Date: 4/30/25 3:36 pm From: <thebrit1...> via groups.io <thebrit1...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Tejon Pass/Golden Triangle area
The warmer weather in the last 2 days was clearly led to large migration in the area. Sadly for us, there was almost no wind and locally it was NE or S at times - the kiss of death here. We had a few hundred birds each of the last 3 days but this is when we want 1000's. 10k is considered a really good day here. Interestingly this morning, light NW went to calm and then briefly S (very rare in the pass). Northbound migration stopped and a few warblers flew south. The need to fly into the wind in the daytime is striking, and revealing! I have seen this happen before on calm days; when the wind switches direction, the birds do too.
There is an American Bittern in the Sag Pond today - the first I have seen up here. My garden changes every day. The snow higher up brought 2 Cassin's and 2 Purple Finch to my garden. They were gone the next day. A number of birds, such as Lazuli's, tanagers and hummingbirds, are seen only once in my garden. Early to mid-afternoon seems to be when we get these new arrivals. These may well be birds that have been migrating high in the daytime and come down to rest and feed in the afternoon before moving on again at night. Ad male Calliope and Black-chinned Hummers both made visits earlier; they both fed for a few minutes and have presumably moved on. This frequently happens with Rufous Hummingbirds. Nearly all adult males at my feeders show at least a couple of green feathers on the back; everything else, including tail feather shape, looks identical to adult males. Birds with completely rufous backs are the minority. Literature suggests this is atypical but I am curious if anyone knows anything about this. A flock of 100 Western Sands just went past - regular through the Pass but scarce up here in Frazier Park. Raptors etc usually come up this valley when there is dense cloud below in Tejon Pass, and the weather is clearer up here, which it nearly always is.
I will be doing a talk at the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Thousand Oaks at 6PM this Friday, May 2nd. Hope you can come and say hello - I will be there at 5.30. I will have some books for sale.
My house here is in escrow and scheduled to close on May 7th after which I will be heading back to my Cape May, NJ home. I will definitely miss the fantastic birding up here and all the birds right outside my windows.
Richard Crossley
