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Participants
Paul Lehman
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 452
PAUL’S COMMENTS: (excerpted)… I have lost
track of how many first county records I found between 1974 and 1994, or even
what my 400th county bird was. Since moving away in 1994 I have added only the
wintering Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Hope Ranch to my county list. Some of my
20-year highlights certainly included my finding the first Little Curlew for
North America in Santa Maria Valley in September 1984 while looking for a
Curlew Sandpiper found earlier in the day, and having a White Wagtail and
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher very close to each other in autumn 1978 at
Devereux. Read all of Paul’s comments
HERE
Brad Schram
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 450
400th BIRD: SPOTTED REDSHANK
BRAD’S COMMENTS: Finding the first county
Roseate Spoonbills at Goleta Slough in July 1973 was a definite rush! My
(then) four year old daughter pointing out an adult California Condor overhead
as we drove hwy. 101 at State St. the day before the 73 CBC is a fond memory.
The 78 fall juxtaposition of a White Wagtail on Devereux Slough with a
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Old Married Student Housing nearby is memorable.
Birding with Paul Lehman and Louis Bevier on 16 September 1984 when Paul
spotted a Little Curlew is an all-time birding highlight-- a first hemisphere
record! After years of searching in north county, finding a flock of Pinyon
Jays at Dry Canyon in the fall of 2000 became a favorite memory. I suppose
that finding Carpinteria Creek as a birding venue in 1977 is my most
significant contribution to county birding in that it has proved to be one of
the county’s most productive vagrant traps. I should note that untold hours in
the field with so many of Santa Barbara County’s birders have enriched my life
in a way that list check marks never could.
Joan Lentz
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 435
JOAN’S COMMENTS: (excerpted)... Growing up in Santa Barbara, you feel
the presence of nature everywhere. But I was always interested in birds above
all else. By 1980, the bug finally bit. My passion for birding led me to
explore the Cuyama Valley, the agricultural fields west of Santa Maria, the
Antelope Valley, the Santa Clara River estuary, the San Rafael Mountains, and
all sorts of places I would never otherwise have come to know. I learned about
gulls, shorebirds, and fall warblers. I saw Red-necked Stint, Great-crested
and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and most of the vagrant
warblers. My favorite birding story of all time is one that many of us—Paul
Lehman, Brad Schram, Karen Bridgers, and myself—have written about elsewhere.
That was September 16, 1994, when Karen and I chased a Little Curlew. That
day, we drove all the way to Santa Maria Valley, only to find a large group of
disconsolate birders who had been unable to find the bird. Luckily, as Karen
and I went exploring the valley on our own, a helpful farmer offered to drive
us to one of his fields where he claimed a large flock of curlews was
gathered. There among them was a smaller bird with a straighter bill—Little
Curlew. Read all of Joan’s comments
HERE
Hugh Ranson
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 431
400th BIRD: CURLEW SANDPIPER
HUGH’S COMMENTS: Since becoming a father
twelve years ago, a county list and yard list are the only ones I keep. I’ve
been birding in the county since 1981. I’ve been lucky enough to find three
firsts for the county: Yellow-throated Vireo, Brown-crested Flycatcher, and
Zone-tailed Hawk. I misidentified the (silent) flycatcher as a Great Crested,
which I still need for the county. Paul Lehman and Jon Dunn later corrected my
error-- I wasn’t too displeased. Other rare birds I’ve found include Fulvous
Whistling-Duck, Ruff, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
Yellow-green Vireo, Grace’s Warbler, Pine Warbler and Painted Bunting. One of
my favorite day’s birding was aboard the Condor Express in September ’02. On
that magical day we saw Black-footed and Laysan Albatross, all the jaegers,
Craveri’s Murrelet, Red-billed Tropicbird, and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel. I
fantasize about finding a Siberian bird, such as Rustic Bunting… My
contribution to Santa Barbara birding? My most valuable, I guess, would be
turning elementary students on to birding.
Guy Tingos
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 423 400th BIRD: CURLEW SANDPIPER
GUY’S COMMENTS: I’m especially proud of my total since it only includes one
pelagic trip. If I didn’t get deathly seasick, I’d really kick butt! My best
find was being part of the group that found the county’s first Eastern
Wood-Pewee. I’d love to add Black Vulture or Yellow-crowned Night-Heron to the
county list.
Dave Compton
400
CLUB
TOTAL: 421 400th BIRD: CONNECTICUT WARBLER
DAVE’S COMMENTS: Brown Booby (with Paul Keller), American Oystercatcher, Common Nighthawk,
Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo and Yellow-green Vireo are among
my best finds, but I have come up woefully short at finding first county
records. Best birding memory: too many strong contenders for one to
stand out. Greatest birding low and high: looking for the Zone-tailed Hawk on
nearly a daily basis for two plus winters before finally seeing it.
My biggest jinx
has to be Broad-winged Hawk. While at this point, I'd like to add anything to
the county list, a wagtail of some sort would be nice, maybe a Gray. But
failing that, I suppose I would take a Blue-winged Warbler.
