[Birdtalk] July 27th birds and birders

[Lu Giddings]

Dennis Shirley and I had a great time at Fish Spring yesterday with all
of the other birders. Watching the birds - and not just the painted
bunting - made the it well worth the early morning start and long drive.
On the drive home Dennis and I spent some time birding in Lynndyl. We
then drove up to Eureka and down the Dividend road, taking the long way
home. There were a number of trip highlights in addition to seeing the
painted bunting:

- watching a juvenile Swainson's hawk crash-land in a tall cottonwood
tree and hang upside down by one foot for over a minute before it began
to flail wildly as it finally righted itself.
- finding great-horned owls in Lynndyl, an adult bird in one place and a
juvenile bird, fledged but still very downy, in another
- there seemed to be at least several dozen Eurasian-collared doves in
Lynndyl as well. They were everywhere. It's nice to know the owls will
have plenty to eat.
- finding a pair of juvenile long-eared owls in an oak thicket along the
Dividend road, once again fledged but still very downy.

A few photos of the painted bunting, some other birds, and a few of the
birders may be seen at
http://picasaweb.google.com/seldom74/July27thBirdsAndBirders

Lu Giddings
Total Count: 61
Canada Goose
Mallard
Chukar
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Long-eared Owl
Common Nighthawk
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Western Wood-Pewee
Gray Flycatcher
Say's Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Warbling Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Barn Swallow
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Western Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Painted Bunting
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow