Best of Birding!

In bringing this PBY Blog to a close, I wish to share a quote from one of my favorite writings on the study of birds and birding. Written by Ralph Hoffman in the introduction to his excellent early field guide "Birds of the Pacific States"-1927.

"Cicero in a famous passage in one of his orations extols the delights of the study literature, asserting that it forms the taste of youth, delights old age, is an ornament in prosperity, a solace in adversity, accompanies us to the country, and travels with us to foreign lands. We might easily paraphrase the orator's words and apply them to the study of birds. It develops keen observation in youth and is a resource in old age, even for the invalid if he can but have a porch or window for a post of observation. Birds become the companions of our work in the garden and of our walks; martins and nighthawks or a gray-winged gull sail across the sky even opposite a dentist's window. Birds in a new region are simply birds to the uninitiated; to one who has known the birds at home, a journey offers an opportunity to make new friends. If a parent wishes to give his children three gifts for the years to come, I should put next to a passion for truth and a sense of humor, love of beauty in any form. Who will deny that birds are a conspicuous manifestation of beauty in nature?"



Best of Birding,
Deren

Placer Big Year Rare Species with Photos

Coon Creek Blue Grosbeak

The following Placer Big Year list of rare species are considered accidental in Placer County with less than four sightings per season. Of these, one species is found on the Calfornia Birds Records Committee Review list and two are rare sub-species. The status information is based on the Seasonal Checklist of Birds of Placer County, California by Bruce Webb. (http://www.geocities.com/placerbird/PlacerCountyBirds.htm)



Rare Birds of the 2008 Placer County Big Year

Pacific Loon-fall, Lake Tahoe-Tahoe City.

Red-necked Grebe-winter, Lincoln WWTP and Lake Tahoe-Tahoe City.

Cattle Egret-winter, cattle grazing lands on Brewer Road. and north of Moore Road.

Glossy Ibis-spring, N. Brewer Road.

Surf Scoter- winter, Lincoln WWTP.

Black Rail- summer, Little Ben Road and Big Ben Road.

Snowy Plover-fall, Lake Tahoe, Folsom Lake, and Lincoln WWTP.

Sanderling-fall, Lake Tahoe, Folsom Lake, and Lincoln WWTP.

Semipalmated Sandpiper-fall, N. Brewer Road.

Red Phalarope-fall, Lincoln WWTP.

Parasitic Jaeger-summer, Lake Forest at Lake Tahoe.

Franklin's Gull-fall, Lake Forest at Lake Tahoe.

Lesser Black-backed Gull-winter, Folsom Lake, California Bird Records Review Species (CBRC).

Western Gull-winter, Folsom Lake.

Common Tern-fall, Lake Forest at Lake Tahoe.

Gray Flycatcher-spring, Driver Flats and Colfax area.

Purple Martin-spring, nesting at the Taylor Road Hwy. 65 bridge.

Bank Swallow-late spring, Cemex Concrete on Bear River.

Summer Tanager-spring, Risser's home near Colfax (Breeding).

Indigo Bunting-fall, Pomin Park (Lake Tahoe)

Blue Grosbeak-spring, Coon Creek and adjacent Bunkham Slough on N. Brewer Road.

Black-throated Sparrow-fall, Martis Creek Lake Road.

Grasshopper Sparrow-spring, Nader Road near entrance to dynamite plant.

Chestnut-collared Longspur-winter, Sunset Blvd. west of Hwy. 65.

RARE SUBSPECIES:

Red-tailed "Harlan's" Hawk-winter, Brewer and Moore Road.

Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker-fall, Lincoln Hill

To learn more about Rare Birds of California and the California Birds Records Committee, the following publication is available from the Western Field Ornithologists at http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/08rboc.php

http://www.californiabirds.org/

Scientific, artistic, and inspirational, this 600-page book synthesizes the work of the California Bird Records Committee from 1970 through 2006, putting every vagrant to California in its geographical and historical context. It is generously illustrated with color and black and white photography, including the best photographs ever taken in California of rare birds. Maps and charts depict spatial and temporal distributions, and the interpretive text adds value far beyond the lists of records.

Pacific Loons, Lake Tahoe (Tahoe City)

Red-necked Grebe, Lincoln WWTP

Glossy Ibis, N. Brewer Road

Surf Scoter, Lincoln WWTP

Snowy Plover, Lake Tahoe (Lake Forest)

Sanderling, Folsom Lake

Semipalmated Sandpiper, North Brewer Road

Red Phalarope, Lincoln WWTP

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Folsom Lake

Common Tern, Lake Tahoe (Lake Forest)

Gray Flycatcher, Driver's Flat

Bank Swallow, Bear River Near Hwy. 65

Summer Tanager Near Colfax

Blue Grosbeak, Coon Creek

Red-tailed "Harlan's" Hawk, Brewer and Moore Roads

Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker, photo by Diane Pizzo

Lincoln Hills, Lincoln

Best of Birding,

Deren

PBY Species of Special Concern

Male Tricolored Blackbird at Nest Site

Breeding Site Habitat for Tricolored Blackbird

Foothills East of Lincoln

The following information addresses the conservation status of species found during the 2008 Placer Big Year which are currently listed as California Species of Special Concern.

In 2008, the Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) and the California Department of Fish and Game jointly published the California Bird Species of Special Concern- A ranked Assessment of Species, Subspecies, and Distinct Populations of Birds of Immediate Conservation Concern in California. Edited by W. David Shuford and Thomas Gardali.

From this text, I have provided the following information as it relates to the Placer County Big Year. It's important to note that many of these California species are migrants and special concern status may not be significant to the region. With that said, I have added an asterisk next those species in Placer County, both breeding and wintering, where an immediate special concern for conservation does apply. Mostly endemic species have bold red text. As many of you know, the major threats to most bird species, both state and county, is primarily due to urban development and certain agricultural practices of valley lowlands which have resulted in a significant loss of wetland and grassland habitat.

"The California Bird Species of Special Concern is an important step toward raising awareness of the conservation needs of California’s birds among the public, conservationists, biologists, and planners in California. This volume can help prioritize and guide how research and conservation projects are conducted to ensure that the birds and habitats we all depend on survive into the future."-WFO.

Available here: http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/08sosc.php


Taxa extirpated from the State Totally or in Their Primary Seasonal or Breeding Role
Barrow's Goldeneye: winter visitor.
Common Loon: winter visitor.

Taxa Listed as Federally, but Not State, Threatened or Endangered
Snowy Plover-winter visitor.

Priority Ranked Taxa-Population and Range Reduced
American White Pelican: migrant in spring to late summer.
Summer Tanager: migrant and rare summer resident. Recent breeding record.
*Tricolored Blackbird: year-round resident, breeds in wetland, oak-woodland, and grassland. The 2008 Trike Survey yielded 5 nesting colonies and over 11,000 birds.

Tricolored blackbirds have been banded in 2007 and 2008. As of August, 2008, a total of just under 7,000 tricolors has been banded. Most of the banded birds (nearly all adults) have received both USGS aluminum bands as well as two color bands, one color indicating year, and the other indicating site of banding. The Tricolored Blackbird Portal now enables you to enter records of observations ("resightings") of color-banded birds.
Resightings of color-banded tricolored blackbirds enable investigators to document spatial and temporal patterns of tricolor movements and we urge you to record your observations of color-banded tricolors here:http://tricolor.ice.ucdavis.edu/node/3514

Second Priority Ranked Taxa-Population and Range Reduced
Black Tern: an uncommon spring migrant and former breeder.
*Burrowing Owl: year-round resident, breeds in grassland.
*California Spotted Owl: year-round resident, breeds in mature conifer and mixed forest.
Vaux's Swift: migrant and summer resident, breeds in conifer forest.
Olive-sided Flycatcher: migrant and summer resident, breeds in conifer forest.
*Loggerhead Shrike: migrant and resident, breeds in grassland, scrub, oak-woodland.
Purple Martin: migrant and rare summer resident, breeds in riparian, coniferous forest, oak-woodland. Recent breeding record in Placer (2007).
*Yellow Warbler: migrant and summer resident, breeds in riparian, oak-woodland, and chaparral.
*Oregon Vesper Sparrow: uncommon winter visitor in grasslands.
*Grasshopper Sparrow: migrant and uncommon summer resident, breeds in grasslands.

Third Priority Ranked Taxa-Population and Range Reduced
Redhead: uncommon winter visitor and former breeder
*Northern Harrier: year-round resident, breeds in grassland.
Northern Goshawk: year-round resident, breeds in conifer forest.
Lesser Sandhill Crane: common winter migrant in wetland and grasslands.
Snowy Plover: uncommon winter migrant, wetlands.
Long-eared Owl: rare year-round resident, riparian, conifer forest, oak and desert woodland.
*Short-eared Owl: uncommon winter migrant, grassland and agricultural areas.
Black Swift: migrant and summer resident, probable breeder at Grouse Falls.
*Yellow-breasted Chat: migrant and summer resident, breeds in riparian habitats. Lowland riparian populations effected significantly more than the foothill riparian populations.
Yellow-headed Blackbird: spring migrant and rare breeder in summer.

Best of birding,

Deren

Thrush Song and Hope for a Brighter Future

Hermit Thrush

Mammoth Bar, Middle Fork American River

I hope to close out my Big Year blog soon but not before I post a bird-related message of hope for the future. Here's to Birds, Barack Obama, America, and All Mankind!

In his famous poem dated 31 December 1900, "The Darkling Thrush", Thomas Hardy was watching the sun set on one century, and dawn on another.

The Darkling Thrush

I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be
The Century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

My last post will review a number of the species found in Placer County during the big year that have been listed as species of special conservation concern.

Best of Birding,

Deren

A Final Collection of PBY Photos

The following photos were taken throughout the year. I wish to extend a special "thank you" to Phil Robertson for providing so many great photos during the big year.

Deren

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

0400 First Day of Placer Big Year

Male Williamson's Sapsucker, photo by Phil Roberston

Archaeopteryx found at Placer Big Tree Grove

Martis Valley-Martis Creek Lake

Kayaking toward Lake Forest

Ed Pandolfino Birding at Turkey Creek Golf Course

Bacchi's Italian Restaurant, Lake Forest

Ramon Gonzalez and Crew

Turkey Creek Golf Course

Lincoln, Ca

Todd, Cliff, Dennis, Bruce, Deren, and Ed

PBY Planning Meeting

Peregrine Falcon at Lincoln WWTP

Photo by Ed Pandolfino

Marbled Godwits at Lake Forest

Harlan's Hawk on Brewer Rd. near Moore Rd.

Spotted Owls in Duane Frink's Backyard

Foresthill, Ca

Yukon Cornelius

2008 Auburn CBC Volunteers at Compilation Dinner

2008 Auburn CBC Volunteers-South Auburn

Mooney Ridge Sunset, Folsom Lake

Rough-legged Hawk, Photo by Phil Robertson

Rough-legged Hawk, Photo by Phil Roberston

Rough-legged Hawk Photo by Phil Robertson

Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Photo by Phil Robertson

Prairie Falcon, Photo by Phil Robertson

Male Downy Woodpecker, Fitzgerald Ranch

Photo by Phil Robertson

Vesper Sparrow, Oak Tree Lane

Photo by Phil Robertson

Northern Flicker "Yellow-shafted"

Photo by Diane Pizzo of Lincoln Hills

Merlin, Brewer Road.

Near the End of the Big Year, Lake Forest

Land O' Larks-Sunset Blvd., West of Rocklin

Last new PBY species for the year.......Chestnut-Collared Longspurs.

From left to Right: Bruce Webb, Me, Todd Easterla (taking photo), and Phil Roberston

December 30, 2008

Placer Big Year Comes to an End

Dear fellow BY birders, friends, and Family,

In light of the 2009 Celebration of Darwin, I cannot help but reflect upon the close of the Placer Big Year with the words that Charles Darwin wrote in "The Voyage of the Beagle" toward the end of his journey.

"It has been said, that the love of the chase is an inherent delight in a man - a relic of instinctive passion" and "If a person asked my advice, before undertaking a long voyage, my answer would depend upon his possessing a decided taste for some branch of knowledge, which could by this means be advanced."

In my own romantic sense, I like to think that the Placer Big Year had a similar spirit of adventure and a desire for knowledge. If one takes into account the number of species, the personal knowledge gained and shared, the fellowship, and the diverse natural scenery, I think it would be fair to say that the Placer Big Year was a remarkable and rewarding experience.

Now, I would like to take a few moments to recap the closing weeks of the year. Afterwards, I'll list some of my personal highs and lows.

It was during the first week of November that the PBY would add what nearly became the last two new species reported for the year....Varied Thrush and Surf Scoter. Then, seven weeks passed by without a report of a single new species . I have no doubt that holidays, economic anxiety, burn-out, and a diminished list of possibilities, attributed to this long pause. Nevertheless, this period did not pass without several reports of general interest. These included White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Blue-winged Teal, possible Black-billed Magpie (not confirmed), Redheads, Harlan's Hawk, possible Common Grackle (not confirmed), and "Cassiar" Junco.

It wasn't until the last two weeks of the year that an eleventh hour surge produced the final two new big year species. On December 29th, I found an immature Northern Shrike on the south side of Martis Valley. This was my second Northern Shrike for the county and #267 for the big year. With only two days to ago, we still had two good opportunities to pick up another species or two. The Lincoln CBC was set for the following day (30th) and there was a reasonably good possibility of locating the Trumpeter Swan that had been found on Lake of the Pines (NEV. CO.) during the Auburn CBC. I strongly suspected the Trumpeter was feeding at nearby Lake Combie (PLA /NEV) during the day and if nothing turned up on the Lincoln CBC, a kayak trip onto Lake Combie was set to go on the 31st.

To our good fortune, a new species, Chestnut-collared Longspur, had been found on the Lincoln CBC by none other than the top Placer birder Todd Easterla along with his son -Tanner Easterla, Bruce Webb, and Zig Miller. I can say for a fact that I would not have found the CC Longspur on my own. Standing out in the barren fields along Sunset Boulevard with fellow birders, we scanned through the hundreds of Horned Larks for the Chestnut-collared Longspurs but it wasn't until Todd started to walk off in a direction away from the group that I felt something extraordinary was about to happen. As he strolled out through the swales of mowed grassland, he called to me..... "Deren, follow me". Within a few minutes, not only had I heard my first Chestnut-collared Longspurs (#268) but I and the others witnessed an extraordinary display of birdmanship.

I think it's fair to say that many of us were thrilled with the number of species found during the big year. Keeping things in perspective, one has to be remember that it took the energy of many to reach these heights especially in light of the herculean effort made by Todd Easterla during in his 1998 big year. The fact that the PBY Gang set a group record of 275 is an impressive feat in its own right.

I want to thank everyone for their participation and/or contribution to the Placer Big Year. I would especially like to thank Ed Pandolfino and the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society for keeping track of the PBY Species totals for both the group and the individuals and for keeping the momentum going; to Gary Hengst and crew from the Lincoln Waste Water Treatment Plant for the great birding opportunities; and Ramon Gonzalez of Turkey Creek Golf Course for the opportunity bird along Auburn Ravine. In addition, I want to extend my appreciation of fellowship to Dennis Cavallo, Ron Pozzi, Mark Aring, Phil Robertson, Ed Pandolfino, Will Richardson, Ted Beedy, Rudy Darling, Scott Hoppe, Mark Jeter, Bill Covington, Allen Klahn, Anne Wallace, Barbara Tellman, Chris Conard, Dee Warencyia, Francis Oliver, and Todd Easterla.

Some Highlights:

My Best Rare BY Birds: Lesser Black-backed Gull at Folsom Lake, Semipalmated Sandpiper in West Placer, Risser Summer Tanager, Purple Martins in Rocklin, and seeing the Red Phalarope at the Lincoln Waste Water Treatment.

My Best Birding Experiences: Finding and photographing the Mew Gull while Kayaking Folsom Lake. Seeing all the Short-eared Owls at dusk on Waltz Road. Relocating the Bank Swallows on the Bear River.

My favorite Bird: Blue Grosbeak on Coon Creek

My Most Worked For Bird: Grasshopper Sparrow- 8 attempts.

My Luckiest Bird: Black Rail off Little Ben Road while taking a pre-dawn walk before the Tricolored Blackbird Survey.

My Most Worked For Bird but Missed: Jaeger at Tahoe. I'm not even going to tell you how many attempts that I made on this bird.

My Best Educational Experience: Tricolored Blackbird Survey with multiple breeding sites found in the county. A large pre-breeding roost held an estimated 6000 trikes. Also, Mark Fowler's Lincoln H. S. Class birding walk.

My Best Photographic Experience: Sabine's Gulls at Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe and Dusky Flycatcher at Sugar Pine OHV area.

My Best New Birding Locations: Paige Meadows (Tahoe), Driver's Flat (Foresthill Divide), and Rubicon River below Hell Hole.

My Best Just Beyond the County Line Birds: First nesting record of Bald Eagles on Folsom Lake (ED. CO.) and Trumpeter Swan at Lake of the Pines (NEV. CO.).

My Worst Vehicle Experience: Flat tire with 20 lbs. in the spare between Soda Springs and Robinson Flat. However, I did get my Sooty Grouse on this trip. Also, driving the backcountry from Barker Pass and exiting on the McKinney Rubicon Trail. Only a Toyota Tacoma could get through here and let me tell you....it was HAIRY! The only vehicles going in on the M/R Trail were high clearance Rubicon Jeeps (w/lift kits). I got some funny looks as I carefully negotiated my way over the boulders.

My Wildest Chase: Barred Owl on the Rubicon with Ed Pandolfino. Although we did not get our target species, we did find Pygmy and Flammulated Owls and Ed got his Black Swift at Grouse Falls on the return trip.

My most surprising species: Swainson's Thrush were regularly found in migration along the slopes of the Auburn Ravine just west of Newcastle. I remember leaving my home in Auburn at the start of the Jim Leher's Newshour, finding the Swainson's, and returning home before the end of the show. This was my first Swainson's Thrush for Placer County and the Big Year. Thanks to Ed Pandolfino and John Ranlett. Also, Franklin's Gull at Lake Forest, Tahoe.

I plan to make one or two more posts with photographs and a few final comments.

Best of Birding,
Deren

Possible Trumpeter Swan Photos for Review, Auburn CBC (Nev. Co.)

All,

This Trumpeter Swan and three Tundras were found on Lake of the Pines during the Auburn Christmas Bird Count by Jeri Langham. Rudy and Jeanine Darling along with Brian O'Conner found them the next day. These photos were taken a week later when Ted Beedy and I refound the birds. The photos have been posted here for others to review. This is a review species for California. In 2000, a Trumpeter was reported on Lake Combie (PLA and NEV CO.) but was not excepted. These photos have been reviewed by many experienced individuals from throughout California and Oregon. Thus far, all reports indicate Trumpeter.

SPECIAL THANKS to my friend, Dave Kephart, for getting us access to Lake of the Pines. Without his help, we would not have been able to chase these birds down.

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Here's a good shot of the length and thickness of the neck

Photo taken by Ted Beedy

This photo shows the comparative greater size.

Another side by side comparison of size. Note darker gray color.

Just came out of a complete head tuck. All were preparing to rest for the night.

This photo shows the large,most dark bill.

