Good Birding

Hey gang,

Good birding this past week.   Ben and Karah, It's a rewarding feeling to leave your house in pursuit of an elusive bird, and by days end, successfully locate that bird.   Way to go on the Northern Shrike

Kev, way to Rock the Inland Empire.  You have just about squeezed all the raptors out of the area.  HOT DOG!

I have unfortunately gotten fairly SKUNKED the past week and a half.  After about 6 or 7 visits to Bella Vista Open Space, I have not been able to locate the Grace's Warbler.  I will continue to try and locate this bird, since I think it would be a really great bird to have on our list, especially when the old granny's at the park are seeing the bird during the day, and a guy just posted about the "continuing Grace's"

Here is a story from my Grace's Warbler files this past week:   I roll into the park after a particularly laborious work day.  I'm pumped to find the bird, especially because I'm lucky to have gotten some good afternoon sun hitting the tops of the pines that I know the warbler has been frequenting.  I grab my binoc's and hurry out of the car,  unknowingly locking it in the process.  As I'm walking to the bird spot, I notice a lady smoking a cigarette, watching her dog take a dookie on the grass of this public park.  She is watching, totally aware of the #2 - but obviously not motivated to care or pick up after her canine friend.  So I yell over to her, "YO, CAN YOU PICK THIS UP"  She says "YAH" but doesn't move for the next 15 minutes.  During that time, I'm trying my damndest to locate a Grace's Warbler in the midst of 100 Yellow Rumpies.  I also realize during that time that I locked my keys in the truck.   No one else is around, so I have to ask the DOGGY DUMP LADY to use her telephone.  She reluctantly helps me.  So I call AAA, and the guy says he'll be out to pluck my lock in about 30 minutes.  I think, "Great, this will give me some time to hopefully locate the bird."  I look and listen and listen and listen and watch and scan......finally, I think I see the bird, I am pretty confident, but I need a better view, and I'm waiting for the bird to re-emerge.  At the same time, I see the AAA guy drive up and stop next to my car.  I am about 150 yards away from him.   I know though, that if I take my eye off this bird, I will lose it, and probably not be able to re-find it quickly.   So, I hold my position, hoping that the AAA fella wont drive away.   After about 3 or 4 minutes, he drives away!   I can't ID the bird officially.   I ask the doggy dookie lady for her phone again, and she rolls her eyes - gives me her phone and still hasn't picked up her dogs shit.  I call AAA man, and he comes back in a few minutes and instantly flat bars my truck's lock open!  Great,  I lean in, get my wallet, give him a few bucks.   He gets in his truck, I go back to the bird.   Can't find the bird.  It's getting dark.  I turn back to the truck, hoping to come back the next day for another shot.  Get back to the truck,  it's locked again, the keys are in there again!   I must have locked it again in all the hustle and bustle of the bird and the guy and the.....damnit!

I'm too embarrassed now to call AAA again, so I knock on a neighborhood door, and ask a nice guy for a wire so I can fasten my own hook.   I get super lucky, unlock the door, and get the hell out of there.  No bird.   Geez.

Anyhow, I did get up to the Horned Lock flock in the Santa Ynez Valley this past weekend.   Some of the most tedious birding I've ever done resulted in one shitty look at a LAPLAND LONGSPUR from about 400 yards away.  Good bird for our list though.  It was also a busy bluebird day, it was nice to be surrounded by blewies all day.   Thats it for now.   Micah and I continue on the quest for Spotted Owl this weekend, along with the Grace's and a Williamson's Sapsucker.

long post, sorry -  no pics
matt