After a nice rainstorm yesterday I asked around to see if there was a particularly good spot to check after it rains. I got the suggestion that Atascadero Creek in Goleta might be a good bet, so I went there. Although I have seen plenty of good bird sightings reported from here, it never seems to produce anything much for me. Would today be my lucky day?
It was a nice cool and clear morning, the first hint we have had that a change in the seasons is coming.
I started at the Eastern end of the bike path so the light would be behind me - nothing worse than looking into the sun. As I made my way towards the west I encountered my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush of the season. There was a fair level of bird activity, which picked up significantly as I crossed over Patterson Avenue. I spent a good amount of time covering the next stretch as there were a bunch of birds to pick through.
The most interesting thing I found was a Black-and-White Warbler working along some tree trunks adjacent to the bike path. It was not cooperative for the camera. Other than that it was the usual suspects. Along the way I was passed by Florence Sanchez, who let me know there was a female Wood Duck ahead in the creek. And sure enough, there was.
I got some nice photos of the Wood Duck that I would love to share with you but managed to delete them from the camera before they were copied to my computer. Arrgh!
After today the year's total still stands at 256.
Today I rode a total of 22.4 miles
More later,
Glenn
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