[SBB] Felter/Marsh/Sierra Roads and Alviso

["Kris Olson" <[[email protected]]>]

Today I headed for Felter, Marsh & Sierra Roads again, had to turn around
and come back up Sierra as it is closed near the bottom (whoops), checked
out part of Calaveras Rd, and also stopped by Jubilee Christian Center &
State and Spreckles.  An odd mixture of birds.

Marsh Road (my favorite) had no Prairie Falcon, of course, or Loggerhead
Shrike, as expected. The YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES were more spread out in
smaller groups of 2-4, everywhere I went (Felter, Sierra, Calaveras as
well).  I spent time in the oaks on the drive in; every tree I stopped by
had a WARBLING VIREO -- there seemed to be a flock of them in one tree, but
I found no warblers with them, just chickadees (of course, it was windy,
cold and I was looking into the sky through the tree leaves..) Did see or
hear several BULLOCKS ORIOLES and one WESTERN KINGBIRD. At the start of
Marsh Road, a large group of BARN SWALLOWS cruised over the stock pond
(holding only a pair of BUFFLEHEADS) and green hills. RED-TAILED HAWKS were
everywhere today -- as well as WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, I must have seen at least
6 pair during the day. At the end of Marsh, I opened the car door into a
huge group (flock?) of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. The
swifts were kind of cool. They would open and close their tails, so
sometimes the tails looked squared off, then pointed and other times forked.
I later saw more swifts on the other side of Calaveras Reservoir on
Calaveras road.  I also heard gobbling WILD TURKEYS from Marsh Road but did
not see them until I got to the Calaveras side. Down by the reservoir were 5
wild pigs (peccaries?). I did see an AMERICAN KESTREL male on the way out of
Marsh Rd.  Are they residents?  I saw about 4 more on Sierra Road.

Back on Felter Rd-- found a bright male WESTERN TANAGER in a eucalyptus tree
at #6251 Felter. There I did see 17 Wild Turkeys. The males of each flock
were constantly displaying.  

On Sierra Road (with many signs warning that the road was
closed...eventually, there were a pair each of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and
TREE SWALLOWS at a stock pond. The top of Sierra, by the cattle pen, had
only 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and 2 KILLDEER -- no Horned Larks, etc.-- but did
have 2 or 3 more AMERICAN KESTRELS (male and female) along with 2 GOLDEN
EAGLES passing close by overhead.

ALVISO:
Jubilee Christian Center/Arazino Ranch is now a 'marsh' with NORTHERN
PINTAIL, GADWELL, MALLARDS, 70 CANADA GEESE, BLACK-NECKED STILTS, DOWITCHERS
and 2 BURROWING OWLS on their remaining high ground. Also a male Ring-necked
Pheasant.

State and Spreckles "lake" had 5 BONAPARTE GULLS and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES
along with Black-necked Stilts and Avocets. Also a Northern Shoveler.

The marsh on 237 had 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. It's between Sunnyvale and
Alviso. I don't know its name.

Good birding,

Kris Olson, Menlo Park






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