Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g65FVkt07242 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 08:31:46 -0700 Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.1 #46498) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Fri, 05 Jul 2002 08:31:42 -0700 (PDT) Date: Fri, 05 Jul 2002 08:31:42 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Cc: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Subject: [SBB] - Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Folks: Yesterday morning, 7/4/2002, a BADGER crossed Page Mill a hundred feet below the Canyon Trail at Monte Bello OSP. Although I heard no COMMON POORWILLS calling at Monte Bello, I watched one foraging on the Indian Creek Trail about 45 min before sunrise. This morning, 7/5/2002, 3+ adult LEAST SANDPIPERS and a mixed flock of five alternate and basic LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were in the Mountain View Forebay. This is a fairly typical date for fall arrivals. One BLACK SKIMMER was on the island in the SE part of Salt Pond A1. A BURROWING OWL was out at a large mound near Salt Pond A2W. Bill Received: from win110.nas.nasa.gov (win110.nas.nasa.gov [129.99.19.14]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g65HiTt10533 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 10:44:29 -0700 Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by win110.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.9.3/8.9.3/NAS 8.9.3-4n) id KAA51052 for [[email protected]]; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 10:44:29 -0700 (PDT) Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 10:44:29 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] July 4th in Henry Coe Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: All, For the fourth of July I took advantage of the nice cool weather and took a 13+ mile ramble through Henry Coe State Park. The area around and east of Manzanita Point was especially beautiful, as always. The goal of the trip was to try and confirm (CO) breeding by the Sage and Black-chinned Sparrows in the chaparral east of Manzanita Point; these birds were found by Roland Kenner and Pat Kenny on 17 May and the Sage Sparrows were seen again by Bob Reiling and Frank Vanslager on 22 May. Both these sparrow species were not recorded here during our breeding bird atlas project, but the habitat has been rejuvenated as a result of a controlled burn in October 1994 (the first "post"-atlas year). Another goal was to add Canyon Wren to the composite county year list. Although there was not a lot of breeding activity still going on yesterday, there were still some nests with young (NY) and recently fledged young (FL)/feeding young (FY) to be found and overall I had some great new birds for atlas block "3015". I started out just before 7am at the park headquarters, where there is a WESTERN BLUEBIRD nest with young in the top of the barn by the parking lot. I wanted to get to the chaparral fields before it got warm in the hope of hearing some singing, so I walked fairly quickly to Manzanita Point, stopping to confirm GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (family of fledged young; this species is missing from the park checklist but was seen along the road to Manzanita Point in May also) and WESTERN MEADOWLARK (agitated adult with recently fledged young - new CO for block). BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and LARK SPARROWS were numerous along the trail. A EUROPEAN STARLING nest with young at Manzanita Point was a surprise, being late for the Diablo Range; more surprising was that it was a new CO for the block! I took the China Hole Trail around the north side of Manzanita Point, hearing a surprising RED-SHOULDERED HAWK from below the trail (the park checklist lists this species, very uncommon in the Diablo Range, as "accidental"). I reached the chaparral fields by 8:30am, but there were no sparrows singing at all :(. I did eventually manage to pish in a single adult SAGE SPARROW in block 3015 and stumbled onto two recently fledged RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS in some sage at the edge of the field (new species and CO for block 3015). No sign of any Black-chinned Sparrows at the Cougar Trail junction though. In hopes of more sparrows I headed off straight into the chaparral field at this point, eventually stumbling onto an agitated adult SAGE SPARROW feeding two fledglings. Fortunately I had my GPS with me, as there were few landmarks here and the birds were only 20 meters from the block boundary, just into block 3010 (new CO for block). Back at the trail I had a recently fledged LAZULI BUNTING in block 3015 and then a mangy molting SAGE SPARROW further into block 3010. As I descended to Coyote Creek at China Hole I heard BROWN CREEPER and DOWNY WOODPECKER, uncommon birds of the Diablo Range tied to moist areas. Amid a chaos of ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, I heard a calling WESTERN TANAGER. Soon the agitated male was in the tree above me. Despite my patient watching, he refused to