Hello, and welcome to the Plumas County "Birder's
News." This page contains copies of e-mails sent by birders from
all over Plumas County. If you'd like to add bird sightings to
it, just join the list (above) and send your message. We'll post
new messages here as we receive them.
8/20/2008
Colin Dillingham
This
morning I had what appears to be an immature male Costa's
hummingbird
coming to my feeders, 400 First Street, in East Quincy, Plumas
County. The
bird is best observed from the upstairs bedroom, but you can
also see the
feeders from the back yard.
Call my house and make an appointment with my son Henry if you
are
interested in trying to see the bird today (283-1133). I'll be
up looking
at the birds tomorrow morning about 5:45 AM, so feel free to
make an
appointment for early AM before I head to work tomorrow as well.
Also saw
1 calliope, about 10 anna's and 50 rufous hummingbirds at the
feeders this
morning (up to 25 simultaneously at dawn).
(See attached file: costa_bill_Plumas_20080820.JPG)(See attached
file:
costa_gorget_Plumas_20080820.JPG)
I have several other photos as well, but don't want to overload
those with
dial up servers. Reply if you want additional photos. The bird
in the
lower left is an immature rufous hummingbird, and is coming to a
feeder in
the background, so is a bit further away. This bird was
essentially
identical in size to the rufous hummingbirds coming in to the
feeders, and
noticeably smaller than the anna's.
Why I think this is a Costa's -
The few gorget feathers starting to come in are distinctly
purple
(admittedly, feather color doesn't show up well in these photos,
but better
in the "gorget" photo) and there aren't any rufous colored
feathers. That
pretty much rules out everything except black-chinned, Costa's
and Lucifer.
The bill is short and straight, just a little shorter than the
head length.
A black-chinned hummer would have a bill longer than the head
and a Lucifer
would have a decurved bill.
Also good for Costa's - the pale supercilium completely outlines
the dark
auriculars. This is a good character for female Costa's versus
female
black-chinned, and I think it holds up for males, but I'm not
certain on
this ID character.
The body is washed with a grayish color - black-chins in my
experience
don't show a grayish wash to the extent shown in this bird.
I'd love to hear back from anybody that has comments on the
identification.
Fix - could you forward to Tietz and see if he has any comments
on the ID.
I seem to have lost his email address. Thanks, Colin
8/20/2008
Linda Blum
So PG&E's operation of Almanor water levels is resulting in
an annual take of migratory birds...hm, isn't there a law
against that? Oh, yeah: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It's the
same wildlife law that causes CalTrans to time bridge work so as
not to interfere with swallow nesting. Because you have
documented the situation so well, maybe someone should talk with
PG&E about lake level manipulations.
Also, please note our new emailing address for Harry & Linda:
linda.blum@att.net
8/19/2008
Colin Dillingham
I don't think I correctly interpreted the "change" in lake
level yesterday.
I was at a different spot along the lake shore yesterday, than I
was a
couple weeks ago. I retract what I emailed yesterday about the
lake level
rising. I also don't think the nesting failure was as extreme as
I thought
yesterday. I only saw about 8 - 10 broken eggs along the shore
in the
northern part of this colony today.
When I returned today to the same site I was at a couple weeks
ago (Feather
River bypass channel at confluence with Lake Almanor), there
didn't appear
to be much change in the lake level, except perhaps a few inches
shallower,
and the lake level certainly did not come up. When I looked at
the nests
today with binoculars (yesterday I was without binoculars) I
could see that
many of the nests were still active. I agree with Ryan that the
eggs on
shore could easily have been washed out of the nests by wave
action (likely
from wind as Ryan suggests, but also possibly by boat wakes?)
Ryan and I have been looking at different colonies today. Ryan
was looking
at the colony closer to the mouth of the North Fork Feather
River accessed
from Chester. I have been looking at the colony along Hwy 89,
about 1 mile
south of Hwy 36. My descriptions are regarding this colony which
starts at
the Feather River bypass and goes south to Almanor West.
I needed a spotting scope to get a relatively accurate nest
count, so I
didn't try. If I was pressured to guess, I would estimate
between 500 and
1000 grebes in the Almanor West colony, with perhaps 300 - 500
nests.
Although some of the nests furthest out from shore didn't have
grebes, most
of the nests closest to shore had grebes with eggs on them. That
would
indicate that wave action may have caused the abandonment of
nests that
were closest to open water.
This is a phenomenal colony and I have only witnessed this once
before in
Plumas County. I highly recommend that folks get out and enjoy
the grebes.
Keep your distance so that you don't cause any nest abandonment!
If you
do get out, try to get as accurate a count as you can and keep
good notes
on what part of the lake you counted your grebes.
8/19/2008
Ryan Bunrett
Colin et al., I just got back from taking Diana Humple, PRBO
biologist studying western grebes for here masters, on a tour of
the lakeshore and noticed the main colony that I counted over
300 nests in 3 weeks ago has only about 80 or 90 nests with
Grebes incubating. A number of the birds on nests and some
swimming in the colony had bulging backs which means they are
packing recently fledged chicks. Based on chronology of their
incubation most of those nests should be hatching now. So many
of the nests that are now grebeless may have fledged young
already. The water level is rapidly dropping right now as it
does every August right in the middle of the grebe nesting
season. I counted 80+ nests that are now on dry ground and that
were likely abandoned. I also observed California gulls coursing
over the colony and one successfully stole an egg from a
brooding bird that was flushed off when a bald eagle flew over
the colony and flushed all the coots and ducks sitting around
therein. My guess is that most of those eggs you saw were from
the nests abandoned near shore or some that may have been washed
out of the windward side of the colony with the high winds we
had yesterday. And maybe a few were from Gulls poaching. A major
issue for the Almanor Western Grebes (2nd or 3rd largest colony
in the state) is the dropping water levels in August. If the
water level was held steady until the end of August the problem
would be significantly ameliorated. I did notice this weekend
another 75 or so nests up near the North Shore Campground were
being built so some of those that abandoned may have moved to
the new location (it is in 6 feet of water) and are trying
again. I can't remember ever seeing as many Western Grebes on
the lake as I did today. Over 1000 birds. Diana Humple who is
studying western grebe genetics on NE California lakes for here
masters will be up in September catching grebes for her study
and we should get a pretty good idea of how many young were
produced. Even with the failure there are still likely to be 200
- 500 young grebes produced on Almanor this year, but with
steady water levels that number could be double. Ryan.
8/18/2008
Colin Dillingham
I walked along the NW shore of Lake Almanor near where I saw
the western
grebes nesting a couple weeks ago. It appears that the Lake
level has come
up and there were well over 100 grebe eggs (in just a few
hundred feet)
that apparently had floated to shore and were eaten by
scavengers. A few
had just broken on the rocky shore and the contents had leaked
out.
