Join/Renew Membership

Monthly Archives: August 2024

Updates on the Sept. 7th. and 8th. pelagic birding trips. Now full.

8:36 am

Hello Birders,

I just want to give a quick update on the Buena Vista Audubon sponsored pelagic trips, Saturday, Sept. 7th and Sunday Sept. 8th. Both trips are booked full, and have waiting lists.
Please check carefully to see your reservation day and date.
Then if you are booked for one or more of these trips , and find that you are unable to go please cancel with the landing by calling 619 224-3383.
Those of you wishing to get on the waitlist, you can do that by calling that phone number. Understand that they have a limit to the number on each list of something like 10-12 to be manageable.
I know in the past I’ve said that if you’re on the waitlist and wish to show up on the morning of the trip. I would work to get you on that trip.Truth is I was pretty liberal in doing that. Usually I’d get 2 or 3 no-show or last minute cancellations, and get 2 or 3 drop-ins. So no harm no foul. Obviously that has been changing. Last trip as an example, I had one no-show and 6 drop-ins. I took them. A previous trip ended up with 68 onboard. So it’s my fault for creating an issue.
We have walked a tightrope between putting as many people as we could onboard to keep the price down, and having as few as possible to allow easy movement around the boat. The “magic” number we’ve settled on is 60 passengers. The boat’s USCG safe limit is much higher. When we’ve exceeded the 60 number, we hear from passengers that they were unable to easily move around the boat, and had trouble getting decent views or photos of the birds. 
BTW the leaders and I do not profit from these trips, we cover our expenses, such as the website, chum and the like. Then the boat, the landing, and BVAS share the rest of the income..
So long story short, the landing will still fill cancellations done before the trip. The morning of the trip I will take drop-ins to fill any last minute no shows. I will now limit that to try not to exceed the number 60.  So if you are counting on jumping onboard as a last minute drop-in, I can no longer guarantee that you’d be able to go. Enough said.
Then the good news is we have spaces available on the Saturday, Sept. 28th. trip. You can make reservations for those now.
see details at www.sandiegopelagics.com. or go directly to the Legacy’s website at www.sdwhale.com. for your reservation.

Thank you for your support, I hope we’ve given you opportunities to get offshore this year.
Good Birding,
Dave Povey 
Dulzura

Strange, pale hawk on Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad.

7:23 am

All – first attempted post after moving here from Houston a month ago. I had a strange, pale hawk next to the rail station on Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad this morning around 8am. Underparts were entirely white and back was mostly white with some black mottling and black/dark primaries. Size and jizz seemed like Red-shouldered, but if so it is leucistic. I only had my iphone with me at the time so there are poor pics at:

 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S193126000

 

I went back around 3:30pm but could not relocate.

 

Any suggestions on ID are appreciated!

Thanks,

 

Ken Hartman

Carlsbad, CA

 

A New Name for A New Era in Conservation

1:14 pm

We are excited to bring a important announcement to this wonderful group. We are so very grateful for your passion and dedication to protecting birds in the San Diego Region. 
 
San Diego Audubon is now San Diego Bird Alliance!
 
This year, we are celebrating 75 years of working for birds, for people, and for the planet. And now we have something else to celebrate – a new name for a new era in conservation: San Diego Bird Alliance!
 
A year ago we announced our decision to discontinue the use of the name Audubon and find a new name that better reflects our mission and values. On July 3, 2024, our board of directors voted unanimously to adopt San Diego Bird Alliance as our new name.

Over the better part of a year, we worked with board, staff, community partners, members, volunteers, and the public to find a name that would keep our mission clear and at the forefront, connect with more diverse communities, and help maintain a vital connection to other chapters across the region and country. Hundreds of people shared their thoughts and provided insightful feedback. We listened, and chose a name that we believe everyone can be proud of.

We’d like to thank every single person who took the time to share their feedback with us to help us find our new name, and for all of your support!

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for further details about the process of changing our name and how we arrived at San Diego Bird Alliance: https://www.sandiegobirdalliance.org/who-we-are/a-new-name-for-a-new-era-in-conservation.html

 
Travis Kemnitz (he/him)
Executive Director 
San Diego Bird Alliance 
 
Work: 858-273-7800, 102 
sandiegobirdalliance.org 

Re: San Diego pelagic Aug 25th: Laysan & 9 Black-footed Albatrosses, 4 Craveri’s, record number Townsend’s Storm-Petrels

6:45 am

Morning! 
I wanted to add that on photo review it looks like one of the Black-footed Albatross in the initial group of 8 was also banded. It was one that flew in to join the sitting group while we approached. The band looks orange/red, maybe with dark lettering. I don’t quite have the pictures to make out the code (it possibly ends in a 2? maybe 72?), but if anyone does and reports the band, I’d love to hear what information you get back!
Thanks again, trip leaders!
Jenna A
Carlsbad

