[SBB] Mt. Hamilton and San Antonio Valley

[Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]>]

Folks:

Today, 4/18/2005, my wife and I drove over Mt. Hamilton and down into San 
Antonio Valley for the wildflowers.  These were very nice, from Hall's 
Valley over Mt. Hamilton and on through Arroyo Mocho.  Various lupines, 
owls clover, goldfields, and blue larkspurs seemed to put on the best show, 
but there were spots with other lovely flowers.  On the east side of Mt. 
Hamilton, on one of the pullouts still in the Coulter pine zone, were 
canyon  larkspur, and along Arroyo Bayo, after the road passes over the 
creek so that the creek is on the left (south), just opposite a stock pond, 
was a talus slope (roadcut) filled with Lindley's blazing star.

Birding was largely incidental to flowers.  On the west side of Mt. 
Hamilton, at about 3500 feet, I heard a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE calling which 
was a first arrival for me this year.  A couple of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS in 
San Antonio Valley seemed unusual, although this species nests higher on 
Mt. Hamilton, and I saw a couple near the summit.  A single LEWIS'S 
WOODPECKER was in the valley at the Y-bar Ranch.  A GREAT EGRET showing 
nuptial plumes was at a stock pond near the San Antone (Stoddard) Ranch, 
which is curious this late in the year.  Also nearby, were three CLIFF 
SWALLOWS, which probably nest in the valley in wet years .  BARN SWALLOWS 
were at the Mallison Ranch bridge, but although there were many used nests 
beneath the bridge, none were in use, except by a SAY'S PHOEBE, with at 
least one nestling about ready to fledge.  At the junction, the patch of 
fiddlenecks behind the CDF station (visitor's parking) were still intact 
and a male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH was perched above them.  I didn't see any 
PHAINOPEPLA in the valley, but did see a male along Mines Road in Alameda 
County.

Bill Bousman
Santa Clara County records compiler 

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