8/18/2007
David Arsenault
I know these species are old news after all the recent
postings, but two were Plumas County birds for me and Gregorio
Sauceda: two juvenile White-tailed Kites in Humbug Valley last
Thursday and a Green Heron along Spanish Creek last Friday. I've
been looking for a Green Heron in American Valley all summer so
that was a really nice sighting, It even kept flushing time
after time as we were walking downstream. We also saw a
Red-shouldered Hawk in Humbug as well as along Spanish Creek
near the sewage ponds. All of the kites and hawks were
juveniles.
8/12/2008
Ryan Burnett
I had a juvenile Golden Eagle fly over the house yesterday.
Came from the east and was heading west. Only the 2nd GOEA I
have seen in the Almanor Basin the last one was on the X-mas
bird count last December. It prompted me to update my yard list
for the year which now stands after 3 years at 126 species. I
added a Black-crowned Night Heron last week. I think they are
breeding around the lake as I have now seen them in small
numbers from spring through fall here. Ryan.
8/12/2008
Colin Dillingham
A couple birds not normally in American Valley during the
breeding season
are showing up. I saw red-shouldered hawk, american kestrel and
marsh wren
in areas along Quincy Junction Rd this morning. Birds are on the
move!
8/12/2008
Ryan Burnett
I had a juvenile Golden Eagle fly over the house yesterday. Came
from the east and was heading west. Only the 2nd GOEA I have
seen in the Almanor Basin the last one was on the X-mas bird
count last December. It prompted me to update my yard list for
the year which now stands after 3 years at 126 species. I added
a Black-crowned Night Heron last week. I think they are breeding
around the lake as I have now seen them in small numbers from
spring through fall here.
8/12/2008
Collin Dillingham
A couple birds not normally in American Valley during the
breeding season
are showing up. I saw red-shouldered hawk, american kestrel and
marsh wren
in areas along Quincy Junction Rd this morning. Birds are on the
move!
8/4/2008
David Arsenault
Jim Battagin reported that Mary Lou found a juvenile green heron
this morning near the courthouse in Quincy. This may be the
young of the bird(s) Colin has reported by the high school and
the bike path. Jim and Paul are trying to locate the adults so
the juvenile can be released near them. Any updates Paul? Maybe
help is needed in locating the adults?
On another note, Darrel, Darla, and I hiked the Bucks Summit
loop last Tuesday, which starts near Bucks Summit and goes down
towards Bucks Lake and back along the other side of Bucks Creek.
It's a really nice trail and there were lots of wildflowers. The
birding was excellent with numerous warblers including
Nashville, yellow, orange-crowned, and yellow-rumped as well as
several Lazuli buntings. A Cooper's hawk was scouting the bird
action as well. We also saw a juvenile chipping sparrow, which
looked a lot like a Brewer's sparrow!
7/28/2008
Darla DeReuter
Darrel and I just returned from a great 6-day backpack trip in
the high
country of the Ansel Adams Wilderness (adjacent to Yosemite
National
Park to the east). We spooked a juvenile golden eagle from a
high
perch, saw (and heard) lots of Clarks Nutcrackers, enjoyed
abundant
Mountain Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Grey-Crowned Rosy
Finches,
and saw several Mountain Bluebirds and Rock Wrens. We got very
close to
a pair of White-tailed Ptarmigan (see attached) that had 3
adorable
little chicks. Two surprising sightings were a California
Seagull who
spent the days with us a Marie Lake (11,300 feet)--probably
visiting
from Mono Lake (see attached--a little blurry but cool), and a
Red-winged Blackbird that we came upon as we hiked up toward the
12,023'
peak we were climbing. It was fun to get up high and see what's
hanging
out there now.
Also, I have archived the January through July postings on the
Plumas Audubon web page:
http://www.aviancenter.com/Plumas_Audubon.htm
Thanks to everyone for posting your bird sightings to the list,
it's been very exciting. The six-month Jan through July archive
is 22 pages long with over 50 postings!
7/28/2008
Collin Dillingham
I made it up to Lake Almanor on Friday, July 25, and walked from
Chester
down to the mouth of the North Fork Feather River at Lake
Almanor. I saw
the White-tailed Kite (Thanks Ryan - a new county bird for me)
as well as
two Marbled Godwits at the mouth. The godwits were also new for
me in
Plumas County. Two great birds, #254 and #255 for me on my
Plumas County
list!
Perhaps most exciting were the western grebes. At the mouth of
the North
Fork Feather River, there were 40 nests under construction and
the grebes
were very interesting to watch - especially their water dancing
displays.
On the NW shore of Lake Almanor, there were over 1000 grebes and
I counted
234 nests that were visible. I also saw several pairs building
"nests"
that weren't even visible yet above the water, but I could tell
that they
were mounding vegetation. I wouldn't be surprised to see much
larger
numbers of nests in the next couple weeks. I hope the water
level doesn't
drop to quickly, or the coyotes will be enjoying many grebe
omelettes.
Many of the nests are very close to shore.
7/24/2008
Mary Wilcox
We saw our first mountain quail a couple of days ago at Upper
Sardine Lk (yes I know...that's Sierra County, but still...).
And a couple of Lesser Nighthawks showed up in Clio last night.
We've seen them before here, about a month ago. Having observed
and heard the common Nighthawks at Wallace Island, BC CAN, the
difference is readily noticed. Western Tanagers are frequenting
the middle fork of the Feather River here too, as well as Upper
Sardine Lake. Boy, it's nice to be able to get out again with
with the air clearing.
7/23/2008
Ryan Burnett
I saw my first White-tailed Kite in the Almanor Basin "kiting"
over the meadow on the Almanor lakeshore. It was in the open
grassy part of the meadow in the polygon formed by the feather
river, railroad track, lakeshore, and hwy. 36. The western
grebes were dancing this week as well so they should start
nesting on the lake any day now. Ryan.
7/23/2008
Collin Dillingham
I've seen our local green heron twice in the past two days. The
heron
seems to have found a favorite roost at the corner of Quincy
Junction Rd
and Hwy 70. I saw it go into the cottonwood tree on the high
school front
lawn area, and landed about 30 feet high, adjacent to the two
Giant Sequoia
trees. The cottonwood is the tree nearest the sidewalk push
button for the
traffic light. I saw it land there at 12:15 today, and saw if
flying from
that grove of trees towards Boyle Creek near the bike path
yesterday. When
I saw the bird a few weeks ago flying to Boyle Creek over the
bike path, it
was flying from the same general vicinity.
If you still need the Green Heron for your Plumas County bird
list, it
might be worth a visit.
July 17, 2008
Birds of Plumas County with Pat O'Reilly at Plumas Eureka
State Park from 8 pm-9 pm.
7/14/2008
Tony Hall
The CD I use for bird songs is Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs
Western Region which has 4 CDs and a 60 page booklet. I have
copied this message to the birders list so that others may
advise you on CDs, DVDs and equipment that cover not only songs
but also give photos of birds and is portable. There also are
internet sites that give pictures and songs such as the Cornell
Ornithology site. My favorite local field guide book is the
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America but when I
am travelling I also carry the National Geographic Field Guide
to the Birds of North America because it covers everything (?) I
might see and also is small enough for a large back pocket.
7/13/2008
Collin Dillingham
Tony and I spent the morning trying to relocate the tanager
today, but
didn't have any luck. We watched the grape jelly slowly
disappear out of
his den window as black-headed grosbeaks and a male bullock's
oriole
enjoyed the sweet snack. We put out a couple orange halves, but
nobody
seemed very interested.
We birded around the riparian zone between Clear Creek Rd, Carol
Lane East
and Carol Lane West, which is a very large area, and a tanager
could easily
hide out. It will certainly be worth a few more visits to try to
excavate
this hard-to-relocate bird in this immense willow marsh. It was
a very
enjoyable morning, with about 30 species seen, including
bullock's oriole,
yellow warbler, orange-crowned warbler, red-breasted sapsucker,
pygmy and
red-breasted nuthatches, bewick's and house wren, wood duck,
calif quail,
band-tailed pigeon, anna's and rufous hummingbird, lots of
western
wood-pewee, and even a double-crested cormorant on Shea Pond at
the end of
Clear Creek Rd.
7/12/2008
Tony Hall
This morning I saw a Summer Tanager out of my den window in
Galeppi Ranch, Quincy at 8:45 am. This is a new bird sighting
for Plumas County. I called David Arsenault and he came over. We
didn't see it near the house so we walked to a nearby riparian
area. We relocated the bird in this area at 11:20 am and David
got a clear view of it. It had the appearance of being either a
lighter red second year male or a redder female. The bird is
moving around so it may be hard to locate.
The riparian area can be accessed from the end of Carol Lane
East. Park at the end of Carol Lane East, go through the gate
and walk towards Clear Creek Road. Call me for further
directions.
7/7/2008
Raymond Gibson
This little guy is very differently colored but may change
after his first molt. But, it is the first time I have ever seen
a dove with this much brown. Enjoy
7/3/2008
Raymond Gibson
We have had a horde of band tailed pigeons around
lately. Today we had a rare one show up It is mottled with white
feathers here and there on its back. It was a nice bird to watch
and he was not quite as aggressive as the others.
6/18/2008
Colin Dillingham
This morning I saw a Green Heron along Boyle Creek where it
crosses the
Bike path in Quincy. This is essentially behind the US Forest
Service
Ranger Station. That is only the second one I've ever seen in
Plumas
County!
6/18/2008
Phil E. Gordon
Somewhere are my notes about a Green Heron I saw on the
opposite shoreline of the Middle Fork of Feather River in
Portola. It was opposite the Sleepy Pines Motel. Probably early
summer, ca. 1998 ) or thereabouts). I'll see if the notes are
retrievable. It also is the only one I've seen in PLU Co.
6/15/ 2008
Mary and Bob Wilcox
An interestingly colored Stellar's Jay we spotted
yesterday. An immature or hybrid?
6/13/2008
Mary and Bob Wilcox
Here are a few photos we managed to get of the local pygmy
nuthatch and killdeer (right) at their nests. Enjoy.
6/12/2008
Paul Hardy
Thanks for the good stuff, David and Ryan! While hiking with the
kids on Sunday (6/8) along the new bike path on the north side
of Spanish Creek, between HWY 70/89 and Feather River College, I
heard a Yellow-breasted Chat singing away! To be precise, it was
located about 20 yards west of the last trailer in the River
Ranch RV Park between the bike pat
6/11/2008
Ryan Burnett
On Monday on Lake Almanor 100 meters from the causeway (south)
there was a Common Goldeneye female with a very strange looking
duck that most closely resembled a male Hooded Merganser. We
suspect it was a Hooded MerganserX Common Goldeneye hybrid hence
the hanging out and associated with the goldeneye. Either way
both species are extremely uncommon in June up here. Our hearts
jumped a beat as the thought of a Smew crossed our mind but
definitely more of a Hooded Merganser look just some more white
and missing the chestnut sides. I may try and get out and have
another look for it again tomorrow. Also, one of my crew members
saw a White-tailed Kite in the Pine Creek Valley in Lassen
county north of Hwy. 44 towards Martin Creek.
June 11, 2008
David Arsenault
Last Saturday, Gregorio and I birded Spanish Creek from Highway
70 to past the sewage ponds and then up Clear Stream. We saw 45
species most notably 2 Bullock's Orioles along Spanish Creek,
lots of warblers including orange-crowned, black-throated gray,
Wilson's, yellow, Macgillivray's, Nashville, and yellow-rumped,
and also lots of swallows including bank, barn, northern
rough-winged, cliff and tree. There were a number of wood ducks
that bred in the boxes along Clear Stream. We had a great
observation of a young wood duck that dove when we approached
and swam under only about 6 inches of water for about 50 feet
down the stream with its neck stretched strait out in front of
it and its body flattened. We also saw mating adults and tadpole
western toad, adult bullfrog, tadpole western tree frog, racer,
and western pond turtle.
On Sunday, we birded Sulphur and Barry Creeks along Highway 89
near Clio where we also had a lot of warblers including
orange-crowned, yellow-rumped, wilson's, Macgillivray's, yellow,
Nashville, and hermit as well as high numbers of flycatchers
including dusky, Hammond's, western wood-pewee, and
pacific-slope. Near Clio, we watched a sandhill crane repeated
attacked by red-winged blackbirds and the crane acted as if
nothing was happening. Sometimes, the blackbirds would even land
on its back. It must have been foraging near their nest!
Thanks Mary and Bob for the heads up on the ash-throat near
Clio, I'll check that out next time I'm over there.
6/9/2008
Linda Blum
Yesterday Harry & I saw juniper titmice, mountain bluebirds, and
blue-gray gnatcatchers!!! In Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point
State
Park, Utah.
For once I can contribute something to this list...
6/8/2008
Ryan Burnett
Based on my observations it is no coincidence that this Pygmy
Nuthatch (Peanut) is on a Jeffrey Pine. On the Lassen and Plumas
they appeared tied exclusively to Jeffrey Pine dominated
habitat. Nice pictures.
6/8/2008
Raymond Gibson
Thought the group might get a kick out of seeing these pictures.
My wife took them while on field trip with her 8th grade class
on Friday. They are so cute and this one did not mind that she
was so close. Enjoy bird lovers.
5/19/2008
Tony Hall
I participated in a highly successful birding tour of Indian
Valley led by David Arsenault last Saturday. We saw lots of
birds and the weather was beautiful. A high point for me was
seeing, for the first time, an Ash-throated Flycatcher that was
brought in close by David using a Stokes CD. In the afternoon we
went to Genesee Valley where Bob Beckwith led us in building
lots of bird boxes. If you want information on the boxes we
built and birds we saw contact David. When I got home I
immediately installed four bird boxes because even though the
nesting season is advanced I was hoping to get lucky.
