San Luis Obispo County Birding

[slocobirding] Willow Flycatcher/Cerro Alto/5/25

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:07:46 -0500

Not so early this morning I had a Willow Flycatcher on the trail above the main campground. That's the only new addition I saw, but activity of residents and western migrant breeders remains high.

Maggie Smith
Arroyo Grande
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slomaggie

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[slocobirding] Coon Creek Birds 5/24

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:25:23 -0500

Coon Creek was full of bird song this morning. The most notable were a Canyon Wren heard on the large southern rock face and 7 singing Pacific Wrens which were all toward the end of the trail and heard on both sides of the trail.

The many twinberry plants are attracting

[slocobirding] Now you see them, now you...

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:20:54 -0500

don't.

The "Cambria" egrets are gone, as far as I can see.

After the "eventful" finding of a second egret roost off Hwy 1 just south of Cambria on 5/20/12, last night (5/22/12), from 7:30-8:30pm, ZERO were seen at that roost.

I can ONLY speculate that the roost was a "transitional" (my word)

[slocobirding] Los Osos - 5/23

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:52:30 -0500

I birded around Cuesta-by-the-Sea this morning with *Black-necked Stilt* (on
the edge of the bay near the west end of Mitchell) being the highlight.
Birds nesting in and around Pecho Willows lately include D-e Junco, Downy
Woodpecker, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Allen's
Hummingbird. A few migrant Western Tanagers and Yellow Warblers are still
around.

I

[slocobirding] Great Blue Heron eating a gopher near Pozo video

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:39:34 -0500

Earlier today, my brother Jim French videoed a Great Blue Heron consuming a
gopher in one swallow near Pozo.
It's at http://www.flickr.com/photos/selago/7253147982/in/photostream in
case you have never seen this.
Cal French
Adelaida

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[slocobirding] Black Skimmers in Morro Bay

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:59:32 -0500

Today at noon, Chris and I saw 2 Black Skimmers in Morro Bay. We were walking on the edge of the salt marsh south of the Bayside Marina, adjacent to the State Park looking for the Red Knot (didn't find it). The birds were perched on vegetation in the water

[slocobirding] Snow Goose/Oceano Campround

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:56 -0500

The adult Snow Goose is still hanging with some of the domestic geese at the Oceano Campground.

Maggie Smith
Arroyo Grande
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slomaggie

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[slocobirding] Western Screech-Owls

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:49:23 -0500

Tonight, May 21, there were at least 3 Western Screech-Owls flying back and forth between power lines at the end of my street in Atascadero. It was about 8:30 when we spotted them. There are some large oaks and a pine nearby that they probably are/were nesting in.
The

[slocobirding] Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:40:32 -0500

As thrilling as it is when the Black-headed Grosbeaks show up, which has
been a couple of weeks now, to look out the window and see a beautiful male
Rose-breasted Grosbeak checking out the feeders, seeing what all the
commotion is about, still takes my breath away. I hope he sticks around a
while,

[slocobirding] "Cambria" Egrets

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:44:23 -0500

Evening of 5/20/2012

The count at the off-Main Street egret roost was ZERO on the morning of 4/28 and the evening of 4/30, whereas earlier that month, on the morning of 4/6, I had counted a surprising 53 outgoing. Back then, at the end of last month, I wondered "Where are

[slocobirding] fun birding Arroyo Grande Creek Mouth

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:21:38 -0500

This morning 10-12:15 had 48 mostly typical creekside riparian species along the one mile embankment path that goes from Creek Rd. to the dunes. Most interesting to me since I usually bird the Santa Barbara area were 8 Purple Finches that were singing or in pairs and 5 Nuttall's Woodpeckers.

[slocobirding] good birds remain in Morro Bay

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:28:17 -0500

Hi all,

On a cameraless kayaking trip in Morro Bay Saturday, May 19, the following fine birds were seen:

OSPREY, swooping to the ocean, but aborting its dives with no fish.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, about 10 or so, in mainly winter plumage.
RED KNOT, one in breeding plumage, with the plovers.
CASPIAN TERNS, two nearby.
RED-THROATED LOON,

Re: [slocobirding] Black Swifts/Oso Flaco Lake 5/17

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:19:56 -0500

As most of you have probably already surmised., I saw 2 Red-necked PHALAROPES, not grebes.

