X-Men Remix

It was cold thing morning, especially the wind. I regretted not a single one of my five layers plus jacket and windbreaker, though I could shed the last two and a Henley while I sat in the dip in late morning. Still no Western Warbling Vireo or Black-headed Grosbeak though at least the latter should arrive eventually. What has arrived are European Starlings.:( Not many, think, and the strangest thing was a flyover of an apparently standard, blue and black Rock Pigeon. I had that white escapee a while back but never before a city pigeon. I saw the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the same general area, and the White-crowned Sparrow was still singing near the parking lot; He's been there a month, now. But the most fun were the Warblers; lots of Orange-crowns, a couple of Wilson's, and in the willows at the corner, singing Townsend's and Yellow-rumped. All that's missing is McGillivray's! ( The list: )

I rarely actually want to go home, after, but my back gets tired after three or four hours. Today I parked briefly along Shasta Road and sure enough, I heard a Western Warbling Vireo. This is a place where I used to hear one every Spring/Summer as I drove by. It's been a couple of years, I think, but apparently it's still an attractive spot.

Today it got hot. I left three layers on the bank in the dip, walking the rest of the trail in just a t-shirt. Seemed quieter, too. Same number of species but fewer individuals. Only one Blue-gray Gnatcatcher but it was singing their delightful, buzzy song. A local birder had posted that there was a migrant wave happening and I hoped for some interesting birds on the Trail, but all I found was a surprising number of Yellow-rumped Warblers; I reported six where I've usually had none. Singing, too. There were American White Pelicans on San Pablo Reservoir and a tern fishing, though I can't say which one. Large so likely Caspian but too far away to be sure. There haven't been many raptors lately bar Great Horned Owls, not even a yelling Red-shouldered Hawk, but today a Red-tailed Hawk was cruising the hillsides at the North end of the trail, and a Cooper's Hawk flew over as I was returning. ( The list: )

I heard many California Quail but saw few on the Trail today. Their best known call is frequently transcribed as "Vallejo, vallejo" but I also heard the variation, "what the hell, what the hell".:)