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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Mar 21, 2012 - 10:34pm PT
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I think I got a gud 'un today.
Ring necked turtle dove in my back yard. Need to get my camera
out and get a picture. I did submit it to the Colorado Rare Bird Alert.
I'm pretty sure--really different song, and the black ring on the back of it's neck.
Whoo, it's special!!!!
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Mar 22, 2012 - 12:25am PT
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Eurasian Collared Dove Steve?
They are quite pretty. Not the sharpest knives in the drawer though. :)
I know one of my guides (forgot which one) said they are not in this area. Yet they are. I have many visit my feeders.
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jbaker
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Mar 22, 2012 - 01:30am PT
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A comment by Dr. F up-thread really hit home:
Being an experienced birder, I see how doing a big year is all about how much you have done before.
I'm a novice birder in a good area, and hit 56 tonight on my ride home. But I'm running out of things that I can recognize. Lots of things are flying by that I know I haven't counted, but I'm not certain what they are. To push the count, I'm having to whip Sibleys and my binoculars out of my bike bag, and try to identify something new. Today felt pretty good with four new species. It has been pushing me to work on the groups I haven't really tried to distinguish (warblers, gulls, wrens, the less obvious sparrows, sandpipers). I think I'm even going to start listening to the CD of calls and songs.
I just ordered a scope, so I'll hopefully be posting some photos in a few weeks.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Mar 22, 2012 - 08:18am PT
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Callie--I don't think so--there didn't appear to be any
white on the neck ring. Maybe I'll get a pic or a better look today--
plus the bird I saw was much larger/huskier looking.
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Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
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Mar 22, 2012 - 01:48pm PT
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Crimpie,
The Sibley guide, published in 2000, is way out of date for the Eurasian Collared Dove because of its explosive range expansion. They have made it all the way to Anchorage by now. They are all over California:Eurasian Collared Dove Expansion
Where it has been studied in Florida, they don't seem to have a detrimental effect on native doves. I hope this turns out to be the case in the long run.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Mar 22, 2012 - 02:24pm PT
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Where it has been studied in Florida, they don't seem to have a detrimental effect on native doves.
They definitely seem to bully the Mourning Doves in Lee Vining. They showed up in Truckee a couple of years ago, but they're still vastly outnumbered. Something tells me this isn't their ideal habitat.
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Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
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Mar 22, 2012 - 03:49pm PT
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Willoughby,
Perhaps the situation in FL is not a good model of what might transpire in a different habitat such as Truckee and Lee Vining or even around here (SF Bay Area)
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cyndiebransford
climber
31 years in Joshua Tree, now Alaska
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Mar 27, 2012 - 08:55pm PT
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Just got a Hoary Redpoll. Life bird for me too.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Mar 27, 2012 - 09:31pm PT
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I saw some chickens and a rooster!
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 10:11pm PT
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Picked up a couple more:
House Wren
Black Phoebe
European Starling
Sage Sparrow (Bell's Coastal)
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 11:27pm PT
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One of the things I was looking forward to for the ST Big Year was learning who saw what when.I love that Dr F got so late into his list to finally see
64 Red Shafted Flicker
68 Robin
69 Killdeer
The three above were in the first 20 I saw, but I'm only at around 55 and will be lucky to see a Say's Pheobe, and I still haven't seen a House Wren StahlBro. I had a relatively good day today and saw both Scaups for the fist time in the STBY.
Here is a photo of a Brant. I saw one legitimately last Thursday. I worked for it by taking my longest bike ride since my shoulder surgery, but I have to admit that the photo is from a two weeks before that using petroleum. Funny, some times the photos are more spectacular, but in this case the birds were way better.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 11:45pm PT
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PS:
Riley you being on the Gulf in general and seeing the Snail Kite and presumably Swallow Tailed Kites and Roseate Spoonbills(?) and even humble Purple Gallinules makes me happy. You used to live in Seattle, right?
Cyndie, good on ya for the Hoary Redpoll!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Mar 28, 2012 - 12:26am PT
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OK - had a "big day" in Santa Cruz with a ringer (Bill Frey) on Sunday: 68 species.
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Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
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Mar 28, 2012 - 05:29am PT
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I finally dusted off the bike and found some species that for some reason don't often show up nearby. I can't believe it took this long to see a Song Sparrow. The Clapper Rail put on quite a show.
104. Gadwall
105. Northern Shoveler
106. Green-winged Teal
107. Canvasback
108. Great Egret
109. Semipalmated Plover
110. American Avocet
111. Greater Yellowlegs
112. Marbled Godwit
113. Dunlin
114. Long-billed Dowitcher
115. Song Sparrow
116. Clapper Rail
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 28, 2012 - 11:10am PT
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Holy mother of god Tony! 116! Was the Clapper where you expected it? Did you get all the way to C. Chavez Park (former dump)?
Again I know it's not surprising, but Tony had to work for Gadwall, GW Teal, and N. Shoveler and only saw them after 100+ others, and I saw them in my first two days. Tony and I both have walking/biking access to temperate West Coast salt and fresh water littoral environment. So far I've been completely skunked on the small shore birds (except for Killdeer), [edit] which is lucky because I'm really weak at identifying them.
Imagine how long it will take me to see a Cactus Wren, not to mention a Trogon ;-)
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Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
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Mar 29, 2012 - 03:05pm PT
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Darwin,
Didn't make it that far due to detours to check on Osprey and Peregrine nesting pairs (see the "Birds" thread). Maybe next time and the Burrowing Owls will still be around.
I didn't "expect" to see a Clapper, but it was in the area I had seen one a while ago. It took a long, slow swim, then stood on the bank preening.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I know they're a humble trio, but they're the first new ones for me in over a week. At least they are indicative of spring rolling around and hopefully the weather getting better. Nasty day today, though.
Lincoln Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Cedar Waxwings (UW campus!)
Ever since I first identified them from the guide, I've had a disproportionate fondness for Savannah Sparrows, given that they are just little brown jobbers. Also, the the first Cedar Waxwings of the year always look so spectacular after a winter of pretty darn brown passerines. There is supposedly a Wilson's Snipe in the area, but I haven't seen it. I did see a pair of otters cruising by the Union Bay fill/nature Area yesterday. So, what with the birds and otters along with the improving shoulder, things could be worse.
Tony; I guess this is our thread!
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Slater
Trad climber
Central Coast
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#137 Hooded Oriole
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Too much work and too much travel to have many birds to contribute (without the aid of airplanes and gas powered engines).
Did just spend the weekend in Rancho Palos Verdes and got about 75 birds in little more than a day of birding.
Most surprising bird on that trip? Harris's Hawk.
No shit!
It flew in chasing a Mallard and landed right in front me. Had to rub my eyes before I saw the jessups (sp?) on the pretty girl. Her 'owner' showed up shortly thereafter. Thought I'd finally lost my mind.
edit: check out the Birds thread soon - think BN will post some photos of several of our birds from that weekend (none of which can count toward the ST big year unfortunately).
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Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
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Dr. F,
I've just about exhausted my likely species, unless I get it together to bike into the East Bay hills. I'm too wimpy at this point and chicken of riding in the streets. There are just a couple of more shorebirds I could get by extending my range. Then I will have to hope for some good migrants this spring and fall. Right now we are in Bishop for a week. There are lots of good birds over here for my general list. A couple of Yellow-headed Blackbirds visited the yard of the house where we are staying and a Prairie Falcon flew over at about 20 feet. We need to head out into the sagebrush in the early AM for some of the local specialties. LeConte's Thrasher is at the top of the list.
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