Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Bonney Lake, WA (03/28/10)

Vicky Biltz graciously opened up her yard to the public for her Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Say’s Phoebe east of Cascade Locks, OR (03/27/10)

A Say’s Phoebe was at the northern terminus of Herman Ck Rd east of Cascade Locks (Hood River Co) today. Access via NW Forest Ln, about 1mi west of Government Cove (exit 47).

The wintering 2 Snow Geese and 3 Greater White-fronted Geese were still on the island at Marine Park in Cascade Locks.

A weekend birding in CA (03/20-03/21/10)

A multi-county weekend in CA (3-19 – 3/21) with Dan Kopp

3/20:

We made it to Maricopa (Kern Co) by about 1am (leaving SAC Friday night at about 8:30pm) and slept for 5 hrs. The old LeConte’s Thrasher spot produced after about 10min with 2 of these pale-colored puppies popping up briefly several times. Many Sage Sparrows were also in the area.

Next stop was Castaic Lagoon (Los Angeles Co), where we quickly found the Yellow-billed Loon. A friendly birder pointed out a Cattle Egret to us. On the lagoon were Common Goldeneye and both tall grebes. Lawrence’s Goldfinches in the fiddlenecks on the south side of the lagoon in the open area on the south of Lk Hughes Rd.

In Ojai (Ventura Co), we missed the Zone-tailed Hawk, yet we found a California Thrasher (heard only) and a Lewis’s Woodie along N Santa Ana Rd. A few hundred yards in on S Santa Ana Rd were male Hooded and Bullock’s Oriole in the same tree.

At Tucker’s Grove Park in Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Co), we trekked 1mi uphill from the parking lot to the dam. In the catch basin right above the dam was the reported Solitary Sandpiper (CA# 422 for me).

We finished the day at the Santa Barbara water front off Cabrillo where we had 1 Royal Tern, over 100 Black Skimmers and a close-in Red-throated Loon.

3/21:

At Estero Bluffs SP just north/west of Cayugos (San Luis Obispo Co), all 3 loons and cormorants were present, as well as a Pigeon Guillemot and about 7 Marbled Murrelets. 2 singing Grasshopper Sparrows were just north/west of Geronimo Ck, at the pullout on the north side of a big hill.

Crossing on CA46 from Paso Robles, we enjoyed the wildflowers and a Golden Eagle.

Mercy Hot Springs (Fresno Co) only had 1 Barn and 1 Long-eared Owl, but we didn’t look very hard. 3 Lawrence’s Goldfinches were near the fiddle necks at the lowest cluster of tamarisks.

At Del Puerto Cyn (Stanislaus/Santa Clara Co) we could not find a Costa’s Hummingbird at the tree tobacco sites, but did have several Rufous-crowned Sparrows and a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
Otherwise is was slow and way too crowded.

With the exception of Phainopepla, I cleaned up on the local Central Valley birds. <wh pecht>

Species List: Total: 124

Gadwall Anas strepera
American Wigeon Anas americana
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
Common Merganser Mergus merganser
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
California Quail Callipepla californica
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
Common Loon Gavia immer
Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
Clark’s Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
Brandt’s Cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
American Kestrel Falco sparverius
American Coot Fulica americana
Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
Sanderling Calidris alba
Heermann’s Gull Larus heermanni
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
California Gull Larus californicus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Western Gull Larus occidentalis
Royal Tern Sterna maxima
Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
Pigeon Guillemot Cepphus columba
Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Barn Owl Tyto alba
Long-eared Owl Asio otus
Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna
Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon
Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber
Nuttall’s Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans
Cassin’s Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
Yellow-billed Magpie Pica nuttalli
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven Corvus corax
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus
Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana
American Robin Turdus migratorius
Wrentit Chamaea fasciata
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Le Conte’s Thrasher Toxostoma lecontei
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata
Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
California Towhee Pipilo crissalis
Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria
Lawrence’s Goldfinch Carduelis lawrencei
American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus