Date: 11/21/24 8:54 pm From: Nick Lethaby via groups.io <nlethaby...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Longspur-less vigil and Ocean Park
All,
After a lot of umming and ahhing, I ended up driving out to the Cuyama today with the express purpose of watching the Horned Lark flocks drinking at the sewage pond. A two and quarter hour effort failed to turn up any longspurs. A nice male Merlin (possibly a Prairie Merlin as quite pale blue) and a male Mountain Bluebird were the only birds of note. I had another different Merlin along Perkins Rd, along with a Vesper Sparrow.
I dropped by Ocean Park on the way back. My hope was that the blackbird flock feeding in the cattle lot would head over to roost in the tules by the estuary and enable me to tick off Tricolored and YH Blackbirds for the SYRE. While both these species remain at the cattle feed lot, the blackbirds showed little inclination to head over to the riverside tules and might just be roosting on the telephone wires by the lot. I didn't spend much time checking the actual river mouth but did find a female Greater Scaup (not annual here).
Nick Lethaby Goleta, CA <nlethaby...> +1 805 284 6200
