From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Apr 21 16:41:06 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h3LNd2LR001201 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 21 Apr 2003 16:39:02 -0700 (PDT) Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h3LNc6E6001139 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 21 Apr 2003 16:38:07 -0700 (PDT) Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.2 #30665) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Mon, 21 Apr 2003 16:38:03 -0700 (PDT) Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 16:38:03 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii cc: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] - X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1+ Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Folks: Migrant fallouts appear to be fairly rare on the west coast as compared to experiences on the east coast. In the early 1970s, there was considerable effort to identify weather patterns that did provide real fallouts (see _Audubon Field Notes_), but I concluded from the reporting that there was little predictive value in the many theories developed and evaluated. Nonetheless, one never gives up. Last night, when I went to bed the skies were clear, but after midnight clouds came in and there was rain by dawn. Would this ground nocturnal migrants that had set off with clear skies and ran into bad weather? This morning, 4/21/2003, I set off to Smiths Creek to see what there was to see. It was a chill morning, 39 F when I arrived, with intermittent rain. There were periods of sunshine, rain, hail, and thunder. Despite the chill weather, I was able to stir up a calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER about 50 m back along the road to Halls Valley. Later I had another calling bird at the bridge (at eye level!), one in the large valley oak in the meadow, and one at the ford; maybe three or four birds. All called actively. Other than a few ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS on territory and a few migrant WILSON'S WARBLERS things seemed pretty quiet, much as other have reported over the last few days. I walked up west behind the CDF station and at the trail junction on the ridge I took the trail south. In a hundred meters I came to a grove of black oaks that were nearly fully-leafed out. A flock of PINE SISKINS were working the buds and I counted 18 (with 10 more later). Then I started hearing warbler song and over the next 10 or 20 minutes I was deluged with migrants: CASSIN'S VIREO, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (8), NASHVILLE WARBLER (3), AUDUBON'S (MYRTLE) WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (10), TOWNSEND'S WARBLER (5), HERMIT WARBLER (2), WILSON'S WARBLER, and WESTERN TANAGER. In just one of these oaks I recorded (is there a "big tree" competition?): Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cassin's Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Western Tanager, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Then, before I was aware what was happening, the birds started to shift and were gone. I then walked south to the crest of the ridge, then returned to the junction and walked north to the other crest and returned. All the oaks looked the same to me as the ones that had been so attractive to these warblers, but except for a single LAZULI BUNTING I saw nothing else except two Oak Titmice, apparently delighted that they no longer had to share their oaks with the overdressed crowd. Although this was an astounding and delightful encounter, it certainly wasn't a fallout. If I had arrived 20 minutes later I would have seen nothing and would have written in my notebook that there were no migrants. Back at the bridge, where I saw and heard my last HAMMONDS'S (noted previously), I also found a mini-migrant flock with an ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, and WILSON'S WARBLER feeding in the willows. At Grant Lake I made a loop via the Canal Trail. I saw a GREEN HERON on the lake and a silent HAMMOND'S/DUSKY along the Canal Trail, but no sign of a major migrant movement. Bill _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]