Christine and I hiked out Sycamore Trail on Sunday, April 18. Summer residents Bullock's Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Ash-throated Flycatchers and Violet-green Swallows were ubiquitous. But it wasn't until we got far out on the trail overlooking a canyon sloping down to the San Joaquin Valley that we began to see warblers... lots of them. One tree was loaded as we sat under it and zeroed in on every flit of motion: Besides the most abundant Yellow-rumps, we spotted good numbers of Orange-crowned warblers, Nashville, Townsend's, Black-throated Grey and even Hermit Warblers, which seemed to me quite rare in the last year or two. The only expected species we missed was Wilson's Warblers. In addition to the warblers, we heard several Mountain Quail calling across the canyon; and another call that might be a Warbling Vireo (I have to check the tapes)!

Other species expected but I haven't found yet include Western Wood-Pewee, Lazuli Bunting, Western Tanager, and Western Kingbird. We can't wait to get out to Paradise Valley and see what's there!

Richard

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To add to the FOS sightings: An Ash-throated Flycatcher was at the Bear Valley Springs Water Canyon Campground in the bushes behaind the facilities there yesteday 19 April 10. The Rufous Hummingbirds are still coming through, both male and female were seen two days ago at 4900' mid-way through Bear Valley Springs; the FOS Rufous at this location was 11 Mar 10. The Black-headed Grosbeak arrived here on 08 Apr 10. I would have written sooner but I've been in pursuit of the spectacular wildflower displays at Wind Wolves, Carrizo Plain and the Antelope Valley.

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FOS for me, a female Bullock's Oriole at my hummingbird feeder on April 1st.
and for two days I think I'm seeing a Golden Eagle flying just up the canyon.
 Well the storm is over and everyone is coming out to eat.

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Friday was such a nice day! I spent about an hour  in the morning out on my deck drinking coffee, soaking up some sunshine, and enjoying the view and wildlife.

I noticed a couple of new bird species that confirms spring is close: my first Violet-green Swallow circling over my house; and a Rufous Hummingbird visiting my feeders amid the numerous Anna's.  This is remarkable since my feeder seems to be perpetually frozen until today!

In the evening, Christine and I made a quick tour of the BVS Lakes and discovered a huge flock of Violet-green Swallows swooping over the north-west corner of 4-Island Lake. There must have been 100 of them!

And today I woke up to snow again, which seems par for the course in spring around here - the weather is schizophrenic!

So keep your eyes open for first of spring sightings! The fun's about to begin.

Richard

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Today I participated in the Tejon Ranch Breeding Bird Blitz. The group I was assigned to worked several canyons on the south side of the ranch in the Antelope Valley. The six of us started at 6AM in the first light of dawn. I couldn't see much in the low light, but heard many Horned Larks and a call the leader assured me was a Whimbrel. Tom explained they stage for migration at the base of the mountains here. Once they leave, they don't stop for hundreds of miles.

After the Friday night rain storm, Saturday was extremely windy and cold. We battled a strong wind all day, and the hilltops were shrouded in fog. Despite these handicaps, I can't recall a better experience with warbler migration. We were seeing more warblers than any other birds!

In several places we would stand beside a row of shrubby trees and watch as dozens of warblers streamed by - Wilson's, Orange-crowned, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Nashville, Hermit, Yellow-rumped and Yellow warblers. Other species migrating in large numbers included Western Kingbirds and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Warbling and Cassin's Vireos.

The wind was a real challenge for us and the birds. They would whiz by pushed by the gale and dive into a bush, forever lost from view. Frustrating at times. When we managed to get under the canopy the birds were easier to see.

Even with the weather challenge, the spring migration birding there on the south end of the Tehachapi Mountains was amazing - far better than the celebrated Butterbredt Spring has been for several years.

Our leader, Tom, had been birding there the day before when the weather was perfect and said it was the best birding he's ever had in California! He cited his phenomenal count numbers for many different species. I can't recall the exact numbers, but it was something like 67 MacGillivray's Warbler - and all in rabbit brush along a riparian area, none in the trees.

We didn't really do a Breeding Bird survey this year since we mainly saw migrants passing through. Next year they will do this event again, but hold it several weeks later in the season so they see resident species that are more likely to be breeding and not just passing through.

I hope they also do a count of migrants -  and give me a chance to participate again! It was definitely worth getting up at 3:30AM, driving an hour and a half to arrive at dawn, then freezing my ass off for the next 7 hours!

Here's my incomplete list of sightings (59 species) - not the official list of everyone's sightings, just what I remember seeing or hearing that other's saw. 

Mallard
Mountain Quail
California Quail
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Whimbrel
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Oak Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
House Wren
Western Bluebird
American Robin
Wrentit
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler - (both Audubon's and Myrtle)
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Hermit Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow (singing on territory)
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Western Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
Scott's Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch

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