Hello, all. Approximately 20 intrepid birders visited Tecolote Canyon on Saturday, 7/23 for our regularly scheduled Palomar Audubon field trip. Fortunately, the weather was overcast and tolerable for most of the morning. As we were returning to the starting point, the skies cleared, and Nature showed us how hot the canyon can really be in late July.

As can be expected at this time of year in the canyon, the bird count was limited. We were, as always, excited to spot a number of Acorn Woodpeckers, a species that is normally uncommon near the coast. Black-headed Grosbeaks and Ash-throated Flycatchers became more observable and vocal as the morning wore on. Our final count was 33 species.

Here’s the detailed list of sightings. Many thanks to Beth Pearson for keeping the count and inputting it into her eBird account. You can add Beth’s sightings to your own eBird list by clicking https://ebird.org/mychecklists?subID=UzExNTYxOTY3NQ..&s=t and choosing “Accept” next to her entry. For those of you who have not yet opened an eBird account (it’s easy–just go to https://ebird.org/home?logout=true and click “Create Account), go to https://ebird.org/checklist/S115619675.

X California Quail
1 Mourning Dove
5 Anna’s Hummingbird
1 Allen’s Hummingbird
1 Osprey
1 Cooper’s Hawk
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
3 Red-tailed Hawk
11 Acorn Woodpecker
1 Nuttall’s Woodpecker
4 Red-masked Parakeet
3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher
1 Black Phoebe
4 Ash-throated Flycatcher
1 Cassin’s Kingbird
11 California Scrub-Jay
3 Common Raven
2 Cliff Swallow
2 Bushtit
4 Wrentit
1 California Gnatcatcher
1 House Wren
2 California Thrasher
3 Northern Mockingbird
1 American Robin
7 Scaly-breasted Munia
X House Finch
20 Lesser Goldfinch
1 Song Sparrow
2 California Towhee
4 Spotted Towhee
2 Hooded Oriole
5 Black-headed Grosbeak

By the way, the word “Tecolote” is Spanish for “owl.” The word is originally Aztec.

Stay well.