Thanks to some fast juggling action by Ryanne Bee and Mark Holmgren we had a very successful count. Yesterday we found out the lake was closed to boats and the gates were all closed on the mountain. But coordinators and counters were flexible and we found some birds. Without all the lists in, we are at 141 species.
Dave Compton found a new bird for the count, a Costa's Hummingbird! And Peter Schneekloth had a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Other good birds found were Greater White Fronted Goose, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Black Crowned Night Heron, Common Poorwill, Vermillion Flycatcher, and Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
Some possible misses are Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tree Swallow, Ring-billed Gull, Sora and Least Sandpiper.
All in all, for a day that did not feel really birdy to many of us, we did alright. It will be interesting to see if the actual numbers of birds is lower than in past years.
Thanks to everyone who counted, to those who let us count on their land, and to the folks who just tagged along.
Cruz PhillipsLas Cruzitas Ranch
