[SBB] Pajaro River & beyond

["Kris Olson" <[[email protected]]>]

I got a lazy start today to look for the Blue Grosbeaks along the Pajaro
River/San Benito county line. They have been seen by Steve Rottenborn (June
23), Bob Reiling and Frank Vanslager (June 26), and Mike Mammoser (July 1).
They were not seen by me today.  My guess is that getting there much earlier
would increase the birdiness of the experience.However, I had a great day
out birding, so I'll relate some of the birds I saw and new roads I
traveled-- probably very familiar to all you south SCL birders. 
 
PAJARO RIVER
I arrived around 10:30AM and it was very windy, even cold. I parked on a
short road on the west [right if going south] side of 101 that parallels
101, which you reach just before you get to the Pajaro River bridge on 101
and which you also reach shortly after the RR tracks cross 101 from east to
west. Park as far south/west as you can, by the gate (and thanks to Mike
Mammoser for the directions.)

Very birdy on the start of the walk, despite the wind, but few of the really
interesting birds that Steve, Bill and Frank saw.   2 ASH-THROATED
FLYCATCHERS, sitting next to each other and interacting on my way in and out
(plus more along the way, but these 2 seem bonded at the hip). Single
WESTERN KINGBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.  A probable Yellow Warbler heard
near the start of my walk. SWAINSON'S THRUSHES heard at start and the "end"
(as far as I went -- not quite to the right turn by the RR) of the walk--
does that mean they are probably breeding if they are calling on June 23,
26, July 1 (Mike did not report them but my guess is he heard them) and
today, July 8? Many LESSER GOLDFINCHES.  As Bill and Frank noted, the usual
oak woodland birds: Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Oat Titmice, Chestnut-backed
Chickadees, Bewick's Wrens. Two adult Red-tailed Hawks up and down the river
corridor and one immature. Several Violet-green Swallows (nesting in the
oaks?) and several Cliff Swallows where I parked my car (they are nesting on
the deserted railroad buildings up the little side road.) A female Oriole
flew across the RR as I neard the car.

My favorite bird of this part of the trip, and my favorite swallow always,
was a pair of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS that are nesting in the
sandstone cliff along the RR tracks. I hung around long enough that I saw
one fly into its hold; not quite believing it, I got closer, but this
agitated the birds, so I backed into the foliage as far as I could and held
still.  5 or 10 minutes later, after flying in circles around the cliff,
closer and closer to the hold, one finally flew in. I did not stay to see it
come out, though since it was not immediately emerging, and was calling near
when it entered, I assume it's not feeding young yet. I did not hear any
young, either. The hold is at the top of the sandstone cliff, slightly left
(and below) of the bent telephone pole and above a long root that angles
down diagonally to the right. I have a photo of the hole (but not the bird
entering it) if anyone wants it. I have only seen them nest in concrete
damns/spillways and under freeways, but this link about them says that they
nest in "sandy vertical banks"  -- a first for me.
http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=324


HIGHWAY 129 WEST TO HECKER PASS ROAD and over the summit:
I planned to use 129 to turn around to head back home, but when I looked at
the map, I saw that it connected to Hecker Pass Rd, which I have heard of
but never taken. So off I went. Not very birdy and lots of traffic. I drove
around Mt Madonna Park a bit, where I have never been before-- looks like
great territory for Winter Wrens.  The sign also mentions "serpentine
grasslands", which sounded tempting, but they were not indicated on the park
map I picked up. As I dropped down to the other side, I passed a male HOODED
ORIOLE on my way throught the farm/wine country.

UVAS ROAD PAST UVAS & CALERO RESEVOIRS
The map showed that I could take Uvas Road past Uvas Resevoir, then Calero
and out Bailey to 101. Since I have never been to Uvas Reservoir, I did
that. Birded a bit from the side:  3 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER, 1
MARBLED GODWIT, 6 KILLDEER, various warm-brown colored ducks and a gorgeous
male WESTERN BLUEBIRD by the 'lake' shore.  Calero had a CASPIAN TERN and
quite far from me, an OSPREY bathing. When I first saw a large brown raptor
with a white head, I thought it might be the Calaveras Bald Eagle taking a
bath. Heatwaves were pretty strong at this point.

PALO ALTO BAYLANDS
I was headed for recycling but missed it by 2 minutes, so I drove out to the
baylands. There were several hundred truly ugly gulls (sorry)-- which
apparently are "second cycle non-breeding," per the new gull book by Howell
and Dunn. Some adult Cal gulls and a few Ring-billed Gulls were spiffier.

On the shorebird side:
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS (7+) -- very rusty -- returnees, I assume
MARBLED GODWITS
WILLETS
LONG-BILLED CURLEWS (3)

And then home.

I was warm, soothing and lovely out. I could see the telescope on top of Mt
Hamilton clearly and found some new areas to go back and explore.

Good birding,

Kris Olson, Menlo Park



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