Preparing to rest for the night.

PBY Update, Photos, and Science

Hello folks,

With the PBY group list standing at a record 274 and my own list at 266, there are no more easy pickins. With any additional luck, we'll find a few more in the weeks ahead; otherwise, we plan on making a strong finish with two Christmas Birds Counts-Auburn Area (12/20) and Lincoln (12/30).

The PBY Gang has added two birds in recent weeks. A Varied Thrush was found at Cascade Lake by Ron Pozzi with subsequent sightings at Foresthill, Mosquito Ridge Road, and Placer Big Trees. A female Surf Scoter was found at the Lincoln WWTP by Ed Pandolfino and Phil Robertson. The latter being a rare bird in the county and a major score for the big year.

Currently, the focus is on waterbirds and we continue to work Lake Tahoe and western Placer County. Hopefuls are White-winged Scoter, Greater Scaup, Bonaparte's Gull, Red-throated Loon, Long-tailed Duck. Other possibilities include: Red-naped Sapsucker, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Shrike, Bohemian Waxwing, Sage Thrasher. As you can see, it's getting tough. So, we'll take all the help and luck we can get. See the cumulative list or my list (below) for all the possibilities.

Here's some photos of recent sightings, the Lake Forest Birding scene, and scientific research on Lake Tahoe.

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Surf Scoter, Lincoln WWTP

Sadly, a deceased Varied Thrush on Mosquito Ridge Road

Steller's Jays, Auburn Ravine-Turkey Creek Golf Course

A Rare sighting in the town of Lincoln

A few of many Red-shouldered Hawk feathers

found at a Great Horned Owl feeding site, Auburn Ravine

Turkey Creek Golf Course, Lincoln

Will Richardson, Lake Forest-Tahoe

One of the local experts on the Birds of Lake Tahoe

Lake Forest Entrance off Bristlecone Drive, Tahoe.

Lake Forest Migratory Shorebird Habitat-Tahoe

Lake Forest-Tahoe

Black-bellied Plover, Lake Forest-Tahoe

Greater White-fronted Geese, Lake Forest-Tahoe

Mostly California Gulls at Lake Forest-Tahoe

Rare Painting of the HMS Beagle by John Chancellor

just offshore of what is now Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe

Inland Scientific Research Survey, Fall 1835

Speaking of research vessels, I'm hoping for an opportunity to join the UCD researchers on the Research Vessel (R/V) "John Le Conte" for a day of data gathering and birding on Lake Tahoe. If I'm so lucky, I'll have a story to share.

For more information on the scientific research at Lake Tahoe, visit the UC Davis - Tahoe Environmental Research Center website at http://169.237.166.248/research/researchoverview.html

UCD Research Vessel (R/V) "John Le Conte"

Lake Tahoe

Best of Birding,

Darwin

PS. yes, some would say to me "you're out to sea man!" Just kidding about the Beagle at Tahoe. I'm a big HMS Beagle/Darwin fan and the above picture was a perfect lead-in to the UC Davis Research vessel comment. Photo borrowed from The HMS Beagle Project website-http://www.thebeagleproject.com/index.html

Possible Prehistoric Bird Discovered at Placer Big Trees

Of all things I've learned in life, first and foremost is to have a sense of humor and not to take yourself, and others, too seriously.

So, today, I want to share with you what I think is a hilarious exchange of emails regarding my Placer Big Year prank. But first, let me set the stage.

Yesterday, I went in search of Varied Thrushes and decided to head up to the Placer Big Tree Grove via Mosquito Ridge Road. In addition to looking for the thrush, I wanted to follow through on a little PBY prank which involved taking my scale model of Archaeopteryx up to the Placer Big Tree Grove. To my good fortune, everything went as planned.

Here's the PBY group email correspondence (with photos) from yesterday afternoon and evening. Hope you have a good laugh.

1:00 pm.-1st email: Sent from the parking lot of the Placer County Big Tree Grove via Blackberry , I wrote:

"Possible Prehistoric bird found at Placer Big Trees. I'm heading down the hill to meet with Matt Triggs, biologist with the Forest Service and I called Warden Jeter to close the grove. Freakin' unbelievable....And I Have Photos!!! I was looking for Varied Thrushes in the grove, which I found, when I spotted a strange looking animal next to a Giant Sequoia. I have another call and got to get off the phone. --Deren
Ps. Also found V. Thrushes on Mosquito Ridge Road (2.3 mi.)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T "


4:00 pm.-I arrived back at home and checked my voice mail and computer. I had two phone messages and several emails asking for more information regarding a possible new species at the Placer Big Tree Grove. It's was here that I had my first good chuckles.

6:30 PM-2nd email, I wrote:

"All,

I don't have a lot of time to explain but tonight a team of paleornithologists (Chiappe, Padian, Fedducia, and Ostrom ) and folks from NatGeo are en-route to Placer County to document the discovery of a possible prehistoric bird "living" in the Placer Big Tree Grove.

Today, while hiking through the grove in search of Varied Thrushes, which I found, I made an amazing discovery. As I approached the Pershing Tree-the largest Giant Sequoia by volume, a strange bird-lizard like animal sprang up from the azaleas and mountain misery and landed on the side of the ancient tree. As you could imagine, I was in shock at the sight of what appeared to be a feathered dinosaur-like animal. I still had my camera out from chasing after a Varied Thrush that had been singing nearby. I snapped a quick shot as I quietly passed by. The animal did not move. Further along on the trail and before I reached the Roosevelt Tree (dead), largest in the grove, I turned around and snapped another shot. My flash went off this time and spooked the creature. I watched it leap from the tree, make a couple of short flaps, then glide away into the tangled depths of the old growth forest.

If permitted by the scientific authorities and with Ed's input, I will submit the record to the CBRC as a possible new species for the county.

This could be one of the most incredible biological discoveries of all time and I wanted to make sure that you got this report in a timely matter. See photos below.

More later,
Deren"

Click Photos to Enlarge

Possible Prehistoric Bird found at Placer Big Trees

Photos by Deren Ross

Another View of Possible Prehistoric Bird at Placer Big Trees

At 6:47 PM, 3rd email, Ed Pandolfino wrote:

"Deren,

Sorry, but unless you can provide evidence that this bird was not captive-raised (perhaps cloned from blood cells recovered from an amber-preserved mosquito), the unresolved issue of provenance will not allow us to accept this record...(that and the fact that I think I've seen an eerily similar-looking creature in your condo).....Ed."

At 7:09 PM, 4th email, Ron Pozzi wrote:

"Deren,

Wow! What a find. I think that’s an immature specimen hugging that redwood. I came upon an adult this spring (see below) while searching for a Pileated Woodpecker there."

Click Photo to Enlarge

Adult, Placer Big Tree Grove

Photo by Ron Pozzi

At 7:14 PM, 5th email, I wrote:

"Ron,

That is hilarious. I've never laughed so hard in my life. This gives the Placer "Big" Year a whole new meaning. I'm dying from laughter......YOU WIN!".

As for the Varied Thrushes, the first one I found was a victim of a moving vehicle on Mosquito Ridge Road. The second one, believe it or not, was found at the "Pershing" Giant Sequoia while I was photographing the possible prehistoric bird. In retrospect, the fact that the entire days plan of finding a Varied Thrush and manufacturing my prank came together in a matter of moments is truly amazing to me.

Best of Birding,

Deren

Get-yer Pomin Park P-Nuts Here!

Today at Pomin Park-Lake Forest (Tahoe), I had the pleasure of getting up-close and personal with a spritely band of Pygmy Nuthatches. From Tahoma to Kings Beach, these park-like forest areas are prime habitat for Placer's "P-Nuts".













Click Photo to Enlarge.

From the book, Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope, author David Gaines wrote-"Because of their small size "P-nuts" are difficult to see among the clusters of pine needles".













Click Photo to Enlarge.

From the book, Animal Life in the Yosemite, Grinnell and Storer wrote-"The general behavior of a flock of these birds is suggestive of Bushtits."

Click Photo to Enlarge.


From the book, Birds of the Pacific States, author Ralph Hoffman wrote-"They call to one another incessantly with a high staccato ti-di, ti-di, ti-di, which becomes a rapid series of high cheeping notes when a number are together. As they fly they utter a soft kit, kit, kit."



Best of Birding,
Deren

October Madness and Thoreau

I'm not talking about Obama and McCain or the Phillies and Rays. I'm talking about Loons-those birds that derived their name from their haunting, yodeling cries.

Click here and play sound http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?type=a&AnimalAudioID=660

Loons are fall and winter visitors to the oceans and larger lakes of California. For Placer County, this primarily means Lake Tahoe and Folsom Lake but they can show up in some unexpected places. Just last week, a Common Loon was found by Bill Covington at the Lincoln Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Click Photo to Enlarge

Common Loon at Lincoln WWTP (10/08)

Yesterday, I spent a very pleasant afternoon walking along the edges of Lake Tahoe, near Tahoe City, while scoping the many new arrivals seen a short distance from shore. To my surprise, like all of a tree's leaves falling on a cold and blustery autumn day, I noticed that a good number of loons from the great far north had recently dropped down upon the "edge of the lake", or as the Washoe Indians called it "Da-ow-a-ga" and later interpreted as "Tahoe". I had counted 6 COMMON LOONS before spotting a pair of PACIFIC LOONS which, according to the recent checklist, is considered a rare species in Placer County. Better yet, it was a new species for the Big Year. As with all rare species sightings, it's highly recommended that photographs be taken when possible.

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Pacific Loon at Lake Tahoe-Tahoe City (10/08)

Pacific Loons at Lake Tahoe-Tahoe City (10/08)

In keeping with the theme, I want to share a wonderful autumn loon story from the book "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.

"In the fall the loon (Colymbus glacialis) came, as usual, to moult and bathe in the pond, making the woods ring with his wild laughter before I had risen. At rumor of his arrival all the Mill-dam sportsmen are on the alert, in gigs and on foot, two by two and three by three, with patent rifles and conical balls and spy-glasses. They come rustling through the woods like autumn leaves, at least ten men to one loon. Some station themselves on this side of the pond, some on that, for the poor bird cannot be omnipresent; if he dive here he must come up there. But now the kind October wind rises, rustling the leaves and rippling the surface of the water, so that no loon can be heard or seen, though his foes sweep the pond with spy-glasses, and make the woods resound with their discharges. The waves generously rise and dash angrily, taking sides with all water-fowl, and our sportsmen must beat a retreat to town and shop and unfinished jobs. But they were too often successful. When I went to get a pail of water early in the morning I frequently saw this stately bird sailing out of my cove within a few rods. If I endeavored to overtake him in a boat, in order to see how he would manoeuvre, he would dive and be completely lost, so that I did not discover him again, sometimes, till the latter part of the day. But I was more than a match for him on the surface. He commonly went off in a rain.

As I was paddling along the north shore one very calm October afternoon, for such days especially they settle on to the lakes, like the milkweed down, having looked in vain over the pond for a loon, suddenly one, sailing out from the shore toward the middle a few rods in front of me, set up his mild laugh and betrayed himself. I pursued with a paddle and he dived, but when he came up I was nearer than before. He dived again, but I miscalculated the direction he would take, and we were fifty rods apart when he came to the surface this time, for I had helped to widen the interval; and again he laughed long and loud, and with more reason than before. He manoeuvred so cunningly that I could not get within half a dozen rods of him. Each time, when he came to the surface, turning his head this way and that, he cooly surveyed the water and the land, and apparently chose his course so that he might come up where there was the widest expanse of water and at the greatest distance from the boat. It was surprising how quickly he made up his mind and put his resolve into execution. He led me at once to the widest part of the pond, and could not be driven from it. While he was thinking one thing in his brain, I was endeavoring to divine his thought in mine. It was a pretty game, played on the smooth surface of the pond, a man against a loon. Suddenly your adversary's checker disappears beneath the board, and the problem is to place yours nearest to where his will appear again. Sometimes he would come up unexpectedly on the opposite side of me, having apparently passed directly under the boat. So long-winded was he and so unweariable, that when he had swum farthest he would immediately plunge again, nevertheless; and then no wit could divine where in the deep pond, beneath the smooth surface, he might be speeding his way like a fish, for he had time and ability to visit the bottom of the pond in its deepest part. It is said that loons have been caught in the New York lakes eighty feet beneath the surface, with hooks set for trout, -- though Walden is deeper than that. How surprised must the fishes be to see this ungainly visitor from another sphere speeding his way amid their schools! Yet he appeared to know his course as surely under water as on the surface, and swam much faster there. Once or twice I saw a ripple where he approached the surface, just put his head out to reconnoitre, and instantly dived again. I found that it was as well for me to rest on my oars and wait his reappearing as to endeavor to calculate where he would rise; for again and again, when I was straining my eyes over the surface one way, I would suddenly be startled by his unearthly laugh behind me. But why, after displaying so much cunning, did he invariably betray himself the moment he came up by that loud laugh? Did not his white breast enough betray him? He was indeed a silly loon, I thought. I could commonly hear the splash of the water when he came up, and so also detected him. But after an hour he seemed as fresh as ever, dived as willingly, and swam yet farther than at first. It was surprising to see how serenely he sailed off with unruffled breast when he came to the surface, doing all the work with his webbed feet beneath. His usual note was this demoniac laughter, yet somewhat like that of a water-fowl; but occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn unearthly howl, probably more like that of a wolf than any bird; as when a beast puts his muzzle to the ground and deliberately howls. This was his looning, -- perhaps the wildest sound that is ever heard here, making the woods ring far and wide. I concluded that he laughed in derision of my efforts, confident of his own resources. Though the sky was by this time overcast, the pond was so smooth that I could see where he broke the surface when I did not hear him. His white breast, the stillness of the air, and the smoothness of the water were all against him. At length having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous surface."

Last winter, I chased gulls by kayak on Folsom Lake. This winter, I just might have to give the Thoreau Loon Chase a mad run.

Best of birding and Happy Halloween
Deren

BEWARE of the LAKE FOREST JAEGERNAUT!

Over the past month or so, I've spent a considerable amount of time and energy in search of a Tahoe Jaeger (Yay-gor) and, three times now, I have had my hopes dashed in a matter of moments.

The latest head dropping event took place this past Thursday. I had returned to Lake Forest in the afternoon and spent about two hours on Jaeger watch. About halfway into the search, I went out to the south edge of the spit and chummed in about about forty gulls. Because Jaeger's are notorious for stealing food from gulls and terns, the practice of chumming gulls will often attract, if present in the area, this gull-like pirate of a bird. After the chumming, I walked back to my scope, which was located on the leeward side of willows, and just about the time I reached for the scope there was an alarming burst of gull vocalizations. As the gulls exploded upward into the air, I quickly looked about and spotted a dark brown and barred bird with pointed wings rapidly approaching from the west end of the spit. Yes! Here comes a Jaeger with it's falcon-like flight. The marauder dove into the pack of panicked gulls, made a half turn, then flew up and over me. NO!!!!, I exclaimed. Once again, I had been duped by the resident, very dark, adult female JaegerNAUT which is officially known as the Peregrine Falcon of Lake Forest. I suspect this particular bird is the same impostor that pulled this stunt on two of my previous visits to Lake Forest in recent months. I couldn't believe it! Everything was right....the time of year, the unstable weather brought winds on which the Jaeger travels, it was mid-day, the gulls had taken a sudden and panicked flight, and I was there waiting patiently. I even took a good luck nap beneath the willows in hopes of waking to find that a Jaeger had arrived up the scene.

To my knowledge, of the three possible Jaegers, only the Long-tailed and Parasitic have been recorded at Lake Tahoe with Pomarine on the Tahoe Jaeger wish list. Todd Easterla recently told me and others that the juvenile Pomarine is an October migrant and that a sighting is not out of reach. I can only hope that persistence and luck will pay off in the days and weeks ahead.

Like the rare Red Phalarope that was recently found in western Placer County, the Jaegers are Arctic breeders and pelagic (at seas) during the winter. Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaeger are considered somewhat rare but regular inland transients at Lake Tahoe.

Note: I missed the recent Big Year Parasitic Jaeger seen at Lake Forest by Ed Pandolfino and Dennis Cavallo.

CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE

Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1908-1912)

Courtesy of the New York State Museum

From top to bottom: Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger (dark, Intermediate, and light phase), Long-tailed Jaeger (adult and young), and Skua

A Tahoe "Wish List" Species

Head of Pomarine Jaeger by Louis Agassiz Fuertes,

painted June 20, 1899

As reproduced in the Harrimen Expedition Report

(From Robert McCracken Peck's book, A Celebration of Birds: The life and Art of Louis Agassiz Fuertes, New York: Walker and Co., 1982)

Wish me luck,

Deren

Rare Placer Sightings Today

Hi Folks,

We had two rarities reported in Placer County today.

The first bird to hit the bird-line was a very rare, only two Placer records, Red Phalarope at the Lincoln WWTP. It was reported by Ed Pandolfino and Phil Robertson at approximately 11:00am. Phil managed to get two excellent photos for the books. I refound the bird a few hours later and took additional photos. The bird was staying close to the edge of Tertiary Storage Basin 2 (on east side, southernmost pond).

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

A Rare Red Phalarope at Lincoln WWTP

Photo taken by Phil Robertson

Another shot of the Rare Red Phalarope

Photo taken by Phil Robertson

The second bird was not a rare bird but rather a rare sighting of a bird. This afternoon, Ron Pozzi found and photographed three Sandhill Cranes on the ground at Folsom Lake. To my knowledge, there are very few records, not to mention photographs, of Sandhill Cranes on the ground in Placer County. The cranes were seen north of Beals Point toward Mooney Ridge. This may be a first record for Folsom Lake.

Three Sandhill Cranes at Folsom Lake

A very rare land sighting in Placer County

Photo taken by Ron Pozzi

Best of Birding,

Deren

A Show of Sabine's on the Shores of Lake Tahoe

This morning I continued my quest for the Parasitic or Long-tailed Jaeger that can be found at Lake Tahoe in late summer and fall. I spent an hour or so at Lake Forest where I chummed in the gulls in hopes of attracting one of the aggressive gull-like birds. The only bird of note was a winter plumage Black-bellied Plover. I then spent another hour or so at the Lake Forest Boat launch pier scanning across the white caps. Again, no luck but I did have the pleasure of speaking with an interesting fella who does year-round pier work around the lake. He said that the large area of willows on the main spit of Lake Forest is locally known as Pig Island. Mostly in years of high water. I asked him, "Why Pig Island?" He didn't know. Maybe it was because of the birders always rootin' around for rarities.

I did manage some luck at Pomin Park where I crossed paths and finally met, Will Richardson, a local expert on the birds of the Tahoe region and contributor to the Placer Big Year.

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

A view of the west shore from Lake Forest, Tahoe

Chumming the gulls for a Jaegermeister

Leaving Lake Forest, I headed around the North Shore and over to King's Beach. With the winds blowing just over force 4 on the Beaufort Wind Scale (Water), I walked down to the beach and began scoping the shoreline. Further down, I could see a large number of gulls standing on the shore. As I got closer, I observed several juvenile Sabine's Gulls and I was surprised at how close I could approach as they walked and fed at the waters edge. I found it interesting that on land they moved more like shorebirds than gulls. I suspect the strong winds may have forced them to retreat to the shore and/or churned up food such as algae, fresh water crustaceans and minnows. A few weeks back, I observed this same situation at Tahoe City on a windy day. All the gulls were actively feeding near shore as strong wind and waves churned up aquatic life from the shallows. These high wind days of autumn will undoubtedly bring something of interest to the curious birder on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.