On Sunday I went on another highly successful birding tour, this
time to Lake Almanor. This one was led by Colin Dillingham and
while driving there he showed me a good birding site in the
willows on the right side of the road just before the right hand
turn off to Taylorsville. We saw a fine Yellow-breasted Chat at
this site.
After I returned home I was working in the front yard when I
heard some excited twitterings. Two Tree Swallows were swooping
low between the Ponderosa Pines checking out two of the bird
boxes I had installed on them. These boxes were designed to fit
either Tree Swallows or Western Bluebirds and have a 1 1/2 inch
diameter hole and a 6 x 6 inch floor plan. After about an hour
the swallows chose one of the boxes and have frequently visited
it since. Sometimes the female sits inside looking out and
sometimes she sits outside looking in while the male perches
nearby. The amazing thing to me is that the Tree Swallows found
these boxes within 20 hours of me installing them and I had not
seen swallows previously in this patch of Ponderosa Pine forest.
At the back of the house I have installed two boxes on Douglas
Fir trees. These boxes are suitable for either Chickadees or
Nuthatches and have a 1 1/8 inch hole and a 3 1/2 x 5 inch floor
plan. As of yet there have been no visitors to them but I might
catch some Mountain Chickadees that want to rear a second set of
young ones. Colin told me that Chickadees like to use another
nesting site for their second brood.
5/16/2008
Raymond Gibson
Coming back from Sierraville on A23 towards Portola tonight, we
saw some turkeys in an area where turkeys have not really been
observed much according to locals, including one Audubon member,
and we saw some turkes cross the road into the woods way ahead
of us. Almost all the turkeys make it into the sage in the pine
but the last one crossed a bit more slowly so we got right up on
it and it was a totally white turkey. I could not get a good
look at eyes but could not detect any red showing that it might
be an albino. My first thought that it was like the white
tigers, not an albino, but instead a bird with mutation in genes
for color. It was located about 1/2 mile north of the Sierra
County line into Plumas County. I take it if he has lived this
long, he will be around that area for awhile if anyone wants to
go check and see if they can find it also. Neat viewing this
bird this evening. I have a freind who had seen a whitish
multicolored wild turkey but have never head of complete white
one. Has anyone else seen an ALL white turkey in the wild?
5/15/2008
Colin Dillingham
I'm afraid I've been a little tardy reporting out to all of you
the results
of our Big Day on May 7. For those of you unfamiliar - a big day
is one
calendar day spent in search of as many species as possible.
Usually a
geographic boundary is set - we used the confines of Plumas
County.
Bob Battagin, David Arsenault and I had a wonderful day! Our
general route
- Meet at 2:30 am and start owling around Butterfly Valley,
American Valley
and Thompson Valley, then up Peppard Flat Rd West of American
Valley. We
birded the forest with the dawn chorus, around American Valley
then shot
east to Little Last Chance Creek Canyon and Frenchman Reservoir
Area.
After that we enjoyed Sierra Valley, headed back through
American Valley,
to Indian Valley and finished the daylight up at Lake Almanor.
Continue
owling around Canyon Dam and back to American Valley where we
finished the
big day at midnight.
Best birds -
Black-bellied plover, dunlin (both County birds for all three of
us)
Solitary sandpiper (David Lifer) and lark sparrow (both second
county
records for me)
Black Tern, Red-necked grebe (David lifer), Barred owl (Bob
Lifer)
Great duck and shorebird and larid diversity made for a grand
day, and even
going a week earlier than previous Plumas big days didn't seem
to hurt the
warblers/flycatchers. Although we missed pac-slope flycatcher
and dusky,
we had 7 other species. We pretty well landed all the expected
warblers
except Orange-crowned. It rained hard from Portola and up Little
Last
Chance Creek to Frenchman.
We had a golden moment on a ridge above the east side of
Frenchman when the
sun popped out and the birds jumped out from behind every bush!
Sierra
Valley was wonderful, with loads of ducks of all sorts, the two
county
shorebirds for me, cooperative bitterns a sora and more.
On the drive back to American Valley from Sierra Valley, Colin
informed the
group with his analysis of the current total, and the potential
remaining
species, that we had a good chance to beat the second place
record of 135
(we were sitting at a total of 118 species), but that beating
the record of
146 species was pretty much out of the question.
Two solitary sandpipers at the Quincy Sewage Treatment Ponds
were congenial
and allowed us to study them for a long time and a nearby barn
owl was
cooperative.
Indian Valley species fell into our lap in rapid succession, and
we left
there with smiles on our faces. The first 70 minutes at Lake
Almanor were
incredibly slow, and we added only 1 species bringing our total
to 128. We
had a nice run with white-headed woodpecker, gray flycatcher and
pygmy
nuthatch in a pine stand outside of Chester, then birded the
causeway
(slow), found a couple lark sparrows in Chester, then hiked to
the mouth of
the North Fork of the Feather River where it enters Lake
Almanor.
As the sun was looming low on the horizon, we broke into a new
second place
at 138 (previous second place was 135). Then magic over the next
15
minutes all from the mouth of the North Fork- the flock of
bufflehead we'd
been staring at for 45 minutes miraculously had 5 common
goldeneyes. A
greater white-fronted goose was swimming right in front of us
where we'd
been scoping. 7 canvasbacks appeared out of nowhere. A least
sandpiper
was standing 30 feet from Bob. 3 American pipits and 3
semipalmated
plovers appeared in the short grass. A horned grebe surfaced
right where
we'd been scoping, the lighting improved as the heat waves died
down. An
eared grebe was found as a northern harrier flew in front of the
setting
sun. Unbelievably we realize we just broke the record at 147! We
hike
back to Chester, stop at a rail spot (next to the trail rails!)
and finally
get a Virginia rail just before 9 pm for 148. Over Pizza, we
realize Colin
had missed a couple on the checklist, so with a recount we are
now at 150
species! The next couple hours of owling are unproductive so our
final
count of 150 species is a new Plumas County Record.
May 6, 2008
Colin Dillingham
This afternoon Bob Battagin found a solitary sandpiper at
the Quincy Sewage
Ponds. Angie and I were able to get out there to see the bird as
well. It
is located in the mudflat habitat on the far side of the large
reservoir.
There were also spotted sandpiper, killdeer and least sandpiper
there.
Good diversity for American Valley shorebirds.
This morning I had an unusual bird fly over my backyard - an
American
Bittern. My guess is that it is hanging out at Thompson Valley
ponds, as
it was flying in that direction. Also saw a Lazuli bunting in my
yard this
morning (400 First Street in East Quincy).
