Point Piedras Blancas, San Luis Obispo, Co., California.

Weekly Summary #5, 4/06-4/14, 1996.
(*Selected* species; i.e. in most cases including those species which are
clearly long-shore, off-shore migrants but *not* including 'common' large
migrant larid gulls, cormorants (except DCCO), most shorebirds, miscellaneous
non-sea waterfowl, and in most cases unidentified birds like alcids, terns,
jaegers, etc.)

SEARCH EFFORT - 25X = 27.9hrs.
SEARCH EFFORT - E + 10X = 38.1hrs.
TOTAL HOURS OF EFFORT = 66.0hrs.

RTLO --- 3,516
PALO --- 100,605 (best estimate = ~119,500)
ar/palo -- 3
COLO --- 1,864
YBLO --- 1 (4/21 - alt. plum. adult)
co/yblo -- 0
CLGR --- 2
BFAL --- 0
LAAL --- 0
NOFU --- 4
PFSH --- 3
FFSH --- 0
SOSH --- 1,061+
STSH --- 0
MASH --- 1 (4/18)
BVSH --- 0
storm petrels 0 (none this year yet)
BRPE --- ~38 (judged as migrants)
DCCO -- 25
BRAN --- 6,160 (best estimate = 9,550)
BLSC --- 1
SUSC --- 10,677 (best estimate = 15,100)
WWSC -- 16 (low)
RBME --- 39
OLDS --- 0
WHIM --- 141
LBCU --- 12
PHAL --- 1,000 (probably REPH, all 4/18)
REPH --- 0
RNPH --- 0
POJA --- 0
PAJA --- 4
po/paja -- 0
FRGU --- 0
BOGU --- 1,705
HMGU --- 12 (all brown immatures judged as migrants)
MEGU --- 1
GWGU --- 5
GLGU --- 0
BLKI ---- 0
SAGU ---- 0
CATE --- 12 (low)
ROTE --- 0
ARTE --- 0
FOTE --- 436
COTE -- 0
COMU --- 69
MAMU --- 15
XAMU --- 0
ANMU --- 1
CAAU --- 41
RHAU --- 153

Notes & selected highlights this week:

LOONS:
The Pacific loon migration continues to accelerate and intensify. Except for
poor weather early in the week, daily totals are running 20 - 30,000 per day.
The cumulative total for the season is ~200,000, about 50,000 behind last
year's pace at this date. No 'epic' bursts yet (i.e. 20,000 / hour recorded
in 1995), but maybe one of those will hit sometime this week. We're due now,
any day. Week #6 should see the PALO migration at it's peak. Season totals
should wind up at ~500,000 or so if they are going to match 1995. The
season's first yellow-billed loon was seen on Sunday, 4/21, a nice full
alternate plumaged bird ~1.2nm offshore. Hopefully there will be more. Just
have to keep looking those common loons over very carefully.

PEREGRINES:
4/15 -- first nestling made an appearance on the ledge of the eyrie.
4/17 -- second nestling makes an appearance.
4/18 -- a third nestling is discovered. All three in soft grey down dress
lined up side by side.

An excerpt from my journal 4/20/96:
"....The ultimate insult to injury occurred this afternoon at ~1540hrs. An
easy mark -- a rock dove, the first Ive seen here this season, was ambling
along toward the Outer Rock, and I just by coincidence happened to be on the
25X at the time and scanning through the exact spot when the male peregrine
dropped in what seemed like an almost slow-motion maneuver, snatching the
hapless pigeon out of the air. It went directly to a lower level on the
Outer Rock clutching the pigeon in its talons, and then proceeded to pick at
its neck. I could see spots of red on the pigeons neck as it flapped
about. Then, a few seconds later, the rock dove flew off like a shot and
straight into a small cave in the rock among several hundred California sea
lions (Zalophus californicus) with the peregrine in hot pursuit. The
peregrine didnt enter the cave, but perched on a boulder at the entrance
looking inward. A remarkable sight there in the middle of all those sea
lions. After 2 or 3 minutes, the peregrine moved to another less
conspicuous perch above the cave. It appeared quite active and aggitated,
hoping from rock to rock and literally pacing back and forth, and all the
while frequently making quick glances upward 75 feet or so to the eyrie where
the female was waiting. Could this be peregrine embarassment?! Afraid
to go home after blowing a rock dove of all things? A missed shorebird is
one thing and maybe forgivable as long as it doesnt become a habit. Blowing
a rock dove might be considered unforgivable and perhaps grounds for
'peregrine divorce'...."
---Please excuse the anthropomorphology :)

PASSERINES & OTHERS (& STUFF):
Passerine migration continues to be abyssmal -- hermit thrush (1),
yellow-rumped warbler (1), and common yellowthroat (1). Only a good 'Santa
Anna' (offshore overnight wind) will send anything much out this way. Such
events in the Spring are very very rare here. The site is still flooded with
hummingbirds including quite a few male rufous yet. It's tough to keep up
with them, and keep the feeders filled which they drain almost daily, while
trying to keep tabs on all those loons and everything else going on around
here.

Prevailing shorebirds moving through are western sandpiper, dunlin, and
short-billed dowitcher. An adult alternate plumaged Pacific golden plover
this week was a new species for me here. It spent an afternoon with a mixed
flock of whimbrels and long-billed curlews on the elephant seal cove beach.
4,000 elephant seals there now -- quite a spectacle! ...not to mention
tourist sensation / traffic hazard along the scenic coast highway (rt.1)
where the seals are highly visible, even crawling out onto the roadway
sometimes!

The second phase of the gray whale migration is picking up with more and more
cow/calf pairs hugging the coast line each day, and rounding the Point at 200
meters or less. Few other species of cetaceans are being seen this year for
some reason. Highlights of the 1995 season included a right whale and a gray
whale 'kill' by a pack of ~20 killer whales. We normally see a school of
200-600 common dolphins almost daily, but they just haven't been around much
this season.

The Hyakutake Comet is entering it's final days for viewing. Still quite
spectacular in the low NW sky after sunset and before 2100hrs when viewed in
the 25X. With the waxing moon again, it will probably be gone for good
during week #6.

Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
(Bellevue, WA)
currently: Piedras Blancas Lighthouse
San Simeon, California