November 18th, 2011   Tags: , , ,

San Rafael Valley, Harshaw Canyon

Northern-Harrier-San-Rafael-Valley-11-1118-02Arriving at the San Rafael Valley around lunchtime, activity was predictably slow but we managed to find quite a few sparrows including a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, as well as a couple of flocks of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR and a PRAIRIE FALCON. A juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER gave us a close fly past and an opportunity for a decent photo. [...]

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November 3rd, 2011   Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pena Blanca Lake, Paton’s, Amado Pond

Least-Grebe-Pena-Blanca-Lake-11-1103-04We watched this area of brush piles and shoreline for a long time, with different birds coming in throughout. It was a veritable sparrow fest! As well as the GOLDEN-CROWNED we had brief views of a smart BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW, as well as LARK, LINCOLN’S, SAVANNAH, VESPER, BREWER’S, RUFOUS-CROWNED, WHITE-CROWNED and CHIPPING SPARROWS, making it ten species in one spot. [...]

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October 29th, 2011   Tags: , , , , ,

Pena Blanca Lake, Paton’s

Yellow-rumped-Warbler-Pena-Blanca-Lake-11-1029-01At Pena Blanca Lake, at least ten LEAST GREBES, drake WOOD DUCK, pair of REDHEADS, LESSER SCAUP, GREEN HERON, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, juvenile BLUE GROSBEAK, couple of LAZULI BUNTINGS, three each of INCA and COMMON GROUND-DOVE, lots of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and hundreds of sparrows. Quality birding! [...]

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October 28th, 2011   Tags: , , ,

Sweetwater Wetlands, Santa Cruz Flats

Crested-Caracara-Santa-Cruz-Flats-11-1028-09A couple of INCA DOVES were showing well here and a ROCK WREN was calling. Around the corral on Baumgartner just west of Wheeler, five CRESTED CARACARA gave excellent views from the road. The irrigation channel opposite had two GREAT and a SNOWY EGRET, which was a surprise. [...]

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October 27th, 2011   Tags: , ,

Continental, Montosa Canyon

Curve-billed-Thrasher-Continental-11-1027-01The highlight was at Montosa Canyon, where I had a brief view of one of two calling BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS, but frustratingly I couldn’t get anyone else on it before it disappeared. When we finally found a visible (and calling) gnatcatcher it was a BLUE-GRAY. [...]

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