From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Mon Oct 25 14:05:44 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i9PL1wjn006116 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:01:59 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail07a.vwh1.net (mail07a.vwh1.net [131.103.218.80]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with SMTP id i9PL0YVC006069 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:00:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: from www.hiddenvilla.org (209.238.180.140) by mail07a.vwh1.net (RS ver 1.0.95vs) with SMTP id 3-0215898021 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 25 Oct 2004 17:00:23 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <025f01c4bad5$13e21300$[[email protected]]> From: "Garth Harwood" <[[email protected]]> To: "SBB" <[[email protected]]> Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 13:56:17 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 X-Loop-Detect: 1 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5b1 Subject: [SBB] Migrant wave at Monte Bello (Red Crossbills, VATH, etc.) 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]] Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id i9PL1wjn006116 It was raw, damp and cold at Monte Bello OSP this AM 10/25/2004. I had planned to walk up Black Mtn. but could see that it was socked in, so I stopped at Gate 5 instead, planning on a slow cruise around the little pond. At the pullout, the cloud ceiling was only 50-100 feet overhead, which probably helped shape the event that began to unfold immediately, by keeping the birds down low as they crossed the ridgeline. Stepping out of the truck at 8:05 it was immediately apparent that it was going to be a special morning: as I was adjusting my pack a group of 13 RED CROSSBILLS bounced right overhead making lots of noise as they exited the Los Trancos Creek watershed (San Mateo county) and entered Santa Clara County and the Stevens Creek drainage. I could hear them for quite a while as they milled about in the forested side of the upper SC drainage; after a few minutes one went back north followed by 3 others perhaps 20 minutes later. But it was hard to concentrate on that, because the RECR turned out to be just the first of an amazing series of southbound flocks using the same flight path. I heard VARIED THRUSH calls right away, but couldn't believe my eyes as dozens of them began streaming over in long, loose flocks of between 10 and 30 birds each. I checked each flock carefully and saw the prominent pale wingstripe under every individual I was able to focus on. Although one Robin was visible sitting on a treetop gawking just like me, I saw none among the flocks overhead. I stood at the path entrance for an hour, eventually recording 162 Varied Thrushes in at least ten different strung-out flocks. I'm sure I missed still more. Several discreet flocks of different species were passing by me simultaneously throughout the period from 8:05-8:30, when the pace slowed down a little, but the big wave did not really subside until about 9:00. Among the early flocks was a group of 13 American Crows, unusual at this Raven-dominated spot. They stayed on the N-S line like all the others (except those 4 "eddying" crossbills and a few similarly-wandering siskins and waxwings). I counted 12 separate flocks of PINE SISKINS containing a total of at least 315 birds, 5 flocks of CEDAR WAXWINGS containing at least 115, 4 flocks of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS numbering 102 birds, several small groups of PURPLE FINCHES and many others attached to flocks dominated by other species, and a couple of small flocks of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and HOUSE FINCHES and LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Another ten or twelve flocks of small birds went by silently and more distantly and escaped identification. A single RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH was calling at the San Mateo County side of the road also. When I finally made it to the pond, two WILSON'S SNIPE were on the exposed mud at the west end of the pond, exactly where I'd seen them last Thursday afternoon. A DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT was swimming among the coots. Amazing how they find it worthwhile to visit such dinky ponds. There were virtually no sparrows around the pond - just a few Song Sparrows. Ever since the rains returned this has been the case; I expect the water-hole effect is insignificant now, and that those who haven't migrated on have just dispersed through the general landscape. I have heard accounts by others of such right-time, right-place migration events on local passes, but this was by far the most intense that I have yet seen. --Garth Harwood _______________________________________________ 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]]