[SBB] Monte Bello Gate 5 8/18/2006

Another visit to the pond this morning revealed a few changes in the cast of characters there at 8AM today, 8/18/2006. The only warbler present was a juvenile Black-throated Gray in the pondside willows. A female Lazuli Bunting was still carrying insect food to at least 1 fledged young, also in the willows and cattails. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher passed through - I believe it was the first I've encountered there. I was lucky to be present when a Spotted Sandpiper swooped in, made a couple of quick circular passes a foot or two above the water and, not finding any exposed mud, moved on. The Pileated Woodpecker was more conversational than usual from high on the ridge to the SW.

A trio of tiny similar-sized birds, taking wing from the willow tops, gave a lesson in not making ID assumptions - it would have been all too easy to assume they were all the same species, especially as they would not have given time to focus on each separately as they flew over. But I had been watching each of them separately until they flew off together: a juv. Lesser Goldfinch, the juv. BTGray Warbler, and the Gnatcatcher. A strange little flock!