We birded Paradise Valley today from 11am to 1pm. Kind of late, but last week the best warbler show was early afternoon, so we hoped for the best.

Green-tailed Towhee was present in the field across the road from the Norbertine Monastery lake. And on our way out we found one Redhead in the lake with many Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, Ruddy Ducks, Coots, Bufflehead, and a Gadwall.

There was a lot less action than we expected hiking up the road, especially at the upper end.  The only warblers we saw were Yellow-rumps and Wilson's Warbler (which was one of the few we missed last weekend in the warbler frenzy in BVS).

Other species of interest out of the 40 we saw included Western Wood-Pewee, Downy Woodpecker, Cooper's Hawk, Golden Eagle, Black-headed Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Bullock's Oriole, Phainopepla, and Red-breasted Sapsucker making it's "mew" call.

Then we went over to Stallion Springs to the lake at Horsethief Park. There are what seems like hundreds of Cliff Swallows building their mud nests on the covered bridge where you can easily get close-up views. At the far end of the lake there were a pair of Canada Geese, a Snowy Egret patrolling the shore, and a Double-crested Cormorant circling overhead. 

We hiked the horse trail downstream from the dam, but didn't find much that was new. The one standout was a small non-descript flycatcher, drab olive-green with a thin eyering, flicking it's tail down. I can't begin to guess what it was, opting to list it as "empid flycatcher sp." and leave it at that!

We're still looking for our first-of-the-season Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, and Western Kingbird.

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Christine and I hiked Paradise Valley again yesterday from about 8:30AM to noon. This is becoming our favorite birding trail of the summer. We spotted 43 species, which isn't bad for summer.

The Green-tailed Towhees are still present. We found one in the first tall trees on the right side of the dirt road once you're inside the gate. Another GTTO was spotted scratching in the leaves under the tall oaks along the south side of the lake.

At about that same spot, Christine found a swift chasing a swallow high above us. She was able to get a better view, but I only caught a glimpse of it because it kept going behind the trees, then it flew off out of site. I could tell the swallow was a violet-green. The swift chasing it was all dark - black rather than brown; it was larger than the swallow with long, swept-back and pointed wings. Looking over the field guide, it appears to be a Black Swift, listed on the checklist as Casual in Spring and Summer (not seen annually). There was no white on it, so that rules out White-throated Swift, and it was too big and dark for a Vaux's Swift.

The most common bird of the day was Black-headed Grosbeak, and I can't remember ever seeing so many Orange-crowned Warblers.

Here's our full sightings list:
Ruddy Duck
California Quail
Golden Eagle
Mourning Dove
Black Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Black Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Mountain Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Western Bluebird
American Robin
Orange-crowned Warbler
Western Tanager
Green-tailed Towhee
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Sage Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird
Bullock's Oriole
Purple Finch
Lesser Goldfinch

Richard

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I birded Tehachapi Mountain Park this morning. There were large numbers of Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Black-headed Grosbeak calling everywhere.

I heard several Western Wood-Pewee and saw one. That's a first of spring sighting for me. Also at the top of a tall tree, I was watching a Purple Finch when a warbler flew into my field of view. It was a male Wilson's Warbler. First one I've seen in Tehachapi this spring.

Richard

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The peak spring migration is ahead of us. Time to get out and see what you can find! I've been trying to bird every weekend, if not more. My Tehachapi list for March is incredible...

Today Christine and I hiked the Sycamore Ridge Trail in Bear Valley Springs. We started where it crosses Deertrail and hiked all the way to the water treatment plant - took us about 3-1/2 hours. Lots of House Wrens (which I haven't been seeing anywhere else), and a BIG flock of Purple Finches singing.

But the highlight of the hike - and totally unexpected - was hearing the unmistakable song of a Canyon Wren repeated over and over just as we entered the canyon paralleling Rolling Oak Drive on the north side. There's an access trailhead from Rolling Oak so you don't have to hike all the way in from Deertrail. It was slightly before the "G" marker post.

The Tehachapi Mountains checklist says Canyon Wrens are rare year-round. I'll have to return next month and see if he's still there for the April sightings list! It would be great to identify a reliable location to find them.

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