[SBB] 5/29: Shoreline, Baylands, Stevens Creek Dam

[Chuq Von Rospach <[[email protected]]>]

Took Laurie out today to see if we could find the Loons and generally  
get away from computers for a while...

At Shoreline lake, we were invited in by a Raven at the entrance on  
Terminal -- not the first time I've seen them playing official  
greeter. The bushes were alive with sparrows and bushtits; one very  
annoying mockingbird insisted on showing off his new "Cockatiel" car  
alarm.

Being a holiday, the lake was very busy; we too the path up towards  
the golf course, and at the first stop to look at the water, we found  
one of the loons (non-breedling plumage) about 50 yards offshore and  
being fully cooperative. The group of surf scoters was also hanging  
out in the area furthest from most of the people wandering around in  
the pedalboats. Because of the activity on the lake, it was pretty  
quiet bird-wise; the terns were pretty sparse and almost quiet; the  
canada geese were mixing it up with the surfboarders, and there were  
a couple of cormorants fishing. I also found one small ruddy that  
came off the island and more or less tried to blend in with the  
scoters for a while, then took off for the shore at a swimming trot  
(they can motor!). Also, one coot feeding at the edge of the island.  
The breedling plumage loon was a no-show for over an hour, despite  
scoping the entire lake. He was definitely there Saturday when I was  
there looking for them, but only one loon made a show today. I talked  
to a couple of others looking over the lake, and only the one loon  
was being seen.

Walked over to the other entrance on terminal (two turkey vultures  
followed, hopeful), and up to the pump house. It was very low tide,  
so the area with the skimmer island was all mud. the island was  
populated with lots of terns, plus 2 confused looking avocets. In one  
of the ponds across the path from and just before you get to the pump  
house we found the moorhen mom and her kids -- I counted three, plus  
a probably fourth, but they were doing a good job of not all being  
seen at the same time in the reeds. They're easy to find if you take  
some time to look and they're active. if they're not, it's basically  
impossible.

If you aren't quite sure how to find them, check this google map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=shoreline+park,+mountain 
+view&ll=37.435434,-122.099884&spn=0.001229,0.001996&t=h&om=1

the pump house is in the upper right corner; the pond with the  
moorhen and babies is in the center of the map left to right, a bit  
below center top to bottom. On the opposite side of the path is the  
slough the pump-house empties into (today, there were mallard young,  
some avocets, laurie said she saw a couple of wigeons, and not much  
else).

We wandered back to the slough behind the bleacher seats, where we  
had a small snowy egret fishing in the reeds, and two double-crested  
cormorants (one fishing, one sunning), a turtle, and a pied-billed  
grebe that popped out of the reeds, yelled at us, and ran right back  
to cover.

Afterward, we popped off to Stevens Creek Dam, to see if I could show  
her the Osprey. the gods were smiling today, because the Osprey was  
soaring (it's gorgeous, and it's *huge*, it's larger than a turkey  
vulture; almost eagle-sized), and we got some wonderful looks. Also  
up there was one Forster's Tern fishing, five double-crested  
cormorants, 9 million fishermen, too many boats, a sheriff and a  
ranger sorting it all out. We also got one very quick but clean look  
at the Common Loon THERE, as it surfaced from fishing about 100 yards  
out, gave us 15 seconds and then dove again -- but we clearly both  
saw the throat patch and beak, and it was the loon, not another  
cormorant, so it continues up there.

Photos in a bit -- some rather nice ones of the loon and the moorhen  
(I think; haven't edited those yet.).


-- 
Chuq Von Rospach, Architech
[[email protected]] -- http://chuqui.typepad.com/

Very funny, Scotty. Now beam my clothes down here, will you?



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