[SBB] CBCs

["Michael Mammoser" <[[email protected]]>]

On Saturday, 17 Dec 05, I decided to do a little scouting for the San Jose
CBC, stopping at Lake Cunningham first. There I had 9 swallows flying about
low over the water. Of the ones that I could get on to ID, all were TREE
SWALLOWS. I also checked the conifers at parking lot C, where the
Williamson's Sapsucker had hung out last year. I found no sapsucker, but
there were fresh-looking holes drilled in the very same trees. A GREEN HERON
was working the edge of the lake as well.

My next stop was at CCFS, where I birded the riparian corridor looking for
the Plumbeous Vireo that had been here earlier in the season. I had no luck
with that, but did get some good views of an adult PEREGRINE FALCON perched
in the trees along the creek. Later, a MERLIN was in the trees just north of
the trailers, and the same, or another, bird was on the sludge pond fence
near the waterbird pond. 

Along the entrance road to the EEC in Alviso I found the lingering LESSER
YELLOWLEGS. 

On Sunday, 18 Dec 05, I provided roaming coverage for the San Jose CBC and
again started the day at Lake Cunningham. This time, there was nothing at
all to report - no swallows, no sapsucker, no heron - except for a
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK that cruised by low over the riparian. I'm sure the
weather something to do with it. 

So, I headed over to Penitencia Creek Park and found the CACKLING GOOSE that
Ann Verdi had reported in with a flock of CANADAS. This bird looked a little
problematic to me, as to subspecies classification. It looked a little
smaller than other Cacklers, though I had no good frame of reference except
the larger Canadas. It's head was also somewhat rounded and not as flat as
leucopareia should be, with perhaps a shorter bill. This would semm to point
to minima, but then the breast color was only slightly darker than the large
geese and the throat was distinctly black, separating the white cheek
patches. No white neck ring, but this is not out of the ordinary for an
immature bird anyway. 

Shortly, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON swooped by low and sent the hearts of the
ROCK PIGEONS fluttering. 

On my way to Alviso I had an immature GOLDEN EAGLE coursing over the open
field adjacent to the San Jose Water Pollution Control Plant on Zanker.

I then checked the EEC entrance road, but failed to find the yellowlegs.
However, I ran into Dean Manley, who was counting in that area, and told him
of the possibility and he found the bird later.

At the Alviso Marina I made my first check for the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER,
but didn't actually find it until my fourth check at 12:30 pm. I also saw it
twice later in the afternoon. Quite a few FORSTER'S TERNS (21 in all) were
congregating in the area, either foraging over the southeast corner of A12
or roosting in the pond east of the railroad tracks. In the early afternoon
6 BROWN PELICANS came cruising by heading over A8 towards the west. I heard
1 SORA call from the Marina bulrushes.

Between sandpiper checks I scoured the Gold Street bridge over Alviso Slough
for signs of a Swamp Sparrow (no luck), but pulled out a couple of WILSON'S
SNIPE. I also returned to the EEC where I found 2 BARN OWLS roosting in the
nest box, and went to San Tomas Aquino Creek north of Mission College Blvd
where I saw the continuing WOOD DUCK and found an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

On Monday, 19 Dec 05, I worked my usual bayside area for the Palo Alto CBC. 

I climbed the edge of the old landfill at the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds,
heading for a corner overlook of the ponds, and stopped only briefly to
check out an immature GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE that was with a flock of
CANADAS feeding on the side of the landfill. The West Pond had thousands of
NORTHERN SHOVELERS, as expected, but only 50 or so AMERICAN WIGEON, which
seemed low for that area. There was also 83 CANVASBACKS in the pond.

The marsh area around the Lockheed Ponds yielded 4 VIRGINIA RAILS and 2
SORAS. Evidently these ponds also produced the only BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS of the count. In the back of the marshy pond northwest of the
landfill I spied 4 male BLUE-WINGED TEAL. I also thought there might have
been 1 or 2 females, but I didn't get definitive looks at them. A single
male RING-NECKED PHEASANT was in the grassy area around the pond.

As I worked my way around the landfill to the corner near Caribbean and the
Yahoo garage, I was able to pish up an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. 

I then headed for the southeast corner of A3W. On the way, as I walked the
levee alongside the sewager pond, I had 3 TREE SWALLOWS over the Lockheed
Ponds, which increased to 6 birds by the time I came back this way. At A3W I
was surprised to see a BLACK SKIMMER flying low over the water. Only 4
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were to be found on this pond, but it fairly teemed
with FORSTER'S TERNS, with 58 counted both foraging and perched. A single
WESTERN GREBE was the only representative of the aechmophorus genus. Nine
BROWN PELICANS ambled aimlessly past. Thousands of birds covering the pond
were composed mainly of RUDDY DUCKS (thousands), LESSER SCAUP (hundreds),
and AMERICAN COOTS. These were sprinkled with BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE,
GREATER SCAUP, NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 

After this I drove to the end of Crittenden Lane and walked in on the east
side of Stevens Creek. The tide was high at this point and I noticed large
numbers of shorebirds on the unnamed pond north of Crittenden Marsh. After
walking out there, I found about 2700 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 300 DUNLIN, and
300 LEAST SANDPIPERS. A single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER kept watch over it all.
Salt Pond A2E had the largest number of SCAUP in my area, but otherwise
these ponds continued with the Ruddy Duck convention. 

Michael Mammoser





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