Santa Barbara City College School of Extended Learning has this 8-week class called Birds of the Santa Barbara Region: Intermediate. This was the third year in a row I attended this class. Although we are mostly exploring the same locations every year, each time the birding experience is unique and memorable.
Rob Lindsay, our instructor debuted the first session at 8 am sharp at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History with a short introduction course. We then went in the field to explore the Woodland Loop Trail near the Museum and also Rocky Nook Park. We identified 19 bird species, such as Black Phoebe, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Acorn Woodpecker, Bewick's Wren, Orange Crowned Warbler and Band-tailed Pigeon.
After several failed attempts to photograph a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, I was rewarded with this shot of the female Downy.
Week 2 | Devereux Slough, Goleta
69 bird species.
Week 3 | Coronado Seep & Elwood Mesa, Goleta
37 bird species.
Week 4 | Santa Barbara Harbor & East Beach
34 bird species.
Week 5 | North Campus Open Space (NCOS), Goleta
47 bird species.
Week 6 | Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park
38 bird species.
50 bird species.
Week 8 | Lake Los Carneros Park, Goleta
47 bird species.
Final bird species count for all 8 classes : 115 which represents over 22% of Santa Barbara County species (503). That's it for the 2020 Birds of the Santa Barbara Region: Intermediate class from Santa Barbara City College School of Extended Learning!
