The date: 11/12/2024
The week number: 46

The walk number: 1787
The weather: 64 F; sunny

The walkers: Alan Cummings, Travis Cummings, Viveca Sapin-Areeda,

Chip O’Connor, Annabelle Aylmer, Ellen Yu

The birds (25)

No. First Name Last Name Prob

1	Western	Bluebird	0.50
2	Red-whiskered	Bulbul	0.50
10		Bushtit	0.62
2	American	Crow	0.75
3	Mourning	Dove	0.88
1	House	Finch	0.88
2	Lesser	Goldfinch	1
2	Red-tailed	Hawk	0.62
1	Anna’s	Hummingbird	0.88
1	Selasphorus	Hummingbird	0.75
2	Dark-eyed	Junco	1
1	Cassin’s	Kingbird	0.12
4	Ruby-crowned	Kinglet	1
2	Black	Phoebe	0.75
3	Band-tailed	Pigeon	0.50
9	Common	Raven	0.75
1	House	Sparrow	0.38
4	California	Towhee	0.50
1	Spotted	Towhee	0
1	Turkey	Vulture	0.12
1	Orange-crowned	Warbler	0.12
1	Townsend’s	Warbler	0.75
12	Yellow-rumped	Warbler	1
16	Acorn	Woodpecker	1
1	Bewick’s	Wren	0.50

Walk lasted between 12:00 and 14:00

Wow, what a great walk! First, we had a big surprise when my son Travis appeared for the walk. I believe he brought us good luck as we observed 25 species, only one short of the record for the week. After we had had a very good start and I began to talk about getting the record, Chip said don’t jinx it and Ellen opined that she hoped it wouldn’t be the lack of a Mockingbird that kept us from getting the record. Unfortunately, she was right. Of the birds we didn’t see, the Mockingbird and the Say’s Phoebe had the highest probability of being seen (at 50%). But it was not only the numbers that made the walk great, it was the way things happened in Tournament Park that were unlike anything I remember. It was pretty quiet in the park and I was trying to make out what I thought was an Orange-crowned Warbler in some leaves in the south part of the Sapsucker tree. I decided to play the song of that bird using my iBird Plus app. When I did that, that area suddenly exploded with birds. Not only did we get the Orange-crowned, but a Bewick’s Wren appeared, along with Townsend’s Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, and more than one Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They were all chattering away too. It was amazing. At the end, at the turtle pond, and we were one short of the record, Ellen asked me to play the Orange-crowned song again because it seemed to have some magical powers earlier. But, this time, no magic. So, we stood at 25, which was well above the prediction of 19.7 and one of the most memorable walks in a long time.

Alan,

11/13/2024