[SBB] Long Ridge OSP

Having some extra time yesterday afternoon (5/14), and finding myself in the Long Ridge OSP vicinity, I walked the 1.7 mile Achistaca Trail, which is a lovely easy-grade walk from Hwy 9 to Hickory Oaks Trail. The trail is all in Santa Cruz Co., but it runs very close to the Santa Clara border, just upslope at Skyline Blvd. Singing territorial warblers included HERMIT, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, YELLOW-RUMPED, and ORANGE-CROWNED. Several WESTERN TANAGERS and a CASSIN'S VIREO were also there, the latter seeming very sparse to me this season. There were two PILEATED WOODPECKERS about 300 yards in from Hwy 9, and another far downslope.

But the real fun began while I was in a grassy clearing northwest of the Saratoga Summit fire station. My attention was drawn to a dispersed flock of VIOLET-GREEN and CLIFF SWALLOWS feeding high over head. As I scanned through the swallows I noticed two LONG-BILLED CURLEWS flying westward high over, perhaps 600 feet above the ridge, passing from SCL to SCZ. A few of their calls drifted down from the heavens. And then I spotted BLACK SWIFTS, totaling five at least, but perhaps more passed by; they were very high and hard to track. They were over both SCZ and SCL. And then, taking a break to rest my neck, I spotted a nighthawk flying right toward mew coming up the slope the south! It made a couple broad loops around the vicinity before passing along the crest and out of view over Sklyine Blvd in SCL. The views were sufficient to leave me comfortable in identifying it as a LESSER NIGHTHAWK (it being a bit early yet for a rarer migrant Common, anyway). And then, eyes back up in the swallow/swift arena I saw a PEREGRINE FALCON cruise through their 3D turf, flying very swiftly (pun intended) through the aerial hor d'ourves, but no snacking this time. It was going NW on the SCZ side.

David Suddjian

Capitola

See what's free at AOL.com.