[SBB] Castle Rock survey - 5/15/05

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All,

Today 5/15/05 (OK, I guess that's actually yesterday now) I surveyed the Castle Rock area for the Santa Cruz County Forest Bird Monitoring Program (part of this particular route is in Santa Clara County). I started out at the Los Altos Rod and Gun Club at 5:44am and finished up not far from this same spot at 9:36am. I found 45 species of birds along the route, which heads south along Skyline Blvd to a short way past the Castle Rock Park entrance, then follows the Saratoga Gap/Ridge Trail into Castle Rock Park, and comes back out via the Service Road Trail. The most abundant birds found on this loop were DARK-EYED JUNCO (32+), ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (31+), and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (25+). Eight CASSIN'S VIREOS at various stops and 3 more in between stops seemed like a good total for a species that is getting harder to find, but only 2 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES seemed like a low total. Fourteen BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS at survey stops, and 6+ more in between stops, provided ampl!
 e opportunity to study the variability of this species' songs!

I heard 3 singing YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS along Skyline Blvd and saw a female on the ground in the Castle Rock parking area early, but found none when I came back through the same area around 10am. Conversely, a singing LAZULI BUNTING and HOUSE FINCHes at the Christmas tree farm north of the Castle Rock Park parking area at 10am were missed on the survey. A singing HOUSE WREN was here for the survey and 2 were in the area at 10am.

The most exciting birds were found in the vicinity of the Castle Rock Park parking area, with a singing HERMIT WARBLER (SCL; 6:15am and 10:15am), 5 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES (SCL and SCZ), and a flock of about 20 RED CROSSBILLS (flew in to SCL from SCZ at about 10:15am). Earlier, from 6:20am to 6:25am, I found a smaller group of about 5 RED CROSSBILLS about 100 yards down the Saratoga Gap Trail in the drainage below the parking area (SCZ). Another singing male HERMIT WARBLER was even further down this drainage earlier as well (SCZ).

Other birds of interest included 4 HAIRY WOODPECKERS, 2 OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS, 13+ PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 2 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, 19+ WARBLING VIREOS, 9+ BROWN CREEPERS, 1 WINTER WREN, 3 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, 1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH, 6+ WILSON'S WARBLERS, 8+ WESTERN TANAGERS, and 5 PURPLE FINCHES.

The only breeding confirmation consisted of a female BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK carrying nesting material east of Varian Peak.

I drove home via Page Mill Road and Monte Bello OSP, parking at the Monte Bello parking area and walking the White Oak Trail back to Gate 5 and Alpine Road. I was hoping to find a Chipping Sparrow, a species that has gotten scarcer over the past few years, as Garth Harwood reported them here last year. Sure enough, I found a singing CHIPPING SPARROW in the woodland south (downslope) of the trail near its high point, before the White Oak Trail turns off to the left and heads down into Stevens Creek Canyon. Hopefully this bird will stay cooperative (=vocal) for the upcoming Palo Alto Summer Bird Count!

Mike Rogers
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