From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 01 11:15:05 1998 Subject: composite list SEPTEMBER 1, 1998 SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST UPDATE The peak of the Fall migration is upon us this month - we need 23 more species to reach the 300 mark this year. Some things to look for include Broad-winged Hawk, Sandhill Crane, American Golden-Plover, Wandering Tattler, Black Turnstone, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, jaegers, Dusky Flycatcher, eastern vireos and warblers, Clay-colored and Brewer's Sparrows, Vesper Sparrow, longspurs, and Bobolink. Looks like no easy ones left :( Mike P.S. Some advice from Kendric: [To make the columns line up, please copy this list to a word processor, and change the font to a monospaced font (Monoco, Courier, etc.), and set the right hand margin to 7.5 inches.] ________________________________________________________________________ Recent progress of the composite list: 273: 8/ 6/98 WHITE-FACED IBIS 274: 8/ 8/98 ELEGANT TERN 275: 8/16/98 STILT SANDPIPER 276: 8/18/98 SABINE'S GULL 277: 8/29/98 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH Please send any additions, corrections, or comments to Mike Rogers, [[email protected]]. SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST - 1998 SCR MMR MJM COMP SOURCE 377 242 229 229 277+ICGU % OF COMPOSITE FOR 1998 % OF 377 (Iceland Gull not counted) Red-throated Loon 2/16 2/ 8 2/ 8 SBT Pacific Loon 2/21 SBT Common Loon 2/ 8 2/11 2/14 1/ 2 AVe Pied-billed Grebe 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Horned Grebe 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Red-necked Grebe 1/ 2 1/16 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Eared Grebe 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Western Grebe 1/ 2 2/11 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Clark's Grebe 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Northern Fulmar Sooty Shearwater Ashy Storm-Petrel Brown Booby American White Pelican 1/ 2 1/16 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Brown Pelican 7/ 3 1/ 6 2/ 8 1/ 4 JMa Double-crested Cormorant 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Brandt's Cormorant Pelagic Cormorant Magnificent Frigatebird American Bittern 1/16 2/28 1/15 CWh Least Bittern Great Blue Heron 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Great Egret 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Snowy Egret 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Little Blue Heron 5/ 7 8/21 4/29 PJM Cattle Egret 1/ 2 4/24 4/26 1/ 2 SCR Green Heron 1/ 6 2/11 2/13 1/ 1 DJC Black-crowned Night-Heron 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC White-faced Ibis 8/16 8/ 6 8/ 8 8/ 6 RWR Fulvous Whistling-Duck Tundra Swan 1/ 2 1/ 7 1/ 3 1/ 1 CKS,JML,DJC Greater White-fronted Goose 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Snow Goose 1/ 2 1/19 1/ 3 1/ 2 SCR Ross' Goose 2/ 8 1/19 1/16 1/16 MJM Brant Canada Goose 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Wood Duck 4/21 4/11 1/18 1/ 1 AVe,CH Green-winged Teal 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Mallard 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Northern Pintail 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Garganey Blue-winged Teal 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Cinnamon Teal 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Northern Shoveler 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Gadwall 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Eurasian Wigeon 1/26 2/24 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM American Wigeon 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Canvasback 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Redhead 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Ring-necked Duck 1/ 2 1/ 7 1/31 1/ 1 m.ob. Tufted Duck 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Greater Scaup 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Lesser Scaup 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Oldsquaw Black Scoter 3/ 8 3/ 2 3/ 8 3/ 1 JMe Surf Scoter 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC White-winged Scoter 2/11 1/ 6 2/13 1/ 6 MMR Common Goldeneye 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Barrow's Goldeneye 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Bufflehead 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Hooded Merganser 1/ 4 2/28 2/28 1/ 1 AVe,CH,NLe Common Merganser 1/ 2 1/ 7 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Red-breasted Merganser 1/16 2/11 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Ruddy Duck 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Turkey Vulture 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. California Condor Osprey 3/ 2 1/19 1/18 1/17 JMa,JLa White-tailed Kite 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 2 SCR,MJM Bald Eagle 2/ 8 2/16 1/16 SGu Northern Harrier 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Sharp-shinned Hawk 1/ 2 1/19 4/26 1/ 2 SCR Cooper's Hawk 1/ 2 1/ 6 2/22 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk 1/ 2 1/16 1/ 3 1/ 1 DJC Broad-winged Hawk Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Ferruginous Hawk 1/ 2 1/19 1/ 2 SCR Rough-legged Hawk 1/ 3 1/ 3 SCR Golden Eagle 1/ 6 1/ 7 1/17 1/ 1 DJC American Kestrel 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Merlin 1/ 9 2/ 9 1/ 3 1/ 2 fide CKS Peregrine Falcon 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Prairie Falcon 3/ 4 1/25 NLe Ring-necked Pheasant 1/ 6 1/13 2/22 1/ 6 SCR Wild Turkey 3/16 4/11 4/ 5 1/ 1 JMa California Quail 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/18 1/ 1 SCR,DJC Mountain Quail 6/11 5/13 MLF Yellow Rail Black Rail 1/12 1/12 2/ 8 1/ 9 VTi,RWR,FVs Clapper Rail 1/12 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Virginia Rail 1/ 2 1/12 1/31 1/ 2 SCR Sora 1/ 2 1/16 2/ 8 1/ 2 SCR Common Moorhen 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC American Coot 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Pacific Golden-Plover 7/27 7/26 7/25 AME American Golden-Plover Golden-Plover sp 8/16 Snowy Plover 5/13 6/14 4/19 TRy,SSa Semipalmated Plover 1/ 6 4/24 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Killdeer 1/ 1 1/ 7 1/18 1/ 1 m.ob. Mountain Plover Black Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC American Avocet 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Greater Yellowlegs 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Lesser Yellowlegs 1/ 6 4/24 8/ 1 1/ 6 SCR Solitary Sandpiper 4/19 PJM Willet 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Wandering Tattler Spotted Sandpiper 4/27 2/ 8 2/16 1/ 1 AVe,CH Whimbrel 1/ 6 1/ 6 2/ 8 1/ 4 CKS,JML Long-billed Curlew 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Hudsonian Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit Marbled Godwit 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Ruddy Turnstone 7/24 8/24 4/28 RWR Black Turnstone Red Knot 1/ 6 8/24 1/ 6 SCR Sanderling 5/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 6 MMR Semipalmated Sandpiper 7/ 4 8/22 7/ 4 SCR,NLe Western Sandpiper 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Least Sandpiper 1/ 2 1/ 6 2/14 1/ 1 AVe,CH White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper 8/ 9 8/ 1 DWe,TGr Pectoral Sandpiper 7/26 7/26 MJM Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Dunlin 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Curlew Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper 8/16 8/18 8/16 8/16 SCR,MJM Buff-breasted Sandpiper Ruff 8/ 3 8/ 6 8/ 1 8/ 1 DWe,TGr Short-billed Dowitcher 1/ 6 1/ 6 4/26 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Long-billed Dowitcher 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 2 SCR,MJM,AVe Common Snipe 1/ 5 3/ 8 1/ 1 DJC Wilson's Phalarope 6/16 7/10 6/13 6/12 BMc Red-necked Phalarope 6/30 8/ 4 4/17 4/17 MJM,AVE,FVs Red Phalarope 2/11 2/ 8 2/ 8 SBT Pomarine Jaeger Parasitic Jaeger Long-tailed Jaeger Laughing Gull 6/22 DSt Franklin's Gull 6/ 9 6/10 6/13 5/13 RWR,FVs Little Gull 4/28 4/29 4/28 4/28 SCR Black-headed Gull Bonaparte's Gull 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Heermann's Gull Mew Gull 1/ 2 1/19 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,TGr Ring-billed Gull 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. California Gull 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Herring Gull 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Thayer's Gull 1/ 2 1/16 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH ??Iceland Gull 1/16 1/16 SBT,SCR,AJa,MH Lesser Black-backed Gull 1/18 3/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Western Gull 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Glaucous-winged Gull 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,TGr Glaucous Gull 1/ 6 2/24 1/ 6 SCR Black-legged Kittiwake Sabine's Gull 8/18 FB,JMS Caspian Tern 4/17 4/11 4/11 4/ 2 RWR Elegant Tern 8/ 8 NLe Common Tern 5/15 SBT Arctic Tern Forster's Tern 1/ 6 2/ 8 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Least Tern 7/ 2 7/ 7 7/ 3 7/ 2 SCR Black Tern 5/ 7 4/29 4/28 TGr,JSt,RWR Black Skimmer 1/ 6 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Common Murre Ancient Murrelet Cassin's Auklet Rock Dove 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Band-tailed Pigeon 1/ 1 3/27 3/15 1/ 1 SCR White-winged Dove Mourning Dove 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Yellow-billed Cuckoo Greater Roadrunner 4/19 SMi Barn Owl 4/19 1/ 9 4/26 1/ 9 MMR,RJe Flammulated Owl Western Screech-Owl 6/ 2 4/26 1/ 1 JMa Great Horned Owl 1/14 4/25 3/22 1/ 1 DJC Northern Pygmy-Owl 1/ 1 4/12 1/ 1 SCR,JMa Burrowing Owl 1/ 5 1/20 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl 3/ 7 RiC Northern Saw-whet Owl 4/26 1/ 1 JMa Lesser Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Common Poorwill 4/26 4/26 MJM,GKH,DSt Black Swift Chimney Swift Vaux's Swift 4/13 4/25 4/25 4/12 DPo,SMi White-throated Swift 1/18 1/21 2/22 1/ 8 RWR,FVs Black-chinned Hummingbird 5/ 6 5/ 8 4/18 4/16 CCRS Anna's Hummingbird 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Costa's Hummingbird 6/ 8 6/ 8 SCR Calliope Hummingbird 4/19 4/19 SCR,HLR,RPR Broad-tailed Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird 3/16 4/ 8 4/ 5 3/16 SCR Allen's Hummingbird 3/ 4 4/11 3/15 1/25 AME Belted Kingfisher 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/17 1/ 1 DJC Lewis' Woodpecker 1/ 6 NLe,RWR,FVs Acorn Woodpecker 1/ 1 1/ 6 2/28 1/ 1 SCR,JMa,DJC Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1/ 2 1/ 1 CKS,JML Red-naped Sapsucker 1/ 6 1/ 6 MMR Red-breasted Sapsucker 1/ 2 1/ 7 1/17 1/ 1 m.ob. Williamson's Sapsucker Nuttall's Woodpecker 1/ 2 1/ 7 1/ 3 1/ 2 m.ob. Downy Woodpecker 1/ 1 3/ 4 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,CKS,JML Hairy Woodpecker 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,JMa,DJC Northern Flicker 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Pileated Woodpecker 6/11 4/12 4/12 MJM Olive-sided Flycatcher 4/26 5/ 6 4/25 4/16 JCo Western Wood-Pewee 4/26 4/25 4/25 4/19 JDa Willow Flycatcher 5/28 8/29 6/12 5/28 SCR Least Flycatcher Hammond's Flycatcher 4/30 4/11 4/11 4/11 MMR,MJM Dusky Flycatcher Gray Flycatcher Pacific-slope Flycatcher 3/28 3/27 3/18 1/ 4 CCRS Black Phoebe 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Eastern Phoebe 1/ 2 3/ 4 3/ 1 1/ 2 SCR Say's Phoebe 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/18 1/ 2 SCR Ash-throated Flycatcher 4/14 4/25 4/26 4/ 8 RWR Tropical Kingbird Cassin's Kingbird 5/ 4 4/11 4/11 3/ 1 DRo,RCa kingbird sp. 2/ 8 AGu Western Kingbird 3/16 4/ 8 4/11 3/16 SCR Eastern Kingbird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Horned Lark 3/16 4/26 3/15 1/25 AME Purple Martin 5/14 RCi Tree Swallow 1/18 1/19 3/ 1 1/17 LCh Violet-green Swallow 2/ 5 1/19 2/22 1/18 JDa Nor. Rough-winged Swallow 2/ 8 2/25 2/28 2/ 8 SCR Bank Swallow 7/ 2 5/26 NLe Cliff Swallow 3/ 2 3/ 1 3/ 8 2/26 TRy Barn Swallow 1/ 2 1/19 3/ 1 1/ 2 SCR Steller's Jay 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/17 1/ 1 m.ob. Western Scrub-Jay 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Clark's Nutcracker Black-billed Magpie Yellow-billed Magpie 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. American Crow 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Common Raven 1/ 1 1/ 5 2/13 1/ 1 m.ob. Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1/ 1 1/16 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Oak Titmouse 1/ 3 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 CKS,JML,DJC Bushtit 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Red-breasted Nuthatch 4/12 1/ 1 JMa White-breasted Nuthatch 1/ 3 1/ 6 1/13 1/ 1 DJC Pygmy Nuthatch 1/ 1 4/12 1/ 1 SCR,JMa Brown Creeper 1/ 1 4/25 1/17 1/ 1 m.ob. Rock Wren 3/ 16 1/19 1/13 1/13 MJM Canyon Wren 1/ 1 JSa,HGe Bewick's Wren 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. House Wren 3/29 4/ 8 4/ 5 3/21 LAY Winter Wren 1/ 1 4/ 4 1/ 1 SCR Marsh Wren 1/12 1/12 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM American Dipper 4/11 3/29 TGr Golden-crowned Kinglet 1/ 2 1/ 2 SCR Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4/26 3/27 3/29 1/ 5 CJC Western Bluebird 1/ 2 1/ 6 2/16 1/ 1 DJC Mountain Bluebird 1/17 JLu Townsend's Solitaire 5/ 6 5/ 3 MHa,DHa Swainson's Thrush 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 9 4/ 2 PMB Hermit Thrush 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/13 1/ 1 SCR,JMa American Robin 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/13 1/ 1 m.ob. Varied Thrush 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Wrentit 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/17 1/ 1 SCR,JMa,DJC Northern Mockingbird 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Sage Thrasher 4/ 7 BWe Brown Thrasher California Thrasher 1/ 1 1/ 6 2/28 1/ 1 SCR Red-throated Pipit American Pipit 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Bohemian Waxwing Cedar Waxwing 1/ 2 1/14 3/28 1/ 1 JMa Phainopepla 4/18 1/ 6 NLe,RWR,FVs Northern Shrike Loggerhead Shrike 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. European Starling 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Bell's Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Cassin's Vireo 4/26 4/11 4/12 4/ 5 LAY Plumbeous Vireo Hutton's Vireo 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,JMa Warbling Vireo 3/28 3/27 3/29 3/18 AME Red-eyed Vireo Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler 1/ 4 1/24 3/ 1 1/ 4 SCR,CCRS Nashville Warbler 4/14 4/25 4/12 JMM Virginia's Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler 1/ 4 4/11 4/25 1/ 4 SCR Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Black-throated Gray Warbler 4/30 4/25 4/ 5 1/ 9 SBT Townsend's Warbler 1/ 1 3/27 3/15 1/ 1 SCR,JMa,DJC Hermit Warbler 4/26 4/ 4 2/ 1 AVe,CH Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Prairie Warbler 1/ 4 1/17 1/ 4 SCR Palm Warbler 1/ 4 1/13 1/ 4 SCR,HLR Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler Worm-eating Warbler Ovenbird 6/ 7 SRo,KVV Northern Waterthrush 8/29 8/30 8/29 MMR Kentucky Warbler Connecticut Warbler MacGillivray's Warbler 4/26 4/25 8/30 4/19 NLe Common Yellowthroat 1/ 4 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 2 MJM Hooded Warbler Wilson's Warbler 3/28 3/27 3/22 3/22 MJM Yellow-breasted Chat 5/ 6 5/ 3 CCRS Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Western Tanager 4/24 4/26 4/25 1/23 RWR Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5/25 KCo,MWr Black-headed Grosbeak 4/ 8 4/11 4/11 4/ 5 VTi Blue Grosbeak 5/ 6 5/11 4/19 4/19 MJM Lazuli Bunting 4/19 4/26 5/ 3 4/19 SCR Indigo Bunting 7/18 AJa Passerina sp. 4/10 4/10 SCR Dickcissel Green-tailed Towhee Spotted Towhee 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,JMa,DJC California Towhee 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/13 1/ 1 m.ob. Rufous-crowned Sparrow 1/ 2 4/ 8 4/11 1/ 2 SCR American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow 4/27 4/26 3/31 GFi,MPl Clay-colored Sparrow Brewer's Sparrow Black-chinned Sparrow 5/23 JGa Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow 4/ 8 1/19 1/ 4 1/ 4 MJM Black-throated Sparrow Sage Sparrow 4/12 AME,DPo Lark Bunting Savannah Sparrow 1/ 2 1/12 1/ 4 1/ 1 DJC Grasshopper Sparrow 4/10 6/ 2 4/10 SCR Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1/ 9 fide AME Fox Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Song Sparrow 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Lincoln's Sparrow 1/ 2 1/13 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH Swamp Sparrow 1/ 2 1/ 2 SCR White-throated Sparrow 3/29 1/15 AJb Golden-crowned Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. White-crowned Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Harris' Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Lapland Longspur Chestnut-collared Longspur Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Tricolored Blackbird 1/ 2 1/14 4/11 1/ 2 SCR Western Meadowlark 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 DJC Yellow-headed Blackbird 5/ 4 4/ 4 NLe Brewer's Blackbird 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Great-tailed Grackle 5/25 5/28 5/30 5/25 SCR Brown-headed Cowbird 1/ 2 1/16 1/18 1/ 1 AVe,CH,DJC Hooded Oriole 3/29 4/24 4/26 3/21 AWa Baltimore Oriole Bullock's Oriole 3/28 4/ 8 3/22 3/19 GHa Scott's Oriole Purple Finch 1/ 1 3/27 2/28 1/ 1 SCR Cassin's Finch House Finch 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Red Crossbill Pine Siskin 1/18 1/ 9 TGr Lesser Goldfinch 1/ 1 1/13 1/ 4 1/ 1 m.ob. Lawrence's Goldfinch 5/ 5 4/26 4/26 1/ 6 NLe,RWR,FVs American Goldfinch 1/ 1 1/ 7 1/20 1/ 1 m.ob. Evening Grosbeak House Sparrow 1/ 2 1/ 6 2/22 1/ 1 CKS,JML,DJC Observer codes: m.ob.-many observers, AGu-Arnel Guanlao, AJa-Al Jaramillo, AJb-Alberta Jasberg, AME-Al Eisner, AVe-Ann Verdi, AWa-Alan Walther, BMc-Bert McKee, BWe-Bruce Webb, CCRS-Coyote Creek Riparian Station, CH-Caralisa Hughes, CJC-Chuck Coston, CKS-Chris Salander, CWh-Clark White, DHa-David Haveman, DJC-Don & Jill Crawford, DPo-David Powell, DRo-Don Roberson, DSt-Dick Stovel, DWe-Dave Weber, FB-Florence Bennett, FVs-Frank Vanslager, GFi-George Finger, GHa-Garth Harwood, GKH-Grant Hoyt, GLB-Gloria LeBlanc, HGe-Harriet Gerson, HLR-Heather Rottenborn, JCo-Jack Cole, JDa-Jim Danzenbaker, JGa-Jim Gain, JLa-Jolene Lange, JLu-John Luther, JMa-John Mariani, JMe-John Meyer, JML-Jeanne Leavitt, JMM-John & Maria Meyer, JMS-Jean-Marie Spoelman, JSa-June Santoro, JSt-John Sterling, KCo-Kitty Collins, KLP-Kathy Parker, KVV-Kent Van Vuren, LAY-Amy Lauterbach & James Yurchenco, MH-Matt Heindel, MHa-Merry Haveman, MJM-Mike Mammoser, MLF-Mike Feighner, MMR-Mike Rogers, MPL-Marjorie Plant, MWr-Marti Wright, NLe-Nick Lethaby, PMB-Phyllis M. Browning, RCa-Rita Caratello, RCi-Rich Cimino, RCo-Rita Colwell, RiC-Richard Carlson, RJe-Richard Jeffers, RLe-Rosalie Lefkowitz, RPR-Rebecca Paige Rottenborn, RWR-Bob Reiling, SBT-Scott Terrill, SCR-Steve Rottenborn, SGu-Stephan Gunn, SMi-Steve Miller,SRo-Steve Rovell,SSA-Susan Sandstrom, TGr-Tom Grey, TRy-Tom Ryan, VTi-Vivek Tiwari, WGB-Bill Bousman SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST HISTORY 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 HIGH COMP 278 295 303 293 296 305 305 SCR 279 291 262 251 268 291 MJM 234 250 265 242 253 276 276 MMR 214 234 254 271 257 258 275 275 MLF 136 183 199 209 215 235 194 165 218 265 265 WGB 216 228 245 170 245 AME 240 220 219 231 240 KLP 232 232 RWR 204 201 203 228 228 TGr 189 211 211 CKS 185 195 186 195 GLB 190 190 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 01 11:33:15 1998 Subject: Late-nesting Barn Swallows etc. All, A couple of weeks ago I posted a note about some late-nesting Barn Swallows at Rancho San Antonio County Park. After hearing from Mike Rogers and Bill Bousman that the last known date for these birds to be on the nest in SC County was 8/25, I began daily check-ins (with the weekend help of Ulf Stauber) starting 8/26. The 3 healthy young fledged this morning, 9/1/1998. Last evening at sundown they were all perched on the rim, but when I arrived just before 10 this AM the whole family was lined up along the roof of the restroom structure and took wing as I watched. Other birds noticeable from the parking lot were a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a Warbling Vireo, along with some CB Chickadees and a whole mess of Lesser Goldfinches. --Garth Harwood ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 01 13:13:32 1998 Subject: Saturday at CCRS This is 4 days late but the first chance I got since Sat. Saturday from 10:00AM to noon birded the riparian area in CCRS, following Nick Lethaby's reports (thanks Nick!). Some birds were still active despite the time of day. They included: W. TANAGER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, VAUX's SWIFT, ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW and WILSON's WARBLERs. A male ALLEN's HUMMINGBIRD was there too. Would the time of year make it a migrant? Vivek Tiwari [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 01 14:06:31 1998 Subject: LASP, ELTE All, Today would have been a good day to have been out birding. While on a 7-mile run from Moffett Field through Shoreline Park I had 3 LARK SPARROWS (an unusual bayside migrant) on the dike east of Steven's Creek near the end of Crittenden Lane, numerous warblers along the creek south of here (OCWA, WIWA, YEWA, COYE), and a very vocal ELEGANT TERN on the western part of Salt Pond A1 north of Shoreline Lake. The tern landed out on some wood pilings with other terns that may have included more ELTEs. Coming back to my building here on Moffett Field another 2 LARK SPARROWS flew over heading towards the bay. Lots of birds moving around! Mike Rogers 9/1/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 02 13:04:28 1998 Subject: Web Site Updates BirdChat, Here is a partial listing of some updates to my California Birding pages at http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/ . The SouthBay birders archive has been updated to include the August 1998 messages. Two new mystery birds have been added for September and the "answers" to last month's mystery birds have been posted. The Fall Class page has been revised with a new field trip schedule and a correction for the Thursday class starting date (17 Sept instead of 10 Sept). New Bulwer's Petrel photos by Bert McKee taken in Monterey Bay have been added to the photo gallery. The California County pages have been updated with new site guides to Alpine, Calaveras and San Benito counties contributed by Penelope Bowen, John Luther and Kent Van Vuren. New checklists for Alpine, Calaveras and Contra Costa counties have been contributed by Penelope Bowen and Steve Glover. Numerous other minor corrections and additions have been made to many of the county birding pages. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors for helping make this a project of the entire California birding community. More is on the way. Enjoy! -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044 [[email protected]] SF Birding Classes begin Sept 9th http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 02 14:09:25 1998 Subject: 4th Wednesday Field Trip South Bay and Peninsula Birders: Sorry to invade the list with something other than a report, but this notice was missing from the September Avocet, and I'd hate to have the Wednesday crowd think there was no trip planned. Rosalie **Wednesday, September 23, 8:30 AM. Palo Alto Baylands area for shorebir= ds and fall warblers. Leader: Rosalie Lefkowitz (650) 494-6358. From Hwy 1= 01 take Embarcadero Road east taking a left turn where the road forks just past the airport. Meet in the parking lot across from the Lucy Evans Baylands Interpretive Center. Lunch optional. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 02 14:39:33 1998 Subject: recent (?) birds All: Sorry for not keeping up with these reports. On 18 August, along Coyote Creek in the vicinity of Sycamore Drive (downstream from Montague Expwy.), I had 10 WESTERN TANAGERS, 2-3 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, and 1 YELLOW WARBLER. The banded BEWICK'S WREN is still on territory near the end of Barber Lane, where it has been since 1994 or earlier. On 19 August, an adult PRAIRIE FALCON was over New Chicago Marsh. On 25 August, along Coyote Creek between Story Road and I-280, I saw 7 WESTERN TANAGERS and 4 female/imm. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS. Along the Guadalupe River upstream from Montague Expwy., I had 4 WILLOW and 5 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 14 WILSON'S and 7 YELLOW WARBLERS, 2 WARBLING VIREOS, and 1 WESTERN TANAGER. On 26 August, the fennel patch near the intersection of Caribbean and Mathilda in Sunnyvale (near the WPCP) had 2 YELLOW and 1 ORANGE- CROWNED WARBLERS and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. On 27 August, Gretchen Flohr, a biologist at H.T. Harvey, found an imm. male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at Arzino Ranch, and I went out to find it exactly where she had seen it. One of the two juv. STILT SANDPIPERS found the previous day by Nick Lethaby was at State and Spreckles in Alviso. On 28 August, the fennel patch at the Palo Alto Baylands had 6 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, 1 WESTERN TANAGER, and 1 HOUSE WREN. The Palo Alto WPCP had 1 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, 5 YELLOW WARBLERS, and 1 HOUSE WREN, and there were 3 more YELLOW WARBLERS at Matadero Creek. The fennel patch at Caribbean and Mathilda in Sunnyvale had a WILLOW FLYCATCHER (possibly the same as seen on 8/26), 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and 2 YELLOW and 3 ORANGE- CROWNED WARBLERS. One juv. STILT SANDPIPER was at State and Spreckles in Alviso. On 31 August, the Sunnyvale fennel patch had 8 YELLOW and 3 ORANGE- CROWNED WARBLERS and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. Seventeen BROWN PELICANS flew over the Sunnyvale ponds heading east. On 1 September, along Coyote Creek in the vicinity of Sycamore Drive, I had 29 WESTERN TANAGERS (flying everywhere!), 23 YELLOW, 2 WILSON'S, and 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 2 WILLOW and 10 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 8 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, and 1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH. At CCRS, the gray fox was again on the levee south of the office, and a LARK SPARROW was foraging near the office. The female RUFF, now mostly in basic plumage (retaining one alternate median covert and still replacing a few coverts and outer primaries) was in the waterbird pond, and two juv. STILT SANDPIPERS were still at State and Spreckles in Alviso. Today (2 September), the female RUFF was still at CCRS and now 3 juv. STILT SANDPIPERS were at State and Spreckles. Four BROWN PELICANS and a PEREGRINE FALCON were at the confluence of Alviso and Coyote Sloughs (in SCL Co.), and a basic-plumaged adult BLACK TERN was in the salt pond at the mouth of Mowry Slough in Alameda County. