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Double-cr Corm. nest, Parula Warbler, Tric. Heron, possible Great Egret nesting
Mark Holmgren <maholmgren@...>
On about 13 April 2002, a pair of Double-crested Cormorants built a nest in the tallest branches of a dead Eucalyptus on the lagoon ‘island’ of Campus Lagoon. Their attendance to it has been steady since then. Sometimes the female is hunkered down fairly far making it seem as though a smaller bird is with the other one. Sometimes the male actually sits on top of the rear end of the female and both are within the cup of the nest. Anyway, this is the only nesting in Santa Barbara Co. for this species at any site other than the Zoo/Andre Clark Bird Refuge area. Nesting there apparently began in summer of 2001.
On Vandenberg Air Force Base Sunday, 12 May, I heard two songs of Northern Parula Warbler on the lower portion of Honda Creek about 1km from the ocean. Northern Parula Warblers have been at several locations on Honda Creek each summer since 1998, although we did not detect them there in 2001. While looking at the Tricolored Heron (nice work, Ron!) at Goleta Beach today, 13 May at 6pm, Dave Hubbard and I looked into the Great Blue Heron rookery and noted a pair of Great Egrets together in one of the western nest structures in the rookery. At one point they were both standing on the edge of the nest; later one bird was sitting in the cup of the structure with the other still on the rim preening. They were in the structure for the full ½ hour that we observed. The standing bird showed long dorsal breeding plumes and the facial colors were yellow with beautiful lime green around the eye. If these birds are in fact breeding here, this would be the first breeding record for Santa Barbara Co. To the north, the closest breeding is, I believe, at Morro Bay; to the South, I’m not sure. Can the SLO and Ventura County folks shed some light on the breeding status of this species in their counties? Mark Mark Holmgren, Vice President San Marcos Foothills Coalition www.sanmarcosfoothills.org --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience
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Re: Tricolored Heron at Goleta Beach, 7PM
Chris Farmer <chrisfarmer@...>
At 8:26 PM -0400 13/5/02, sbtech@aol.com wrote:
The bird is still at Goleta Beach, near the caretaker house. It's probably a We went to try and find the bird at ~7:00 pm. We eventually found it down along Atascadero Creek about where the pipe crosses the inflow to the Slough (~7:15). It promptly flew back down along the waterway, towards the slough mouth. We respotted it on a sandbar near the mouth of the slough. It was very content to just sit there and preen w/some Snowy Egrets and assorted gulls. The bird was still then when we left at 7:45. The lighting was quite good, and we got some excellent looks at the bird. Ron's conclusion fits w/my observations - pale yellow face (although not as bright as Sibley), light bill, definite crest (could see it moving in the wind and while preening), and bright yellow legs. The body plumage is what makes me think it was a first year - the back was a solid steel gray, with no trace of the tannish/rusty color shown in Sibley, but the grey coverts showed hints of rusty underneath (but not nearly as much as if it was a juvenile). Made a quick stop at the Los Carneros and Mesa Rd pond - the Bonaparte's were still there, no sight/sound of any Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Chris Farmer
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Tricolored Heron/Great Egret
David Vander Pluym
On my way north and back to school I made a quick stop to check for the
Tricolored Heron at about 2 PM. I had it almost instantly. It was feeding in the channel at Goleta Beach between the pilings and the bridge. Noticed that it had some rusty feathers in the wing coverts though the rest of the plumage appeared to be that of an adult. Also there I noticed a pair of Great Egrets standing at the edge of a nest with the Great Blues. I wasn't able to tell if they had young or eggs or what. Has there been any nesting there before? In Lehman he mentions one nesting attempt for the county has this changed? Also there was a Great Blue Heron fledgling stretching its wings though it didn't quite look capable of flight. David Vander Pluym UCSC
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Tricolored Heron at Goleta Beach, 5PM
sbtech@...
