From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Wed Jan 21 17:04:54 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i0M10AXW026775 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:00:11 -0800 (PST) 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 i0M0wZtg026718 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 21 Jan 2004 16:58:35 -0800 (PST) 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 i0M0wY78185692 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 21 Jan 2004 16:58:34 -0800 (PST) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/Submit) id i0M0wYKf185437 for [[email protected]]; Wed, 21 Jan 2004 16:58:34 -0800 (PST) Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 16:58:34 -0800 (PST) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] BAGO and BLRA glimpse 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 Sunday 1/18/04, I led a guided bird walk to the area around the Mountain View Forebay and western Shoreline Lake for SFBBO. While waiting for the group to gather at 8:30am, I heard and then saw an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER fly from the coyote bushes along Terminal Ave to the pines across the street, and then later on over the top of the buildings. Shortly after this, Garth Harwood picked out a flyby MERLIN. Our group started out by checking the west end of Shoreline Lake for unusual ducks, but found none. Ann Verdi pointed out the leucistic NORTHERN SHOVELER out on Salt Pond A1. There were no Black Skimmers on the island in Charleston Slough, perhaps because the tide was fairly high. Two FOX SPARROWS were fairly cooperative in the brush along Adobe Creek and a nice male GREATER SCAUP allowed close study in the creek itself. A skittish LINCOLN'S SPARROW near the restrooms departed before many could see it. Walking back along the southern edge of the Forebay, we were able to hear 2 VIRGINIA RAILS. Back at the inlet creek to the Forebay we enjoyed nice looks at a very cooperative HERMIT THRUSH, a skulking GREEN HERON, and the female ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD incubating on her nest. We continued around to the road under the high tension towers that bisects the golf course, hoping for more Lincoln's Sparrows. At the little fenced in building along that road we did indeed finally find 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS that managed to sit up long enough for everyone to see them. A COOPER'S HAWK later landed on the tower here, displacing a WHITE-TAILED KITE. On the way back to the cars we scoped Shoreline Lake again, this time having better luck and finding the 2 female BARROW'S GOLDENEYES and at least 2 HORNED GREBES. We ended up with 78 species in a little over 3 hours of birding. On the Martin Luther King holiday 1/19/04, I stopped at the Palo Alto Baylands during the high tide. The tide, listed at 9.59 feet, only made it up to slightly below the middle of the bottom "C" on the post at the corner of the parking area. This was not enough to force any Black Rails to make a break for it, but was good enough to flood out many small mammals that a bold CLAPPER RAIL picked off one by one in front of us. Steve Sosensky and I watched the Clapper Rail head back out to the higher marsh to the right of the post, swallowing mice whole as it found them. Watching this bird proved to be a stroke of luck, because as the Clapper Rail worked its way through the dense brush it flushed up a BLACK RAIL, which flitted up over the top of a bush and then immediately dropped back down into the marsh. Further searching the area after this turned up a SORA, but no more sightings of the Black Rail. After the peak of the high tide, I headed over to Byxbee Park and hiked out past the gate to the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin to the area on the dike opposite the middle pair of towers (out of three pairs) on Hook's Isle. Scoping the area around the base of these towers revealed a lot of passerine activity, with SONG SPARROWS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and MARSH WRENS chasing each other through the marsh. I could not find the "very pumpkin faced sparrow with a well-defined grey auricular" (almost certainly a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow) seen here from a kayak on 22 Dec 2003 by Rick Schermerhorn. On my way back to the car, the adult female PEREGRINE FALCON, which had been hunting together with her mate, succeeded in catching a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. Mike Rogers _______________________________________________ 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]]