4/29/08

The temperature was down from what it was the past few days and the fire just above my hometown of Sierra Madre had died down so the air quality wasn't too bad. So we had a pleasant walk. We got 17 species, 1 above the median for a week 18 but 6 below the record for the week.

See the plots at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/species_time.html and http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm

The real stars of the walk were the birds on the nest. We saw a Black-chinned Hummingbird on a nest on Holliston. We also saw that the ravens have produced four young at their tradional nest on Parsons-Gates. We saw an adult raven feed the young twice and I'm concerned. In both feedings, the two on the left side of the nest got fed and the other two didn't. One of these appears listless and I'm not sure it will survive. The third one is trying but is getting beaten to the punch by the other two. Life is tough in the nestling world. One year we saw that four were born but only two survived. I suspect something similar is in the offing this time around.

I will be away from Caltech for the next four weeks essentially. I encourage you to come out and help Glenn and Beth with the walk (they will have the all-important key to the maintenance yard and the listing pad too). I encourage Beth to send around a report each week. When I get back I will update the website, etc.

See you all in June.

The stats:
The date: 4/29/08
The week number: 18
The walk number: 933
The weather: 78F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Matt Bradford, Viveca Sapin-Areeda, Beth Moore, Sachin Shenoy

The birds (17):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Turkey Vulture
House Wren
Black Phoebe
Starling
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Swift, sp.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Raven

Respectfully and truthfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
4/29/08
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

4/22/08

I really need to get these reports out more promptly so I don't forget what happened. Let's see..... we gathered at the starting spot, we got the temperature from Glenn, we waited until 12 noon and off we went. We rounded the corner and saw and heard oodles of House Finches. It seems to me we are seeing more House Finches than in the old days. And to some extent, that's true. If you look at one of the probability plots on the website, you will find that in the last 10 years the probability of observing a House Finch during a walk has risen from about 60% in 1998 to over 90% in 2007. In addition, there is a seasonal variation, presented on yet another probability plot on the website. Based on data from 1986 to 2007, the probability for observing a House Finch in week 17 is about 95%. In the Fall during week 45, e.g., the probability is only about 60%. In 2007, the probability in the Fall must have been higher than the 22 year average, if the average probability for 2007 was over 90%. So, anywho, there you have it. All you wanted to know about House Finch probabilities. Probably not.

Let's see, what else. Oh yeah, we saw a beautiful Black-chinned Hummingbird. It's probably the same one they saw last week. I'd say 95% probable.

Probably the best find was a Nuttall's Woodpecker right at the bitter end of the walk, sitting right at eye-level. I didn't see it but the ones that did said it was a really good sighting, up close and personal. Running a close second to best sighting was the cooperative House Wren in Tournament Park. It sat in the fence singing its brains out for all to see and hear.

Overall, we got 16 species, about two below expectations and far short of the record 24 for a week 17.

See the plots at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/species_time.html and http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm

And if you have time, explore the probability plot section of the website.

The stats:
The date: 4/22/08
The week number: 17
The walk number: 932
The weather: 70F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Beth Moore, Yolanda Duron, Viveca Sapin-Areeda

The birds (16):

Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Black Phoebe
House Wren
Cooper's Hawk
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Warbler, sp.
Starling
Bushtit
Raven
Nuttall's Woodpecker

Respectfully and truthfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
4/24/08

http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

4/15/08

(reported by Beth Moore)

The weather cooperated by cooling down just in time for this week's walk. The birds were less cooperative with only 14 species. I think they must have been at the post office for last-minute tax filing! Of our regulars, we only missed a Scrub Jay. We did see our now-frequent pair of Bulbuls flying to and fro behind the maintenance yard. A Black-chinned Hummingbird stayed still long enough for a clear identification. We saw hatchling movement in the Raven's nest while Mama Raven lunched on a nearby roof and, in keeping with the offspring theme, a turtle was seen digging a hole for her eggs near the old Oak by Parsons-Gates.

See the plots at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/species_time.html and http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm

The stats:
The date: 4/15/08
The week number: 16
The walk number: 931
The weather: 65F, partly cloudy
The walkers: Glenn Hamell, David Werntz, Viveca Sapin-Areeda, Yolanda Duron, Beth Moore

The birds (14):

Raven
Crow
Rock Pigeon
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Northern Mockingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Bushtit
Cooper's Hawk
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet

-- Beth

Respectfully and truthfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
4/18/08
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

4/8/08

We were about average this week, despite having some real good finds. We got 17 species, which is right on the median for week 15 but well below the record high of 29 for the week.

See the plots at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/species_time.html and http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm

The first bird we saw was a Turkey Vulture, a bit unusual for Caltech. Then later we saw a Northern Rough-winged Swallow sitting on a power line. We don't see those very often either. We barely saw Yellow-rumped Warblers -- about three of them near the end of the walk. Next week should be the last of those until week 39 based on the last 21 years of data. You can look it up on the website.

The stats:
The date: 4/8/08
The week number: 15
The walk number: 930
The weather: 61F, partly cloudy
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Viveca Sapin-Areeda, Beth Moore, Kent Potter

The birds (17):

Rock Pigeon
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Turkey Vulture
White-throated Swift
Starling
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Bushtit
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Cedar Waxwing
Raven

Respectfully and truthfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
4/9/08
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

4/1/08

The April Fool's walk went off without any hijinks. And without a lot of birds. We started slowly and finished slowly, despite having 8 walkers along. It was a beautiful day, however, with the temperature at 65 F and fluffy clouds all around. We did get 15 species, which is two above the record low for a week 14, three below the median, and way below the record high of 29. Oh well.

See the plots at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/species_time.html and http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm

Not a lot of highlights, We did get most of the regulars, missing only the Scrub Jay. White-throated Swifts at the bitter end and a hunt for a House Sparrow by Fiona on her way back to her office kept us from tying the record low.

The stats:
The date: 4/1/08
The week number: 14
The walk number: 929
The weather: 65F, partly cloudy
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Jim Carlblom, Beth Moore, Yolanda Duron, Fiona Tindall, Viveca Sapin-Areeda, Simon Radford

The birds (15):

Rock Pigeon
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Bushtit
Starling
Band-tailed Pigeon
Raven
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
White-throated Swift

Respectfully and truthfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
4/1/08
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu