[SBB] Palo Alto Baylands, Stevens Creek, Moffett Field - Palo Alto CBC 12/19/05

[Mike Rogers <[[email protected]]>]

All,

Here's my belated report on coverage for the Palo Alto CBC on Monday
19 Dec 2005 and some count-week follow-up work today 21 Dec 2005.

The weather was much better than for the San Jose CBC, but muddy dikes
still prevented biking or driving salt pond levees. I tried biking out
to the San Francisquito Creek delta at the end of the day and enjoyed
the privilege of carrying my bike back to the car for attempting this
(mud-caked tires and brakes prevented the wheels from turning).

I started out my day just after 7:00am, taping for rails at the
Stevens Creek Tidal Marsh. Ended up with 4 SORA and 5 VIRGINIA
RAILS. A quick stop at Shoreline Lake on the way to the Palo Alto
Baylands turned up 2 BARROW'S GOLDENEYES and a Bill Bousman hard at
work covering his area.

The tide was already pretty far out at the Baylands when I got there
just after 8:00am, but I did manage to locate some of the target
shorebirds on the mud flats of the old yacht harbor mouth, including 9
WHIMBREL, 10 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and 5+ SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. The
yacht harbor basin itself held 220 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 5 MEW GULLS, and
numerous other gulls, ducks, and shorebirds.  Hybrid WESTERN x
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS were almost as numerous as their pure parental
types.  I located at least 7 CLAPPER RAILS in the marsh from here out
to Hook's Isle.

The golf course pond at the end of Geng Road had no Hooded Mergansers
and all the geese to be seen were CANADA GEESE. Working through the
sparrow flocks from here back to where San Francisquito Creek goes
under highway 101 turned up 3 FOX SPARROWS and a surprising (for the
bay edge) 12 DARK-EYED JUNCOS.

I next headed to Moffett Field, where highlights included an adult
PEREGRINE FALCON perched on the 80' x 120' wind tunnel, 3 LOGGERHEAD
SHRIKES, 6 SAY'S PHOEBES, 2 COOPER'S HAWKS, 1 TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, and
2 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS (the latter being the only cowbirds reported
at the countdown dinner!).

I took a quick break and crossed under highway 101 to check the
Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course ponds. I did not refind the previously
reported Greater White-fronted Goose, but did find 8 HOODED
MERGANSERS, a pair in the pond near the southwestern tip of the course
(viewed from the parking areas behind the businesses off Clyde Ave.
near Maude Ave.) and 6 birds (2 adult males and 4 female/immatures) in
a small pond viewed from the parking lots north of Almanor Ave.  Did
anybody else cover this area for the count? Or should these birds be
added in?

The Moffett housing complex had 8 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, 3 OAK TITMICE and
a WESTERN BLUEBIRD attacking his reflection in a car window/rear-view
mirror - all birds that have only recently been found here at the bay
edge. Along adjacent Stevens Creek I found 2 BELTED KINGFISHERS, a
GREEN HERON, a juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, and many CEDAR
WAXWINGS and AMERICAN ROBINS. Highlights here included the continuing
YELLOW WARBLER at the crossover between the power line crossing and
the lone eucalyptus and a flyby MERLIN.

At 4:25pm, I was back at Geng Road and got on my bike to head out for
a check of the San Francisquito Creek Delta. I was hoping that the
delta would uncover before dark to give me a shot at finding Ruddy
Turnstone, Sanderling, or Red Knot. This was not to be, for as it got
dark, the water was still deep enough for the shovelers to tip up in,
and the only shorebirds were WILLETS perched on the tree stumps. I did
find another 9 CLAPPER RAILS out here though, 7 of them on the San
Mateo County side of the Creek. Two more BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS
were seen making their evening commute.

Since the Northern Waterthrush was not reported on count day, I
decided to circle the Charleston Road Marsh over lunch today
12/21/05. I did manage to locate the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, chipping
away at the extreme western edge of the marsh, less than a hundred
yards from Shoreline Blvd.  A WINTER WREN, presumably the same one
found at the marsh on count day by Richard Jeffers, was found in the
dense willow tangle at the south-central portion of the marsh along
Charleston Road. Other birds included 2 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, a GREEN
HERON, and a FOX SPARROW.

Mike Rogers
Sunnyvale


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