June 29 - Black Rail

I was very fortunate in seeing the Black Rail that has been at the South Cape May Meadows for the past several days. I got some very nice views as it ran across the path.




Credit final 3 images: Steve Kacir

June 20 - Robert Moses State Park

I took the ride out to eastern Long Island this morning to do some sea-watching. The results were good as I added a lifer (#593) in the Cory's Shearwater. I saw at least 3 of them today.

credit: http://web.me.com/birdmom/LI_Birds


Also seen were a few Greater Shearwaters:

credit: http://web.me.com/birdmom/LI_Birds


We also saw nearly a dozen of the Wilson's Storm Petrels:
credit: http://www.neseabirds.com/graphics/cicconewsp62808.jpg

June 7 - Ventura area

I stayed local today on my last morning of birding on this trip. Tomorrow is the long flight back home...

I stopped on the oceanfront at Mugu Rock and later hiked up part of Sandstone Peak on the advice of local guy and former Jersey native named Dave Perekstra. Thanks to him I added another lifer !

Pacific Loon (#592)

Brandt's Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Western Gull
Heerman's Gull
W Grebe
White-Throated Swift
Rock Wren

Red Tail hawk
Cal Quail
Modo
Anna's Hummer
Black Phoebe
W Scrub Jay
Raven
VG Swallow
WT Swift
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
Canyon Wren
Wrentit
Gnatcatcher
Mocker
Cal Thrasher
Black-Headed Grosbeak
Spotted Towhee
Cal Towhee
Black-Chinned Sparrow
Lesser Goldfinch

Eurasian Dove
Killdeer
TV
Least Tern

I dipped on the Sage Sparrow. I heard it sing twice but never got to see it, so I'll have to try again for this one some day in the future when I am out west again...

June 6 - SoCal Pelagic to Santa Cruz

The long-awaited pelagic trip took place today and there were fine results. I suspect that I won't ever have another day in North America where I get 6 life-birds !

All images copyright Jo McKenzie.

Birds seen today:

Black-Footed Albatross (#586)

Pink-Footed Shearwater (#587)

Sooty Shearwater (#588)

Brown Pelican
DC Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Black Oystercatcher
Forster's Tern
Western Gull
Heerman's Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Xantu's Murrelet (#589)

Cassin's Auklet (#590)
White-Throated Swift
Allen's Hummingbird
Pacific-Slope Fly
Black Phoebe
Ash-Throated Fly
Island Scrub-Jay (#591)

June 5 - Santa Barbara

I had only a few hours free today and the first hour was filled with showers. So there was more driving than birding today. I did get the Yellow-Billed Magpie as a lifer but dipped on the Chestnut-Backed Chickadee.

W Grebe
Brown Pelican
DC Corm
Brandt's Corm
TV
Red-Shoulder Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
Kestrel
Western Gull
Heerman's Gull
Royal Tern
Modo
Rodo
Anna's Hummer
Allen's Hummer
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttal's Woodpecker
Western Pewee
Pac-Slope Fly
Black Phoebe
W Kingbird
W Scrub Jay
Yellow-Billed Magpie (#585)

credit: http://k43.pbase.com/g6/73/614773/2/73377495.8XQFXW4t.jpg

Raven
Rough-Wing Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Oak Titmouse
W Bluebird
Robin
Mocker
Starlng
Cal Towhee
Song Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Oregon Junco
W Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Hooded Oriole
L Goldfinch

June 4 - Ventura

A long drive from the desert to the ocean but a very nice change of scenery. The ocean smells great !

House Finch
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Dove
Anna's Hummer
Western Gull
Heerman's Gull
Cal Gull
Glaucous-Winged Gull (#584)

Brandt's Cormorant
DC Corm
Brown Pelican
Common Tern
Cliff Swallow
Crow
Raven
Western Grebe - I stopped counting at 500 and there were easily several hundred more.

Tomorrow is north up to Santa Barbara...

June 3 - Salton Sea

In a word, overwhelming. A great day of birding, including a life bird yet I wonder how many species I also missed !

Temp was 108 while I was 226 feet below Sea Level.



Thousands and thousands of birds. An example is the baker's dozen of Long-Billed Curlews, or the hundreds of Caspian Terns.

Eared Grebe
Pied-Billed Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
White Pelican
Brown Pelican
DC Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Heron
White-Faced Ibis
Gadwall
Pintail
Shoveler
Redhead
Red-breasted Merganser
TV
Osprey
Kestrel
Gambel's Quail
Moorhen
Coot
Killdeer
Avocet
Black-necked stilt
Willet
LB Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Bonaparte's Gull
Cal. Gull
Yellow-Footed Gull (#583)

Caspian Tern
Elegant Tern
Royal Tern
Common Tern
Forsters Tern
Gull-Billed Tern
Black Tern
Skimmer
Modo
White-winged Dove
Eurasian collared Dove
Ground Dove
Roadrunner
Lesser Nighthawk
Black-Chin Hummer
Gila Woodpecker
W Pewee
Black Phoebe
Cassin's Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Raven
Crow
Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Verdin
Marsh Wren
Black-Tailed Gnat
Moclingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow warbler
Abert's Towhee
W Meadowlark
Cowbird
Yellow-Headed Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
House finch
House sparrow

And a few species of gulls were missed I am sure !

June 2 - Big Morongo / Joshua Tree

I dipped on the desert thrashers at Joshua Tree but saw some great birds nonetheless. The Costa's Hummer was gorgeous !

TV
Coopers
Kestrel
Gambels Quail
Modo
WT Swift
Anna's Hummer
Black-Chinned
Costa's

Nuttall's WP
Ladder-Backed WP
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Western Pewee
Vermillion Fly

Ash-Throated Fly
Brown-Crested Fly
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
"Least" Bell's Vireo
W Scrub Jay
Raven
Horned Lark
Oak Titmouse
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
W Bluebird
Swainson's Thrush
Cal Thrasher
Mockingbird
Starling
Phainopepla
Yellow Warbler
Western Tanager
Summer Tanager
Blue Grosbeak
Cal Towhee
Hooded Oriole
Scott's Oriole

Black Throated Sparrow
Lesser Goldfinch

Tomorrow Salton Sea....

June 1 - Upper San Jacinto

A return trip to the higher elevations saw morning temp of 39 degrees -- while it will be over 100 in the valley later today...


Great Blue Heron
Mallard
Red-tail
Kestrel
Cal Quail
Modo
Rodo
Black Swift
Black-Chinned Hummer
Acorn Woodpecker

Red-Breasted Sapsucker (#582)


Nuttall's Woodpecker
White-headed WP
Flicker
Olive-sided Fly
Western Pewee
Ash-Throated Fly
Black Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Stellar's Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Pinyon Jay
Raven
Crow
Violet-Green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Oak Titmouse
Mountain Chickadee
Pygmy Nutter

Bewick's Wren
Rock Wren
Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher
Western Bluebird
Robin
Mockingbird
Starling
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Black-Throated Gray warbler
Western Tanager
Black-Headed Grosbeak
Spotted Towhee
Cal. Towhee
Black-Throated Sparrow
Black-Chinned Sparrow
Oregon Junco
Western Meadowlark
Tri-colored Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Great-Tailed Grackle
Scott's Oriole
Cassin's Finch
Lawrence's Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch