News from Tech and such

[camcar]

I know that this does not necessarily pertain to VCDB but since I spend most of my time on this specific part of the forum I figured that I should post here.
First off, tomorrow the Sibley Guide to Trees comes out, which I figure will aide many in birding by helping to identify the tree that a bird is found in. I am a wildlife nerd so as soon as class is over tomorrow I will be running out to the book store and purchasing the book.
Second, from the 19th until the 24th I will be attending the Wildlife Society national conference in Monterey, Ca. I have never been to California so I imagine the birding will be tremendous. If anyone knows of any good birding sites close to the town of Monterey or in Monterey, I would greatly appreciate the help.
Finally, a little ad for Lubbock. If you have never birded Lubbock or the South Plains, you are greatly missing out and should plan a trip up here right now or for the winter. The great part about migration in Lubbock is that we get stragglers from the western part of North America that do not wander into the east much.


Bird often and Bird Lubbock,
Cameron Carver

[Y Cymry]

Cameron,

Practically any pullout around the bay along Hwy 1 will provide great birding for gulls, loons, cormorants, inshore alcids and the various Pacific Coast sandpipers, especially if this is your first visit to California.

Some of my favorite birding spots in the Monterey Bay area are:

1. Point Lobos State Reserve. http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/Birds.htm
2. Pebble Beach Golf Course (visitors are allowed to drive through the 17 mile tour loop for an entry fee).
3. Take a pelagic boat trip if at all possible, even a whale-watching trip if no organized birding trip is available. It's probably too late to get on a Shearwater Journeys trip but maybe your conference is sponsoring a boat trip out into the bay. Monterey is an excellent place to begin pelagic birding, you don't have to go out very far to see a wealth of shearwaters. storm petrels and alcids or maybe an albatross. My 600th bird was on a Monterey Bay pelagic many years ago: Flesh-footed Shearwater with a Black-footed Albratrass for 601 within a minute or two! http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com/2009/2009_schedule.shtml

Further afield I would recommend Ano Nuevo State Park north of Santa Cruz (Elephant Seals in addition to great looks at all the West Coast cormorants, plus chances for alcids and some rockpipers and a variety of interesting landbirds including a number of California specialties). http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1129

Pigeon Point a little further north up the coast is a well known sea watch place for pelagics. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22044

I'm sure there are some great inland birding spots nearby, but it's the coastal birding at Monterey that remains strongest in my birding memories from my several visits there.

Cyn

[lulubelle]

Haven't been to Monterray myself and this is non-birding, but the Monterray Bay Aquarium is supposd to be spectacular. I lived in California for a couple of years, but never made it in that direction. If you have a bit of spare time, it may be worth a look. It is built into the bay, so you get a natural up close view supposedly.

As far as Lubbock, I have thought of driving up there several times, but am unfamiliar with the area. Unsure where to stay or bird!! I read TEXBIRDS and there is a gentleman who posts frequently and often lists really great birds in the winter, but he is also driving the back roads - knows then well apparently! Any hints on good places to stay and bird?

[gail]

lubbock has a very active audubon. you could always tag with a fieldtrip. The Lubbock Inn on the 19th & Brownfield area is a great place to stay. It's been remodeled in recent years. cameron, do you have another suggestion?

[camcar]

Thank you Ken for the great locations and tips for Monterey. As for Lubbock, the Lubbock Inn is undergoing major remodeling at the moment but there are many hotels that have recently been built that are relatively cheap as long as it is not a football weekend. As for birding, there are many people that would/will show you around up here. If I am free, I would love to show anyone around; I haven't quite developed as many places as Anthony or some of the others in the LEAS, but I am working on it.

Cameron

[Y Cymry]

Monterey County birds: http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTYbirdlistportal.html
http://www.montereyaudubon.org/
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/pinos.html
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/bsrm.html
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/crm.html
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/elkhornslough.html

Whale watching boat: http://www.chriswhalewatching.com/faqs.htm

Pelagic birding:
http://scbirdingguide.org/Monterey%20bay.htm
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MtyBay.html

General central coast birding: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/LbPrintPage.aspx?print=1665
http://ca-ccbt.info/Monterey.htm

Cyn

[lulubelle]

I hope you encounter some great birds when you go Cameron! Please post when you come back and let us know what you saw, be it bird or mammal!

