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On 14 May, Saturday, fifty-two special people honored the tenacity and endurance of migratory birds by being themselves tenacious and persistent! As a result of 409 person-hours, a total of 209 species were found which is incredible count for an inland county without any marine birds. Of the 209, 162 were neotropical migrants, that is, birds who winter in the tropics from Mexico to southern South America and breed from Inyo County to Alaska! Four species were added that had never before been recorded on IMBDs: a White-tailed Ptarmigan was found by Rene & Joanne Landeros, two Band-tailed Pigeons were seen by Susan Steele and Shelley Ellis, an adult male Vermilion Flycatcher was noted by Vicki & Gerry Wolfe, and TWO Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (one in Amargosa Canyon by Chris McCreedy & Justin Hite and the other in the White Mtns. by Jerry Zatorski). The maximum number records for 24 species were set: Gambel's Quail (55),California Gull (8277), Great Horned Owl (15), Black-chinned Hummingbird (93), Costa's Hummingbird (40), Broad-tailed Hummingbird (20), Say's Phoebe (66), Western Kingbird (207), Loggerhead Shrike (28), Bell's Vireo (12), Rock Wren (105), Canyon Wren (14), Bewick's Wren (168), House Wren (173), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (112), Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (6), Black-throated Gray Warbler (57), Yellow-breasted Chat (46), Green-tailed Towhee (56), Spotted Towhee (174), Lazuli Bunting (116), Great-tailed Grackle (173), Bullock's Oriole (183), and Lesser Goldfinch (461). This was the ninth annual IMBD in which Inyo County has participated and a record was set when 19,816 individual birds were found within the 24 hour period. This homage is meritoriously deserved by the feathered many whose perilous flights north and south inspire a sense of wonder from those who cannot fly. |
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