From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Jun 9 10:42:33 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h59HeZa9003360 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 10:40:36 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail07b.vwh1.net (mail07b.vwh1.net [207.201.152.67]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with SMTP id h59HdRfF003312 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 10:39:28 -0700 (PDT) Received: from www.hiddenvilla.org (209.238.206.251) by mail07b.vwh1.net (RS ver 1.0.80vs) with SMTP id 2-019477362; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 13:39:23 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <002001c32ead$d0cb2520$[[email protected]]> From: "Garth Harwood" <[[email protected]]> To: "SBB" <[[email protected]]> Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 10:37:34 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 X-Loop-Detect: 1 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.2+ Cc: Alberts and Harwood <[[email protected]]> Subject: [SBB] PASBC Monte Bello and vicinity 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]] Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id h59HeZa9003360 Hello all, Saturday's Summer Bird Count at Monte Bello OSP took place in near-optimal weather conditions, but that wasn't helpful in finding most of the rarities the area is known for. However, a few good birds did turn up for myself, Vivek Tiwari, and Josh Bennett: 3 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were located at widely separate points. One was on Black Mountain's summit, another about Mile 1.0 on the Indian Creek Trail, and a third, very accessible by road, along Page Mill Road singing from coyote bushes near the equestrian parking area (which is about 3/4 mile west of the main parking area behind the gate marked MB04, which ordinarily has no parking available.) Also in the latter area I encountered 4 CHIPPING SPARROWS at daybreak before teaming up with the others. Heard-only PILEATED WOODPECKERS were vocal in a very intermittent way throughout the day at multiple locations. I figure there was a minimum of two individuals based on timing and distance factors, namely: -lots of calls emanating from the vicinity of the junctions of White Oak, Stevens Creek Nature Trail, and Canyon Trails between 9-11:30 AM could have been a single bird. -several calls from lower sections of the Grizzly Flat trail, several miles downstream near Table Mtn. but still within the count circle, at 2:05PM. -a brief series of calls to the north of Horseshoe Lake (Skyline Ridge OSP) at 3PM. Although Dick Stovel gets the prize for coolest Pygmy Nuthatch discovery, I had an active nest in much more typical environs, in a 25' slender fir snag about a mile down the Grizzly Flat trail from Skyline Blvd. (these birds, like Dick's, were carrying food into the cavity.) A WINTER WREN was singing in this area too. A total of seventeen BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS was the highest number I've ever had in a single day (but then, I don't bird optimal habitat for 10-1/2 hours straight very often). A family group near the top of the Stevens Creek Nature Trail scolded us (sometimes while carrying food) at distances as close as 10 feet. LAZULI BUNTING numbers were in the upper teens, with the best single encounter being a pair at the Black Mtn. backpack camp, the female carrying a beakful of fine grasses into some brush. No Black-chinned Sparrows along the Indian Creek Trail, but we did have a nifty consolation prize a bend or two down the trail at Milepost 0.8: a RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW well seen by all as he sang from shrub tops at close range. At day's end I had a singing HERMIT WARBLER at the outlet side of Horseshoe Lake; as I could not get a glimpse of the bird in a half-hour of persistent tracking, I did not report it at the time, needing to study my tapes to confidently rule out all other possibilities. Having done so, I am quite confident of the ID. Thanks to Lisa Myers and her team at Hidden Villa, and Kirsten Holmquist/Paul Chestnut at Skyline and Rancho San Antonio for rounding out Region 8 coverage on the count. --Garth Harwood _______________________________________________ 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]]