No turtles on the Turtle Patrol this morning, but there were a lot of warblers on the dunes and in the pavilion. It was cold and misty and I got wet, but I didn't mind as I was hoping to see a turtle because 2 were found on Wednesday.
Black and White Warbler
on the Pavilion at Isla Blanca Beach
Summer Tanager
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
There were several dozen of these around the bushes
and on the picnic table when I came back
from the turtle patrol.
I put a plate of flax seed (and some water) out for the birds, they seem
to like it - luckily the seagulls don't bother with it.
It's around 4 pm on Thursday and a family is moving into the cottage behind my RV site. This scared the birds away. Last night all of the birds left around 7:00 - 7:30. I will put out some fresh oranges early tomorrow morning.
I'm seeing what look like Gray Catbirds, but they look larger than the ones I saw at the Refuge last month. There are also sparrows and more birds I can't get pictures of and can't identify. The Indigo Buntings are pretty, but move too fast, they mostly stay on the gravel behind my RV site.
These birds don't know how to share, they fight over the oranges.
Push each other away, bite each other and squawking.
They say this is the biggest "bird fall out" in a long time. The news is that the birds are tired and hungry because of the strong winds and cold temps. I charged up my camera with the 15x zoom and if the birds are still around, will get more pictures tomorrow. I am on the turtle patrol at 11 am tomorrow.
