From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sun Dec 22 14:19:03 2002 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id gBMMHPoJ029299 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 22 Dec 2002 14:17:25 -0800 (PST) Received: from snipe.mail.pas.earthlink.net (snipe.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.62]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id gBMMGfwO029263 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 22 Dec 2002 14:16:41 -0800 (PST) Received: from user-2ivfk1l.dialup.mindspring.com ([165.247.208.53] helo=kirstennt) by snipe.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 18QEOk-0001uL-00 for [[email protected]]; Sun, 22 Dec 2002 14:16:39 -0800 From: "Kirsten R. Holmquist" <[[email protected]]> To: "South Bay Birds" <[[email protected]]> Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 14:17:13 -0800 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0004_01C2A9C4.D292B7B0" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Importance: Normal X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: <[[email protected]]> X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1b4+ Subject: [SBB] sunnyvale bay trail X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b4+ Precedence: list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C2A9C4.D292B7B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I spent a couple hours along the Sunnyvale Bay Trail this morning. I first picked up a flock of 50+ WESTERN MEADOWLARKS plus a BLACK PHOEBE and a lone GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. As I walked along the trail going up the mound, a COMMON MOORHEN poked along in the culvert below while a half a dozen YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS fly-catched over his head. All the ones I got a good enough look at were AUDUBON'S. A WHITE-TAILED KITE came briefly over the top of the mound and then went back over. A GREAT EGRET startled by someone on the lower trail took off and flew down the channel. A EARED GREBE soon joined it in running away. A WHITE-THROATED SWIFT went zooming overhead. It seemed to be alone but hung out with me while I was on the trail. I had just located a BURROWING OWL on the berm that runs perpendicular to the trail when a gull started making a racket and appeared to be dive bombing something behind the ridge. A raptor did a quick out from around the side and then back behind the ridge. A large raptor with a brown-edged, white tail. I started running towards the activity when the GOLDEN EAGLE came gliding out from behind the ridge and paralleled the trail, coming within 50'. I tried to contain my jubilation so as not to annoy it into leaving. Apparently, that job was already taken though. It perched on a tower right at the end of the culvert. So, of course, I start running back the other way. :-) It stayed there for several minutes while a pair of AMERICAN CROWS and the gull continued to harass it. Long enough to get great scope views. Having had enough, it came back me way again by the same path and continued over the ridge and away. I never picked it up again, even when I got to overlooking the ponds. It was a juvenile. Nice white patches in the wings. I finally got back to the owl whose reaction to all my running back and forth in front of it seemed to be ... whatever. When I did get to the point of overlooking the ponds, I realized the WHITE-THROATED SWIFT was not alone after all. There were 16+ Swifts foraging over the pond area. Many of the usual suspects there: NORTHERN SHOVELERS, MALLARDS, GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and NORTHERN PINTAIL. A few shorebirds as well: a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a few BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and a group of Dowitchers. As I came to the base of the mound, I found a pair of COMMON YELLOWTHROAT in the reeds along the culvert. A little farther along, I came across a mixed flock of ducks that included several female COMMON GOLDENEYE, a number of female and one male BUFFLEHEAD, and a number of RUDDY DUCKS. (Some of the RUDDY's had some blue at the base of the bill and starting to extend down the sides of the bill. Would this be leftover from last year or the beginnings of preparation for next year?) A juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER came along hunting, passed across the trail right in front of me and stooped on one of the female Bufflehead. She made a quick get away under the water. It was a serious enough stoop that I think the splash from the get away wetted the Harrier's claws. (Are ducks normal prey for Harrier's?) In the next pond over, 19+ BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS had filled up the reeds along the back end of the pond. A few CINNAMON TEAL kept them company. A couple of SNOWY EGRETS engaged in a loud territorial dispute in the channel on the other side of the trail. On the way back, the only bird of additional note was an adult male NORTHERN HARRIER. A couple was walking a large white dog completely off leash on the mound. In fact, initially, I didn't even realize that it was "supervised". I went back around and checked. The Burrowing Owl was still there and seemed calm. Best Regards, Kirsten R. Holmquist [[email protected]] ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C2A9C4.D292B7B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]] ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C2A9C4.D292B7B0--