Sights of February 2020

February 29, 2020 • Leave a Comment

Happy Valentines Day. Romance is in the air. Birds have started singing their songs of love, and I have seen some early courtship. Butterflies are flying and flowers are starting to bloom. I went out to some local parks and saw some usual and less usual birds. The California Towhee had some unusual white feathers. I thought it was a female Summer Tanager that has been around for the winter at Wardlow Park, but I have now seen it getting some red feathers. It may be a young male. I was near the shore and got to go whale watching without the fuss of a boat. A young Gray Whale was in shallow water near the beach. A Somber Carpet moth came to my front porch and reminded me to look for insects and spiders in my own yard.

A big change for me was getting rid of the bed in my office/studio/guestroom. Guests are still welcome, but we will have a folding bed when needed. This has opened up space for me to move and breathe. I now have a proper art studio. I was inspired to make some art using various media.

It was still a little slow on my Irvine Ranch butterfly survey, but it felt like spring. We had a few butterflies and some spring flowers are starting to bloom.

It was a raptor day at the wetlands bird survey. A pair of Peregrine Falcons was chasing a mourning dove. I think it was supposed to be 'food pass' of the dove from the male to the female falcon (perhaps as courtship?). The dove escaped, but without a tail. I always look for birds on my butterfly survey, so I have to look for butterflies on my bird survey. Western Pygmy Blue, Monarch, and Painted Lady posed. Cabbage Whites were there but did not pose.

I went on another Pelagic Birding Trip, this time out of Marina del Rey. We had sightings of Masked Booby, Short-tailed Shearwater, Black-legged Kittiwake, numerous Northern Fulmars, several gull species, three alcid species, and some shorebirds on the breakwater. They didn't all pose for me, but I got some shots that pleased me. We started in thick fog, but it lifted after a few hours and the weather was perfect for the rest of the trip. We had flat seas and smooth sailing. It was good to see some familiar faces aboard. Since it was a little cool, everyone was bundled up in jackets and warm hats. I said it was hard to recognize some people when they were wearing their winter plumage. My husband and I had owned a Morgan 27, but sold it about 10 years ago. It was a big surprise to see my old sailboat out on the water. It made me a bit nostalgic.

My big trip was a three day trip with fellow birders to Los Banos and surrounding areas in Merced County. We visited San Luis Reservoir, San Luis National Wildlife Reserve, Merced National Wildlife Reserve, Mercy Hot Springs, and Kern National Wildlife Reserve. It was extrodinary. It was my first time in all these locations. We birded in four counties, and I had a new life list bird, Yellow-billed Magpie. The fly-in at Merced NWR had literally over 10,000 birds. I have never seen that many birds in one place before: Snow Geese, Ross's Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Sandhill Cranes. There was a spectacular sunset as a bonus. So many birds so many photos. We also saw lots of mammals: Tule Elk, Mule Deer, Coyote, Beaver, Ground Squirrel, Black-tailed Jack Rabbit, Desert Cottontail, and of course the domestic Horses, Ovine, and Bovine. On the way home on the last day, we drove through the beautiful rolling hills of Fresno and San Benito Counties to search for a special farm that attracts Tricolored Blackbirds. It was a beautiful drive.

I ended the month with a trip with (non-birding) friends to Palm Springs. I took my first aerial tram ride to Mt. San Jacinto. I highly recommend it. There were great views, snow, and Red Crossbills.

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Enjoy the show! I always appreciate corrections to ID's.

Local stuff: https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_feb-2020