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

Weekly Summary #9, 5/13-5/19, 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 = 23.6hrs.
SEARCH EFFORT - E + 10X = 28.0hrs.
TOTAL HOURS OF EFFORT = 51.6hrs.

RTLO --- 92
PALO --- 9,524 (best estimate = ~25,200)
COLO --- 156
ARLO --- 0
YBLO --- 0
CLGR --- 2
BFAL --- 2
LAAL --- 0
NOFU --- 7
PFSH --- 5
FFSH --- 0
SOSH --- 29,035+
STSH --- 0
MASH --- 0
BVSH --- 0
storm petrels 0 (none this year yet)
BRPE --- 996 (major influx continues, slows after mid-week)
DCCO -- 5
BRAN --- 359
BLSC --- 1
SUSC --- 964
WWSC -- 9
RBME --- 13
OLDS --- 0
WHIM --- 149
LBCU --- 5
RNPH -- ~36,100
REPH -- ~357,700 (~307,300 on 5/15)
POJA --- 0
PAJA --- 2
FRGU --- 0
BOGU --- 171
HMGU --- 291
MEGU --- 0
GWGU --- 1
GLGU ---- 0
BLKI ----- 0
SAGU --- 196 (5/13 only -- see comment below)
CATE ---- 7
ELTE ---- 1 (numbers back to normal, I think)
ROTE ---- 0
ARTE ---- 10 (one flock, 5/13)
COTE ---- 7
FOTE ---- 15
BLTE --- 0
COMU --- 96
MAMU --- 2
XAMU ---- 6
ANMU --- 12
b&w murrelet sp. 20
CAAU ---- 6
RHAU ---- 36
TUPU ---- 0

Notes & Comment:

COASTAL SEABIRDS; LOONS, PHALAROPES, ETC.:
The relentless routine, intensity, and momentum of monitoring effort of
coastal seabird migration was shattered this week with unsettled weather and
intermittant obliterating coastal foggy patches which settled in on Monday
(5/13) and continued through Friday (5/17). The critical early morning and
evening sessions were severely compromised. This week's major disruption has
given me pause to realize how utterly exhausted I currently feel. As long as
the weather is clear, the same day after day -- normal, I don't ever seem to
notice such things.

Despite all this, there were enough holes in the fog to get a feel for what
was going on, and the Pacific loon 'best estimate' is believed to be good.
There was an urgency in migration by those 'tardy' ones. With a light layer
of morning fog on 5/16, the normal loon corridor, 200-500 meters offshore was
clear, but virtually all the Pacific loons were up high in the 'express
lanes', 500-1,000 feet or so and 'mainlining' north in packs of 10 to 60. No
more fiddle-farting around in the southern wintering grounds or ambling along
along the coastal scenic route. These birds were in a rush, direct, and
cutting corners as in cutting directly over and to the east of the Point. A
few small flocks of brant and surf scoters were doing this as well, species
which have never been observed doing this before. The loons were moving at
~60mph -- normal speed is ~40-45mph.

There was *probably* a major evening flight of Sabine's gulls on 5/13.
Nearly 200 were seen in just 10 minutes, one large flock of 135 followed by
numerous smaller ones, right on the margin of visibility, on the 'Sabine's
highway' along the inshore/offshore longshore current line at 1.2 nm
offshore. The appearance of these birds was unusually early, just after
1700hrs, but shortly thereafter, the fog closed off the area to viewing --
drat! There were likely many hundreds if not a few thousand out there that
evening. None have been seen since!

Bonaparte's gulls are virtually gone now and had my first *zero* day on 5/16.

If anything is wearing me out, it's the phalaropes. The counts shown above
are just for the sampling periods. The real total is many times more --
surely a million plus. That's a lot of phalaropes! Admittedly, I'm not very
good at counting, (gu)estimating such large numbers, and this is depressing,
but I have gotten better at it. I am certain now that my estimates early on
for the massive red-necked phalarope flights on 4/23 & 4/24 were way way low
by 3-5 times. There were easily more than a million birds on each of those
mornings. Through the morning of 5/16, seas were utterly flat slick calm and
carpeted with 250,000 red phalaropes. Those excellent conditions enabled
nice long leisurely looks at Xantus', marbled, and ancient murrelets drifting
around 'inside' the cove to the east of the South Point as well.

