[SBB] wanderings

[michael mammoser <[[email protected]]>]

On Sunday, 7 May 06, I took a walk along Coyote Creek in Hellyer Park. Of note were 3 or 4 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES calling from the undergrowth. I managed to get a brief look at one of them. A few singing PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS were in the riparian corridor. At the Yerba Buena bridge an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was sitting on a nest in a sycamore tree, and a pair of COOPER'S HAWKS was in evidence at the same location. An adult GREEN HERON was patiently waiting for a snack while standing in the creek.

 

On Monday, 8 May 06, I wandered the south county. I started by looking for kingbirds along the entrance road to the dump across hwy 152 from Bloomfield Ave. No kingbirds of any type were found here though. I had a couple of LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES that may have been breeding somewhere in the eucs. I also had a flock of about 25 TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS fly by, disappearing over a knoll on the north side of the road.

 

I then went down to San Felipe Road, where I had a couple of WESTERN KINGBIRDS, but not the hoped-for Cassin's. Near the bridge by the county border I had at least 5 LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH. One pair was building a nest in a pine tree, another pair was copulating, and an unrelated singing male was about.

 

I drove up Canada Road after that, hoping to come across a roadrunner. No luck. However, at a small horse corral about 4 miles up the road, I had about 50 TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS foraging among the horses.

 

A stop at the Coyote Creek Golf Club showed the pair of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES still around. This time I saw the female go deep into the cattails bordering the water hazard pond, which is very encouraging for breeding here.

 

At the north end of the middle pond of Parkway Lakes the GREAT BLUE HERON colony still had 2 occupied nests with 2 large young in each nest. Three other nests were empty, probably already having fledged young.

 

Michael Mammoser

 

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