[SBB] SCL Big Day - 10/6/05 - 162 species

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

All,

A more detailed email will follow eventually, but I just wanted to post 
a few details on some good birds that Steve Rottenborn, Scott Terrill, 
John Sterling, and I found on our Santa Clara County Big Day yesterday 
10/6/2005.

Our day started at midnight and ended at 10pm (although I didn't get 
home until almost 11pm). During this time, we managed to find 162 
species, a new fall Big Day record for the county, improving on the 
previous high of 160 species from a Big Day that Steve, Scott, and I did 
on 10/12/1997. Yesterday started out with the best owling we had ever 
experienced, with numerous owls of many species vocalizing at all the 
spots we checked before dawn. The warm night, lack of a moon, no wind, 
and time of year all combined for an amazing owling experience. Final 
numbers have yet to be tallied, but we had about 30 WESTERN 
SCREECH-OWLS, a dozen or more GREAT HORNED OWLS, over a half-dozen BARN 
OWLS, 5 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 3 NORTHERN PYGMY-OWLS, and 2 LONG-EARED 
OWLS. The LONG-EARED OWLS included one wailing along San Felipe Road 
about half a mile south of the Highland School junction east of Metcalfe 
Road (in the hills east of Parkway Lakes) and another bird hooting in 
Stevens Creek Canyon south of the Indian Creek Trail at Monte Bello Open 
Space Preserve from 5:05am to 6:40am. A COMMON POORWILL was also calling 
from 5:58am to 6:35am at Monte Bello OSP.

Our Big Day total was helped by few misses of "expected species" and a 
great array of lingering passerine migrants. We found 9 species of 
warblers, including the county's first CANADA WARBLER. Steve located 
this bird just below the banding trailer at CCFS at 12:07pm and, after a 
few tantalizing moments during which it was hidden, we were all able to 
get good looks at it as it foraged just above eye level along the little 
footpath that leads from the base of the staircase near the trailer to 
the creek. Steve also found a BLACKPOLL WARBLER near the Palo Alto Water 
Pollution Control Plant at the end of Embarcadero Way. This bird was in 
the trees on the WPCP side of the dirt road between the end of the 
Embarcadero Way and the truck flushing station.

Unfortunately, we were unable to refind the PLUMBEOUS VIREO that Scott 
had found at CCFS the day before (10/5) while scouting for the Big Day 
in the early afternoon. This bird was over in the creekside vegetation 
along the edge of the overflow channel two net lanes south of where the 
trail from the banding trailer brings you to the creek. A flock of 
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS with 2 WARBLING VIREOS (with which the PLVI had 
been hanging out the day before) was still in the area yesterday though.

Shorebirds in the sewage ponds adjacent to CCFS included 32 PECTORAL 
SANDPIPERS and a juvenile STILT SANDPIPER, possibly the same bird that 
has been present in Alviso previously this fall.

Mike Rogers
Sunnyvale

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