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 02 14:44:59 1998 Subject: White-crowned Sparrows,etc. On this morning's walk at the Emily Renzel Wetlands in Palo Alto I saw tw= o = hatching-year White-crowned Sparrows, the first I've seen this fall. I also checked out the wires behind the ITT building where hundreds of Violet-green Swallows were staging last month. Only about 20 remain. If there should be any interest left in Hooded Orioles, I can report that tw= o of them were still at my feeder this morning. Rosalie Lefkowitz ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 03 10:00:52 1998 Subject: S.C. County List Mike Rogers has updated the 1998 SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST (9/1/98). Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ 273: 8/ 6/98 WHITE-FACED IBIS 274: 8/ 8/98 ELEGANT TERN 275: 8/16/98 STILT SANDPIPER 276: 8/18/98 SABINE'S GULL 277: 8/29/98 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 03 12:07:36 1998 Subject: Guadalupe River All, This morning Frank Vanslager and I tried to refind the Northern Waterthrush (this time useing a taped call) with no luck. Later we had nine imm/female Common Mergansers and a Spotted Sandpiper just downstream from I-880. Take care, Bob Reiling, 11:43 AM, 9/3/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 03 14:26:50 1998 Subject: BLSK, COTE, ELTE All: In last night's summary, I forgot a few birds. On 28 August, I saw the adult STILT SANDPIPER and a juv. SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at the Calabazas Ponds, and on 30 August, I saw 6 COMMON MERGANSERS flying up the Guadalupe River near Hwy. 85. This morning, I checked the fennel patch near the Sunnyvale WPCP. There had not been much (any?) turnover since 31 Aug., as the WILLOW FLYCATCHER was still in the same spot and an unusual ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER in very heavy molt was still present. I had a total of 4 ORANGE-CROWNED and 5 YELLOW WARBLERS here. I then scanned the ponds at the WPCP, seeing a number of terns flying back and forth between a huge feeding concentration on pond A4 and a roost on the levees between the two WPCP ponds. Walking out to these levees, I saw 8 BLACK SKIMMERS and a COMMON TERN roosting with 380 FORSTER'S TERNS. One of the skimmers had a silver band on the right foot, while another had a silver band on the left and a light-colored band (whitish or cream) on the right. The Common Tern was either a second-year bird or an adult that had already acquired a white forecrown and lost most of the red color on the bill. While looking at these birds, I heard, then saw 4 ELEGANT TERNS (3 adults, 1 imm.) fly over heading from pond A4 to the northwest. A flock of 10 VIOLET- GREEN and 60 BARN SWALLOWS here included 2 VAUX'S SWIFTS. Still at least 2 juv. STILT SANDPIPERS and 9 LESSER YELLOWLEGS at State and Spreckles today. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 03 21:38:04 1998 Subject: Sillicon Valley Wildlife Rescue relocation To all of you who are concerned about the future of the wildlife rehabilitation center, AND about a piece of the Coyote Creek riparian habitat. This is also especially for Mike Feighner and others who expressd concern. The San Jose City Council and the Board of Supervisors have decided that along with adjacent land, the portion of the Coyote Creek area where the wildlife center is currently located will be turned into a municipal golf course. Efforts by the city and Santa Clara county to find a suitable relocation spot for the center are under way. As I understand it, the wildlife rehab group had to go public on this to get the city council's attention. Apparently the council wanted to keep it quiet. (Will they never learn?) One of the reasons I've heard given is that there is a homeless/transient problem in the area and so a "cleanup' is needed. So there will be more homeless wildlife. The Wildlife Center has prepared a petition, but effectiveness would be enhanced if we also send lots of letters encouraging the city and county to help the center find a new SUITABLE place soon. The letters might also request information on what environmental impacts have been considered for the riparian corridor, and what other uses for the land were considered. I am told that the Wildlife Center is "hands off" the golf course, which has a hard-over supporter on the council - a Mr. Shirikawa. They just want to be relocated to a suitable site not out in the boondocks, they do not want to challenge the golf course for fear of losing key support on the council. So if you write letters to the city council, mayor and Board of Supes check the content with one of the people whose names follow. Suggested letter forms are available from the Wildlife center folks named here: Karlene Stoker at home (408) 729-5181 work 943-4255 (She has an e-mail address but I don't have it yet) Debbie Champion Home =(408) 270-2777 and email [[email protected]]. The center has handled over 5,000 animals this year. I know from my involvement in wildlife rehab that a powerful amount of knowledge has been and is being gained from the understanding obtained from handling sick and injured wild animals. Time is important. Sorry it took me so long to find the information, but we were out of town and then were inundated with grandkids. Lou Young ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 03 22:15:32 1998 Subject: More on Wildlife center Almost forgot - the Wildlife Center needs people to circulate their petition -ask Karlene or Debbie to provide copies. Lou ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 11:26:55 1998 Subject: Ruff. Birders: A short note to let you all know that the Ruff was at the CCRS Waterbird Pond yesterday (thursday) at noon. It was also a really good day for banding, among the more unusual birds were a Lazuli Bunting, Western Tanager and Marsh Wren (fide Diane Kodama). Regards, Al Alvaro Jaramillo "It was almost a pity, to see the sun Half Moon Bay, shining constantly over so useless a country" California Darwin, regarding the Atacama desert. [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 12:30:49 1998 Subject: Alum Rock Park All, For those that might be interested, I heard on the radio this morning that Alum Rock Park will finally be opened in time for the Labor Day weekend! Wonder what nested there this year with the lack of human disturbance? (Dippers?) Go get that Canyon Wren! Good birding, Mike ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 12:59:06 1998 Subject: 9 BLACK SKIMMERS + 1 COMMON TERN South-Bay-Birders: At noon today at the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds there were now 9 BLACK SKIMMERS in addition to the single COMMON TERN, all roosting on the levee between the two main ponds. Steve ROTTNBORN had reported originally to the BIRDBOX 8 SKIMMER and 1 COMMON TERN there yesterday. Also present was one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and 1 BROWN PELICAN. Mike Feighner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 14:52:06 1998 Subject: recent birds Yesterday evening, I birded along Berryessa creek in Milpitas and found a Lazuli Bunting, the second of the fall here. This lunchtime, I checked the pond at Spreckles and State street and saw one of the Stilt Sandpiper. I then went on to the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds. There are now 9 Black Skimmers there, but no sign of the Common or Elegant Terns there, despite careful checking. I saw about 15 Bonaparte's Gulls and a single Red-necked Phalarope. An immature Peregrine also flew by. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 15:00:57 1998 Subject: :) for the day >From: [[email protected]] >X-OpenMail-Hops: 1 >Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 10:38:42 -0700 >Subject: :) for the day >MIME-Version: 1.0 >TO: [[email protected]], [[email protected]], [[email protected]] > > SMILE FOR THE DAY > > According to the Knight-Ridder News Service, the inscription on the > metal bands used by the U.S. Department of the Interior to tag > migratory birds has been changed. The bands used to bear the address > of the Washington Biological Survey, abbreviated > > Wash. Biol. Surv. > > until the agency received the following letter from a camper: > > "Dear Sirs: While camping last week I shot one of your birds. I > think it was a crow. I followed the cooking instructions on the leg > tag and I want to tell you it was horrible." > > The bands are now marked Fish and Wildlife Service. > ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 04 16:25:20 1998 Subject: White-rumped calidrid While standing near the Palo Alto Baylands fennel patch lamenting the complete lack of visible migrants (from recent reports I had expected to have to fight them off), a group of three calidrids flew by at about 10 am today, 9/4. They caught my attention immediately because one of them was slightly larger than the other two (which looked like least/western types) and had a white rump. They looped around over the body of water behind the fennel patch, then headed east toward the bay. My guess is that this was in fact a White-rumped Sandpiper, but given my lack of experience with this species and the quick flyby nature of the sighting, I wouldn't want to call it as such for the record. However, I wanted to alert local birders to the possibility of this species. Dick Stovel [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 05 11:23:54 1998 Subject: birds I had a Rufous Hummer (ID based on time of year), 3 OC warblers, 1 Audubon's Warbler, and 5 Yellow Warblers, and a W. Tanager outside my appartment Friday evening. Saturday morning, CCRS was pretty dead. Ruff still there. At Alviso, I had the Ruff and 5 Pectoral Sandpipers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 05 14:20:09 1998 Subject: Unusual flock We had a flock of about 200 blackbirds (mostly or entirely Redwing) spend half an hour in the tall redwood and cedar trees near our house this AM. They were accompanied by at least a couple of Flickers that were clearly moving with the flock. I also spotted one BH Cowbird; there may have been more of those as well. A few redwings strayed into our ash trees and added a new bird to our yard list. George Oetzel Menlo Park ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 05 19:24:09 1998 Subject: Shorebirds on 9/5/98 On Maryanne Danielson's field trip today, we had 5 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS near Spreckles and State St. this morning, and a STILT SANDPIPER there in the early afternoon. The RUFF was on the far side of the CCRS waterpond, staying near the reeds. The 9 BLACK SKIMMERS were still hanging out at the Sunnyvale Sewage ponds as reported earlier. Phyllis Browning ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 06 11:57:17 1998 Subject: YB Chat at CCRS 9/5/98 Saturday banding at CCRS processed many hatch-year migrants and a few = adult birds. Topping the list was a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. It was a new = banding, and the bird was netted at lane 9800. Empids made up the bulk of the 25 birds processed with two WILLOW = FLYCATCHERS and 5 "WESTERN" FLYCATCHERS. WILSON'S WARBLERS and COMMON = YELLOWTHROATS rounded out the warblers. One SWAINSON'S THRUSH was banded. = One of the more unusual bandings was an juvenile HOUSE SPARROW, the first = for the year. The appearance of a fledgling could be an effect of the = presence of McCarthy Ranch shopping center. = One WESTERN TANAGER was heard and seen briefly. = Further notes on the YBCH: According to Pyle, adult YBCH have a complete molt from July thru October = on their breeding grounds; this individual had fresh plumage and, owing to = place and time, was most likely already in its basic plumage. It's skull = appeared to be complete and because their skull completion starts at Oct. = 1, this was most likely an after-hatch-year bird. At first I thought it was a fall adult male, and after consulting the = references more deeply, I'm not certain of this conclusion. A completed = skull at this time indicated that this was an adult. The brightness of the = yellow breast implied a male. But the lores were blackish (slate?), not = black. Plumage features were inconclusive for determining race. The = submoustachial mark ended at mid-eye, a feature of the eastern virens race.