The migration has been just okay the last couple of weeks with the timing; most days had reasonable flights but with really big ones; there have been some birdless days - see http://www.trektellen.org/tejonpass. Now in peak season for major flights, the weather isn't particularly exciting with midweek appearing to have the best chance of good flights. It has been a late spring here with Thursday being the first day that flipped from early-season Yellow-rumps and Chipping Sparrows to grosbeaks, tanagers, orioles and warblers. The lack of blooming flowers, and therefore food, is striking. There is plenty of evidence to suggest food is the biggest motivation in driving migration and the sparsity of food and to the south of us is a good explanation of the poor/late migration.
It is snowing as a write this. There is lots of snow high so I presume an odd bird will come down to my feeders. The 6 Black-headed Grosbeaks clearly knew it was coming, as did most of the hummingbirds, because most left last night. Pine Siskins and House Finches are still here because they are hardy, and the first Purple Finch just showed up. There are no Cassin's Finch this year; very unusual.
The messed with the local aquifer and the pond in Frazier Park is getting water after years of being dry. The water recharge project west of Neenach is nearly finished. It is big!.There is almost no water at the moment thought there are plenty of shorebirds at the little puddle and birds such as Chestnut-collared Longspur used it. When they start putting water in from the aqueduct, it has the potential to be great. Presumably it has to to do with the project to put 22,000 houses nearby. More houses are also being built the other side of Tejon Pass near the outlets to support the Hard Rock Casino due to be opened in December. The area is going to start looking very different at some point!
The Sag Pond on Gorman Post Road has water. Plenty of birds drop in. There have been as many as 3 Solitary Sandpipers. Quail Lake has had Pacific Loon, Bonaparte's Gulls, lots of Caspian Terns and unusually high numbers of Western and Clarkes Grebes but nothing out of the ordinary. That just about sums up the last few weeks in the area. Good birding...
