Day 225 - Nojoqui Falls Park, Buellton

This morning I set off from Lompoc, with the plan to return home via Buellton so I could visit nearby Nojoqui Falls County Park.  The reason for this stop is to see a Purple Martin or two.  As far as I know this is the only reliable spot in Santa Barbara County to find this species.  They return yearly and nest in a few Sycamore Trees.  Like the Least Terns yesterday, it is getting time for them to be moving on so I was unsure of my prospects in finding them.

The 20 or so miles from Lompoc to the park passed without event, I even had a slight tailwind which was nice.  I arrived at the park and made my way over to the area where the Martins nest.  It was very quiet there, which was disappointing - the Martins are generally boisterous and you pretty much know right away when they are around.  Clearly they had raised this year's batch of young and were no longer staying near the nests.

Though this was not the news I was hoping for, I thought that perhaps at least some of them might still be in the area.  If I waited around and kept an eye on open spaces perhaps I could spot some flying around.  The first thing I found in the open field next to the park was this Coyote looking for breakfast.

Coyote in field adjacent to Nojoqui Falls Park

I stayed around for about half an hour listening to the local birds calling away - the soundscape dominated by Acorn Woodpeckers and Crows.  (If you ever need to see Acorn Woodpeckers, this park is a very good place to go.)  Suddenly I heard a different call in the mix, kind of a buzzy chirp that seemed to be coming from overhead.  I looked up to see two Purple Martins cruising over the park!  Not the extended close-up views I had been hoping for, but given the late stage of the season I was very pleased with any sighting at all.  No chance for a photo, so I include one I took at this park last spring.

Purple Martin, male, Nojoqui Falls Park April 2014

Spirits lifted by the Martin flyby, and the slight tailwind, the remaining miles home passed by without incident.

I added 4 species on this little overnight jaunt to the North County, but missed out on the Least Tern.  I declare it a success!

After the addition of this 1 species, the year's total stands at 237.

Today I rode a total of 68 miles.

More later,

Glenn

Day 224 - Ocean Beach Park, Lompoc

Today I began an overnight journey, with the goal of visiting Ocean Beach Park outside Lompoc.  This park is about 60 miles from my house, and has been generating good bird sightings all summer long - while I was away.  My main goal was to see the Least Terns here.  This is a species I have only seen once before, and never in Santa Barbara County.  They breed in this area and there have been up to 60 of them seen here over the summer.  However, it is getting late in the season and they could move on at any time.

The first portion of the ride, from home to Gaviota Pass, was uneventful and I even had a tailwind which was in opposition to the predicted winds from the west.  The next portion, from Gaviota to Lompoc, had a bit of a headwind but this was offset by the generally downhill topography.  The last 10 miles, from Lompoc to the beach, was more typical of my experience in the Lompoc area - very stiff headwind and most unpleasant.

About halfway to the beach I spotted a few sandpipers working the shallow water in a cement drainage channel.  Checking them out provided a good excuse to stop pedaling into the wind so stop I did.  I immediately noticed that one of the birds was significantly larger than the rest, which were Western Sandpipers.  The larger bird had a streaked upper breast in sharp contrast to white underparts, yellow legs, darkish crown, and bi-colored and slightly downcurved bill.  I consulted my field guide, and confirmed Pectoral Sandpiper.  This was a new bird for the year and a completely unexpected bonus, which made the remaining 5 miles into the wind much more bearable.

Pectoral Sandpiper

 Pectoral Sandpiper, with Western Sandpiper for size comparison

Immediately after arriving at the park I spotted a Northern Harrier working over the broad expanse of low plants.  This was a bird I had managed to miss closer to home earlier in the year, so it becomes #2 for the day, and a very nice start to my visit to Ocean Beach park.

Northern Harrier.  Possibly the worst photo ever?

At least you get the diagnostic pattern of the tail.

Along the entry road to the park there is a good area to watch shorebirds, though the water has been receding lately.  I did not find any new species here but did manage a decent photo of this Lesser Yellowlegs.

Lesser Yellowlegs

I made my way out to the beach where the Least Terns are most often seen.  Unfortunately there were none around to be seen.  Perhaps they have left for the season, or the stiff breeze kept them away.  There were some other interesting birds around, including an Osprey, a Mute Swan, several American Avocets, and some Short-billed Dowitchers.  The Dowitchers were kind enough to take off and give their "tu-tu-tu" call which is the most reliable way to distinguish them for the very similar-looking Long-billed Dowitcher.  That makes 3 new birds for the day.

I stayed around for a couple of hours hoping for a Least Tern sighting, but alas there were none to be seen.  I am unlikely to see one elsewhere this year - definitely a species I missed out on by being away for the summer.

The stiff wind made the ride back to Lompoc a breeze.

I couldn't get an ID on this one, seemed very stealthy.

Pied-billed Grebe, juvenile

After the addition of these 3 species, the year's total stands at 236.