= This mark measured 3 mm in width, indicating the western auricollis. Wing = chord and tail were equal at 79 mm, which doesn't favor either subsp. = Of probably little value: the bright yellow breast plumage was tinged with = brownish (apparently common for fall birds) and in this respect resembled = the photo for virens in the Dunn and Garrett Warbler guide. On the other = hand, the pattern of yellow to a sharp demarcation at the white belly with = dusky flanks looked like the photo for the western auricollis. However, I = found no indication in D&G or in Pyle that this kind of difference in the = interface of the yellow breast and white belly is a racial difference. = Also, the position of the bird in the virens photo obscures a clear view = of the belly. The photos are of spring males in May and lowers the value = of these comparisons. = Sorry if this report wasn't quick enough for some, but this is the first = chance I had at getting an email out. ------------------------------------ Les Chibana [[email protected]] Palo Alto, CA ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 06 17:39:44 1998 Subject: Pt Reyes I was up there with my wife and two non-birding friends for a little vacation yesterday and today, and nonetheless managed to see some birds: the SUMMER TANAGER at the dam at Muddy Hollow (a generally birdy spot, where I saw Mike Feighner) was nice and cooperative yesterday morning; yesterday afternoon we had the awesome spectacle of several hundred thousand SOOTY SHEARWATERS circling in Drake's Bay (seen from the fishdocks). This morning at about 7:30 I was lucky enough (on my fourth drop-by try in 2 days -- we were staying nearby) to get an excellent five minutes view of the LEAST BITTERN at Olema Marsh, also a COMMON SNIPE, a VIRGINIA RAIL, and an AMERICAN BITTERN chasing a GREEN HERON in flight over the marsh, all within about a half-hour period (7:15-45). If you are going up there to chase vagrants tomorrow, be sure to make an early stop at Olema Marsh! Later this morning we did a non-birding hike (up Mt. Wittenberg) and the birdy fact was the numerous presence of TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS. Despite a certain amount of sideroad cruising with my nonbirding (but tolerant) crowd yesterday I wasn't able to find the Eastern Kingbird that was reported seen along the road to Drake's Beach. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 06 21:00:18 1998 Subject: Shorebirding at Alviso Hi South-bay-birders, Today (Sunday) Jolene Lange and I spent a couple of hours shorebirding in the Alviso area. A single ad. RUFF was still present at the pond where State and Spreckles meet in Alviso. In the same general area we also had about a half dozen LESSER YELLOWLEGS, lots of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and a WESTERN KINGBIRD. At the Calabazas Ponds there was still at a STILT SANDPIPER in with the dowitchers. Also seen there were 12 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. Not much else to report, except that this evening I heard a COMMON POORWILL behind my parent's house in the Almaden Valley--probably a migrant, since I haven't heard any around this summer. John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 07 13:24:59 1998 Subject: Stevens Creek/Crittenden All: On Friday (4 Sep.), a quick check of Crittenden Marsh revealed two HORNED GREBES (1 partial albino in partial alternate plumage, one in basic plumage) but nothing more interesting. Four PEREGRINE FALCONS (1 ad. and 3 juveniles) were calling and chasing each other repeatedly among the transmission towers on the west side of Stevens Creek here, and two DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT nests still had large young out in pond A-2. The riparian habitat along Stevens Creek below 101 had 32 YELLOW, 14 ORANGE-CROWNED, and 2 WILSON'S WARBLERS, 2 WARBLING VIREOS, 5 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, and 7 HOODED ORIOLES, including an apparent family group of 5 females/immatures together and another pair (female and adult male) feeding a recently fledged juv. BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. Lots of activity here, but nothing unusual. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 07 16:18:32 1998 Subject: Alviso birds I did the salt pond "death march" today. Saw 56 Brown Pelicans, an adult Little Blue Heron, a juv Baird's Sandpiper and an adult winter Red Knot. At Spreckles/State St. an adult Ruff and adult winter Stilt Sandpiper were present. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 07 16:44:28 1998 Subject: Franklin's Gull A first winter FRANKLIN'S GULL was with about 40 BONAPARTE'S GULLS in and around the outflow channel between the two salt ponds at Sunnyvale WPCP. There were 8 BLACK SKIMMERS present, and I saw the COMMON TERN perched on the levee right near the Skimmers. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 05:52:09 1998 Subject: bird trip I am leading a field trip to the south bay from Modesto this Saturday. We usually only have 3 or 4 cars worth of people. Could anyone suggest a nice place to view shorebirds that would be accessible to our group? I notice Alviso mentioned a lot. Is this accessible? Thanks Jim Gain [[email protected]] (home) [[email protected]] (work) ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 11:58:49 1998 Subject: Alum Rock Park Monday, Sept. 8 Alum Rock Park was open this weekend, for the first time since the winter storms. I will start by describing what is open and what is not: Situation The main entrance off Alum Rock Ave is open. However, when you reach the bottom of the canyon and the ranger booth, you must turn left and park in the lower part of the park. The upper part of the park East of the entrance is closed to vehicle traffic. The North Rim trail is open. The trail along the south side of the canyon is closed. To go up the canyon you walk along the road. There is still some damage visible here and there, but nothing that blocks the trail. There were very few people once we got past the entrance. The Birds Sorry, no DIPPERs or CANYON WRENs, even though we specifically looked for them. Highlights were a WARBLING VIREO across from Alum Rock, a juvenile SOLITARY VIREO foraging in a tree over the road (with a families of wrens and chickadees nearby), a first year RED-TAILED HAWK drinking from the creek, and two BELTED KINGFISHERs at the bridge near Sycamore Grove. It was quite hot even by mid-morning, and this probably limited bird activity. - Chris Salander ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 12:37:08 1998 Subject: weekend sightings All--- On Saturday evening, Sept. 6, Karen and I were walking the dog along our usual route in south Los Altos near Fremont Av. and Grant Rd. We noticed some large birds in the treetops that didn't appear to be crows, which have moved into the neighborhood over the last few years and are very conspicuous. These birds turned out to be WHITE-TAILED KITES, five in all, and they seemed to be settling in for the evening as twilight approached. They changed perches three or four times while we watched, going for the highest trees (approx. 50 ft or so) and settling in groups of two to three. There may have been more than 5. I've seen kites roost in large groups at P.A. Baylands and also Pescadero Marsh, but never in the suburbs. The nearest suitable breeding habitat would be Rancho San Antonio and adjacent oak woodland foothills. That same day, we had a small passerine flock visit our back yard, including a YELLOW WARBLER and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. We called it a WIFL because of the absence of an eye-ring; the overall coloring was brownish rather than greenish, and it had two prominent buffy wing-bars. A nice new bird for the yard list. To: [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 12:57:06 1998 Subject: Ogier Ponds All, During a pre-field-trip survey of Ogier Ponds today Frank Vanslager and I had four pairs of Wood Ducks, 3-4 Willow Flycatchers, at least four Spotted Sandpipers, a Yellow Warbler and 1 possibly 2 Green Herons. Other than for the birds noted above birding was quite slow. Take care, Bob Reiling, 12:39 PM, 9/8/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 13:54:13 1998 Subject: Re: kites Grant Hoyt wrote: > On Saturday evening, Sept. 6, Karen and I were walking the dog >along our usual route in south Los Altos near Fremont Av. and Grant >Rd. We noticed some large birds in the treetops that didn't appear >to be crows, which have moved into the neighborhood over the last >few years and are very conspicuous. These birds turned out to be >WHITE-TAILED KITES, five in all, and they seemed to be settling in >for the evening as twilight approached. They changed perches three >or four times while we watched, going for the highest trees (approx. >50 ft or so) and settling in groups of two to three. There may have >been more than 5. > I've seen kites roost in large groups at P.A. Baylands and also >Pescadero Marsh, but never in the suburbs. The nearest suitable >breeding habitat would be Rancho San Antonio and adjacent oak >woodland foothills. Same time, same day we had 3 kites fly over our house in midtown Palo Alto, heading east - an unusual yard sighting for us also. However, they have bred in suburban south Palo Alto, a few blocks from the Flood Control Basin. - Dick Stovel [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 14:25:46 1998 Subject: Kites Kites nest regularly near my house on the south end of Greer Road in Palo= Alto, but once in the early eighties, for several nights around Labor Day= weekend, a group of over twenty of them roosted in Ash trees just behind = my house. I must have been a new birder. It took me a while to identify th= em as kites. These trees serve now for nighttime roosts for Great Egrets. Rosalie Lefkowitz = ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 14:40:15 1998 Subject: kites It's not unusual for White-tailed Kites to roost together in large numbers during the non-breeding season. In fact, they will even nest in close proximity to each other, some say almost communally, which is an unusual trait for any species of raptor. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 18:35:24 1998 Subject: birds I wasn't able to do any birding in Santa Clara County this weekend, because I was on a houseboat trip in the delta. It wasn't a complete loss, however. We were tied up at a small island about 10 yards wide and 50 yards long for two days. For both of those days a BLACKPOLL WARBLER foraged in the small valley oak on this island. Also, I was surprised to hear 2 or 3 WRENTITS calling from other islands, composed of willows and cattails. Considering the sedentary nature of this species, I would assume that they are resident, though seemingly out of place. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 08 22:17:04 1998 Subject: Hawaiian bird program Wednesday All-- Sorry if this message doesn't qualify for the list, but _The Avocet_ missed the announcement and I'd like to get the word out: Jack Jeffrey will give the slide program "Hawaii's Forest Birds--Past, Present and Future" at the BABP meeting 7:30 tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at the Palo Alto Baylands Interpretive Center. Jack is the biologist for Hakalau Forest NWR on the Big Island and the _primo_ photographer of Hawaiian birds. You can find more info at http://www.scvas.org/babp.html --Pete --------------------------------------------------------- Peter LaTourrette Bird photos: http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~petelat1/ Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society: http://www.scvas.org/ Western Field Ornithologists: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 09 09:08:52 1998 Subject: e-mail address change H.T. Harvey will be undergoing changes in our e-mail delivery system. We would like your list to go to two of our employees. See details below. Please add to your list: Scott Terrill new e-mail address is: [[email protected]] and Steve Rottenborn e-mail address is: [[email protected]] Please remove from your mailing list [[email protected]]. Thank you for your assistance. Jane ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 09 10:01:53 1998 Subject: migrants I checked CCRS this morning and saw a Willow Flycatcher, a Western Flycatcher, 3 W. Tanagers, a Macgillivray's, 3 Wilson's, and 10+ Yellow Warblers. The shorebird pond had 25 Greater and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs. Just looking from the decks of my apartment in Milpitas, I saw 5 W. Tanagers, 5 Orange-crowned and 4 Yellow Warblers, and a Western Flycatcher.I see these species almost daily. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 09 14:10:42 1998 Subject: Sunnyvale All, After hearing about the many reports of jaegers in the bay, especially those reported by Ron Thorn in nearby San Mateo County, I decided to check our local tern flocks for one. Since Salt Pond A4 has had the most reports of Elegant Terns (the species being harassed in San Mateo County) and a good flock of terns is nearby at the WPCP ponds, I opted to check the Sunnyvale WPCP over lunch today (along with lots of joggers!). There were terns foraging over A4, but most were roosting on the dikes of the WPCP. All the parasitic chases I observed were unfortunately being performed by Ring-billed Gulls :(. The ten BLACK SKIMMERS were loafing just past the pump station and included Steve's bird with the cream-colored band on the right leg as well as another with a wide blue-gray band with two yellow curlicues on the right leg (both had USFW bands on the left leg). I could not check for bands on three of the birds to determine whether Steve's other banded bird was present. No sign of any Common Tern or Franklin's Gull in the area, but a female/immature MERLIN was being harassed by swallows as it shot across the reeds, a very worn adult GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL was on the dike, and numerous BROWN PELICANS were about. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 09 14:18:21 1998 Subject: weekend birds Hi Everyone-- Over Labor Day weekend (9/5) I went down to the mouth of the Salinas River. Over the beach at the foot of Del Monte Blvd (the beach trail at Salinas River NWR), I saw somewhere in the neighborhood of a million Sooty Shearwaters, with a few Black-vented Shearwaters mixed in, diving for fish. The vortex of the flock was perhaps 400 yards across, with birds streaming in from the north for as far as I could see. Several Common Terns were roosting in the lagoon at the edge of the dunes. On Tuesday (9/8) an immature Black-headed Grosbeak visited my feeder in Mountain View. A Western Tanager and a Yellow Warbler have been hanging around since the beginning of September. Mark. