From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sun Feb 9 15:49:28 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.6/8.12.2) with ESMTP id h19Njg4p011616 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 9 Feb 2003 15:45:42 -0800 (PST) Received: from mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (mta5.snfc21.pbi.net [206.13.28.241]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.6/8.12.2) with ESMTP id h19NitSE011560 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 9 Feb 2003 15:44:55 -0800 (PST) Received: from KrisDesktop ([64.169.18.243]) by mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.1 HotFix 1.6 (built Oct 18 2002)) with ESMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Sun, 09 Feb 2003 15:43:44 -0800 (PST) Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 15:43:36 -0800 From: Kris Olson <[[email protected]]> To: "'South Bay Birders'" <[[email protected]]> Message-id: <001e01c2d095$13507660$6601a8c0@KrisDesktop> MIME-version: 1.0 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.4510 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Importance: Normal X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-priority: Normal Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id h19NitSE011560 Subject: [SBB] Monte Bello Owling - redux X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1 Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , 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]] Hello Birders: Since Dave Quady had to leave early the last time we went owling (Feb. 2)-- and thus did not hear two species of owl - he decided to give it another try today. This time we met at the far more reasonable(?)time of 5am. The weather was cold, clear and not windy. We decided to try for NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL first, so we walked until we were almost at the intersection of Canyon and Stevens Creek Trails. Dave called, and we immediately got a reply for a very responsive, but hidden, Saw-whet. We continued to call back and forth to/with the owl from about 5:20am to 5:35am, when we finally got looks at it as it was flying after us. We walked on and continued to hear the owl long past the Stevens Creek junction. Just past the Saw-whet, we heard our first GREAT-HORNED OWL call. Close to the intersection of Canyon and Indian Creek trails, we tried for Screech, and were quickly rewarded with a calling WESTERN SCREECH OWL. I think this was around 5:50am. We actually heard two Western Screech Owls there before we left. I had heard them in the same location last Sunday. We went back to the "meadow" to wait for a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL to call, and sure enough, we heard one call at 6:20am! We walked in its direction (which was further out on Canyon Trail, or away from Page Mill Rd., at the far far end of the meadow) until it was actually quite loud. Despite our wonderful Pygmy Owl imitations, the owl did not come in or make itself visible. We heard one more faint Western Screech, and then four or five Great-Horned Owls, including two that were so incredibly loud they sounded right on top of us, and indeed one (the male? because it had the deeper voice) was! We got great looks at this very handsome owl on top of a pine tree, sitting almost horizontal and hooting up an incredible storm. His white throat really stood out in the faint light against the dark brown owl as he puffed up his whole body to call to the female. We could hear the female also very close, but never saw her. Finally the male flew down to her, and we heard am amazing Great-horned Owl duet! We heard Great-horned Owls calling here and there until roughly 7:30am. We also saw many BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, several VARIED THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS with their red crowns flashing, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, HUTTONS VIREOS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, AMERICAN ROBINS, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, OAK TITMICE, STELLER'S JAYS, one WRENTIT, AMERICAN ROBINS, CALIFORNIA THRASHER (heard), SPOTTED TOWHEE (heard), etc. On the way out we saw one WHITE-TAILED KITE, 2 WESTERN-BLUEBIRDS, 20 LESSER GOLDFINCHES, one DOWNY WOODPECKER, two RED-TAILED HAWKS. We still did not hear or see Winter Wrens, Brown Creepers, Townsend's Warblers, or Pygmy Nuthatches. We got back to the cars about 9am. Good birding! Kris Olson Menlo Park _______________________________________________ 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]]