Paul Keller
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 420 400th BIRD: VERDIN
PAUL’S COMMENTS: I am missing Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel. I was on the boat but
I missed it. Kentucky Warbler is overdue. I
count Manx Shearwater but this bird was rejected by the CBRC. I would like to
find Shy Albatross someday. My personal contribution to birding in Santa
Barbara County is serving as Santa Barbara Audubon Society field trip chair
for nine years.
Jon Dunn
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 417
Joan Hardie
400 CLUB
TOTAL: 411 400th BIRD: YELLOW-GREEN VIREO
JOAN’S COMMENTS: Best find was Eastern
Wood-Pewee (first county record), which Guy Tingos and I found near Big Pine,
June 15, 1994. Nagging misses, and there are many, include Frigatebird and
Ovenbird. The bird I would like to add to the list is Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron. Although I tried to see the really rare sightings, I didn’t
concentrate on my county list until the year of the [Big Year] “competition”. That was
the year I became obsessed. I saw areas of Santa Barbara previously unknown to
me. During one 10-day period I drove to San Miguelito Park in Lompoc 9 times
(I never did see the Louisiana Waterthrush). I took 6 boat trips! When it was
all over I had seen 337 species and had added 28 birds to my county list.
Cher Hollingworth
400 CLUB
TOTAL:
405 400th BIRD: DUSKY WARBLER
CHER'S COMMENTS:
I've been birding since 6th grade, but
I've set 1982 as an official "started keeping lists" date. My birding has
had long, slow periods due to pregnancies and kids (you guys have it SO
easy). I have so many favorite SB Co birds, especially seabirds. At the
moment, the best is the 2005 Baikal Teal that Wes Fritz found. I'd arranged
the trip, but was unable to lead it because of an out-of-state funeral. The
first thing that I did, when I got off the plane, was to drive to the sewage
plant before it closed. I really enjoyed watching the teal blink with yellow
eyelids... books don't show that. My 400th Santa Barbara County bird was
the 2007 Dusky Warbler, a good "milestone bird." The 2000 Louisiana Waterthrush was another
great bird; I was with Brad Hines when he photographed that bird. Other
favorites at the moment, in a continually changing list, are Barrow's
Goldeneye, Laysan Albatross, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Brown Booby, Tufted
Puffin, Manx Shearwater and Yellow-green Vireo. My best find is probably an American
Oystercatcher. The worst miss has to be Curlew Sandpiper; it went onto
private property, so I didn't follow it. I'm hoping to find a Short-tailed
Albatross in the right county. Jim Greaves
TOTAL: 399
JIM’S COMMENTS: I've counted 399 species
in Santa Barbara County since 1977 (including islands and Channel), and
photographed more than 300 of them. Aside from meeting many superb birders and
wildlife photographers over the years, my favorite moments have to start with
the WOOD THRUSH that Lark and I found in Santa Maria on 10 November 2005,
adding it (finally!) to the Santa Barbara County List. Others include the
dozen male Kentucky Warbler I found/saw in 1992 (including 7 of which I
mist-netted, banded, and released) in upper Santa Ynez River watershed (all or
most of which spent the summer), and the Yellow- throated Vireo I found up
Mono Creek the same year. In addition, I have seen Indigo Bunting,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Black Swift as migrants up there,
as well as confirmed evidence of nesting by Long-eared Owls, Spotted
Sandpipers, Wood Ducks, and Common Mergansers. And of course, with the help of
Jan and Hank Hamber, finding that isolated population of Least Bell's Vireos
at Gibraltar Reservoir!
Curtis Marantz
TOTAL: 396 (NIB)
Florence Sanchez
TOTAL: 386
FLORENCE’S COMMENTS: I only keep a life
list and a yard list (113), so putting together a county list for this page
has taken some doing. A couple of species I wasn’t sure about, so I didn’t
count them. I’ve been birding since 1968 and moved to Santa Barbara County in
1969. However, during a 10-year period (mid- 70’s to mid-80’s), I didn’t bird
much due to other commitments. This resulted in my missing Yellow-billed Loon.
We also lived in Indiana temporarily, 1995- 1998— who knows what I missed
then. My biggest known miss was the Little Curlew, not for lack of trying I
might add. My most frustrating miss was Laysan Albatross—one flying across the
stern of the boat when I was at the bow. (This means I still have to keep
going to sea in a small boat until I get one). The best bird I personally
found and added to the county list was the Wilson’s Plover on the Harbor
sandspit in 1992. The bird I would most like to add to the county list would
be White-rumped Sandpiper, especially since this species eluded me several
times in Indiana. As far as contributions to birding, for several years I
monitored both banded Snowy Plovers for PRBO and banded Black Skimmers for CSU
Long Beach. From these surveys, we learned that some of our wintering snowies
come from as far away as inland Oregon, and that our skimmers come from all
the nesting sites in Southern California, including the Salton Sea.
