Date: 4/20/24 2:40 pm From: Andrew McGrath via groups.io <amcgrathpaleo...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Baron Ranch Birds & Changes
Hello all,
I hiked the Baron Ranch up to where the trail splits. Wildflowers were running rampant, but bird activity was a mixed bag. Orioles (hooded and Bullock's), hummingbirds (Costa's, black-chinned, and Anna's), wrens (house and Bewick's), and western flycatchers were abundant. However, the lack of warblers and vireos was surprising. 5-6 warbling vireos and a single Hutton's vireo were my only representatives of that family. Among warblers, I only had 3 yellow, 2 yellowthroat, and 1 Wilson's. Other notable observations were a small group of Vaux's swifts, an ash-throated flycatcher, and a pair of copulating Nuttall's woodpeckers.
In other news, it seems that the trail at Baron Ranch (officially Arroyo Quemado Trail) is changing routes. This seemingly happened while I was hiking as my route back was blocked after heading in this morning! The new route branches off immediately after the first creek crossing and parallels the old route further west (i.e., upslope) before rejoining the existing route at the second creek crossing (first bridge-less crossing). This means that the excellent riparian habitat will be much less accessible, which is super disappointing to me as these areas are often (including today) the most birdy. There are maps depicting the new route at the trailhead.