4/30/2008
Juan Caicedo
Juan also had this to share from yesterday along Caribou Rd:
I spent a great hour and a half on 4/28 (5-6:30pm) along Caribou
Rd. east of Belden around the North Arm Campground and saw the
following:
2 Common Merganser
3 Canada Geese
1 Anna’s Hummingbird
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Warbling Vireo
2 Cassin’s Vireo
1 Hutton’s Vireo
5 Steller’s Jay
15 Tree Swallow
1 American Dipper
7 American Robin
1 Townsend’s Warbler
5 Nashville Warbler
3 Black-Throated Gray Warbler
2 Yellow Warbler
1 Yellow-Breasted Chat
2 Western Tanager
1 Bullock’s Oriole
2 Song Sparrow
3 Spotted Towhee
6 Black-headed Grosbeak
4/30/2008
Juan Caicedo
Visiting birder Juan Caicedo from Bisbee, AZ had a great
morning birding in Quincy, see message below:
Hi Birders,
I spent the morning at Gansner Park and the Quincy Wastewater
Treatment Plant and saw/heard lots of activity. I started at
Gansner Park (7-9am) near the baseball field and then followed
the trail downstream that goes between the ball field and
Spanish Creek. After the park I headed to the wastewater plant
(9:30-10:30) and followed the road between the main pond and
Spanish Creek. The first number after the species is for Gansner
Park and the second for the wastewater plant. A very nice 52
species morning. Do Common Goldeneye and Golden-Crowned Sparrow
seem to be a little late in leaving?
White-faced Ibis --,3
Canada Geese 8, 15+ (1 pair w/8 chicks, lots more in the marshy
field past the main pond)
Wood Duck 2, 6
Mallard 6, 9 (lots more in the marshy field past the main pond)
Cinnamon Teal -,1
Ring-necked Duck -, 25
Bufflehead -, 11
Ruddy Duck -, 2
Common Goldeneye -, 1
Turkey Vulture 2, 4
Osprey -, 1
California Quail 5, -
Killdeer -, 5
Vaux’s Swift -, 7
Anna’s Hummingbird 2, -
Rufous Hummingbird -,1
Downy Woodpecker 1, -
Northern Flicker 2, -
Red-Breasted Sapsucker 2, -
Dusky Flycatcher 1, -
Black Phoebe 1, 2
Warbling Vireo 7
Cassin’s Vireo 1, 1
American Crow 3
Common Raven 1, 2
Black-billed Magpie -,1
Steller’s Jay 2, 7
Tree Swallow -, ~30
Northern Rough-winged Swallow -,~20
Violet-green Swallow -, ~25
Cliff Swallow 2, ~20
Mountain Chickadee 4, -
Red-Breasted Nuthatch 1, -
House Wren -, 2
American Robin 12, 4
European Starling 5, 3
Wilson’s Warbler 1, 1
Macgillivary’s Warbler 1, -
Yellow-Rumped Warbler 7, -
Nashville Warbler 3, -
Black-Throated Gray Warbler 2, -
Yellow Warbler 2, -
Western Tanager 1, -
Black-Headed Grosbeak 7, -
Song Sparrow 1, 4
Spotted Towhee 9, 3
White-corwned Sparrow
Golden-Crowned Sparrow 3, -
Red-winged Blackbird --,10
Black-Headed Cowbird 5, 4
Lesser Goldfinch 6, 2
Purple Finch 1, -
4/28/2008
David Arsenault
In East Quincy at Fairgrounds/Hwy 70 the Nashville Warblers
were back on Friday, similar to return dates I have for the last
two years (16th and 25th) although the dates aren't very
accurate since I'm only there about once a week. I also heard a
Hermit Warbler, which I haven't heard there before. Along Quincy
Junction Road near Lee Road several Cassin's Vireos were calling
on Saturday. Along the North Fork of the Feather River between
Rich Bar and Belden, the Black-throated Gray Warblers were quite
active on Sunday.
4/28/2008
Ryan Burnett
The Yellow Warbler that breeds in my backyard showed up right on
time the 25th, the same exact date as the previous 2 years. Tree
Swallows are defending nest boxes, Black-headed Grosbeak are
singing till dark, Song Sparrow are all paired up – it is
finally spring in Chester.
4/28/2008
Paul Hardy
Good stuff, David and Ryan. Welcome back migrants! My family
and I did a hike along the Cascade Trail near Keddie on April
13th and heard 5 or so singing Black-throated Gray Warblers and
1 singing Warbling Vireo near the trailhead.
Cassin's Vireos, Warbling Vireos, BTGW's, Nashville
Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and
Yellow Warblers galore at the Earth Week event on the Heart K
Ranch on Saturday (4/26)! Lots of Bank Swallows as well.
4/23/2008
David Arsenault
Barbara Bazan in Calpine reported seeing hundreds of
white-faced ibises in Sierra Valley near Sierraville on Tuesday.
I hope to enjoy the spring birding around Quincy this weekend.
4/21/2008
Linda Blum
Evening grosbeaks seem to move regionally in flocks. There
have been 20-40 birds hanging out in our neighbors' backyard
aspens and around their feeders for weeks. Their loud,
high-pitched "chree!" calls are incessant -- or seem so when
they're right outside one's office window.
Anyone wanting a good look and listen should hang out a block
west of the courthouse in Quincy, near the corner of High Street
and Buchanan Street in the 8-9 a.m. hour. The evening grosbeaks
make a racket, so they're easy to find.
4/21/2008
Colin Dillingham
Henry and I were successful relocating the green heron that
Bob Battagin
found on Spanish Creek. It was much further downstream from
where Bob
originally found it, probably 1 - 1.25 miles downstream of
Gansner Park.
We put the canoe in at Gansner Park and floated downstream to
Chandler Rd.
We flushed the green heron about five times out in front of us
in about a
250 yard stretch of Spanish Creek. It was about half way between
Gansner
and Chandler Rd in a dense thicket of willow and cottonwoods.
4/20/2008
Bob Battagin
I did a little birding in American Valley last Friday, the
18th. The most unusal bird I ran into was a Green Heron along
Spanish Creek. Starting at Highway 70, travel down stream 0.6
mile along Spanish Creek Road. On your left you'll notice a
broad bend in the creek and a lot of rip-rap on the streambank.
Looking back upstream, the bird was about 200 feet upstream on
the left bank in the willows next to the creek. I'm going to
attach a couple photos - you've got to use some imagination to
see the bird. Hopefully we'll hear from Colin Dillingham that he
also saw the bird...he was going to float down the river later
in the day to try and find it.
While checking on the American Dippers that hang out under the
Highway 70 bridge where it crosses Spanish Creek, I noticed a
mink working its way upstream along the airport side bank.
Admittedly, I was totally surprised to find a mink so close to
town. I'll attach the one photo I managed of the mink.