Below are photos of the Sabine's Show at King's Beach. This is followed by a brief modified natural history which is courtesy of the New England's Seabirds Website.

Best of Birding,

Deren

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Natural History (from the New England Seabirds Website).

A Gull That Thinks It Is A Tern

Unlike most gulls which are coastal, Sabine's Gull is truly pelagic when not breeding. It is highly migratory (breeds in the arctic, vacations below the equator) unlike most other gulls which disperse only within the region. In both of these characteristics it is more like a tern. Most gulls have a complete molt in the fall and a partial molt in the spring. Sabines is just the opposite having a complete molt in spring before it starts the migration north and a partial molt in fall after arrival in the wintering waters off Africa and South America.

Breeds
Like Ross' Gull, Sabines breeds on arctic ponds in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. Bent contains a complete description of the nest and eggs written by an egg collector in 1887. The small gull was able to defend its nest against jaegers if not against the egg collectors. Unlike Ross' which winters in the arctic as well, Sabine's Gull migrates south below the equator where it is pelagic in winter.

Migration
Siberian and Alaskan birds winter off the coast of Columbia and Peru. Most disburse east across the Pacific Ocean passing down the west coast of the US but a few, primarily juveniles, will travel overland and can be regularly found on large inland lakes such as Tahoe (CA) and Pyramid (NEV). The Canadian and Greenland birds disburse east passing along the coast of Europe to winter off the coast of Africa. After a strong westerly wind they are seen on European sea watches usually in September and October. Only a few birds show up on the east coast making it a sought after pelagic in our waters.

When To See (in Placer County)
Lake Tahoe in late August through September and October.

July, August, September At-a-Glance

Hello Everyone,

I'll spare you the details of why I haven't been writing and just say that sometimes life gets in the way. Nevertheless, the Placer Big Year has been going strong over the past few months. Collectively, we've broken the current Top Big Year record of 267 set by Todd Easterla's amazing solo effort in 1998. I must add, Todd is on the 2008 Placer Big Year team and has contributed some good birds and invaluable information and tips on finding the rarer birds in Placer County.

At this writing, the Placer Big Year count total stands at 270.

The following information and photos will highlight many of the events that occurred over the past few months.

JULY

27th: The first two Sanderlings were found at Lake Forest by Todd Easterla. Nearly fifteen Sanderlings were reported in the days and weeks to follow. In addition to Lake Forest, Sanderlings were found at Folsom Lake, Lincoln WWTP, and the agriculture fields in West Placer. Without a doubt, a record number for the county. Still not sure if the high count is due to more sanderlings, more observers, or perhaps both.

Sanderling on island, Folsom Lake, Sept. 10

Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, and Snowy Plover

Island at Folsom Lake

This plastic figurine (pictured above) of Ganesh, the Hindu God of Knowledge, was found on the island where I had found the Sanderlings along with Snowy Plover and Semipalmated Plover. It appears that the island had a special attraction to not only rare aves but to humans as well.

Hammerhead Rock behind Mooney Ridge, Folsom Lake

A summertime hangout of the 1970's Granite Bay Gang

31st: I received a surprise email from Jim "Jimmy" Booker. While a student at Placer High School, Jim along with Auburnites Tom Rycraft, George Beland, Ed Weiss, Pat Mahlberg, Mark Fowler, Anne Jewett, and others, started the Sierra Foothills Chapter of the Audubon Society. Currently, Jim is an international birding leader and Park Naturalist at Estero Llano Grande State Park (World Birding Center) in Weslaco, Texas.

Jim writes-

" Hi Deren! Greetings from Jim Booker in south Texas. Just wanted you guys to know that I avidly follow your blog and feel like I can vicariously bird in Placer County these days! I think it's so great....if only we had such a group and the knowledge back in the day. Congratulations, i know you're gonna kick Todd's butt this year and find a good new Placer bird for me! If you could please tell Robert Chesney I said hello....he was a huge influence on my earliest birding years. Wish I was there. Cheers"

August

2nd: A Long-eared Owl was seen in Blackwood Canyon, west shore of Lake Tahoe, and reported by Bruce Webb.

19th: A Baird's Sandpiper was found at the Lincoln WWTP and reported by Todd Easterla, Ed Pandolfino, and Kathy Parker. It was refound and photographed (below) by Mark Aring. Two Baird's were later found.

Baird's Sandpiper

(No enlargement here)

22nd: Ed Pandolfino starts compiling a full list of birds found at the Lincoln WWTP.

27th: The first BY Snowy Plover was found at Lake Forest (Tahoe) by Dennis Cavallo. It was refound and photographed later in the day by Deren Ross.

Snowy Plover at Lake Forest-Tahoe

September

1st: Following a weather system that brought strong easterly winds to Lake Tahoe, a first cycle Franklin's Gull was found amongst the other gulls at Lake Forest by Deren Ross. A rare bird in Placer and first record for Lake Tahoe which has been considered long overdue by local experts.

Speaking of local experts, PBY contributor Will Richardson writes-

"Despite their relative regularity as a vagrant/migrant along the eastern Sierra, Reno area,etc., I know of zero prior records or reports of a Franklin's Gull for the Lake Tahoe basin. Given that they nest off and on in the somewhat-nearby Lahontan Valley of NV, the lack of Tahoe records has always confounded me, and I've been holding a spot on my bar charts since the first drafts. It makes perfect sense for one to arrive on a day with strong east winds."

4th: A rare Semipalmated Sandpiper was found on North Brewer Road in Western Placer County by Deren Ross. It was refound and photographed by several other BY and County Birders.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

North Brewer Road, Western Placer County

4th: Three Pectoral Sandpipers were seen in a recently flooded field on North Brewer Road (Pozzi, Cavallo, Ross, and Gray). Additional Pectoral sighting were reported in the recent days to follow. Unfortunately, the Pects flew as a couple of us simultaneously made a move for our cameras located back at the cars.

7th: Four Common Terns were seen and confirmed at Lake Forest, Tahoe, by Ron Pozzi. An earlier report by Will Richardson strongly indicated the presence of Common Terns near Tahoe City.

8th and 10th: At the Lincoln WWTP, a Semipalmated Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitchers were reported by Ed Pandolfino and Phil Robertson. Two Pectoral Sandpipers were found later on N. Brewer Road.

11th: Two juvenile Snowy Plovers were found on this day. One at the Lincoln WWTP was reported by Dennis Cavallo. Another Snowy, along with a juvenile Semipalmated Plover and juvenile Sanderlings were seen at Folsom Lake and reported by Deren Ross.

12th: A Sabine's Gull and Common Terns were seen at Lake Forest and report by Dennis Cavallo and Deren Ross. As of the 25th, several Sabine's Gulls and Common Terns were still present at Lake Tahoe.

14th: A possible Great Grey Owl was seen on the Bear River between Dog Bar Road and Peaceful Valley Road Reported by biologist Ben Brown and forwarded by Dennis Cavallo. To my knowledge, no attempts were made to chase and confirm the report.

17th: A Parasitic Jaeger was seen and reported from Lake Forest by Ed Pandolfino and Dennis Cavallo. The Jaeger could not be relocated on several days to follow.

19th: A female Indigo Bunting was seen at Pomin Park (Lake Forest) and reported by Ed Pandolfino and Dennis Cavallo.

Best of birding,

Deren

Summer Birding in the Placer-Sierra

With soaring gas prices, the rebuilding of Interstate 80, and the Sierra wildfires, it's a wonder that we've been doing much birding at all. Undoubtedly, the Placer Big Year and, more importantly, our personal lives will have been forever marked by the Summer of 2008.

But despite these troubling and difficult times, Placer Birders and friends have found solace in the quest for the birds and continue to keep the spirit alive.

Over the past few weeks we have gone in search of the reported Barred Owls in the Rubicon canyon, chased Black-throated Sparrows and Red-crossbills at Martis, revisited Paige Meadows, traveled down the River of Y.B. Chat, returned to Rosy Country, and last but not least, a few birders broke bread at a landmark 76 year old Italian restaurant right down the street from one of North Tahoe's prime birding locations.

I hope you enjoy these brief accounts and photos.

Best of Birding,
Deren

Run for the Rubicon Barred Owls

On July 1st, Ed Pandolfino and I drove up to one of the most remote and under birded areas in Placer County-the Rubicon River watershed. In recent years, Barred and possibly Spotted X Barred hybrids have been reported from the old growth forests.

On the drive down from Ralston Ridge, I was pleasantly surprised to see some remaining stands of old growth forest still intact which looked great for owling and Goshawk. Down at Ellicott Bridge on the Rubicon River, we parked on the north side (PLA) of the river and located Hunter's trail leading up-river towards Hell Hole. Within a mile or less, we came upon two old growth ravines where we eventually heard Northern Goshawk and Northern Pygmy Owl. We decided to return to the location after dark and try for the Barred and other owls. It was around 7:30 PM, when we finished our evening snack and prepared to head back up the trail. Too our amazement, just as we closed the doors to the car, a Flammulated Owl called right next to us. It was still light! The flam called a couple times and we heard nothing more. As you may know, a calling Flammulated Owl is very difficult to locate. The owl can throw its voice in such a manner that it sounds as if it's coming from several different directions. Since I missed the big year owling trip that Ed led a couple of weeks back, this was major score for my big year list.

We then hiked back up to the old growth ravines, waited till dark, and tried calling for Barred and Spotted Owl. With the exception of a Saw-whet Owl and a Pygmy Owl, we came up short on our quest for the Barred. We then headed back to the car and drove up the road where we would try again. Still nothing. By now it was getting late and we decided drive up to the ridge above the canyon, lay out our sleeping bags, and hope for something hooting in the night. Apparently, the only thing making any sound was yours truly snoring wildly beneath the stars.

Our search for the Barred Owl was a long-shot but it offered an good opportunity to explore a relatively uncharted area for Placer birding. Neither Ed or I came away empty from the trip. I got my BY Flammulated Owl and Ed got his BY Black Swifts at Grouse Falls.

For more information on the trails of the Rubicon Country, I recommended Tom Peterson's excellent website: http://getoffyourgass.com/index.htm

Ed Pandolfino hiking up Hunter's Trail

North Side of the Rubicon River

Hunter's Trail above the Rubicon River

Ellicott Bridge, Rubicon River

Martis Valley, Martis Peak Road, and Paige Meadows

Shortly after getting home from the Rubicon trip, I received a call from Ron Pozzi. He had just seen a Black-throated Sparrow in Martis Valley. He'd also seen Red Crossbills in the Aspen Grove at nearby Martis Peak Road. Having just showered and assumed an angle of repose, I wasn't about to jump in the car and head back up the hill. Tomorrow would just have to do.

The next morning, Dennis Cavallo and I made the run up to Martis and Tahoe. We worked the sagebrush area of Martis but came up empty on the sparrow. We didn't feel too bad when we heard that Bruce Webb hadn't relocated it within an hour or two of the initial report. This bird was on the move. The chances of getting Black-throated Sparrow this year are slim to none and Ron Pozzi will mostly likely take this BY score with him.

From Martis Valley, we drove a short distance up Hwy. 267 to Martis Peak Road and began to search for the Red Crossbills also reported by Ron. Within 15 minutes or so, we located a pair of Crossbills. Yes!! Shortly thereafter, we met two S.F. Bay birders, Bill and friend. After talking about some of the good places to bird around Tahoe, we took the opportunity to look for the Williamson's Sapsuckers. We saw both the male and female at the nest hole.

Dennis and I then headed over to Paige Meadows via Chamonix Road where I picked up another BY bird-Calliope Hummingbird. While rambling about the first meadow, Dennis located a Northern Pygmy Owl in a dead Aspen tree. I managed to get a few good photos without disturbing the little gnome.

I can't say enough about birding around Paige Meadow. This place is a birding gem.

Northern Pygmy Owl, Paige Meadows near Chamonix Road

Our next stop was at Lake Forest. I didn't have any great expectations for it was afternoon and the day before the 4th of July. As I expected, there were many people and several dogs on both land and water. But to my surprise, a quick scoping revealed a Blue-wing Teal out near the tip of the rocky spit. I ran back to my truck to grab my digital camera and returned just in time to get one digiscope photo before the kids and dog forced the duck to take flight. I'm still looking for Tahoe records for this species.

Male Blue-wing Teal

Lake Forest, North Tahoe

The River of Y.B. Chat

Last Saturday, I was invited by friends Eric and Paula Peach of PARC (Protect American River Canyons http://www.parc-auburn.org/index.html ) for a relaxing and fun float down the Middle Fork American River from Rucky-chucky to Mammoth Bar or as I call it, the River of Y.B. Chat. The vocal presence of the Yellow-breasted Chat dominates the entire length of this languid section of the middle fork. In the early bird guide, Birds of the Pacific States, author Ralph Hoffman writes-"It takes a beginner some time to realize that the many varied notes he hears from the dense willow thickets along a lowland stream (or river) come from one bird, the Yellow-breasted Chat. The commonest and most characteristic note is a high pitched tu-tu-tu-tu-tu but this may be followed by a low hoarse cha, then by a squeaky keet or a rather musical whoit.

For many, this trip down the river of Y.B. Chat has become an annual pilgrimage. It's a day of renewal, a sharing amongst friends, and an opportunity to introduce other folks to the beauty and wonder of the river and, as always, at the end of the day, Eric and Paula invite folks over to their home for pizza, beer, and Yes....some river chat.

The River of Y.B. Chat

Middle Fork American River

'Jumping Jack' Muir Laws leaping into the river of Y.B Chat

No place like the River

Good Summer Beer with Pizza

How many beer labels have an American Dipper on them.

Sierra Foothills Audubon Trip to Rosy Country-Squaw Valley and N. Tahoe

Yesterday, I led a group of birders from the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society up to Rosy Country above Squaw Valley. Vicky and Gary Black, Dan Stewart and his grand-daughter Amber, Duane Frink, Bill Covington, Robert Chesney, Gail Russell, Christiane Raymond, and I ascended via cable car to High Camp and began hiking into Rosy country. About half way out to Silverado Chair lift, a Rosy Finch flew low across our path and a few minutes later two more flew by. The Rosy's landed on the ground amongst the flowering Mule Ears and Lupine. At one point they flew in close to the trail and perched on a stick for everyone to see.

The Rosy's remain to be seen near the Silverado chair lift. I asked the fellas working the lift if they had seen the birds. They said they were still around but keeping their distance. On the way back down the trail, we saw a possible Rosy fly from underside of the lift. The workers were gone. It appears that the Rosy's haven't thrown in the towel just yet. Based on the observation dates, I'm fairly certain the nest was completed and quite possibly with eggs. I suspect this might be why folks continue to see them in close proximity to the chair lift. While the chances for success don't appear to be good, I'll have to make a record third trip to satisfy my curiosity.

Sierra Foothills Audubon Society Folks

Squaw Peak-Rosy Finch Country

Molly having fun in Rosy Country

Dan Stewart's grand-daughter

After Squaw, some of us headed over to Paige Meadows. We did not see the Black-backed Woodpeckers in the vicinity of nest tree. Several weeks have past since our last sighting and I'm certain the youngsters had fledged by now. A short walk into the next meadow led to the discovery of a singing Cassin's Vireo at the nest. On the way back out, we had a nice look at a Dusky Flycatcher and an American Kestrel that landed on Christiane's leg.

Christiane Raymond's Cool American Kestrel Tattoo

Cassin's Vireo and nest about 40' high in Aspen

Paige Meadows, Lake Tahoe

Our final destination was Lake Forest. The late afternoon arrival time didn't bode well for the presence of unusual birds. With exception of an eccentric older gentleman who came up to me and told me the joke of the guy who ate the California Condor, there was nothing of interest. I might add that after telling the joke, the older gentleman directed us to a warbler in a nearby Cottonwood tree. I let him know that is wasn't a warbler. It was a Brewer's Blackbird. I think it may have had something to do with his giant binoculars (20 x 10,000?).

After birding Lake Forest, we drove down Lake Forest Drive toward the old Italian Restaurant. One of our fellow birders, Robert Chesney, had an Aunt and Uncle who lived on Lake Forest Drive and ran a sheet metal business about 40 years ago. Robert couldn't place the house and as we approached Bacci's Italian Restaurant, I mentioned that I was interesting in trying it out sometime. The next thing I know we're sitting down inside the 76 year old Intalian Restaurant and talking with Tony Bacci. Come to find out, Tony knew Robert's Aunt and Uncle and said they had done the duct work in the restaurant many years ago. The place is classic old style Italian. From the old Italian music, real candle lanterns, real red and white checkered table cloths, pictures of the god-father, and the plastic grapes, lattice, and dusty wine bottles. If that wasn't enough, we had an old Italian family seated next to us to complete the vocal ambiance. Not to mention, our lively conversation regarding the group design for my possible GC Rosy Finch tattoo.

In the bar, there's an early photo of the place back in the 1920's or 30's when it was made of logs!

As for the food, we all thought it was good and we would recommend it to others. No doubt, this would be a great place to eat after one of those winter birding trips to Lake Forest. The minestrone soup and salad was classic and tasty. The ravioli's, chicken and eggplant Parmesan dishes were enjoyed by all. It's old school, nostalgic, and definitely hits the spot after a full day of birding at Tahoe.

Robert, Gayle, Me and Christiane at Bacci's Italian Restaurant

Lake Forest, North Tahoe

I've been birding at Lake Forest many times but it wasn't until last year that I learned about Bacci's Italian Restaurant on Lake Forest Drive. I was birding with Dennis Cavallo when he drove by the place and told be about the old Tahoe eating establishment.

'Burnt-Land Birds' of Yuba Gap

Common Nighthawk

Painting from the book, The Birds of Indiana,

published by Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana

Speaking of birds and fire, yesterday afternoon I drove up to Yuba Gap and Big Valley to see the Common Nighthawks. Upon my arrival, I noticed that a fire was burning out toward the canyon near Big Valley Bluff. The entire area was thick with smoke. I spoke with Placer County Sheriff Officer Hobbs at a road block on the east side of Lake Valley Reservoir. He said that Forest Service Road 19 was closed from the reservoir to Emigrant Gap. Darn! I wanted to make an exploratory run for Common Nighthawks out at Big Valley Bluff before returning to Yuba Gap to see the resident population around Cisco Butte. It wasn't happening!

I found it interesting that just one day after my post about fire and birds, I found myself in a real life situation and one that could eventually demonstrate the potential positive, long term effects of fire on a species....the Common Nighthawk. The result of this fire, and the many historical fires in the area, has created new forest openings that provide both nesting and foraging habitat for the Common Nighthawks. Hence, the old nickname of 'Burnt-Land Bird'. It was also known as the 'Bull-bat'. Deforestation and fire surpression are two major factors for the decline of nighthawks in forest habitat.