Maggie Smith
Arroyo Grande
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slomaggie

________________________________
From: Maggie Smith <(email address filtered)>
To: slocobirding <(email address filtered)>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 10:55 AM
Subject: [slocobirding] Black Swifts/Oso Flaco Lake 5/17

Early this morning before 7am, 3 Black Swifts were

[slocobirding] Scissor-tail Report

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:28:47 -0500

I received a provocative report of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher this
morning--of a bird from yesterday. A second-hand report of a brief, but
decent, description caused me to check out the fences north of Laguna
Lake and Laguna Lake Park in SLO this morning. I didn't see the bird

[slocobirding] Black Swifts/Oso Flaco Lake 5/17

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:55:15 -0500

Early this morning before 7am, 3 Black Swifts were flying over the parking area at Oso Flaco Lake.

Two Red-necked Grebes and an American Bittern were also present.

Maggie Smith
Arroyo Grande
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slomaggie

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[slocobirding] Carrizo birds

Wed, 16 May 2012 23:43:26 -0500

I made a quick run through the Carrizo this afternoon, from the north end at Highway 58, south on Soda Lake Road to Highway 166. I didn't have too much time to veer off Soda Lake Road, but did check for migrants in as many areas with trees as I

[slocobirding] Black-throated Sparrow

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:56:02 -0500

An Audubon friend of mine has been spending the last couple months at Bayside, a nursing care facility at Highway One and South Bay Boulevard in Morro Bay. He's seeing some birds outside his window that look like the Black-throated Sparrow in his NG Guide. Range maps put us just

[slocobirding] Bittern

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:18:35 -0500

On my bus ride to work this morning, I was surprised to see an AMERICAN BITTERN standing in the small wetland area on the west side of Foothill Blvd, just north of Los Osos Valley Road. It was in typical bittern posture, bill straight up, but hiding in plain sight.

Mike

[slocobirding] Hi Mountain Mike Tyner Memorial Event: Weekend of May 19th at Hi Mtn Lookout

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:31:07 -0500

Mike Tyner
Brother, son, uncle, cousin, biologist, friend, student, teacher, mentor.
Mike Tyner dedicated his life to the understanding and protection of nature.
He died on November 30th, 2011 in Big Sur protecting the birds that he loved.
He graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a degree in Ecology and Systematic Biology.
He got his

[slocobirding] Ash throated flycatchers

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:29:57 -0500

A pair of ash throated flycatchers were in my yard yesterday. It's kind of a love/hate relationship. They snack on the butterflies in my butterfly garden. I think I opened a smorgasbord for them! I do love their song and they are so beautiful.

We also have a pair of nesting

[slocobirding] West Cuesta Ridge

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:12:49 -0500

Greetings,

I drove TV Tower Road early this morning (west Cuesta Ridge), hoping to steal a Black-chinned Sparrow without having to hike up the steep trails out of Cerro Alto. I had seen them well east of where the few are still being seen, but years ago, and the burned

[slocobirding] Laguna Lake Birds 5/14

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:33:27 -0500

Birded around Laguna Lake this morning. Hiked up a trail across from the off leash dog area and had several singing Rufous-crowned Sparrows. On the upper trail had 2 Rock Wrens. Along the back had 2 each Blue Grosbeaks and Lazuli Bunting. Along the lower portion of the loop, had

[slocobirding] Carrizo Swainson's Hawks

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:14:06 -0500

Hi All:

It's apparently not too late to see these birds migrating north. Three birds (all immatures; one dark and two light) were standing in a tilled field along Highway 58 east of Bitterwater Road this morning. Additional recent observations of this species in this vicinity include one last Friday (11

[slocobirding] Black-chinned Sparrow - Cerro Alto

Sat, 12 May 2012 19:30:24 -0500

I made the pilgrimage up the Boy Scout Trail at Cerro Alto for BLACK-CHINNED
SPARROW this morning. I saw only one from the trail just above where the
trail descends to a sharp hairpin turn toward the eucalyptus grove. Three
BELL'S SAGE SPARROWS were singing along the ridge top part

[slocobirding] Coon Creek birds

Sat, 12 May 2012 19:18:32 -0500

I hiked up the Coon Creek trail from the parking lot on Pecho Valley Road about 2 miles and back this morning. Good numbers of breeding birds were in place and singing (e.g., Swainson's thrushes); and an adult pair of Chestnut-backed Chickadees was feeding young inside a cavity at one

