Date: 9/4/24 2:51 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Some Piute Ponds notes (no rarities)
Birders,
The shorebird habitat situation at PIute Ponds continues to be dismal. For some reason there have been delays in watering up Duckbill Pond, and the other shallow pond areas are also completely dry. A few shorebirds were seen in flight today, but only a group of 3 Black-necked Stilts managed to find a place to land by the Ave C concrete spillway.
The willows and cottonwoods along Ave C continue to be good for landbird migrants, although numbers and variety were modest this morning. Of note was a juvenile Vermilion Flycatcher near the Ave C spillway, and a Vesper Sparrow east of Parking 1. The Nuttall's Woodpecker continues; this morning it was near the gazebo. My checklist for this morning is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S193984523
A word of warning -- there was a Mojave Rattlesnake right in the road east of Parking 1 (near the tallest willow). Evidently it didn't like me, as it coiled up and buzzed for several minutes and continued buzzing even after it slithered into the annual growth on the south side of the road. I say "warning" because we birders often step off into this kind of substrate to get better looks at birds in these willows. So be aware of where you step. I'm putting photos of the snake into iNaturalist, but they haven't uploaded yet.
