[SBB] 1 and 2 January

[Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]>]

Folks:

I started the new year on 1/1/06, by owling near Mt. Madonna CP for the 
Moss Landing CBC.  On a logging road south of the Hecker Pass Hwy I heard 
three NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and later along Power Line Road, I heard 2-3 
NORTHERN PYGMY-OWLS and a GREAT HORNED OWL.  The weather gods were not kind 
and the anticipated storm came in about 8:30 am with moderate rain and 
blowing wind.  I birded the campground area with Dave and Jane Styer, but 
we eventually called it quits.  A count of 13 VARIED THRUSH seemed good for 
the wet conditions.

On my way home I made a number of stops.  At Chesbro Reservoir I had a 
count of 49 WOOD DUCKS, but only three COMMON MERGANSERS.  Near the Calero 
stables were at least 52 WILD TURKEYS.  I picked up lots of common birds 
along the Bay but nothing unusual.  The closest I came to something 
interesting was when I met Al Eisner at the Charleston Road Marsh and we 
heard the strong call notes of a likely Northern Waterthrush, but never got 
a look at the bird.

Yesterday, 1/2/06, I joined Rich Page and Kathy Scott for the Mt. Hamilton 
CBC and a ramble through San Antonio Valley.  The rain was pretty much 
continuous through the day, which kept the count of birds down, although we 
had near record numbers of Western Bluebirds, American Robins, and 
Dark-eyed Juncos.  Best birds were an adult BALD EAGLE, a male PHAINOPEPLA, 
and a couple of SAGE SPARROWS that Rich managed to get looks at.  There was 
a good crop of toyon berries and chamise seeds and the chaparral was an 
undescribable blend of shades of green: pale light greens from the 
manzanitas offset against the dark green of the chamise and its rust, 
seed-colored tips, and blends of different greens of other chaparral 
plants.  The toyons added their own accents with their red berries against 
their green leaves.  The wind howled and the rain came down, large flocks 
of robins moved through the chaparral, and it was all quite glorious 
despite the shyness of the many sparrows.  Leaving the chaparral, however, 
we found the rain-swollen creeks kept us from our usual return and the rest 
of the afternoon was an adventure to find a route back to the cars as we 
sought pathways around the many muddy torrents.

Bill Bousman
Santa Clara County records compiler 


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