From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Thu May 1 10:25:32 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h41HMaLZ024061 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 1 May 2003 10:22:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h41HLkE6024013 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 1 May 2003 10:21:46 -0700 (PDT) Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.2 #30665) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 01 May 2003 10:21:42 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 10:21:41 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii cc: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] - 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]] Folks: Yesterday, 4/30/2003, I visited Smiths Creek and then drove over Mt. Hamilton and back for a sojurn in San Antonio Valley. Roadcuts are covered with a vibrant purple lupine while in the valley are swathes of goldfields, owls clover, and a small blue-and-white lupine. The views are magnificent and distracting for picking up good birds. Ruth Stoddard, who owns the San Antone Ranch, says its the best flowering she can remember. Following a clear night, there were few migrants anywhere on my trip, certainly no flocks of warblers in the oaks. However, at Smiths Creek at the bridge I did find an early WILLOW FLYCATCHER. This silent empid was grayish, not unlike Hammond's Flycatcher, but with shape and posture more like a Pacific-sloped. The bill was large and broad and the lower bill was completely yellow. There was a very thin white eye-ring visible in good conditions. This flycatcher is regular in the fall migration, but very rare here in the spring (and usually later in May). Up the hill to the west, beyond the green gate in the shrubby hillside to the left of California rose and poison oak I found a silent MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. This is where a bird was found on 4/12 and has been seen/heard at least once since. Is this one bird or three? A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and five GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS were lingering winter birds. Then only certain migrant I found in my passage over Mt. Hamilton was a NASHVILLE WARBLER at Seeboy Ridge after Isabel Creek. The first WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEES of the day were calling on the west side of Mt. Hamilton at about 3600 feet. A couple of CHIPPING SPARROWS were there as well, but didn't sing. In the San Antonio Valley a silent OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was the only migrant. The only WOOD DUCK for the day was a male in a small pond east of the San Antonio Valley Road just north of the dogleg. My only LEWIS' S WOODPECKER was east of this pond. I did better with PHAINOPEPLA, with a male at the Bar-Y Ranch, another male at the CDF station, and a pair at the cattle guard north of the junction. The feeders at the junction only had Anna's Hummingbirds, sigh. There were BARN SWALLOW pairs at Isabel Creek and next to the Mallison Ranch in San Antonio Valley. Perhaps we'll confirm breeding at these locations following this wet spring. At least five PINE SISKINS in a goldfinch flock in a grove of valley oaks just leafing out were lingering wintering birds. Bill _______________________________________________ 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]]