Today I rode a total of 75.5 miles - longest ride of the year so far!

More later,

Glenn

Day 223 - Summer Break Is Over - Back In The Saddle!

OK, summer vacation is over and I am back on the chase.  It was a great few weeks away from home, but I did miss out on some great birds here in Santa Barbara County.  More on that another day.

Based on recent reports, today I had 2 target birds in mind: Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

First stop was the Mission Creek Outflow, where I saw nothing unusual.

Next stop was the Andree Clark Bird Refuge.  The first thing I noticed here was a group of Black Skimmers doing their thing - hunting for food by skimming the surface of the water with their unusual bill - the bottom portion is considerably longer than the top.  No matter how many times I see this, I still think it's perhaps the most fascinating way of birds feeding.  There was not much light but I did manage a few OK photos of the Skimmers.

Black Skimmer, skimming.

Black Skimmer, skimming.

Black Skimmers

After pulling my eyes away from the Skimmers, I started searching around and saw a group of 6 small birds feeding in circles far out in the middle of the water - Red-necked Phalaropes!  One species added to the year's list.  Unfortunately the small birds were too far away for photos.  I include a photo of a Red-necked Phalarope I took at the Bird Refuge back in 2012.

Red-necked Phalarope, September 2012

I continued on to the Carpinteria Salt Marsh, where the Yellow-crowned Night Herons (3 of them!) had been reported over the last week or so.  I believe the first time this species was reported in Santa Barbara County was in 2009.  Last fall there was a juvenile found at Refugio State Beach which created a good bit of excitement.  This year there have been at least 2 reports of single birds, followed by the 3 individuals at the Salt Marsh.  This is a species I did not expect to find this year.

I arrived at the Salt Marsh and within a couple of minutes had one in my binoculars at the very spot they had been previously seen.  I passed a woman heading the other way, and asked her if she had seen the bird.  Her reply - "Oh, there are 3 of them over there."  I went around the corner and indeed there were!  The three individuals were busy hunting crabs for breakfast, and were very cooperative for the camera.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (juvenile)

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (juvenile)

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (juvenile)

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (juvenile)

I met a nice couple who were looking at the Night-Herons, and when I caught up to them again they pointed out the resident Red Fox that was hunting for its own breakfast.  It was far away, but I think you'll agree the photo does show a Red Fox.

Red Fox.

Today was a great start to the remainder of the year!

After the addition of these 2 species, the year's total stands at 233.

Today I rode a total of 32.3 miles

More later,

Glenn

Day 167 - Summertime

Summer vacation is here, so it is time for me to trade the June Gloom of Santa Barbara for the Red Rocks of Southeastern Utah.  This means a hiatus for the Green Big Year.  Overall I am pleased with my progress thus far, and I am looking forward to heading farther afield later this year to chase down some more birds!

Note to rare birds: please stay away from Santa Barbara County for the next few weeks!

Happy Summer,
Glenn

Day 166 - Lake Los Carneros

This morning I took a spin around Goleta, spending the most time at Lake Los Carneros.  I must say it was really nice to be riding on the road without a load of gear!  It was a typical plumbeous June morning in Santa Barbara, which did not help with the photos.

There was a good level of bird activity at Lake Los Carneros, with lots of young birds of many types.  The first interesting thing I saw was a young White-tailed Kite.  I had heard that a couple had fledged here recently but could not find any on my last visit.  This one did not stick around for long and I did not see any adults.  Hopefully they will find enough rodents to keep it (and hopefully its sibling) growing.

White-tailed Kite (Immature)

The next fun thing I came across was a Red-shouldered Hawk.  It was about to eat breakfast.  I have been looking forward to getting a photo of this bird all year.

Red-shouldered Hawk with breakfast

The last interesting sighting of the day was the Horned Grebe that has been hanging around here for awhile.  It is really into full breeding plumage now, I believe that is rather unusual for these parts.

Horned Grebe - breeding plumage!

And lastly, a photo of a Great-tailed Grackle, because - well, just because.

Great-tailed Grackle

No new birds today but as usual a pleasant outing.

After today the year's total still stands at 231. 

Today I rode a total of 29.0 miles

More later,

Glenn

Day 164 - Big Pine Mountain Adventure

Sometimes things do not go as planned.

I have just returned from an epic journey to Bluff Camp, which is close to Big Pine Mountain but not quite there.

I departed from home as planned on Thursday AM, and made an uneventful ride up over San Marcos Pass arriving near Upper Oso Campground around noon.  After resting during the heat of the afternoon I set out towards Big Pine Mountain hoping to make some headway so that the entire ride would not need to be made in a single day.  I made a difficult 4 miles of progress, climbing 2000' in the process.

