From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Apr 19 18:51:59 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i3K1mZH3007888 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 18:48:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mta4.rcsntx.swbell.net (mta4.rcsntx.swbell.net [151.164.30.28]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i3K1lVAg007815 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 18:47:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: from KrisDesktop (adsl-64-169-18-243.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net [64.169.18.243]) by mta4.rcsntx.swbell.net (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id i3K1lTh7010472 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 20:47:29 -0500 (CDT) From: "Kris Olson" <[[email protected]]> To: "South Bay Birders" <[[email protected]]> Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 18:47:28 -0700 Message-ID: <00be01c42679$70cdcb90$6401a8c0@KrisDesktop> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.4510 Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id i3K1lVAg007815 Subject: [SBB] Sierra Rd: no Longspur but good birding 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]] Hi all, I read about Mike Roger's Lapland Longspur on Sierra Rd Saturday (on the N. Cal RBA) -- during his very productive Big Day for Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. So, thought I, off to Sierra Rd (which is reached by taking 237--> Calaveras--right onto Felter, then onto Sierra. You pass Ed Levin park on the way.) I got there about 11am today (where Mike &his group saw the longspur: on the summit of Sierra, near old cattle feeding pens with some water in the mud.) Waited for 2 hours, and another birder (David Tom? Thom? Did I remember that correctly?) waited 1 hour after I did--no luck. However, it was GREAT!! On my way driving up and while I was waiting, a GOLDEN EAGLE came flying over the crest of the hill right over my head. Couldn't ask for better looks. The ground squirrels gave a hasty squeak and dove for cover. I had no idea how many ground squirrels were about until the Eagle flew by! There were at least 2 pair of HORNED LARKS. One pair likes to hang out right across from the cattle feeding pens. They like the dirt clods turned up in a row next to the fence and the shorter grass past there. Once, the pair got separated. The male took 20 minutes to call and call; finally his mate showed up. He would sing every time the WESTERN MEADOW LARK sang (also maybe 2 pairs around.) His call was exactly like theirs! But high, thin, whispy, with effort. Finally his mate appeared, I guess walking through the grass. They were inseparable the rest of the 2 hours. A pair of LARK SPARROWS also showed up twice. And a male WESTERN BLUEBIRD with what I think is a juvenile-- brilliant blue tail feathers and gray streaky/spotted body. Pretty early? A SAVANNAH SPAROW, AMERICAN KESTREL, RED-TAILED HAWK and COMMON RAVEN completed the tally. Not many species, but all wonderful. I have rarely had such close, quiet time with Horned Larks. I drove down Sierra a little further- seeing a BULLOCKS' ORIOLE male. There are WESTERN KINGBIRDS on either side of the summit. Turned around and drove back toward Felter and Calvaras. Just before Felter, I paused to look at a flock of goldfinches-- there were 7 LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES and several LESSERs. Quite close to the road, in the first hillside field after Felter as you turn onto Sierra (coming from Calaveras). I stopped at an old orchard on my way down around 3pm which was filled with birds: HOUSE FINCHES, WHITE-BREASTED NUHATCH, OAK TITMOUSE, ACORN WOODPECKERS, WESTERN KINGBIRDS, several WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, one HUTTONS' VIREO (across the street), one ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, one CHIPPING SPARROW (I think more were around but it took me awhile to ID them, I know if Mike were there, one twitter and the bird would be ID'd!) and one ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (aggressively chasing other fly-catching birds.) Like Mike's group, I had seen the pair of BUFFLEHEADS in a pond on Felter-- with a pair of GADWALLS and a CANADA GOOSE on a nest with mate nearby. YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES were everywhere! Several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. The pond had lots of swallows over it in the morning-- mainly CLIFF, VIOLET-GREEN and at least 1 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. I found 1 stately WILD TURKEY, male, slowly crossing the road, the Fed Ex van waiting on one side, I on the other. Where was the camera? One CALIFORNIA THRASHER also crossed the road at some point. Oh, a local birder told the other birder, who was waiting at the cattle pens, that he sees Roadrunners "about a mile" back down Sierra toward Felter. So I stopped at every "pullout" I could and scanned for RRs. I even drove up the long side-road driveway of the family selling Irises and Peonies (and then bought some Douglas iris!) to see if I could see something more on that long side road. Her house had 10 CALIFORNIA QUAIL, SPOTTED TOWHEE and 1 KILLDEER which has been nesting there recently (despite her 4 outdoor cats). She thinks she has seen RRs twice in 20 years. Last year there was a Greater Roadrunner on Crothers, which is south of Felter, but which seems to be about the same elevation in the foothills. HOODED ORIOLES: a pair in the 6 fan palms at 4829 Felter. I pished absent-mindedly to see if any were there and had a very upset pair instantly. Perhaps they are already nesting? I quickly left them quietly to their palms. There were two heard-only birds that I am sure Mike would know immediately: I think a Warbling Vireo (sounds close on enature.com) and a Wren, right in the bright sun, singing like crazy. One I will never know! So, despite not finding the target bird, it was a great 4 hours of birding! Kris Olson Menlo Park, CA _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. 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