AV04/47 Big Morongo Canyon Preserve 1st December 2004

This was challenging weather at 8am - Desert folks take hard to temperatures of 41, and below 30 earlier in the morning. However, it was a glorious morning with not a cloud in the sky, and sunny; all 17 of us had layers on and tried to ignore the light wind.

We saw 28 species including the Harris' Sparrow which some saw, in the same corner of Laurie's yard. Barney the Barn Owl was absent from his Palm and is a sad loss, but we imagine still in the vicinity.

At the Cafe Dee and Betty, arriving last, were greeted with applause and thought it was caused by their late arrival: but Laurie Geeson was there to present them with an award of 'Citizens of the Month' from the Hummingbird Moon Lodge of Morongo, a group of charitable ladies. Also present were non-birding friends of Dee and Betty for whom it was a very pleasant surprise.

Congratulations to Mark and Karma whose first grand daughter, Maxine Finster, was born in New York this morning; all are well!

.....And Linda Charest was on the front page of The Desert Sun this morning fighting, (if figuratively), for sensible control of hiking trails in and around the Coachella Valley.

Good Birding..............bb

Barry Parkes
bbparkes@ix.netcom.com
bigmorongobirders@earthlink.net