From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sun May 11 15:04:56 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h4BM0rIt027075 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 11 May 2003 15:00:53 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (mta5.snfc21.pbi.net [206.13.28.241]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h4BLx2vn027022 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 11 May 2003 14:59:23 -0700 (PDT) Received: from KrisDesktop ([64.169.18.243]) by mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.1 HotFix 1.6 (built Oct 18 2002)) with ESMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Sun, 11 May 2003 14:59:00 -0700 (PDT) Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 14:58:56 -0700 From: Kris Olson <[[email protected]]> To: South Bay Birders <[[email protected]]> Message-id: <018001c31808$84e5e610$6501a8c0@KrisDesktop> MIME-version: 1.0 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.4510 Importance: Normal X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-priority: Normal Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.2+ Subject: [SBB] Grant Park/Mt. Hamilton birding 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 h4BM0rIt027075 Hello all, I celebrated Mother's Day today by leaving a sleeping household behind for the morning! What perfect weather, green hills, poppies and lupine. My first stop was Twin Gates in Grant Park. The highest tree in the small group above the parking lot held one each of a variety of warblers: HERMIT, NASHVILLE, WILSON'S (male singing), YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED and a BLACK-THROATED GRAY. Wow! They were accompanied by a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, several WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, many ACORN WOODPECKERS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, one not-warbling WARBLING VIREO, a PURPLE FINCH, and a WESTERN KINGBIRD harassing a RED-TAILED HAWK. As I left a WESTERN-WOOD PEWEE called from the top of a nearby oak. Smith Creek bridge had one stunning male LAZULI BUNTING, and female WESTERN TANAGER, more Orioles, and two more Pewees. Along the creek was a calling CASSIN'S VIREO and a BROWN CREEPER carrying a bug. I followed it for awhile until it disappeared, saw the bird in the same tree on my return trip, but did not discover its nest. Lots of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and one NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER. Just over the crest of Mt. Hamilton, at the spot where Les Chibana found the breeding Black-chinned Sparrow ast year (first pull-off on the right) was a calling BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. No sign of a sparrow. The one-lane-bridge creek (as far as I had time to go) had many more Acorn Woodpeckers and Orioles along with BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS chasing each other apparently off good territory. Two YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES, one Western Kingbird, and a male WILD TURKEY who flew in apparently in response to some whistles I was making at the Orioles. At the first whistle, he gobbled loudly, out of sight up the far hill, and proceeded to respond immediately to every set of whistles until he finally flew across the road and the creek, then again disappeared up the hill. ??? Just over the crest of Mt Hamilton on the way home I encountered two more CASSIN'S VIREOS calling and chasing each other. And, among a group of 5 TURKEY VULTURES was a white (leucistic?) one! It was flying in the area that said "no parking 4 miles", but I did manage to park at one spot and use my binoculars. From the top, the bird looked white or off-white with one light brown flight feather. From underneath, it had the same dark/light wing pattern as other TVs but the trailing edges of the wings looked almost clear and the body a light brown. I did not use a scope and the bird was far away, but it flew with the other Vultures, flew like them, so I think it was a vulture. I remember that Les Chibana saw one of these birds in Marin County last year; did it come to join us or are they common? Just before Hall Lake was a signing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Happy Mother's Day and spring at last! Kris Olson Menlo Park Definitely off-topic: the couple who lives next to the Smith Creek fire station is going to sell their home, reluctantly. It is the tan stucco house with the brick fireplace. They loved the idea of a birder buying it, so if you are interested, call Chris Green: 559-675-1672. PS, I read Bob Reiling's note about Del Puerto Canyon when I got home today. Traffic was OK for the first two hours (I did not get there until maybe 8am) - just three bikes - but certainly picked up on the way home, especially more bicycles and motorcycles. I encountered only one other groups of 4 birders while at Smith Creek. _______________________________________________ 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]]