Mokka mit Schlag » 2008 » March

Spotted Towhee,
San Diego creek, Irvine, CA, 2008-03-19

Spotted this unusual large hawk at San Joaquin yesterday round dusk:

From the shape, it’s almost certainly a Buteo. My best guess is Red-tailed Hawk, but it really didn’t feel right for that. It could have been some Western juvenile plumage I’m not used to, but it really gave the impression of being huge, even larger than a Red-tail. The other possibility is Ferruginous Hawk, which I’m not used to at all. Neither of those seems spot on though.

If it helps, the bird showed definite white on the head, when it turned:
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For the weekend at least. I hopped a JetBlue flight over to visit my wife who’s in town for a few weeks on business and to talk to our accountant about last year’s taxes. This morning I had a little free time to hop over to Prospect Park and do some East Coast birding. As you can see, it’s still winter out here. The leaves have not started to come in yet on the deciduous trees.

I did not find the Pine Warbler I was looking for, and I’m kicking myself that I missed the Northern Goshawk again; but I did add several birds to the year list, including one that’s only a rarity out West, Common Grackle:
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American Black Duck, Anas rubripes
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, 2008-03-16

West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella
San Joaquin Wildlife Refuge, 2008-03-11

I saw this one as soon as I pulled into the parking lot after work. It was clearly a lady, but didn’t feel quite right for either Painted or American. I had to go home and check the field guide, and it did prove to be a uniquely west coast species.

I took another spin around San Joaquin Wildlife Refuge yesterday after work. I only had an hour before dark, but I still managed to add 4 species to my BGBY list including these White Pelicans:

These are the first pelicans I’ve seen this year. I’ve spent a couple of weeks in Santa Clara County this year, and they’re usually pretty easy to find up there this time of year, but for some reason they just didn’t seem to be around this year. Anyway, these were closer to home.
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