From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Mar 15 10:52:41 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i2FIoGwg022846 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:50:16 -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 i2FImnkF022798 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:48:50 -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 i2FImlmu049579 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:48:47 -0800 (PST) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/Submit) id i2FImlYv049629 for [[email protected]]; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:48:47 -0800 (PST) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:48:47 -0800 (PST) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] 2 EU GWTE, dark RTHA, & Ed Levin Park 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]] All, On Saturday 3/13/04, I birded my way out to the Stevens Creek mouth, arriving there about 9:15am - a little late, as the shorebirds were already fairly far out. On the way out I saw an adult male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL in Stevens Creek north of the rusty foot bridge. Then, a couple hundred yards later, I saw another by the pool where the pipe from the adjacent tidal marsh enters the creek. Having not seen any teal fly by me, I headed back towards the bridge and confirmed that the original male was still in the same spot. So we have two male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL here now. Both SORA and VIRGINIA RAILS were calling from the tidal marsh and two LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were with the many crowned sparrows along the brushy dike edges. A pair of NORTHERN HARRIERS near the creek mouth may be nesting nearby. Out on the bay, shorebirds were numerous, including many BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Somewhat unexpected was a flock of 665 BONAPARTE'S GULLS roosting at the water's edge. A dozen or so FORSTER'S TERNS were also there, along with many bleached first-winter GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS doing there best Glaucous Gull impressions. Still lots of SURF SCOTERS on the bay and lots of GREATER SCAUP in pond A2W. Heading back along the creek, I saw a couple of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS among the many BARN and CLIFF SWALLOWS and a pair of BELTED KINGFISHERS, the male proudly showing off a fish. The dark morph adult female RED-TAILED HAWK was soaring over Moffett Field and the Stevens Creek Tidal Marsh with her light morph mate. His leg dangling actually hit her from above once, which got quite a reaction - oops. According to Clark & Wheeler's 1987 "Hawks" Peterson Field Guide, this bird would be labeled as a dark morph bird. However, these authors have refined their classification in more recent guides. In Wheeler & Clark's 1995 "A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors", a bird very much like this one in photo RT34 on page 96 is labeled an "Adult dark/rufous intergrade". More recently in Wheeler's 2003 "Raptors of Western North America", the same individual perched on the same wire (although a very slightly different photo) is labeled as a "dark intermediate (dark rufous) morph" bird in plate 358 on page 348. Underwing flight photos of this same plumage in plate 379, page 353 also are a good match for the Mountain View bird, including the white comma at the base of the primary greater coverts. [Juvenile birds of this same morph are shown in plates 406 and 429 - and there is even a "dark intermediate morph" of Harlan's Hawk defined now also (see plates 365, 413, 414, 427, and 428).] Just like on the sitting bird in plate 358, the Mountain View bird does have some slightly lighter rusty feathering on the breast; this could almost be written off as simply a better illuminated chest versus a darker belly more in shadow on a sitting bird, but while soaring a slightly pale rusty bib flecked with dark was apparent in relation to the rest of the underparts. This bird eventually landed on one of the high voltage towers, where it picked up a twig and tried to place it in a new spot, only succeeding in having the twig drop to the ground - better leave the nest building to the ravens! Perhaps it is not surprising that this bird is a "dark rufous" bird rather than a true dark morph, because as far as I know we have only winter records for true dark morph bird in the county (plenty of rufous morph breeders though). I next headed up to Ed Levin Park, birding only the areas near Sandy Wool Lake (Elm picnic area and the areas northeast of the lake). I found 4 male selasphorus hummingbirds, but the only two seen well enough to identify were courting male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRDS. The intergrade NORTHERN FLICKER and a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER were still along the golf course fence at the Elm picnic area. An adult male SHARP-SHINNED HAWK flew in to perch in a eucalyptus by the parking lot near the lakeshore at the northeast corner of the lake, another ACCIPITER escaped positive ID at the Elm picnic area. I hiked up to the green gate on the way to the sycamore draw, hoping to find some Grasshopper Sparrows on the slope above the gate. This area has been grazed and the only sparrows I found were a pair of RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS in a shrubby, rocky area. A lingering SAY'S PHOEBE was by the water tank and all 5 species of expected SWALLOWS were foraging overhead or heading north. The lake itself held a single male BUFFLEHEAD, an EARED GREBE, and a unique mix of three gulls, all capable of flight: an alternate adult RING-BILLED GULL with a possible mild back injury, an adult THAYER'S GULL in fading basic plumage that occasionally chased the RBGU, and an adult MEW GULL with a broken left leg in fading basic plumage. 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]]