3/29/05

Wow, what a beautiful day for a bird walk. It was about 68 F, clear as a bell, and just a slight bit breezy. I assume the breeze was due to the steady stream of butterflies going by. Yes, butterflies again. Except these were different from the ones a couple of weeks ago. The earlier ones were smaller and drabber than these. These were still not as big as Monarchs but they had some of the same colors. I think they are called Painted Lady butterflies. Apparently, the migration of Painted Ladies only happens once or twice per decade. So, take notice of them.

Birdwise, it wasn't too good. We got 17 species. The record is 25 for week 13, and usually week 13 produces 20 or more species. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.
But we did both the Great Egret and the Mallards. And Kent and I also had a brief look at a Hermit Thrush. We didn't get a Crow or a Mourning Dove, which was surprising.

The stats:
The date: 3/29/05
The week number: 13
The walk number: 777
The weather: 68 F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Kent Potter, Carolyn Ash
The birds (17):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Great Egret
Mallard
Hermit Thrush
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-tailed Hawk
Bushtit
White-throated Swift
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Band-tailed Pigeon
Raven

Respectfully submitted,
Alan
3/29/05
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

3/22/05

It was an iffy day as the rain was expected to have moved in already and it started spritzing a little at the beginning of the walk. But we marched on and it actually got better, weatherwise. Birdwise, it wasn't bad either. We got 19 species. The record is 23 for week 12, set on more than one occasion. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.

The highlight was seeing a male American Goldfinch in almost fully mature plumage. Lots of yellow and even some black on the head. We saw Red-crowned Parrots for the first time in a long time.

The stats:
The date: 3/22/05
The week number: 12
The walk number: 776
The weather: 62 F, cloudy
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Kent Potter, Carolyn Ash
The birds (19):

Rock Pigeon
Mockingbird
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Cooper's Hawk
Robin
Red-tailed Hawk
American Goldfinch
Band-tailed Pigeon
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Red-crowned Parrot
Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Raven

Respectfully submitted,
Alan
3/22/05
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

3/15/05

More butterflies than birds I'd say. Lots of butterflies, not the big, beautiful Monarchs, but smaller ones. They seemed to be streaming from the southeast to the northwest. Quite a distraction. Maybe that's why we had some trouble getting birds. We only got 16 species, a far cry from the record 24 in 1990 for week 11. And generally we were well below average for this week of the year. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.

The highlight was seeing two hummingbirds locked in an embrace. I don't know if they were mating or fighting. But they were in some kind of ruckus. Very interesting.

We didn't get a Mockingbird or a Mourning Dove, so it was kind of a quiet birding day.

The stats:
The date: 3/15/05
The week number: 11
The walk number: 775
The weather: 72 F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Kent Potter
The birds (16):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
House Sparrow
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Band-tailed Pigeon
Starling
Black Phoebe
Raven

Respectfully submitted,
Alan
3/15/05
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

3/8/05

The 10th walk of the year was notable for the Red-breasted Sapsucker, seen in Tournament Park, for the Great Egret, seen in the Millikan ponds, and for the lack of a Scrub Jay and a Mockingbird. Otherwise it was pretty normal, if a bit on the low side as far as totals go. We recorded 16 species, short of the record of 22 seen in 1999. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.

The stats:
The date: 3/8/05
The week number: 10
The walk number: 774
The weather: 71 F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Carolyn Ash, Glenn Hamell, Kent Potter
The birds (16):

Rock Pigeon
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Great Egret
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Band-tailed Pigeon
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Bushtit
Red-tailed Hawk
Lesser Goldfinch
Black Phoebe

Respectfully submitted,
Alan
3/8/05
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

3/1/05

March began quietly, birding-wise. Calm, quiet (construction notwithstanding) weather. Quiet birds.

The stats:
The date: 3/1/05
The week number: 9
The walk number: 773
The weather: ~70F, partly cloudy
The walkers: Carolyn Ash, Kent Potter
The birds (14):

Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Black Phoebe
Turkey Vulture
Band-tailed Pigeon
Bushtit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Allen's Hummingbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Gull, sp.

Respectfully and quietly cut, pasted, and submitted,
Kent Potter
3/1/05
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu