Dear all,
This Monday, LA birder Marky Mutchler had a pretty awesome day at Santa Cruz Island. With her permission, I'm forwarding here her trip report.
Enjoy. Wim
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Yesterday, October 10th, I boarded the 9:00 Island Packers boat heading towards Scorpion Harbor. Almost all of Ventura county was rather dead, with small shearwater numbers and low diversity. Upon entering Santa Barbara county, we encountered a large pod of Common Dolphins and several Humpback Whales, of which a Brown Booby was foraging near ( 34.110533, -119.455541). After circling the whales, we headed back on route to Scorpion, where a large raft of shearwaters, gulls, and a couple of pelicans were loafing. I noticed a Red-footed Booby sitting on the water, quickly flushing as the boat neared. I am less sure of the coordinates, however, it was likely near 34.054013, -119.535809 . Once on the island, the first bird I noted was actually a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Quickly after spotting the Grosbeak, a continuing American Redstart made an appearance in the fig trees next to the private residence. With cloudy and cool conditions, it seemed the birds were in a frenzy. A Tropical Kingbird shot by, and the number of warblers and vireos was quite astonishing. Turning towards the first campground I came across two Tennessee Warblers, however not much else was kicking around. Between thefirst and the second campgrounds, however, seemed to be the center of activity ( 34.047910, -119.565681) . This is also when I ran into and joined Spencer Seale, Peter Gaede, and Hugh Ranson. The second campground area was hosting 2 Clay-colored Sparrows, but not much else. Returning to the center of activity, a Hooded Oriole, Western Wood-Pewee, 22 flyover Greater White-fronted Geese, and 4 more Tennessee Warblers were found. Spencer et al. also had a Northern Parula and Virginia's Warbler in this section, but I was not as fortunate. Eventually, a Blackburnian Warbler also popped up in this section and made for an incredible day. Returning back to the harbor to catch the 4 pm boat, I also had an American Pipit fly over, which, after reviewing photos, looks like a good candidate for a "Japonicus" Pipit. Otherwise, the birds from the morning were still hanging around the private residence with little change. The boat ride back to Ventura featured usual shearwaters, a Sabine's Gull, a couple of Black Storm-petrels, and a few murrelets - but no boobies. All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience and this LA birder couldn't be happier!
Best, Marky
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Wim van Dam (Solvang, CA)
SBCO #394: Broad-winged Hawk |