Migration Counts

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 [...]

Pacific Loon. Photo by Alec Olivier Waterbird migration has finally started to heat up this week. September 26 was the first big day since 8/30. Oddly enough, the first three hours of the count of 9/26 were fairly slow. It seemed like it was going to be another slow day when the [...]

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. [...]

Waterbird migration in the last week has still been fairly slow. There have been several days with good grebe flights, with 199 on 9/19 and 254 on 9/21. The season total for Red-necked Grebes remains just over 4,000. American Wigeons have started moving in decent numbers, with 63 on 9/19 and 130 on 9/22. [...]

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 [...]

It's hard to believe, but the first month of the fall waterbird count is already over. Roughly 13,000 waterbirds have already gone past the Point on their journey to their wintering grounds. The top three species so far have been Red-necked Grebe (3,558), Blue-winged Teal (1,492), and Common Tern (1,195). Most species have yet [...]

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 [...]

Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Photo by Alec Olivier Waterbird migration in the last week has been almost non-existent, with the slowest day of the season occurring on Sept. 2, which was the only day of the season without at least one Red-necked Grebe. Sept. 7 was the first day where there was a noticeable [...]

This season's waterbird count continues to get better, with the last week producing many great birds. The best bird was a Say's Phoebe that I found flycatching in the trees behind the waterbird shack. Other good birds include the third Great Egret for the fall count on Aug. 28, a flock of 18 Hudsonian [...]