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2001 SANTA MARIA CONFERENCE REPORT

10-14 September 2001

Our Regional Conference in Santa Maria had already begun when terrorists attacked the United States and the world on 11 September. Participants were en route to their first birding destinations on that fateful Tuesday morning when the forces of evil struck. Everyone was, of course, horrified and grief-stricken upon hearing the news. While the tragedy cast a cloud over the events of the rest of the week, we pressed on and did our best to try and enjoy the beautiful scenery and many wonderful birding opportunities of the Central California Coast.

Full-day trips to the Maricopa/Mount Pinos area produced most of the expected species with virtually all participants getting scope views of Le Conte's Thrashers and Sage Sparrows near Maricopa. The feeders at Mil Potrero were swarming with literally hundreds of hummers. Anna's were the most abundant, but numerous selasphorus types and a few Black-chins were also present. Woodpeckers really put on a show with Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and White-headed Woodpecker among the eight species recorded. Other birds seen on at least some of these trips included Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Burrowing Owl, Pinyon Jay (very unusual in this part of California), Clark's Nutcracker, Pygmy Nuthatch, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Warbler, Green-tailed Towhee, and Tricolored Blackbird. Certainly the most exciting moment for one group came high on Mount Pinos when five California Condors circled directly over their heads! Condors had not been reported anywhere near Mount Pinos for several months and we had virtually given up hope of seeing them. A passing comment that these birds were not "countable" under the ABA listing rules was metwith a resounding "who cares?!" by those fortunate enough to have seen five of these magnificent birds flying freely again over their former range.

The other full-day of birding was centered around a boat trip to Santa Cruz Island, primarily to see Island Scrub-Jays. These striking California endemics were present in good numbers and were seen well by all participants. Other birds seen on the island included Black Oystercatcher, White-throated Swift, Allen's Hummingbird (mostly females and young), Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Western Tanager, and Hooded Oriole. Sea conditions were excellent and a number of pelagic species were also recorded. Pacific Loon, Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters, Black Storm-Petrel, Red-necked Phalarope, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, and Elegant and Arctic Terns were among the species observed by at least some participants. A number of dolphins treated birders to spectacular leaps and several of them were also seen enjoying rides on the boat's bow-wave. An eight-foot Hammerhead Shark swimming right on the surface was seen by a few lucky people in the bow of one of the boats. Unquestionably, the highlight of the Thursday trip (which included two-thirds of the participants) was an adult Red-billed Tropicbird! This bird was first seen sitting on the water directly in the path of the boat, but was flushed before the boat could be stopped. Participants yelled so loudly when the bird was first spotted that the Captain thought someone had fallen overboard! Fortunately, the bird flew only about a hundred yards and landed back on the water, allowing everyone to enjoy great views of the ABA's logo bird — a life bird for nearly everyone on board. A brief stop at a local park on our way back to the Conference hotel produced sightings of California's other endemic bird — Yellow-billed Magpie.

Our two half-day trips visited a number of prime birding destinations closer to Santa Maria. Because of the terrorist situation and increased threat conditions, we were understandably precluded from visiting the bird ponds on Vandenberg AFB — but the grounds of the La Purisima historic mission provided an excellent alternative. We also visited the Pacific coast west of the mission and the Morro Bay area on these trips. Among the many birds seen were White-tailed Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Snowy Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Wandering Tattler, Marbled Godwit, Red Knot, Cassin's Kingbird, Hutton's Vireo, Canyon Wren, Wrentit, Townsend's, Hermit, and Prairie Warblers, American Redstart, Summer and Western Tanagers, Clay-colored and "large-billed" Savanna Sparrows, Bullock's Oriole, Purple Finch, and Lesser Goldfinch. A Bobcat also provided a "furry" visual treat for one lucky group.

Special thanks go to Dave Compton who did a terrific job as the Conference's Field Trip Coordinator — and to Bill Bouton, Jamie Chavez, Rebecca Coulter, Tom Edell, Brad Hines, Becky Hoban, Mark Holmgren, Paul Keller, Dave Pereksta, Jim Royer, Brad Schram, Mike Stiles, John Tiffany, and Guy Tingos who led the field trips. An impressive total of 176 species were tallied during our four days of birding. The bird photos featured in this report and bird list are courtesy of James Scheib.

While the field trips are always the centerpiece of any ABA Conference or Convention, programs, social activities, and the chance to meet new and old friends are also an important component. Entertaining and informative programs were provided each evening after dinner. Brad Schram got us off to a great start the first night by whetting our birding appetites with an introduction to the area and its birds. The next evening Brian Small took us on a wonderful photo birding trip around North America. On Wednesday, Bruce Palmer brought us up to date on the status of the California Condor recovery program, and Thursday evening Clayton Fogle taught us about hummingbirds and how he photographs them. Ivan Schwab presented a fascinating program on the eyes of birds on Wednesday afternoon, and later that afternoon Brad Schram signed copies of his ABA/Lane Birdfinding Guide A Birder's Guide to Southern California during the social hour.

Jane Kostenko and Tyler Bell (Assistant Managers), and Nanci Hawley (Registrar) performed superbly as the Conference staff and their good work is greatly appreciated. My thanks also to the attendees who took the time to visit Santa Maria and attend the Conference! Your patience and understanding under trying circumstances helped us all get through a difficult week together.

– Ken Hollinga

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