[SBB] weekend birds

["Michael Mammoser" <[[email protected]]>]

On Thursday, 26 Jan 06, I had a flyby SHARP-SHINNED HAWK here at work for my
year-bird.

Saturday, 28 Jan 06, I headed back to Almaden Reservoir for another
sapsucker watch. On the way I saw a GOLDEN EAGLE perched on a power tower
along McKean Rd near the Calero dam. Prior to walking down Alamitos Road for
the sapsucker, I stopped at the Twin Creeks junction and found the AMERICAN
DIPPER, which was singing its melodic song from a mid-stream boulder as I
watched. There was nothing much happening at the sapsucker spot, although a
SPOTTED SANDPIPER wandered by for Bill Bousman and me. A RED-BREASTED
SAPSUCKER made an appearance after Bill left. My highest count of WOOD DUCKS
was 37 as I headed back to the car. 

I then went up to Sanborn County Park, walking in on the John Nicholas Trail
off of Black Road. I could hear at least a dozen VARIED THRUSHES calling all
around me at the trailhead, although they remained out of sight. A few
hundred yards down the trail I had a couple of WINTER WRENS, with one of
them being quite cooperative, which for a Winter Wren meant popping into
view a few times for a few seconds. About a mile down the trail I ran into a
flock of VARIED THRUSHES, at a stand of madrone trees, that must have
numbered 40 to 50 birds. Although they were quite flighty, flitting around
in the trees, they remained here and gave me some good looks. Also in this
area were a couple more WINTER WRENS (one of them actually singing), some
HERMIT THRUSHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and a TOWNSEND'S
WARBLER. Between this spot and the trailhead there wasn't much activity,
except for a couple of PYGMY NUTHATCHES calling from the top of a douglas
fir.

On Sunday, 29 Jan 06, I made my fifth attempt for the sapsucker, with the
same dismal results. However, while there I had a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS
calling from the hillside behind the house and a flyby SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 

Leaving Almaden Reservoir, I stopped at Calero Reservoir, where the adult
BALD EAGLE was perched in the trees at the far end from the boat launch.

>From there I went to Ogier Ponds, where the female REDHEAD and a pair of
HOODED MERGANSERS continued in the small ponds just north of the model
airplane park. I walked around these ponds, but failed to find the hoped-for
bittern. On the way back to the car I had an OSPREY perched in a sycamore
tree and a flyby adult PEREGRINE FALCON.

As I headed up Monterey Hwy a large flock of blackbirds caught my attention
as they foraged in an open field. A stop to scan them produced a single
TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD amongst them. I also had another OSPREY perched right
along the highway, just south of Metcalf where the new power plant is
located. 

At Edenvale Garden Park the only interesting bird I found was a NORTHERN
FLICKER. This bird had a red nuchal "V", a black mustache stripe, and a tan
face with gray crown and nape. The gray of the nape seemed to intrude a
little too much into the rear of the face, however, and the forecrown had
something of a brown wash. Continued watching allowed me to see the bird
fly, revealing it as an intergrade when it showed orange-colored feather
shafts. 

Michael Mammoser




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