As far as the Sibley's Guide to Trees, I too have been waiting for it's arrival in the stores. As soon as my son arrives back home this evening, I expect to have it in my hands! I have looked "inside" it on the Barnes & Noble site and it looks like it may be a real assist in the ID of trees. Perhaps I won't be asking "what kind of tree is it in?" on my next field trip!!

[camcar]

I haven;t been able to bird hardly at all, but I have been able to snap this shot. Can anyone ID these please?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3512/3941715730_5bd36f7a9d.jpg and the large link:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3512/3941715730_5bd36f7a9d_b.jpg
there are two birds in the picture.

Thanks,
Cameron

[patrickf]

Cameron,
I believe the bird on the left is a Surfbird. Not sure about the one on the right, but I am guessing Black Turnstone.

[Y Cymry]

Yes, Surfbird at left and Black Turnstone at upper right. Your basic rocky coast sandpipers or "rockpipers". Watch for Wandering Tattler and Black Oystercatcher in the same habitat. You are much too early in the Fall and a bit far south on the coast to realisticly expect Rock Sandpiper, though.

Cyn

[camcar]

I ended up seeing both the Black turnstone and surfbird up close today, so here is another ID.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2603/3942881067_fd4cc40281.jpg

Thanks,
Cameron

[Y Cymry]

Cameron,

That one is a Common Murre. I wonder if it might be oiled or otherwise stressed. The wing looks a little ragged and soggy in your shot. I don't believe I've ever seen one of these ashore like this other than on the breeding cliffs. But they do find dead and dying pelagics washed up on the beach at times.

Cyn

[camcar]

This guy looked like he was in very bad shape, he looked very tired and was shaking. He was literally on a rock right below the place next to the coast guard offices. I thought it was a common murre but I wasn't sure since it was in such bad shape.

The birding has picked up a little bit, but since I haven't been able to get to good places I've only picked up 11 new birds.

Thanks,
Cameron

[camcar]

Is this a Red-throated Loon?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/3978499411_c991555d73.jpg

Thanks

[camcar]

ok maybe it wasnt a red-throated, now i am leaning towards common loon. But who knows?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3981202158_bbc042957d.jpg

[Y Cymry]

Cameron,

I would say Pacific Loon on this one. He's not very well marked, perhaps a juvenile.

The bill is much too stout for a Red-throated and a little slim for a Common. Red-throats typically hold their bills in an upturned position.

Your bird lacks the jagged margin between the white and gray areas of the neck which we see on a Common Loon. He also lacks the white marks around the eye typical of the Common.

By copying and enlarging your image I could just make out a suggestion of the chin-strap or necklace marking, a key identification mark for the Pacific. Also note how the nape is paler than the forehead and the back, a mark for the juvenile Pacific. The shape of the head and neck from the forehead to the back forms a smooth arc without the acute peak at the forehead typical of Common Loon (and Yellow-billed) or towards the back of the head as is often the case with Red-throated.

Another life bird for you?

Cyn

[camcar]

Thanks again for the help. With that bird I added 17 lifers to the list in Monterey.

I lost my complete list for the trip but here is my list of new birds:
Western Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Heerman's Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Common Murre
Oak Titmouse
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Townsend's Warbler
California Towhee
Song Sparrow

And I leave you with some parting Photography

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3959633723_6d5ceacc85.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3959632951_4aed5d5dba.jpg

Thanks,
Cameron

[lulubelle]

I hope you were able to find your list - I think I might be a little distraught if I were to lose that list! Great lifers though! Do you remember how many birds you saw overall?

I lived in California for a couple of years, but I wasn't a birder then - I wish I had been, my list would much larger than it currently is!

Loved your parting shots - beautiful coastline!