Death Valley birding & avoiding golf balls

From: Parkers
Email: jimndebby@qnet.com
Remote Name: 209.221.198.165
Date: 11/04/02
Time: 01:09:53 PM

Description

We got to see all the great sparrows others found on Sat. and found a Chipping Sparrow in the date palm orchard by the horse shoe pit, where Jim also spied a Winter Wren and later Guy McCaskie named a brownish sapsucker as a Yellow-bellied. Late Sat. the merganser flew by Jim and I at eye level and 4 Snow Geese flew to the pond. On Sunday morning, while looking at the Sparrow flock at the motel, Jim spied a Ruddy-ground Dove and Guy later said it was a male. We had great views of the Rusty Blackbird at the PUGA Pond and then Guy & Peter took us out across the greens from there to see the Merganser who mostly had his head tucked.Guy spied Jon's Palm Warbler from the day before. Deb also found a Hermit Thrush sculking along the airport road in bushes near the pond. Guy found another much duller Tree Sparrow in the Palm Orchard and we all saw the Lewis' Woodpeckers. Prairie Falcon picked up a bird from very near us at the motel. Lastly, but importantly, Jim found a female hummingbird in front of the Visitor Center which we are 99 % sure was a Costa's. We took Guy & Peter back but of course bird was not there. Phainopepla's under the cooler on backside of V.C. Great time and we enjoyed camping out with the 1,000 RVs.