My little big dayI birdwatched (almost) continually from sunrise…

My little big day

I birdwatched (almost) continually from sunrise to sunset today as part of getting ready for next Sunday’s Christmas bird count. It was lots of fun. I’m tired, but not too bad.

If I’m reading the merged record in eBird correctly I had 64 species total, which isn’t bad considering I stuck pretty much to one chunk of habitat and didn’t drive at all (except that my partner in crime was nice enough to pick me up for a quick lunch and drop me off again after).

Technically two of the shots above (upper right and lower left) were taken yesterday rather than today. But that’s basically where I was today as well.

I kept 5 separate eBird lists over the course of the day.

List #1:

Home, Santa Barbara, California, US
Dec 11, 2016 6:40 AM – 6:58 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
10 species (+1 other taxa)

Western Gull  13
gull sp.  7
Anna’s Hummingbird  5
Allen’s Hummingbird  1
Black Phoebe  1
American Crow  18
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  5
White-crowned Sparrow  8
California Towhee  1
Brewer’s Blackbird  8

View this checklist online at http://ift.tt/2gQ6izo

List #2:

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park, Santa Barbara, California, US
Dec 11, 2016 6:59 AM – 9:51 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     With Rob
49 species (+2 other taxa)

Mallard  16
Blue-winged Teal  15
Northern Pintail  3
Bufflehead  8
Pied-billed Grebe  2
Western Grebe  20
Double-crested Cormorant  11
Brown Pelican  6
Great Blue Heron  4
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  3
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  3     Continuing birds at south end of Sandyland Cove Road.
Turkey Vulture  6
Osprey  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
American Coot  5
Long-billed Curlew  2
Greater Yellowlegs  2
Willet  1
Heermann’s Gull  10
Western Gull  8
gull sp.  20
Forster’s Tern  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  10
Anna’s Hummingbird  7
Allen’s Hummingbird  3
Black Phoebe  3
Say’s Phoebe  1
Loggerhead Shrike  1
California Scrub-Jay  3
American Crow  41
Bushtit  21
House Wren  1
Marsh Wren  4
wren sp.  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  3
Wrentit  2
California Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  3
Common Yellowthroat  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
White-crowned Sparrow  38
Golden-crowned Sparrow  2
Savannah Sparrow (Belding’s)  1
Song Sparrow  7
Lincoln’s Sparrow  3
California Towhee  1
Western Meadowlark  4
House Finch  19
House Sparrow  6

View this checklist online at http://ift.tt/2heFDPN

List #3:

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve (restricted access), Santa Barbara, California, US
Dec 11, 2016 10:01 AM – 11:12 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
Comments:     Walking the RR tracks from Sandyland Cove Road to Estero Way, scoping into the marsh.
33 species

Mallard  3
Bufflehead  2
Double-crested Cormorant  2
Brown Pelican  1
Great Blue Heron  3
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  1
Turkey Vulture  5
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Killdeer  3
Whimbrel  4
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Willet  7
Eurasian Collared-Dove  5
Anna’s Hummingbird  2
Allen’s Hummingbird  2
Black Phoebe  1
California Scrub-Jay  2
American Crow  10
House Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
California Thrasher  1
Northern Mockingbird  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler  4
White-crowned Sparrow  34
Savannah Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  1
Lincoln’s Sparrow  2
Western Meadowlark  8
House Finch  4
House Sparrow  16

View this checklist online at http://ift.tt/2gQ9fzU

List #4:

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve (restricted access), Santa Barbara, California, US
Dec 11, 2016 12:08 PM – 2:09 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     With Mario and Nancy. Estero Way to marsh mouth lagoon and return.
31 species (+1 other taxa)

Brant  1
Bufflehead  8
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Double-crested Cormorant  5
American White Pelican  2     Two circled overhead before landing near the cormorants in the middle of the western part of the marsh.
Great Blue Heron  4
Great Egret  4
Snowy Egret  3
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  2
Black-bellied Plover  15
Semipalmated Plover  3
Whimbrel  4
Long-billed Curlew  13
Marbled Godwit  9
Sanderling  1
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Willet  107
Ring-billed Gull  1
Western Gull  5
gull sp.  1
Black Phoebe  1
Say’s Phoebe  3
Loggerhead Shrike  1
American Crow  1
Bushtit  19
Northern Mockingbird  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
White-crowned Sparrow  1
Savannah Sparrow  2
Western Meadowlark  13
House Finch  10

View this checklist online at http://ift.tt/2heDW4O

List #5:

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve (restricted access), Santa Barbara, California, US
Dec 11, 2016 2:18 PM – 4:44 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Estero Way entrance to marsh mouth lagoon and return, with Deborah.
35 species (+1 other taxa)

Mallard  2
Bufflehead  12
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Western Grebe  3
Double-crested Cormorant  7
American White Pelican  2
Brown Pelican  1
Great Blue Heron  3
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  2
Black-crowned Night-Heron  2
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  2
Black-bellied Plover  15
Semipalmated Plover  16
Whimbrel  2
Long-billed Curlew  6
Marbled Godwit  3
Sanderling  1
Long-billed Dowitcher  2
Greater Yellowlegs  2
Willet  50
Ring-billed Gull  2     Watched one repeatedly get a bivalve (mussel?) from low-tide exposed channel bed, fly over to a cobble bed and drop it to break it open. Deborah got photos.
Western Gull  25
Caspian Tern  1
tern sp.  7
Say’s Phoebe  1
Loggerhead Shrike  1
American Crow  1
Bushtit  2
Northern Mockingbird  1
American Pipit  2
Common Yellowthroat  1
White-crowned Sparrow  4
Western Meadowlark  9
House Finch  6

View this checklist online at http://ift.tt/2gQ6XRH

(I walked home after this, but I didn’t birdwatch. Instead I played Pokemon.)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2hesbeR.

Tags: carp without cars.

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