Birding Between Rain Storms

 Laguna Lake - The rain had just stopped and I was headed to Laguna Lake.  I believe I was the only birder in the county that had not seen the Vermilion Flycatcher.  It’s not that I hadn’t tried.  Upon arrival at the small fishing dock, actually the area where the little darling has frequently been seen,  I heard a sweet, yet unfamiliar song.  On are twig, at the top of a scraggly willow, perched the Vermilion Flycatcher. ( Photo of the Laguna Lake Flycatcher by Roger Zachary.)

This little traveler is considered a rare visitor to the Central Coast.  He may have journeyed here from East Texas or from suitable regions in the Eastern Ca. deserts such as Zzyzx, near Baker Ca. or the Big Morongo Preserve, east of Palm Springs, Ca. where the Vermilion Flycatcher has been known to nest.

Turri Road - The weather was blustery.  In recently plowed fields were large flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds.  Perched on fencing were Say’s Phoebe, Western Bluebird, and Lark Sparrow (below).

 Morro Bay Marina - Looks like the storm has passed - Seven species of underwater foragers, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Common Loon, Western Grebe, Eared Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-creasted Cormorant, and a cooperative male Belted Kingfisher (below).  I love birding the Marina as the water birds are in a confined space and much easier to identify.

Sweet Springs -  Two Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher frolicked in Silver Lupine bushes growing along the path to the east overlook.  Kinglet and Gnatcatcher can be difficult to observe as they are usually flitting thru dense foliage. 

In the shallower water, Cinnamon Teal, Blue-winged Teal (above), Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeon.  In the deeper water many hundreds of water birds.  Regardless of the weather birding the Central Coast is always a memorable experience.

My favorite photo of the day, California Towhee bathing.

Highlights of The 2019 Morro Bay Winter Bird Olympics

The Second Annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Olympics  - These last two weeks Morro Bay has been in a flutter of excitement.  Most of the events went off smoothly.  Of course when there is a diverse congregation of avian athletes, glitches are bound to happen.

        * Highlights of Events *

Feeding Pose - Open to all long-legged shorebirds - Allison Avocet from Tulare County, Ca. won first place.  It took two years of rigorous training for Allison to perfect her winning pose.  Her amazing time of 8.13 minutes exceeded the world record by .48 seconds.  After the event Allison graciously posed for photographers.

Willet Half Marathon - A Team Event
The powerful team from Pakowki Lake basin, Alberta Canada was the first team to cross the finish line.  Unfortunately, when the judges reviewed the instant replay, they found a ringer, a Godwit posing as a Willet, a definite no, no.  It appeared that the coach had made a poor last minute decision when a team member needed to be replaced.

Raptor Catch and Release
The competitor must catch a fish and gently carry it 300 meters (984ft) to the release pond.  The fish must be alive and active upon it’s release.  Oscar Osprey from Shasta Lake Ca. was nearing the finish line when he heard the crowd chanting his name.  The distraction caused Oscar to tighten his grip on the fish.  Oops!  Oscar graciously acknowledged his loss, flew up to a branch, and proceeded to eat his lunch with gusto.

One-Leg Sand Stand - Open to all Godwits, Willets, Whimbrels, and Long--billed Curlews.
Coralina Curlew from Oregon's remote grasslands comes from a long line of one-leg sand standers.  On the day of the event conditions on the beach were less than optimal.  For over six hours she persevered through fog, wind, and blowing sand.  What cinched her win was an impromptu flyover by a Peregrine Falcon that caused all but Coralina to take flight.  Later in the day as the winners were stepping up to the podium Gladys Godwit, known for being a poor looser, accused Coralina of using a pain killer on her ankle.

Kingfisher Synchronized High Dive - Open to all Kingfishers
The Kingfishers synchronized dive competition is fierce.  Few males enter the event as they cannot grasp the synchronized concept.  This year there were two male teams, three mixed gender teams, and 22 female teams.  Karmen and Klara* from Nome Alaska won the gold with three out of three beautiful dives.  No photos were allowed at the event as the photo/video rights had been sold to an international publication.  Fortunately a friend of mine managed to get a photo of Klara practicing her dive.  

Golf Course Challenge - A Team Event
This year's Golf Course Challenge was simplified, as last year's event caused mass confusion among the Coots.  The revised Challenge consisted of three segments, circle the 9th tee, waddle in a line to the pond, exit the pond and return to the 9th tee.  Much to their surprise and delight, the local team took 3rd place.

Unfortunately there was a minor glitch that few Coots noticed.  One of the judges for the Golf Course Challenge was B. B. Eagle* who was stationed in the Eucalyptus tree directly across from the pond. 
 
When our local team was exiting the pond he snatched the last Coot that happened to be the team captain.  B. B.  Eagle returned to his perch with the team captain securely clutched in his razor sharp talons.  I will spare you the rest of the details.

 I hope this glimpse into the highlights of the Morro Bay Winter Bird Olympics whets your appetite to attend next year's Bird Olympics.

* photos of Klara Kingfisher, Willet Half Marathon, and B. B. Eagle by Gary O'Neill.