Since spring is coming and the wintering birds will be departing any minute, so I decided it was time to go get my Green Big Year Scott's Oriole. You may recall from Day 3 that at least one of these Orioles likes to spend the winter in the neighborhood I lived for many years.
Unfortunately for someone on a bike, this entails a steep climb up Old San Marcos Road. This stretch is well known to avid cyclists in the area who use it for training. The profile for the 3 mile stretch is shown below.
After the addition of today's 2 species, the year's total stands at 182.
Unfortunately for someone on a bike, this entails a steep climb up Old San Marcos Road. This stretch is well known to avid cyclists in the area who use it for training. The profile for the 3 mile stretch is shown below.
Old San Marcos Road - 1200 feet climb in 3 miles
In my experience the best time to catch the Oriole(s) is around 7AM. As I have not ridden up this stretch in some time, I thought it best to ride up the evening before, spend the night, and not have to attempt the climb at 6AM. I did this, and it turned out the climb was not as bad as expected. I made it from the bottom to the top in what I thought was a respectable 32 minutes.
After a restful night, I awoke to the sound of a pair of Great Horned Owls calling. After a little coffee and something to eat, I made my way over to the favored Oriole viewing point. Promptly at 7:03 an immature male Scott's Oriole appeared, stayed for about two minutes, sang a little song and departed. I managed a couple rather poor photos to document the event. For reference I also include a better photo of an adult male, which is quite stunning and has a beautiful song to match.
Scott's Oriole (Immature Male)
Scott's Oriole, Adult Male from March 2014
Having some time on my hands, I scouted the neighborhood in the hopes that something else interesting might turn up, like perhaps a Steller's Jay. This is about the bottom edge of their elevation range. Though not always present they are around from time to time. Luckily, nearing the end of my circuit I heard the boisterous call of the Steller's Jay, and saw the subject working through the top of a nearby oak tree. A nice little bonus to add to the year's list!
More photos from today:
Band-tailed Pigeons
Lesser Goldfinch
Oak Titmouse
After the addition of today's 2 species, the year's total stands at 182.
Yesterday and today I rode a total of 24.0 miles
More later,
Glenn
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