#564-#569 On Top of the Tower
After breakfast it was back up to the top of the tower for more birds, now including several species of swallows and swifts that had woken up with the insects and a large flight of raptors that was taking advantage of the warming thermals to climb. Seen lifers were:
- Hook-billed Kite
- Short-tailed Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Short-tailed Swift
- Band-rumped Swift
- Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Swainson’s Hawk is one I could/should have had in California, but it was uncommon and I never got lucky in Orange County or got out to the desert at the right time of year to catch them migrating through. Here they were passing over in the thousands.
Total List was:
- Wood Stork
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- Hook-billed Kite
- Mississippi Kite
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Short-tailed Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Chimney Swift
- Short-tailed Swift
- Band-rumped Swift
- Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
- Blue-chested Hummingbird
- Gray-breasted Martin
- Bank Swallow
- Barn Swallow
We also heard a Great Tinamou and a White-breasted Wood-Wren.
