From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Apr 19 14:09:25 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i3JL34H3027999 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 14:03:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mtiwmhc11.worldnet.att.net (mtiwmhc11.worldnet.att.net [204.127.131.115]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i3IJEQAg001002 for <[[email protected]]>; Sun, 18 Apr 2004 12:14:27 -0700 (PDT) Received: from 588181826worldnet (101.san-jose-05rh15-16rt.ca.dial-access.att.net[12.72.204.101]) by worldnet.att.net (mtiwmhc11) with SMTP id <2004041819142411100ich5ue>; Sun, 18 Apr 2004 19:14:24 +0000 Message-ID: <006901c42579$60a7d9a0$[[email protected]]> From: "Jan Hintermeister" <[[email protected]]> To: <[[email protected]]> References: <[[email protected]]> <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] Lake Cunningham - Nesting Herons plus BUOW Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 12:14:28 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 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]] Following Summer's excellent directions, Karen DeMello and I visited the Lake Cunningham heron colony between 3 and 5 PM on Saturday afternoon. The four Great Egret nests are easy to see, but the Black Crowned Night-Heron (BCNH) nests are a real challenge. In spite of the directions, we were unable to find a BCNH nest with chicks until an adult scrambled through a shrub to feed the two chicks. Both chicks have partially grown-in flight feathers and were heard begging. I suspect there is a second nest with chicks nearby because we heard heron clacking from a second nearby location. Close examination of the island revealed what appear to be at least 5 additional BCNH nests. Each additional nest has a single adult that appears to be incubating. In the time we were watching, these incubating BCNH did not leave their nest. There is a lot of BCNH activity right around the island. BCNH hunt next to the island shore and from low overhanging branches. We watched two BCNH happily plucking fish from an unlucky school of fish that swam underneath them. One BCNH ate so many fish that its crop sagged prominently away from its chest. A Snowy Egret and a Green Heron also were on the island. We also had a muskrat swim by. On Cunningham Avenue close to its intersection with Capitol, a single Burrowing Owl perched on the fence. Jan Hintermeister Santa Clara, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: "delphinus" <[[email protected]]> To: <[[email protected]]> Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 11:00 AM Subject: Re: [SBB] Lake Cunningham - Nesting Herons > Bill, > > I'm posting this for all to see in case anyone wants to find the > Black-crowned Night Heron chicks... > > I stopped by Lake Cunningham this morning. I did not find the same large > chicks that we saw last Wed. but I did see some new ones. These are > definitly little chickies and they were pecking at mom's beek for food. > I saw 2 chicks, 1 larger than the other. > The nest location is as follows (link to map below): > http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/prns/regionalparks/lcp/map.jpg > If you park in the dirt parking lot at the south end of the lake, walk > northeast to the first island. Position yourself so you are between the > pine tree on the left and the nesting Great Egrets on the right. Look at > the shrub to the right of the pine tree. In the center is an opening and > in there is the nest with chicks. > > I found another nest on the northeast side of the island. From the first > nest continue walking north until you come to a white buoy. Position > yourself such that the buoy is on your right. To the left of the buoy > look into the shrub that makes contact with the water line. In that > shrub about 3ft up from the water line is another nest. I could not see > the nest, but I could see an adult bird arranging twigs and sitting in > the nest. Usually Night herons sit up straight while roosting but this > one was sitting as though there were eggs in the nest. > > To the left of the nesting adult bird above was another pair. I watched > them groom each other a bit but mostly they just sat togther > shoulder-to-shoulder making contact like they were leaning on each > other. No nest or babies in sight, but maybe this indicated there will > be one soon. > > I looked closely at all the adult birds I found ,~15 adults and 2 > immatures (no down mixed in with the feathers), to try to find evidence > of nests or chicks but thats all I found. > > I also saw one pair of Great Egrets mating on one of the nests. > > North of the heron island is a picnic area called Lakeview. I saw a > downy Kildeer chickie in the grass to the right of this picnic area. > Several families of Mallards were swimming in the lake and continuing > north along the path to the next island the Double-crested Cormorants > with their blue-blue eyes are proudly displaying their crests. Some with > white crests and some with black. > > --Summer Brasuel _______________________________________________ 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]]