Clare's First BY

[campsafari2015]

118) Pacific-sloped Flycatcher - 30 March 

 

[campsafari2015]

119) Eurasian Collared-Dove - 30 March 

 

[campsafari2015]

120) Cooper's Hawk - 31 March 

 

Juvenile

 

 

Adult

 

[campsafari2015]

And that wraps up March! Only birds sighted and not pictured (yet) are a Franklin's Gull, which was a rarity here and I only took cell pictures with it because it was in a really gross pond area with a bazillion domestic birds eating bread . The other is a Pacific Loon, which I see often out on whale watch/birding trips, but never have great photos of...mission for the pelagic trip this fall, I guess! (eBird total through March = 139). 

 

And just for funsies, here is our famous harbor! 

 

[Soukous]

I've never even heard of a Violet Green Swallow before. I'd love to see one.

[Galana]

Congratulations on your first 100 and a nice bird to achieve it with. Like @Soukous it was a new one on me.

[Zim Girl]

Congratulations on a very quick first century - lovely new additions!

[roseclaw]

Thank you for doing this! I was supposed to go out west twice this year. The first time to Utah, Wyoming, and Montana in May, and the second time this fall to the PNW. Haven't cancelled the PNW trip just yet.... but it will probably be cancelled. I'm envious of your pelagics! 

[michael-ibk]

Congratulations, a very impressive score already! Very interesting to see all these US birds. American Barn Swallows seem to be much more reddish than ours.

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on the first 100. At this speed I'll probably add my congrats for the double century tomorrow :). As others have stated: a beautiful Green and Violet Swallow and I also love your Bell's  Sparrow series!

[Dave Williams]

I think we are all a bit taken aback by the Violet-green Swallow. What a stunning looking bird, wish we had some as good looking as that over here! Well done on the ton, I agree with Peter, 200 won't be long I don't think!!

 

[xelas]

Congratulations

[campsafari2015]

@Soukous, @Galana, @PeterHG, and @Dave Williams I found it to be shocking too! I've seen them zipping around since moving to California, but never still and in the sun like that. 

 

Thanks all! I spent the last few days trying to add to the tally, rather than reviewing it. So, I'll get back to it now. 

 

As many of you know/experienced (probably for longer because the US dawdled for so long), mid-March meant lockdowns. All of a sudden, there was a lot more backyard birding and sightings from thereon out are restricted to my county. Monterey County is about 3770 sqmi...so bigger than Cyprus, but smaller than Lebanon (it is facts like this that remind me how big the country really is. Anyway. 

 

121) Rufous Hummingbird - a fall/spring migrant (sorry the second is through the window and screen)

 

 

 

 

[campsafari2015]

122) Savannah Sparrow 

 

[campsafari2015]

123) American Goldfinch - 3 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

124) Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 3 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

125) Hooded Merganser - 3 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

126) Wilson's Warbler - 10 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

127) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 10 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

128) Orange-crowned Warbler - 11 April 

 

[campsafari2015]

129) Ring-necked Duck - 11 April 

 

Many people think Ring-billed Duck would be more appropriate as the rusty colored ring is very rarely apparent. 

 

[campsafari2015]

130) Lawrence's Goldfinch - 17 April 

 

These are my favorite yardbirds. They're quite unobtrusive and do not come to feeders. Mine come in for a drink and a bath several times a day. They also eat the seed on my weeds if I fail to cut them down. 

 

 

 

[campsafari2015]

131) Lazuli Bunting - 29 April

 

Feel peeved at myself that this is the only photo I have of them. The males are astonishingly beautiful (as their name would imply). But, I forgot my battery the day I saw them all over our chosen walking trail, and I didn't get back to the area for a while after that and they'd all stopped being on full display. 

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by campsafari2015

[campsafari2015]

For anyone keeping track at home of the eBirded versus not pictured, the below list is the shortfall:

 

Black Vulture*

Bald Eagle*

Blue Jay*

Red-bellied Woodpecker*

Carolina Chickadee*

European Starling

California Quail (actually saw these today, but they're too fast for me!)

Common Raven (saw these today, but driving  ) 

Whimbrel

Herring Gull

Ancient Murrelet

California Towhee

Snowy Egret

Rock Pigeon

White-tailed Kite

Cinnamon Teal

Steller's Jay

Great-tailed Grackle

White-throated Swift

Franklin's Gull

Pacific Loon

 

The * marks those I probably won't get the chance to "recover" this year. 

 

eBird Total as of 30 April 2020: 152!!

 

 

 

  

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by campsafari2015

[Galana]

2 hours ago, campsafari2015 said:

Many people think Ring-billed Duck would be more appropriate as the rusty colored ring is very rarely apparent. 

And I am one of them. We get them as vagrants and often overlooked as "Tufted!"

Love the Wilson's Warbler.