After a light trickle of Red-necked Phalaropes passing Pt. Piedras Blancas
since last week, the flyway exploded mid-afternoon yesterday as northerly winds
picked up to 15-20kts in the wake of an otherwise flat dead calm lifeless
unsettled weather day punctuated with periods of showers and even some rare
but intense moments of lightning and thunder that sent us packing to temporary
shelter. From mid-afternoon onwards to dark, unestimatable hordes of
RED-NECKED PHALAROPES streamed past the 'Point' by the tens and hundreds of
thousands until dark. Totals probably numbered in the millions making this one of
the largest flights observed here in perhaps ten years and unusually near shore
out to about a half mile with many hundreds to thousands at time pausing
briefly in some of the little rip and flotsam lines only a 50-100 meters
offshore before picking up and moving on only to be replaced by the next batch.
Amazingly, not a single Red Phalarope was detected amidst this enormous flight
of Red-neckeds. Since there are only a finite number of Red-necked Phalaropes
in our part of world, such flights when they do occur are usually
short-lived and last little more than a day or two. This flight should hit the Oregon
/ Washington coast today or tomorrow. Right now might be a good time to be
checking your favorite stretches of beach and coastal ponds for any fallout
which I would expect to some degree (maybe some passerines too) especially
since it has remained overcast overnight with light winds along the Central
Coast.

It got quite busy out there as the wind suddenly picked up after 3pm for
other stuff too like loons, brant, scoters, Sooty Shearwaters, Bonaparte's
Gulls, alcids (Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, Ancient Murrelets), and among
the throngs were at least one Black-footed Albatross and one beautiful adult
Pomarine Jaeger picked off in the casual glances out there in between gray
whale watching. The change in wind also kicked off a large movement of
shorebirds dominated primarily by flock after flock of Short-billed Dowitchers and
Western Sandpipers screaming past the 'Point' heading north. Actually, as I
write this this morning (4am), there is presently a small flock of confused Snow
or Ross's Geese, ten or so I'd guess; can't see 'em, just hear them noisily
going round and round circling the lighthouse in the dark gloomy overcast and
light northerly winds. Nothing much yet detected 'in' light beams but I
will scan the offshore at first light to see what might be left over from
yesterday.

And as a sidebar, "Pillbug", our wayward lost racing/homing pigeon was
indeed captured yesterday afternoon with the sea otter dip net and now resides
comfortably in his carefully prepared cardboard box shipping container and will
be hitting the road for the first leg of his journey home, first stop,
Bakersfield, then on to Boron Friday. I have to admit, he was a little wary of
'that big thing' I was holding in my hand as he cocked his head and seemed to
eye me thinking 'uh oh, what are you doing, Richard?" :-))

Richard Rowlett
NOAA/NMFS gray whale migration study
Pt. Piedras Blancas Light Station
San Simeon, CA