[SBB] Northern Waterthrush Charleston Marsh

[Matthew Dodder <[[email protected]]>]

All,

I made a morning stop in Alviso and had good looks at one of the two  
RUFFS along the train tracks. I saw the bird at a distance in the  
second pond and eventually something startled it and it flew toward  
me and landed quite close. Eventually it flew toward the corner by  
the main road and foraged for a while there, only to reappear a few  
minutes later in the first pond north of the tracks where most people  
have seen it. While other birders reported two individuals this  
morning, I believe I was looking at the same individual three times.  
It was not the individual with the limp, in other words and the  
coloration was the same. I continued looking for a while, but never  
did see the second bird.

Back at the EEC another birder and I had two WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and  
several dozen VAUX'S SWIFTS as well as a few WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS.  
The trees by the channel had several YELLOW WARBLERS and two ORANGE- 
CROWNED WARBLERS. Vaux's Swifts were positively swirling by the  
hundreds over by the marina, and I'd like to say I saw a Chimney  
among them... but they just move so darn fast I was lucky to get any  
in my binocs! Swallows were also staging on the wires along the road  
in large, generally segregated groups of BARN and VIOLET-GREEN. A  
handful of TREES were among them, but they were clearly out numbered.  
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were seen both at State and Spreckles and by the  
marina.

I also went to Charleston Marsh (across from 1225 Charleston Road off  
of Shoreline Blvd). As I got out of my car I heard a very loud  
"chick!" call, reminiscent of a California Towhee, but more liquid.  
It had none of the rough static shock quality of a Common  
Yellowthroat which were calling from the same area. This was much  
louder and very different. My immediate thought was that it might be  
a Waterthrush. A moment or two I located the source of the sound in  
the reeds near par course marker #2. It was a indeed a WATERTHRUSH,  
presumably Northern Waterthrush. As soon as I got my glasses on it  
however, it moved into deep cover near marker #4 and I could not coax  
it out. This was the same area the bird was seen last fall/winter so  
perhaps it is the same individual...

Matthew Dodder
http://www.birdguy.net



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