PASSERINES & OTHER STUFF
The passerine migration along the coast seems to have been a total bust.
During the 1994 & 1995 seasons, there was always something in the bushes
around the lighthouse, including one major fallout (wreck) in 1995. Despite
a week of mostly S to SE offshore winds, migrant passerines, even the usual
common ones like orange-crowned and Wilson's warblers have been virtually
non-existent. Bummer! However, what couldn't be had in numbers or diversity
was made up in quality with a singing male black & white warbler in the
bushes, 5/12-14.

The first, and one and only passerine 'fallout' this season occurred at first
light on 5/18. It wasn't much, but better than nothing, and the conditions
were similar to a huge 'fallout' observed here in 1995 -- new moon, migrants
launching under clear SoCal skies only to be intercepted by rain and fog and
pushed coastward by SE winds. Only about 20 birds were involved in this 1996
event while hundreds (maybe thousands) were in the 1995 event. Only one
Wilson's warbler was found dead on the deck on the top of the lighthouse this
time. I'll dig out my notes from the 1995 event and post them separately to
*tweeters*. The SLO Co. gang has already seen them, so will spare you folks
the electronic space. *Tweets* may find these notes rather interesting
reading.

Up, up and away; Allen's hummingbirds fledged on 5/13. White-crowned
sparrows are running around at the study site with recently fledged young in
tow. The young hang out at our feet, but haven't quite figured out how to
pick up the millet seeds I've scattered around there. The adults pick the
seeds up, and give them to the young white-crowneds one-by-one. It's kind of
cute to watch, anyway.

PEREGRINES:
All three fledglings are doing fine. The reluctant third one finally took
the plunge from the aeiry and into the shroud of fog in the evening of 5/13.
I suspect that this one may be a male -- slightly smaller, but also younger.
He was also the first of the three to make the 100 meter crossing to the
mainland. Probably more by accident, but he ended up on the *snow bunting*
(1994) rock for the night at the South Point study site, and remained until
0800hrs the next morning when it was *escourted* back to the Outer Rock Islet
by both adults. Otherwise through most of this foggy week, the fledglings
remained on the Outer Rock Islet, scrambling around the rock and rock face,
exercising the wings a lot, and going off on little rock-hopping flights.
Only two short sortes to the mainland were observed by mid-week, and in both
cases, the adults were on the spot to promptly escourt the young back to the
Outer Rock. As long as the young birds remain on the Outer Rock, the adults
have been remarkably calm and quiet with regards to our presence. However,
they are ruthless towards the gulls and cormorants over there and driving
them into incredible crash landings into the water. One Brandt's cormorant
was killed in a peregrine-driven crash on the rocks, probably from a broken
neck. In 1994, the young birds came directly across upon fledging, resulting
in a week or more of absolute chaos, noise, and fending off aggressive
defensive parents. By week's end, the mainland sortes were becoming more
frequent and all three birds are finding an immense fascination with the top
of the lighthouse and all the antennas up there. At night, the whole family
all return to the Outer Rock to roost, but the aeiry itself has now long been
abandoned. There are apparently several spellings for the word *aeiry*.
Although this one isn't the commonly used one, it is apparently acceptable,
so I am told.

Here's a couple little snips from my journal:

5/17/96: "....At ~1600, I saw both the male and female bolt off the Outer
Rock and head off to the east on a hunting expedition. Way out along and
over rt.1 in the vicinity of the Camper Cove both birds were circling.
About 45 minutes later, I saw both birds returning, first the female,
followed by the male, ~100 meters behind, pass over the South Point. The
male with a young Bonapartes gull in its talons, wing still dragging and
heading directly to the top of the Outer Rock. Even before he got there, all
three young birds were jumping around and fluttering and flapping hard,
obviously eagerly anticipating the 'dinner' delivery. The male dropped the
gull at there feet and went away while all three birds, looking very much
like sitting at a dinner table, one at each end and one on the side dove into
the meal. Amazing!...."


5/18/96: "....A fascinating feeding scenario was observed today. At
1130hrs, I watched the male capture a female red phalarope ~0.5 nm offshore,
then bring the bird still alive and struggling in its talons inshore where
directly overhead, he was intercepted by the female for an aeiral exchange --
talon to talon. The female went straight to the top of the lighthouse and
handed it over to a waiting fledgling. With the phalarope in the talons of
the young bird, both flew off together and back to the Outer Rock Islet,
female making little snappy dives on the young bird, perhaps teaching it
how to carry prey and keep hold of it while being harassed (I dont know --
thats just what it looked like to me). Once back on the top of the Outer
Rock, the young bird then had its lunch in peace...."


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