The common warbler of the west coast is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It was noted most places visited and was often quite numerous, especially on the coast and at the Salton Sea. Several locations allowed for close approach and the first image below was a random one from Point Pinos, Monterey. I was walking back to the car from the beach when this fellow popped up out of the blue and sat on this perch for several minutes. The following pictures are all from the small beach at the end of San Geronimo Creek a few miles north of Morro Bay. Several were feeding on the sea weed here where there was a tonne of flies.
California - November 2009
Passerines: page 3
Northern Mockingbird
American Buff-bellied Pipit
Loggerhead Shrike
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush
Western Bluebird
Cedar Waxwing
Mountain Bluebird
Phainopepla
Pygmy Nuthatch
Oak Titmouse
Say's Phoebe
Clarke's Nutcracker
American Crow
Yellow-billed Magpie
Brewers Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsends Warbler
House Finch
Song Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Not overly common the coastal habitats providing most of the sightings of Townsends Warbler with this fine male being seen in Golden Gate Park on the first morning.
After failed attempts at Yosemite National Park and the Puite Mountains I eventually nailed Clarke's Nutcracker at Mt. Pinos with several seen well, eventually. This bird has a full crop.
American Crow was common and widespread and as such was almost forgotten about until the last day at Goat Rock Beach near Jenner when a couple were vying with the gulls for the bread I was throwing out.
Uncommon and range limited Yellow-billed Magpie was only seen reliably and regularly at Pozo Road about half hours drive from San Louis Obispo.
Large flocks of 'blackbirds' were seen right across California with Brewers Blackbird being the common species though when I took the time to really give the flocks a glance there were Red-winged Blackbirds, a Yellow-headed Blackbird and Grackles present. With so many Brewers Blackbirds around I forgot to really try and photograph them with the male below at La Merced and the female after it at Laguna Park in San Louis Obispo. If I return then I must make a point of photographing these guys.
