I too birded Refugio this morning but confined my birding to the main canyon and did not start at the S Curve above the houses. Great movement of birds where I was too. As soon as I got out of my car, I heard a Bullock's Oriole, but when I looked up into the sycamore, I found at least 6 Western Tanagers as well. At least 4 more Tanagers were flying around the trees across the road. This is kind of how the morning went.
Unlike last Monday when I found only 1 Wilson's warbler along the route, today they were all over the place, especially in the oak trees. Ditto for Warbling Vireos, though they seemed to prefer the sycamores. In one oak tree, I counted six Black-throated Gray Warblers and saw four more in the next tree, and then several more in the oak trees behind the fenced grasslands further up the road. Several of the males were singing. I also had two groups of Townsend's Warblers, a few lingering Yellow-rumps, more Bullock's Orioles and Tanagers, Yellow Warblers and Black-headed Grosbeaks singing, Western Flycatchers calling, etc. Above the avocado orchards there was a good-sized flock of Swallows (mostly Violet-green) but with them I counted 6 Vaux's Swifts. I heard 2 Cassin's Vireos (matched up calls with the recordings, one quite close near 1875D Refugio Road, but I just could not get a visual on it). And of course, there were the resident Hutton's Vireos, House Wrens, Titmice, etc. calling too. It was quieter walking back to my car, but I still managed to turn up a Nashville Warbler at a small watering trough in the ground next to the fence.
Weather Conditions are supposed to be similar for tomorrow, so if you didn't get up there today, you might get lucky tomorrow.
Florence Sanchez
