Birds, May 5&6, 2007
My usual haunt for bird-watching/hiking is More Mesa because it is just 10 minutes away from where I live; I also tend to visit Goleta Slough/Goleta Beach and Atascadero Creek frequently. Recently, I have also been guided by posts to the Santa Barbara County Birding Group about interesting locations, to watch and photograph other birds. This weekend, returned to More Mesa on both Saturday and Sunday to look for the many migratory birds, and also took photos on Saturday at Merida Drive.
(More Mesa looking North, May 6, 2007 - click for larger image)
Despite little rain this year, the trees on More Mesa are leafy and green. To do a thorough birding trip on More Mesa, looking in all areas, would take most of a day. Trips were restricted to entering at the west, walking to the end of the old railroad cutaway, and back again via the More Mesa County Park reclamation area. There were a large number (saw at least eight) of Western Kingbirds.
(Western Tanager - click for larger image)
Over the two days, photographed new species for my record of bird photos of More Mesa; Wilson’s Warbler, Western Tanager, Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Western Wood-Pewee. Photos of these types of birds are challenging; they change position rapidly and manual focus is required because the birds are usually hidden behind branches, twigs and leaves.
(Ash-throated Flycatcher - click for larger image)
In the past, have encountered a single Ash-throated Flycatcher at a time on More Mesa - on Saturday, saw four different birds. A couple of Blue Grosbeak were seen where they have been seen in previous years; this time they were very skittish and flew away, so a close photo was not possible. A Black-headed Grosbeak was also heard in this area - location with Blue Grosbeak Flickr photo.
(Warbling Vireo - click for larger image)
At Merida Drive, photographed another first - a Warbling Vireo. It was very birdy at Merida Drive, but often the birds were out of camera range.
Wish it were possible to photograph all birds seen or heard.
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So many wonderful photos as always! The Tanager would have been a lifer for me and have yet to see the vireo!
May 8th, 2007 | #
You got a lot of excellent shots of some very difficult birds to photograph! I enjoyed all of them. I have a soft spot in my heart for western tanagers–I reported the first one seen in eastern Virginia back in the late 70s or early 80s. I was visiting my mother, who was widowed and the same age as the year. I glimpsed what I presumed was a gold finch at the feeder, then realized it was too big, so must be an evening grosbeak, which would be very interesting, so I got the binocs and took a better look. It was a western tanager–young male! I didn’t know whom to tell, but knew someone should be told. I called in to a ‘question of the day’ that the paper had and asked whom to call if you saw a rare bird. It was in the next morning’s paper so I called the bird club and told her I saw a western tanager. She said uh, huh, in a very bored voice, so I began describing it using technical bird terms and finally she took some interest. She asked if a group could come see that afternoon. They did and were very excited. They put it on their rare bird alert and people began to appear in droves. My mother put rows of chairs at the dining room window. Every person that came got to see the bird really well. I finally had to go home after about a week or so and then asked that they stay outside the fence, which they did–they could see the bird perfectly well from there too, just twenty feet away rather than ten…….LOL. A bus of school teachers came from Roanoke, some people came from North Carolina. In the end 210 people came and every one got to see the bird. My claim to fame.
May 9th, 2007 | #
Interesting comments - both about Tanagers - from people who live on the eastern side. I looked at the map at Cornell birds, and their distribution practically dissects the map with all activity to the west - it must have been a rarity in East Virginia.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Tanager_dtl.html
May 9th, 2007 | #