[slocobirding] Pismo Creek 5-12 9AM

Sat, 12 May 2012 18:38:10 -0500

Saw 4 Caspian Terns, 1 Royal Tern, a Bonaparte's Gull, several Whimbrels, and various large gulls. Also saw a pair of American Goldfinches on the reeds on the edge of the lagoon, some Northern Rough-winged Swallows, one Snowy Egret, one Pie-billed Grebe, and a Western Grebe. There was also a

[slocobirding] Franklin's Gull/Arroyo Grande Creek Mouth 5/12

Sat, 12 May 2012 16:54:37 -0500

This morning there was a FRANKLIN'S GULL at the mouth of Arroyo Grande creek. I think it was a first summer bird. It had a partial black cap with a white forehead and hind neck and conspicuous white eye arcs and primary spots. The bill was small and black.

Maggie Smith
Arroyo

[slocobirding] morro creek

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:48:18 -0500

At Morro Creek late this afternoon, while I looked upstream there was an
adult Green Heron flying further upstream. Because of the season, it makes
me wonder. There was a Short-billed Dowitcher closer to the ocean, but
still at the eastern end of the remaining

[slocobirding] Morro Bay Condor

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:58:19 -0500

The Morro Coast Audubon received an email from Judy Cross with two pictures attached of the juvenile California Condor seen at the west end of Vista Street on May 9. It was sitting in a star pine tree, and the yellow 38 tag is clearly visible. It's the same bird

[slocobirding] MCAS Program Monday May 21st

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:18:03 -0500

Please join us for our next Morro Coast Audubon Society program:

Rehabilitation of Wild Baby Birds, Presented by Rebecca Fay

Monday, May 21 at 7pm at the SLO Botanical Garden Oak Glen Pavilion in El Chorro Park (across from Cuesta College)

Avian Rehabilitation: Why do we do it? Is it good for bird

[slocobirding] Birding Downtown SLO - recap

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:34:44 -0500

Signs of Spring were everywhere this morning as 20 birders joined me for a walk along San Luis Obispo Creek in downtown San Luis Obispo. Birds singing, birds carrying nesting material, birds carrying food, birds on nests, birds feeding young were activities observed and enjoyed by all.

[slocobirding] Turri Road Evening Drive 5-10

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:16:17 -0500

Thanks to the posting of some here, I took a short drive on Turri Road while in SLO around 5:30pm.
I entered from the south and headed north to the cow pond and then turned around to head back to south county. I only had 20 minutes.
I saw in that short

[slocobirding] Franklin's Gull - Morro Creek mouth

Thu, 10 May 2012 20:34:24 -0500

This afternoon there was an adult Franklin's Gull in breeding plumage at the mouth of Morro Creek. It was seen from the north side of the creek, bathing in the northern most ocean inlet. The slate gray wings, red bill, large white spots on the primaries and

[slocobirding] Final Cal Poly Ornithology Trip Report: Pozo/La Panza

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:16:33 -0500

This morning we birded the stretch of Hi Mountain Rd between Pozo Rd & the first creek crossing. Lots of good stuff around the creek crossing, the best of which was an adult BALD EAGLE flying overhead, following the riparian corridor upstream. We also saw a pair of

[slocobirding] Greater Roadrunner_Turri Rd.

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:37:59 -0500

Saw a greater roadrunner near the corner of South Bay and Turri Road around 11AM this morning. It ran back into the grasslands at Cerro Cabrillo.

John Sayers
Morro Bay

[slocobirding] White Tailed Kite

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:57:46 -0500

Today at 4 p.m. mature White-tailed Kite over fields near intersection of Foothill and O'Connor Road
NJ Mann
San Luis Obispo

[slocobirding] Re: condor in Morro Bay?

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:48:29 -0500

Earlier today I reported a juv. Bald Eagle in my neighborhood. I had based my id on the fact that it was a very large dark raptor with white wing linings. The look I got was for about 2 seconds as flew past my window, trying to

[slocobirding] Mystery raptor

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:41:18 -0500

Off East El Campo, near oak/pasture area.

