I'm almost embarrassed to submit this report--it pales in comparison to the good stuff seen at La Cumbre Peak the past two days. I was happy to witness the spectacle of the Nutcracker migration on Monday but now there are other things worth seeking out there.
But I had only a few hours to bird this morning so I decided to check out the pines, a known haven for montane birds in irruption years. It was a shock when I arrived to find that approximately half the pines in the area have been cut down. Perhaps this happened over a year ago--I was not able to bird much this past fall, winter, and spring, so didn't go there before today. Indeed the stumps of the pines that were on the south side of the entrance road were not fresh and the shrubs and other plants that have been put in their stead are definitely well established. However, at least four pines have also been removed from the grove on Ortega Ridge Lane, and these cuts look recent. The grove well up the hill on Ortega Ranch Road has also been thinned.
So I wasn't particularly optimistic about finding more than a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches, but I ended up with at least a dozen. I was also surprised by a Mountain Chickadee in the Ortega Ridge Lane Grove. A few warblers were working the tipu trees on Ortega Ridge Lane: Wilson's, Orange-crowned, Common Yellowthroat, and a Warbling Vireo.
This spot has been a magnet for Red Crossbills in irruption years, so I'm hopeful that it will still be the case this year.
After leaving Ortega Ridge, I went down to Carpinteria Creek where I picked up the previously reported Northern Waterthrush near the end of Sixth Street.
Florence Sanchez
