From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sun May 4 14:16:36 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h44LEZLW001775 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 May 2003 14:14:36 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mms2.broadcom.com (mms2.broadcom.com [63.70.210.59]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.7/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h44LDHE6001733 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 May 2003 14:13:17 -0700 (PDT) Received: from 63.70.210.1 by mms2.broadcom.com with ESMTP (Broadcom SMTP Relay (MMS v5.5.2)); Sun, 04 May 2003 14:10:03 -0700 Received: from mail-sjcw-3.sw.broadcom.com (mail-sjcw-3.sw.broadcom.com [10.20.128.23]) by mon-irva-11.broadcom.com (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id OAA19928 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 May 2003 14:12:51 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail-sjcw-1.broadcom.com (mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com [10.20.128.21]) by mail-sjcw-3.sw.broadcom.com (8.12.9/8.12.9/SSM3) with ESMTP id h44LDAMW009217 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 May 2003 14:13:10 -0700 (PDT) Received: from pc2kmikem (dhcpe1-sjcw-254 [10.20.64.254]) by mail-sjcw-1.broadcom.com (8.12.9/8.12.4/SSM) with SMTP id h44LD90N013260 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 May 2003 14:13:10 -0700 (PDT) From: "Mike Mammoser" <[[email protected]]> To: SBB <[[email protected]]> Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 14:12:01 -0700 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4910.0300 Importance: Normal X-WSS-ID: 12AB5E21219691-01-01 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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]] On Saturday, 3 May 03, I drove up to Loma Prieta in spite of the intermittent rain. Although the peak was mostly shrouded in fog, the rain let up enough for me to walk around. I had no luck with martins or swifts, but there was a fair amount of bird activity. ASH-THROATED and OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER joined calling WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES. A male WESTERN TANAGER perched cooperatively at the top of a conifer. Many BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS were in the chaparral. ORANGE-CROWNED and WILSON'S WARBLERS, WARBLING VIREO, and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were all singing. I then went down to Llagas Creek in the south county for a walk along the west side levee from Bloomfield Ave. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was singing not too far from the bridge, and I was able to whistle him in for killer looks (he came to within 5 feet of me at one point). Some of the fields off of the levee have become flooded, and here I found a pair of AMERICAN BITTERNS which are probably breeders. I first saw them high in the air, with the smaller one (probably a female) leading the larger male. He followed her every twist and turn, even when she sideslipped, closed her wings and dove down, he was right on her tail. During this time he was also displaying his white scapular ruff (see Bent). They landed together in the dense vegetation bordering one of the flooded fields. After about 5 minutes they were up again, flying low over the field briefly before settling down once more into the vegetation. These flooded fields had numbers of ducks and shorebirds. In addition to the MALLARDS and GADWALLS there were 6 CINNAMON TEAL, 6 RUDDY DUCKS, 2 male NORTHERN SHOVELERS, and a female RING-NECKED DUCK. At least 14 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and 180 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were present. Early in my walk I had 3 WHIMBRELS fly by and they came from either these fields or the sewage ponds further down the levee. There are numbers of AMERICAN GOLDFINCH here, singing and performing courtship flights. A few WILSON'S WARBLERS and a YELLOW WARBLER were along the creek. At one point I had a lone CALIFORNIA THRASHER on the levee. A singing male LAZULI BUNTING back at the bridge may be a migrant. >From there I went to San Felipe Road to check the eucalyptus trees. I couldn't find any Cassin's Kingbird, but a pair of WESTERN KINGBIRDS was building a nest in the south-most euc. This tree also had BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and a male WESTERN TANAGER. The central euc has a RED-TAILED HAWK nest with young. At the north-most euc, a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE was carrying food into the tree, while a DARK-EYED JUNCO was gathering food along the edge of the orchard, which it then carried into the orchard just north of the euc. I believe that both these records represent new confirmations for the block. Down by the bridge, a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD was carrying nesting material into a conifer along the private driveway. The creek had a couple of YELLOW WARBLERS and a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. On the way home I stopped at Coyote Ranch and walked the paved bike path. Not much happening here - a couple YELLOW WARBLERS, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, etc. Two CASPIAN TERNS flew overhead towards the north. At Parkway Lakes a male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was perched and singing in a small dead tree by the reeds, at the point where these birds nested last year. He flew to the shore, where he foraged for a little while. He then flew back to the reeds, immediately dropping out of sight into them. I didn't see if he was carrying anything, but this seems to indicate breeding is going on. On Sunday, 4 May 03, I went up to Smith Creek with illusions (or is that delusions?) of migrants. Shortly after arriving I met Rob and Rita Colwell and we birded together. Needless to say, there was a decided lack of migrants, with the exception of a single HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER up the hill to the left of the trail behind the fire station. A lingering RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET was there as well. After a couple hours in the hills I went down to Shoreline Park, hoping for a Coyote Point type of situation there with migrants. All I could find was a singing WILSON'S WARBLER and a male WESTERN TANAGER. There was also a female ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD with a just-fledged youngster. As I write this, there is an AMERICAN CROW carrying nesting material into a cottonwood tree on Great America Park property outside the window here at work. Mike Mammoser _______________________________________________ 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]]