[SBB] Charcoal Road Goodies

This morning Frank Vanslager and I took Charcoal Road from Skyline to Table Mountain and back. Birding was quite slow but we managed to see most of our target birds. VARIED THRUSH were heard calling at several points along the trail (had some poor views of them disappearing up into the trees) and at one point we had two TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, a PYGMY NUTHATCH and a PURPLE FINCH in one scope view at the top of a tall evergreen. Shortly after this, on the flat section of Table Mountain, Frank spotted an adult reddish Pacific NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL perched on a dead snag over the left side of the trail. We also got great views of this bird on our way back. (A large stick arrow on the right side of the trail now points toward the dead trees the Owl was perched in.) Shortly before this we started hearing loud, but distant, woodpecker drumming and some fairly indecisive Flicker/Pileated Woodpecker calls. This drumming continued to get louder on our way back up the trail (yes, the second half the trip is up hill). Eventually we ended up walking a couple hundred feet off the trail where we found an adult male PILEATED WOODPECKER working on a Madrone about 15-20 feet off feet off the ground. At the same time a second PIWO was heard drumming (and eventually calling) further down the hill, our bird then flew off, calling, toward the other PIWO (a female?). This spot was probably 300-400 yards down the hill from the "Y" in the road that leads toward the resident homes and perhaps 150-200 feet east of the trail (road).