Now, back to the pursuit of nighthawks and Sheriff road block.......With some time to burn, pun not intended, I hung a left at the road block and drove up FSR 38 for about a quarter of a mile then took a right on an unmarked dirt road which led me up the ridge toward McIntosh Hill. Along the way, I found a rocky opening with beautiful wildflowers and smoke-filled views of the area commonly known as Yuba Gap. Within minutes, I heard the Peent calls of Common Nighthawks. With the smokey red sun sitting just above Cisco Butte, I began to glass toward the butte and several small lakes. I counted 15 Common Nighthawks darting through the air . For reference purposes, I took a few photographs from a distance then hopped back in the truck and back tracked along Lake Valley Reservoir until I found a small, rocky, brush lined 4WD road that took me up to SP Lakes. Once again, I found myself off-road, in the night, and by myself. Not good! When you have to get out the truck several times to move large rocks and check for clearance, you know you've gone beyond the safe point especially for a solo trip. But, as usual, I ventured fearlessly forward until I reached SP lakes THE BACK WAY. The nighthawks were flying directly overhead and I watched small moths ascend into the evening air as the birds fed and chased about. As it was on the edge of darkness and I was being eaten alive by large mosquitos (repellent didn't work so good), I took a few more photos then drove slowly back down the hill.

I'm still amazed at the turn of events and unique opportunity to observe and ponder, first hand, the effects of fire on a bird species and the forest ecology. So very cool!

Common Nighthawks have been known as probable breeders in the Yuba Gap-Cisco Butte area. This location is one of several good places to see them in the Placer County. Other locations include the area Martis Peak and Valley as well as French Meadows.

From McIntosh Hill looking toward Cisco Butte

(click to enlarge)

Common Nighthawk above SP Lakes

Above and Below

Sunset at Cisco Butte with SP Lake below
(click t0 enlarge)

Best of Birding,

Deren

Birds and Fire

For a time there it seemed as though Northern California might go the way of the Phoenix in the Harry Potter movie and burn fiercely into ashes. With last weeks 1000+ lightning fires , the smoke over much of the north state was so widespread that I began to wonder about the destructive possibilities. I'm pleased to see that the smoke is starting to blow out of the Auburn area. Hopefully, with the spirit of renewal, our California cities and towns will return to 'Heliopolis'.

As everyone knows, it has not been a good week to be outdoors. As matter of fact, earlier in the week, I had to cancel the group PBY birding camp trip up to French Meadows. I was bummed but the health and safety hazards were mounting and I thought it best to error on the safe side. In the meantime, I could not help from wondering about the effects fire and smoke on the avian world. I found the following bits of information about birds and fire and thought I would post it here as a topic of general interest.

The following is an excerpt from a paper entitled "Effects of Fire on Birds in Madrean Forests and Woodlands" Joseph L. Ganeyl, William M. Block1, and Paul F. Boucher2).

http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/publications/rm_gtr289_p_146-154/rm_gtr289_p_146-154.pdf

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON FOREST BIRDS IN GENERAL

Fire can affect forest birds positively or negatively,depending on the type and extent of fire and the particular life history of the species involved. Direct effects, such as mortality due to fire, are generally considered to be minor. Rather, fires influence birds indirectly through habitat modification, changes in food supply, or changes in abundance of competitors and/or predators (Rotenberry et al. 1995). The effects of fire on habitat structure, floristic composition, and food resources may be especially important, singly or in combination, as many birds respond strongly to these features of their habitat (MacArthur et al. 1966, Koplin 1969, Rotenberry 1985).

Several authors have reviewed the effects of fire on forest birds (Bendell 1974, Hutto et al. 1992, Dobkin 1994, Hejl 1994, Hejl et al. 1995, Rotenberry et al. 1995). These reviews suggest that generalizing about fire effects is difficult, for many reasons.

First, fires vary widely in extent, intensity, and duration (Rotenberry et al. 1995). Because of this variation in fire behavior, the effects of fire on birds and their habitat also varies widely.

Second, fire effects also vary across temporal scales. For example, cavity-nesting birds may respond positively to fire in the short term, but long-term effects may be negative as the burned snags fall (Raphael and Morrison 1987, Raphael et al. 1987, Hejl et al. 1995, Johnson and Wauer in press). Conversely, intense burns that greatly alter bird habitat in the short term may be necessary for long-term maintenance of natural patterns of forest succession in some forest types (Hutto 1995).

Third, differences in the life histories of various bird species can result in different responses to fires. For example, cavity-nesting birds, timber-drilling birds, and granivores often respond positively to burns because of increased nesting substrates and / or food supplies (Lowe et al. 1978, Overturf 1979, Wauer and Johnson. 1984, Hejl1994, Hejl et al. 1995, Hutto 1995, Johnson and Wauer in press). In contrast, foliage gleaners may respond negatively (Roppe and Hein 1978, Overturf 1979, Blake 1982) due to decreased foraging substrate. Response patterns may even vary within guilds (Root 1967) in some cases (Skinner 1989, Hutto 1995, see also Mannan et al. 1984).

Finally, methodological problems plague many of the studies of the effects of fire on birds. Most studies have been conducted opportunistically rather than planned, limiting the inferences that can be drawn (Dobkin 1994:14, Hutto 1995). Most were also restricted in both spatial and temporal scale, and lacked the replication necessary to show general patterns (Dobkin 1994:14, Hutto 1995). Most studies have focused on breeding bird communities, and ignored wintering and migrating birds (but see Blake 1982). Many studies that reported few differences in bird communities between burned and unburned areas relied on composite statistics such as total bird abundance or species richness, rather than examining responses of individual species. Because individual species may respond in opposite fashion, such composite measures may hide rather than reveal patterns (Mannan et al. 1984., Rotenberry 1985, Hejl et al. 1995, Hutto 1995).

Finally, even studies that have evaluated responses of individual species typically have not examined demographic parameters (Hejl 1994). Burned areas could contain many birds, yet function as population sinks if reproduction is insufficient to balance mortality (Robinson 1992).

The point of the above discussion is not to denigrate past studies, but simply to note the many difficulties involved in documenting general patterns with respect to the effects of fires on forest birds. Nevertheless, some broad generalizations are possible; note that all of these are somewhat dependent on the spatial scale of the observations.

First, patterns differ with burn intensity, being most pronounced for intense burns. Cavity-nesting birds, timber-drilling birds, granivores, and some aerial insectivores often respond positively to intense burns in the short term (Hejl et al. 1995, Hutto 1995) due to increases in perching, feeding, and nesting substrates. A few species, such as the Black backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus; species names for birds follow AOU 1983,1995) are nearly restricted to intense burns, and may require such burns for long-term population maintenance (Hutto 1995).

Effects of low- and moderate-intensity burns are less dramatic. In the short-term, bird species richness may increase in moderate-intensity burns, because birds characteristic of both burned and unburned forest may use the area (Taylor and Barmore 1980). Low-intensity burns can create or maintain habitat for species that prefer open forest (Marshall 1963, Hutto 1995). Thus, some species are favored by low intensity burns, whereas others are favored by high intensity burns. In general, fire suppression has probably resulted in declines of birds that at use snags preferentially in burned areas (Hejl 1994; see also Brawn and Balda l988), and may have reduced numbers of some open-forest species as \\-ell (Marshall 1963).

Natural and Anthropogenic Fire Regimes, Vegetation Effects, and Potential Impacts on the Avifauna of California Oak Woodlands by Kathryn L. Purcell and Scott L. Stephens
Go to: http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/stephens-lab/Publications/purcell_stephens%20fire_PSW%20GTR%209-2005.pdf

The following is a resource list of papers on the subject that may be available through an Internet search. From, A Symposium for the Third International Partners in Flight Conference 23 March 2002, Asilomar, California Fire and Avian Ecology: Manuscripts in Preparation for Publication http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise/research/terrestrial/fire_avian.shtml

Best of birding,

Deren

Rosy's at Squaw and Other Tahoe Specialties

On Friday,June 20th,several Placer Big Year Birders and friends headed for the high country with hopes of seeing the mountaineer of Sierran birdlife...the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch.

At around 0940, Ed Pandolfino, Elliot Minner, Phil Robertson,Mark Aring, Dennis Cavallo, Ron Pozzi, John Luther, Francis Oliver, and I took the cable car from the base of Squaw Valley up to High Camp and promptly hit the trail into Rosy country. In recent years, the majority of the Rosy sightings have been reported from along the base of Emigrant Peak-between the Siverado, Shirley, and Gold Coast ski lifts. The main trail starts to the right and travels counter-clockwise toward Emigrant and Squaw Peaks. With blue skies, cool temperatures,light winds,and numerous patches of snow, we couldn't have asked for better conditions in which to find the bird that "has taken life's banner the highest" -(W.L. Dawson).

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch below Emigrant Peak

We hadn't hiked more than a quarter of a mile when we spotted a small bird perched on the underside of the Silverado ski lift. The bird flew before we could get a positive I.D. but several of us had a sense this was our target bird. Less than a minute later, two birds, both Gray-crowned Rosy Finches, returned to the underside of ski lift. They both were carrying nest material. We approach cautiously and quickly discovered that the birds had no concern with our presence and they continued about the business of nest building. They had chosen a large slot, marked #11, in the side of the large cable pulley. Phil and I set up for some photos while the rest of the group watched the birds fly over the ridge and return with nest material. We were all surprised by the incredible viewing opportunities. At one point, a Rosy was perched just two feet from my head. At least four Rosy Finches were seen in the immediate area. In the recent years, I've made an annual pilgrimage for the Placer Rosy Finch at Squaw and today's views were by far the best.

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Nest Site

Photo by Phil Robertson

To my knowledge, this may be the first recorded nest site at Squaw. The fact that it was located on the ski lift and not in the cliffs made for an easy discovery but use of the ski lift for a nest site posed a new and unanswered question regarding the occurrence and selection of nest sites in the vicinity of ski operations.

With the Rosy Finch under our belt, the group split up. John headed for counties further north, Ed and Elliot made a run over to Paige Meadows and Lake Forest, Mark headed for home after driving all morning from Vegas, and I led the rest of the group further up trail in search of more Rosy Finches. I was curious about the possible numbers. I've yet to see more than 4-6 Rosy Finches in the area at one time. No other Rosy's were seen but we did note the following species...Mountain Bluebird,Cassin's Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Pine Siskin, Dark Eyed Junco, Common Raven, Horned Lark, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Fox Sparrow, Dusky Flycatcher, Golden Eagle, White-crowned Sparrow, and Audubon Warbler.

Mountain Bluebird below Emigrant Peak

After getting back down to the floor of the valley, we decided to head over to Paige Meadows for a few of the Tahoe specialties birds that were reported by Will Richardson and Richard Carlson.

After arriving at the end Chamonix Road and getting out of the car, we immediately heard the calls of Evening Grosbeaks. We then hiked out to the first small meadow in search of the Black-backed Woodpecker location. We found the site and searched for several minutes but could not find the nest hole or the woodpecker. Ron Pozzi and Phil Roberston remained at the site while the rest of us headed further down the trail. Seeing that Ron and Phil hadn't started back down the trail and appeared to have something in view, we returned. They had found the Black-backed Woodpecker and the nest hole.

Black-backed Woodpecker, Paige Meadows

Photo by Phil Robertson

From here, the group, except for me, back-tracked to a location were Pine Grosbeaks had been seen the day before by Dennis. I headed in the opposite direction. I planned to meet the group in the forest on the other side of the meadow. Just as I reached the end of the meadow, I heard a the distant call of the Pozzi bird. Apparently, Ron was tyring to get my attention. It was until Frances belted out...DEREN!! PINE GROSBEAK!! that I realized I was being summoned. I could still see them at the other end of the meadow. When I caught back up, they had two female Pine Grosbeaks in view. Yes!!

Female Pine Grosbeak, Paige Meadows

Photo by Phil Robertson

It's a very good day in the Tahoe region when you get to see Gray-crowned Rosy Finches, Evening Grosbeaks, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Pine Grosbeaks.

Best of Birding,

Deren

Day of the Dusky

Without a doubt, the highlight of yesterday's Sierra Foothill Audubon Society field trip up the Foresthill Divide were the two close encounters we had with the somewhat obscure empid of the montane chaparral known as the Dusky Flycatcher.

In the early days of California bird study, ornithologist William L. Dawson said that "it would be impossible to convey to the novice birder a sense of the mingled awe and reluctance with which to approach a declaration as to the appearance, voice, whereabouts, and general characteristics of this will-o-the-wisp-of the mountains".

While the Dusky and other small empid flycatchers can be a challenge for the average birder, the wealth of identification, natural history, and vocal information that is available today has it made it a far less difficult effort.

Today, our first Dusky Flycatcher encounter was at Mumford Bar. We could hear the familiar three phrase song coming from the manzanita, ceanothus, and small pines on the south side of Foresthill Road. The song is best described by David Sibley as "a short, high, quick sibip; a rough, nasal quwerrrp; a clear, high psuweet similar to the Pacific Slope Flycatcher"

Because these small empids will often vocalize incessantly, we decided to pursue it. We weaved our way through the chaparral and after several minutes of chase, I got a brief but clear view and noted the distinctly larger bill that is characteristic of the Dusky Flycatcher . My birding partner for the day, Gail Russell, just missed it. So, we kept after it but the Dusky stayed just beyond view and eventually we had to give up the chase.

I mentioned to Gail that we had another, if not better, opportunity at our next stop which was the old Sugar Pine burn area near the OHV park.

Having arrived at the Sugar Pine OHV area, it wasn't long after we got out of the truck and down the trail that we could hear the familiar song of the Dusky....Sibip, quwerrrp, psuweet! When we glassed in the direction from which we heard the song, we saw a flycatcher suddenly pop straight up from the manzanita and land on a branch of a small pine. Hmmm....... I then said to Gail, "I think there could be a nest in there. Let's take a look". We weaved through the brush, stepped across a small stream, and entered the area of taller manzanita when suddenly I came face to face with the lady Dusky upon her nest. We quickly backed out of the area and took a position on the other side of the creek. From about 25 yards away, Gail kept an eye on the nest location as I went back for the camera. We could not only see the female on the nest but we had a great view of the male perched nearby on a pine limb. I quickly snapped a few photos with a zoom lens before leaving the area.

Adult Dusky Flycatcher on nest, Sugar Pine Area

On a habitat note, the breeding location fit perfectly with the description given in Arnold Small's book 'California Birds, Their Status and Distribution' It reads as follows-"For breeding, they prefer montane chaparral and other low brushlands interspersed with trees (both deciduous and coniferous) and often near streams in ravines and canyons."

Gail Russell keeping an eye

on the Dusky Flycatcher nest location

Adult, Dusky Flycatcher perched with food near nest site
Sugar Pine Area

In the above photo, note the rounded head, longer bill (than Hammond's), short primary projection, and appearance of a longer tail.

We felt quite fortunate to have not only heard, repeatedly, the song of the Dusky Flycatcher but to have had such an amazing up-close and personal view of the will-o-the-wisp-of the mountains.

It's not everyday that you get it all....song, nest, good views, and photos.

Best of Birding,

Deren

A Cool Collection Of Recent BY Photos

Hi Everyone,
It's time to unload some recent Big Year photos. All of the photos are my own with exception of a few beautiful shots taken by PBY birder Phil Robertson. I think the photos say it all.......Enjoy!

Green-tailed Towhee at Dusk

Cuckoo Ridge above French Meadows

Lazuli Bunting on Territory

Red Star Burn near French Meadows

Williamson's Sapsucker, Male at Nest Tree

Aspen Grove on Martis Peak Road

California Quail, Lincoln Hills-Lincoln

Photo by Phil Robertson

Mountain Bluebird, Martis Valley

Photo by Phil Robertson

My Assistant "Blackie" on the Tricolored Blackbird Survey

Little Ben Trike Colony

Little Ben Road, East of Lincoln

Cassin's Vireo, Martis Valley

Western Rattlesnake, 12+ Buttons

Found on the return hike from the Bear River Eagle Site

Bald Eagle Nest Site

Anderson Island Natural Preserve, Folsom Lake

First Record for the North Fork American River and Folsom Lake

Two Juvenile Bald Eagles

Anderson Island Natural Preserve, Folsom Lake

Adult Bald Eagle

Near Nest on Anderson Island Natural Preserve, Folsom Lake

Western Tanager, Male

Martis Valley

The beautiful eggs of the Ash-throated Flycatcher

Chuck Scott's Home off Dry Creek Road, Auburn

Chuck Scott checking nest boxes on his property

Shadow Rock, Dry Creek Road, Auburn.

Baby Screech Owls, Chuck Scott's Property

Tricolored Blackbird Nest

Orchard Creek, Lincoln

Ma Hooded Merganser and little Hoodies

Lincoln Hills, Lincoln

Photo by Phil Robertson

American Avocet

Lincoln WWTP

Best View and Placer Purple Martins....They're Back!

All,

This is a repost regarding the appearance of my website on different computer screens with varying screen resolution. I've constructed the site from my laptop with a maximum screen resolution of 1280x800. I've noticed that on some screens it doesn't look so good while others may be okay. The viewing stats indicate that over 50% of viewers are using a higher screen resolution. Long story short, I'm working to find the best resolution for the majority of folks.

If you want to see the site in all its glory, you will want to go to control panel, then display, then settings and temporarily change your screen resolution to 1280x800. If that sounds like a bunch computer squawk, then forget about it. I'll keep working' on it.

In keeping with the spirit of this site, I am very happy to pass on a report from Ron Pozzi. Today marked the return of the Purple Martin to Placer County. They were first discovered in 2007 by biologist, Dan Kopp. It's been nearly 100 years since they were last reported to have taken residence in Placer County. The Martins may be viewed from Taylor Rd. below the Hwy. 65 overpass.

One of my favorite bird artists...Allan Brooks

Best of Birding,

Deren

The Summer Tanager Story

Hello Folks,

For everyone interested in the rare Summer Tanager that has returned, for three years in row, to the Risser's home overlooking the North Fork American River canyon near Colfax, I have the pleasure of sharing the following story from Larry and Pam Risser.

(Click photo to enlarge)

THE SUMMER TANAGER STORY

By Larry and Pam Risser

We first spotted the Summer Tanager in May 2006. We identified it based on several reference materials but didn't trust our identification since it isn't native to this area. We signed up for the Sierra Nevada birds newsgroup and asked if anyone else had seen one in the area. No one had, and, I'm sure, thought we had misidentified it. Then we posted a fuzzy picture to the newsgroup. That got people's attention.

The first year, we had approximately 30 people from all over California visit the Summer Tanager during the summer. He was very vocal and frequented the same few trees over and over. At one point, a group of us found him on the ground in a bush, eating ants. We were able to approach within a few feet and watch him inside the bush. We noticed that it disappeared in June and thought it had left, but he re-appeared a couple weeks later and stayed until mid-July.

In 2007, he returned May 5 and we posted that he had returned. More visitors came and got to see him. We thought he disappeared the first week of June, as he stopped singing. We were able to see him briefly and followed him and found a nesting site. We watched the nesting site and observed what we thought was a female Western Tanager in the nest. We wanted to be sure and called several birders up to help identify the female. They agreed it was a Western female. They had a brood of 3 and we were fortunate enough to see the male feed the female as well as the babies. Both were very attentive parents and one of them was almost always watching the nest as the other went off to feed. We watched the babies fledge and later saw one of the juveniles flying tree to tree with the male.

