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Originally published in the September – October 1991 issue of the Albatross (Vol 37, No. 1) Disclaimer: the status of some reports listed below (particularly of rarities) may have changed based upon subsequent review. Contact David Suddjian for additional information. Santa Cruz BirdsBy David Suddjian It was a slow breeding season for many species, with many arriving late and in smaller numbers than expected from observations made in previous years. I was particularly distressed by my observations along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where many species that should have been plentiful were scarce or even absent. For example, the Bird Club's trip to Loma Prieta on May 25 was a bust, in spite of good weather. We found zero Lazuli Buntings or House Wrens, and amazingly few California Quail, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Black-headed Grosbeaks or Dark-eyed Juncos. Even Scrub Jays and Wrentits were few and far between! These species were all expected to be numerous and easy to find. Similar absences were noted at Castle Rock and the Long Ridge area. Where were the birds? Some resident species may have been set back by the December freeze, and the late spring may have contributed to the apparently light passage of migrants. But when you have a hard time finding even the common birds, it seems like something must be wrong. Anyway, we did
have several interesting observations this spring and summer, including a
new species for the county and a new breeding bird. I wish to thank Bob
Merrill and Doug George for their regular, monthly letters detailing their
interesting observations. This sort of contribution is
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Our first Murphy's Petrel was seen on April 11, 21 nautical miles southwest of Davenport (DR). This bird was the last of 122 seen by Roberson while over deeper waters than usually visited on pelagic bird trips. The other 121 petrels were in Monterey County waters. Murphy's Petrel may be of regular occurrence well offshore, along with a few other little known species. This "unknown zone", beyond the reach of one-day pelagic trips, is receiving increased attention from ornithologists and birdwatchers. Brown Pelicans flocked in impressive numbers to Central California this spring and summer, producing record high counts for several spots. Flocks of several hundred were a regular feature at Waddell Creek in June and July (DG, RM, DS) and observations at various points recorded nearly continuous passage of flocks both north and south during July (DS). A feeding flock of over 425 pelicans upstaged the Fabulous Drifters’ concert at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on August 29 (DS) It was encouraging to note that the great majority of birds after mid-June were young of the year, indicating breeding was quite successful somewhere. The situation looked more precarious early this spring for our Brandt's Cormorant colony in Davenport. The cormorants were off to a good start with 54 nests built by March 29, but all but two nests were gone by April 11 (RM). Fortunately they redoubled their efforts, with 117 nests counted May 17 (RM), and a record high of 151 nests (most with large young) on July 3 (DS). The spring setback may have been due to the March storms. A female Common Merganser with seven downy young was seen at Loch Lomond on 29 May, for our first breeding record away from the San Lorenzo River (RM). A Peregrine Falcon at Wilder Beach July 15 is one of only a few recent mid-summer records for the county. Some of these breeding season birds have been known releases. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is thought to be an exceptionally rare breeding bird in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with only three recent nesting confirmations and few other observations. However, in the last three years I have received reports from a wide variety of areas, mostly in late June and July, with some sightings in unusual habitat for breeding birds (e.g., Watsonville). Most have been seen only briefly, and few have been reported to age. Are these hawks early migrants, non-breeders, local dispersants, or...? The Turkey Vulture has held its nesting secrets more closely than nearly all of our other breeding birds, but this year our Atlas project came through with three breeding confirmations. The first was a nest with downy chicks reported by Bonnie Bedzin on June 7, located just over the county line in Santa Clara County near Redwood Estates. The nest was in a cave, and the landowner had been aware of it from previous years. Two more nests were discovered on the precipitous east face of Pine Mountain on June 29, viewed from a distance in Scott Creek Canyon (DS). These nests were in caves on a large cliff; one had two downy chicks and the other had two large young ready to fledge. Two pairs of Spotted Sandpipers at Loch Lomond on May 29 indicated likely nesting there, although no follow-up trip could be made to be sure (RM). This is one of our rarest breeding birds in the county. A Franklin's Gull was reported from a boat 8.8 nautical miles off Santa Cruz on August 24 (fide DSh). A Least Tern was studied at Wilder Beach June 11, a typical date for this rare migrant (DG). A non-breeding plumaged Ancient Murrelet seen on the ocean at the Santa Cruz/ San Mateo County line on July 29 was an extremely rare sight for summer (GS fide RT), providing our second summer record. The fourth Marbled Murrelet nest ever found in California was discovered and monitored by the Santa Cruz Bird Club in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The first observations leading to the discovery of the nest were made on May 5 (RC, BB), and observation continued until the chick was seen fledging on July 3 (m.ob.)! This nest was significant for being the first ever found in a coast redwood tree, and this was the first time fledging was ever witnessed first hand. Read the full story elsewhere in this issue! The wintering Common Ground-Dove remained at Wilder Ranch through April 3, when its favorite weedy field was plowed for planting (DG). A Lesser Nighthawk landed on a pelagic birding boat off Santa Cruz on August 13, providing a rare fall record for this species (DSh). The wintering Lewis' Woodpecker at Wilder Ranch was last reported April 3 (DG). Like the Turkey Vulture, nests of the Vaux's Swift have proved very difficult to find, with a traditional nest site in a chimney in Aptos being the only one known in the county prior to this summer. Most of our Vaux's Swifts are thought to nest in tree cavities and hollowed trunks in mature and ancient forests, but this has been difficult to confirm. Thus, a nest discovered in a tree cavity at Big Basin Redwoods State Park was an important find. A lead on the nest site was obtained by Clay Kempf on July 13, and a follow visit confirmed the active nest on July 17 (DS). An early fall migrant Eastern Kingbird was found at Natural Bridges State Beach July 23 (RM). A Purple Martin was seen at Pine Mountain June 3, an area where they were thought to nest, but no martins were seen there subsequently (RM). A fall migrant Bank Swallow was at Wilder Ranch July 29 (DG). This swallow was once a common breeding bird along our coast, but they are now extirpated and we only have one or two reports of migrants in the county each year. One of the most unexpected finds of the season was nesting Varied Thrushes at Cascade Creek in Santa Cruz County (east of Año Nuevo), and at Butano State Park and the North Fork of Butano Creek in San Mateo County! My sources show this species was previously known to nest south only as far as Humboldt County, some 200 miles to the north! The Cascade Creek sighting was of a male and female feeding two fledged young on July 2 (DS). Nesting was confirmed north of Little Butano Creek on June 21, when a female was seen carrying food for young (DS). Other sightings involved singing birds and pairs at six spots in the watershed of the North Fork and South Fork of Butano Creek, June 6 to July 11 (DS, KR, BM, RC). We had no previous summering records in Santa Cruz County, and I am aware of only a few June records for San Mateo County. And we never guessed Varied Thrushes might nest locally. We will have to wait for future years to determine if this year's finding were anomalous.
Cited Observers: Bonnie Bedzin, Rebecca Cull, Doug George, Clay Kempf, Robert Merrill, Bryan Mori, Kent Reeves, Don Roberson, Debi Shearwater (DSh), Gary Strachan, David Suddjian (DS), Ron Thorn. |