4/20/2008
Raymond Gipson (photo taken by Gloria Gipson)
Thought I would share this little guy (male lesser
goldfinch) getting started for the morning right outside our
window. (Bird sighted near A-23 and Highway 70 in
Sierra Valley)
4/20/2008
Tony Hall
This morning Evening Grosbeaks visited for the first time
this season. They tend to be bullies and no other species come
to the sunflower feeders when they are present. In Galeppi Ranch
they stay just a few weeks and then they continue their
migration and presumably make nests higher up in the mountains.
The Black-headed Grosbeaks, in contrast, are not bullies and
some of them stay here all summer and presumably make nests in
the local forest. Please let me know if I am in error in these
assessments.
4/19/2008
Tony Hall
I saw a strange duck in the Galeppi Ranch pond today. It's
head was like a male Mallard but it had a greenish-yellow bill
and no white neck ring and it's body was dark brown. Is this an
American Black Duck x Mallard hybrid or some domesticated type
duck? This pond attracts several wild fowl in addition to lots
of Canada Geese. Today there were some Amercian Wigeon and a
pair of Ring-necked ducks. Yesterday in addition to these there
were some Common Goldeneyes and a Double-crested Cormorant. The
cormorant was standing on the edge of the dock with its feet
wrapped around the edge as if it was about to dive in -- but it
didn't. In the trees along Clear Creek Road I saw my first
Nashville Warbler of this season.
4/13/2008
Tony Hall
Migrants arrive late at our place because it is in a cool
location on Galeppi Ranch surrounded by conifers. However,
things are beginning to happen around the house. The first
Black-Headed Grosbeak arrived today. A few days ago we were
serenaded by our first warbler which was a brightly colored male
Yellow-rumped (Audubon's). Many Lesser Goldfinches have been
visiting my thistle feeder. Several Red-beasted and a pair of
Pygmy Nuthatches are nesting nearby and visit my suet feeders. A
young Mountain Chickadee has taken over my birdhouse with much
pecking to the interior but does not appear to have attracted a
mate. Many Dark-eyed Juncos have been feeding on the ground with
one Slate-colored among the many Oregons. Several Band-tailed
Pigeons and a Red-winged Blackbird are visiting my tray feeder.
About two weeks ago when I had just gone to bed I heard an owl.
The muffled hoo hooing suggested to me it was a Great Horned
Owl. Something has begun to build a large home in a large space
in the side of our house. The home has many long branches, some
of which are about three feet long. Any guesses what may be
doing this. Steller's Jays have been looking for a place to nest
near the house but I have never seen one carry a branch three
feet long. Would a squirrel build a dray in the side of a house?
It is not high enough up for a Great Horned Owl since it is only
about 12 feet from the ground.
April 13, 2008
Tony Hall
Migrants arrive late at our place because it is in a cool
location on Galeppi Ranch surrounded by conifers. However,
things are beginning to happen around the house. The first
Black-Headed Grosbeak arrived today. A few days ago we were
serenaded by our first warbler which was a brightly colored male
Yellow-rumped (Audubon's). Many Lesser Goldfinches have been
visiting my thistle feeder. Several Red-beasted and a pair of
Pygmy Nuthatches are nesting nearby and visit my suet feeders. A
young Mountain Chickadee has taken over my birdhouse with much
pecking to the interior but does not appear to have attracted a
mate. Many Dark-eyed Juncos have been feeding on the ground with
one Slate-colored among the many Oregons. Several Band-tailed
Pigeons and a Red-winged Blackbird are visiting my tray feeder.
About two weeks ago when I had just gone to bed I heard an owl.
The muffled hoo hooing suggested to me it was a Great Horned
Owl. Something has begun to build a large home in a large space
in the side of our house. The home has many long branches, some
of which are about three feet long. Any guesses what may be
doing this. Steller's Jays have been looking for a place to nest
near the house but I have never seen one carry a branch three
feet long. Would a squirrel build a dray in the side of a house?
It is not high enough up for a Great Horned Owl since it is only
about 12 feet from the ground.
3/14/2008
Bob Battagin
Yesterday (Thursday) morning Tony Hall and I spent a
little time birding in the vicinity of Chandler Road and Quincy
Junction Road. At 2312 Chandler Road there are many thistle and
seed feeders as well as a couple hummingbird feeders. Quite a
few birds visit this location and among the thirty or so
Red-winged Blackbirds we observed a single male YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD. We also observed three LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS, one of
which was on the large snag that is a couple hundred yards south
of 2312 Chandler in the open field. The others were in a couple
oak trees on the hill behind the house immediately east of 2312
Chandler. Also of note were two pairs of WOOD DUCKS in the marsh
adjacent to Clear Creek Road just east of Quincy Junction Road.
Over the course of the morning we noted two dozen Western Scrub
Jays, more than I usually find along Chandler Road.
The preceding day my brother, Jim, and I birded many locations
around American Valley. As many birders have noticed, there are
lots of American Robins around and we saw them everywhere. We
saw over 500 Tree Swallows and a single CLIFF SWALLOW. There was
a GREATER YELLOWLEGS in the seasonal wetlands just south of
Golden Eagle Avenue near the entrance to Feather River College.
At the Quincy Community Service District sewer ponds we found 18
WOOD DUCKS and 4 BARROW'S GOLDENEYES. We saw one of the two
AMERICAN DIPPERS that have over wintered below the Highway 70
bridge that crosses Spanish Creek adjacent to Gansner Park. A
Dark-eyed Junco flock behind the Chevron Station had a single
Slate-colored subspecies. At the Thompson Valley Ranch stock
pond there were 28 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 17 HOODED
MERGANSERS. Finally, at the spot where Oakland Camp Road crosses
Spanish Creek, at about 6PM, I heard a GREAT HORNED OWL hoot
repeatedly - the first time in the last ten years I've managed
to hear or see a Great Horned Owl in American Valley.
3/2/2008
David Arsenault
The birding in American Valley this last week has been a nice
mix of
remaining winter visitors, early migrants, and residents
enjoying the warm
weather. Last week at the Quincy sewage ponds there were still
about 150
ducks of ten species, mostly RING-NECKED DUCK and also 2
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
as well as 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Today near the
junction of
Chandler and Quincy Junction Roads, signs of spring included a
flock of 10
TREE SWALLOWS, 1 TURKEY VULTURE, and 2 SAY’S PHOEBES. At the
north end of
Chandler Road there was a flock of about 200 AMERICAN ROBINS as
well as a
juvenile GOLDEN EAGLE. The hillside at the north end of Quincy
Junction
Road where it meets the railroad tracks was active with WRENTIT,
SPOTTED
TOWHEE, FOX SPARROW (Rocky Mtn subspecies), ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD,
and MOUNTAIN
QUAIL. The bird of the day, a PINE GROSBEAK, recognized by the
distinctive
combination of vireo-like call notes and finch-like warble, was
heard up the
hill from the tracks towards Mount Hough Road in the pine
forest, but I
didn’t get a visual.
2/29/2008
Bob Battagin
I spent a couple days in American and Indian Valleys the
last couple of days and agree with Tony's and Ryan's comments
about bird movement.