We thought they were gone in August, but saw him Sept. 3 with two to three smaller yellow birds, possibly another brood. He was last seen Sept. 16.

In 2008 he returned on May 6 and is frequenting the same areas as last year. We always listen for his distinctive call and are on the lookout for his bright color. We've learned to distinguish the clicking sounds he makes when not calling for a mate. That helped us find the nest last year, which we hope to do again this year.

A couple of notes on our area: We are at 2,600 feet in what was a mixed pine and oak forest. A forest fire went through here in 2001, and left large areas without trees although they are coming back now. In their place, a lot of flowering shrubs have grown, which attract a large number of bees. The open area and abundance of bees and wasps may be one reason the Summer Tanager chose to return here, although we can't imagine why he came this far north or west in the first place. There is still some question as to whether he's an eastern or western subspecies. The area is dry brush and forest and not riparian.

Through all of this we've met many very nice and interesting people. We have learned a lot in the process from these "professional birders", everything from the best cameras and scopes to how to identify other birds and owls. We've also become more avid birders ourselves, although not as rabid as some of those who have driven for hours to come see the Tanager. It has all enriched our lives.

Thank you Larry and Pam for sharing your story and for inviting birders from all over to see this beautiful bird.

Best of Birding,

Deren

Return of the Risser Summer Tanager, Placer Big Day, and More

Hello Folks,

A few weeks ago, we received word from Larry and Pam Risser that the Summer Tanager had returned to their home near Colfax-overlooking the North Fork American River Canyon. Knowing that the average maximum lifespan for such a bird is around five years, the Big Year Birders, as you might expect, were jumping for joy when we got the word. Having such a unique bird return to the same location, three years in a row, has been a wonderful experience for Pam and Larry, not to mention the many birders that have been invited up to their home. Since Larry is a writer, I spoke with him about writing a story of their experience with the Summer Tanager. Stay tuned.....

Now, we'll move on to a couple of photos from last weekend's trip to see the Summer Tanager, a Placer Big Day report, and recent sightings of note.

Risser Summer Tanager, Near Colfax

(Click Photo to Enlarge)

From Right to Left: Ted Beedy, Larry Risser, Pam Risser

Dennis Cavallo, Ron Pozzi, and Scott Hoppe. Not pictured is

Bill Hart of Markleyville. He left as we arrived.

Placer Big Day

On April 30th, Bruce Webb, Todd Easterla, and Tanner Easterla set out to find as many species as they could in one day (midnight to 9:30 PM). Team WEE not only broke their previous record of 172 by 8 (180 total) but added a substantial number to their Big Year List. One new species, Bonaparte's Gull, was added to the Placer Big Year Cumulative List. Expect this species to pass through again in the fall. Congratulations Bruce, Todd, and Tanner. For more on their Big Day, you can read Bruce's full report through the following link.
http://www.geocities.com/placerbird/PLABigDay2008.htm

For those interested in doing a Big Day in the future, there's no better time than during a Big Year. While I've yet to be bit by the surreptitous Big Day chase, I can certainly appreciate the skill and effort it takes to attain so many species in a single day.

Some Big Year birds of note from the past two weeks.

*Black-chinned Hummingbird (1), Lincoln Hills.

* Possible Plumbeous Vireo (1- Rare, requires further documentation), Martis Valley.

* Owls: Flammulated, Saw-whet, Spotted, Pygmy, Screech, Forestill Divide.

* Black-backed Woodpecker (several), Burn area on Mount Watson Rd.- Brockway Summit.

* Williamson's Sapsucker (1-male), Aspen grove on Martis Peak Rd.

* Red-necked Phalaropes ( up to 150 ), Lincoln WWTP.

* Calliope Hummingbird (1), Christian Valley

* Grasshopper Sparrow (1), Nader Road.

* Swainson's Hawks (16 reported on a single trip), West Placer.

* Nesting Bald Eagles (1-large eaglet), Folsom Lake.

* Blue Grosbeaks ( 2 more found on Bunkham Slough), West Placer

*Evening Grosbeaks, Meadow Vista

Thanks to the following folks for the reports and photos. Scott Hoppe, Ed Pandolfino, Mark Aring, Frances Oliver, Phil Robertson, Allen Klahn, Dennis Cavallo, Anne Jewett, and Mark Jeter. My apologies if I missed someone.

Red-necked Phalarope, Lincoln WWTP

So far, the Placer Big Year Gang is having a good year. As listed on the top of this webpage, the Cumulative Count now stands at 251 with over six months to go. We still have a number of mountain birds yet, the shorebird migration in late summer-early fall, and the fall-winter migrants. With that said, I think we're still going to be hard pressed to surpass Todd Easterla's solo Big Year in 1998 with 267 species. A truly remarkable achievement. As always, it'll come down to time in the field.

Last but not least, I'm thrilled to pass on a report from Warden Mark Jeter that the nesting Bald Eagles do, in fact, have an eaglet and a large one at that. We expect it might fledge within the next few weeks.

Best of Birding,

Deren

A Big Year Return of the Placer Peregrines

Today, Barney Kroeger, Ted Beedy, and I travelled into the North Fork American River canyon to view the nesting site of the first confirmed breeding record of Peregrine Falcons in Placer County (2007, D.Ross). The falcons have returned again this year. Upon our arrival, we were greeted directly overhead by a soaring Golden Eagle. Last year, the resident goldens had two eggs but only one hatched and fledged.

Barney Kroeger and Ted Beedy, N.F. American River canyon

Female Peregrine Falcon-Spring 2007 (Click Picture to Enlarge)

In 2007, I visited the site on average of one day a week from mid-March to mid-June. During this time, I monitored the falcons breeding activity until all three young falcons fledged. With their wild screams and spectacularly stealthy flight, the falcons held a commanding presence within the canyon and I never tired of seeing their fierce beauty and aerial perfection.

The local presence of breeding Peregrine Falcons and, more recently, of breeding Bald Eagles suggests to me that our efforts to protect wildlife, and the environment in which we all live, have proven successful.

Rock And Hawk

Here is a symbol in which

Many high tragic thoughts

Watch their own eyes.

This gray rock, standing tall

On the headland, where the seawind

Lets no tree grow,

Earthquake-proved, and signatured
By ages of storms: on its peak
A falcon has perched.

I think here is your emblem
To hang in the future sky;
Not the cross, not the hive,

But this; bright power, dark peace;
Fierce consciousness joined with final
Disinterestedness;

Life with calm death; the falcon's
Realist eyes and act
Married to the massive

Mysticism of stone,
Which failure cannot cast down
Nor success make proud.

Robinson Jeffers

In the words of California Bird Artist, Keith Hansen- "Keep your eyes to the skies".

Deren

Coon Creek-California Blue Grosbeak And Others

Hello Folks,

Just a quick post about few good birds that turned up in in recent days. Yesterday, Ron Pozzi and I did some birding in west Placer. We found a beautiful male Blue Grosbeak at the Coon Creek bridge on N. Dowd Road. Ron actually found the bird and I got the assist. CAUTION: high speed traffic on this one lane bridge. Be careful. A better location is at the Bunkham Slough bridges on N. Brewer and West Wise Road.

While there is good Blue Grosbeak habitat in Western Placer, there are few records for the county. Today, I stopped back by for another photo opportunity and counted 4 Blue Grosbeaks ( 3 male and 1 female).

Coon Creek Blue Grosbeak

Salmon and Blue Grosbeak Habitat

Ron Pozzi discovering the Blue Grosbeak at Coon Creek

Upon reporting the grosbeak, we received word that a Red-necked Grebe and an Eared Grebe were reported at the Lincoln WWTP by Charley Walker of Roseville. Below is the photo that I digiscoped for the record.

Red-necked Grebe at Lincoln WWTP

Great Birds!

Deren

Trikes, Migrants, And Other Electrifying Events

All,

Over the past two weeks, the birding in Placer County has been packed with challenge and excitement. From the 2008 Tricolored Blackbird Survey and nesting Bald Eagles on Folsom Lake to Gray Flycatchers a-plenty, Beautiful Black Terns and the ever elusive Placer Bank Swallows. Last but not least is the FOS Big Year birder injury report.

TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS

In preparation for 2008 Tricolored Blackbird Survey, I spent a considerable amount of time scouting west Placer for Tricolored Blackbirds. With reports from fellow Big Year Birders and the help of my good friend, Mark Jeter (the Warden), the survey yielded 5 new breeding colonies, over 11,000 birds, and significant information on the status and distribution of the species in Placer County.

Trikes are alive and well in Placer County!.....for now.

Tricolored Blackbird, Male, Caperton-Sterling Parkway Colony

Pre-Week Observations at Trike Colony

"Tricolored Blackbirds are a unique part of California’s natural heritage; more than 95 percent of this species’ world population lives in California. At one time, Tricolored Blackbirds were perhaps one of the most numerous birds in California with well over 1.5 million birds in the early 20th century. But, over the past 60 years Tricolored Blackbird numbers have declined dramatically. It is difficult to estimate population size of this species, but there are likely to be fewer than 300,000 birds across California today." -Tricolored Blackbird Portal Website.


During the survey process, I learned that Placer County has several key habitat components for the Tricolored Blackbird. These includes foraging areas: wetlands, agricultural areas (upland pastures and rice paddies) and nesting areas: Himalayan Blackberry patches surrounded by heavy cattle grazing. The most significant factor for survey work was the availability of stored grains at the Ferrari Ranch northeast of Lincoln and the dairy on East Catlett. These grains are a primary food source for Tricolors and provided us with an opportunity to track down hundreds to thousands of trikes to possible roosts and breeding locations. The furthest distance away from the stored grains was approximately 10 miles.

Leaving Caperton-Sterling Parkway Colony

Again, I want to extend a special thanks to my good friend, and CDFG Warden, Mark Jeter for tracking down many of the colonies while working in Western Placer County. You're the Man!

For more information on the 2008 Tricolored Blackbird Survey results for Placer and California, go to: http://tricolor.ice.ucdavis.edu/

BALD EAGLES NESTING AT FOlSOM LAKE

Once again, the Jeter Boys (Mark and Scott) come up big. This time at Folsom Lake. Of course, coming up big for Scott and Mark on this day would have been to reel in a 10 pound Largemouth Bass but instead they found a +/- 10 pound Bald Eagle and a nest site.

Knowing about the Big Year and the First Nesting Record of Bald Eagle in Placer County Challenge, Mark called me pronto and I was at the boat ramp within an hour. Scott took me out to the site so that I could confirm and photo document the nesting eagles. Upon arriving, we found not one but two Bald Eagles and Scott landed one Largemouth Bass in the process.

Unfortunately, we learned that the nest site was actually in EL Dorado County and not Placer. Thank you to Sally Walters with Cal. State Parks for providing this information. So....the First Placer Nesting Bald Eagle Challenge still lives; however, this is the first nesting record for Folsom Lake since it was filled in the late 1950's. A number of reports from local birders and area residents suggest they may have nested on the lake in the last couple of years.

Last weekend, Brian Acord, CDFG biologist with his partner and CDFG biologist Krysta Rogers, hiked out to the area and observed an eagle taking a young Canada Goose to the nest. No doubt, this was food for either the female, possibly on eggs, or eaglets.

Due to the close proximity to humans and the potential for disturbence, the future success of the nest attempt is uncertain. So far, so good. From one of my photos, the underwing lining on one of the birds still had some whitish color which suggests this bird has just come into the fourth or adult year.

Scott Jeter, a.k.a-Ichtyornis Jeterii

Scott is now on the Big Year payroll. I'm hoping he'll pick up some scoters and other waterbirds in the year ahead. I already have his new bird name picked out. "Scoter Scott".

Bald Eagles Nesting at Folsom Lake

I'm almost forgot to mention the tern that flew in the opposite direction as we headed toward the eagle nest site. I asked Scott to turn the boat around and see if we couldn't track it down. We refound the bird. It was a Forester's Tern. In subsequent days, Ron Pozzi counted thirteen Forester's Terns at the lake.

GRAY FLYCATCHERS

The first of season report of Gray Flycatcher was from Colfax-Iowa Hill (4/15 by D. Cavallo). Since then, numerous Gray Flycatchers have been seen at both the east side of the Forest Hill Bridge and several miles up the road at Driver's Flat. On a recent visit to Driver's Flat, I heard and saw at least five Gray Flycatchers in one area. From the reports coming off the birding listserv's, it appears to be an extraordinary year for this species.

Gray Flycatcher, Driver's Flat

SHOREBIRDS, TERNS, AND OTHER WATERBIRDS.

On 4/22, 17 Semipalmated Plovers were found at the northwest corner of Waltz and Dowd Road. A return visit by Ed Pandolfino produced 35 Semipalmated Plovers and a second Marbled Godwit. Phil Robertson found the first Marbled Godwit near S. Brewer Road and Phillip Road. Phil and I made a return visit to Waltz and Dowd Road and relocated the Marbled Godwit that Ed previously found. Other birds of note included several hundred Western Sandpipers, Long-billed Curlews, Whimbrels, and least Sandpipers.

On 4/30, I received a surprise report from Mark McReynolds (Director for the Pacific Forest Insitute at William Jessup University). Mark was at the nearby W. Jessup Preserve and found two Black Terns. This is a difficult and often missed bird. I promptly sent the message to the Big Year gang and several of us rallied to the surrounding area the following morning. The first early call in the morning came from Ed Pandolfino. He found a Lesser Yellowlegs near S. Brewer and Phillip Road. This bird left before anyone else could get it. About an hour later, Ed called again. He found two Black Terns plus Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes at the Lincoln WWTP. YES!! We had beautiful views of the terns as they fed on the east pond. By far the best views I've ever had of Black Tern.

A big THANKYOU! to Mark McReynolds for thinking about the Placer Big Year and the timely report. Great bird for Placer!

Black Terns, Lincoln WWTP East Pond

PLACER BANK SWALLOWS

After seeing the beautiful Black Terns and Phalaropes at the Lincoln WWTP, I met up with a friend to look for the only known breeding site for Bank Swallow in Placer County. The site is located at a gravel mining operation on the lower Bear River (PLA). Actually, both sides of the river at this location are in Placer County. With the mining operation shut down for the day and permission to enter the site, we located 2-4 Banks Swallow in a mining pit (w/water) just a stones through from the river colony site. Not only was this a life bird for me but it was in Placer County. Needless to say, I was stoked. The Banks, along with several more Northern Rough-winged Swallows, were flying rapidly and feeding low over the water. I was surprised how close they resembled each other under these circumstances. We were lucky to get a glimpse of the breast band but the overall bright white underside and rapid flight were certainly characteristic for Bank Swallow. I'm not sure how far back the records go, if at all, for nesting Bank Swallows on the Lower Bear but I do know a relatively recent (2000) biological paper reported 20-25 swallows nesting on the river. I found the recorded colony nest site but no Bank Swallows were present at this time. Only Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Also, seen here was a Caspian Tern, a nesting pair of Ospreys, and an impressive Great Blue Heron Rookery.

Bank Swallow, Lower Bear River

Bank Swallow Colony-Lower Bear River

Cal. Fish and Game Warden Mark Jeter

viewing Bank Swallows on the Lower Bear River

Osprey, Nesting on Lower Bear River

Great Blue Heron Rookery, Lower Bear River

NEOTROP HOTSPOTS

The valley and foothills are hopping with warblers, vireos, flycatchers, orioles, gnatcatchers, Tanagers, Lazuli Buntings, etc., etc. and birders are getting excited at the prospect of each new day. The big hotspots have been Beeks Bight (Folsom Lake) and Driver's Flat (Forest Hill Rd.). Yesterday, I made a brief stop at Driver's Flat and took pleasure in seeing several Townsend's Warblers and Lazuli Buntings.

Townsend's Warbler, Driver's Flat

AN ELECTRIFYING REPORT FOR THE PLACER BIG YEAR

I share the following to not only help prevent my fellow birding comrades from being injured, such as I have been, but also to shed some light on the personal sacrifices one makes in the name of birds and birding.

Or, in the words of Red Foreman (That's 70's Show), DUMB ASS!

Last week, Mark Jeter and I went to the Gleason Ranch to conduct a preliminary survey of a large Tricolored Blackbird Colony. There were two sites on the cattle ranch and to get to them it required a short walk and crossing two fences. We crossed over the first fence without a hitch and briefly noted the activity at the first sight. Since the second site had more activity, we decided to head in that direction. We came to the second fence and Mark went over first. The only route with this well-maintained barbed and electric fence was carefully over the top. Mark jumped over, hit the ground hard with his feet and back, and grimaced with pain. Then it was my turn. Deciding to precede a bit more slowly, I started up over the fence while talking about trikes. I had one leg on one side and the other leg on the other side while holding onto the top barbed wire just above the electric wire. Suddenly, the wires on which I was standing dropped a couple of inches and I soon found myself sitting down on the top wires, both barbed and electric. Let's just say that everything that I had two of hung in the balance. And for the record, this was not your small gauge electric wire. This was heavy duty wire which had to cover an expansive parcel of grazing land. Needless to say, I took a powerful hit. I can recall my head and chin jetting upwards, eyes bulging outward, and my hand being pierced by the barbed wire. Apparently, I sprang sideways off the fence and collapsed on the ground. Luckily, I missed the cow pies. After several seconds of groaning, the pain subsided and I slowly got back up on my feet. Mark and I instantly burst into laughter. With his jarred back and my throbbing bollocks, we ambled slowly back to the truck. We're not as spry as we used to be.

Great and Safe Birding,

Deren

Placer Birding.....PBY Breaks 200

Hello Everyone,

I know, I know.....it's been a few weeks since I last posted. It was hard getting back into the groove after vacation and getting the flu. Needless to say, a lot has happened in past couple weeks. Here are some of the highlights from the past month or so. Remember that most photos will enlarge if you click on them.

March 10: On a Sacramento Audubon Field Trip to Beek's Bight (Folsom Lake) led by Chris Conard, a Canyon Wren was discovered about a half mile up the trail. It's rare to find a Canyon Wren below Auburn (Knickerbocker Canyon). It may have came down with the heavy snows in the Sierra.

March 19: While birding at Doton's Point (Folsom Lake), Ron Pozzi spooked up a Common Poorwill. An early date in the north.

Below is a map of Folsom Lake. Birding hotspots include Beals Point, Doton's Point, Beek's Bight, and the Folsom Lake Penninsula. Click or save to enlarge.

Click picture to enlarge

Speaking of early arrivals, several species in California and around the world are being reported earlier than usual. A suspected cause is climate change. For more on birds and climate change, you might be interested in the following Links.

http://bluebirdslaugh.blogspot.com/
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/wwfsummaryfinal.pdf
http://birdsandclimate.blogspot.com/

March 24, the Placer Big Year Gang hit a cumulative total of 200 species with Mark Aring's Caspian Tern flyby at the Lincoln WWTP. Cliff Hawley won the contest for guessing the 200 species date.

March 26: After mowing the trails at Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary with Linda and Jerry Potter, I checked out an area that was full of sparrows and found a tan-morph White-throated Sparrow.

Me..... birding from a tractor seat at Traylor Ranch

Lead Volunteers from the Loomis Basin Horseman's Association

and local Residents-Linda and Jerry Potter

Mowing trails at Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary

March 27: Phil Robertson found Whimbrels in the sod field at the corner of Wise and Gladding Roads. They were still there as of April 11th. Mid-morning and late afternoon seem to be the best time to find them.

