Today, 16 diehard SFOers took part in the full-day trip to Arnot Forest. Arriving at Greensprings Cemetary as the first drizzles started to fall, the feeders hosted a number of wet rose-breasted grosbeaks (both M&F), some white-crowned sparrows on the ground, and female purple finches for good comparison with the female grosbeaks. Entering the fields we were immediately given good views of wet bobolinks, but thereafter we found only song sparrows, common yellowthroats, and singing yellow warblers. With the rain picking up, we drove a short distance into the woods which afforded some cover; the walkabout turned out to be very productive: eastern towhees, a black-throated blue, chestnut sided warblers, a black and white - each first heard then seen by most (always satisfying to visually confirm an initial audio ID) - red-eyed and philadelphia vireos, more rose-breasted grosbeaks (our bird du jour); singing ovenbirds (mediocre views by some), silent mourning warbler, veery, gray-cheeked or swainson's thrush (refusing to pose for definitive ID). Presently, as the hungry majority headed back towards the cars, a small group stayed behind to see a cape may and black-throated green. Lunch by the little parking area added yellow-bellied sapsucker, fly-by great blue heron and common raven, and singing brown creeper. After lunch, we returned to the cape may spot hoping to refind it, instead we found only more rain, a quiet empty pond, and a canada warbler giving partial fleeting views to only a few. Continuing to the fields, the distant sound of a prairie warbler prompted us to stop to investigate - though when it finally resung later we would debate whether it was a variant field sparrow, as it had a very field-sparrowy quality and seemed to lack buzziness. The fields had plenty of singing field sparrows (one eventually seen from afar); the buzz of a grasshopper sparrow, a singing Nashville warbler possibly seen briefly by one, chipping sparrow, wet eastern bluebirds, wet song sparrows, a very wet northern flicker oddly out of place in a barren tree in the middle of the field. As we drove down into the ravine, a singing louisiana waterthrush prompted our final stop by the creek (naturally the waterthrush stopped singing when we got out of the cars, though it would eventually return). A hermit thrush was seen by some, then the warbler activity picked up: blackburnian views for all, american redstarts singing and seen, more chestnut-sideds (our warbler du jour); also a foggy Empidonax (our only flycatcher, silent thus unidentified), and then a brilliant scarlet tanager clearly seen by almost everyone to cap the day! Returning to the lab an hour short of our scheduled time, we tallied up 59 species which we thought quite respectable given the weather and the fact that the front page of the checklist saw only four checkmarks. Well done to the hardy birders who stuck it out!
Suan P.S. Overtime Birding... What? The trip ended an hour early? That just won't cut it for three true diehards, who in spite of the increasing rain headed out for one last Sapsucker Woods circuit to 'pad the stats'. We were able to pick up great views of a canada which also sang, close looks at mourning, bay-breasted, and chestnut sided, tracked the buzzing of blackpoll warblers that never quite gave convincing views until the very end, when a cooperative individual presented itself on the trellis near the feeders - a great end to a great SFO season. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