show me his nest/young. I had heard what sounded like begging young from the trees ahead just as I rounded the corner, so I began scanning the oaks with my binoculars. After a minute or so I panned right across the nest with mid-sized young - a new species and breeding confirmation for block 3015 (the park checklist only lists "probable" breeding for Coe)! A CANYON WREN heard from down along Coyote Creek was also a new species for the block. Down at Coyote Creek in block 3010, another CANYON WREN foiled my attempts to see it, staying concealed behind rocks protected by a poison oak barrier. I headed north along the creek to Poverty Flat, adding BELTED KINGFISHER, the day's second and last LAZULI BUNTING, most of the day's 3 CASSIN'S, 5 HUTTON'S, and 8 WARBLING VIREOS and 4 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS. BLACK PHOEBES had a nest with young on the outhouse here. After heading back to the confluence with the east fork of Coyote Creek, I headed a short way up "The Narrows" and finally got killer looks at a CANYON WREN that bobbed up and down on a rock 6 feet in front of me! I then headed back on the Madrone Springs Trail, taking a detour a half-mile south along Coyote Creek. There was no trail here, and despite low water levels the rock-hopping made for slow progress. A BROWN CREEPER for block 3010 and some recently fledged BLACK PHOEBES were the highlights here. At Madrone I found a late HOUSE WREN nest with young and the day's only HAIRY WOODPECKERS before making the long hike uphill back to Manzanita Point (headquarters at 2644 feet elevation, China Hole at 1160). Once back at Manzanita Point, I started around the loop again, hoping to double-check on the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. Sure enough, it was still calling from the Manzanita Point Spring, so I headed off downslope. The bird was easy to locate, a noisy recently fledged youngster whose parents must have been having to forage widely for appropriate food. After a little searching I located the used nest just upslope of the spring (new species and CO for block 3015, first park breeding record). After this I headed back to the headquarters, finding a couple of interesting birds on the way. A pair of COMMON RAVENS was new for the block (had heard them earlier further east) and a surprising fall migrant was an adult male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, winging his way leisurely south. Although I have seen southbound Allen's in the Diablo Range, this is the first southbound Rufous I can recall. The park checklist shows them as moving through in July and August, presumably in smaller numbers than their spring movement. Most head south through the Sierras at this time of year. Surprising was a complete lack of Lawrence's Goldfinches all day! Back at the foot of East Dunne Ave in Morgan Hill, a least 6 precocial young WILD TURKEYS were being escorted across the road by 2 females. Mike Rogers Received: from mms1.broadcom.com (mms1.broadcom.com [63.70.210.58]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id g65LGat14040 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 14:16:36 -0700 Received: from 63.70.210.1 by mms1.broadcom.com with ESMTP (Broadcom MMS-1 SMTP Relay (MMS v4.7)); Fri, 05 Jul 2002 14:16:09 -0700 X-Server-Uuid: 1e1caf3a-b686-11d4-a6a3-00508bfc9ae5 Received: from mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com (mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com [10.20.128.21]) by mon-irva-11.broadcom.com (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id OAA14562 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 14:16:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: from pc2kmikem (dhcpe1-sjcw-254 [10.20.64.254]) by mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com (8.9.1/8.8.8/MS01) with SMTP id OAA08018 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 5 Jul 2002 14:16:36 -0700 ( PDT) From: "Mike Mammoser" <[[email protected]]> To: SBB <[[email protected]]> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 14:11:28 -0700 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-WSS-ID: 1138D313641621-01-01 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: [SBB] : Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: On Thursday, 4 Jul 02, I headed for Stevens Creek Park to check on the Lawrence's Goldfinch being reported there. At the Bay Trees Picnic Area I found a female PURPLE FINCH carrying nesting material. Walking along the creek towards the dam, I came across an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER sitting at the top of a tree giving its "pit pit" call over and over. About 12 inches away from it was a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE giving its "pwee" call over and over. It was if they were having some kind of contest. In any event, it provided a nice comparison of plumages, size, and shape. While watching them, they were visited by a WARBLING VIREO, a PURPLE FINCH, and a male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH. Eventually, 3 