A Great Summer of Birds

This week I completed (sadly) my last full week of bird banding here in northern California. We went out to my 2 favorite sites located in Lassen National Forest in the Sierra Mountains. The sites were still a bit smoky from the 6200 acre wildfire that burned through the park last week as a result of a lightning strike. Nonetheless, the sites were as birdy as usual and we banded 90 birds at Big Springs with just 2 people. One particular half hour net run yielded 42 birds!! Highlights for this week include: American White Pelicans at Balm Lake, Sandhill Cranes at Burney Meadow, Evening Grosbeaks at Big Springs and another Gray Flycatcher banded at Burney Meadow.





The offshore team this week spotted 5 Juvenile Marbled Murrelets, and found and photographed a LONGBILLED MURRELET; an Unbelievable find!!! (Vagrant bird native to China, Japan and Korea) This photo is provided courtesy of Elias Elias. (left - Marbled Murrelet, Right - Long-billed Murrelet)



Banding Lists:
Burney Meadow
Spotted Towhee 4
Oregon Junco 14
Nashville Warbler 1
Black-throated Grey Warbler 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1
Western Wood Pewee 4
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Mountain Chickadee 1
Purple Finch 5
Western Tanager 2
GRAY FLYCATCHER 1
Black-headed Grosbeak 2
total birds = 42

Big Springs
Song Sparrow 5
Oregon Junco 19
Wilson's Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 8
Mountain Chickadee 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 17
Orange-crowned Warbler 4
Hermit Warbler 8
Warbling Vireo 1
Macgillivray's Warbler 3
Lazuli Bunting 3
Purble Finch 5
Cassin's Vireo 1
Western Tanager 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Fox Sparrow (Thick-Billed) 3
Black-headed Grosbeak 1
American Robin 2
WILLOW FLYCATCHER 3
Rufous Hummingbird 2
total birds = 90

Stiener Flat
wilsons warbler 1
macgillavrays warbler 3
yellow warbler 1
spotted towhee 1
western flycatcher 3
song sparrow 3
total birds = 12

Salmon Creek
Song Sparrow 11
total birds = 11

In other news, shorebirds are showing up in tremendous numbers here in Humboldt Bay. I estimated over 5000 marbled godwits and 10,000 western/least sandpipers on the flats in front of my house. Other new migrants are showing up as well including American Avocets, Wandering Tattlers, Surfbirds, and Red-Necked Phalaropes. Near my home there is a Jetty that sticks way out into the Pacific Ocean.



This Jetty is a hotspot for birders who want to make the long trek out with their scope. In two separate trips last Friday and this Friday I tallied:

surfbird 125
WANDERING TATTLER 6
black turnstone 45
double crested cormorant 15
pelagic cormorant 2
brandts cormorant 8
Elegant Tern 125
forsters tern 3
common loon 2
PARASITIC JAEGER 2
SHEARWATER SPP. 1
heermans gull 8
western gull 35
MARBLED MURRELET 1
common murre 20
sanderling 650
western sandpiper 1200
least sandpiper 1
brown pelican 40
barn swallow 5
western grebe 3
surf scoter 1

Wandering Tattler at North Spit Jetty - Samoa, CA

Black Turnstone at North Spit Jetty - Samoa, CA

Western Sandpipers and Sanderlings at North Spit Jetty - Samoa, CA

Elegant Tern diving at North Spit Jetty - Samoa, CA

Whimbrel seen at Clam Beach - Mckinleyville, CA

Barn Swallow - Arcata Marsh - Arcata, CA

Juvenile Tree Swallow - Arcata Marsh - Arcata, CA

Red-necked Phalarope - Arcata Marsh - Arcata, CA

It has been a great summer filled with amazing birds, and stunning northern California scenery. I am grateful to have had this experience and it has only solidified my love of birds and wildlife. It has been a pleasure to work with so many talented biologists and interns who are working so hard to monitor bird populations and assist in their protection. Special thanks to Dr. C John Ralph, Dr. Sherri Miller, Pablo Hererra, Jared Wolfe, Lucy Rowe, Amber Carver, David Haines, Lola Morgan-Outhisack, Maia Lipschutz, Leslie Tucci, Laurie Neville, Vincente Slabe, Elias Elias, Moe Morrisette, Brian Odonell, Linda Long, and all the folks at the Redwood Sciences Laboratory, the Klamath Bird Observatory, and the Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory as well as anyone who I forgot. This will be my last post related to bird banding in California. I look forward to returning to Maryland to see my friends and family and as always, to continue to observe and photograph birds in nature. I will continue to update this blog periodically related to Maryland birding. I have also began to post photos on my flickr! site for anyone who wants to see more bird pictures. Hope you enjoy!!! Chris's Bird Pics