From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Jun 9 12:24:40 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h59JMWa8005183 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:22:32 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (rtjones.nas.nasa.gov [129.99.19.30]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h59JLWfF005125 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:21:32 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.9.3p2/8.9.3/NAS 8.9.3-5n) id MAA44418 for [[email protected]]; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:21:30 -0700 (PDT) Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:21:30 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] Palo Alto SBC X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2+ 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]] All, On Saturday 6/7/03, I covered the Palo Alto Baylands, Byxbee Park, much of the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin, and Moffett Field for the Palo Alto Summer Bird Count. I ended up finding 75 species, with the most abundant species being CALIFORNIA GULL (520), MALLARD (478), CLIFF SWALLOW (255), HOUSE FINCH (250), ROCK DOVE (219), RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (179), and EUROPEAN STARLING (163). As usual for the count, much of the time was spent counting individual birds of our more common species: 80 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 50 AMERICAN AVOCETS, 72 MOURNING DOVES, 21 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, 44 BLACK PHOEBES, 59 BARN SWALLOWS, 22 AMERICAN CROWS, 67 BUSHTITS, 40 MARSH WRENS, 29 AMERICAN ROBINS, 32 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS, 18 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 20 SAVANNAH SPARROWS, 81 SONG SPARROWS, 66 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, 23 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, 29 LESSER GOLDFINCH, 48 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, 50 HOUSE SPARROWS, etc. etc. The more unusual birds are noted below. I started out taping for rails at the Mountain View Forebay at 5:30am. No luck with this, although a singing BEWICK'S WREN here was the first of 6 for the day - a high number for the immediate bay edge. A quick check of Shoreline Lake turned up 6 SURF SCOTERS (2 ad male, 1 imm male, and 3 females), and the injured male GREATER SCAUP. A first-summer GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL was on the floating platform in the lake. Driving away from the Forebay at 6:15am I was treated to a STRIPED SKUNK in the middle of the road. I next covered Stevens Creek from highway 101 to Crittenden Lane. No eastern vagrants here :(, but an adult male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and 2 female HOODED ORIOLES were nice. Most interesting was an adult COOPER'S HAWK carrying food into the nearby Moffett housing complex. This bird was later seen again along the creek; also seen was a first-summer bird that may be its mate. I have seen the adult flying into the same complex from the NASA Ames main gate previously this year and undoubtedly we have a new breeding confirmation for block 8040. Next I birded around the Palo Alto Water Pollution Control Plant. The gull flock atop the landfill had 2 GLAUCOUS-WINGED, 6 WESTERN, and 145 CALIFORNIA GULLS, as well as 5 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS. Nearby at the old yacht harbor were 9 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 1+ LONG-BILLED CURLEW, and 3 WHIMBRELS. The injured female GREATER SCAUP was still at the duck pond. My next stop at Geng Road was hampered by hundreds of runners and dogs partaking of a 5K race. A surprise here was a singing DARK-EYED JUNCO at the corner of Geng Road and Embarcadero Road. This species is being found breeding closer and closer to the bay edge. I began a big bike loop, finding 2 more HOODED ORIOLES along San Francisquito Creek. The little pond just across the rusty bridge into San Mateo County had a female NORTHERN SHOVELER with 6 small precocial young (probably fairly unusual for that county), as well as precocial young BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and AMERICAN COOTS. Arriving at the San Francisquito Creek Delta just before 9:45am for the uncovering tide turned up 47 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (3 in full alternate plumage), 41 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, 3 WHIMBRELS (perhaps the same as those at the yacht harbor, although Mike Mammoser had one still in the harbor after this), and 3 distant DOWITCHERS (all San Mateo County). Two WESTERN and two GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS were also foraging here and a single BROWN PELICAN winged its way north over the bay centerline. The only NORTHERN PINTAILS I saw all day were a pair out here. Biking back to the interpretive center along the outfall channel produced two COMMON MOORHENS. Continuing on around to Byxbee Park and out along the outer Palo Alto Flood Control Basin dike turned up 19 LESSER SCAUP and 3 NORTHERN SHOVELERS. The COMMON RAVEN nest at the yacht harbor mouth held large young and an island in the Flood Control Basin opposite the outer edge of Charleston Slough had nesting CALIFORNIA GULLS with 2 young already hatched (new breeding location for this species). FORSTER'S TERNS and AMERICAN AVOCETS also appeared to be nesting here, although the vegetation was too deep to see any eggs. After getting back to the car I finished up birding the Baylands and moved on to the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin. Highlights here included a COMMON MOORHEN, 6 male CINNAMON TEAL, and a young PIED-BILLED GREBE. Walking along Matadero Creek and around Byxbee Park turned up a SPOTTED SANDPIPER flying into the Emily Renzel Pond and a brood of CINNAMON TEAL in Mayfield Slough. For the last part of my day I birded Moffett Field, including biking around the Moffett Golf Course. Highlights here included a BURROWING OWL near the Ellis Street gate, a pair of CINNAMON TEAL in the storm water retention pond, and the only 2 LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES of the day (one on the Lockheed property fence with an adult male HOODED ORIOLE and the other near the airstrip). Big misses, both in my area and for the count as a whole, included Clapper Rail (none at the San Francisquito Creek mouth, none along the boardwalk behind the interpretive center, none in the yacht harbor marsh, and none at Hook's Isle!) and Black Skimmer (off breeding elsewhere I guess). Mike Rogers _______________________________________________ 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]]