Date: 4/27/26 9:13 am From: 'Pete Sole' via mbbirds <mbbirds...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Natural Bridges
Hi birders,
To add a bit of color to Phil's fun report.
There were some Pacific Loon flocks floating on the water. But low near
the horizon, the loons were almost a continuous flying stream. My low
ball guess as of the number of loons flying by, for the hour and 15
minutes we were there, was some 2000 birds. Interestingly, the loons
seemed to flying north west, heading */INTO/* the storm front coming our
way. We left as it started to rain, but the stream of loons was still
going.
Interestingly, the Cliff Swallows, numbering easily over 100 birds,
seemed to be flying away from the approaching storm front.
Fun morning indeed,
Pete Solé
On 4/27/26 7:49 AM, Phil Brown wrote:
> Yesterday morning I ventured out to the overlook at Natural Bridges,
> where I found Pete Sole who like me had gone there in the forlorn hope
> of seeing a booby. Everything at first seemed very quiet with few
> birds to see, notably there were no Cormorants on the rock bridge and
> no nests either -perhaps washed away in the storm. As we chatted it
> became clear that there was a big movement of loons going North so I
> did haul out my scope and started birding in earnest.
> Most of the loons were Pacific Loons with a few Red-Throated scattered
> amongst them, and there were flocks of Common Murres interspersed with
> the loons. We were then joined by Paul Heady's daughter and a friend
> of hers and so we shared what we were seeing with them.
> Shortly after this a nice flock of Brant geese went by, easy to pick
> out with their white butts. There was a raft of Pacific Loons on the
> water that we could scope for a view that was less transitory, There
> were plenty of squeaky Pigeon Guillemots to view as well. Pelagic and
> Brant Cormorants, Caspian and Elegant Terns, Brown Pelicans, Western
> Grebes (no Clark's) and a single Marbled Murrelet completed our seabirds.
> We also pointed out a Great Egret standing on the kelp, and a Snowy
> Egret on the beach.
> A Western Gull was collecting nesting material so I included the
> California breeding bird project on my ebird list.
> We scoped the rocky shelves and saw Black Turnstones in breeding
> plumage (signified by the addition of a white dot at the base of their
> beaks), and a couple of Black Oystercatchers reminded us of last weeks
> club meeting.
> Pete then noticed that behind us a large flock of Cliff Swallows was
> going South, and I spotted a single Vaux's Swift amongst them (sadly
> did not manage to get anyone else on it).
> A morning that started so inauspiciously turned into quite the birding
> bonanza.
> Phil Brown
>
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