Medium-sized raptor, not overtly chunky. Darkest brown except for white rump and good part of tail. Seemed smaller and darker than a Northern Harrier (which I've seen here). Flying excitedly around small grove of oaks.

Joe
(in sw AG)

[slocobirding] Re: condor in Morro Bay?

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:27:03 -0500

I have just read the post regarding a possible Condor. I had just posted what I assume was a juv. Bald Eagle but....I went by the white wing linings, not getting a good look at the bird other than dark eagle like bird with white rather splotchy wing

[slocobirding] Bald Eagle Juv.- Morro Bay

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:20:40 -0500

A juvenile Bald Eagle flew past my home in south Morro Bay this afternoon. It was being mobbed by crows at the time. New yard bird!

Kaaren Perry
Morro Bay

[slocobirding] condor in Morro Bay?

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:53:23 -0500

at about 1:30today I saw a huge bird in a tall pine tree on Shasta Ave just north of Olive, near Monte Young park. it flew south towards Cerritos peak and the Golf course. It was MUCH. BIGGER than a turkey vulture and had white wing linings.

[slocobirding] White-faced Ibis - Whale Rock Reservoir

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:05:14 -0500

Maggie Smith and I decided to get up out of the fog this morning and headed inland. The highlight of the morning was a flock of 16 White-faced Ibis that flew over Whale Rock Reservoir.

Many of the expected Spring breeders were seen from along the roads between Morro

[slocobirding] Please Sign Your Posts

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:06:14 -0500

It's once again time to plead to the group about signing your posts to slocobirding with your name and town. I'll tell you why I think it's important (and why I feel the need to rant about it).

If you report a bird in your neighborhood without a signature, you could

[slocobirding] south county birds

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:37:36 -0500

Yesterday (May 8) I birded Oso Flaco, Oceano Campground and Pismo Beach at the mouth of Pismo Creek.

The willows at Oso Flaco were alive with singing Wilson's and Yellow warblers (one Wilson's Warbler was carrying a mouthful of insects, seemingly to feed nestlings) and calling Swainson's Thrushes. I also

[slocobirding] Montana De Oro State Park

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:12:09 -0500

Hello all,
This morning three large falcons swept by at high speed along the coastal bluffs at Corallina Cove. I got my binoculars on one of the falcons in the dense gray fog and had the impression it was a juv. PEREGRINE FALCON. Three of the past four weeks - once

[slocobirding] Twitchell Reservoir 5-8

Tue, 08 May 2012 21:42:41 -0500

Saw a Bald Eagle out at Twitchell on a snag left of the mud flats.

Actually my 8 year old spied it out! It was his first. He was quite excited.
There were about 20 or so Great Egrets out there, some black specs (couldn't make them out), and some Great

[slocobirding] El Chorro/Dairy Creek Monday 5/7

Tue, 08 May 2012 21:21:29 -0500

While on a leisurely walk up Dairy Creek from the Dog Park with a Bio 1b class from Cuesta College from 1000 until noon we were surrounded by bird song in spite of the hour and heat.

Going in and out of cavities: House Wren, W. Bluebird, Tree

[slocobirding] MCAS trip to Oceano (5/5) & El Chorro (5/6)

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:07:01 -0500

May 5 at Oceano Campground:
I led a walk for MCAS around the lagoon. No crazy migrants, but lots of fun/interesting breeding observations. Highlights included a PIED-BILLED GREBE with 5 chicks, MALLARD with 7 ducklings, SONG SPARROWS & CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES feeding begging fledglings, and a DOWNY WOODPECKER feeding noisy chicks in

[slocobirding] Johnson Ranch SLO

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:52:42 -0500

The Johnson Ranch open space has trails that lead through rolling grassland, pockets of oak woodland, rock outcrops, and a small riparian area with a live stream. Today on a short walk I saw several Lazuli Buntings (singing males), Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Lark Sparrows, Western Kingbird, Wrock Wren, Western Bluebirds, and

[slocobirding] CP Ornithology trip report: Santa Maragrita (5/3/12)

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:44:55 -0500

Belated trip report this week, but we did not see much out of the ordinary in our trip to Santa Margarita. By far the highlight was the MERLIN we watched hunting CLIFF SWALLOWS at the intersection of G St (Hwy 58) & Estrada Ave (also Hwy 58)--that's the spot