The bird is still at Goleta Beach, near the caretaker house. It's probably a
1st year adult that includes some breeding plumage. It has yellow legs and face, with the bill being yellowish - possibly becoming darker, and a 2" crest behind the head (often flat), and some rust on the upper throat. Regards, Ron Hirst
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Tricolored Heron Monday
Karen Bridgers
Hi all
The Tricolored Heron was still present at Goleta Beach this morning at around 9:00. It was easily visible from the park bench that is just to the east of the park office. Then it headed west behind the caretaker's house, ending up on the west side of the entrance road. Karen Bridgers kbridgers@msn.com
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Los Carneros pond
Florence Sanchez <sanchez@...>
Saturday afternoon May 11, I had an errand that took me to Goleta, so I
stopped to check the Pond at Los Carneros and Mesa Roads to try again to see the Moorhen and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. No luck on the latter, but the Common Moorhen was out in plain view about 3:30 p.m. All four pairs of Cinnamon Teal were still present, along with the two immature Buffleheads, a pair of Gadwall, and the female Mallard with her brood of ducklings. Of greater interest was the flock of 11 Bonaparte's Gulls that were resting on the pond, 10 immatures and one breeding adult with full hood. Once again, the White-tailed Kite was hunting overhead, and a pair of Great-tailed Grackles was still hanging around. Florence Sanchez
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Migration Count at Botanic Garden
Florence Sanchez <sanchez@...>
Well, I didn't have the glorious day Ron Hirst had, but certainly it was
the best count I've had at the Garden in quite a while. Apart from a high number of Wilson's Warblers, most of the migrating warblers had moved on from the Garden, but I was encouraged to find more than one individual of the following species, which have been declining at this location: Hairy Woodpecker (3!), Huttons Vireo, and Canyon Wren. There also were two Olive-sided Flycatchers present and one Western Wood-Pewee. The Wood-Pewee was calling, which is perhaps an indication that this species, which nested at the Garden during the 1970s, may do so again. The two Olive-sided were silent and will probably move on. OS also nested at the Garden during the 1970s but hasn't done so in more recent times. Evidence of successful nesting was everywhere--young Bushtits in the flocks, an Orange-crowned Warbler feeding two recently fledged young, juvenile Juncos follwoing the adults throughout the Garden. A female Hooded Oriole was building a nest in the palm tree behind the desert section, right on schedule. The Garden is worth a walk-through at any time of year, but it is especially nice for both birds and plants right now. Florence Sanchez
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Tricolored Heron
Paul Keller <wrentit@...>
Got to Goleta Beach at 7:25 PM and saw the TRICOLORED HERON just across the
channel between the restaurant and the caretaker's house. Five minutes later it flew into the east most blue gum out of sight near where Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets were roosting. Thanks Karen for the call! -- Paul Keller
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Tricolored Heron
hugh ranson <urrf@...>
Thanks for finding the Tricolored Heron, Ron! I saw the bird at 3:20 pm. It was not visible from Goleta Beach, so I walked the bike path east. I found the bird in San Pedro Creek. This is the creek that joins Atascadero Creek just to the north of the pipes that cross Atascadero when viewed from Goleta beach. I viewed the bird as it walked north and out of sight. I then drove along Fairview, past the airport, and saw the bird in the same channel, still walking north, from the bridge at Fairview and Fowler. This is just east of airport long-term parking. I don't think it would continue north as it would soon run out of water!
The bird looked, in my distant views, more like Sibley's painting of an adult nonbreeding bird: yellowish legs, lots of yellow around the eye, white up the center of the neck. _________________________________________________________________ Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com
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EMPIDONAX?
Joe Seals <gardenguru@...>
Forgive the cross posting.
