Date: 12/6/25 3:30 pm From: Conor McMahon via groups.io <conormcmahon22...> Subject: [sbcobirding] More CBC Scouting - 2x SUTA, WIWA, etc.
Hi all,
I scouted a few more places in Goleta this morning for the CBC along one of my favorite bike-birding routes - looping from my house near LLC east to Patterson, then down Maria Ygnacio, west along Atascadero, and back north on Glen Annie.
The sweet gums along Valdez, Parkhurst, Carlo Dr, and Berkeley Rd. are pulling in flocks of finches again. I tried looking through all the American and Lesser Goldfinches for any of their Siskin congener buddies, without success today. I haven't heard any Siskins at my house either so far this fall, which I usually do in years when there's good numbers around, but I still often find a few mixed into these sweet gum flocks even in off years, so it's worth trying again on count day.
After the sweet gums, I checked San Jose Creek near Berkeley Rd, and didn't find anything unusual there. Then I went to Patterson Open Space, where I had a Summer Tanager in the blue gums. This bird was all yellow, so I guess a different individual than the one which wintered there last year. Otherwise, there were a lot of flowering blue gums but not that many birds. I ran into some people doing a monarch survey who said they were having similar luck with the butterflies.
I went on from there down Maria Ygnacio Creek to Atascadero, then west to Ward Dr. There was a spiffy Wilson's Warbler towards the east end at Patterson, and another yellow Summer Tanager to the west just before the woodland ends near Ward. The Myoporum hedge was fruiting and patchily birdy, and it was a little late in the day at this point, so there might be other stuff lurking in there too.
I spent a couple minutes on a cursory check of a few tipus in the Calle Real marketplace lot when I stopped there for lunch. They definitely had some warblers, but I didn't stay long and didn't notice anything unusual. If anyone has the patience to tolerate birding this busy complex of parking lots it could be worth a check.
