From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Sun Apr 4 18:18:50 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i351GiAn029703 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 Apr 2004 18:16:45 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mailgate02.slac.stanford.edu (mailgate02.slac.stanford.edu [134.79.18.92]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i351EopJ029629 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 Apr 2004 18:14:50 -0700 (PDT) Received: from flora04.slac.stanford.edu (flora04.slac.stanford.edu [134.79.16.56]) by mailgate02.slac.stanford.edu (8.12.11/8.12.11) with ESMTP id i350Em5j007808 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 Apr 2004 17:14:48 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from [[email protected]]) Received: from localhost (eisner@localhost) by flora04.slac.stanford.edu (8.12.10+Sun/8.12.5/Submit-solaris) with ESMTP id i350EmYr006725 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 4 Apr 2004 17:14:48 -0700 (PDT) X-Authentication-Warning: flora04.slac.stanford.edu: eisner owned process doing -bs Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2004 17:14:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Al Eisner <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Subject: [SBB] Alum Rock field trip, with Townsend's Solitaire X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5b1 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]] Sixteen birders shared in this "morning's" SCVAS field trip to Alum Rock Park in San Jose. The weather was excellent: partly cloudy, and never too hot. I put "morning" in quotes because we were actually out until close 1:30 PM, but we were constantly surrounded by birds, and had a couple of unexpected highlights. Our route took us east from the Rustic Lands area along the North Rim Trail, then upstream past the Sycamore Grove picnic area (we looked for Dippers, but didn't find them) and finally back down the creek trail. With migrants arriving early this year, I had hoped for higher numbers of spring birds than in recent years on this trip. This proved to be true in two cases: Selasphorus Hummingbirds and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKs. We began at Rustic Lands with the usual active bunch of about five or six BULLOCK'S ORIOLEs and with the sound of the first of four or five singing Grosbeaks for the day (we later got good looks at one), all over a noisy background of the ubiquitous STELLER'S JAYs. A pair of RED-SHOULDERED HAWKs was building a nest in a Euc just west of Rustic Lands, marking the start of a good raptor day: a couple more (probably different) Red-shouldered, several RED-TAILED HAWKs (including two near a nest high on the hill), at least two WHITE-TAILED KITEs, up to two SHARP-SHIINED HAWKs and five COOPER'S HAWKs, and at least three AMERICAN KESTRELs, including a pair. Frank Vanslager also saw a larger Falcon heading off, but didn't get a solid ID. Lastly, a GREAT-HORNED OWL was high in a tree across the creek from Alum Rock. Heading up the North Rim Trail below Eagle Rock, a RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW was heard singing, and the group eventually got excellent looks at two of them. Another inhabitant of the scrub, CALIFORNIA THRASHER, was not so cooperative this year, with two or three heard singing but not clearly seen. NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs were often noted. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW was the only other swallow species seen, but we had nice views (as well as earfuls) of several WHITE-THROATED SWIFTs. A stop by the west end of the Todd Quick Trail proved amazingly productive, beginning with that first Thrasher song, and going on to the three HOODED ORIOLEs (including an adult male) in a small pine above the hillside palm trees (which in turn were hosting a group of ACORN WOODPECKERs). An ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was also heard and seen uphill. But the star was a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, an adult male spotted by Pat Kenny -- at the time I told her it was the bird of the day, the first one I've seen on this annual field trip. It briefly visited a monkey-flower patch, and provided clear one-to-several-second rear views to (unfortunately only) about half of our group. Farther east along the trail, in an area where we typically see one male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD, we had good identifiable views of two, plus an additional one or two male and one female Selasphorus, sp. Then, as we were descending the east end of the trail (just past where the trail joins the private paved road that veers east into the hills), Pat (again!) first spotted the real star of the day: a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. The bird, collectively identified, was in a large oak on the south edge of this paved road just east of the start of the trail proper. It remained there for at least 20 minutes (this must have been at about 11:30), posing in its typical near-vertical posture, occasionally flycatching, occasionally flicking its wings. It had a small short bill and a long tail, with an overall rather slender appearance. It's size was sort of Towhee-like. It was gray above, and unmarked pale (off-white?) below, with a prominent white eyering (complete, with a small pointed extension at the rear). The wings showed buffy-orange edgings on what we took to be the flight feathers (I don't think a coalesced patch was clearly noted, although I once had that impression)), and pale (whitish) outer tail edges. It seemed to be content moving about in this one tree. Toward the end of our Solitaire-observation time, we all suffered what I consider a mass lunch-time hallucination: a WILD TURKEY *flew* by along the hillside just below eye level. Down near the creek we had at least 6 singing HOUSE WRENs, several (as usual) defending old lampposts; one's mate was carrying material into a nest hole in one of these. Farther down- tream, we had good looks at a singing TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. Other warblers today included YELLOW-RUMPED and two (heard-only) singing ORANGE-CROWNED. Finally, as we crossed the high bridge over the creek by Alum Rock, we had excellent looks at a BOBCAT as it nonchalantly padded its way up the closed old entrance road -- a fitting conclusion to a very interesting day of birding. Thanks, as always, to all the participants, both for the excellent company and the excellent bird-spotting. Cheers, Al Eisner _______________________________________________ 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]]