[SBB] 2-3 Jul 05

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

On Saturday, 2 Jul 05, I hooked up with Steve Rottenborn for some south
county birding. We headed for Llagas Creek walking north from Bloomfield
around the ponds to the Gilroy Sewage Plant and back. We managed to get a
singing YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in the willow field that abuts the
southern-most (dried) pond on the west side of the creek. We were surprised
to see a WILSON'S WARBLER working the hemlock in this field, possibly a
dispersant from some other area. A male NORTHERN HARRIER was carrying a prey
item over the ponds towards the north, but we failed to see where it was
traveling. Towards the end of our walk on the way out we saw presumably the
same bird again carrying food north along the creek. 

Ducks hanging out on the northern-most wet ponds included MALLARDS, a
handful of CINNAMON TEAL, 2 female NORTHERN SHOVELERS, a female NORTHERN
PINTAIL, and a female WOOD DUCK. Shorebirds included a couple BLACK-NECKED
STILTS, 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and an unidentified peep. A GREEN HERON was
seen on multiple occasions along the creek, presumably the same bird each
time, but who knows - they have bred here in the past. We had at least 4
DOWNY WOODPECKERS along the stretch of creek that we walked, indicating that
they are doing well here and that some of these willows must have trunks or
limbs thick enough for nest holes. 

Along the creek we found some birds that one tends to associate more with
oak woodland, such as OAK TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO, and NUTTALL'S
WOODPECKER. Although found in many riparian corridors on the valley floor,
WRENTIT and CALIFORNIA THRASHER still seem out of place when encountered in
these locations. 

After leaving the creek we stopped briefly at the intersection of Bloomfield
and hwy 152, where a family of 3 recently-fledged young WESTERN KINGBIRDS
were sitting in an oak.

At San Felipe Lake we scoped the shoreline, coming up with 6 AMERICAN WHITE
PELICANS, a CASPIAN TERN, and a COMMON MOORHEN. Everything here was pretty
much standard fare, including hundreds of swallows of multiple species
scouring the low level airspace over the water.

At San Felipe Road, the row of eucalyptus trees had nothing unusual. a
DARK-EYED JUNCO was singing from the orchard, though. On the west side of
the bridge that crosses Pacheco Creek Steve found a BOBCAT right below us.
It crept away into the undergrowth. Then, on the other side of the bridge
Steve picked out a small BOBCAT cub, that also crept into the undergrowth.
How neat! As we started back towards the car a female LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH
made an appearance on the side of the road with a couple of HOUSE FINCHES.
Startled by traffic, she flew off into the orchard. Some minutes later we
found a male LAWRENCE'S in a small tree on the other side of the road with,
what turned out to be, 3 recently-fledged young that followed him around
begging for food. Two overflying BAND-TAILED PIGEONS seemed lost. 

We ended the morning at Ogier Ponds, hoping to find Spotted Sandpipers
breeding. We had no luck with that, but Steve found a female WOOD DUCK with
a brood of chicks on the creek right where it enters the pond that is south
of the entrance road. They swam out of sight into the overhanging willow
branches before I could get a look.

On Sunday, 3 Jul 05, I visited the CCFS waterbird pond to see what
shorebirds may have shown up. I immediately found 3 adult LESSER YELLOWLEGS
in the southeast corner (3 adult GREATERS were in the northeast corner).
Other shorebirds included 38 WILSON'S PHALAROPES, 130 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
(all adults), and a couple hundred DOWITCHERS. Twelve BONAPARTE'S GULLS
flushed off the pond, most in basic plumage except for one bird that still
had the black head of alternate plumage. Ten female/immature NORTHERN
PINTAILS may be indicative of local breeding. 

I had 2 adult BLACK-NECKED STILTS that were color-banded and radio-tagged.
Each had a radio transmitter antenna clipped to or near the USFWS band on
the right leg. Above this was a green color band on each bird. Each one then
had multiple color bands on the left leg - one having
yellow-over-red-over-orange and the other with only 2 bands being
orange-over-lime.

At the EEC in Alviso I had 185 WILSON'S PHALAROPES lazing about in New
Chicago Marsh. FORSTER'S TERNS are again breeding in the marsh, on the small
pickleweed islands across the levee from the second dredge island in A16. I
watched adults feeding precocial young there.

Michael Mammoser




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