[SBB] Palo Alto SBC - 6/4/05

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All,

Today 6/4/05, I covered some bayside areas for the Palo Alto Summer Bird Count.  I started out along Stevens Creek at L'Avenida just after 6:00am and almost immediately located a singing WILSON'S WARBLER, unusual for the bay edge on this date. I worked my way south to highway 101, then back north to the Crittenden Lane bridge, and then back to L'Avenida. The best bird was a cooperative WILLOW FLYCATCHER that popped up in the willows just south of the crossover that is about 100 yards north of the high tension line crossing. The bird called several times while I studied it. Also of interest was a GREEN HERON in this stretch.

I then circled the Charleston Road marsh, finding the expected species. I finally managed to confirm breeding by DARK-EYED JUNCOS in block 8040 when I located a pair of juncos feeding a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD that was just out of the nest. Apparently earlier breeders were more successful, as I did find two independent juvenile juncos on Moffett Field later in the day.

Over in the Moffett Community housing complex the COOPER'S HAWK nest was still active. Both DOWNY and NUTTALL'S WOODPECKERS were foraging here and a female HOODED ORIOLE was feeding two recently fledged young. Highlights from the western half of Moffett Field included a pair of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, 5 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, a BURROWING OWL, and 4 CINNAMON TEAL.

I headed off to my son's baseball game shortly after 10:00am, but was back in the field by 2:30pm.  This time I started at the old Palo Alto yacht harbor basin, working through the shorebirds and gulls. After working through the shorebirds (360 MARBLED GODWITS, 50 WILLETS, 1+ WHIMBREL, 3 alternate-plumaged SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 10 basic-plumaged DOWITCHER SP.'s) and gulls (including GLAUCOUS-WINGED and WESTERN), I headed across the road to the duck pond and immediately heard the raucous singing of a GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (2:50pm). A short while later the bird came out on top of a bush across the pond and then flew to the palm trees.  A female GREATER SCAUP was hanging out with 2 pairs of LESSER SCAUP and both previously reported BONAPARTE'S GULLS were present.

I next drove around to the end of Geng Road, from there starting my bike ride out to the San Francisquito Creek delta. At the pond across the rusty bridge in San Mateo County I had another GREEN HERON.  I made it out to the delta at 3:20pm, which was too early, as everything was still flooded.  Despite this, there were already 4 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS perched on the partially submerged snags, waiting for some mud to become exposed. Seven minutes later, a flock of small shorebirds flew by, apparently consisting of 42 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, although based on the groups that flew in later there may have been a Western Sandpiper or two among them. As the water dropped, the shorebirds flew in, with numbers of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS building to 87, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS to 44, and WESTERN SANDPIPERS to 10+ (perhaps up to 13).  Whereas only 2 of the BBPLs were in mostly alternate plumage, all but one of the WESAs were in mostly alternate plumage.  By about 3:55pm, the MARBLED GODWITS b!
 egan arriving in numbers; by 4:13pm I counted 370+, undoubtedly the same birds that were in the yacht harbor earlier. WILLETS and DOWITCHERS also arrived, in about the same numbers as had been in the yacht harbor. Back at the yacht harbor shortly after 4:30pm all the shorebirds were gone - but the grackle was still audible.

I next headed back to Moffett Field, this time covering the eastern and southern portions, including biking around the Moffett Golf Course. The biggest surprise here was a BAND-TAILED PIGEON. A singing BEWICK'S WREN was also unusual, but presumably part of the recent push of this species into bayside areas.  Also of note were 2 more BURROWING OWLS, another LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, and an adult PEREGRINE FALCON.

One last swing by the Palo Alto duck pond again failed to turn up the previously reported Greater White-fronted Goose, but the grackle was still singing away (6:54pm). There were still no Clapper Rails visible in the yacht harbor basin; they were missed by all parties at Palo Alto today.

Wally and Lois Goldfrank, who covered most of the Palo Alto area today, reported a WILSON'S WARBLER and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at the end of Geng Road, 12 WHIMBRELS at the yacht harbor, and several of the birds already noted above.

Mike Rogers
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