[SBB] N. Pygmy Owl mission accomplished

All,

Ashutosh Sinha and I did a bit more scouting this morning for the upcoming SCVAS Birdathon. We were intent on finding (and seeing) a Northern Pygmy Owl. We decided to try Smith Creek, about 1 mile uphill from Twin Gates, on Mount Hamilton Road. The fenced utility building marks the spot, and thankfully the "No Parking" signs have been removed. We had looked along the creek before without luck, but today, we heard the "toot" calls very soon after we arrived. As we strolled along the creek, the bird seemed to be getting closer, and the nearby raucous calls of STELLER'S JAYS and all manner of smaller birds, we figured he might be close. Sure enough, a moment later, an angry group that included CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLRS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and PURPLE FINCHES chased the NORTHERN PYGMY OWL into the tree directly overhead! We watched him for several minutes as he continued to call, bobbed his tail and rotating his head around to face his many aggressors. It was very exciting and the first time I had actually seen an N. Pygmy Owl being harassed by so many birds. One female-plumaged Purple Finch actually made contact! Pretty brave, I'd say...

Anyway, the trail also produced a HAIRY WOODPECKER, HOUSE WREN, BROWN CREEPER, WARBLING VIREOS, many ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and a heard-only BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

We then conducted a long, rather unsuccessful search up and over Mount Hamilton for anything unusual. Most notable were several small ponds, each with 2-5 pairs of WOOD DUCKS. We also located several singing CALIFORNIA THRASHERS and a male BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER in the chaparral down from the peak.

Somewhat discouraged, we returned to the Smith Creek area. We drove along Kinkade Road. More WOOD DUCKS were present on the small pond, as well as 6 YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE, and 4 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS. All the mistletoe made me think about Phainopepla, but the only black birds we saw were RED-WINGED and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

We left after a short time and continued past Smith Creek back down hill and stopped at Twin Gates. BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were calling loudly from the oaks above the parking lot, as well as several LARK SPARROWS. Two fly-over LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES were a nice bonus, but we soon lost them over the trees. No Kingbirds were seen here, which surprised us a bit.

We continued down hill. WILD TURKEYS were seen in a couple of places along the road. By the time we arrived at Grant Lake, we had seen BARN, CLIFF, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, but oddly, no Trees... I guess we just weren't looking close enough. Zonotrichia Sparrows were sparse, but we did manage both GOLDEN-CROWNED and WHITE-CROWNED. A few good roadside spots for Rufous-crowned Sparrows went unexplored today, but we'll get to them on count day! Finally, as the Santa Clara Valley was in view again, we spotted two WESTERN KINGBIRDS on the barbed-wire fence and it was time for lunch...

If you would like to support our "Team DeDUCKtions" on April 21, we have an incredible "challenge grant" from an anonymous donor who will match each dollar contributed up to $5,000. That means your pledge will be doubled!! Help us meet that goal by pledging your support now! There's NO better way of making your dollars count and helping the educational programs at SCVAS. Please contact SCVAS (408) 252-3747 to be a part of our team, or simply make a pledge!

Thank you for your suppport,

Matthew Dodder

http://www.birdguy.net