On Friday morning I hit the road early hoping to make some distance before the heat of the day arrived.  This was a good move as the first 4-5 miles were still quite uphill.  There were some birds around here and there, about 10 miles into the ride I found a pair of Lawrence's Goldfinches feeding by the side of the road.  This is a new species for the year, so that helped to raise my spirits.  The scenery was pretty nice too:

View looking West, Santa Ynez Valley in the distance.

The last weather report I had before departure was 20% chance of rain.  At the last point of phone reception, I got a text stating a flash flood watch was in effect for the area I was heading to.  Hmmm.  Late in the morning a few clouds began building over the mountains and I was glad for the shade.  At this point I was running low on water and food so made a decision to stop and wait for the rest of the team (who were driving) when I was down to 1/2 bottle of water.

Right about this time the team was being informed by the Forest Service that they would not be permitted to make the trip due to the threatening weather.  Peter called and left a message on my phone, but of course there was no reception to be found so I did not get it until the next day.

I arrived at Bluff Camp around noon with my 1/2 bottle of water and 1 remaining energy bar.  This seemed like an ideal place to wait since it actually had the one and only building along the entire road to Big Pine Mountain.  As the clouds and thunder built overhead I wandered the property checking out the birds and flowers.  I found a large water tank with the label "Non-Potable Water" but the water actually seemed clear and clean.  There were also some very nice flowers around, which I believe to be a type of Mariposa Lily:

Shortly thereafter it began to rain.  Then it began to hail.  Then it began to REALLY rain, the likes of which I have not seen in quite some time.  The hail covered the ground, except in those areas where it was being swept away by moving water.  And lucky me was standing high and dry in the porch of the only building for many miles in any direction.  Running out of water turned out to be the best thing that happened to me that day.  I took advantage of the rain and collected some rainwater from the roof to drink.  It tasted a little leafy but otherwise good.  I thought I'd save the "Non-Potable" water for when I really need it.

Forest Service building at Bluff Camp - Shelter From The Storm

When the rest of the group failed to arrive late in the afternoon I figured the road may not be passable.  I decided to spend the night and head back the next morning, holding onto my energy bar for the next day.  After the storm passed a beautiful evening ensued.  The local birds came out to play, including a very chatty Phainopepla with quite a vocabulary.

I arose early the next morning and hit the road after filling my water containers with the "Non-Potable" water.  At the first switchback above the camp I had a close encounter with 6 Mountain Quail, a bird that had to this point managed to avoid me in Santa Barbra County.  Another bird for the year and a good start! 

For the next 2.5 hours I made steady progress towards civilization, nibbling on my energy bar along the way.  I was not really paying much attention to the birds, just trying to keep focus and make steady progress.  When I reached a point with cellphone reception I called home and requested a pickup near the Upper Oso Campground (and bring food!).  Having spent 24 hours with little food and limited water I thought it would not be prudent to attempt to ride the rest of the way home.  I also checked in with Peter to let him know I was on the way and all was well.  The rest of the ride was pleasantly downhill!  Overall this was probably the most difficult ride I have ever done.

So the two birds I saw do not technically meet the requirements of my Green Big Year since I got a ride part of the way home.  But for now anyway, I am counting them.  I EARNED those birds!

After the addition of these 2 species, the year's total stands at 231.

On this excursion I rode a total of 66.2 miles

More later,

Glenn

Day 160 - Preparing for Big Pine Mountain

I have spent the last few days preparing for my upcoming journey to Big Pine Mountain, where I have been invited by Peter Gaede to participate in the annual field trip there.  He has kindly taken an interest in my little adventure, and this should be a big boost for the year's species total.

This is very exciting for several reasons:  First, it is an area of Santa Barbara County I have never been to.  Second, it is far from the coast and at high elevation (above 6000 feet), an environment I have yet to visit during the Green Big Year.  I am hoping there will be loads of birds there I have not yet seen this year - and possibly a few I have not yet seen ever.  Lastly, this will be by far the most challenging ride I have undertaken this year.

Since it is a huge climb to get to Big Pine Mountain, I am planning a two-stage effort to get there.  The first day I will ride from home over San Marcos Pass to Upper Oso Campground near the Santa Ynez River.  You may recall I did this back in April - but this time I will be on my mountain bike as the road from Upper Oso to Big Pine Mountain is dirt.  After spending the night at Upper Oso I will depart early and ride to Big Pine Mountain where I will meet the rest of the group.

The ride from Upper Oso to Big Pine is only about 25 miles, but it is a climb of over 5,000 feet so I expect it will take awhile to get there!  Since this section will be downhill on the way home, I plan on making the entire return trip in one day.

A couple of days ago it was 100 degrees back along the Santa Ynez River, but amazingly it has been raining here most of the day today, with Big Pine Mountain receiving over 1" of rain.  This is remarkable for this time of year.  Thankfully the forecast looks good for the next few days.

Wish me luck.

Route From Upper Oso To Big Pine Mountain

Elevation Profile From Upper Oso To Big Pine Mountain

Stay Tuned,
Glenn