Today was a fantastic day of Green Birding. The weather was warm and clear. After the recent rain the landscape is lush and green - due to a brutal drought it has not been this way for 3 years. There are many flowers too! (OK, most are invasive weeds, but the flowers are pretty) There were birds everywhere. And, to top it all off, I was pushed home by a nice tailwind.
This morning I decided to head out to Lake Los Carneros in Goleta. I had not visited here since New Year's Day. It is so nice to have such a wide variety of birding locations to choose from. There have been some birds reported here recently that I have been looking for, most notably Sora which you may recall I missed seeing yesterday at the Bird Refuge.
I arrived around 7:30, and the place was hopping with birds. A mixed flock of Sparrows, Towhees, and a California Thrasher escorted me to the lake proper. I scanned the reeds around the edge of the lake, and within 30 seconds had a Sora in my binoculars. (Hey now that's a good start!) Unlike most sightings I have had of these birds, this one lounged around in the open giving me clear but distant views. Too distant for photos. I tried going around to another spot on the shore for a closer look but was unsuccessful.
I made my way to the North side of the lake, where yesterday Rebecca Coulter (Canyon Wren hero, see Day 30) had reported hearing a Summer Tanager. This would be a "Bonus Bird" - one I had not thought I had a chance to see this year. I listened around the area for the distinctive call of the Tanager, but did not hear it among the dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers and other birds.
I continued around the lake, spotting a small raptor in a distant tree. Hoping it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk, I got close enough to determine it was in fact a Merlin, a small falcon. Nice, handsome, and all that, but not the bird I was hoping for.
As I continued on I encountered a birding class being led by Rebecca Coulter - small world, or what? I reported that I had not heard the Tanager, she reported that their group had heard one in an area of the park I had not yet visited.
I continued in that direction, stopping to observe a Red-breasted Sapsucker in a small Pepper Tree. This is another new species for the year. The bird was not particularly cooperative with the camera but I did get one decent shot.
A highly successful day - many thanks to those who report the birds that they find!
After the addition of today's 4 species, the year's total stands at 171.
This morning I decided to head out to Lake Los Carneros in Goleta. I had not visited here since New Year's Day. It is so nice to have such a wide variety of birding locations to choose from. There have been some birds reported here recently that I have been looking for, most notably Sora which you may recall I missed seeing yesterday at the Bird Refuge.
I arrived around 7:30, and the place was hopping with birds. A mixed flock of Sparrows, Towhees, and a California Thrasher escorted me to the lake proper. I scanned the reeds around the edge of the lake, and within 30 seconds had a Sora in my binoculars. (Hey now that's a good start!) Unlike most sightings I have had of these birds, this one lounged around in the open giving me clear but distant views. Too distant for photos. I tried going around to another spot on the shore for a closer look but was unsuccessful.
I made my way to the North side of the lake, where yesterday Rebecca Coulter (Canyon Wren hero, see Day 30) had reported hearing a Summer Tanager. This would be a "Bonus Bird" - one I had not thought I had a chance to see this year. I listened around the area for the distinctive call of the Tanager, but did not hear it among the dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers and other birds.
I continued around the lake, spotting a small raptor in a distant tree. Hoping it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk, I got close enough to determine it was in fact a Merlin, a small falcon. Nice, handsome, and all that, but not the bird I was hoping for.
As I continued on I encountered a birding class being led by Rebecca Coulter - small world, or what? I reported that I had not heard the Tanager, she reported that their group had heard one in an area of the park I had not yet visited.
I continued in that direction, stopping to observe a Red-breasted Sapsucker in a small Pepper Tree. This is another new species for the year. The bird was not particularly cooperative with the camera but I did get one decent shot.
Red-breasted Sapsucker
I went to the area where the Tanager had been heard. I stopped and listened, but no Tanager. Just then I got a text from Rebecca, the Tanager was now being seen by the class in the area I had originally been looking. I headed back to that area, made a couple of circuits listening and looking before I spotted a likely suspect high in a Eucalyptus tree. Sure enough, Summer Tanager, female - Bonus Bird! I managed a couple ID photos which turned out pretty well given the horrendous lighting.
Summer Tanager (female) - Bonus Bird!
As things were going so well I decided to try my luck chasing one more bird. Last weekend local birder Dave Compton had reported a Tropical Kingbird in the "Area K" portion of the Goleta Slough (You may recall I was there recently to find a Cinnamon Teal). Interestingly enough, on my way from Lake Los Carneros to Area K I saw no less than 9 male Cinnamon Teal in a small wetland. I arrived at the Area K overlook, and immediately saw a Kingbird - but it was a Cassin's Kingbird, the common type of Kingbird that winters here. I kept looking, and heard the distinctive call of the Tropical Kingbird - it is more liquid and trilly than the call of the Cassin's Kingbird. Shortly after hearing this I spotted the Tropical Kingbird, it was sallying out to catch insects and returning to the same perch. It was far away but I managed a decent photo which clearly shows field marks distinguishing it from the Cassin's Kingbird - Yellow Breast up to the neck, longer bill, and forked tail.
Tropical Kingbird
A highly successful day - many thanks to those who report the birds that they find!
After the addition of today's 4 species, the year's total stands at 171.
Today I rode 28.6 miles
More later,
Glenn
Good day!
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