A Brit abroad

Bogey bird banished!

Last Thursday, Marcel, John Williams and I left Davis at 5am to bird Rayhouse Road before work, the prime targets being sagebrush species for John, and the ever-elusive Mountain Quail for myself. The Coast Range often stops coastal fogs from entering the Central Valley, and the top of Rayhouse looked somewhat akin to a jagged coast at the edge of a sea of clouds - very pretty!

Some of the sagebrush birds were very co-operative and we managed good roadside views of California Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Sage Sparrows (including several young birds) and this singing Rufous-crowned Sparrow.

Unfortunately Lazuli Bunting eluded us (guess they must be on eggs). Things were looking pretty grim for Mountain Quail too, when on the way down one appeared at the roadside and stayed in view long enough for us to appreciate its exclamation mark-like topknot. Success at last! Presumably now the curse is broken I'll be running into these things all over the place...

Later in the day I dropped in to see the procession of this year's Ecology PhD graduands on the UC Davis campus.

The ceremony was presided over by my boss Alan Hastings, seen here looking resplendent in his full academic regalia:

Congrats to all the new PhD students (I've been there, I know what you went through!), with special mention to Heather, Alison, Evan, Chris and Kit - as you people say, way to go!

Posted by rjhall at June 18, 2004 9:59 PM