10-22-06 Condor Sighting

Last weekend, Oct. 21-22, I was at the lookout and received insane signals east of the lookout. I searched with my binos but no sign. So on Sunday, I thought maybe, just maybe I would see that bird. So on Sunday morning when I did the telemetry I did not recieve any signals…needless to say I was disappointed & thought I must have missed the bird. So I went about my daily activities and about 10:50 I was saying goodbye to a group of bikers, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something flying high above the lookout. So I ran upstairs grabbed my binos and sure enough there was a condor headingeast!!! I grabbed the telonix and of course it was the bird I was tracking on late saturday afternoon. The bird soared for about 6 min then it dropped below the ridge. At this point I lost visual but still picked up signals, the bird continued flying northwest, the signals
remained stong for roughly 10 minutes, then I started getting weaker signals until finally I lost the signal at 12:30. Although I only saw this amazing bird from a distance with my binos it was a wonderful experience I will never forget.

Kelly

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Lookout Project Donations- 2006

The following donations to the Hi Mountain Lookout Project have been received. Thank-you!

Supplies, Materials, and Labor:

Marcelle Bakula, Cambria
display board design and exhibit materials; business card design and xeroxing; Hi Mtn. hat design (for sale)

Jeff Osborne, San Luis Obispo
construction of natural rock and concrete water bars on the trail downslope to the outhouse (built with assistance from intern Kelly Biesen).

Brian P. Lawler, Cal Poly, SLO
2 labelled Hi Mountain panoramic photos (46 inches wide)

Paul Andreano, San Luis Obispo
payment of Hi Mountain Lookout website hosting and domain name annual fees; website design and management; display board design and exhibit materials; design of Hi Mtn. merchandise, ie. coffee cups, postcards and stationary, tee shirts, vehicle license plate brackets (for sale at website www.condorlookout.org)

Doug Stinson, San Luis Obispo
1 10×50 Bushnell binocular

Ted and Bonnie Pope, Wild Birds Unlimited, SLO
1 10×50 Bushnell binocular

Jim Duff, Pozo
provision of generator power each year for the annual open house evening speaker presentations; providing homemade pineapple upside down cake for dessert each year at the annual open house dinner!!

Financial donations:

Dave Richardson, Sylmar and Gretchen Keeler, Northridge
4th annual birdathon fundraiser…this one day birdathon and “Big Day” event held in April started at daybreak in the Mojave Desert and concluded in the evening on the Pacific coast. $976 was received from pledged sponsors.

Morro Coast Audubon Society Board of Directors and Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department
sponsorship and salary for 4 Cal Poly student interns, summer 2006

Donations to the project can be made by writing a check to:
‘MCAS Hi Mountain Lookout Project” and mailing to:
Morro Coast Audubon Society
Po Box 1507
Morro Bay, CA 93443-1507
Contributions are tax deductible under IRS Code 501(c)(3).

-Steve Schubert

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2006 Open House Event

Hi all,
On Saturday, Oct. 14th, more than 60 people attended the 5th annual Hi Mountain Lookout Project open house event. Quite a diverse group, including staff, interns, and volunteers representing the California Condor Recovery Program from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Hopper Mountain and Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuges, the U.S. Forest Service at Los Padres National Forest, Pinnacles National Park, Ventana Wildlife Society, The Peregrine Fund Condor Project and Arizona Game and Fish Department, and of course, the Hi Mountain Lookout Project. Also attending were folks representing Morro Coast Audubon Society, California Audubon, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Carizzo Plains, Channel Islands National Park, Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, Santa Barbara Zoo, and Cuesta College astronomers. Whew, quite a turnout (on a day with threatening stormy weather, but the day turned out nice), and a good time had by all. Check out the open house photos that Paul Andreano has been busy posting to the website at www.condorlookout.org

Steve Schubert
Volunteer Coordinator, Hi Mountain Lookout Project

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Open House Birding Field Trip Report

Hi All,
At the Hi Mountain Lookout Project Open House event this past Saturday, Al Schmierer, field trip chair for Morro Coast Audubon Society, led a birding field trip from Hi Mountain downslope to Hi Valley, in the Santa Lucia Wilderness Area. Following is his field trip report:

Subject: eBird Report - Hi Mountain , 10/14/06
Location: Hi Mountain
Observation date: 10/14/06
Number of species: 35

Mountain Quail 20
California Quail 10
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 2
Band-tailed Pigeon 8
Northern Pygmy-Owl 1
Vaux’s Swift 1
White-throated Swift 1
Anna’s Hummingbird 6
Acorn Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Western Scrub-Jay 4
Common Raven 3
Violet-green Swallow 200
Oak Titmouse 1
Bushtit 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Bewick’s Wren 6
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Hermit Thrush 10
Wrentit 20
California Thrasher 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Spotted Towhee 7
California Towhee 8
Sage Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 60
White-crowned Sparrow 25
Dark-eyed Junco 14
Western Meadowlark 1
House Finch 6
Lesser Goldfinch 4

-Steve Schubert

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Open House birding field trip numbers

Hi All,
At the Hi Mountain Lookout Project Open House event this past Saturday, Al Schmierer, field trip chair for Morro Coast Audubon Society, led a birding field trip from Hi Mountain downslope to Hi Valley, in the Santa Lucia Wilderness Area. Following is his field trip report:

Subject: eBird Report - Hi Mountain , 10/14/06
Location: Hi Mountain
Observation date: 10/14/06
Number of species: 35

Mountain Quail 20
California Quail 10
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 2
Band-tailed Pigeon 8
Northern Pygmy-Owl 1
Vaux’s Swift 1
White-throated Swift 1
Anna’s Hummingbird 6
Acorn Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Western Scrub-Jay 4
Common Raven 3
Violet-green Swallow 200
Oak Titmouse 1
Bushtit 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Bewick’s Wren 6
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Hermit Thrush 10
Wrentit 20
California Thrasher 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Spotted Towhee 7
California Towhee 8
Sage Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 60
White-crowned Sparrow 25
Dark-eyed Junco 14
Western Meadowlark 1
House Finch 6
Lesser Goldfinch 4

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Open House '06 Birding Trip

Sunrise from the top of Hi Mountain on Saturday was nothing less than spectacular! Only three of us showed up for the birding field trip to Huff’s Hole. The rest of you missed a fun walk!!

Among the 37 species:

About 200 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS spent the morning around and sometimes well over the peak. There was 1 VAUX’S SWIFT and a few WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS also at the peak.

On the trail we heard ~10 MT QUAIL. only a few raptors, perhaps because of a lack of wind: RED-TAILED and COOPER’S. No TVs. In the oaks in Huff’s meadow area was a PYGMY OWL that wouldn’t let us alone! It posed in every nearby tree, sat right over our heads and called continually… and no camera.

FOX SPARROWS, mostly of the inland races, were abundant. Only 1 SAGE SPARROW; usually common there. And no Lawrence’s goldfinches; also usually common there.

ALAN SCHMIERER, FIELD TRIP CHAIR, MCAS

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