January, 2005
The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival Boat trips sent two boats offshore again this year with a long-range trip on Jan 15 (BKS,DR,TME) and a short four hour trip on Jan 16 (MDH,RH). Two highlights on the long-range trip were a Buller's Shearwater that provided the county's first winter record and a Flesh-footed Shearwater. Otherwise, similar seabirds were seen on both trips and included highs of 75 Northern Fulmar, 3-5 Pink-footed Shearwater, one or two Sooty Shearwater, 3,000 Black-vented Shearwater, 15 Red Phalarope, 3 to 4 Pomarine Jaeger, one Parasitic Jaeger, one adult and 2 immature Black-legged Kittiwake, 4 Common Murre, 75 Cassin's Auklet, and 150 Rhinoceros Auklet.
Brown Pelican . 8 Jan, one foraging over ponds on Tank Farm Rd in San Luis Obispo (GPS) was inland where unexpected
White-fronted Goose . 29 Jan, one was at the Bay Pines Golf Course (JSR)
Ross's Goose . 15 Jan, eight were seen on the Carrizo Plain near Bitterwater Road (RHZ)
Cackling Goose . gAleutianh race birds were at Pismo Creek, 14 Jan (JMC) and at Laguna Lake, 15-16 Jan (JSR,BAB)
Brant . 13 Jan, numbers dropped from around 4,000 to 2,500 following heavy rains in early January (JLR)
Wood Duck . 20 Jan, 10 were at the Atascadero wastewater ponds (RHZ)
Eurasian Wigeon . 5 Jan, up to three were reported on Morro Bay (mob)
Blue-winged Teal . 5-30 Jan, up to 83 have been counted on Baywood Cove in Los Osos (mob); 10 Jan, one was at the SLO wastewater treatment plant (MLS); 17 Jan, two males and two females were at Oso Flaco Lake on (MLS)
Blue-winged Teal x Cinnamon Teal -- 29 Jan, an apparent of these species was at Sweet Springs (JSR)
Green-winged (Common) Teal . 1-30 Jan, the male Eurasian race bird found off Sweet Springs in Dec continued (mob)
Redhead . 14-16 Jan, a male at Whale Rock Reservoir was the only one reported (MDS)
Harlequin Duck . 6-29Jan, male along the Estero Bluffs Property north of Cayucos (mob); 20 Jan, north of Hearst Castle a male has been frequenting the cove just north of the Hwy 1 vista point with the cypress tree (GPS)
Black Scoter . 16-23 Jan, female off Atascadero Point (TME)
Long-tailed Duck . 15 Jan, one off the Port San Luis Pier (DR); 30 Jan, one was at the Morro Bay Harbor mouth (RB)
Hooded Merganser . 12-14 Jan, up to two females and a male were at Whale Rock Reservoir (AFS) and on 20 Jan one was at the Atascadero Sewage Ponds (RHZ)
Common Merganser . 9 Jan, a male swimming in the Oceano Campground lagoon (MLS) and at the mouth of Pismo Creek on 14 Jan (JMC) was likely the bird that spent the past year at Oceano County Park; 14 Jan, 2 males and one female were on Santa Rosa Creek at Shamel Park in Cambria (KC)
Osprey . 5-15 Jan, one was on Morro Bay (MLS) and 11 Jan, one was along Meadow Creek west of Hwy 1 (MLS)
Bald Eagle . 5 Jan, an immature was over Morro Bay (DT); several sightings of one the week of 20 Jan at The Lakes development in northern Atascadero (fi de CC); and there were occasional sightings of an adult along Tank Farm Road in SLO with the last on 25 Jan (fide DS)
Mountain Plover . 21 Jan, a total of ~160 on the Carrizo Plain included 120 near the silver tank on Simmler Road (MLS)
Black-necked Stilt . 17-21 Jan, two on Soda Lake (JLR)
Red Phalarope . 11 Jan, one in Baywood Cove was the only onshore sighting (BAB) Franklin.s Gull . 29 Jan, an adult in Baywood Cove provided one of the few mid-winter adult records in California (RB)
Thayer's Gull . 13-17 Jan, first winter bird at Laguna Lake (AFS)
Black Skimmer . 13-14 Jan, up to two on Morro Bay (JLR)
Allen's Hummingbird . 14 Jan, a male and female at Laguna Lake (MDS) were early arrivals.
Cassin's Kingbird . 6-31 Jan, up to 54 feeding on Algerian ivy beries along Arroyo Grande Creek in the Village (BKS)
Lewis's Woodpecker . 17-23 Jan, one about 1.7 miles from Hwy 58 on Pozo Road (AFS)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker . 14-17 Jan, female continued in the pepper trees in front of the Cal Poly Library (mob)
Red-naped Sapsucker . 14-18 Jan, continues in the pepper and sycamore trees at El Chorro Regional Park (MDS)
Northern Flicker . 14 Jan, a "yellow-shafted" race bird was found at Spooners Cove Campground (JG)
Common Raven . 17 Jan, always rare in western SLO County, one seen from west Cuesta Ridge (AFS); 17 Jan, 350 to 400 formed a communal roost on two adjacent high tension electric towers at dusk on the Carrizo Plain (JLR)
Barn Swallow . on 14 Jan, three were along Morro Strand State Beach (AFS), one was seen from the Elfi n Forest Overlook (MDS), and four were heading north at the mouth of Pismo Creek (JMC); 17 Jan, one was over Oso Flaco Lake (MLS)
Nashville Warbler . 22 Jan, the bird found at the Oceano Campground in December was still present (MLS)
Black-throated Gray Warbler . 11 Jan, one along Meadow Creek west of Hwy 1 (MLS); 29 Jan, one was seen at the Oceano Campground (JS)
Hermit Warbler . 9 Jan, one at the Oceano Campground (MLS) was probably the same individual found there last month; 14 Jan, one was at Spooners Cove Campground in Montana de Oro State Park (FH)
Wilson's Warbler . 14 Jan, one was at Oceano Campground (JMC)
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow . 10 Jan, two seen along the Morro Bay State Park Marina spit (MLS)
White-throated Sparrow . 17 Jan, one at Atascadero Lake was the sole report of this species (PR)
White-crowned Sparrow . 29 Jan, the partial albino continued at San Simeon Cove (MLS) 11
Rose-breasted Grosbeak . 24-25 Jan, female at a feeder in Avila Bay Estates (BKS)
Hooded Oriole . 2-9 Jan, a fi rst year male was at a feeder in Cayucos (TME)
OBSERVERS: Thanks to the many birders that report their sightings. The following people are cited above: Ron Beck, Bill A. Bouton, Jamie M. Chavez, Karen Clarke, Claudia Collier, Tom M. Edell, Jessie Grantham, Freeman Hall, Rich Hansen, Marlin D. Harms, Dave M. Lawrence, Don Roberson, John L. Roser, Paul Rosso, Jim S. Royer, Joe Seals, Alan F. Schmierer, Brad K. Schram, Gregory P. Smith, Maggie L. Smith, Mike D. Stiles, Doug Stinson, Dean Thompson, Roger H. Zachary, and many observers (mob). For information about birds or locations mentioned in this report, contact Tom Edell at (805) 995-1691 or tedell@aol.com.
Tom Edell