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 09 15:34:26 1998 Subject: RUFF, STSA, BCHU All: Today (9 Sep.), I checked the EEC in Alviso for migrants, but came away with only 1 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and an imm. male BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. The hummingbird is quite unusual here. Even though this species breeds only a few miles to the east at CCRS, I've only seen one other Black-chinned Hummingbird along the edge of the bay away from CCRS (a fall bird at Matadero Creek in Palo Alto). At State and Spreckles, I saw 3 STILT SANDPIPERS (2 juv., 1 basic adult, possibly the Calabazas bird), and Jeff Seay showed me a female RUFF. This bird was fully in basic plumage. Its bill showed no orange at the base as the CCRS bird did last week, and its bill was very straight, with only a very slight droop right at the tip rather than being more noticeably decurved like the bill of the CCRS bird. Mike Mammoser described the Ruff initially found at State and Spreckles this fall in the same manner, and when we saw this bird at the Calabazas Ponds, its bill was much straighter than the other Ruff present with it. Therefore, today's bird may have been the same female that originally showed up at State and Spreckles in mostly alternate plumage earlier this fall. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 10 10:54:15 1998 Subject: WIFL, LISP Folks: On my bike commute this morning, 9/10/98, I briefly sampled some of the migrants along Stevens Creek above Crittenden Lane. A WILLOW FLYCATCHER was the only Empid seen and I also saw my first LINCOLN'S SPARROW of the season. CCRS normally nest their first Lincoln's by 9/10, so this is not particularly early. I also counted an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, two YELLOW WARBLERS, and five YELLOW-THROATED WARBERS along the creek. I also noted two YELLOW WARBLERS along the eucayptus along Adobe Creek in the FCB--this might be a descent vagrant trap. Bill ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 10 11:21:44 1998 Subject: Okay, okay Okay, they were COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. Isn't anybody doing any work out there? Bill ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 10 13:54:56 1998 Subject: Ogier Ponds field trip All, The recent weather front added several species to the list of birds seen on the first Wednesday SCVAS field trip of the fall (9/9/98 to Ogier Ponds). 48-49 species were seen which was up from 37 species seen by Frank Vanslager and I on the day before. Near the entrance to the ponds (where we met because the gate was locked until about 8:25 AM) were four Wood Ducks. (Several flocks of Wood Ducks were seen flying along the creek during the morning, one flock with 8-10 birds in it). A few Gadwall joined the Mallards, American Coots, Double-crested Cormorants and a single Ring-billed Gull in the pond on the north side of the entrance road. (A single Ruddy Duck in the ponds to the southeast completed the short list of ducks seen.) As we started walking south, after ticking off a few common species, one of our sharp-eyed birders found a Sora Rail walking along the reeds on the far, west side of the "South Pond". This bird and a second (?), much closer Sora Rail were well seen by all. A Green Heron was also on the west side of this pond and a nice Red- shouldered Hawk was perched on a tree nearby. A surprise, to me, was finding three Least Sandpipers feeding among the rocks where a branch of Coyote Creek flowed into "South Pond". Another branch of the creek nearby had two Willow Flycatchers feeding from twigs leaning over the creek and just upstream was our only Spotted Sandpiper of the day. Two Greater Yellowlegs were later seen (and heard) flying into the creek. The biggest miss of the day was a small low flying egret seen around 8:00 AM that was identified as an immature Snowy Egret but which was seen by another birder to have a yellow bill? (Therefore a probable Cattle Egret!) At the end of the field trip about half of the birders went to the park below Anderson Reservoir to have lunch and to talk about all those neat things we did during the summer. Take care, Bob Reiling, 1:35 PM, 9/10/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 11 09:15:44 1998 Subject: NOWA, WIFL Folks: This morning, 9/11/98, I found a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH along Stevens Creek between L'Avenida and Crittenden, about 30 m downstream from the end of Moffett housing. Also at the same spot was a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. Other migrants included an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, six YELLOW WARBLERS, a WILSON'S WARBLER, and three WESTERN TANAGERS. Notably absent were both Common Yellowthroats and Yellow-throated Warblers. A late HOODED ORIOLE was along here and 4-5 fledgling AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES were being fed by an adult which is late. Bill ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 11 13:38:06 1998 Subject: CCRS Banding Today Nice day banding at CCRS today. We caught CCRS's first WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (immature _pugatensis_) of the fall, and the first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. We also banded a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (what a gorgeous bird in the hand!) and a MACGILLAVRAY'S WARBLER, among many other species (including many WEFLs, a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and a WILSON'S WARBLER). WESTERN TANAGER and a lot of YELLOW WARBLERS seen but not banded. A good birdy day out there. Jennifer Matkin San Francisco, CA ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 11 15:22:00 1998 Subject: BIRDS Along Coyote Creek, south of Hellyer, yesterday I had 3 WESTERN TANAGERS, 4 YELLOW WARBLERS, a HOUSE WREN, and a pair of WOOD DUCKS. Today, there was another HOUSE WREN, a LARK SPARROW, and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. I also heard the chatter of an oriole, but couldn't see it to check the species. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 11 17:20:08 1998 Subject: Alviso birds South Bay Birders: At lunchtime today, I visited the ponds at the corner of Spreckles and State Street and there wasn't much there other than one STILT SANDPIPER, about 35 dowitchers, a few leftover yellowlegs, and a sprinkling of Least and Western Sandpipers along with the stilts and Killdeer. This was very different than the large number of shorebirds there several days ago (at the same time of day). Did anyone notice a big shorebird migration last night? One interesting note was a flock of 18 WHIMBREL and one LONG-BILLED CURLEW which were in a field with an active sprinkler northeast of the intersection of Zanker Road and 237. I don't remember ever seeing this many Whimbrels in the south bay. Can anyone comment on other flocks of Whimbrels seen in the south bay and the time of year? Good birding....... Jim Danzenbaker San Jose, CA 408-264-7582 (408-ANI-SKUA) [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 11 19:33:45 1998 Subject: Brewer's Sparrow I had great looks at a first-winter Brewer' Sparrow by my deck in Milpitas. On the extreme edge of the breast there were still remnants of the dark streaking of juvenile plumage. Id was clinched by the pale lores, pale submoustachial stripe more obvious than the supercilum, lack of a central crown stripe, and dark streaking in the gray collar. Other migrants included a Willow Flycatcher, a Rufous Hummingbird, a W. Tanager, 2 Orange-crowned and 3 Yellow Warblers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 12 14:08:40 1998 Subject: NOWA, WIFL On Stevens Creek > Hello All: > > There is still a good variety of song birds along this stretch of Stevens > Creek between L'Avenida and Crittenden. My wife and I started from the > Crittenden end at 10:45 am and found 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 2 WESTERN > PEWEES, > 1 female HOODED ORIOLE, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 6 YELLOW WARBLERS, 4 > COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 3 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, and 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROW. > About 0.5 miles from Crittenden there is a fallen cottenwood tree where > Mike > Mammoser flagged us down and showed us the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. We > watched > it for about 30 minutes (12:40 to 1:10). The bird was still calling when > we > left. As we left the marsh, we got a good look at a SPOTTED SANDPIPER > for > comparison. > > Steve Miller > ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 12 14:41:41 1998 Subject: CCRS today. Birders: Today I conducted a set of point counts at CCRS and was surprised to find a hatch year Yellow-breasted Chat. This bird was not banded. Other birds that were around included Western Tanager, Swainson's Thrushes, Fox Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Ash-throated Flycatcher but very few warblers. I did not have time to check the waterbird pond. Cheers, Al. Alvaro Jaramillo "It was almost a pity, to see the sun Half Moon Bay, shining constantly over so useless a country" California Darwin, regarding the Atacama desert. [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 12 15:10:02 1998 Subject: CCRS 9/12/98 All, Highlights of banding at CCRS this morning: MACGILLVRAY'S WARBLER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER. Also, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, YELLOW WARBLER, and WILSON'S WARBLER. Lots of WESTERN FLYCATCHER and SWAINSON'S THRUSH. The thrushes carried lots of fat deposits, fuel for the migration. Also, heard a WESTERN TANAGER and saw an immature gambelii WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (unbanded...the bird that Jennifer reported banded yesterday was apparently a pugetensis). After, I stopped by the pond at State and Spreckles Streets in Alviso where Mike Mammoser had the STILT SANDPIPER staked out. Les ========================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 13 10:59:36 1998 Subject: CCRS birds On Sunday, I saw an unbanded YB Chat just N. of the trailers. Also a LISP, 2 WIFL, 2 WEFL, 4 W. Tanagers, 4 WAVI, and 7 YEWA. The shorebird pond had lots of dowitchers and Westerns, including a Baird's. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 13 12:05:19 1998 Subject: Sunday birds On my third try, I got a look at the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on Stevens Creek between L'Avenida and Crittenden, about 30 yards west of the fallen cottonwood. At Spreckels and State in Alviso, the juvenile STILT SANDPIPER was still there this morning and I got my first view of this one too -- back looks solid gray rather than scalloped, but extended bold supercilium of a juv. At the Baylands FCB North Pond, there were lots of Dowitchers, the ones that called Short-billed. I scoped through them but couldn't find any rarities. At Matadero Creek, migrants included a HOUSE WREN and a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 13 14:49:40 1998 Subject: COTE, BLSK All: On Thursday (10 Sep.), I checked the Sunnyvale WPCP. Along with 240 FORSTER'S and 1 CASPIAN TERN on the levees were 1 juv. COMMON TERN (obviously not the adult/second-year bird I had here previously) and 10 BLACK SKIMMERS. Sixty-one BROWN PELICANS were in pond A-4, and a VAUX'S SWIFT was foraging with 120 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. Other than an imm. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, not a single migrant was in the fennel patch or in the eucs along Caribbean Drive. Also on 10 Sep., Jeff Seay (a biologist with H.T. Harvey's Fresno office) had 10 BLACK TERNS flying near the confluence of Alviso and Coyote Sloughs, heading toward the Sunnyvale WPCP area. This evening (13 Sep.), Heather, Rebecca, and I went to the Ravenswood OSP in East Palo Alto to look for the Bar-tailed Godwit that Ron Thorn had found there. Unfortunately, most of the shorebirds were in the corner of the pond farthest from the parking area, and Rebecca's diaper did not make it out far enough to look through the birds adequately. Hopefully some of the other birders out there had better luck. At least 30 RED KNOTS were in the pond, but there were probably many more that I did not see. