[SBB] Nine BUOWs at Shoreline Park

[Karen DeMello <[[email protected]]>]

After reading all of the Burrowing Owl posts the pat few days I just had to 
go to Shoreline Park after work and check them out for myself. I parked in 
the golf course lot around 6 PM, walked across the street and right on the 
trail 100 paces or so, and there they were! 3 were on the left side of the 
mound (1 adult & 1 juvenile together, another was further back in a white 
pipe, I think it was a juvenile but I didn't get a great look). 6 were on 
the left side of the mound: 1 adult standing above, 5 juveniles below in 2 
groups. There were only 3 of us looking at them while hordes of people raced 
by on bicycles and roller blades. As we watched, they started to make a 
hissing sound. I wasn't sure if it was because we were bothering them or 
not, but we took off to leave them alone. 

The walk to Charleston Slough was beautiful even though the air smelled 
worse than usual. At the pump house I watched the Barn Swallows and Cliff 
Swallows flying back and forth, and then I heard Bushtits. Typically I tend 
to hear Bushtits, give them a glance, and then not pay them any attention. 
Tonight I watched them forage in a nearby Oleander bush that was below me, 
so I was reminded that the males and females have different eye colors. I 
saw both tonight.

There's an area just beyond the forebay towards Shoreline Lake that is 
usually quiet with hardly any birds (I think it looks kind of swampy), and 
tonight I was surprised to see an Egret gathering there, with at least 8 
Snowy Egrets, 3 Great Egrets, and a visiting juvenile Black-crowned Night 
Heron preening nearby.

Before returning to the car I stopped by the Burrowing Owl location where 
there was now quite a flock of birders. It was like a mini-reunion! What a 
treat to see people that I hadn't seen in ages because I haven't been 
getting out much, and to also meet other birders. The evening started with 
the magic of Nine Burrowing Owls, and ended with me feeling a wonderful 
sense of community.

Karen DeMello
Mountain View, CA
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