Loggerhead Shrike on ranch 7/13/10

Loggerhead Shrikes apparently breed inland in Santa Barbara County. I did see one in early June at a vineyard near Los Olivos last year. One or two winter on the ranch each winter. One showed up July 13, 2010 on the ranch. I think this is a returning wintering bird who perhaps bred further inland like Cuyama??

Picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5494088181335324370 .

July 12, 2010 Baird's Sandpiper at SM Sewage

Today Monday July 12 2010, I photographed a Baird's Sandpiper at the Santa Maria Sewage Plant.

Pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5493174131534522162 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5493174130734125010 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5493174129035670866 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5493174134814306722 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/Hawk#5493174144028538050 .

Also there was a mystery sandpiper. Maybe a Semipalmated Sandpiper in winter plumage?

Pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MysteryBirds#5493178042859546370 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MysteryBirds#5493178044204018066 .

Ross's Gull at Santa Maria Sewage???

I took this picture in 2006. It is of a non-adult small gull in a sewage pond at Santa Maria Sewage with some Mallards. The light colored legs, the "lumpy" head and the odd shaped tail look good for Ross's Gull! Yipes! The photograph is dated Wednesday, November 01, 2006, 2:29:12 PM. Its number is DSCF6038.

My picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5490379498703817346 .

The only record accepted by the Committee is an adult one November 17-19, 2006 at the Salton Sea.

Possible Chimney Swift at Guadalupe

May 10, 2010 I was birding at the Guadalupe Sewage Pasture when I saw a swift flying different from a Vaux's Swift. (It was doing a lot of gliding) It looked a little darker also. It was alone among a large flock of Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows. It had a pattern on the wing like a Storm Petrel. My first thought was a young Common Swift of the subspecies A. a. pekinensis. They have a smaller tail, (the young ones) and some plumages of pekinensis have a pattern of pale and dark contrast in the upperwing very similar to Pallid Swifts. (Rare Bird Report 2005, British Birds) Also discussed in Common, Asian Common and Pallid Swift: colour nomenclature, moult and identification. Ahmed & Adriennes Dutch Birding 2010. But given the odds I think this is a Chimney Swift. Most Vaux's Swifts are gone by mid-May and there is a record of two Chimney Swifts near Santa Maria May 24, 1987.

My picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5490379498308740722 .

Possible rufous morph Cassin’s Sparrow near Sisquoc

Sunday June 6, 2010 I was out looking for Yellow-billed Magpies and I went out to the locked gate at the southern end of Long Canyon Road near Sisquoc. I saw a large Aimophila sparrow. It had a rufous crown. It had a large dark tail. It was singing and skylarking off a barb-wire fence. There was a large dry oat pasture with some cows. My first thought was a Rufous-crowned Sparrow but it was not acting like one. Not the usual habitat either. I took two bad pictures and it took off and I could not find it again. I had never heard of a rufous morph of the Cassin’s Sparrow. As this winter was an El Nino a Cassin’s Sparrow would be expected.

http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/image/113901929 .

It looked like that. And sort of like this:

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/leica/uploaded_images/CASP-AZ-080507_02-flick-792604.jpg .

My pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5490379494666936050 .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5490379493487939426 .

adult Semipalmated Sandpiper SM Sewage

Friday July 9, 2010 I photographed a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Santa Maria Sewage Plant. In Lehman there is only two adult records both from July.

Picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5492580384256638578 .

Black-headed Gull Saint Patrick's Day 2006 Santa Maria Sewage

I photographed a Black-headed Gull at the Santa Maria Sewage Plant on Saint Patrick's Day 2006. These birds have been seen in ever month except May in California. There was a bird that wintered multi-years in Santa Barbara in the 90's. Two more records from Goleta.

Picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawofficeofmarkbrown/MarkSBirds#5490369516892820962 .