Baltimore Oriole, Cackling Geese ssp., lakes

Friday morning, just a little after dawn, there was a medium-bright female-type Baltimore Oriole in the blooming eucalyptus trees immediately on the east side of the main residence building at Rohr Park in Bonita. Also in the general area at least one Western Tanager and one or two wintering White-breasted Nuthatches which are annual there. At Sweetwater Reservoir there are now 10 Cackling Geese with the 150 Canadas and 110 White- frontends, of which six are minima Cacklings, which may be a new high count for the county for that subspecies, and then four are of the more expected Aleutian Cackling. Also 23 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 5 ibis, and three barn swallows with the Tree swallow flock. Uncommon or high late-season INLAND shorebirds included two Semipalmated Plovers, avocet, six Dunlin, and 350 Western Sandpipers. At Lower Otay Lake there were good counts of 38 Canvasbacks and 2,500 Coots!