From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 11:13:28 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h8TI9wID014909 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:09:59 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (rtjones.nas.nasa.gov [129.99.19.30]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h8TI8UZP014860 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:08:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/NAS-6n) with ESMTP id h8TI8Vhv096929 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:08:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/Submit) id h8TI8Ud9097347 for [[email protected]]; Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:08:30 -0700 (PDT) Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:08:30 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] SFBBO guided birdathon - 9/27/03 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]] All, On Saturday morning 9/27/03, I joined Sandy & Steve Moore and Shirley Wodtke for a SFBBO guided half day birdathon. In just over 5 hours we tallied 102 species in Alviso, the Coyote Creek Field Station, and the area around the Mountain View Forebay. We started out at the Alviso Marina, getting nice looks at some marsh birds such as VIRGINIA RAILS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and MARSH WRENS. Then we moved over to New Chicago Marsh, where Mike Danzenbaker had already located the immature male RUFF for us. At least 4 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were also here. We headed further up the road to the Environmental Education Center, finding 3 FOX SPARROWS (2 singing!) and many ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS near the parking area (the red flowers along the parking medians warrant checking for rare hummingbirds!). We managed two EARED GREBES in pond A16, but no early arriving gulls. A strange chip in a HOUSE FINCH flock where the trail first hits pond A16 attracted my attention once we had moved west to the boardwalk. I got the bird in my scope and saw what looked like an unstreaked Savannah Sparrow. An AMERICAN KESTREL flushed the flock before I could conclusively ID the bird, but it was likely an escaped finch, perhaps a female/basic Northern Red Bishop. A single BURROWING OWL and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE were seen from the boardwalk and more VIRGINIA RAILS were along the slough edge. Next we headed to CCFS, where Vicki was banding a WILSON'S WARBLER (no we didn't count it!). The eucalyptus and nearby area was quite birdy, with 8+ YELLOW-RUMPED (AUDUBON'S) WARBLERS, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED and 4 YELLOW WARBLERS, 3 "WESTERN" and 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 1 WESTERN TANAGER, the first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET I've seen this Fall, and a HOUSE WREN. Overhead 2 VAUX'S SWIFTS cavorted with a small flock of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. Other birds of note included a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and a SAY'S PHOEBE. The waterbird had no real surprises, but the drive out there netted an out-of-place DARK-EYED JUNCO. The trip out to Coyote Slough added a GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a COMMON MOORHEN. We had at least 3 more YELLOW WARBLERS and a few COMMON YELLOWTHROATS near the road by the willows near the heron rookery. Heading back across Highway 237 we saw a GREEN HERON over the Calabazas Ponds; another flushed from the inlet creek at the Mountain View Forebay. Shoreline Lake added a female LESSER SCAUP, a male GREATER SCAUP (likely the resident injured male), and 6 SURF SCOTERS. A single GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL on the island at the southern end of Charleston Slough was later replaced by a single WESTERN GULL. At least 12 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were in nearby Adobe Creek. Both BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were present along the creek as well. Near the fancy new restroom we had scope-filling views of a cooperative LINCOLN'S SPARROW and 2 more YELLOW WARBLERS. We were still just short of 100 species, however, with only the short walk along the southern edge of the Mountain View Forebay to go. But this proved to be a productive couple hundred yards, with a male DOWNY WOODPECKER (#99), 4 adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS (#100), and more VIRGINIA and 3 SORA (#101) RAILS. Perhaps the most unexpected bird of the day was #102, an Oak Titmouse seen in a small oak sapling along Terminal Ave, found from inside the car as we were getting ready to leave! Mike Rogers _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. 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