Re: [SBB] Ed Levin missing Blue Grosbeak

["Richard Cimino" <[[email protected]]>]

Still no Blue Grosbeak seen in Ed Levin this year?
Rich Cimino
Pleasanton


> [Original Message]
> From: Kris Olson <[[email protected]]>
> To: South Bay Birders <[[email protected]]>
> Date: 5/13/2007 8:12:25 PM
> Subject: [SBB] Ed Levin & Felter/Sierra Rds.
>
> A mother's day escape!
> I got to Ed Levin county park about 9:30 AM and hiked up to the Sycamore
> trees in pursuit  of 2 species I did not see last year. 
>
> GRASHOPPER SPARROWS: I heard at least 6 in 3 different locations and saw
2.
> The first one is really easy. It's just beyond the dog park, where the
left
> hand metal fence has 2 wooden fence posts -- start there and walk up to
the
> lone wooden fence post on the left. I saw this bird as I was both coming
and
> going. It was fluttering its wings like a begging youngster (immature?)
and
> "singing" incessantly. This may be the bird that was videotaped recently
by
> another birder. It seemed quite tawny all over, without strong crown
> stripe(s). Its face seemed plain and tawny. I am checking The Sparrows of
> the US and Canada (Rising), which says that juvenile Grasshopper Sparrows
> would be July; nesting starts in April. I wonder if they nest earlier in
the
> West? Or why was this bird fluttering its wings? I did not see another
bird
> fly into it; I did hear another bird "respond" farther across the field
each
> time this one called.  I found more of these bird up the Agua Caliente
> trail, before and after the Symcamores. I got some horse back riders to
hear
> the song, which was sort of cool, given how insecty and faint they can be.
>
> So next surprise, just past the gate going up the Agua Caliente trail: a
> large RATTLESNAKE. I am used to gopher snakes where I grew up in Berkeley,
> so at first I thought it was just a gopher snake. Then the head shape
looked
> wrong, and then I saw its tail!  So I let it slither away, waiting awhile
> and proceeded up the trail. Wrong! The snake suddenly reappeared further
up
> the trail, next to post #5 on the left, coming out from the grass toward
the
> road. It came right at me and rattled!  I froze, it retreated into a hole
by
> post #6.  I did not see it on the way down, and no one else mentioned it
as
> they hiked up. Anyway, beware.
>
> When I finally reached the Sycamores (now watching the ground more than
> bushes and sky), I climbed up under/past the first tree to find 3 LAZULI
> BUNTINGS (male, female, immature male). The male sang almost constantly,
> buzzing around the sage, rocks, grass.  I finally found 2 RUFOUS-CROWNED
> SPARROWS, but they did not come as close, or let me get as close, as the
> buntings. They were on the tops of sage bush, not on the rocks where I
have
> seen them in prior years.
>
> There was a single AMERICAN KESTREL female hunting (here, on the way into
> the park and later at the ranger station area - I assume the same one.) No
> other raptors seen aside for TVs.
>
> There were also 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS along this trail, and I saw several
> later on Felter/Marsh and Sierra Roads. No Ash-throated Flycatchers, alas.
>
> I found one male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH in the Tamarisk across from the
Ranger
> station/house.
>
> I paid the requisite visit to the  BALD EAGLE nest and was able to tell
some
> bike riders about it. I did not see a chick but I did not stay long.
>
> Marsh Rd (my favorite!); WARBLING VIREOS, COOPER'S HAWK and near the
cattle,
> a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE that would sit on the barbed wire fence, pin a
stalk
> of wild oats to the wire with its right foot, and pick out the oat seed
with
> its bill and left foot. It repeated this over and over.  Two Western
> Kingbirds were interacting here (nest?) and a pair of NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED
> SWALLOWS. And, of course, WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES.
>
> At the top of Sierra, still in the housing area (near the road to the
> iris/peonies), overlooking the little farm pond, I found a flycatcher that
> has me stumped. It was in the large oak, and hunted from a curved branch
> under the canopy, relatively low the ground (5-6'?) It kept returning to
> this same perch, never leaving the canopy, and I don't remember if it
> flicked its tail, which I think would have been key. So here goes:
>
> 1. It was big, but not so big as an Olive sided FC
> 2. It was brown, no yellow green or gray (Willow?)
> 3. It has a faint eye-ring, not tear-dropped shape, with a faint line from
> eye to bill
> 4. It has a white throat
> 5. It has a super long bill, yellow/orange with a dark tip
> 6. 2 pale wing bars
> 7. Back was brown, tail darker brown
> 8. It has a vested look from the front -- no sign of any yellow (so not
Pac
> slope) - I did not notice any vested look from the sides, however, and the
> vest V started about level with the bend in the wings
> 9. Primary projection was more like the Willow FC than the WWPewee in
> Sibley-- shorter
>
> In the past week or two, I have seen an Olive-sided Flycatcher (white
throat
> & strong vest, big, hunts from top of dead branch/tree) and Western
> Wood-Pewee (no white throat, vested, but a gray bird, which this one
> definitely was not. The one I saw was at Coyote Point, where it hunted
from
> half-way up a Eucalyptus, out into the open, then back to its perch.)
>
> I am included to think Willow Flycatcher, since each time I see one I am
> always struck by the brown color and faint eye ring.  The location seems
> better for Pewee, however -- under a big oak.
>
> Any ideas? Of course, I did not have my new camera along! Sigh.
>
> Happy Mother's day to people-moms and bird-moms everywhere!
>
> Kris Olson, Menlo Park
>
>
>
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