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 09:40:05 1998 Subject: Northern Waterthrush All: Maria and I saw the Northern Waterthrush in Stevens Creek below L'Avenida late Sunday morning. We saw it off and on for about an hour, mostly in the mud, but also in the willow trees. It was initially in the area Tom Grey pointed out to us, perhaps 50 yards downstream from where the swamp covers the lower trail. Then it worked its way upstream to an area perhaps 50 yards upstream from the same swamp-covered point on the lower trail. Yours, John Meyer ******************************************************************** John W. Meyer, Dept. of Sociology, Stanford U., Stanford, Cal. 94305 [[email protected]] (650) 723 1868 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 11:27:21 1998 Subject: birds On Saturday, 12 Sep 98, I went to the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds, hoping for some tern activity. I had 11 BLACK SKIMMERS here, a few with color bands. One had an aluminum Fish and Wildlife band on its left leg, while the right leg had a tall gray band (from Charlie Collins?) marked with "D19". Another had an aluminum band on the left leg, while the right leg had a short white unmarked band (SFBBO?). Yet a third bird had an aluminum band on the right leg and no color bands at all. One of the skimmers was a juvenile, while the rest looked to be adults. Also here was a color-banded WESTERN GULL. On its right leg were 3 bands, the top one being yellow and the bottom two being red. The left leg had the aluminum Fish and Wildlife band. Also on the left leg was a green color band, but this band had somehow slid down onto the foot and was disabling the bird. One end of the coiled band was pinched around the bird's foot, with the remainder coiled up under its foot. The bird could only limp along as it tried to walk. The fennel patch had a few birds, which included small numbers of YELLOW WARBLERS and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and a HOUSE WREN. A LARK SPARROW was at the parking area. I then went to Stevens Creek at the end of L'Avenida Ave, where I found the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH near a spot where a cottonwood tree had fallen. It was being quite vocal. Later I showed it to Steve Miller and his wife, who had been working the creek further north. I also saw my first LINCOLN=92S SPARROW of the season. A stop at State and Spreckles in Alviso produced a basic-plumaged STILT SANDPIPER. = A walk along the creek at CCRS produced a WINTER WREN, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. On Sunday, 13 Sep 98, I returned to CCRS to look for migrants along the creek. On the way in I had an immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK perched on the fence. At the trailers I saw a juvenile LESSER GOLDFINCH begging from an adult, though I never saw any feeding take place. Migrants present included many YELLOW WARBLERS and PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 5 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 4 HOUSE WRENS, 2 WESTERN TANAGERS, a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, 2 WARBLING VIREOS, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, 2 WILSON=92S WARBLERS, and a SWAINSON=92S THRUSH. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 13:13:51 1998 Subject: Whimbrel Counts Folks: On 11 Sep Jim Danzenbaker commented: >One interesting note was a flock of 18 WHIMBREL and one LONG-BILLED CURLEW >which were in a field with an active sprinkler northeast of the >intersection of Zanker Road and 237. I don't remember ever seeing this >many Whimbrels in the south bay. Can anyone comment on other flocks of >Whimbrels seen in the south bay and the time of year? This species is regular in spring and fall in ones and twos and so elicits few comments. Jim's observation is quite unusual for the count. The top three high counts over the last 18 years in the county are: 4/12/97 43; flying N at Frazier Lake Road (Suddjian, both counties) 6/27/86 12; Charleston Slough (Yurchenco and Lauterbach) 8/30/91 12; Sunnyvale WPCP (Rogers) 9/13/96 12; Crittenden Marsh (Rogers) 10/1/89 10; outer Charleston Slough Yurchenco and Lauterbach) 4/8/97 10; flying N from San Felipe Lake (DeMartini and Shearwater) Jim's observation, of course, takes the number two spot. Bill ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 16:03:42 1998 Subject: Black Tern I saw 2 imm Black Terns at Sunnyvale today, presumably the same as reported a few days ago. Also 11 Skimmers still here. I saw an immature Hooded Oriole in Milpitas today. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 16:07:33 1998 Subject: BCHU Along Coyote Creek, south of Hellyer, today I had an immature male BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. Does this rate as a reasonably late record? Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 14 19:51:39 1998 Subject: Blackpoll at CCRS Birders, Today (Monday) two of our banders caught and banded an adult Blackpoll Warbler. I was lucky enough to see it and we did get some photos. This is only our second banded Blackpoll, the last one being caught in the fall of 1992. The bird was released at the trailers, it flew towards the first willows near the trailers. Also today we caught another Yellow-breasted Chat and a Willow Flycatcher. Cheers, Al Alvaro Jaramillo "It was almost a pity, to see the sun Half Moon Bay, shining constantly over so useless a country" California Darwin, regarding the Atacama desert. [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 08:18:39 1998 Subject: New E-mail Address Would the List Breaucrat please contact me? I have a new ISP and new address and need to have the list server send mail to my new address. Thank You. Paul L. Noble [[email protected]] (old E-mail) [[email protected]](new E-mail) ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 10:15:51 1998 Subject: WHIMBRELS More WHIMBREL records: Bill's recent update on double-digit WHIMBREL records didn't include: Whimbrel - 9/18/95, 14, Palo Alto Baylands yacht harbor (SCR). Whimbrel - 5/10/96, 11, Crittenden Marsh (SCR,HLR). and the 10+ I reported on 24 Aug 1998 at the Palo Alto Baylands. As Bill noted, this is probably not that unusual in migration but is simply poorly reported by observers. Mike P.S. SCR is, of course, Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 10:43:27 1998 Subject: L'Avenida All, Early on Saturday morning, I also spent some time along Stevens Creek north of highway 101, finding similar birds as others: 1 imm. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, 1 CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE in the lone eucalyptus near the Crittenden Road bridge (pretty close to the bay for this bird!), 2 WARBLING VIREOS, 15 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 "AUDUBON'S" YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 1 WESTERN TANAGER, 1 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, 1 HOODED ORIOLE, and a CALIFORNIA TOWHEE carrying food for young. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 11:15:07 1998 Subject: Re: Sunday birds Tom Grey wrote: > At Spreckels and State in Alviso, the juvenile STILT SANDPIPER > was still there this morning and I got my first view of this one too; > back solid gray rather than scalloped, but extended bold supercilium > of a juv. This sounds like the same bird I saw here on Saturday, which looked like a definitive basic-plumaged adult. I don't believe that the supercilium is a useful mark for aging this species, as Stilt Sandpipers have distinct white supercilia in all plumages and ages. The NGS guide states that the supercilium is more extensive in juvenal plumage. However, since this bird was not in juvenal plumage, this mark is irrelevant for aging this bird. Besides, a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper should be easily ageable by many other plumage characteristics. Molt timing and sequence provides additional clues to this bird's age. Adult Stilt Sandpipers molt fairly early in the season, say in the July to August time frame, and one would expect them to be in definitive basic plumage at this time of year. On the other hand, juveniles go through a somewhat protracted molt into 1st basic plumage in the September to October time frame, and would be expected to still be boldly patterned on the upperparts at this time of year. Additionally, the Birds of North America species account says that these birds do not molt their scapulars and tertials when they progress into 1st basic plumage, while adults go through a complete molt. Therefore, it's reasonable to expect even 1st basic birds to continue to show some contrasting pattern on the upperparts, while adults attain uniformly patterned upperparts. Based on the timing of the Alviso bird's molt and the pattern of its upperparts, I would say it is an adult in definitive basic plumage. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 11:16:44 1998 Subject: SNIPE I'm home after 3 weeks in Europe...still have immature Hooded Orioles feeding but haven't seen my Black Headed Grosbeaks. On Saturday decided to stretch my weary jet-lagged legs at Charleston Slough where I saw a Common Snipe which I pointed out to the SCV Audubon field trip. I still don't know what locations are called there. Coming in the gate from San Antonio Road it was on the Adobe Creek side. there's a path that goes to the left, away from the swallows. If you turned left on the path, it was on your left, about 30 feet down the path. Was very visible for over an hour. There's a little indention there in the reeds which it was by. Phyliss stopped and saw it, said it was the first one of the fall for her.... Gloria LeBlanc Los Gatos http://www.lgsia.com http://www.wallstreetgifts.com ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 13:48:49 1998 Subject: Northern Waterthrush All: This morning Frank Vanslager and I saw the Northern Waterthrush in Stevens Creek downstream from L'Avenida. The bird was intermittently calling and was seen on the west side of the creek anywhere from just upstream of the large fallen Cottonwood, which blocks the lower trail, to a point further upstream where drainage outflow has created a wet area which also blocks the lower trail. The bird was normally seen on the ground but it would move up into the Willows if we got to close. Take care, Bob Reiling, 1:07 PM, 9/15/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 15 15:31:38 1998 Subject: YHBL, BRSP, VESP All: Yesterday (14 Sep.), I had at least 4 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS (probably 2 females and 2 imm. males) in a large flock of blackbirds at Arzino Ranch in Alviso; I'm sure more were present. Three PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were in an irrigated field here. Today (15 Sep.), I saw 2 BREWER'S SPARROWS and 1 VESPER SPARROW on private property (a closed landfill) in the Alviso area. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 07:00:42 1998 Subject: rarities I enjoy reading about all of the wonderful birds along the coastal corridor. I was wondering where I could purchase one of those vagrant traps to bring over to this side of the hills. Other than the usual tanagers, flycatchers and warblers, we don't find many rarities. I did see a Little Blue Heron look-alike last Saturday at Charleston Slough. It looked like an immature Little Blue Heron but its lores were pretty pale. Jim Gain Modesto (Work) [[email protected]] (Home) [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 11:40:58 1998 Subject: Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas My theory that started to form last fall that my apartment complex is better for rare landbirds than CCRS took another boost today when I had superb looks at a Blackpoll Warbler (unbanded, so not the CCRS bird) from my deck. Also in the same spot were 7+ Yellow Warblers, 2+ Orange-crowned Warblers, a Wilson's Warbler, a Yellowthroat, a Western Flycatcher, and 3-4 W. Tanagers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 12:28:41 1998 Subject: LARK BUNTING All, I spent about an hour birding around the CCRS trailers and along the nearby portions of Coyote Creek today before noon. Migrants were about but not in huge numbers. I had 1 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 4 "WESTERN" FLYCATCHERS, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, 9 YELLOW WARBLERS, 2 MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, several COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 5 WESTERN TANAGERS, 3 immature WHITE- CROWNED SPARROWS, and a HOODED ORIOLE. The immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was also still hanging around. On the drive out, just after having stopped to talk to Chris Otahol (returning with his Togo's sandwich), I saw an interesting bird fly across the levee. I guessed it might be a Sage Thrasher, appearing larger than a House Finch but smaller snd browner than a Mockingbird. It landed on the ground by the WPCP fence. I got out of the car and was delighted to see an immature LARK BUNTING! This is only the third county record and a first for CCRS (The first county record was on the 13th of Sept 1995 along the Guadalupe River). The bird foraged along the base of the fence for a while before hopping up to the top of the fence and then flying into the WPCP. Lots of good birds around right now! Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 13:07:37 1998 Subject: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas At 11:40 AM 9/16/98 -0700, Nick Lethaby wrote: >My theory that started to form last fall that my apartment complex is >better for rare landbirds than CCRS took another boost today when I had >superb looks at a Blackpoll Warbler (unbanded, so not the CCRS bird) from >my deck. > Nick - Good going on the Blackpoll!! Great that you were able to confirm that it was not the CCRS bird. The more I live in California (I am originally from Toronto, Canada where vagrants are well... rare) the more I realize that rare vagrants are not all that rare here. One could go out right now within 5 miles of my house here in Half Moon Bay and find good vagrants if you gave it a good shot. OK, maybe its not possible to do at all times, but the probability is high. If you spend time in any place in the Bay area watching intently you will come up with some good birds. I have yet to get a true vagrant in my yard, but I know its only a matter of time. Three hybrid Zonotrichia ("crowned") sparrows in the yard isn't bad however. The real key to finding rare birds is to spend a lot of time in the field. Staring into my backyard is sort of like being in the field. I am convinced that CCRS is great for birds, particularly for the regularly occurring Western migrants. The volume of birds that can be present may be staggering at times, particularly later on in the fall. I think that late Sept. and October is when we really fill up with birds. Its also good for rare birds, but we have two things against us at CCRS. First of all, its difficult to bird the site, there is a heck of a lot of habitat between the highway and the waterbird pond. Only a fraction of this habitat is regularly covered. The proportion of rare birds to common birds is higher in sites where the geography is good for vagrants but where habitat is sparse, poor or limited. The large chunk of habitat makes it difficult to find most of the rare birds that I am sure are out there. The other thing that keeps us from finding more rarities is coverage. The paradox is that CCRS is perhaps the best covered site in the county and a poorly covered site all at the same time. The waterbird pond is covered thoroughly, that is a fact and that is why so many good birds turn up there. The riparian area is not well covered. Right now we are banding 7 days a week, but no one is Birding the site unless one of the regulars (Steve R., Mike M., Mike R. or Nick L.) come down. The banding process can be intense and takes most of the time of the banders, many of them do not bring their binoculars on net runs as they are focused on the banding, not bird observation during those times. Thus, while we have people there every day we are not covering the area well in terms of general observation and 'vagrant hunting'. Of course, finding rarities and the like only appeals to some birders, we all enjoy this activity in different ways. In any case, unless we are talking about birds that keep near the ground, we are very unlikely to catch them in our nets. When I am working at CCRS, I tend to be inside in front of the computer, field surveys only take place every two weeks. So, I am far from being a regular presense out in the field unfortunately. Basically, I am writing this to try and dispel the myth that people may have that any rare bird at CCRS is bound to be found by someone - this just is not the case. I think we probably detect 1 in 4 of the rarities that actually come through the area. Given the great habitat at CCRS, the coverage from birders is relatively sparse. I would also suggest that birders visiting the site try and have a look in places they may not regularly venture into like the riparian area downstream from the trailers (where eastern warblers have been banded in the past), and the areas near the highway - these are almost unchecked. As well, the new revegetation area (the area on the levee side of the overflow channel, basically the nearest trees to the levee road) is great and this is where we catch a high volume of birds. Its worth looking at on your way to the taller trees by the creek. So let's see CCRS as a bit of a challenge. The birds are out there, we just have to find them! Perhaps our coverage would be higher if we were to allow free and easy access to the site, but this is not the case. Visitors to CCRS need to be members, due to the arrangement we have with the Water District and issues of liability. To become a member have a look at: http://www.coyotecreek.org/members.htm If you are unsure as to how to arrive at the site, then have a look at our online map: http://www.coyotecreek.org/ccrsmap.htm Please post or tell us about any good birds or great fallouts of common birds you see at CCRS. We do try and keep track of these sightings. Cheers, Al Alvaro Jaramillo Wildlife Biologist Half Moon Bay, Coyote Creek Riparian Station California P.O. Box 1027 Alviso, CA 95002 [[email protected]] Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds at : http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 14:02:43 1998 Subject: Re: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas On Wed, 16 Sep 1998 13:07:37 -0700, Alvaro Jaramillo <[[email protected]]> wrote: >If you spend time in any place in >the Bay area watching intently you will come up with some good birds. One of the more striking examples was a WFO conference in Monterey some years ago. The conference was at a motel with very average grounds not far from downtown Monterey. In no way did it resemble a "vagrant trap." During the conference, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler and Costa's Hummingbird were all found on the motel grounds. I doubt this motel had ever been checked for birds before or since. If we had the equivalent of a WFO conference every day in California, how many rarities would be found? -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044 [[email protected]] SF Birding Classes begin Sep 17th http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 14:10:10 1998 Subject: Re: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas Folks, CCRS is certainly a great place for birds. But is its future secure? Who owns the land and is there some guarantee that it will be left as such? What about the fields on the south side that are just across the fence? Thanks, Vivek Tiwari [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 14:27:41 1998 Subject: RE: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas Al: I had heard about the banded Blackpoll Warbler unfortunately much later after the actual banding and photographing. In fact I read about it in my e-mail at home after driving past the CCRS on the way home. One could argue it was my fault for not stopping my to check things out. It was already an "old" bird when I birded the CCRS yesterday morning, and I never did refind the Blackpoll. Yes, I am a CCRS member and I pay my dues and have been a member for some time now. It was great before when a report of a rare CCRS bird went out almost immediately, and we all swarmed to the CCRS. An example was the Yellow-billed Cuckcoo that was at the CCRS two years ago for a couple of days. I would like to see a return to that era. While birding there yesterday, I came across two MacGillvray's warblers in the willows at the telephone pole opposite the trailers. These too are in turn also "old" birds now. Mike Feighner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 15:55:06 1998 Subject: Vagrant Traps South-Bay-Birders, I thought I would chime in as this thread is near and dear to my heart. Figuring out what is and is not a good vagrant trap is one of the joys of birding. I love the thought of discovering a trap and making it my own. Unfortunately this is much easier in some areas than others. Even if decades of thorough coverage don't reveal the Coyote Creek Riparian Station to be a great vagrant trap it will still be far and away better than most bay area locations away from the immediate coast. I've spent a lot of time in recent years trying to mine small willow clumps and fennel patches around Richmond. In all of that time I have found a couple of Clay-colored Sparrows and a couple of Swamp Sparrows and a Black-throated Blue Warbler. The past couple of years i've also spent a fair amount of time at Tilden which actually does have a pretty good list of rarities. I've managed to find a Redstart, a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I've spent the most time in east county, especially at Piper Slough. I've had a little more luck there (Least Fly, Cassin's King., Summer Tanager, Clay-colored Sp.,) but any vagrant is still an absolute red-letter day. Despite the lack of rarities I must add that finding my own rarities in spots that no one else bothers with is infinitely more exciting than going to Pt. Reyes or the Carmel River. Birding Nick's apartment complex seems to me to be much nobler than driving to the point every weekend. I've been trying for years now to get some of the East Bay Birders (in residence only) to stick around and work some spots but with very little success. What I wouldn't give for just one Rottenborn, Rogers, Mammoser, Lethaby, Jaramillo, etc. birding in Contra Costa County. Practically everyday in recent weeks has produced bayside rarities in Santa Clara Co. Now that Ron Thorn has begun to concentrate on the bayside he's routinely finding rarities. Bob Richmond has found about 325 species over the years at Hayward Shoreline and there are only about 6 trees (and feeble ones at that!). I guess the point of all of this rambling is to encourage birders to get out and consistently census areas that are either underbirded or never birded. As many birds as the previously mentioned guys seem to find, the number surely pails in comparison to what could be found if all or many of the local birders were working different spots regularly. Just a word of encouragement. Have a great fall Better yet, move to Contra Costa and have a great fall. Steve Glover [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 15:57:18 1998 Subject: RE: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas REPLY RE: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas Mike, I think a little understanding of the situation is useful here. CCRS is a research lab, first and foremost, not a kind of rare = bird zoo. Yes, it was nice to hear about the cuckoo immediately. = (I was extremely lucky to get a phone call from a bander on = the morning of the cuckoo sighting, thank you again, Rosalie!). = But times and personnel have changed. It's true that Al has = been trying to help the lab out by encouraging people to = become members so they can come and see the great birds = often found there. But the truth is, unless you have an = email-enabled birder checking things out, you may not hear = about these birds until later. The staff does have work to do. = In the case of some of the recent rarities, there seems to be an abundance of them around this fall. Although refinding one = is never guaranteed, it is an advantage to know that they're = around. And in case some of you are hoping for a chance to = see a rarity in-hand, birds being processed are never held very long. You do stand a great chance of seeing a rarity = in-hand if you train and volunteer to become a bander ;-) Another point, as Al stated, you can probably find great birds = in less likely spots, too. It just takes coverage. The Patagonia Picnic Table effect (or Monterey motel effect, for that matter) is a result of coverage, maybe as much as great habitat. Birds: I heard 3 WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS "barking" and = calling at my house Saturday morning before dawn (while = getting ready to go to CCRS to band). I also heard 2-3 (same = birds?) calling late Monday night in the same location. Les Chibana ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 18:19:48 1998 Subject: Re: In defense of CCRS ;-) was, Blackpoll Warbler in Milpitas At 02:10 PM 9/16/98 -0700, Vivek wrote: >Folks, > >CCRS is certainly a great place for birds. >But is its future secure? >Who owns the land and is there some guarantee that it will be left as such? >What about the fields on the south side that are just across the fence? > Yes, the future of CCRS is secure. Most of the trees on site are part of an expensive replanting scheme that is the outcome of mitigation for habitat lost or damaged in other areas of the county. As I understand it, this habitat cannot be destroyed or bulldozed etc. The Waterbird Pond is a similar situation. What is outside the Water District property is private land and all sorts of things could happen there. One can be assured that the Water Pollution Control Plant is not going anywhere soon, but the farm fields around CCRS could and will be developed. The fields between CCRS and the McCArthy Ranch (Borders Books, and the mall) will be developed. You may want to have a look at one of the latest Santa Clara Audubon Newletters to read up about the fight that SCAS, using CCRS data, won over this proposal. The site will be developed but as I understand it, the least 'harmful' or lower impact proposal has been chosen, including some land to be set aside as open space. for details visit: http://www.scvas.org/lawsuit.html I don't know what will happen to the fields downstream from CCRS, but surely they will be developed at some point. Alviso is undergoing changes as well, a master plan for the development of Alviso is available. I have not read it yet so I do not know exactly what it will mean to birds and habitat at Alviso. Over and Out. Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo Wildlife Biologist Half Moon Bay, Coyote Creek Riparian Station California P.O. Box 1027 Alviso, CA 95002 [[email protected]] Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds at : http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 18:51:49 1998 Subject: Vagrant traps Howdy South-bay-birders, Although I live in Santa Clara County, I seldom go to the bayside "vagrant traps." I figure others cover that ground pretty well, and I can vicariously enjoy their finds via south-bay-birds. For the past few years I've instead been birding the Santa Cruz County Coast in fall, repeatedly visiting the same little willow patches and riparian corridors. On the whole my luck has been miserable--either the vagrants aren't there or they hide better there than they do in neighboring counties. Based on appearances, one place that should be a good vagrant trap is Rancho del Oso (Waddell Creek). The vegetation is dense, with nice alder/willow thickets. The habitat is extensive, which disperses the birds more than I'd like :( . In past years I've had a few good birds there (e.g. Red-eyed Vireo, Am. Redstart), but most trips are disappointing. Today I spent some time there, and although there were a few migrants around--Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray and Wilson's Warblers, etc.