
well as an audio recording of its call.  For further directions
and/or information, please contact me offlist.
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California
Macbirder@...

Birders,
On Monday, November 3rd:
Michael McQuerrey wrote:

"Birders:  The possible NUTTING'S FLYCATCHER continued all day today at the
group picnic area, east of Lake Ming, northeast of Bakersfield.  Lake Ming
is reached by taking Highway 178 east from Highway 99 to a stop light east
of Bakersfield.  Go left at this light on Alfred Harrell Highway to a stop
sign and turn right (north) on Lake Ming Rd.  Once you are on the circle
drive, turn right on the first available road and drive to the end.  Park at
the gate and walk directly across the parking lot to the restroom.  The bird
has been in the first trees between the parking lot and the restroom.
Michael McQuerrey - Moderator, Kerncobirding - Bakersfield, California"
_________________________________________

Michael's directions were superb, I have posted some images of the possible
Nutting's Flycatcher taken yesterday around 1 p.m. One photo has the gape
looking quite orange but it is not the best shot.
http://natureali.org/nuttings_flycatcher.htm

Also, other images from Saturday and yesterday for your enjoyment can be
found on http://natureali.org/November_wildthings.htm

Alison Sheehey
P.O. Box 153
Weldon, CA
93283

760-379-4994
***********************************************************************
Nature Ali - http://natureali.org & http://natureali.com
Educating the world about Central California's unique biodiversity.
***********************************************************************

Birders:  The Bakersfield Myiarchus continued, today, 5 November,
2003.  I hope many of you have now had the opportunity to study and
evaluate the pictures from Alison Sheehey.  Please post responses.
We're all working on an id.  And if you want help finding the bird,
please let me know offlist.  Macbirder@...
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California

Hello, Birders:  After much study and comparison with known photos
and recordings of Nutting's and Ash-throated Flycatchers, I believe
the Bakersfield Myiarchus to be an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER.  Dr. John
Wilson has spent hours working on the bird, and we have agreed the
calls to be most like the "midwinter calls of the Ash-Throated
Flycatcher" recorded in Mexico by Alvaro Jaramillo on Joe Morlan's
website:
http://home.pacbell.net/robbie22/flycatcher/flycatcher.htm.  I wanted
to make sure this was publicized before some of you made plans to
make a Bakersfield pilgrimage this weekend.
Michael McQuerrey
Bakersfield, California

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 05:10:53 -0000, "Michael McQuerrey"
<macbirder@...> wrote:

> Dr. John
>Wilson has spent hours working on the bird, and we have agreed the
>calls to be most like the "midwinter calls of the Ash-Throated
>Flycatcher" recorded in Mexico by Alvaro Jaramillo on Joe Morlan's
>website:
>http://home.pacbell.net/robbie22/flycatcher/flycatcher.htm.

Minor correction.  The URL is:

http://home.pacbell.net/robbie22/Flycatcher/flycatcher.htm

...and is case-sensitive.

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044 jmorlan@...
California Birding & new rarities http://fog.ccsf.org/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

This morning at Lake Ming there was a Ross's Goose
The Greater White Fronted Goose and the Cassins' Kingbird also were
present.
Good Birding,
Gary File

Hi all,

Instead of finding a new job, I have spent the last few days working on the
new & improved website. http://natureali.org/index.html

There is a new spotlight on diversity on the home page. The hares are gone
and now replaced by a short article on area owls.

I have also completed the first series of printable checklists for use in
the field. If you are wanting help in figuring out which vertebrates are
found on your adventures around the county you will find lists for
amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, plus a dragonfly list and
butterflies for both Kern & Tulare Counties.

For those looking for advice on feeding birds, check out the new page.
http://natureali.org/bird_feeding.htm

Yours in nature,

Ali

Alison Sheehey
P.O. Box 153
Weldon, CA
93283

760-379-4994
***********************************************************************
Nature Ali - http://natureali.org & http://natureali.com
Educating the world about Central California's unique biodiversity.
***********************************************************************