From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sat Mar 8 22:29:49 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.8/8.12.2) with ESMTP id h296Qmix019066 for <[[email protected]]>; Sat, 8 Mar 2003 22:26:49 -0800 (PST) Received: from scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net (scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.49]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.8/8.12.2) with ESMTP id h296QDZQ019031 for <[[email protected]]>; Sat, 8 Mar 2003 22:26:13 -0800 (PST) Received: from user-38lc006.dialup.mindspring.com ([209.86.0.6] helo=kirstennt) by scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 18ruG9-00049j-00 for [[email protected]]; Sat, 08 Mar 2003 22:26:10 -0800 From: "Kirsten R. Holmquist" <[[email protected]]> To: "South Bay Birds" <[[email protected]]> Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 22:25:34 -0800 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000F_01C2E5C1.A30B49B0" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: <[[email protected]]> X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1+ Subject: [SBB] Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society outing to lower Windy Hill X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1+ 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]] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C2E5C1.A30B49B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It was a stunning day at Windy Hill today. Warmth and sunshine provided excellent lighting for some beautiful birds. The fun started at the parking lot where a pair of NUTTALL'S WOODPECKERS rattled from the bare trees adjacent to the lot. An OAK TITMOUSE was insistently tweet-tweet-tweeting in the same trees. A few RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS came in from the nearby fields to check us out. In the green trees behind the bare ones, we picked up a couple LESSER GOLDFINCHES. While we were watching the goldfinches, we realized that our first PINE SISKIN of the day was hanging out with them. Several people caught a NORTHERN FLICKER flying into an old oak tree up the tree. A couple of CALIFORNIA TOWHEES were in the path at the trailhead. ACORN WOODPECKERS were seen on their cache telephone pole. A couple MALLARDS flew by overhead. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention we saw our first WESTERN SCRUB JAYS of the day at the parking lot too. Time to get going! Our first stop was at Sausal pond. The HOODED MERGANSERS were still there, 1 male and 3 females. A GREEN HERON nestled in some shrubbery on the other side of the pond. A couple of PIED-BILLED GREBES and several AMERICAN COOTS were hanging out with the Mergansers. We continued on past the back side of the pond. We found a couple of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES in the trees just past the pond. A beautiful melody alerted us to the presence of PURPLE FINCH in the area. A flock of HOUSE FINCHES erupted into the air. We finally located a male PURPLE FINCH in a leafed out tree. While most of us were watching him, an alert spotter found a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in an adjoining tree. A small flock of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS did a fly by. Our first ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER of the day made its appearance, even showing off its orange-crown for those who managed to distinguish it from the new leaves. A little farther on, we heard a CALIFORNIA THRASHER singing exuberantly but we searched in vain for a visual. We did see a pair of BUSHTITS followed closely by a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET doing vocal warm-ups in preparation for moving on to its breeding grounds. A large old oak held several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. A DARK-EYED JUNCO flew up to join the party. An AMERICAN ROBIN flew in to round out the crew. Nearby, a male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was popping. A more wooded area yielded a flock of 6+ VARIED THRUSH and a HUTTON'S VIREO taking a moss nest for a test drive. Glancing up, a few of us caught glimpses of a swift circling above through an opening in the canopy. The underbelly was a creamy light brown with no white/black contrast expected of a white-throated so it was probably a VAUX'S SWIFT. Searching the sky in vain for another look at the swift, we did pick up a brief glimpse of a Swallow. Not a good enough view for an ID unfortunately, but given the area, it was most likely a Violet-Green. We reached the junction with the Spring Ridge trail. A few of us caught fleeting glimpses of a BEWICK'S WREN in the chaparral. We were watching a pair of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS when a closely associating pair of RED-TAILED HAWKS flew by. One hawk was above the other with landing gear down and seemingly within inches of the lower hawk. They went on down the hill. We turned our attention to a small flock of PINE SISKINS in an oak. A RED-TAIL popped up above the trees, presumably one of the pair, and started circling. We realized that there was another raptor circling above it. This raptor turned out to be an OSPREY, a first for me at the park. We oohed and aahed until we lost sight of the OSPREY, at which point, the RED-TAILED headed towards us. It did a couple barrel rolls in the process as if to say, I'll give you something to really ooh and aah over. :-) We could also hear a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK calling but the bird never made an appearance. On the Meadow Trail, the usual swarms of ACORN WOODPECKERS and STELLARS JAYS were evident. Of more interest to the group was a very cooperative HERMIT THRUSH hanging out by the side of the driveway. It stayed out in the open for several minutes, showing off its rufous tail. We looked up to see a couple of COOPER'S HAWKS soaring overhead, soon joined by a couple of TURKEY VULTURES. To the side, skimming along through the tops of the trees was a NORTHERN HARRIER. We walked down the driveway pursuing the sound of calling Nuthatches. We were rewarded with two WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. A bonus bird was a BROWN CREEPER dropping the base of a skinny little oak and beginning its climb back up. CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES blew in bringing with them a cheerful attitude and a eye-popping male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. Turning around, we were treated to a gorgeous RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in a near tree and full sunlight. Walking along the Betsy Crowder trail, we saw a couple of soaring COMMON RAVENS. A flock of GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS foraged along the edge of the chaparral. When we stopped to try to get a look at a fleeing BEWICK'S WREN and SPOTTED TOWHEE, a few saw CALIFORNIA QUAIL scurrying away up the hill. A WHITE-TAILED KITE was perched in a bare branch of a pine tree. Proceeding into the woodland area, everyone got great looks at a bright ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW gave the front half of the people train good looks as it lingered by the trail's edge. We were kinda like the blind men examining the elephant however. Some people got good looks at the white throat; others really saw the yellow spot between the beak and the eye. The stripes were not as bright white as those in most guides but it was still definitely a white-striped variety. Coming down from the Crowder trail, we were watching a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE examine a small cavity when two more BROWN CREEPERS distracted our attention. We thought we heard Hairy/Downy Woodpecker vocalizations in the same area but could never find the bird. A FOX SPARROW was one of our last birds of the day, at the edge of the pond. For dessert, those of us who chose to linger in the parking lot got a few minutes to enjoy the presence of a male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD. Altogether, we had something like 54 species for the day. Best Regards, Kirsten R. Holmquist [[email protected]] ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C2E5C1.A30B49B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ 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]] ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C2E5C1.A30B49B0--