Well, I have often been fortunate enough to see many of the vagrants that have been seen at the waterbird count during my falls here. However, this week I missed one of the rarest birds ever to be documented at WPBO. Therefore, I'm not posting it here, but I will leave it to Waterbird [...]
Highlights: Yellow-breasted Chat A Yellow-breasted Chat was observed on the morning of October 10. Unfortunately, all efforts to relocate the chat were unsuccessful for everyone except the initial observer, including me. Whether it's the blogs for the spring owl banding, summer owl banding, or as the fall field ornithologist, I always try to center the content of [...]
Spotted Towhee. Photo by Chris Neri Harris's Sparrow. Photo by Chris Neri HIGHLIGHTS: Spotted Towhee, Nelson's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Harris's Sparrow. The Point's second Spotted Towhee was found on October 1 and seen again briefly in the late afternoon on the second. The Point's fourth Nelson's Sparrow was found on September [...]
The weather this past week has been particularly variable, including south winds, strong north winds, and periods of rain. The birding has naturally also been significantly different daily, reflecting the varying weather patterns. As we mentioned last week, warbler migration has been winding down, but there are still occasional flocks that contain some diversity. [...]
Say's Phoebe. Photo by Chris Neri Highlights: Swainson's Hawk & Say's Phoebe As was the case last week, the most notable sightings this week were found by Waterbird Counter Alec Olivier out at the waterbird shack. A Swainson's Hawk was seen on 9/17 and again on 9/19. Unfortunately, Alec watched it cross Lake [...]
Smith's Longspur. Photo by Chris Neri Highlights: Smith's Longspur & Yellow-headed Blackbird The big news this past week was certainly the Smith's Longspur found by Fall Waterbird Counter Alec Olivier on the beach on September 5. It remained at least through the eleventh, providing the opportunity for many birders to visit the Point to see [...]
As expected, things remained relatively slow this past week. That said, it was a little more productive than the previous week. Our nightly totals ranged from two to seven owls. Of the 31 owls banded this week, 29 were juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO), one was an adult NSWO, and one was a Long-eared [...]
We experienced a wide variety of weather conditions this past week. Although periods of rain and high winds shut us down frequently, we also had periods of good weather that had us hoping that the owls would pick up again. Unfortunately, things have remained slow, with nightly totals ranging from one to seven owls [...]
Well, we have thunderstorms and high winds right now, and the lights just flickered. So, here's a quick update before a potential power outage. The weather has been more unsettled this week, and the owls have been relatively slow during recent nights. Our season now stands at 118 juvenile and 99 adult Northern Saw-whet [...]
Since the last posting, the transition from the movement of adult Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) to juvenile NSWO took full effect. Over the past week, we banded 50 juveniles and six adults. It's become apparent that we most likely are not going to see a continuation of the 5-year cycle of peak NSWO reproductive [...]