I spotted a difficult to identify flycatcher at Preisker yesterday, at about 1:00, in the Alder grove at the southwest corner of the park My first impression is an Empidonax. It's largish and slender for an Empidonax, clear silver/charcoal gray, with paler throat, dirty belly, no yellow/buff. The tail underside is bordered by two quite WIDE edge stripes -- each 1/4 or more of the entire width -- and the tail end is faintly white-tipped top and bottom. The tail is relatively long. There's a small but obvious crest. Looks like a GRAY or ALDER. It could be I'm missing something obvious but I've checked Peterson, Sibley, and DK Smithsonian. POssibly aberrant. Help. Joe ===== Joe Seals Santa Maria, California -- where the weather is always perfect and my garden always has something blooming and birds galore __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com
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Tricolored Heron at Goleta Beach
Karen Bridgers
I saw the Tricolored Heron from about 1:15 to 2:15. When I first arrived, I
couldn't find it, but it eventually flew out from behind the caretaker's house and foraged along the east side of the channel that leads back to the bridge. Then it rounded the corner and was probably working toward Atascadero Creek. In a few minutes, it flew back out and started foraging on the west side of the channel. Note that this is a small, dark bird, which can be easily missed if it's standing in the mud. According to Lehman's book, this would be the first South Coast record since 1981. Karen Bridgers kbridgers@msn.com
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Re: Tricolored Heron- breeding vs. non-breeding plumage
sbtech@...
I understand the question about the breeding vs. non-breeding plumage and
agree the Sibley guide shows two distinct adult plumages. This bird has some plumage characteristics of both. I agree the bill and face area is yellow and called it a breeding bird because (A) it has a breeding plumage crest about 2 inches long behind the head and (B) it's breeding season. Maybe it will go into high breeding plumage in a couple weeks and get the bill and leg color for high breeding. Comments anyone who knows this heron's plumage? Thanks, Ron Subj:[sbcobirding] Tricolored Heron Regards, Ron Hirst [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Tricolored Heron, Goleta Bch., Sunday
sbtech@...
Hi,
There's a breeding plumage Tricolored Heron actively feeding across from the Goleta Beach restaurant in the channel. It was there at 10am and I am going to take a few pictures around 11:30am. Regards, Ron Hirst
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Ocean Park Birds
Paul G. Rosso <prrosso@...>
There was a limited mix of birds at Ocean Park today May 11th despite the
unwarranted limitation on access. The more interesting were a single Spotted Sandpiper, a single Vaux's Swift and a couple of lagging migrants one American Avocet and a Bonaparte's Gull in winter plumage. Of course, there were no Snowy Plovers sighted. Paul Rosso ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
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good birds on Atascadero Creek May 11th
sbtech@...
My usual 4 hour birding loop between Turnpike and Ward Dr. took 6 hours today
- there were just too many birds! Highlights included American Redstart, YB Chat, Indigo Bunting, Common Snipe, 130 Yellow Warbler, 85 Wilson's Warbler, 95 Western Tanager, 65 Warbling Vireo, 26 BH Grosbeak, 38 Hooded Oriole, 3 Nashville Warblers, 1 BT Gray Warbler, 155 Cedar Wawing, a Hairy Woodpecker, 2 No. Orioles, 3 Lazuli Buntings, more warblers, 4 species Swallows, and so on. In one bottle brush tree were 10 Yellow Warblers. 9 out of 10 of all the Yellow and Wilson's Warblers were males. Birds were very active all day (unusual), many tending to the shady areas in the afternoon. The singing Am. Redstart (splotchy 1st spring male) can best be reached from the end of Walnut Ave. in Goleta and then go upcreek to the big bend (200 yards). Cross the creek via the boards onto a path, go left 50 yards to a small oak forest on your left. It was in the small forest about 50 yards off the path. The YB Chat is nearby. Instead of crossing the creek continue around the bend 100 yards to where the creek straightens out. The Chat sang from the dense wood just across the creek. Lots of Orioles, Tanagers, Warblers, Kingbirds, Allen's Hummers, and more in the stretch from Walnut to the bend. The Indigo Bunting (f) is 200 yards up Maria Ygnacio Creek from the Patterson Bike Bridge. Just one, a dark female, and difficult to find in a little brushy patch next to willows down in the creek. Lots of Warblers, Tanagers, Vireos in that area and even more upcreek from there. Regards, Ron Hirst