San Diego pelagic Aug 25th: Laysan & 9 Black-footed Albatrosses, 4 Craveri’s, record number Townsend’s Storm-Petrels

4:38 am

The San Diego pelagic trip on Sunday, 25 August, out to the 30-Mile Bank area aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society took place with a morning moderate, short-period swell, calming down later in the day. There were good numbers of birds just 4-6 miles out, and then again around the 30-Mile Bank. Mostly quiet in between. The highlights were the 30-Mile albatrosses: a fine Laysan Albatross sitting on the water and a record county total of 9 Black-footed Albatrosses (8 in view at once). The Laysan was banded, probably at the colony on Mexico’s Guadalupe Island, and the alphanumeric code will be sent to the Bird Banding Lab. The other clear highlight was the large number of white-rumped storm-petrels at the 30-Mile Bank, with perhaps 60 in all, of which a majority appeared to be Townsend’s Storm-Petrels–a new record high for San Diego County waters. A more “exact” total will be determined once we have studied the many photographs taken. A total of 4 Craveri’s Murrelets were seen on the trip, as well as 7 Brown (Cocos) Boobies. The lone landbird migrant well offshore was a surprising MacGillivray’s Warbler. Non-birds of interest included a Striped Marlin, Loggerhead Sea-Turtle, Elephant Seal, and Risso’s Dolphins.
Totals for the day once over a mile offshore were:
Red-necked Phalarope  54
Pomarine Jaeger  17
Parasitic Jaeger  3
jaeger sp.  7
Craveri’s Murrelet  4
Heermann’s Gull  2
Western Gull  250
California Gull  1
Common Tern  19
Forster’s Tern  1  (a few miles out)
Elegant Tern  400
Laysan Albatross  1
Black-footed Albatross  9
Leach’s Storm-Petrel  15+
Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  ca. 40
Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrels  ca. 20
Black Storm-Petrel  300
Sooty Shearwater  5
Pink-footed Shearwater  100
Black-vented Shearwater  2000
Brown (Cocos) Booby  7
Brandt’s Cormorant  12
Brown Pelican  120
MacGillivray’s Warbler  1  (30-Mile Bank)
Also:  Surfbirds, Loggerhead Sea-Turtle, Striped Marlin, California Flying-Fish, Minke Whale, Risso’s Dolphins, and Elephant Seal.
Upcoming fall trips with space are on 8 Sep and 28 Sep. See sandiegopelagics.com for more information.
—Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Alex Abela, Nancy Christensen, Gary Nunn, San Diego

Sunday, Aug. 25th Pelagic trip

8:28 am

This is a reminder about the Buena Vista Audubon sponsored pelagic birding trip out of Seaforth Landing in Mission Bay this coming Sunday.

The trip is booked full and has a waiting list.
Those of you that have reservations for this trip, plan to arrive and check in to the office between 6 and 6:15 a.m. Then go to the patio area to sign in on the boat manifest ( have your ticket in hand ). You may also sign on to the shared eBird if interested. 
Then the orientation will commence about 6:30 a.m..
Please be aware that parking will be tight, as fishing remains quite good.
Importantly, park only in the lot in front of the sportfishing landing or on the street. Both are free. Parking lots to the east and west are permit parking only and they may tow your vehicle.  If you have questions about parking, ask the office staff or the birding leaders before boarding.
We will board about 6:45. The boat will depart at 7 a.m. FYI if you are not onboard at that time we will not wait for you.
Looks like we have a pretty good weather and seas forecast. We do have a little system coming through our area late Thursday into Saturday morning. That may give us a little residual motion Sunday. If you take motion remedies ( better safe than sorry! ) take them beforehand. During the day stay hydrated, do plenty of sunscreen even if skies are overcast. Have a hat, sunglasses, and dress in layers. Mornings can be cool and afternoons rather warm.
The boat has snacks, and drinks for purchase, you may wish to bring your own sandwich or the like for your lunch.
The next three trips are all in September. The double trips weekend Saturday 7th. and 8th. The 7th. is full. The Sunday 8th. trip has very few spots left. 
The Sept. 28th., a Saturday trip has about 20 spots available as of today.
See details of these trips and past trip reports at www.sandiegopelagics.com
I hope to see you out there,
Dave Povey
Dulzura

Pectoral Sandpiper at Dairy Mart

6:32 am

Thursday morning at 6:25 a.m. there is a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper at Dairy Mart, the first of the season. Somewhat unfortunately it is just standing on branches and limbs in the water on the east side of Dairy Mart Road, east of the main pond, where Solitary Sandpipers have been in past years. This is hardly preferred habitat for the species so it probably won’t stay very long.

Yesterday at jacumba, in addition to the usual loose family group of Harris Hawks, there were only a mediocre number of overall migrants of a fair variety which included arrival dates for blue gray gnatcatcher and house wren, which one can determine there because they don’t breed locally.

Paul Lehman, San Diego 

1234