In the Quincy area, on Feb 25 the Thompson Valley Ranch stock
pond had 70 Greater White-fronted Geese and 27 Hooded
Mergansers. There were seven duck species on the stock pond.
There was another Greater White-fronted Goose at the QCSD sewer
ponds as well as 4 Barrow's Goldeneyes among the eight duck
species present there.
In Indian Valley, on Feb 26/27 I found both Ferruginous (one)
Hawks and Rough-legged Hawks (two) still around. There were two
each of Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle. Among the duck species I
found 10 Wood Ducks, 14 Hooded Mergansers, and a single Eurasian
Wigeon. The Eurasian Wigeon was with a large contingent of
American Wigeon in the general area of the flooded fields
opposite the intersections of North Valley Road and Hunt Valley
Road. Also present were 20 Tree Swallows where North Valley Road
crosses the mouth of Indian Valley.
2/28/2008
Tony Hall
The birds are coming back. I just came back from an evening walk
where Lindsay Lane joins the Clear Creek Road. Out in the meadow
I saw two bright male Mountain Bluebirds and a female. Next to
the Ponderosa Pines I saw a pair of Western Bluebirds. Flocks of
American Robin and Canada Geese were active in the meadow and I
detected the still form of a Great Blue Heron in a wet patch in
the meadow. Three pairs of Sandhill Cranes have been serenading
us, especially in the evening from the meadow on the south side
of Chandler Road. One pair would reach for the sky with their
beaks and call. Then another pair would reach for the sky with
their beaks and call. Are they establishing territory for
breeding? Pairs of Mallards are coming to the marsh on Clear
Creek Road near to Quincy Junction Road and I expect the Wood
ducks will be here soon. The squirrels are busy chasing each
other and carrying nesting material around.
2/28/2008
Ryan Burnett
To add to that I saw the first Tree Swallow of the year today
flying over the feather river. Below are the first sightings of
Tree Swallow from the last few years. They always show up on a
warm clear days then disappear on cold and cloudy days until
late March. Also, last week there was a Northern Shrike along
the Feather River in Chester where the Collin’s Railroad crosses
it. Probably the same bird I saw during the Christmas Bird Count
about ¼ mile from here. Ryan.
2008 – 2/28
2007 – 2/18
2006 – 2/9
2005 – 2/26
2/29/2008
Colin Dillingham
Just finished a short bike ride in American Valley. If you are
reading
this message this morning - the weather is great - get out and
enjoy the
sunshine and the birds -
The highlights included:
two adult male tricolored blackbirds. Tricolored blackbirds are
very rare
in Plumas County. Both were perched on a wire over a house at
500 Bell
Lane at 9:30 this morning.
A merlin was perched in a tree adjacent to Quincy Junction Rd
between Bell
Lane and Lee Rd. The merlin was about 100 yards S of Bell Lane
junction.
I've seen less than 10 of these in my 8 years in Plumas County.
Sandhill Cranes were abundant - I counted 37 from Quincy
Junction Rd
between Bell Lane and the bike path.
January 29
Colin Dillingham
Tony Hall and I went birding in Sierra Valley on January
27.
There was a Northern Shrike along Hwy 49 in Plumas County. The
bird was
1.2 miles northeast of the Plumas/Sierra County line. That was
my first in
Plumas County and it made me smile to find it! A loggerhead
shrike was about 2 miles down Hwy 49, this one in Sierra County.
The white-throated sparrow that Bob Battagin found on Dec 19 in
Loyalton
was still present. It was a tan-striped phase bird and is coming
to bird
feeders at 801 Main Street in Loyalton.
Rough-legged hawks were common along Hwy 49 and Dyson Lane in
both Plumas and Sierra County. Little Last Chance Creek canyon
was beautiful with all the frozen waterfalls and huge icicles. A
single American Dipper was along the creek and two common ravens
were inspecting all the ice fisherman out on
Frenchman Lake.
On January 26 I found 2 snow geese on Quincy Junction Rd
opposite the high
school tennis courts.
Today, Jan 29, I found 35 tundra swan and 2 barrow's goldeneyes
at the
Quincy Sewage Treatment ponds. The duck numbers were relatively
high out
there today - for example 135 ring-necked ducks.
January 25, 2008
Colin Dillingham
Just ran across this posting regarding Bohemian Waxwings
in
Chilcoot on Calbirds. Bob
http://sialia.com/s/calists.pl?rm=message;id=172496
January 18, 2008
Tony Hall
Yesterday I saw a nice flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows
on the north end of the bridge on Quincy Junction Road that
crosses Greenhorn Creek. The Field Guides I have looked at do
not comprehensively describe this species. The ones I saw had a
broad yellow band along the top of the head like a 'mohawk' that
in some cases had tinges of green in it and a definite white
eye-ring, especially in the immatures. Some had extensive black
on their heads most did not. Is it possible to distinguish males
from females of this species.
Sorry I missed the Christmas bird counts but I had an emergency
that kept me out of town much of December and through the New
Year.
January 2, 2008
Collin Dillingham
This morning I went looking for the shrike that David
Arsenault found on
Dec 28 by the ponds in Thompson Valley. I did not find the
shrike, but
there were 120 Canada geese, 6 cackling geese and 1 greater
white-fronted
goose. Also a gadwall, 2 hooded merganser and 3 American wigeon
in the
pond. Please let me know if anybody finds the shrike.
December 28, 2007
David Arsenault
Yesterday, in Thompson Valley there was a Red-breasted Sapsucker
at the
corner of Hwy 70 and LaPorte Road, and a large flock of Mountain
Bluebirds
and unknown Shrike at the Thompson Valley Ranch stock pond. In
American
Valley, there was a Hermit Thrush along Greenhorn Creek at Hwy
70 and a
Merlin at the corner of Chandler and Quincy Junction in one of
the large
trees at the entrance to the New England Ranch. Other raptors
included 15+
Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Rough-legged Hawks, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks,
2 American
Kestrels, 1 Ferruginous Hawk, 1 Northern Harrier, and 1 Bald
Eagle.
There will be a lot of raptors for the Sierra Valley Christmas
Bird Count
tomorrow (Saturday Dec 29). Meet at Casa Carmelita in Portola
for breakfast
and count coordination at 6 am.
Please note that a new address has been added and an old one
deleted from
the list so please respond to this message for your next
posting.
December 10
Christmas Bird Counts
The Lake Almanor Christmas Bird Count is Wednesday December
19th. Meet at
the holiday parking lot in Chester at 0800 AM. Pass the word the
more the
merrier (pun intended). Ryan. RSVP to rburnett@prbo.org
The Sierra Valley Christmas Bird Count is Saturday, December
29th. Meet at
Casa Carmelita restaurant at 6:00 AM for breakfast and count
coordination.
Please RSVP to Colin at cdillingham@fs.fed.us or 530-283-7881
(business
hours) 283-1133 (evenings).
