Date: 10/7/26 11:38 am From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Santa Barara Birding Oct. 7.
Today I checked locations in the vicinity of the Beach. First stop was East Beach outfall. Resting gull flock was mostly Western Gulls, with a few California Gulls and one Heerman's Gull thrown in. About 66 Black Skimmers were also resting on the beach and with them a few terns (Royal and Elegant). The blocked creek pond had an abundance of Mallards and a few Black-bellied Plovers and Willets worked the Beach.
I moved on to Chase Palm Park, which had disappointingly few birds. From there I birded the Bird Refuge, where I found a lot of ducks at the Western end of the Lake. Species included Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal, and Ruddy Ducks. The two White-fronted Geese reported previously were still there and there were a few shorebirds, including Kildeer, Least Sandpipers, 2 Dunlins, and Black-necked Stilts.
Final stop was the Santa Barbara Cemetery. Unfortunately, landscape services were pruning and chipping in the oak grove area where a Chestnut-sided Warbler has been reported previously and I could only bird that area on the periphery. Rest of the facility was pretty quiet, but I had an unexpected flyer-over of two Merlins together.
Florence Sanchez
