[SBB] Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting and Yellow-breasted Chat

At 8 AM this morning (5/4/06) Frank Vanslager and I spotted a singing adult male BLUE GROSBEAK in the top of the lower Sycamore in Sycamore Gulch above Sandy Wool Lake in Ed Levin County Park. Later we had this bird in the large Oak? above the trail, at that time we noted that this mostly breeding plumaged male still had some spotting along the flanks. At almost the same instant that we found the BLGR we had a male LAZULI BUNTING in the same Sycamore (a few minutes later a male WESTERN TANAGER in the same tree. We had been unable to find a Grasshopper Sparrow on the way up the trail to "the gulch" so we decided instead to try for the Chat, found on 5/3 by Mike Mammoser, near the Gilroy Water treatment Facility. On our way down the trail we had an interacting pair (M & F) Lazuli Buntings, Ann Verdi, Pat Kenny and Roland Kenner (a nice group to end our stay at Ed Levin with). I should note that earlier, as we first arrived at the park, we had two CASPIAN TERNS flying over Sandy Wool Lake. Shortly before 10 AM we located a singing YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in the trees along the creek just south of the southern most ponds in the Gilroy Water treatment Facility. Later the Chat moved to the bushes along the western creek dike for a better look as it continued to sing. A quick check of the southern ponds turned up several Sandpipers; a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and GREATER YELLOWLEGS as well as a singing male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE. As we were leaving the Great-tailed Grackle flew straight east until out of sight. A quick check of selected Eucalyptus trees in the area failed to produce anything of note.