Very large flocks of SAVANNAH SPARROWS, below, line the fences of the valley floor. I headed for Shotgun Pass, turning left on Little Panoche Road.
Another PRAIRIE FALCON flew over the pass, while a BURROWING OWL was standing tall. I didn't stop to photograph it because I was heading for
Panoche Hills.
Huge sparrow flocks flew up along the roads in the BLM lands. I saw a few SAGE SPARROWS, and the ROCK WREN, below.
Many of the southeast facing hills have large stands of Spanish Dagger, a plant that Costa's Hummingbirds favor. Amazingly, I found no Mountain Bluebirds in the BLM lands.
Returning to Little Panoche Road and heading back to the intersection of Panoche Road, I noticed a BARN OWL stuffed inside of a hole in the hillside— just a portion of the face looking out at me. Passed up two more BURROWING OWLS. Now, I decided to focus on finding more Burrowing Owls, checking old known spots.
On Panoche Road, most birders are familiar with the School. It is the only school in the valley. I took a left at the school on a dirt road. This is Norton Road, but the street sign no longer exists. It is an
eBird Birding Hotspot. As the reader can see in the above image, there is a cow-paddy laden, dirt area, bordered by grasses. It was here that I had hoped to find a Burrowing Owl. Instead I saw these sweet little brown, Christmas plovers! There
is a
MOUNTAIN PLOVER in the image above, but it is more easily seen in the image below. The corral area where the plovers were is located exactly .5 miles from the intersection at the school.
MOUNTAIN PLOVERS are one of the most prized birds of Panoche Valley. Although I've made many trips to the valley this year, this is the first group that I've encountered. I counted them at least half a dozen times, one by one. Only eight plovers! If you report bird sighting on eBird, and I hope you do, please count plovers, one by one, rather than estimating. It is not that difficult. Also, if you have a scope, check for leg bands. I did not find any.
One of the unique things about this location is that the area that the plovers are using is very, very small. This often means that the plovers very close to the road. For photographers this presents an extremely rare opportunity! It was nearly dark when I was there, from 4:45 to 5 pm. The sun was behind me. So, afternoon light will be best, but don't wait this late in the day.
I implore birders and photographers to please, please be respectful of these birds and private property. Please do not slam your car door and keep voices down. We'd like to keep these little gems around for all to enjoy! Below, you will see a more general image of the area.
Looking toward the end of Norton Road, below, you'll see this rather frightening homestead. Signs all around state that "Trespassers Will BE SHOT." Take heed. Do NOT under any circumstances cross any fences or gates.
This corral, below, is directly across from the area where the Mountain Plovers were foraging. A flock of about 225 HORNED LARKS joined the plovers, but flew off at sunset.
I did not see any Burrowing Owls at the corral, but did see a dark morph FERRUGINOUS HAWK near the school when I left the area. Continuing on Panoche Road, I bee-lined to Silver Creek, hoping to find plovers there, too. No luck. I did see on BURROWING OWL in this area, though.
The sunset was quite spectacular this evening. I shot many images, but the one below, over Kim's house is one of my favorites. I saw three GIANT KANGAROO RATS before leaving the Silver Creek area. It was solidly dark on my fairly uneventful drive back to Hollister. However, I did manage one GREAT-HORNED OWL at Paicines Reservoir; 2 BARN OWLS on Quien Sabe Road (lower area); one BARN OWL and one GREAT-HORNED OWL on John Smith Road.
And, for those of you who are gull lovers, if you have an opinion on the species, below, facing away from the photographer, ring out!
And, for those of you who are gull lovers, if you have an opinion on the species, below, facing away from the photographer, ring out!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