December 2
David Arsenault
I went to see the sapsucker on Friday (~3pm) and parked
at the corner of
Clear Creek Road and Brinkham Rd and got out of my car and
flushed the
sapsucker when I approached the oak tree. It didn't return for
the next
half hour. I returned this morning (Sunday ~10am) and parked at
the corner
and just watched the tree from my car. The sapsucker was in the
tree, but
wasn't very observable so I drove up next to the tree and was
able to watch
it clearly from my car for about 15 minutes until Lilly (my
daughter) was
adamant enough about going back to Quincy Junction Rd to see the
horses.
The sapsucker is an immature male (first fall) that has mostly
developed its
adult plumage except on the breast. Interestingly, it also
hasn't developed
the white wing patches apparent in all North American
sapsuckers. The sap
holes in the oak are pretty extensive so the bird has been
around a while
and perhaps plans to stay for the winter, which is unusual since
they
generally overwinter in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Perhaps
it will
depart once the snow comes. Does anyone know if the sap hole
pattern is
unique among sapsucker species. I believe that only Red-naped
make a
complete ring of holes around the trunk, like those seen on the
oak on
Brinkham Rd, but I'm not sure if this is unique to Red-naped.
Colin Dillingham
I finally relocated the red-naped sapsucker yesterday
afternoon (2:05 pm)
after 4 attempts to find it. Although the bird is clearly coming
in to the
oak tree about 40 yards up Brinkman Rd from the Clear Creek Rd
junction
(left side of rd as you face up hill), it is not coming in for
long
periods. After nearly 4 hours of watching the tree, the bird
finally came
in for about 25 seconds before flying away. It fed at the holes
it made on
the tree bole quickly, and then flew off.
Maintain your distance, Tony says the bird is fairly wary. I
watched the
tree from the Clear Creek Rd junction.
Also, I saw 2 ferruginous hawks and 2 rough-legged hawks along
Quincy
Junction Rd in American Valley.
INovember 30, 2007
Colin Dillingham
I just saw the Vermilion Flycatcher again at the Quincy
Sewage Treatment ponds during my lunch break (at 1:30 PM Friday
Nov 30).
The best place to observe the bird is before you enter the gated
property
(so it is accessible on the weekend when the sewage treatment
facility is
closed). From Hwy 70, just after you cross Spanish Creek, turn
onto
Airport Rd and go almost to the end (about 1/4 mile) before you
enter the
sewage treatment ponds. Park opposite the pile of hay bales
(covered with
a large gray dome) and look on the barbed wire fence surrounding
the
treatment ponds, about 100 yards across the grass field. It is
an immature
male, with plenty of red to make identification obvious.
November 30, 2007
Tony Hall
At 11:30 am today I got close looks at the sapsucker. It has a
bright red cap then a black band and a paler red patch on the
nape so it is a Red-naped not a Yellow-bellied and definitely
not a Red-breasted. It has extensive red on the throat with no
white which makes it a male. The oak tree bark has many chisel
marks typical of sapsuckers but quite large and while some are
new many are old. As I mentioned in my last email the oak tree
is on the left about 40 yards up Brinkman Road off Clear Creek
Road in the Galeppi Ranch area which is off Quincy Junction
Road.
November 28, 2007
Tony Hall
I saw a Red-naped Sapsucker at 3 this afternoon in an
oak tree that it appears to favor because it returned their
later. To see the oak tree drive from town on Quincy Junction
Road, turn right on to Clear Creek Road and stop at the junction
of Brinkman Road. Walk up Brinkman about 20 yards, the oak tree
is on the left. It is my understanding that Red-naped Sapsuckers
only visit Plumas County during migration and are rarely seen.
Call me at 283 3052 if you would like my help in locating this
bird.
November 24, 2007
Tony Hall
I saw a very large magnificent bobcat today at 3pm,
which for me is an unusual time to see one. It was in a small
grass field bounded on the left by the road entering Graeagle
and on the far side by the road going to Johnsville. It was
hunting small critters and I saw it catch and eat two of them.
They were small and black, could they have been either voles or
shrews? It was unconcerned that I was on the side of the field
watching it with my binoculars. Since its success in foraging
was so good it might return and provide a very good photo
opportunity for someone with a lens having at least 8x
magnification.
November 18, 2007
Colin Dillingham
We relocated the bird again this morning and last saw it
about 10 minutes
ago 9:35 AM. Also with me were Kyle Merriam, Larry and Peggy
Gustafson,
Kristy Hoffman and Pat (Evans?).
Here is a photo I took this morning (vermilion flycatcher).
November 18, 2007
Colin Dillingham
For those of you who haven't heard - the bird was still
present yesterday.
While I watched the bird for 3 hours, it was seen by at least 19
people
yesterday morning. A beautiful immature male, with substantial
red in the
body plumage and on the crown - unmistakable! David Arsenault
was able to
get photographs yesterday.
It can be seen from outside the sewage treatment ponds. As you
approach
the locked gate you will see some hay bales covered by a gray
tarp covered
structure. Park there and look towards the sewage ponds across
the field.
The flycatcher has been hanging out on the barbed wire fence
surrounding
the sewage treatment facilities and also in the birch trees at
the back
edge of the aeration ponds.
A group of us are meeting again at 8:00 this morning. Bring a
spotting
scope if you have one, the bird is 100 - 200 yards away and it
is difficult
to see well with binoculars.
November 17, 2007
Colin Dillingham
David Arsenault left a phone message last night and said he
found a
Vermilion flycatcher at the sewage treatment ponds. I'm on my
way out
there right now with my wife Angie in an attempt to relocate the
bird.
Hope some of you can make it out to look for it.
November 13, 2007
Bob Battagin
I birded American and Indian Valleys over the weekend.
In American Valley it was nice to see the raptor population
adjusting to the cooler weather. I found winter birds Northern
Harrier, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, and
Prairie Falcon along Quincy Junction Road. I ran into three
people who asked me about the "big hawk" they had seen west of
Highway 70 across from the airport - a Ferruginous Hawk
patrolling for squirrels and harassing an intruding Cooper's
Hawk. Along the old railroad grade, now bike path, there was a
late Chipping Sparrow foraging with Crowned Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos. Of the 51 Dark-eyed Juncos I observed around
the Valley, two were of the Slate-colored subspecies. There were
three Greater-fronted Geese around, two in the field behind the
Chevron station and one at the pond near Quincy Junction.
Indian Valley had quite a few raptors, also. I counted 26
Red-tailed Hawks driving from Cresent Mills to North Arm via
Stampfli Lane Road. Just west of where Stampfli crosses the
railroad tracks I found a Yellow-billed Magpie in with a flock
of 30 Black-billed Magpies. This is likely the bird Colin
Dillingham reported earlier this year. I was at a large distance
from the bird, but the bill appeared to be yellow-green. Did you
notice the same Colin?
