[SBB] MB05 and Hidden Villa today 5/25/2007

At MB05 this morning 5/25/07, it was already getting hot at 7:30AM, as the fog line was far below. A Grasshopper Sparrow was once again singing below the pond, apparently from the grassy slope across the gully and above the dry secondary pond there. A small group of warblers dropped in to some coyote brush and I was surprised to see a Townsend's Warbler with a couple of Yellows - this is the very limit of when TOWA might be expected around here. As usual, a couple of Black-throated Gray and Orange-crowned Warblers were also audible, as were a few Lazuli Buntings.

An Olive-sided Flycatcher territory has been established right on the ridgeline along Page Mill Rd., and I sometimes see both birds in the pair, mostly on the San Mateo side of the county line, but sometimes on the SCL side too.

The Ring-necked Duck pair that stayed on so long finally departed. They were present on 5/19, gone on 5/20. The coot family may now be down to 2 young (from 6 originally), but these look pretty robust!

After a late meeting, I stopped by to listen at the MB05 gate last night 5/26 and heard a Barn Owl as well as a Western Screech Owl.

Finally, at Hidden Villa this morning, a Yellow Warbler was once again singing along Adobe Creek right behind my office. This has been going on for a couple of weeks now, so I am beginning to wonder... however, the creek is dry here, so I won't get my hopes up too much. A family of Western Bluebirds fledged here this week, and this morning a brood of ready-to-fledge Downy Woodpeckers is loud and obvious from the front porch of the Duveneck House.

To add a voice to Jack Cole's plea for helpers for the Menlo Park area on the June 2 bird count, I have counted that area before (although I'll be up at Skyline for this count) and it has some excellent potential. A walk along San Francisquito Creek, or in the old residential neighborhoods near Menlo-Atherton high School, can produce some very cool birds. And then there are the last holdouts, the few surviving semi-urban quail and thrashers for example...it is always a relief to determine that they're still holding on in places like Sacred Heart School and St. Patrick's seminary. If you have even part of the day available to help out, please do - it would be a real shame to break the data thread after so many years. And it's a rare opportunity to visit Bear Gulch Reservoir, which has lots of potential to produce rare waterfowl.

If you have even a couple of hours to add some coverage there, please let Jack know at [[email protected]]. If you'd like advice for more hotspots within the area, I would be happy to help.

--Garth Harwood