Date: 9/30/26 5:11 pm From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Buggy day at La Cumbre Peak, Sept. 30
Flies were everywhere, temperatures were warm growing to hot. I birded with my bug net on.
It was very slow birding. Once again, I missed the Evening Grosbeaks--no sight or sound of them.
Cassin's Finches were still present--a flock of about 25 landed in the dead pine below the Peak, then flew west and were not seen again. I heard a Pine Siskin for the first time.
I had 3 sightings of an individual Clark's Nutcracker that may all have been of the same bird. The first sighting was below the Peak, a single individual flying up the ridge. It flew past me on the north side of the mountain. About 20 minutes later, I had a single individual perched in the top of one of the most westernmost pines in the main grove on top. It eventually took off but didn't fly west; it flew over the road and then east along the north side of the ridge. About 20 minutes after that, I had one flying at tree level on the south side of the ridge. I was in the pines at that point so don't know if it kept on going or what.
I had no other Nutcrackers today so I wonder if a single bird might be staying over at this location.
I gave up at 10 and drove west on East Camino Cielo, keeping an eye out for any possible Pinyon Jays. No luck there. I did eventually spot two circling hawks close in at eye level south of the road. When I got close enough, I found they were a Cooper's Hawk and a very nice Broad-winged Hawk.
Florence Sanchez
PS--I visited the Bella Vista Road Hawk-watching site one afternoon last week and the place was DEAD. Not even the resident Red-tails, Turkey Vultures or Cooper's Hawks were out.
