Date: 10/20/24 3:48 pm From: Aidan Sinha via groups.io <aidansinha...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] Sprague's Pipit report in Monterey County
All,
Steve Tucker reported a Sprague's Pipit at Salinas River NWR in Monterey County earlier today. This appears to be the first SPPI record in coastal northern CA (excluding several Farallon Islands reports). He sent the following to MBB:
" About an hour ago I found and photographed a Sprague’s Pipit on the trail
next to the saline pond at 36.7360025, -121.8011374
After generously flying over to me and landing right in the middle of the
open trail, the pipit flew off to the south, calling as it went. If anyone
attempts to relocate it I recommend getting familiar with SPPI flight calls
first."
Date: 10/9/24 9:28 am From: wagtail1997 via groups.io <orcorba...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] Finally a Juvenile Jetty Black Oystercatcher at Dana Point CA
The southernmost U.S. confirmed nesting of Black Oystercatchers is from Dana Point, CA. It's not from a conventional rocky intertidal habitat but from a Jetty. Given the human activity in the area, it is a rare event when parent birds on the breakwater can bring any member of their clutch to a juvenile stage. On behalf of Dawn Garcia and I, we wanted you to know that the Dana Point Black Oystercatcher chick, first seen on August 21st, against all odds, has now fledged. We have spent at least 26 days from that date to Oct. 3rd observing the family group. We documented the growth of the chick with photos and videos. Dawn also photographed another juvenile on Sept. 27th at the Ocean Institute. To inform people of our effort, I have put together two YouTube videos...Video 1 on the species status & biology, habitat stresses with videos of some harrowing encounters of the jetty chick , history of the breakwater and BLOY presence in Orange County, and a photo spread of its summer development. Please see: https://youtu.be/3eaRUnO1emw (48:16 minutes). Video 2 is mostly video based and documents the development and behavior of the family group and calculates the home range on the jetty of the fledgling. See: https://youtu.be/SB8BwCtYEcw (52:54). Enjoy!
Joel Weintraub
Dana Point, CA
Date: 9/24/24 12:17 pm From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] tamarisks, exotics, etc.
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Paul Lehman <lehman.paul...>To: <sandiegoregionbirding...> <sandiegoregionbirding...>Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 11:57:24 AM PDTSubject: tamarisks and the B&B
The now being destroyed tamarisk trees at the San Diego Bird&Butterfly Garden are the major reason for cover, shade, and seasonal food found there, and have been for over 50 years. Also the nesting sites for a bunch of birds including Western Flycatchers and Lawrence's Goldfinches. But not all "tamarisks" are the same. These trees are Athel Tamarisks, and they typically were planted in rows many decades ago as wind breaks, and they are unlike the more brushy, truly invasive salt cedar (also a type of tamarisk). Once you plant these trees, there are the same rows present decades later. These Athel Tamarisks were actually one of the best migrant and vagrant traps in fall in all of Southern California, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, since the 1960s, when Guy McCackie discovered their value here in San Diego. The reason they were so attractive in fall for insectivores was that they were full of a small green insect at that season called "leafhoppers," which the warblers, vireos, and flycatchers loved eating. They were very productive from the 1960s to about the 1990s, but many rows from Santa Barbara to San Diego were subsequently cut down, and the remaining ones lost most of their annual leafhopper crop for reasons largely unknown (except perhaps in Ventura County where still fairly good). The trees at the B&B still supported just small numbers of leafhoppers up to the present, and this fall there may have even been a small resurgence, as I was easily able to find some on the needles, and there had been an uptick the past couple weeks in use of the trees by Warbling Vireos, etc. Interestingly, Athel Tamarisk rows out in the desert tend not to support leafhoppers or very many birds, except occasionally, and they do suck up a bunch of groundwater. Desert groves of more brushy saltcedar also suck up a bunch of groundwater and are highly invasive, though they do seasonally support a good number of insects and insectivore passerines (unlike what the Moab, Utah, missive states), but are fairly sterile at other seasons.
Before becoming the Bird & Butterfly Garden as part of the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, the property was privately owned and known as "Myer's Ranch," and birders had access to it for many years. It was during these years that it really produced the lion's share of vagrant records in fall, including a number of first state records.
Unfortunately, some folks in high places seem to want to remove anything non-native, even if it is highly used by birds or other wildlife (e.g., butterflies). Many of these folks have little knowledge of wildlife use by various exotic species, some don't seem to know the difference between exotic (non-native) and invasive, and of course many of the biological "consulting" companies who are consulting and even doing the actual removal have a financial stake in getting these sorts of projects to work on. No, I am not suggesting we keep planting a bunch of exotics everywhere, but before we cut them all down and replace them with dirt or low-use vegetation, perhaps we can prioritize which plants have high wildlife value and which do not, which are truly invasive (such as the Arundo (Giant Reed) in parts of the TRV that are choking out native veg, but seemingly little is being done about it) and which are not, and in making sure that re-vegetation projects actually follow through with keeping the new plantings alive rather than set up an irrigation system for them which goes into disrepair after a year and many of the new plants end up dying...... Not that I have any opinions on the subject!!
Date: 9/22/24 11:11 am From: Bob Barnes via groups.io <bbarnes...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] LOCATION CORRECTION!
All,
I totally messed up!
The wagtail is at 35.6755279, -118.3850737 at HANNING FLAT at the NE corner of Isabella Reservoir. John Sterling said the photo with Sasha Robinson's and Annie Meyer's eBird list is "great!"
IMPORTANT: The bridge over the Sierra Way bridge over the South Fork Kern River is out. The way to get to Hanning Flat is from the community of Lake Isabella is north to the stop sign at Sierra Way in Kernville, then right on Sierra Way eventually above the shore of Isabella Reservoir to Hanning Flat which is the last recreation area before reaching the South Fork riparian forest.
Several Valley county birders are already on their way!
Right after sending out this email, I'll be wiping the egg off my face! 😁
Date: 9/22/24 10:45 am From: John Sterling via groups.io <jsterling...> Subject: Re: [CALBIRDS] KERN Eastern Yellow Wagtail
They posted a great photo on Facebook. Excellent find.
John Sterling
530 908-3836
26 Palm Ave
Woodland, CA 95695
> On Sep 22, 2024, at 10:36 AM, Bob Barnes <bbarnes...> wrote:
>
> County Birders:
>
> Just a few minutes ago I got a call from excellent birders Annie Meyer & Sasha Robinson that they had just found an EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL at Hanning Flat public access area on the south shore of Isabella Reservoir in the Kern River Valley. Hanning Flat is adjacent to and right below the north side of CA Hwy 178. This is right below the community of Mountain Mesa on the south side CA Hwy 178.
>
> Sashs said he will be submitting their eBird checklist soon with the coordinates listed where they found this bird listed.
>
> It is no surprise that this is a first report for Kern County and, no doubt my mind, soon to be officially accepted as such.
>
> Serving as the messenger,
>
> Bob Barnes, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA
>
> .
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 9/22/24 10:36 am From: Bob Barnes via groups.io <bbarnes...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] KERN Eastern Yellow Wagtail
County Birders:
Just a few minutes ago I got a call from excellent birders Annie Meyer & Sasha Robinson that they had just found an EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL at Hanning Flat public access area on the south shore of Isabella Reservoir in the Kern River Valley. Hanning Flat is adjacent to and right below the north side of CA Hwy 178. This is right below the community of Mountain Mesa on the south side CA Hwy 178.
Sashs said he will be submitting their eBird checklist soon with the coordinates listed where they found this bird listed.
It is no surprise that this is a first report for Kern County and, no doubt my mind, soon to be officially accepted as such.
