Date of sighting: 8/3/11

Yesterday afternoon, Scott Stine and myself wandered south up the fire road from the southwest corner of Lee Vining in search of the Indigo Bunting(s) that Scott had reported a few days prior. We followed the road up the hill less than one hundred yards and just past where the power lines (with three support poles) cross over the fire road we looked downhill to a nearby Pinyon. Because we had called ahead, the adult male Indigo was waiting for us, perched low in the Pinyon along with a female bunting. I did not get a great enough look at the female to confidently narrow it down to species; however the bird did seem to show fairly prominent wing bars which would point to a female Lazuli. These birds seem to be on territory so I’ll try for some documentation photos soon. Good birding and gracias Scott!

This post was submitted by Oliver, Birding Intern.

Date of sighting: 6/29/2011

We found a beautiful Green Heron on Rush Creek above the Delta. We got great views as it flew off towards more reedy cover.

-Nora, Michelle, and Colin

This post was submitted by Nora.

Date of sighting: 21 June

I love being wrong about stuff like this: she does have a mate, though I’ve been on the territory for three days and he’s never sang once. They in fact have a nest, with a first egg today.

This post was submitted by McCreedy.

Date of sighting: 20 June 2011

Today a Tennessee Warbler sang lustily of loss, whiskey, and
impossible redemption on Rush Creek, about a kilometer upstream of the
Rush Creek Road ford. I filmed the bird (his song anyway) and I have
some photos which I will hopefully and successfully attach with this
post.

I was on “WIFL Central” today, the reach of Rush Creek that once held
up to 10 adult Willow Flycatchers. The population has declined
steadily since 2004, and yesterday I found just one adult, a bird I
suspected was a female. Due to her location, I believed she was Red-
Yellow/Silver, a bird that showed up in 2006 and which has never
successfully fledged young due to Brown-headed Cowbird activity.

Today I saw her bands, and she was in fact THE female, the oldest
known Willow Flycatcher (US Bird Banding Lab). She is likely one of
the founders of the Rush Creek population, and I found her first nest
nearly ten years ago to the day. She’s by far the most successful
adult on Rush, having fledged something like 18 of the 40 or so young
to have made it out of the nest during the study.
And she’s outlasted them all: she has no mate and is alone.
Completely amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. She broke the
record in 2009 and is now at least 12th year, meaning she was born in
1999 at the latest.

Other interesting birds included a possible Blue Grosbeak (I heard 1/2
a song and nothing more – closest thing would be a Cassin’s Finch but
it didn’t sound right for a CAFI) and a lone Cedar Waxwing. My iPod
(on shuffle) immediately kicked in with a trenchant steel-toed boot,
playing Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, the Rolling Stones’ She Smiled
Sweetly, and Strangers by the Kinks in succession while I ruminated on
all the things that have happened to me and these birds in the last
ten years.

This post was submitted by McCreedy.

Date of sighting: 6/1/2011

The Eastern Sierra PRBO crew spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat at County Park during point count practice. It was singing in the small willows southwest of the play area. We got a quick look at it before it disappeared into the dense willow thicket.

This post was submitted by Nora.

Date of sighting: 6/1/11

It is another good year for tent caterpillars. See this post from 2009 for some photos of an outbreak that year.

This post was submitted by Greg, Information & Restoration Specialist.

Date of sighting: 5/29/11

On Sunday morning the wildflowers were covered in an inch or two of new snow from the night before. Flowers blooming along the Lee Vining Creek Trail included bitterbrush, desert peach, paintbrush, arrowleaf balsamroot, larkspur, death camas, serviceberry, sulfur buckwheat, and rayless daisy.

Birds were very active, including orioles and Wilson’s Warblers. An Osprey carrying a very long stick flew low over the trail, fighting the gusty winds, flying very awkwardly, towards Old Marina.

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This post was submitted by Greg, Information & Restoration Specialist.

Date of sighting: 4/21/11

This week, the first blossoms of the year appeared in the Mono Basin: Buffalo Berry, Plateau Gooseberry, and Desert Peach! All are visible along the Lee Vining Creek Trail, as well as a yellow fungus-covered Draba that looks like a flower at first glance.

Also along the Lee Vining Creek trail, the snow has melted during the last week. During the evening we saw an Osprey sitting in a tree, above a Hairy Woodpecker working its way up another tree, near a Kestrel, while swallows zoomed around in the air, and lots of other birds were busy going about their daily routines. Meanwhile, a dipper noisily announced itself along the creek bank, trying to be heard over the roar of rushing water.

This post was submitted by Greg, Information & Restoration Specialist.

Date of sighting: 4/2/11

Saturday we saw a brilliant Oriole in Lee Vining in the evening as the storm was clearing.

This post was submitted by Greg.

Date of sighting: March 18, 2011

Early season sighting of two Turkey Vultures perched in White Fir above Lee Vining Creek near Hwy 120 W.

March 16 at South Tufa: Violet Green Swallow, Tree Swallow, and Western Meadowlark.

This post was submitted by Bartshe.