Hi guys, A quick update from this past weekend/weekdays:
I went looking to see if I could be a lucky first observer of Blue Grosbeak and/or Lazuli Bunting in SB county. I had no luck, too early. I did however see some great stuff: Swallow quintet: Northern Roughies, American Tree, Barn (FOS), Violet Green, and CLIFF SWALLOW were seen this weekend. Additionally, I got great looks at the loons on Saturday morning: Pacific, and a couple of wicked looking Red Throated Loons. Also some great looks at a Clark's Grebe.
Best sighting of the week was a Harris's Hawk, but wait, listen to the story! I was at the downtown dump on Friday afternoon because we have a storage yard there for our company. As I was dropping off a concrete saw, I looked up and saw an unfamiliar looking hawk harassing some gulls that were flying around the indoor dump area. It wasn't a Cooper's, too big for a Sharpie. Not a red tailed...I thought right away, HOLY SMOKES, this is a Harris's. I was just getting ready to call some noteable SB birders. In my head I knew I would be the HERO OF THE YEAR if it was true. It was indeed a Harris's Hawk. I confirmed it with the Falconer who trained it, who was hired by the dump to bring his raptors to rid the dump grounds of pests. WOW!!!! I wont count this bird on our list, but it was still incredible to see a Harris's Hawk up so close. I talked for awhile with the Falconer, and he even let me touch the hawk's wing feathers.
Sweet Matt. Typical Marty Q. story. It is cool to bird at work. I do it all the time. I am trying for some bank swallows this season. We were enjoying the hundreds of barn, roughies & trees zooming over the water at Church Road last night.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I just read Harris's Hawk, and almost got in the Man Van to drive to SB. That must have been a crazy feeling.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Harris's Hawk in Orange County in November 2011, and people thought it was an escaped bird. If you see this guy again, you should ask him if he (or someone else) lost a Harris's Hawk in that area around that time.