Monday, October 1st, we headed for Big Bear. Our friends, the Cabes, had told us about the numerous Williamson's Sapsuckers they had seen at Bluff Lake. The gate was closed at the main road so we had to walk in a ways. There were piles of freshly cut logs and lots of roaring and clanking on the far side of the lake where most of the sapsuckers had been seen. A posted note said the area was being cleared of excess fuel. We took a trail away from the din down the far side of the meadow below the lake, visited the Champion Lodgepole Pine and walked back around up to the dam again. We did find a couple of trees with numerous sapsucker holes but no sapsuckers. They probably didn't like all the racket from logging anymore than we did. Sigh. Time to go.
I heard a single, faint, raspy call and turned back down the trail to where I could get a clear view of several large Jeffrey pines up slope. Stare and scan, stare and scan. Motion along the trunk high up in the biggest pine. Black, white slash on the wing! I called John over and he got views and ok pics of two male Williamson's Sapsuckers. 659 They flew to two other pines, but into the dense branches at the tops. We never got views again. That was a two-smooch sighting!
A Yellow-Green Vireo was seen a few days ago at Point Loma in San Diego, so we headed there next. The Ebird directions were very precise and we found the spot in the cemetery, but no birders and no vireo. That evening we had a fun dinner with our daughter at Bleu Boheme. The next morning, back to the cemetery, still no birders or vireo. If there had been birders around, that would have been a more hopeful sign, plus extra eyes always help. One guy showed up later to take a walk and described where the bird HAD been seen and how it HAD behaved. Chasing is no fun when you don't succeed. The Common Cuckoo is still being sighted. Now that was fun!
Home. John wants to plan where to go next, I want to take a nap.
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