Whimbrel, Wise and Gladding Road

March 28: Scott Hoppe and Dan Tankersley found a Hooded Oriole in the palms on Humprey Road next to Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary. Another Palm-leaf Oriole (seen below) was reported by Tammy Kaspick from Shockely Drive near Luther Road in Auburn. Look for the hummingbird feeders or fan palm across the street and up the hill. Another good viewing location, as reported by Dennis Cavallo, are the fan palms located at Mount Vernon and Nevada Street in Auburn.

Male Hooded Oriole-Shockley Drive, Auburn

March 30: I had the opportunity to join Mark Jeter, a good friend and local Fish and Game Warden, for a hike out to see Golden Eagles nesting on the lower Bear River. Due to the extremely sensitive nature of Golden Eagles, Mark and I plan to check on them after the chick(s) have hatched. Hopefully, future land aquistions with protections in place will keep the Golden flying in the Placer foothills.

Golden Eagle on nest, Bear River

March 31: Mark Aring reported a Common Yellow-throat at the Meridian Marsh in Rocklin.

April 3: While doing a site visit to a private preserve on the Bear River with Joselyn Matkins and Jeff Ward of the Placer Land Trust, I found a first of season Pacific-slope Flycatcher but the big score of the day was not a bird. It was a butterfly. The preserve holds the host plant for our State Butterfly-the California Dogface of which we saw four. Three males and one female. This was a lifer for me and part of a personal quest over the past year

Joselyn and Deren

Placer Land Trust's Shutamul Preserve

April 4: Ed Pandolfino and I met with Gary Hengst of the Lincoln Waste Water Treatment Plant for a tour of the facility and an opportunity to discuss birds at the site. We had a great tour and the possibilities for birding at the site during the summer-fall shorebird migration could be good.

Tour Day with the Lincoln WWTP Crew

Later in the day, while observing a flock of several hundred Tricolored Blackbirds at the corner of Wise and Manzanita Road, I found a male Yellow-headed Blackbird. Few are found in Placer County and they're always a treat. If interested in looking at Tricolored Blackbirds, this is a good location. The birds are feeding around the barn. With any luck, we'll be able to locate a nesting colony in time for the Tricolored Blackbird Survey at the end of the month. Key agricultural components for Tricolors, in addition to nesting habitat, are feedlots (Manzanita and Wise Rd.) and dairy farms (East Catlett Rd.).

Tricolored Blackbirds, Ferrari Ranch-Lincoln

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird with Trikes, Ferrari Ranch.

But, the best birding story for the day came from Dee Warenycia and Dave Johnson while birding along Mosquito Ridge Road. Courtesy of Dee, you may read her report and see the photo below.

"This morning, Dave Johnson accompanied my to Mosquito Ridge in search of plants to photograph, primarily Erythronium multiscapoideum (Sierra fawn lily), Lupinus stiversii (Harlequin lupine), and Streptanthus tortuosus (Mountain jewel flower). Of course, we both had our binoculars along, and we intended to stop at Scott's "hot spot" along Driver's Flat Road.

As we were driving back from our successful plant hunt, I was driving slowly to look for more little plant gems, and I heard what I thought might be a pileated woodpecker right where the Mosquito Ridge Trail takes off up the hill. We decided to go check it out....leaving cameras behind....just concentrating on birds! We had only hiked maybe 50' or less up the trail, when a male SOOTY GROUSE accosted us!!!! This bird would not leave us alone! We both went back to the car and got our cameras (both equipped with 105mm micro lenses)....it was tough to get the entire bird in the viewfinder.....and, yes, the bird crossed the road with us when we went to get the cameras, never more than a few feet from one of us. After taking 50+ photos each (thank goodness for digital!), we decided to go look for the...what was it? Oh yeah, the woodpecker..... Well, the grouse followed us for a ways, then fell back. We continued up the ridge, picking up both red-breasted nuthatch and brown creeper, but decided that the woodpecker call I heard was that of a Northern flicker. Suddenly, the grouse reappeared and harassed us some more! We hiked on down the trail, accompanied most of the way by the grouse (which even took flight at one point when some motorcycles sped by...), which followed us to the car.....as we drove away, I looked in the rear view mirror, and the grouse was running as fast as it could after us down the center of Mosquito Ridge Road!!!! This is one of the most bizarre bird encounters that I can recall.... I will send a photo after I get things downloaded....I wanted to get this out for those that wanted to go search for the bird.

I would guess that this bird will hang around this area for awhile.... To get there, drive to Foresthill; just past the Valero gas station, make a right on Mosquito Ridge Road; drive over the circle bridge that crosses the American River; the Mosquito Ridge trail head is ~2.3 miles beyond the circle bridge, with the trail on the right and a large pull-off on the left. Be aware that the trail contains lots of new, oily poison oak!

We never made it to Driver's Flat Road :-( .....another day!

Good birding, Dee "

Sooty Grouse, Mosquito Ridge Road

Photo by Dee Warenycia

We've started to see many migrants in the area and the wide spot in the gravel road at Driver's Flat is hopping. Since Scott Hoppe's first report, we've seen Nashville Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and others. IT'S ON!

I received a note from Ed Pandolfino that that the Placer Lesser Black-backed Gull made Birding Magazine. The sighting has been sent to Guy McCaskie for review by the California Birds Records Committee.

Now that I'm back in the saddle and things are beginning to take off, you can expect a flurry of blog activity in the weeks and months ahead.

Good Birding,

Deren

Some Recent Photos

All,

Between vacation and a cold bug, I haven't been birding for a couple of weeks. It was a good time to slow down. Here's some photos from the past month.

Red-Breasted Merganser, Male

Big Year Break at Bodega Bay

Many seen at Lake Tahoe a few days before (early March)

Sitting on the kitchen counter of the house at Lake Tahoe where we found the Red-necked Grebe and Red-Breasted Merganser, this cookbook was open to this page. Unfortunately, there were no 'skewered small birds' in the fridge to snack on but we did find a couple of cold beers to celebrate our good luck. The owners were not home at the time and I had a good laugh. What are the odds?

Another Angle of Lawrence's Goldfinch


Canada Geese Nesting +40 Feet Up in Dead Fan Palm
Humphrey Road, Penryn

Near Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve



Pair of Western Bluebirds Perched on Hitching Post
Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary
Penryn, Ca





Bill Covington Cleaning Nest Box
Traylor Ranch, Penryn

Volunteers, from Wildlife Rescue and Rehab in Penn Valley, saving birds and gathering netting at the abandoned Lakeview Farms (game birds). Warden Mark and I checked out the large Eucalyptus grove in the background for owls. I was hoping for a Big Year Long-eared Owl...no such luck. We did find three Barn Owls, a Great-horned Owl, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and +/-8 roosting Redtailed Hawks. Near Sheridan.

Enlarged View of Photographs

Hello Everyone,

I had note from a friend inquiring as to why some photographs will enlarge when clicking on them and others do not. I just checked with the help desk at Blogger and learned that if photos are added then click and dragged the code gets messed up. To move photos, I needed to cut and paste from the html view. I just tested it out. It works!! Over the course of the next week, I will repost the photos that do not englarge.

Deren

Learning about Birds and Nature

This week, I had the pleasure of helping with the bi-monthly bird survey at the Lincoln High School Farm and co-leading the Family Bird Walk at the Placer Nature Center.

Mark Fowler's Natural History Class

Lincoln High School Farm

Today, I met Al Klahn, Bill Covington, and Bud Fritzsche at the Lincoln High School Farm. We were invited by Science Teacher Mark Fowler to join his students on one of their bimonthly birding surveys around the farm site which include hay fields, seasonal wetlands, marsh, ponds, vernal pools, and other crop fields. The diversity of habitat was impressive and the Farm/Science Program offers a truly unique opportunity for the students at Lincoln High School. Not only do they have a great program but they have a great teacher. In addition to the science program at the farm, each year, Mark enlists many of his science students to participate in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Auburn Area.

Mark Fowler and Students Reviewing the Bird Survey

The Lincoln Farm is a unique and invaluable educational resource that provides students with real outdoor learning experience. Birds of note on today's survey included a beautiful Eurasian Wigeon in breeding plumage, a Merlin, and several Black-necked Stilts.

Last Saturday, I was joined by fellow Sierra Foothills Audubon Society birders Anne Wallace, Allen Klahn, and Barbara Tellman in leading a family bird walk for the Placer Nature Center. It was a beautiful day for the walk. Al and Anne led a small group of birders around the nature trail while Barbara and I had a personal tour of the nature center. Barbara had been a docent in years past and I had led a bird walk some time ago for PNC but neither of us had seen the impressive watershed project or the cool nature craft store. After the PNC tour from staff members Eve Sande Sundquist and Bob Garrison, Barbara and I took Eve for a personal bird walk along the nature trail. Birds of note included numerous Oak Titmouse and Hutton's Vireo...more than I've ever heard in one small area and singing Ruby-crowned kinglets.

Barbara Tellman, Me, and Eve Sundquist Sande

Placer Nature Center

Placer Nature Center (http://www.placernaturecenter.org/index.html)

Organized by community volunteers in 1991 on a beautiful woodland site near Auburn, Placer Nature Center presents environmental-based education programs for all ages. Our Exhibit Halls, Discovery Laboratory, history gardens and nature trails annually attract 8,000 school children and community members for school field trips, summer nature camps and classes, geology and flower walks, art and astronomy classes, live theatre and much more.

Placer Nature Center offers environmental education programs designed to promote an understanding and awareness of the natural environment, cultivate scientific literacy and stimulate stewardship attitudes toward the earth. Environmental education focuses on environmental "literacy": learning about and caring for the total environment, understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems and developing critical-thinking skills to resolve environmental issues.

The education we provide at Placer Nature Center focuses on using the environment to engage students in science learning through: awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its problems; experience in and understanding of the environment; establishing a sense of connection to the immediate environment and the student so that they understand that the nature of our lives and our environment are inseparable.

I look forward to sharing future experiences with the people and organizations that make Placer County a wonderful place to live.

Deren

Good Birds at Tahoe

Tahoe birding has been slow this winter but that all changed last Saturday after Todd Easterla and Lisa Jorgenson reported numerous Red-breasted Mergansers and two Red-necked Grebes while birding from the shores of Tahoe City. This location is the best bet for getting these two specialty species in the county.

Bruce, Ed, and Dennis
Common's Beach, Tahoe City

Dennis Cavallo and I had planned to head up to Tahoe on Wednesday but after getting Todd's report on Saturday, we made a last minute rally and headed up there this morning. Upon arriving at the Fanny Bridge parking area, we spotted two familiar birders. Ed Pandolino and Bruce Webb were just getting ready to leave after having seen both the Red-necked Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers. After getting the details, Dennis and I headed around the corner to Commons Beach where Ed and Bruce returned to help us locate the target birds. Score!! While the shapes were distinctive, the distance was so great that we couldn't fully appreciate the unique appearance of either bird. Hoping to get better viewing opportunities, Bruce and Ed continued on around the north shore while Dennis and I headed along the west shore. With the exception of a few Common Loons seen from the deck behind the Sunnyside Restaurant, there wasn't much else. So, we decided to head back along the north shore and over to Dollar Point where Dennis had made previous arrangements with a friend to use the deck of their home which overlooked the lake. Shortly after getting our scopes set up on the deck, Dennis spotted a pair of RB Mergansers at fairly close range. We had nice views of a male and female in breeding plumage. While the female bill and head shape was distinctive, the colors of the male sealed the deal. A few minutes later, Dennis spotted a small grebe not far from the shore. We quickly got our scopes on the bird and bingo! A great view of the rare Red-necked Grebe. About the same time, Ed called to report that he and Bruce found Mountain Bluebirds along Hwy. 267 in Martis Valley. Once again, following up on their lead, we easily relocated the Mountain Bluebirds. Thanks Guys!

Bruce Webb and Ed Pandolfino

Commons Beach, Tahoe City

On the way back down the hill, Dennis and I made a run out to Giant Gap where we heard Peregrine Falcons and Canyon Wrens.

It was a banner birding day in the mountains.

Deren

The Elusive Lawrence's Goldfinch and more......

Male Lawrence's Goldfinch, A Rare and Occasional Resident

Bill and Sally Covington's Yard

Lincoln, California

Photo by D.Ross

This week, I had a second shot at the Lawrence's Goldfinches that have been coming to the bird feeders in the backyard of Bill and Sally Covington.

Bill had called earlier in the week to tell me that the Lawrence's had returned and appeared to be sticking around. I told him it would be a couple of days before I could get down to his place. It just so happened that this was the same day that I was to join Bill and crew (Al Klahn and Bud Fritzsche) at Traylor Ranch Bird Sancuary in Penryn.

So, before meeting up with the crew for the first of season bluebird nest box inspection at Traylor Ranch, I headed over to Bill and Sally's place for a cup of Joe and a possible Lawrence's Goldfinch sighting. Arriving promptly at 0700, Bill greeted me at the door with "good morning....there's two in the backyard right now." Bill and Sally had hoped someone would get to see and document this rare visitor at their feeders. Two bright males....Wow! Very Nice! There was a big sigh of relief from both Sally and Bill upon my seeing these little beauties. We spent the next couple of hours talking about the Lawrence's Goldfinch, their upcoming birding trip to Florida and surrounding areas, and birds in general. This was not first time that Bill had seen Lawrence's Goldfinch in Placer County. If I recall correctly, this was his forth sighting with two in winter and two in summer. Last summer Al Klahn and Bill spotted one at Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary in Penryn.

Speaking of Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve, below is a photo of the three guys that have been doing a great job of monitoring and maintaining the bluebird box trail. I spent the morning with these great fellas as they checked, cleaned, and recorded information on each of the 40+ nest boxes. We wrapped it up around noon and went into Rocklin for the first of season Thai Lunch.

From L to R: Bud Fritzsche, Allen Klahn, and Bill Covington

Nest Box Monitoring and Maintenance Crew

Traylor Ranch Bird Sanctuary and Nature Reserve

Penryn, California

The reserve is owned by the County of Placer and is managed by the Loomis Basin Horseman's Association with help from the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, local residents, and the surrounding community. The scenic beauty, peacefulness, and accessibility, makes this reserve one of the best in the county. I've had the great pleasure to have been involved in this project since its inception. To learn more about Traylor Ranch go to: http://www.garlic.com/~lbha/traylor.html

A very big thank you to Bill and Sally for making this opportunity available to myself and the other big year birders. I also want to thank Walt Carnahan for forwarding the information from Bill's first sighting about a month ago.

I'll have more to share about Traylor Ranch later in the spring.

Good Birding,

Deren

A Call for the Sandhill Crane

On Tuesday morning of this week, I came into work with the idea of recruiting my co-workers and friends in spotting Sandhill Cranes migrating over the Sierra foothills.

Around 7am, as we were talking about the weather, I presented the Sandhill challenge. I told them that Sandhill Cranes had begun migrating back up north and that today's good weather was sure to bring them over the foothills. I offered to buy lunch for the first person to locate the Sandhills but with the caveat that I had to see or hear them. One of the benefits of working in the water quality field is getting the opportunity to go outside on a fairly regular basis.

Around noon, I received a call from Ken Yunk. He was in Rocklin on his water quality sampling route when he first heard and then spotted migrating Sandhills. He said "they were heading toward Auburn or just to the west." Announcing to the lunch bunch that we had a sighting, I bolted out the back door and took a position to the west of the water treatment plant that offered a good vantage of the foothills and valley. With binoculars, I began to scan the skies. Nothing. I looked straight up and to the east in case they got around me. Still nothing. Then suddenly from out the back door came Lonnie Bowling, a computer programmer working at the plant. I told him I was looking for Sandhill Cranes and described to him what I was looking for. He quickly spotted a bird high overhead. It was a Redtail. Close but no cigar. I then pointed to the direction from which Kenny described the course of the cranes. Immediately, Lonnie says "What are those birds there?" I said "Where?, What birds?" He pointed to the same location. I put up the binocs. Sure enough..... Sandhill Cranes just to the west of Auburn. We watched them as they caught a thermal, gained altitude, continued on their northward migration along the Sierras.

Good job guys and thanks for #161 on my BY list.

Because the big year is an opportunity to re-discover the birds, I frequently find myself reading from one of the well-known early treaties on North American or California Ornithology. Today, I read from Arther C. Bent's 'Life Histories of North American Marsh Bird, 1926.' I found it interesting that Dr. Coues, William Dawson, and Ralph Hoffman, had similarly described the Sandhill Cranes existence as going the way of the buffalo and Native American. The latter two men borrowing from the former.

"They (civilization) are still driving it further west and north into the unsettled wilderness; the wilderness is fast disappearing and with it will go the cranes and many other interesting forms of wild life"--Dr. Coues.

More from Bent,

"The voice of the Sandhill Crane is most remarkable; its loud, ringing, and sometimes musical trumpetings have great carrying power and often can be heard long before they can be seen. For a good account of its vocal performance, I must again quote from Mr. Laing (1915):

It is a hoarse, unnatural croak that rips from the throat, a vibrant puttering that seems to suggest something prehistoric-such a call as one might expect that our far-gone ancestors heard in the days when pterodactyls and their kind flew about the marshes. His vocabulary is limited to a code of signals, but it is all sufficient for his needs. A couple of his more common calls might be syllablized as:

"Gar-oo-oo-oo-oo! Gar-oo-oo-oo!"-- the fair weather, sky-scraping call uttered in the heavens.

"Hur-roo-oo-roo-roo!"--a broken, three-word call of inquiry when one flock on the wing seeks another far below."

For an electronic version of A.C. Bent's 'Life Histories of North American Birds' go to:

http://home.bluemarble.net/~pqn/index.html

It is a very rare occasion when a Sandhill lands in the valley portion of Placer County. Perhaps one the rarest sightings in the county came from the Foresthill Divide. TNF biologist Robin Wachs observed several Sandhill Cranes standing on a forest service road during a heavy storm.

Keep your ears and eyes to the skies,

Deren

Discovering the Chestnut-backed Chickadee

For me, chasing birds usually implies that an attempt is made to re-locate a bird that has been previously reported to a listserv or phone bird box. Typically, it requires a modest degree of skill or knowledge with exception of using maps and following directions. While chasing a bird and adding it to one's list is good sport and good fun, which I enjoy to a point, I do not find it to be as rewarding as discovering the bird for oneself.

A couple of days ago, I took the opportunity, not to chase, but to seek out a great little Placer bird, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. It is an uncommon and year-round resident in Placer County. I have seen it only a few times. The town of Alta and Placer Big Tree Grove are two places that I can remember. It is found locally amongst Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Firs, Incense Cedar, Sugar Pine, White fir, Black Oak and Madrone. This is commonly referred to as 'the transition zone'. I was particularly interested in finding a good stand of Madrone. The fall-winter Madrone berries and associated insects provide an abundant source of food for a variety of wintering birds.

I might add that the motivation for my little exploration was sparked, in addition to my personal experiences, by recent comments from Rudy Darling regarding the winter status and habitat of Townsend's Warbler (with Chestnut-backed Chickadees) in Nevada County and Ron Pozzi's recent sighting near the Foresthill Water Treatment Plant.

