5/23/06

I wasn't on this walk so I'll be brief. I do have to mention that the walkers, all 8 of them, set a new record for a week 21 of a year. They spotted 17 species, which is one better than the previous mark of 16 reached in two years, 1999 and 2004. Congratulations!

See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.

The stats:
The date: 5/23/06
The week number: 21
The walk number: 835
The weather: 77 F, sunny
The walkers: Glenn Hamell, Brendan Crill, Jim Carlblom,
Kent Potter, Ben Potter, Emily Potter, Hannah Potter, Daniel Potter

The birds (17):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Red-tailed Hawk
Bushtit
Starling
White-throated Swift
Spotted Towhee
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
House Wren
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Black Phoebe

Respectfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
6/1/06
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

5/16/06

Sorry about the late report. I got sick amd missed work for a few days and then went on a business trip. We had a solid but not record-setting walk. We recorded 17 species for week 20 of 2006. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm.

The stats:
The date: 5/16/06
The week number: 20
The walk number: 834
The weather: 75 F, sunny
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Glenn Hamell, Brendan Crill, Matt Bradford

The birds (17):

Rock Pigeon
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Starling
Raven
Bushtit
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Cooper's Hawk
Bewick's Wren
Hummingbird, Selasphorus
White-throated Swift
Black Phoebe

Respectfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
5/27/06
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

5/9/06

I predicted that we would not add a new species on the walk this week and I was right. So far, we've added two new speices this year and I missed both walks. That's how I knew. I was walking on the walk. So we were doomed.

We had a nice walk though. We saw 20 species, which is in second place for a week 19 of a year. The record is 24 set in 2003. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm. So, we are still having a banner year.

The most interesting bird was the Olive-sided Flycatcher, seen in the southeast corner of the maintenance yard. We also had a three-hummingbird day, seeing Anna's, Black-chinned, and either an Allen's or Rufous. We also saw Wilson's and Black-throated Gray Warblers. Pretty neat.

The stats:
The date: 5/9/06
The week number: 19
The walk number: 833
The weather: 65 F, cloudy
The walkers: Alan Cummings, Kent Potter, Barbara Ellis

The birds (20):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
White-throated Swift
Starling
Spotted Towhee
Raven
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Bushtit
Wilson's Warbler
Hummingbird, Selasphorus
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Black Phoebe

Respectfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
5/10/06
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu

5/2/06

Wow! The amazing year continues. I was not able to be on the walk but the walkers that did go came up with a new species for the Caltech bird walk list. They spotted a pair of Golden-crowned Sparrows in the maintenance yard. That makes two new species added this year compared to none added in 2005 and 2004. And they didn't do too badly in the sheer number category either. They recorded 22 species total which is one below the record of 23 for a week 18 of a year. See the birds_epoch plot at http://birdwalks.caltech.edu/bird_data/two_plots.htm. So, way to go team!

The stats:
The date: 5/2/06
The week number: 18
The walk number: 832
The weather: 68 F, partly cloudy
The walkers: Jim Carlblom, Brendan Crill, Carolyn Ash, Kent Potter, Glenn Hamell

The birds (22):

Rock Pigeon
Scrub Jay
Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Crow
Raven
Black Phoebe
Mallard
Starling
White-throated Swift
Allen's Hummingbird
Bushtit
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Red-tailed Hawk

Respectfully submitted,
Alan Cummings
5/5/06
http://birdwalks.caltech.edu