Making the Best of Difficult Circumstances

Turri Road Pond

The difficult circumstances this morning was an overcast, gray sky with light drizzle. My limited birding skills were put to the test, especially when looking into the glare, but I persevered; managing to identify 41 birds in 3 hours.

Little birds, especially if they were at a distance or on a utility line, all looked alike, but due to the season of spring many were singing which helped considerably in their identification. My goal this morning was to see how many birds I could identify along the road.  Fortunately traffic was very light with just a few bicyclists.

First stop was the main pond (Photo).  3 Northern Shoveler, 2 Semipalmated Plover, and a Killdeer.  In the brush were Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird, Wrentit, and an Anna's Hummingbird. Overhead, moving at sonic speed, were three species of Swallow and a bird that I adore, the White-throated Swift.

This week, Lazuli Bunting, Purple Martin, Blue Grosbeak, and Grasshopper Sparrow (most adorable) had been seen. I found 2 out of  4 - Lazuli Bunting and Grasshopper Sparrow. As soon as the sun comes out, usually after 1:00, I'll make a return trip to Turri Road to look for the Martin, which I have yet to view. 

BIRDING HERE AND AFAR

"Birding Here" - Last Saturday Norma, Harry and I checked out the birds on Dairy Creek located 5 miles east of Morro Bay in Chorro Regional Park (photo). The dense trees and shrubbery along the creek provides prefect habitat for migratory song birds. The air was alive with song.

As we entered the park we saw a male Turkey strutting after 2 females - most amusing. The gobble, gobble of Wild Turkey followed us as we very slowly meandered up the creek. Total identified species, 30 - best birds - Chipping Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, a brilliant Bullock's Oriole, and a Lark Sparrow (managed to photo the Lark Sparrow which is amazing, above photo)

"Birding Afar" - Monday 5:00am.on the road to Yosemite. First to Glacier Point for the breathtaking views of snow capped peaks and foamy white waterfalls furiously rushing down granite slopes. Had a first time sighting of a Sage Sparrow singing merrily atop a Manzanita shrub. Could hear many songs but saw few birds due dense, tall trees, and my basic ignorance of mountain birds . In the Valley, the falls were breathtaking, the upper Merced, a rushing torrent. Spent some time in the area of the Fen at Happy Isles. The Piliated Woodpecker was a no show. Stayed the night in Oakhurst at a motel I would not recommend. Round trip 520 miles. If you are planning a visit to Yosemite, sooner is better than later, as the snow pack is 40% of normal and melting fast. The following link is to my latest effort at a youTube movie. http://youtu.be/KD8HzMuPYcI