Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Glossy Ibis at Green Pond, Northampton County ~ May 2, 2015

While walking the Plainfield Recreation Trail, I ran into Kathy Sieminski, who mentioned that she had some Eastern Meadowlarks just up the road from the trail. I followed her up to the spot along Benders Church Road and saw them flying over the field when we pulled up. Kathy left while I slowly drove around the area. At one point, a Grasshopper Sparrow sang from a perch along the road.

On the way back home, I decided to stop at the flooded field by Green Pond to see what the water level was and what was there. The area had really shrunk in size since the last time I was there and was quickly drying up. A quick scan with binoculars revealed a bunch of yellowlegs and what appeared to be Least Sandpipers with them. So, I got out my scope and starting checking them out. I came up with 15 Lesser and 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Solitary Sandpipers, and 45 Least Sandpipers. I decided to do a second sweep to see if I'd missed anything amongst the stubble and surprisingly found a Glossy Ibis, which must have dropped in while I was scanning. I made sure that it wasn't a White-faced Ibis and then started to call another birder about it when the bird took off and headed due west. I quicked grabbed my camera and managed to get a few silhouetted shots as it left the area.

So, the bird was there no more than five minutes! It was definitely a case of "right place, right time."

Monday, May 11, 2015

California - Vancouver, BC Trip ~ April 25-26, 2015

Doing pelagic trips on rocking and rolling boats is a real struggle in my case. Bending over the side and staring at the water rather than watching the birds is not my idea of fun. So when I heard that huge cruise ships made trips up the entire Pacific and were steady enough that I could use a scope on the deck, I was extremely interested. The Holland America cruise that I had booked would leave San Diego and travel non-stop all the way up to Vancouver, British Columbia---creating what would be the equivalent of a 3-day pelagic. The plan was to fly out two days before the ship's departure. That way, if there happened to be a 'lifer' somewhere within driving distance, I would try for it. If not, I would spend the time birding in the mountains and the desert east of there.

In the early morning of the 25th, I made the drive to the Philadelphia Airport and flew on United Airlines to San Diego with one stop in Chicago. I picked up my rental car in the mid-afternoon and headed for the Laguna Mountains, about an hour east of San Diego. The weather steadily got worse as rain driven by gusts to 40 mph became the 'norm' when I reached the Back Country Inn Motel near the town of Manzanita, where I would stay the next two nights.



Early on the 26th, I drove down through the pass on I-8 and headed north on Highway 'S2' towards Agua Caliente Regional Park, a desert oasis nestled against the foothills.

Along the way, a young Coyote crossed the road with its parent and paused just long enough for me to get a photo.

Along the park's entrance road, I found Cactus Wren, Blue Grosbeak, and this Black-tailed Gnatcatcher.

Just inside the park, a White-winged Dove perched for a photo.

There was a good number of warblers in the mesquite. I managed to get fairly good photos of Yellow Warbler, the "Audubon's" form of Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a very cooperative Wilson's Warbler.



One bird I hadn't seen in years and was hoping to get a photo of was Costa's Hummingbird. I ended up seeing several with their "Yosemite Sam" gorgets.

A Verdin posed on branch and, later, one was seen feeding a young one.


Just uphill from the camping area, I found a Yellow-breasted Chat and a MacGillvray's Warbler.


Back down in the camping area, a Greater Roadrunner was trotting from site to site.

A Nashville Warbler was feeding among a few Orange-crowneds.

A female Phainopepla and its young were back out near the entrance sign, and just outside the park was a male.


On the way back out to 'S2', I spotted a California Quail right beside the road.

Other notable birds seen at the park were Say's Phoebe, Bell's Vireo, Common Raven, Canyon Wren, California Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Townsend's Warbler, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brewer's Blackbird, and Scott's, Hooded, and Bullock's Orioles.

I left the park and headed for Jacumba Hot Springs to see if I could get upgraded photos of Tricolored Blackbird, which I definitely did.


While doing that, I met another birder who gave me directions to a spot in town with a couple mulberry trees that held about a dozen Western Tanagers.


I was really surprised to also find an Evening Grosbeak there, too!

I got back on I-8 and headed west, getting off at the Kitchen Creek Road exit. About three miles up Kitchen Creek Road, I stopped and birded the area around the bridge over the creek. A first-year Lazuli Bunting was there as was an Ash-throated Flycatcher.


I also found another bird that I had never been able to get photos of before----Lawrence's Goldfinch. One bird was pretty much oblivious to my presence.





Also found there were Western Bluebird, Western Scrub-Jay, and California Towhee.




Additional birds found by the bridge included Black Phoebe, Cliff Swallow, Warbling Vireo, Bushtit, Wilson's, Townsend's, and Orange-crowned Warblers, Black-chinned Sparrow, and Lesser Goldfinch.

A Black-headed Grosbeak was seen farther up the road at the Cibbets Flat Campground.

Other birds seen at the campground included Acorn and Nutall's Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Oak Titmouse, and Spotted Towhee.

Up near the gated end of the road, a Black-throated Gray Warbler posed for me.

As daylight waned, I headed back to Manzanita for some food and the motel.

California - Vancouver, BC Trip ~ April 27, 2015

The morning was spent birding the Sunrise Highway in the Laguna Mountains. I started at Wooded Hill Road where I heard but didn't see Mountain Quail. At the end of the road by the bathrooms, I was happy to find a Hermit Warbler that was working the sunny side of the pines.


Mountain Chickadees were also in the area.


Just past Mount Laguna, I stopped to take a couple photos of Storm Canyon.


Across the road was evidence of a major fire that occurred back in 2003.

These photos were taken on the way back down the Sunrise Highway.



I drove back to San Diego and picked up Paul Lehman, a fantastic birder who would be leading the WINGS tour on the cruise ship. After dropping off Paul and the rental car, I walked back to the pier where the ship was docked.

After settling into the tiny stateroom, I went up on deck to bird as we headed past Point Loma and out into the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, we saw Ospreys (the aircraft, not the bird) landing on the deck of a Navy ship.

Birds seen along the way out of the harbor included 'Black' Brant, Surf Scoter, Common and Pacific Loons, Brown Pelican, Brandt's and Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egrets, Black Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Western and California Gulls, and Royal and Elegant Terns. Additional birds noted in ocean waters included Northern Fulmar, Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwater, Black Storm-Petrel, and Red-necked Phalarope.