Date: 11/19/24 1:44 pm From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [pen-bird] coastal notes 11/18/24 - geese, owls, Swamp Sparrow, cont. "rare" warblers et al
Yesterday, 11/18/24 I spent the day birding various locations along the San Mateo County Coast in the area of Pescadero and a couple of late afternoon stops south of Half Moon Bay. Some bird observations I found of note:
Greater White-fronted Goose - one flew over the town of Pescadero mid-morning, one was with Canada and Cackling Geese in the tilled fields of Cowell Ranch in the late afternoon
Brant - a total of (4) were noted flying by north during a seawatch from near Bean Hollow SB in the morning
Cackling Goose (Aleutian) - (7) touched down in the tilled fields of Cowell Ranch in the late afternoon with Canada Geese and the aforementioned White-fronted
Common Gallinule - Marty Freeland's great find continued on the west portion of Lake Lucerne
Burrowing Owl - one is likely attempting to winter in the uplands of Pescadero Marsh, I can share a more precise location with CBC counters for that section
Short-eared Owl - continued at Wavecrest in the early evening, emerging to forage approximately 35-40 minutes after sunset
White-throated Sparrow - one was with a mixed sparrow near the gardens behind Duarte's Tavern in "Downtown" Pescadero
SWAMP Sparrow - with a mixed flock along Artichoke Rd. a few dozen meters west of jct w/Bean Hollow Rd.
Tricolored Blackbirds - a flock of about (60) was along Pescadero Rd. about halfway between Water Lane and "downtown"
"Celata" Orange-crowned Warbler - tentative ID of a darb gray-headed Orange-crown with white throat along Pescadero Rd. across from R&R Farm. A rather measly total of only (5) Orange-crowns were noted in a big loop around town mid-morning
NASHVILLE Warbler - almost certainly one (of two?) continuing in Pescadero although at a slightly different location where the others had been seen. This bird was in the blooming ornamental eucalyptuses along the driveway to the Pescadero Inn at the jct of North Street and Stage Rd.
WILSON'S Warbler - very likely the continuing bird first reported by Marty F. a few days back, still along Butano Creek but yesterday a few hundred meters north of the original location along the Pescadero Marsh trail within sight of the bridge
Numbers of expected/common species seemed particularly low yesterday including only singles of things like Downy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Cedar Waxwing, Varied Thrush.
