To many, spring is the most exciting time of the birder’s year. Severe winters bring exciting northern species south. With the mild weather of winter 1995 – 1996, temperatures near 70° F. in both Jan and Feb and no ice on the lakes, we have had a very poor winter if gauged by northern visitors. There have been no reports of Northern Shrikes or Bohemian Waxwings, and Rough-legged Hawks have been very scarce. Without these and other exciting Arctic birds to capture a birder’s interest, spring is awaited with anticipation akin to “cabin fever”.
A small tip of the migratory iceberg is already showing. Cinnamon Teal usually begin to appear in small groups the last week of Jan with the earliest ever recorded on the 17th. This year two were at Tinemaha Reservoir 5 Jan and 2 more seen at Owens Lake the next day by Mike Prather of Lone Pine. Turkey Vultures return in earnest during early Mar with the avant garde straggling in from mid-Feb. This year Jim & Debby Parker and Floyd & Sandy Bero, all of Bishop, had them in Bishop the first week of Feb.
We leave our hummingbird feeders up all winter and were overjoyed when an adult male Anna’s Hummingbird was seen sucking down our syrup on 4 Feb! The earliest previous county record was 21 Feb 1991 at Sand Canyon in the extreme southwestern corner of Inyo. Imagine our excitement when 3 days later two adult male Anna’s were fighting over who was going to get all three feeders in our backyard! A third male Anna’s was heard singing just a mile south of Big Pine on 10 Feb. The earliest hummingbird ever recorded in Inyo was a Costa’s on 20 Jan 1964 at Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley National Park, by B.B. Paige. The previous early dates are in warmer areas and as both Costa’s and Anna’s winter at Ridgecrest, only 15 miles from Inyo, we shouldn’t be too surprised at their early arrivals.
Tree Swallows have been recorded every month of the year in Inyo and if seen from Nov to early Feb are usually lone individuals. This winter Mike Prather reported one on the Death Valley Christmas Count in mid-Dec. Richard Potashin, from Bishop, found one at Cottonwood Marsh 27 Jan and 5 were at Tinemaha Reservoir 29 Dec.
Northern “Red-shafted” Flickers have started giving their spring song, a long series of rapidly repeated monotone notes. This is not normally given at other times of the year.
On 9 Feb we banded an Orange-crowned Warbler in Big Pine. This was probably a wintering bird as they do not usually appear until mid-Mar. It is often a guess whether a late winter bird is an early migrant or a wintering bird that avoided earlier detection. While there are numerous Christmas Count records for the county it is probable that these are late fall migrants and that as Dec gives way to Jan and we get colder weather, most move on south. We have very few Jan and even fewer Feb records for this species.
By Apr shorebirds will be moving, followed at the end of the month by the masses (we hope) of land birds like flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, warblers, buntings, etc. The following is a calendar of the earliest records for selected species. If you see any of these prior to the dates given we want to hear about it. Remember that thorough documentafion and/or a recognizable photo will be required to turn an exciting sighting into a scientific record. Good luck!
Olive-sided Flycatcher: 20 Apr 1991 Ca Big Pine
Western Wood Pewee: 27 Apr 1977 @ Big Pine
Ash-throated Flycatcher: 17 Mar 19?? @ China Ranch
Western Kingbird: 26 Mar 1918 @ Little Lake
House Wren: 20 Mar 1990 @ Big Pine
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 7 Mar 1991 @ Darwin Falls
Swainson’s Thrush: 7 May 1977 @ Saline Valley
Bell’s Vireo: 18 Mar 19?? @ China Ranch
Solitary Vireo: 9 Apr 1977 @ Big Pine
Warbling Vireo: 6 Apr 1975 @ Big Pine
Orange-crowned Warbler: 7 Mar 1991 @ Darwin Falls
Nashville Warbler: 2 Apr1991 @ Sand Canyon
Yellow Warbler: 10 Apr 1992 @ Scotty’s Castle
Black-throated Gray Warbler: 9 Apr 1977 @ Big Pine
MacGillivray’s Warbler: 9 Apr 1977 @ Big Pine
Wilson’s Warbler: 10 Apr 1992 @ Mesquite Springs
Western Tanager: 20 Apr 1991 @ Big Pine
Black-headed Grosbeak: 9 Apr 1977 @ Big Pine
Lazuli Bunting: 15 Apr 1975 @ Saline Valley
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 8 Mar 1991 @ Big Pine
Hooded Oriole: 13 Mar 1995 @ Independence
Northern “Bullock’s” Oriole: 29 Mar 1991 @ Big Pine