Ken Hollinga
TOTAL: 374
KEN’S COMMENTS: I lived in the county
twice (on Vandenberg AFB) from 1974 -1979 and again from 1987-1992. I didn’t
work on a county list during those years, and didn’t chase birds locally
unless I simply wanted to see them for general interest or other listing
purposes. Finding a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper near the Santa Ynez River mouth in
1990 was one of my county highlights. I was also fortunate to see (along with
Paul Lehman) the first county record of Gull-billed Tern, also at the Santa
Ynez River mouth. Observing a Red-billed Tropicbird on the Santa Maria ABA
Conference boat trip was certainly another highlight. Now that I’ve moved back
here to stay and have more free time, I’ll probably make at least some effort
to try and upgrade my county list. Editors note:
In December 2008 Ken recorded his
300th bird on Vandenberg AFB
Barbara Millett
TOTAL: 372
BARBARA’S COMMENTS: For many years the
only bird records I kept were for my California and North
America lists. It wasn’t until this SBCO Birding listserve
was in its 8th year that I decided to pull together what
records I could find and join the fray of county listing.
Those records added up to 372 species – a total which probably
errs on the low side, but better that than an inflated
number. And may I say that if I didn’t hate being seasick so
very much, this total would no doubt be more impressive.
Read all of Barbara’s comments
HERE
Jamie Chavez
TOTAL: 368
JAMIE’S COMMENTS: My favorite county birds
are Little Curlew (1993), the Baikal Teal near Lompoc, and the
county first Wood
Thrush near my Santa Maria home. Perhaps the most memorable personal highlight is finding a Red-necked Stint at
the Santa Maria River estuary, but I've had many memorable finds solo and
with other great birders. Some personal bests are Little Gull,
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Painted Redstart,
three Pine
Warblers on VAFB, and a Grace's Warbler in Santa Maria. I do have some
glaring misses though- I have chased Dusky-capped Flycatcher
without luck. Every time I’ve tried it has been pouring rain.
Other big misses are Long-tailed Jaeger, California Condor and
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I may be dreaming, but I would love
to add White-winged Tern or Red-faced Warbler to the county
list someday! My contributions to birding in the county have
been as a regular hike leader local Audubon chapters,
The Nature Conservancy (later the Dunes Center), and the Morro Bay Winter Bird
Festival.
John Luther
TOTAL: 351 (NIB)
I have never lived in Santa Barbara County, but love
birding there and enjoying the wonderful birds that are found
in the county. I especially enjoy those birds that linger long
enough for those of us in northern California to get down to
see. As a California County Birder I bird all 58 counties and
it is always a real treat to spend time birding in Santa
Barbara County.
Mark Brown
TOTAL: 350
MARK’S COMMENTS: My best bird was the
Little Curlew in Santa Maria (9/84). My worst miss was the Spotted Redshank at
Santa Maria sewage (10/85). Mike Stiles got me started birding after he got
hooked from a biology class taught by Bill Deneen at Hancock College. My
favorite county birding memory is seeing 210 Sandhill Cranes flying over the
Santa Maria Valley on the 1981 Santa Maria-Guadalupe Christmas Bird Count. My
300th bird was the Red-throated Pipit (10/03). I would like to add King Eider
and White-rumped Sandpiper to the county list.
Noah Gaines
TOTAL: 322 (NIB)
NOAH'S COMMENTS: I was born and raised in
Santa Barbara. However, when I moved to Arizona for graduate
school, I discovered birding. Since coming back to Santa
Barbara, I have enjoyed learning new spots and seeing new
birds. Some of the better birds I have found include:
Eurasian Wigeon, American Oystercatcher, Stilt Sandpiper,
Spotted Owl, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Lapland Longspur, and
Dickcissel.
Some of the best birds I have chased and seen are: Fulvous
Whistling-Duck, Baikal Teal, Iceland Gull, White-eyed Vireo,
Yellow-green Vireo, and Yellow Wagtail. I enjoy pelagics
and have seen multiple Cook's Petrels and a Brown Booby
offshore.
John Sterling
TOTAL: 313 (NIB)
My favorite
moment was standing on the beach in Goleta with Paul Lehman on
a September day in the early 1980s and hearing then watching a
large flock of Pinyon Jays fly overhead from the ocean and
disappearing over the ridge to the north. I have never lived
in the county, and only twice have I spent more than a day
birding the area, but I have many fond memories of seeing many
great birds there.
Jim Lomax
TOTAL: 312 (NIB)
300th BIRD:
PINE WARBLER
JIM'S COMMENTS:
Though I don't live in Santa Barbara County, I bird here because I am a
California County Birder and bird all 58 counties in the state. Some more
notable moments for me include the Little Curlew on August 8th, 1993,
Painted Redstart on January 21st, 1997, Sedge Wren on October 13th, 2004,
Worm-eating Warbler on February 1st, 2005, Wood Thrush on November 10th,
2005, Baikal Teal on December 11th, 2005, Grace's Warbler on March 5th,
2006, Black-throated Green Warbler on January 10th, 2007, and the Pine
Warbler on November 30th, 2007 which was number 300. I have not
contributed to finding any great birds. I have enjoyed birding in Santa
Barbara with Wes Fritz, Oscar Johnson, and David Vander Pluym.
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