CBCs

Somehow I made it until this weekend to do my first Christmas Bird Counts.  I managed two in one weekend, doing the Pinnacles National Park count on Saturday and the Panoche Valley count on Sunday.  While Pinnacles provided more diversity, Panoche gave me looks at two species I've been hoping to see for awhile.

Here's my best look ever at a California Condor.  We ended up seeing at least five individuals, though maybe more, as we sighted a few of them on multiple occasions.


Other favorites from Pinnacles included Canyon Wren and Rufous-crowned Sparrow.

Panoche Valley views.




Before even arriving at the count I laid my eyes on two Lewis's Woodpeckers, not lifers, but it'd been almost two years!


I DID get a lifer though, MOUNTAIN PLOVERS! There were about 250 feeding on the driest of dry fields. They were a bit far away, but still great views of a bird I'd been pining to see for awhile.