This year's Central Valley Birding Symposium was another great event.  On Friday's tour (11/17) of Stone Lakes NWR and the Bufferlands, John Luther spotted the American Golden-Plover at a great distance, and the tour group was able move in and get decent views of the bird.  We missed it the following morning, and that was the last it was seen--but still a very late record for the species.

We also learned on Friday that Guy McCaskie had found a Ross's Gull at the Salton Sea (some wonderful pics here:  http://sdbirder.com/gallery/2145811).  We had already planned to head south, either along the coast or to the desert, so it was an easy decision to go directly to the sea after the symposium.  In fact, since the bird had only been seen first thing in the morning on Sunday, we drove all Sunday night, determined to be there at first light.  Despite horrible fog in the San Joaquin Valley, we were able to arrive at Red Hill Marina with 45 minutes to spare; yet the gull was not to be found.

 This Piping Plover (right) has been around Red Hill for a few months, and was with a Semipalmated Plover flock on Monday.  We didn't get fully satisfying views because it was being pushed very hard by a photographer and ultimately the flock flew away.

At the Salton Sea you have a mix of incredible birdlife and the surreal presence of dead fish lining the shore.

 The habitat is incredibly rich, but also in trouble.  More here on the issues (http://www.audubon-ca.org/salton_sea.html) and an opportunity for public comment.

 This Peregrine Falcon watched over the ducks, gulls, and grebes along the road to Red Hill.

We spent most of the day on Monday and half of the day on Tuesday looking through tens of thousands of gulls, but the Ross's was not to be found.  On Tuesday morning, we drove out along the Alamo River to the shore just south of Mullet Island.  We looked through many gulls, and also saw a single Blue-footed Booby.  We were unable to find the reported Roseate Spoonbills, but did find the three flamingoes on Bowles Rd.

On Monday we met David Pearson from the Phoenix area.  David is a professor at Arizona State, and has recently published a book on tiger beetles.  He told us about a Streak-backed Oriole that had been present at the Gilbert Water Ranch east of Phoenix.  Since we didn't have any firm plans after the Ross's Gull attempt, we figured we might as well head for Gilbert.

We headed east of Brawley on Hwy 78 through the dunes.  We are always repelled by the motorcycle scene at Glamis, but the dunes are impressive.  We continued on to Cibola National Wildlife Area on the Colorado River south of Blythe.  There we drove the auto route and enjoyed close views of Sandhill Cranes.

 There were many cotton fields near the refuge, and we marveled at this odd plant that is so much a part of our lives, yet hardly acknowledged for what it is by most of us.

We spent the night at a truck stop to the west of Phoenix and arrived at the Gilbert Water Ranch, adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant, at first light.  We found the "orange tree" where the oriole was supposed to be, but despite putting in four hours that morning, we didn't find it.  Other birds were around though:

Curve-billed Thrasher

 Greater Roadrunner

 The Water Ranch is a great place for close views of ducks, since they are habituated to people.

 This bird only popped up for a few seconds, but I believe it is a female Orange Bishop.

 This hummingbird is causing quite a stir at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to the east of Phoenix.  It is thought to be a Violet-crowned/Broad-billed hybrid.  Note the band on its left leg.

 Here it is feeding in typical hummer fashion.

 And here it is saving some energy while it feeds.

 This Broad-billed Hummingbird was also present, as was this American snout:

The arboretum is a wonderful place to learn about desert plants--not just of Arizona, but throughout the world. 

We spoke with a woman who gave us excellent advice for a hike in the Superstition Mountains the following morning.  At Peralta Canyon, we walked the ~5 mile roundtrip to a saddle overlooking Weaver's Needle:

We returned to Gilbert to look for the oriole, but did not find it.  We had Thanksgiving dinner, so to speak, at Denny's in Phoenix, and were surprised to see how crowded it was.  A waitress named Carol struck up a conversation with us.  I'm not sure how it came up, but she really misses her dog that passed away recently.

We spent Friday at the Salton Sea.  I had good views of a Blue-footed Booby at Mullet Island, but a volley of gun shots from duck/goose hunters nearby flushed it before Kimya was able to see it.  The three flamingoes had moved near Mullet Island, but we couldn't find the Roseate Spoonbills despite two tries on Bowles Rd.  Nine Hooded Mergansers at Fig Lagoon was a nice surprise.

On Saturday, we headed to Anza-Borrego, hoping to see bighorn sheep on the Borrego Palms trail.  We were not disappointed.  I couldn't believe this pair came right down the hill toward us.  The ram had mating on his mind, and flared his upper lip as he approached the ewe, but she (note her green ear tag) seemed more interested in getting a drink of water from the canyon below.

 This Black-tailed Gnatcatcher was quite cooperative.

At around noon, we headed toward home, with the plan to make a detour to Pescadero Creek in San Mateo County for the Yellow-billed Loon that had been seen there recently.  We finally succeeded in finding one of our target birds on Sunday morning:

I suppose I'm not a very list obsessed birder, relatively speaking, though I like seeing new birds.  After the Blue-footed Boobies we saw in September, I counted up my ABA list, and to my surprise, I was at 599.  #600 could have been the Taiga Flycatcher, or the Ross's Gull, or the Streak-backed Oriole.  I would have liked to have seen any and all of those, but I'm happy, all the same, that it was this Yellow-billed Loon.  It foraged along the shore within twenty feet of several people gathered to see it.  While I was there, nobody hassled it; it simply fed as we watched.

Closer to home:  At the Bufferlands on 11/16, and continuing through at least this past Wednesday, four Blue Geese have been seen sporadically.  They may be escapees from the Mosquito and Vector Control ponds on Bond Rd, or they may be wild.

 I like this particularly handsome rufous Red-tailed Hawk.

 December 2nd was my last regular survey of Lost Slough at Cosumnes River Preserve.  I'll miss the many wonderful sunrises I've seen there, along with the cranes and thousands of pintails.  Yet, Terry Ronneberg was looking to hand over the Orr Forest survey, especially since he hasn't been feeling well (though I'm glad to hear he's feeling better), and I couldn't resist the opportunity to regularly census the wonderful oak forest.  As much as I enjoy water birds and grassland birds, my favorite birding has to be in forest and scrub habitats with lots of sparrows, warblers, and other songbirds.  I simply don't have time to do both surveys every month.

On Sunday, Dec. 3, we headed to Waldo's Dike at Tomales Bay for what turned out to be a not so high tide.  Over the years, this has been a good spot for Black Rails, and, occasionally, Yellow Rails.  This was our third trip, but we've never hit it on a great day.  Only once have I glimpsed a Black Rail flying to shelter.  Best this day was when I noticed an American Tree Sparrow among the Songs and Savannahs.  It sat up, giving views to most of the people on hand, and Ron Wolf was able to get some excellent photos: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49246330@N00/sets/72157594383624066/).  There were no rare rails seen.  We had a flying Sora and calling Virginia Rails.

 This weekend (three days, as I have every other Friday off) has been devoted to catching up on my many commitments for Audubon, North American Birds, the Folsom CBC, etc., etc.  I've also gone through my recent photos, finally.  Still, Kimya and I have managed a short walk near home each day, and I was very happy to find this Red-naped Sapsucker at Larchmont Park.  It's a first for me in Sacramento County, and was a very cooperative photographic subject.

More photos can be found at "2006 Thanksgiving Week" and "A Recent Selection"  http://new.photos.yahoo.com/chrisconard2002/albums