California Pelagics (Part 2) - Sept 4th & 7th

More images from the Monterey Bay 'Shearwater Journeys' pelagic on September 7th, plus a couple of Black-vented Shearwater images taken on the crossing of the Santa Barbara Channel to Santa Cruz Island on September 4th.




Black-footed Albatross - A most successful trip with about 40 seen in all.



Ashy Storm-Petrels - A loose flock of around 350 birds, but somewhat surprisingly nothing else of note identified with them.


South Polar Skua - A good day with about 8 seen, none of which really lingered around the boat.



Black-vented Shearwaters - About 30 seen on both crossings of the Santa Barbara Channel to and from Santa Cruz Island.


More to follow from California.....


Best birding,


James.

California Pelagics (Part 1) - Sept 7th

All of the following are digi-bin images (Canon Powershot A560 with Leica 8 x 42 binoculars) taken on a very successful 'Shearwater Journeys' pelagic out of Monterey on September 7th. Each image can be enlarged by a single click.

Buller's Shearwater - Monterey Bay.






Pink-footed Shearwater selection - Images 2 through 6.


Sooty Shearwater - Monterey Bay.


More to come from this excellent trip.

Best birding,

James.

Hadley Sparrows - Sept 25th

A return visit to the riverside fields at Hadley found generally fewer warblers today but a major influx of sparrows, with 50 White-throated, 35 Song and about 4 Lincoln's Sparrows moving around in a roving flock. The damp, foggy conditions felt good for a warbler arrival but it wasn't to be, though the variety was still nice; 6 Yellow-rumped, 5 Blackpoll, 2 'Eastern' Palm, Chestnut-sided and Black-and-white Warblers, plus 3 American Redstarts and over a dozen Common Yellowthroats. There was also 3 each of Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos, 3 Scarlet Tanagers and a flyover Bobolink.

Lincoln's Sparrow - One of about four in the Hadley fields today.


Common Yellowthroat - Female, probably first-winter.


Common Yellowthroat - First-winter male.


On the Amherst bike path whilst walking with Matan - 7 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 3 Brown Thrashers, plus still plenty of Catbirds.

Best birding,

James.

Neighborhood Chestnut-sided - Sept 24th

Another beautiful fall day. Went out for a lovely neighborhood walk (N. Whitney Street, Amherst) in the morning with Matan in the stroller. Migrants seemed quite plentiful along the streets with 5 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 5 Black-throated Green Warblers, 3 Blackpolls and bird of the morning, a first-winter Chestnut-sided Warbler close to Wildwood School. Also of interest, Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 3 Eastern Phoebes and an Eastern Wood-Pewee, all foraging along the quieter streets.

These are all digi-bin shots;

Chestnut-sided Warbler - First-winter.

Black-throated Green Warbler -

Hadley migrants - Sept 22nd.

Had a nice run out to the Connecticut River at Hadley this morning, checking several scrubby tangles and field fringes. Nothing too exciting but good to be out in the morning watching migrants filter through the bushes. Most noteworthy were an Ovenbird, 2 Blackpoll Warblers, 3 Magnolia Warblers, 3 American Redstarts, 1 Black-and-White Warbler, 12+ Common Yellowthroats, 5 Red-eyed Vireos, 1 Blue-headed Vireo, 2 House Wrens and at least 6 White-throated Sparrows.

Magnolia Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler - Images 2 & 3. First-winter.

American Redstart - first-winter.

JPS

California notables (Birdfinders Sept '08).

First images from the recent, and highly successful, Birdfinders tour of Southern and Central California during September 3rd - 18th. This image set represents some of scarcer birds recorded on the tour, some of which we don't find every year, especially the depicted warblers.



Chestnut-sided Warbler - Images 1 - 3, Butterbredt Spring, Kern Co. September 12th.

Northern Waterthrush - Silver Saddle Resort, Kern Co. September 12th.


American Redstart - Images 5 & 6. One of three birds present at Butterbredt Spring, Kern Co. September 12th.



Semi-palmated Sandpiper - Images 7 & 8. Juvenile, Moonglow Dairy, Monterey Co. September 8th.


Baird's Sandpiper - Juvenile, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo Co. September 6th.


Ruff - Adult, Finney Lake WMA, Imperial Co., September 14th.


Large-billed Savannah Sparrow - Imperial Beach, San Diego Co. September 16th.


White-crowned Sparrow - Adult showing characteristis of Z.i. orianatha, Tuolumne Meadows, Tuolumne Co., September 10th.

Northern Pygmy-owl. Merced River, Mariposa Co., September 9th.

Reddish Egret - One of two present, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Orange Co. September 18th.

More images to follow from this excellent trip.

Best birding,


James.

A few more pics from Arizona (Birdfinders '08)

More images from the 2,500 mile tour of Arizona with Birdfinders.

California Condor - Grand Canyon, South Rim. 08/05/08.


Lucifer Hummingbird - Adult male, Ash Canyon B & B, near Sierra Vista. 07/29/08.


Broad-billed Hummingbird - Adult male, Patagonia Lake State Park, 07/28/08.


Vermilion Flycatcher - Adult male, Patagonia Lake State Park, 07/28/08.


Thick-billed Kingbird - Adult, Patagonia. 07/28/08.



Short-tailed Hawk - Light morph, Upper Carr Canyon, near Sierra Vista. 08/01/08.


Townsend's Solitaire - South Fork, White Mountains. 08/03/08.

Mountain Bluebird - Adult, Sipe WMA, White Mountains. 08/04/08.

Mississippi Kite - Sub-adult, St. David. 08/02/08.