Field Trip Report

Panoche Valley
January 28, 2012
Leslie Flint, leader

Long-eared Owl

Nineteen birders joined me for a spectacular day on Panoche Road, Panoche Valley and finally at Mercey Hot Springs. While Paicines Reservoir failed to produce a Bald Eagle, we did see SPOTTED SANDPIPER and CHIPPING SPARROW along with an assortment of waterfowl. The highlight of the day were the raptors – we may have seen at least 7 GOLDEN EAGLES, 2 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, at least 2 PRAIRIE FALCONS, a MERLIN, white-tailed kite, northern harrier, sharp-shinned and Cooper's, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS in the Valley along with 2 very cooperative ROADRUNNERS were spectacular. The LONG-EARED OWLS at Mercey Hot Springs showed nicely and we were treated to 3 BARN OWLS in the trees near the old white house plus two more well concealed birds in the trees along Panoche Road.

77 species seen or heard:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
California Quail
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Golden Eagle – WOW
American Kestrel
Merlin
Prairie Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Barn Owl
Long-eared Owl
White-throated Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Western Scrub-Jay
Yellow-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Rock Wren
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wrentit
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American robin
Northern Mockingbird
California Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipet
Phainopepla
Spotted Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
California Towhee
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow