Reply-To: <[[email protected]]>
From: "Kirsten R. Holmquist" <[[email protected]]>
To: "South Bay Birds" <[[email protected]]>
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 15:47:03 -0700
Message-ID: <[[email protected]]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Subject: [SBB] Grant Ranch Fledglings
Sender: [[email protected]]
Errors-To: [[email protected]]
Precedence: bulk

I went to Grant Ranch this morning.  It was pretty quiet but I did pick up
some good family action for the few birds I did see (before being driven off
by the suffocating heat).  I stopped at Twin Gates first.  A number of ACORN
WOODPECKERS and a couple LESSER GOLDFINCH were in the oaks at the trail
junction but little else.  I went up the hill to the Y point for the trail.
On the lower branch, an adult HORNED LARK was working the side of the trail
along with a fledgling.  The adult went off into the grass while the young
one settled itself in the middle of the trail and closed its eyes.  It
looked remarkably like a rock.  It looked so much like a rock that I almost
got too close when I went for a closer look.  Despite having seen it settle,
I still mistook it for a rock for a half a second and thought it had
wandered off when I lost line of sight.  Working the big old Oak at the
branch point were several WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, one female BULLOCK'S
ORIOLE, and several WESTERN KINGBIRDS.  

I proceeded to Smith Creek Firestation.  A pair of adult WARBLING VIREOS
were active and very visible.  One of the adults went to feed a begging
fledgling.  The young bird had a gray back and wings but the head was
completely white.  Upon closer examination, the top of the crown was ever so
slightly grayer and the eyebrows were ever so slightly brighter but,
overall, it looked white-headed.  The other Warbling Vireo fledglings I have
seen have only been distinguishable from adult by the gape.  Does anyone
know if this is an unusual coloration or just a younger bird that is still
getting its plumage in?

The WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEE nest near the bridge has also successfully fledged
at least one young, one hungry and willing to be fed young.  Four
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were hanging around.  Most were female-type but one
looked to be a 1st year male, judging by the amount of russet on its chest
and collar.  I also picked up a couple male LAZULI BUNTINGS, one on each
side of the bridge.  Finally, a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER made an appearance
just as I was about to leave.  No Lawrence's or Bullock's here.  The fire
station did have a couple of bulldozers and seemed to have plowed down the
grasses in their yard. 

Lastly, I dropped in at the Lake.  Both TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS with
young were abundant.  A pair of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES provided the only male
oriole of the day.  A couple of AMERICAN CROWS were dining on what looked
like a duck egg on the shoreline.  A GREAT BLUE HERON and a GREAT EGRET had
also staked out territory on the shoreline.  A pair of AMERICAN COOTS were
busy brooding and re-enforcing a nest built out on open water and attached
to a fallen branch that stuck partly out of the water.

Best Wishes,

Kirsten R. Holmquist

[[email protected]]

[demime 0.98b removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which had a name of winmail.dat]

Received: from imo-r10.mx.aol.com (imo-r10.mx.aol.com [152.163.225.106])
  by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g69NfVt03185 for
  <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 9 Jul 2002 16:41:31 -0700
Received: from [[email protected]] by imo-r10.mx.aol.com
  (mail_out_v32.21.) id t.44.227cf9b7 (4592) for
  <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 9 Jul 2002 19:41:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: [[email protected]]
Message-ID: <[[email protected]]>
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 19:41:21 EDT
To: [[email protected]]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
X-Mailer: AOL 7.0 for Windows US sub 10509
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 0.98b
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Subject: [SBB] County birding
Sender: [[email protected]]
Errors-To: [[email protected]]
X-BeenThere: [[email protected]]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5
Precedence: bulk
List-Help: <mailto:[[email protected]]?subject=help>
List-Post: <mailto:[[email protected]]>
List-Subscribe: <http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds>,
	<mailto:[[email protected]]?subject=subscribe>
List-Id: <south-bay-birds.plaidworks.com>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds>,
	<mailto:[[email protected]]?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://www.plaidworks.com/list-archives/south-bay-birds/>

All,

This morning Frank Vanslager and I tried to refind the Stevens Creek 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, unfortunately the bird has apparently not been seen 
since Linda Sullivan last saw the bird on Sunday night.  Roland Kenner and 
Pat Kenny had tried for the bird shortly after Linda left Sunday night, they 
also tried on Monday and once again this morning with no luck.  Bird activity 
in "the" Elderberry tree was significantly down this morning.  We had much 
better activity in an Elderberry tree just downstream of the "last" bridge 
before the parking lot (the last parking lot from the northern most 
entrance).  Lots of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS but I don't know if their 
proximity is a good thing or not.  Frank and I then went to Salt Pond A2E 
(just north of Crittenden Marsh) where with some persistence and luck we were 
(Frank was) able to refind a couple LEAST TERNS flying along the board 
walkway located near the center of the pond.  Unfortunately the birds 
disappeared to the northeast.  The earliest that I have seen LETE in this 
pond is June 30 last year and sightings should get much better over the next 
month or so.  Early morning is probably best and a good scope a must.

Take care,
Bob Reiling, 4:41 PM, 7/9/02