[SBB] Warblers on the move 5/7/2007

Hi All,

This morning 5/7/2007 just after sunrise I walked up Monte Bello Road from the Page Mill Rd. junction (Gate MB01) to the summit of Black Mountain, in clear weather with perfect visibility and auditory conditions. From the outset it was apparent that there was a widespread movement of Wilson's and Townsend's Warblers through the area; it seemed like every clump of oaks had a tangle of birds hidden in its canopy. Most of these were not singing and thus hard to zero in on. I counted those I could identify distinctly, but I'm sure I missed many more. On the way up, I had 19 Townsend's, 15 Wilson's, 6 Black-throated Gray, 5 Orange-crowned, 2 latish Yellow-rumped Warblers, and one Hermit Warbler. I quit counting on the return trip even though I varied my route to go down the Bella Vista Trail, as I ran out of time to track down the makers of the more ambiguous songs.

Lazuli Buntings were abundant too. I had 18 on the way up, with two or three individuals in view a couple of times. The Bella Vista Trail was thick with them as well, so there were probably at least 30 on the whole route this morning. There's got to be an Indigo in there somewhere!

Other birds of interest included 2 Western Tanagers, 1 Western Wood-pewee, 2 Bullock's Orioles, 4 Black-headed Grosbeaks, 5 Ash-throated and 3 Pacific-slope Flycatchers, and a single Swainson's Thrush.

Good birding everyone,

Garth Harwood