[SBB] Continuing Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Ed Levin)

[Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]>]

Folks:

I spent about an hour at Ed Levin just before noon today, 11/15/06, 
in the Spring Valley area.  My luck with the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 
that Dave Weber found would have been about the same as previously 
reported, except Randy Little was there and found the bird and showed 
it to me.  During the 40 min. that Randy and I followed the bird, it 
spent nearly all of its time in the row of tamarisks that are along 
Calaveras Road, between the main road and the paved park road that 
loops up to the Spring Valley group picnic area.  The bird once moved 
down to the large pine near the group picnic area and once moved 
across the road to the golf course side.  But 95% of the time it 
remained in the tamarisks.  Randy noted four Red-breasteds here 
earlier, but while we were watching, I think there were only two 
still present.  It is hard to see through the tamarisk, but at a few 
spots we could see where the Yellow-bellied had made many fresh 
holes.  So maybe it will hang around.

Although I don't disagree with Dave's identification, I think this is 
a fairly difficult bird.  It is very flighty, when seen, but then 
sits still for long periods and is not seen.  A cursory review of my 
pictures suggests none are helpful.  At first, I though it was quite 
bright yellow beneath and must be an adult, but then when I got a 
halfway decent look at its breast, it was a smudgy brown color, 
indicating a HY bird.  Most Red-napeds should be in their prebasic 
plumage by now (but not all), whereas many HY Yellow-bellieds may be 
still in mostly juvenile plumage.  2005 was a good year for us as 
Garth found a male at Hidden Villa in February (2nd calendar year, 
1st winter), which was mostly in adult plumage with a bright red 
throat and a strong black border.  In October, Peggy Don found a 
juvenile at Stevens Creek CP (a nice picture by Phil Terzian).  The 
October bird was showing about half the red crown feathers, but 
otherwise seemed to be mostly in juvenile plumage.  Today's bird had 
a bright red crown and a mostly red throat (perhaps a few juvenile 
feathers), but the throat's border was a mixture, it seemed, of 
juvenile and adult feathers.  In some views, the border seemed 
complete, but in other views it seemed quite thin.  It seemed to me 
that it was a male about 50 to 75% between juvenile and adult plumage 
(okay for this time of year).  I found it hard to get a good view of 
the nape, but I did not see any red.  Better views may help, 
particularly if it stays around and its plumage becomes more adult.

Randy and I also saw a MERLIN here.

You can avoid the park fee by parking in the dirt lot that is at the 
corner of Calaveras Road and the road that skirts the eastern side of 
the golf course.  The row of tamarisks is on the opposite side of 
Calaveras Road from the dirt lot.

Bill Bousman
Santa Clara County records compiler 



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