In preparation, I ran a Google Earth search to locate an area with the best habitat potential for Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Knowing the winter zone would fall somewhere between the 2500 and 3500' elevation, I zeroed in on the area north of Foresthill known as Sugar Pine. Having done a good amount of birding in the area, I had a good feeling about this location. A closer search revealed a road that I had driven by many times. It was Big Dipper Road and it ran right through the transition zone. No, I don't think the road is named for an undocumented giant race of American Dipper.

So, yesterday morning, I set out for Big Dipper Road but not before stopping at the Foresthill Ranger Station to ask Matt Triggs, TNF Biologist, if Big Dipper Road was good to travel and if it had Madrone. Matt said it was a county maintained road with plenty of Madrone. Excellent! Before leaving, I told Matt about my proposed two-day expedition into Grouse Falls to photograph nesting Black Swifts. I asked him about the best approach. Let's just say, I wasn't surprised when he chuckled at the question and the mention of a helicopter entered the conversation. He did provide me with two topo maps of the area. Thanks Matt.

With a storm quickly approaching, I left the ranger station and headed over to Sugar Pine Reservoir and Big Dipper Road. Never mind the wintering adult Bald Eagle I saw when driving across the dam. I was looking for a Chickadee.

Within a minute or so of leaving the dam, I came upon on Big Dipper Road where I soon found an extensive stand of Madrone, mixed-conifer, and Ponderosa Pine. Awesome! I thought of all the times I had driven passed this road and the birds I must have missed. I had always taken the Iowa Hill Road from Sugar Pine to Iowa Hill and Colfax.

I hadn't traveled far before a Pileated Woodpecker called loudly from the side of road. This sudden suprise nearly landed Whitey and I in the ditch. Unable to get a visual the Logcock, I continued on down the road. Certainly, Big Dipper Road has to be one of the better county routes for Ponderosa-mixed conifer and hardwood forests.

By the looks of the clouds, rain was fast approaching and I didn't have long to find a forgaging flock of birds. A few miles more down the road I came to the intersection of King Hill Road and Big Dipper which was about the lower limit of my target elevation. At this point, I turned around and made a second run back up the road. The rain was light and I still had a chance to find the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. At .70 miles from the intersection, I heard a small flock of birds, Chickadee I think, and pulled off the road. I saw several birds fly into the top of a Black Oak. Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch and, YES, a Chestnut-backed Chickadee. After a few minutes of observation, it flew back across the road and into a large Douglas Fir. In a drizzle of rain, with the chickadee calling from high above, I paused for a moment and reflected on the sense of accomplishment that comes with the study and discovery of the birds.

Interestingly, the early literature does not mention the presence of Chestnut-backed Chickadee in the Sierra Nevada. It wasn't until I pulled down my barely surviving copy of Discovering Sierran Birds (1985) by Ted Beedy and Stephen Granholm that I found out why...."these common Coast and Cascade Range residents were not discovered in the Sierra Nevada until 1937, when one was collected at an elevation of 2700 feet along the North Fork Feather River. Chestnut-backed Chickadees were not observed in Yosemite Valley until 1958. Today, they reside regularly, but locally, year-round in the Ponderosa Pine and mixed-conifer zones from Yosemite Valley northward." An additional early record is from Calaveras Big Trees in 1951 (Birds of Yosemite, 1988, by David Gaines).

By the way, Ted (Edward C.) Beedy, David Lukas, Stephen L. Granholm, and Keith Hansen have been working on a new and expanded book entitled "Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada". Between the life history accounts and illustrations, this book will no doubt be a treasure to birders and nature enthusiasts alike.

For more information, visit the following websites.
Keith Hansen: http://www.keithhansen.com/Projects.html

Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada: http://www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/birdguide/index.htm

To learn more about the Chestnut-backed Chickadee go to:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee.html

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Poecile
Species: rufescens
La. passer- sparrow, small bird
La. forma- form, kind, species
La. parum- too little
La. parus- titmouse, tomtit
Gr. poecile- painted
La. rufus- red
La. escens- approaching


Good birding,
Deren

PBY Posts Revisions

To the Readers,

For purposes of clarity, I've made revisions to my recent post and I continue to work to improve the writing and editing process.

Thanks for following the Placer Big Year.

Deren

Where's the birds?

Birding by Kayak on Folsom Lake

Placer Potpourri and Possible New County Species-Glossy Ibis

Hello Folks,

The nesting season has begun for several resident birds. Now is the time to observe the courtship and breeding behavior of Anna's Hummingbird, Hutton's Vireo, Great-horned Owl, California Thrasher, Golden Eagle, and Oak Titmouse. A few should be on eggs by now and others are just weeks away.

Reports of migratory birds have started coming across the local birding listervs. Tree and Violet-green Swallows have been seen over the past week or so and, yesterday, Nevada County Birder Rudy Darling, reported Sandhill Cranes on the move.

A few days ago, I went out to Rattlesnake Bar-Folsom Lake and hiked the Pioneer Express Trail to Avery's Pond. The oak-woodlands were full of Myrtle Warblers and along the trail several early wildflowers, Shooting Stars and Indian Paintbrush, were in bloom. With spring just around the corner, big year birders can sense the mass movement of migrants that will soon descend upon their every waking moment.

Regular Winter Visitor- Yellow-Rump Warbler-'Myrtle Race'

Note the dark cheek or mask on the Myrtle

Rattlesnake Bar, Folsom Lake

There was more big news this past week with Todd Easterla, Scott Hoppe, and Steve Abbott reporting two winter plumage Glossy Ibis in West Placer. The following day, Ed Pandolfino and I refound a possible Glossy Ibis amongst the many hundred. Without excellent viewing conditions, this is a difficult bird to identify. Recent sightings in other counties during the breeding season suggest a possible year round presence. The Glossy Ibis could be a new species for the county. For now, it will be listed as CBRC review species. The review is performed by the California Birds Records Committee who's purpose is to endorse, maintain, and publish data on records reported in California. In addition, the committee's efforts promote the acceptance of valuable scientific data and contribute to the increase of knowledge about the birds of California. Their efforts also provide a standard for field observations and basis for the official California State Bird List. For the serious birder or student of ornithology, I highly recommend the CBRC's new book 'Rare Birds of California'. For more information, go to:http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

This week, Dennis Cavallo reported that both Sage Sparrow and California Thrasher were found at their usual haunt amongst the chamise and buckbrush covered hillside immediately east of the Foresthill Bridge. The following day, Purple Finches were seen and heard singing from the tree tops. Other hopefulls from this location include Black-chinned Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, and Lawrences Goldfinch. This area has proven to be a good stop-over for other migrants as well.

Purple Finch near Foresthill Bridge-February 15th.

Mountain Resident and Winter Visitor to lowlands

The gull activity has slowed down at Folsom Lake with many birds leaving for breeding areas. I'm hoping the next storm system will drop a few transient birds into the area before the gull season comes to a close. I'm thinking Slaty-backed Gull.

Speaking of gulls, Sacramento Bee writer Carlos Alcala is following the big year and recently reported, in the South Placer-Roseville Section, on the rare sighting of the Lesser Black-backed Gull at Folsom Lake. Carlos' commentary should bring an informative and entertaining perspective on the fraternity of birders and birding in Placer and beyond.

Got Gull?

In Search of the Lesser Black-backed Gull

Birders from Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, and Oakland

While I'm on the subject, there are two books that come highly recommended to the budding larophile.

* 2004/2005 Reprinted with corrections issue of Gulls of Europe, Asia, and North America by Klaus M. Olsen and Hans Larsson.

* Gulls of the Americas, 2007, by Steve N. G. Howell and Jon Dunn

Good Birding,

Deren

Some Recent Big Year Bird Photos

Hello folks,
Here are some of the Placer birds that were photographed in recent days and weeks.

Enjoy!

If I'm not mistaken this bird was first found by Phil Robertson and Tom Roach. The Barrow's is a winter migrant in California and a former breeder in the northeastern high Sierra. The proximity to human disturbence makes this location seem unusual for this somewhat reclusive species. Locally found in winter on ponds and reservoirs near Alta, Folsom Lake, and the American River below Nimbus Dam. Great photo, Dee.

Male Barrow's Golden Eye at Sun City Roseville Fountain Pond.

Photo taken by Dee Warenycia

"the spirit of the Live Oak Tree" (Van Fleet, 1919, BNA)

Hutton's Vireo, an uncommon but year-round Placer resident

Doton's Point-Folsom Lake , Photo taken by me

"Each of their various territorial songs consists of a two-part phrase repeated many times in succession" (Beedy and Granholm, Discovering Sierra Birds).

This little bird is an early breeder and begins singing early in the year. I got very lucky on this photograph. Standing in a tangle of Live Oak, California Buckeye, and Poison Oak, I pointed my camera at what could have been either a Ruby-crowned Kinglet or Hutton's Vireo. Both were present. I actually thought I had the RC in this effort. The following photo is of a Hutton's nest found only a few feet away. This is my first nest for this species.

In California (San Diego), earliest report of nest-building is first week of February (BNA). The condition of this nest is good which suggests it may have been built in recent days. It was a little strecthed out on one side which made me wonder. The lichen looked fresh.

Hutton's Vireo Nest-Doton's Point, Folsom Lake.
Photo D. Ross

When the PBY gets slow, there's always sub-species. Common east of the Rockies.

Slate-colored Junco, Newcastle Cemetery

Subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco

Photo taken by D. Ross

Rough-legged Hawk, Brewer Rd. West Placer

Photo taken by Phil Robertson

An Arctic Breeder, this hawk migrates south in winter and regulary found in Placer County.

Good Birding and Photographing!

Deren

Very Rare Gull Found at Folsom Lake

Great News! Yesterday afternoon, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was found at Folsom Lake.

I arrived around 2:30 and, to my delight, spotted a large gathering of gulls on and near some islands to the northeast of Beals Point. I walked down the beach as far as possible but staying as high as I could. It's tough looking into a raft of gulls at lake level. Fortunately, I found a hill near the shore. I spent the next hour scanning continously back and forth all the while hoping to see a dark-mantled gull. At this distance, I wasn't about to pick up anything else. I made several attempts at turning a California, Gull into a Western Gull but all without success. Then, at approximately 3:40, I spotted a very dark gull on the water. A Western I thought. No....it has distinct streaking in head. It's a Slatyback...I mean Black-backed.

I watched for several minutes before it came off the water, flew in a small circle, and landed back down. BRIGHT YELLOW LEGS!!!! It's a Lesser Slaty-backed. I mean Black-backed Gull. Great Gulls of Granite Bay! This is a damn good bird. Fortunately, I had my phone with me and I was able to get a hold of Todd Easterla. About 40 mintues later, Todd came huffing and puffing over the hill only to have an Osprey fly over and spook the whole roost. NO WAY!!!!! It's gone. But the gulls worked their way back down to the island with many more still on the water. Todd and I searched for 15 to 20 minutes before we refound the gull with the slaty sable. Todd checked and confirmed the diagnostics-very dark mantle, yellow legs, white eye, distinct streaking on the head,large orange gon spot, and white tail. Without a doubt, he said "It's a adult Lesser Black-backed, Bud!! Great bird!". Always prepared, Todd managed to get a few digiscope photos. We stayed till sunset when all the gulls lifted from the land and water and relocated further out onto the lake. Guided by a magnificent sunset and stories of great birds, both missed and had, we headed back up the beach and for home.

I soon realized that not only was I extremely fortunate to have found this bird but I was equally if not more fortunate to have Todd there to confirm the sighting. Rare sightings don't go far without someone else or photographs to confirm them. I had neither one until he arrived. Thanks Todd!

" And though we appraise the blueness of waters and the brightness of skies and the genial warmth of sands, it is, after all, the gulls and their kind who give the crowning touch of life to any littoral scene." -William L. Dawson, Birds of California, 1923.


This afternoon, several birders will be out at Beals Point in hopes of refinding the gull.

Digiscoped photos of Lesser Black-backed Gull, Folsom Lake.

Photo taken by Todd Easterla

Deren

January Ends: Burrowing Owl Marks 150

Snapshot of Burrowing Owl in West Placer

Species of Special Concern
Photo taken by Phil Robertson

Hello folks,

January is gone and we finished with a bang. Just a few days ago, Phil Robertson of Lincoln, found our first Burrowing Owl. Due to the rapid growth in the county, the Burrowing Owl haunts of old are rapidly disappearing from the charts. It’s been several years since we had a reliable viewing location. The fact that it’s on a private preserve gives hope to the future for “Billy the Owl”. Hopefully, through organiziations such as Placer Land Trust and Placer Legacy, there will be further opportunities to provide Burrowing Owl habit protection in Placer County.

As far as the numbers go, Billy makes 150 on my personal list and a great way to end the first month of the big year. For the group, the total stood at 155 as of 1/22/08 but I’m fairly certain it has gone beyond the 160 mark.

The latest side-challenge to the big year, offered up by Ed Pandolfino, is for each person to guess the date on which the group will hit 200 cumulative species. This will be posted to the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society site in early February.

I have to say that the way the big year folks worked together, with each of us having an opportunity to contribute to the effort, has made for some fun and interesting times. Contributions include: photographs for documentation, finding rare and uncommon gulls, locating boundaries on Folsom Lake, discussing trends in Eurasian Wigeon and Eurasian Collard-Doves, starting the 200 species challenge, accessing new areas, participating in science efforts (Tahoe Bald Eagle Count and Raptor Surveys), examining status and distribution, discussing special status species, finding new species, and simply sharing information and ideas.

Now, I expect we’ll take a little breather and start working over the large groups of sparrows, gulls, and swans. At least until that next email or phone call........Trumpeter Swan on what road?

Good birding,

Deren

Highlights for January were:
- Short-eared Owls (Airport Rd. and Waltz Rd.)
- Cattle Egret (Brewer Rd.)

- Lapland Longspurs (S. Brewer and Nicolaus Rd.)
- Eurasian Wigeons (record numbers, Lincoln WWTP, Gladding Pond, etc.)
- Blue-Winged Teal (Lincoln Hills )
- Barrows Goldeneye ( Gold Run Rest Stop and Sun City-Rocklin)
- White-throated Sparrow (Manzanita Rd. and Newcastle)
- Mew Gull (Folsom Lake)
- Thayer’s Gull (Folsom Lake)
- Western Gull (Folsom Lake)
- Glaucous-winged Gull (Folsom Lake)
- Eurasian Collared-Doves (McBean Park, Lincoln)
- Redhead (Lincoln WWTP)
- Canvasbacks (Lincoln WWTP)
- Vesper Sparrow (Oak Tree Lane, Lincoln)
- Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks (continued presence in Placer)
- Cassin’s Finches (low elevation-Meadow Vista and Auburn)

Placer Bird Lists

Hello Folks,
To make it easier to find the current Big Year stats and Placer County Bird Lists, I've relocated this information to the top of this page.

Deren

I Said....I Said....It's a Redhead!

Today, Dennis and I found a Redhead while scanning through the waterfowl on the west ponds of the Lincoln Waste Water Treatment Plant. While the Redhead is a regular winter visitor and possible breeder in the Central Valley, it is considered an uncommon visitor in Placer County. They're frequently found in association with Canvasbacks of which many can be seen on the Lincoln WWTP ponds right now. Having had a few Redheads reported in December, we felt that we had a good chance of finding one again.

From 'To A Waterfowl' by William Cullen Bryant

There is a power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast, --
The desert and illimitable air, --
Lone wandering, but not lost.

Redheads

By Wildlife artist Scot Storm

2004-2005 Federal Duck Stamp Winner

Support Wetland Habitat Conservation.....Buy a Federal Duck Stamp! For more information, go to the following website.

http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/Info/Constituents/birder.htm

I wish to extend a special thank you to Tom Johnson, Gary Hengst, and the Eco-Logic Crew at the Lincoln WWTP for permitting birders to access the ponds. By the way, Tom stood out in the freezing cold rain with Dennis and I to see the Redhead. I think we have a resident birder in the making.

Other big year birds found today were Orange-crowned Warbler, Long-billed Dowitchers, and Eurasian Collared-Doves which is a lifer for me.

Eurasian Collared-Dove near McBean Park, Lincoln.

First Placer records associated with released birds in 1996.

A Friend of Foghorn Leghorn,

Deren

Gull Resources and List

Here are a few of my favorite resources on gulls.

Gulls of the Americas by Jon Dunn and Steve N. G. Howell, 2007.

Gulls, A Guide to Identification by P.J. Grant, Second Edition, 1986.

Flow Chart for Identifying Gulls (Joe Morlan and Santa Cruz Bird Club)
http://www.santacruzbirdclub.org/gulls.html

Gull Identification Website by Steve Hampton and Don Desjardin
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/6181/gulls.htm

Favorite Gull Book- The Herring Gull World by Niko Tinbergen, 1967.

Gull species of Placer County
Franklin's Gull (rare)
Bonaparte's Gull (uncommon)
Heerman's Gull (rare)
Mew Gull (rare)
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Western Gull (rare)
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous Gull (rare)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (rare) CBRC
Sabine's Gull (rare)

Deren

To Be One With The Gulls...........

Gulls coming over Folsom Dam

to roost on the lake.

Yesterday, I ventured out onto Folsom Lake, via kayak, for a solo expedition in search of any rare or uncommon gulls. As Bruce Webb reported a few weeks back, thousands of gulls, mostly California and Ring-billed, are roosting on the lake. He estimated approximately 70,000 birds at that time. In order of abundance, the gull species include: California, Ring-billed, Herring, Thayer's, Glaucous-winged, and recently Mew and Western which were found and photographed by Todd.

In addition to searching for gulls, I wanted to find the tri-county intersect on the lake. I ran a Google Earth search to get the UTM coordinates for the SAC/PLA/ELD county intersect. The approximate coordinates are: UTM 10 S 661200.3 m N 4286422.0 m E. I had seen the county lines from Google Earth before and previously got a bearing from Beals Point but I wanted the vantage from the actual spot.

I arrived at Granite Bay at 11:30 and loaded the boat with camera, scope, binoculars, Surfingbird sandwich from Beach Hut Deli for good luck, water, frap, energy bar, phone, GPS, extra clothing, light for the return trip, and other miscellaneous items. I often get frustrated with numerous techno-gadgets in my possession and rarely do I use them all. But, as it turned out today, I put every one of them to good use.

After getting the kayak loaded, I set out from Granite Bay or 5% (as it was known in my youth) and paddled toward the south side of the dam. About thirty minutes and two miles later, I was close to my target. From here, I preceded to paddle around like a Phalarope until I found the approximate location where Sacramento, Placer, and Eldorado Counties meet on Folsom Lake. Success!!! (paddle raised) Scotch-Irish American Ross reaches the aquatic tri-county intersect on Lake Folsom. Okay, so I get a little carried away.

