[SBB] Black-throated Gray Warblers etc.

Hello All,

At Monte Bello Preserve's Gate 5 this morning 4/6/2007, multiple Black-throated Gray Warblers could be heard singing from different points in the nearby oaks. I had one singing faintly yesterday at this location, so this morning I walked along the woodland edge (along Page Mill Rd.) up as far as the White Oak Trail, where more BTYW were singing; I even had a pair fly overhead. In all I detected 5 individuals. This location is always good for the species in the breeding season. Other warblers present included Orange-crowned, Wilson's, and Townsend's. One Pacific-slope Flycatcher was heard calling, as was the local Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Along the White Oak Trail I also had 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. An immature Golden Eagle made lazy circles as it moved from north to south and disappeared over Skyline OSP. Two Lawrence's Goldfinches flew over while I was there.

On the MB05 pond there were 3 Ring-necked Ducks, which are getting late. Two were males; in addition to the female RNDU there was a female Bufflehead rounding out this group, and acting like one of the gang. I also had a pair of RNDU here on 4/3.

Although I missed it today, on 4/3 there was still at least one Sora on the pond.

Late yesterday afternoon, work took me to Alviso, so I made a quick stop at the EEC there. A Peregrine Falcon waited patiently on a power tower to the east of the center. On the slough there were 6 Cinnamon Teal and a pair of Northern Pintails. Tree Swallows were checking out nest cavities, and a Ring-necked Pheasant stood on the RR tracks. An unexpected find was a Muskrat swimming in the slough, looking like a miniature Beaver. I had not seen Muskrat locally before. There were also some short, but heavy-bodied fish jumping noisily here and there in the slough - anyone know what those were likely to be?

Best regards,

Garth Harwood

PS - This got buried deep in the 'events' section of the SCVAS calendar, rather than being listed as a bird trip in the usual way, so you may have missed it: on Sunday 4/15 at Hidden Villa, I will be leading a joint SCVAS/Hidden Villa bird walk around the farm from 8-11AM. If interested, please call our community programs folks at 650-949-9704 for more details. It's free, but there is a $5/car parking fee at HV, so carpooling pays!