male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES were sitting in the tree top at the same time. Looking through the vegetation to the trees across the creek, I spied a female or immature VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW sitting at a cavity opening and sticking its head inside. I moved on to the base of the dam and the small pool at the bottom of the spillway. Here I had 6 LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES (4 males and 2 females). The 3 males seen earlier could have been part of this group, as I was only a couple hundred yards from that location and the birds moved off that way before returning again. I watched them for some time, trying to get a breeding confirmation, without any luck. Small numbers of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS seemed to enjoy eating the ripening elderberries in this location. A female BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was also in an elderberry bush, fluttering in front of the berry bunches. I'm not sure if she was picking berries or just gleaning the insects that may have been attracted to them. After leaving the park, I stopped at McClellan Ranch, where I saw a pair of HOODED ORIOLES visit the SCVAS nectar feeder. An AMERICAN ROBIN was feeding young in a nest along the creek. A group of 4 recently-fledged WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, with short little tails and yellowish bill flanges, sat on top of a nest box in the open field. Every once in a while an adult would come by and shove an insect into one or another of the gaping mouths. After reading Nancy Teater's email, I headed to salt pond A1, where a reasonable number of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were present, without any sign of a swan-like critter. The island in the southeast corner was a beehive of FORSTER TERN nesting activity, with precocial young of various stages gathered about and being fed occasionally. Some birds were still incubating eggs. The BLACK SKIMMER pair here is incubating a single egg. Later, while visiting a friend in Sunnyvale, I saw a subadult COOPER'S HAWK perched on a streetlight near his house - another urban record for this species. On Friday, 5 Jul 02, the waterbird pond at CCFS had 500-600 WESTERN SANDPIPERS (all adults), 212 dowitchers (both LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED), a handful of GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and a couple dozen WILSON'S PHALAROPES. At the EEC, salt pond A16 had about 200 WILSON'S PHALAROPES and 5 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. A half dozen LEAST SANDPIPERS were along the edge of the pond. The FORSTER'S TERNS were particularly belligerent this day. The BLACK SKIMMER pair on the first island still look to be incubating. Typical incubation timing would suggest a hatching any day now. The pair on the third island has at least one small chick. Mike Mammoser Received: from scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net (scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.49]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g667ADt24730 for <[[email protected]]>; Sat, 6 Jul 2002 00:10:13 -0700 Received: from dialup-209.244.107.176.dial1.sanjose1.level3.net ([209.244.107.176] helo=dgrkv) by scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 17Qjhs-0006Hs-00 for [[email protected]]; Sat, 06 Jul 2002 03:10:12 -0400 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> X-Mailer: Calypso Version 3.30.00.00 (4) Date: Sat, 06 Jul 2002 00:10:12 -0700 From: "Don Ganton" <[[email protected]]> To: "South Bay Birds Mailing List" <[[email protected]]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Subject: [SBB] Los Alamitos Creek / Pichetti Winery Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: After getting kicked out of Guadalupe Oak Grove Park around 6:15pm on the 4th (they closed the park early), I headed over to Los Alamitos Creek and birded around the bridge at Mazzone Dr. I'd wanted to see some Nutmeg Mannikins and quickly found a small flock of 4-5 birds in the main creek channel just South of Mazzone Dr. Then I headed down a little path to what I guess is an overflow channel that travels under Almaden Expressway. There was a good flock of Bushtits and some very vocal Lesser Goldfinches here as well as another flock of 10 Nutmeg Mannikins. I watched them for a bit. I still have never heard them make any vocalizations. Some other birds seen were a male Bullock's Oriole, several Song Sparrows and a Violet-green Swallow, foraging overhead. Today, 7/5, my wife and I walked off a nice lunch at Pichetti Winery. I wanted to work on my birding by ear. I heard and then found a couple of singing California Thrashers and a singing Ash-throated Flycatcher. Three Northern Flickers were foraging in a bush. They appeared to be eating fruit. I saw a silent Black-headed Grosbeak and heard a couple of Wrentits in the chaparral without seeing them until my wife said, "There's a bird" and a Wrentit popped up and gave me some very nice views. Don Ganton [[email protected]]