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[BIRDWEST] Santa Barbara, CA RBA; 5/10/02
Guy Tingos <guy.tingos@...>
- RBA
* California * Santa Barbara * May 10, 2002 * CASB0205.10 - Birds mentioned Common Moorhen Black Oystercatcher Wandering Tattler Calliope Hummingbird Purple Martin Varied Thrush Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-headed Blackbird Blue Grosbeak Grasshopper Sparrow - Transcript This is the Santa Barbara Audubon Society's rare bird report being recorded on Friday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m. If you have a rare bird sighting to report, call Karen Bridgers at 964-1316. For those of you who are getting the transcript on the Internet, the rare bird alert number for Santa Barbara is (805) 964-8240. Today, on Atascadero Creek, just west of the end of San Marcos Road, there was a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT singing at the bend. A BLUE GROSBEAK was also there today, and at least one CALLIOPE HUMMER and one Costa's Hummer were there on Tuesday. Yesterday, a COMMON MOORHEN was in the pond at Los Carneros and Mesa Lane, on the west side of Los Caneros. On Tuesday, several YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were also in the area. Farren Road, in west Goleta, which is always good in spring, had two singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS on Sunday, May 7, and good numbers of Lazuli Buntings, a pair of Blue Grosbeaks, and other spring migrants. Farren Road is very narrow, so drive carefully, pulling off the road to park. Watch out for rattlesnakes. At the Santa Barbara Harbor on Sunday the 7th, three WANDERING TATTLERS were foraging at the edge of the surf adjacent to the jetty. PURPLE MARTINS have returned to Nojoqui Falls Park, where they usually nest. Look here, or along Alisal Road near the golf course for martins through the summer. [A VARIED THRUSH was reported in the parking lot of the park, well seen today with a group of robins.] [BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS have been seen several times from Goleta Point in the past 2 weeks.] That is all the bird news for now, but, again, if you have a rare sighting to report, call Karen Bridgers at 964-1316. Good birding in Santa Barbara County. - End transcript
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Atascadero Creek today
hugh ranson <urrf@...>
At noon today the Chat continued at the bend (just west of San Marcos Rd.) along Atascadero Creek in Goleta. Also present were a spiffy male Blue Grosbeak, Ash-throated Fly., Lazuli Buntings, Western Tanagers, and Yellow and Wilson's Warblers.
Hugh R. _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
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Miguelito Canyon Birds
Paul G. Rosso <prrosso@...>
Despite the wind, the birding was very good this morning May 10th in
Miguelito Canyon and at the Park with 50 species. At the Park, the highlights were: 2 Olive-sided Flycatchers 3 Hermit Warblers --all Males Lawrence Goldfinch M/F Heard both Ash-throated Flycatcher and Western Wood Pewee there. Saw both of these further down the canyon at 6.0 miles for the Ash-throated Flycatcher and also there a Male and Female Blue Grosbeak and at least 5 Male Lazuli Buntings. This is the usual place for Grasshopper sparrows but none today. At 8.0 miles there was the Western Wood Pewee with several Lazuli Buntings. Finally saw 100 Band-tailed Pigeons today, 96 on the Southside of Lompoc and 4 at Miguelito Park. Paul& Rita Rosso ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
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Chat
hugh ranson <urrf@...>
At lunchtime today there was a Chat singing at the bend (just west of San Marcos Rd.) of Atascadero Creek. The Calliope and Costa's Hummingbirds appear to have moved on. Yesterday there was a female Blue Grosbeak at the same spot. I remember that not too long ago, spring Blue Grosbeaks along the coast were noteworthy; I've seen four in the last ten days. Are they becoming more common, or is this a good year for them?
Hugh R. _________________________________________________________________ Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com
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YH Blackbird, Moorhen
Lethaby, Nick <nlethaby@...>
All:
Checked the Los Carneros/Mesa Pond today and the Moorhen is still present along with the other birds recently reported. Cutting back to Storke Rd via the field behind the big SPS building, I found a flock of 17 Yellow-headed Blackbirds, presumably those seen by Patrick McNulty. They flew off towards the spot he orignially saw them. Regards, Nick Lethaby DSP/BIOS Product Manager Texas Instruments (805) 562 5106 nlethaby@ti.com
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