With a few hours to burn before the gulls were to arrive at their nightly roost, I decided to head for shore on the south side of the dam. To keep from alerting the Sacramento County Sheriff security, I pulled up a little further to the south, behind some big rocks, and below the old overlook parking area. I figured this would be a great place to scope for gulls and other birds on the lake. As I relaxed and ate my surfingbird sandwich, I soon heard the familiar sound of Officer Ben's all-terrain Sheriff beach buggy from just over the hill. It was just yesterday that I encountered Officer Ben at Beals Point. Ben works part-time for the Bureau of Reclamation at Folsom Dam. With a guard shack on both ends of the dam, a loud speaker, an SUV, and an all-terrain vehicle, they keep a close eye for any unusual or suspect behavior. I was told not to point my scope toward the dam..... 'birder gone wild'. What a great story that would have made. Officer Ben Frohn is a friendly and helpful servant for the people. At Beals Point, he let me use his cell phone to check on a family member.

Sacramento County Sheriff Officer Ben Frohn
Folsom Lake

While waiting for the afternoon arrival of gulls, I enjoyed watching a pair of Ospreys catching fish near the shore.

Wintering Osprey, Folsom Lake

Around 1430, small numbers of gulls were seen on the lake. Many were going all the way back to the Folsom Point boat launch (formerly dyke 8 or Hobie Cove). It wasn't until about 1530 hrs. that they began to arrive in the vicinity of the peninsula (Eld. Co.). At 1610 hrs., I headed back out onto the lake. Two large gull flotillas were beginning to form. My plan was to paddle on an approach that would give me the best light and, if the birds spooked, would move them toward Placer County. Within a few minutes, I found myself situated between the Folsom Point birds and Peninsula birds. Then, the quiescent winter bird show began. The lake surface was completely calm and had an appearance of liquid jade. With the winter sun low in the sky but still above the dam, I faced my kayak to WNW and sat in awe as the gulls began to stream through the golden winter light and down over the dam. Hundreds, if not thousands, glided down on fixed wings and descended around me. Then, I noticed birds coming in from the Northwest or Placer County. Many of the latter birds flew to the Folsom Point raft while the others flew to the peninsula raft. I began to work back and forth from one raft to the next. I wanted to find out how close I could get to the gulls before they flew. Initially, my approach distance was about 50 yards but as the sun fell, I was able approach to within 20-30 yards. By now, the peninsula raft had expanded across middle of the lake and hundreds of gulls were in Placer, Eldorado, and Sacramento County. While keeping a good angle to the sun, I paddled closer to the raft and began to scan the individual birds. With my 8x binoculars, I could get close and stable views (btw-10x is not recommended for birding by kayak). With the sun dropping below the dam, I wasted no time and scanned for the rare ones. Western, Mew, Glaucous and others. Having no luck in my search, I began to lose hope of finding any of my target birds. I then reminded myself of the wonderful winter experience before me. I was happy and later I would report to the PBY gang that no good gulls were found but it was a fruitful experience nonetheless.

The peninsula raft kept growing and I decided to work it as long as there was enough light even if it meant I would be paddling back in the dark. I moved further into the Placer County and began working the nearest birds when suddenly a small gull came into view. Was it....could it be.....Yes! an Adult Mew Gull!. Frantically, and spastically I might add, I pulled out the big camera and snapped a few pictures. The Mew sat calmly as many of the other gulls relocated and eventually it was sitting by itself and remained so for several minutes. I recently read that the Mew Gull has been known to exhibit this bold or less wary behavior on occasion.

A rare adult Mew Gull, Folsom Lake (PLA)

As the sun set below the horizon, I strapped a headlamp onto the bow of U.S.S. Larus and started paddling out from the edge of night. No one else was left on the lake and I took great pleasure in the evenings solitude while reflecting on the days events. I can't wait for next adventure in Placer County birding.

Deren

In Search Of...... Redheads on Lake Combie

Whitey and Friend

This morning, Dennis and I took to the waters of Lake Combie in search of the Redhead Duck. This is a tough bird to get in Placer County and one of the few missed Big Year birds that was seen on the recent Lincoln CBC. We didn't find the Redhead this morning but we had a great pre-Packer game paddle. Birds that were seen on the lake included Canvasbacks, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Common Goldeneye, Pied-billed Grebe, Bufflehead,and Double-crested Cormorant.

Note: Lake Combie is an Nevada Irrigation District Reservoir located near Meadow Vista, California. The lake lies on the Bear River which also serves as the county line between Placer and Nevada County. The lake is surrounded by private property and access is given by permission only. Thank you Rex and Sherri.

Combie Lake

This was a good week for Big Year folks. Todd Easterla's relocating the Mew Gull and finding the Western Gull at Folsom Lake (Beals Point) were the best birds by far and yesterday's Barrow's Goldeneye, at the Gold Run rest stop, was another good tick for the year.

Next week is all about finding the Mew, Western, and hopefully, a Glaucous Gull.

Go Pack!!

Tahoe Eagle Count and Other Sierran Birds

This morning, Warden Mark Jeter, Jay Sheets, Ed Pandolfino, and I headed to LakeTahoe for the Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count and an opportunity to add several montane species to our big year list.

On our way up the hill, we stopped to check for Barrow's Goldeneyes at the Gold Run Rest Stop sewer pond. The pond had completely thawed out since my last visit in which I found one female Common Goldeneye. A quick scan revealed several Common Goldeneyes and, Yes!.... a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes.

After our score at Gold Run , we got back on the road and headed for Stateline. There was one more stop to be made before getting to our destination. We needed to check Martis Creek (PLA) for the much sought after Bohemian Waxwings of six or seven years ago. The only bird found at Martis was a Great Blue Heron perched on a bare Aspen in a valley of snow.

Next stop Stateline-North Tahoe for the National Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count. The Tahoe count was organized by Rena Escobedo, Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Forest Service and consisted of twenty-six stations around the lake. Our assigned eagle count station was to be near the Stateline Post office and overlooking Crystal Bay. With about five feet of snow and very icy roads, I wasn't sure where I could find access for a view of the bay. We drove down into a residential area and as we passed a beautiful old log home with a large deck overlooking Crystal Bay, I commented that I would be willing to go to the door and ask permission to use their deck for the 3 hours of the count. We continued driving through the neighborhood with hopes of finding our own little observation site but this was not to be. So, we headed back up toward the Post Office. On the way, we came upon a woman who was walking her two dogs. I stopped and asked her where we might find a good view of Crystal Bay from Stateline. Come to find out there really wasn't any good place especially with all the snow. I thanked her and mentioned that I might ask a resident if we could use their deck. She then said we could use the deck at her home located just up the road. Get this...it was the very same beautiful old log home that we passed earlier with a deck overlooking Crystal Bay. Unbelievable!!! Her name was Marsha Bordeaux. Not only did we have the best possible view but we had the most generous host imaginable. We had fresh brewed coffee and espresso and later a snack of Italian cheese and summer sausage. We spent the next three hours watching for eagles with binoculars and scopes while engaging in good conversation with Marsha and the caretaker, Bob. We didn't see an eagle but we did find what I feel is the one of best things about birding......meeting wonderful people in wonderful places. On behalf of all of us, I wish to extend a very special thank you to Marsha Bordeaux and Walter Hester for opening their home to us and helping with the Tahoe Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count.

Stateline-N.Tahoe Eagle Count Crew (from left to right)
Deren, Marsha, Mark, and Jay.
Also pictured is Marsha and Walter's two labs-Java and Kharma

Shortly after leaving our station at Stateline, we drove through Kings Beach and Ed spotted a Bald Eagle perched on a snag above the highway. Yes! I called Mark and Jay as they headed for home and then called Marsha to let them all know that we had not been denied.

I want to thank Rena Escobedo of the U.S. Forest Service for the opportunity to participate in the Tahoe eagle count. You can read an article on the event at: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20080114/NEWS/841564461

For more information on the National Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count, go to the following website: http://ocid.nacse.org/nbii/eagles/ .

Ed and I spent the rest of the afternoon driving the west shore to the Placer-Eldorado County line at Tahoma and back to Tahoe City. Other notable Tahoe birds included Pygmy Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, White-headed Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, Common Loon, and a flock of Bushtits which was odd to see in this winter wonderland.

Male and Female Hooded Merganser at Fanny Bridge, Tahoe City.

On the way back down the hill, we drove out Casa Loma Road and happend upon a spectacular sunset over Giant Gap. I also got my 130th species for the year.....a Downy Woodpecker at dusk.

Giant Gap (Lover's Leap) Sunset from near Alta, Ca

Tomorrow, a few of us will be kayaking and birding on Lake Combie in Meadow Vista.

Then, it's Go Packers! (I'm a Holmgren-Seattle fan too but not when they play the pack).

Deren

New Year Birding Bonanza

Happy New Year! Well folks, it was all and more than we had hoped for during the first two days of the Big Year. We were fortunate to have so many good birds found on the December 27th Lincoln Christmas Bird Count to chase.

Sunrise from Airport Road in Lincoln. New Years Day-2008

At 0600, Dennis Cavallo and I met Ed Pandolfino in Lincoln. We promptly headed over to Airport Road for the Short-eared Owl. Right out of the chute, we nearly missed our first target. With some questionable driving on my part, we managed to get through the longest stoplight in the county, just made the railroad crossing before the train passed by, sped by the police station without getting a ticket, and arrived safely at Airport Road. Just before dawn, I spotted my first bird of the Big Year....Short-eared Owl. Several other birds were identified earlier by ear.

Ed and Dennis scanning Placer Land Trust Property near the Lincoln Airport

Throughout the course of the day, we refound the following target species: Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Cattle Egret, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Cackling Goose, Vesper Sparrow, Blue-winged Teal, Lewis' Woodpecker, and Eurasian Wigeon.

Ol' Brewer Road Barn Owl at Rest

Because we had planned to meet up with Bruce and the PBY crew at Beals Point, Dennis and I had to give up the chase for the Lapland Longspurs. Fortunately though, Ed stayed and refound the songbird from the Arctic Tundra.

At Beals Point, we picked up Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Herring Gull, California Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Common Loon, and Horned Grebe amongst others. Bruce estimated approximately 70,000+ gulls roost on the lake. The numbers were impressive. We look forward to spending several more days, at Folsom, studying the gulls and finding new species. One interesting challenge for the birder at Folsom Lake is locating the tri-county line (SAC-PLA-ELD) which meets in the middle of the lake near the dam. Google Earth is great but it's still a challenge.

From left: Bruce Webb, Todd Easterla, Tanner Easterla, Me, Ron Pozzi, and Dennis Cavallo. Not pictured with camera is Lisa Jorgenson. Beals Point, Folsom Lake.

On January 2, Dennis and I were joined by Ron as we went at it again. We had just two birds left from the Lincoln CBC chase list. Greater Scaup and Lapland Longspur. We found many Lesser Scaup at the Lincoln WWTP but no Greater Scaup could be produced amongst them. Somewhat dejected we made a second run for the Lapland Longspurs. With tremendous luck and perfect viewing conditions we located both a male and female Lapland Longspur.

We ended our day on Waltz Road with a late afternoon showing of Short-eared Owls hunting in the tall grassy fields west and east of the trap club.

The migratory Short-eared Owl, Waltz Rd.

It was truly a remarkable day. In the many years of casual birding in Placer County, I can't remember having a bigger birding day.

Now we hunker down, as a massive storm approaches, and wonder what great birds might get blasted into Placer County on the Polar Express.

Care Well,
Deren

Christmas Bird Counts Herald the Big Year

Hark!..today is the official start date for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and, not to mention, the birthday of yours truly. In the words of Yukon Cornelius,Yahooo!

Placer Big Year birders will have three counts to keep their eyes on. It will be important for compilers and area leaders to document any rare or uncommon sightings and pass the information on to the Big Year folks.

PLACER COUNTY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

Auburn CBC: Saturday, December 15th

Lincoln CBC: Thursday, December 27th

Folsom CBC: Saturday,December 29th

With the Folsom count being just over a day away from the new year, it could offer the best opportunity to pick up some good Placer birds on GAME DAY. The Placer side of Folsom Lake is in the count circle and may be an opportunity for a New Year's Day paddle out to the Big Island which is located between Beals Point and the Placer/Eldorado County line. Another good opportunity will be the Placer side of Lake Combie which is part of the Auburn Area CBC. It looks as though we may have permission to access the lake via the Rod & Gun Club.

It should be fun!

A gift of poetry this Holiday Season. It's as close as I could get to 'a partridge in a pear tree'.

California Quail by Pablo Neruda

Adapted for where I sit--rossierran.

Along the Old Stage Coach Road,

between Auburn and the river,

I saw a shadow, a shape, a bird

slipping away with its beauty,

a fruit, a feathered flower,

a bird of pure pear,

a circumstance of the air,

a sandy smoky egg,

I approached--called out, its eyes

shone with the hostile rectitude

of two flaming lances

and above its pride it wore

two plumes like two banners:

I had no sooner seen

that vision than it vanished

and I was left with the dusk,

with the smoke, the haze, and the night,

with the solitude of the road..

Have a wonderful Christmas and a joyous Holiday Season!

Deren,

a friend of Yukon

Possible Placer Rarities Spark Big Year Birders

A rare Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Auburn, Ca

Hello All,

Over the past several weeks, we've had several good bird reports from across the county including Tahoe, West Placer, Auburn, and Folsom Lake. The photo shown above is the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found in the 'Sapsucker Oak' at the Canyon View Community Center in Auburn. The second record for the county. With this discovery and others, there is a growing enthusiasm for the Big Year. We're also hoping the Weimar Summer Tanager will return for a third season and the Purple Martins will return to nest in Roseville.

Speaking of Placer rarities, I wish to extend the dedication of my Placer Big Year to Emery Holmes. He was a friend and fellow birder who passed away unexpectedly last week. I will miss him and the many bird reports that would have been left on my voice mail.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Deren

PS. I've added one of my favorite bird watching quotes to the side bar.

Birdathletes and Site Updates

Birdwatcher's SI-May, 1955.

Hello Folks,

Knowing that many Birdathletes are now in rigorous mental and physical training for the BY and others, no doubt, have hired a personal 'birding' trainer, I thought the above photo would be a good lead-in for an update on Le Tour de Placer. Not to mention being of interest to birding bibliophiles.

Well, the list of participants and contributors is growing and it looks as though we'll have a fairly good representation across the county with Will Richardson keepin' his usual keen eye on the birds of the Lake Tahoe Region and a large contingent of folks anchoring down West Placer. Dennis Cavallo and I will be rambling about the mid-elevations from Auburn to Yuba Gap and Foresthill Divide.

As you might have noticed, I continue to add and modify elements on this site. The most recent is the Placer County Checklist link which is now a separate element and much easier to find. Ed Pandolfino and Walt Carnahan (SFAS Webster) will keep the checklist updated, via the Sierra Foothill Audubon website, for all species seen in during the big year. The printed checklist at the bottom of the sidebar on my page is the same but only represents the birds that I have found.

Last but not least, I added a link to an article entitled 'Writing a Rare Bird Report' by Steve Summers which I think will be helpful to many of us. It can be found under birding links.

New participants and contributors: Dee Warenycia, Tanner Easterla, Will Richardson, Steve Abbott.

Bring on Winter!
Deren

Meeting of the Minds and Mouths

Clockwise from lower left: Cliff Hawley, Ed Pandolfino, Dennis Cavallo,

Bruce Webb and Todd Easterla. Heard but not seen is me on the camera.

Yesterday evening, several of the county-wide Placer Big Year birders gathered for dinner and an evening of big year strategy. A warm thank you to Bruce and Jeannie Webb for hosting the event.

With all the good food and libations, I wondered if we'd ever get down to business....talking Placer birds...but it wasn't long before we started going down the county list of rare or difficult to find species. We not only discussed the best places to find these birds but we shared our personal experiences which included several near misses. Needless to say, nobody escaped from a fair amount of good-natured ribbing. A few questionable records were challenged by the group but records they were nonetheless. Res ipsa loquitor (It is what it is-HST)

After going through the county list, we moved on to another Placer birding challenge, that is, what will be your prediction for the "Next 10" new species to be found in the county. This was Todd and Bruce's idea and everyone jumped on board. Ed requested a 10 species prediction list from eleven county birders. From these lists, Ed tallied the 'Consensus Top Twenty' which was based on the number of times the species was listed. While I'm not a liberty to share each persons list, I can say we had another round of good-natured ribbing on some of the selections. For example, I took a mild beating for my Three-toed Woodpecker....time for another beer and brownie. Last but not least was Dennis C's "Scotch Challenge"-the first person to see five birds from his "wanted" list gets a bottle of scotch or other spirit of choice.

So, here's the Consensus Top 20 predicted to be found next in Placer County by anyone. The list descends in order of the highest number of predictions.

Little Blue Heron, Pacific Golden Plover, Clay-colored Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, Hooded Warbler, Tufted Duck, American Tree Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Barred Owl, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Chimney Swift, Magnolia Warbler, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Stilt Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, Cassin's Kingbird, Pomarine Jaeger, Prothonotory Warbler, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and White-winged Dove.

For the time being, we have are sights set on the three Christmas Bird Counts at the end of this year-Folsom, Auburn, and Lincoln. All or part of these count circles are in Placer County and should offer plenty to chase during the first couple of weeks of January.

Deren

BY Taking Shape

Hello folks. I had a feeling that I’d be writing sooner than later. The big year is starting to take a life of its own with various forms of participation. As it sits now, several birders are doing the whole county, others are doing site specific areas, and recent developments suggest the possibility of a prediction challenge for “the next five” new county species. A request will be going out for “the next five” new county species. When the list becomes available, I will post it here.

This morning a few folks had some good chuckles over my comments on the competitive aspects to the event. While the “next five” is not necessarily competitive, it does offer a serious challenge to county listers. With that said I reminded the avian hounds, and I mean that in a good sense, that the Placer Big Year is an ABA (American Birding Association) sanctioned event and that random testing for performance-enhancing drugs will be in effect. No doping! One person replied “Do copious amounts of caffeine during a 24hr Big Day disqualify you?” My response, “there is no limit on mg of caffeine or other FDA approved birding stamina dietary supplements. I know several of us will have a substantial stash of bottled Starbuck’s frapps and other goodies behind the car seat”. Someone else replied, “Hmmm, I may have lingering residue from the sixties still in circulation...”. I wonder what birds looked like back then.


We’re already having fun,
Deren

An Invitation to the 2008 Placer Birding Big Year

That's right, next year is going to be a Big Year! Several area birders are gearing up for a year-long pursuit of birds in Placer County and we would like to extend the invitation to other Placer birders. If you would like to join in the fun, you can email me at derenross@sbcglobal.net or Ed Pandolfino at ERPfromCa@aol.com .

Regardless of participation, we welcome and encourage those folks birding in Placer County to submit your bird reports to the local yahoo groups (Sierra Nevada Birds and Central Valley Birds).

To share this birding experience with others, I have created the 'Placer Big Year' blog and the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society will be tracking the big year activities via their website which can be found at http://www.sierrafoothillsaudubon.com/ . A master list of all birds identified will be available.

Now, I need to provide you with a little more detail about this site. Since I don't have a contents section, I'll take a moment to list some items of interest that can be found in the sidebar.
* Welcome
* Map of Placer County
* Some Basic Rules for the Big Year
* Birding Statistics for Placer County
* Birding Links
* Other Related Links
* Big Year Participants
* Current Placer County List

I don't expect I'll post again until we get closer to 2008 and the start of the Placer Big Year. Hopefully, we'll have record snowfalls and I'll get to begin my post with reports and photos of Redpolls and Bohemians at Martis Creek (PLA). Wishful thinking no doubt.

till winter,
Deren