[SBB] San Jose CBC, Alviso Section 10

All:

Pat Kinney and I covered the Sunnyvale WPCP, Baylands Park (including Harvey Marsh) and surrounding corporate landscaping. While nothing particularly rare showed up, the area produced a near-record (for me) 91 species for this route.

We started at the corner of Java and Crossman Ave (Network Appliance) and covered the extensive Eucalyptus groves between here and the plant. With good weather, the YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs were up early, and eventually we also located TOWNSEND’S WARBLERs and a single ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. No orioles alas. Then we covered the eastern half of the east pond of the plant (the rest is outside the circle) and Guadalupe Slough. 5 COMMON MOORHENs and 1 GREEN HERON were found, as expected. 2 SORAs and 2 VIRGINIA RAILs were calling along the slough as were very high numbers of SONG SPARROW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and more typical numbers of MARSH WREN and LINCOLN’S, FOX, WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN CROWNED SPARROWs.

Then we covered pond A4, which had fewer than the usual gulls and no pelicans but we did well on the grebe department with WESTERN, CLARK’S, EARED, PIED-BILLED, and the 2 HORNED which Pat had found last week. Pat then showed me one of the BURROWING OWLs that live on the side of Mt. Trashmore (as I call the dump) on the way out to the Twin Creeks Softball complex. Dredging along this canal wiped out habitat behind the diamonds so we moved straight on to Baylands Park.

The native garden added a few song birds such as CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE and DARK-EYED JUNCO. Then we moved on to Harvey Marsh. Water levels were very low, apparently due to non-native plant removal which required draining one of the ponds. We flushed two RING-NECKED PHEASANT but no bittern and no snipe. We waited for sunset and were rewarded with a PEREGRINE FALCON perching on a high-tension power line, a BELTED KINGFISHER, and 5 TREE SWALLOWs flying over for a quick snack before the sun disappeared behind the hills.

Steve Miller