--again I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. My impression is that far more vagrants show up at the hotspots in Monterey County. Maybe some trick of geography is to blame, but I don't think it is entirely because there are more birders in Monterey County. I've had much better luck finding vagrants (with fewer trips) at the Carmel River Mouth. But as unproductive as they've been, I'm still gonna check out those Santa Cruz County spots. I agree with Steve Glover--it's more fun to explore and look in the unexpected places, and I think ultimately more rewarding when you do find something. Just wait; one of these days something's gotta turn up-- John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 19:47:30 1998 Subject: Vagrant Traps All, I used to visit the Matadero Creek riparian area along and behind the Palo Alto Incorporation Yard on the frontage road in Palo Alto. In the past have found Empids, buntings and even a porcupine once. I have not been out there in some time and wonder if anyone still pokes around out there. Maybe some of you have, and just not found anything. If not, give it give it a try. It seems a little dense, but some species like it that way. Paul L. Noble---Screechowl. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 16 20:20:35 1998 Subject: Re: Vagrant Traps South-bay-birders, In answer to Paul, I walked that stretch along Matadero Creek two days ago--habitat looked promising, especially with all the tall vegetation from the El Nino rains. Birdwise it was dead, aside from a few White-crowned Sparrows and a Pied-billed Grebe. Didn't hear a peep in the riparian. Hopefully it'll get birdier as the fall progresses. Another good bet right now is the restored marsh opposite the Palo Alto Duck Pond (old Palo Alto Yacht Harbor). When I was there it was packed with shorebirds--as I recall, a Bar-tailed Godwit was once found there at about this time of year. The fennel and trees around the building near the duck pond had a few migrants--Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Yellow Warbler, etc--might also be worth checking out. John Mariani [[email protected]] Paul L. Noble wrote: > All, > I used to visit the Matadero Creek riparian area along and behind the > Palo Alto Incorporation Yard on the frontage road in Palo Alto. In the > past have found Empids, buntings and even a porcupine once. I have not > been out there in some time and wonder if anyone still pokes around out > there. Maybe some of you have, and just not found anything. If not, give > it give it a try. It seems a little dense, but some species like it > that way. > > Paul L. Noble---Screechowl. > > ========================================================================== > This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list > server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the > message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 05:35:07 1998 Subject: Re: CCRS land Folks, Richard Carlson highlights an action by San Jose that is all too common there and in other local communities. Much harm is done to the environment based on decisions that are made with little or no public scrutiny. Now cities have discovered the so-called "negative declaration" which allows them to simply declare that an environmental impact is not significant even when listed, threatened species are involved. The development or project can then proceed with little opposition and little or no mitigation for the species and habitat. (The word insidious leaps to mind). Fortunately, SCVAS has Craig Breon looking into the "Neg-Dec." business. Starting soon SCVAS will be reviewing all of the neg-decs. issued by San Jose (and there seem to be plenty of them). Hopefully, we can catch these sorts of harmful actions before they can be completed. Craig always welcomes supporting voices at city council meetings, so stay tuned to SCVAS. Audubon is trying its best to save some habitat in the Bay Area. Cheers, Dave Drake ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 08:23:24 1998 Subject: Blackpoll continues in Milipitas This morning I had the Blackpoll Warbler again, this time off my front deck. Mike Rogers was successful in seeing it last night. Directions: The Apartment complex is Dixon Landing Condominium. These lie at the N. end of Abbott Avenue. Take 237 E and turn L on Abbott, which is the first light after you cross 880. Go about I mile through 3 stop signs. The condiminiums are on your left a few hundred yards after the third stop sign. To get to the areas where the Brewer's Sparrow has been, take the entrance immediately after the 'Dixon Landing Condo' sign. Keep straight and you will come to a roundabout (traffic circle). This is by the swimming pool and club house. Walk through to the area behind the swimming pool and there are some bottlebrush bushes, a pine, and some other bushes surrounding a lawn. Althernately check the alders that are within 100 yards of the traffic circle. A good spot for the bird last evening was a willow in the slough behind the complex. This seems best visible from the Okidata parking lot off California Circle. From the condo complex, the easiest route is to walk N on Abbott and then take the bike path N along the creek to California Circle. Turn R to Okidata. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 08:30:14 1998 Subject: BPOLL,YHBL All, Yesterday evening 9/16/98, after enjoying Nick Lethaby's cooperative BLACKPOLL warbler (also 4-5 WESTERN TANAGERS, a HOODED ORIOLE, and ORANGE-CROWNED and YELLOW WARBLERS), I checked the blackbird flock in the fields off the end of Nortech Parkway in Alviso. Hundreds were flying around near the sprinklers and thousands were feeding on the ground. At one point something spooked the entire flock and in the small segment I was examining in my scope I was able to see 3 female/immature YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS - there could well be dozens in this flock. Eventually most of the birds flew off towards the WPCP, presumably to roost in the trees there (or in the reeds along the bayside sloughs?). Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 11:20:40 1998 Subject: CCRS land All: The city of San Jose owns nearly all he land west of the creek and north of 237. The water district owns the dike and channel. The challenge is making sure that they don't do something stupid. Back in the 1980's they filled several extensive marsh areas -- no permits, no discussion, the marsh just disappeared. A private company would have been lynched but the public sector thinks it can do anything it wants. Dick Carlson -- Richard C. Carlson Palo Alto, California [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 11:42:14 1998 Subject: Blackpoll at CCRS This morning I saw a Blackpoll Warbler at CCRS. It eventually flew into the large Euc N of the trailers. I could not see if it was banded or not. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 15:19:51 1998 Subject: Peregrine Falcon at Flood Control Basin This morning I had two great looks at an immature PEREGRINE FALCON hunting over the P. A. Flood Control Basin and Adobe Creek. In spite of repeated stoops on the wading birds and ducks, it was unsuccessful and I finally lost sight of it somewhere over Emily Renzel marsh. While Dick Carlson and I were watching its first pass from the Charleston Slough levee, a CASPIAN TERN flew overhead. There were four BROWN PELICANS on the little island in the slough. Phyllis ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 16:40:55 1998 Subject: More Black terns A quick check of the Sunnyvale sewage ponds revealed 4 Black Terns, 3 Juveniles and a molting adult. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 18:20:05 1998 Subject: Summer Tanager on Alamitos Creek Howdy South-bay-birders, This afternoon I decided to test the hypothesis that vagrants can turn up anywhere by searching the riparian along Alamitos Creek near my home. In all the years that I've lived here I've never really looked for vagrants in my own neighborhood (although I've been willing to drive great distances to see nothing). Well Alamitos Creek is no CCRS. In the first hour-plus of walking and bush-whacking I didn't have a single neotropical migrant. Nothing, zip, nada. Of course I saw the usual RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, BELTED KINGFISHERS, etc. Opposite Leland High School I stopped to check out a large fruiting elderberry bush. Here I finally had a 2-3 WESTERN TANAGERS. Continued further up the creek, and again found nothing. On my second pass by the fruiting elderberry a flash of red in a nearby willow caught my attention. Going closer I discovered that it was a male SUMMER TANAGER! I observed it at close range for at least ten minutes, and it was still there when I left at about 5:30 pm. Description: Large, pale bill. Its throat, flanks, and belly where an ochre-yellow, with pink streaking down the center of its breast/belly. Its undertail, tail, and rump were bright red, and its and wings and upperparts were drab olive. Its face was olive, lighter around the eye. It was pretty sedate, and sat motionless on a limb most of the time. To get to this spot, take Almaden Expressway south to Camden Avenue, make a left, and Leland High School will eventually be on your right. The big elderberry is roughly opposite the big blue-and-gold Charger sign. You can park along side streets nearby or at the trail parking area back near Graystone. Anyway, Alvaro Jaramillo is right--you can find goodies near home. Pretty good considering I found only 3-4 migrants of any kind in a pretty long stretch of creek! If anyone was at CCRS today, I would be interested to know if there were good numbers of migrants there. Aside from one nice bird, it sure was quiet down here. John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 18:25:40 1998 Subject: Golden Eagle Howdy South-bay-birders, In my earlier post I forgot to mention an adult GOLDEN EAGLE that was also seen today, flying over the suburbs along Camden Avenue south of Leland High School in south San Jose. John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 18:54:11 1998 Subject: Parasitic Jaeger at Sunnyvale WPCP This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------ =_NextPart_000_01BDE2A7.8F147651 Content-Type: text/plain Hello All: A check of the dikes looking for skimmers was most productive. At 6:15 pm, I arrived to very windy conditions. The BLACK SKIMMERS were skimming (8 of them) and the FORSTER'S TERNS and BONAPARTES GULLS were for the most part in the air where 3 juvenal BLACK TERNS and 1 juvenal COMMON TERN were easily picked out. As I walked toward where the skimmers had landed, the skimmers suddenly flew out and started attacking a bird. I immediately saw the flash of white in the wing and base of tail and the wedge-shaped tail of a jaeger. It soon landed so I could scope it out. It was similar in bulk to the callifornia gulls but virtually totally a chocolate brown except for some pale feathering in the secondaries and the rump. I believe I counted 4 white-shafted primaries (which rules out pomarine). 3 of the central tail feathers were slightly elongated. So I concluded this was a juvenal, probably dark-morph, PARASITIC JAEGER. Steve Miller ------ =_NextPart_000_01BDE2A7.8F147651 Content-Type: application/ms-tnef Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 eJ8+IiEBAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAEIgAcAGAAAAElQTS5NaWNy b3NvZnQgTWFpbC5Ob3RlADEIAQWAAwAOAAAAzgcJABEAEgA2AAsABABGAQEggAMADgAAAM4HCQAR ABIAOAAgAAQAXQEBCYABACEAAAA4Q0FCQTkxMjk5NEVEMjExQjA2RjAwQTBDOTZDMjhDMgAxBwEE gAEAIwAAAFBhcmFzaXRpYyBKYWVnZXIgYXQgU3Vubnl2YWxlIFdQQ1AAQgwBDYAEAAIAAAACAAIA AQOQBgBkBgAAHAAAAEAAOQDAh946p+K9AR4AcAABAAAAIwAAAFBhcmFzaXRpYyBKYWVnZXIgYXQg U3Vubnl2YWxlIFdQQ1AAAAIBcQABAAAAFgAAAAG94qdMPhKpq5hOmRHSsG8AoMlsKMIAAB4AMUAB AAAACQAAAFNFTUlMTEVSAAAAAAMAGkAAAAAAHgAwQAEAAAAJAAAAU0VNSUxMRVIAAAAAAwAZQAAA AAACAQkQAQAAAIsDAACHAwAAwgQAAExaRnXvSWNtAwAKAHJjcGcxMjX+MgD/AgYCpAPkBesCgwBQ EwNUAgBjaArAc2V0/jIGAAbDAoMOUAPVBxMCgP59CoAIzwnZAoAKgQ5xC2CCbg4QMDMzXGgFsFB6 ZG9jAAAqElUgewKRGEBsGHUK+xOyAdAguEhlbBUgFDAbADoKhRkKhUEgEnAFkGsgbwhmIHQckCBk aWuTB5EVIG9rC4BnIAIQNQXAcx3gbQeAGKF3YSsEIARgcwVAcANgZHWAY3RpdmUuIBQwIQVANjox NR+AbSy4IEkgCsAFECAQZB0AsxsgIBByeR7wC4BkIiBbBaAiYGkf8AIgcyAxVEEdIUJMQUNLBgBL oElNTUVSBfB3BJAnHTAecx3yKDgc1W0ppyEwImAdA0ZPJHBUJGA2JwXwJwFOBfAmQkJPYE5BUEFS JwAF8Ef4VUxMJIUeMh0SH0QKwN8FQAuAHQMLcAXAdxyQJMHQMyBqdSAQbgdAI6XlJ2gxK6dDTyRA KBAnU90klGUfEAMQIiBwDeAdcHshoAhgdCAyBCAhIB8AbP8vgiHAHwALICslHRIedxKANyGgFyEO cGQhADG7c3X6ZA5wbi8hFxAH0S/BJjN3H2AqQSGRYQJAANAd42H0IGIrAGQgMSEgHpIdUOc18Brw IiBzYQfgHRIXEfxzaBzSKzAi4B0wKoUiQfs2cSZRYh8QHTAc4gtwAyBDJkYkoGRnZS04sGEecCGS OwIc4TaQamFl7TvwcjbyBUBzHcADoDLE5z3hIREFoHVsNVEFoDxQ/ypwBUAvxD3BHwIAkCUwC2B7 BcAqgWI/IBzAIcEdEmO9B0BsBpAFsAMANpBnPyAubAQgQXAFQHYrAHR1/0JBIiAhwAGQQ/I2kBJw GAAvBvA3oTagA2B3A6BlePxjZQUxHjMDcB0wCrA0sP8eIC7gHREFEB4BKoUSsCKiDwrACJAEICZG cnVtcP0282Ia8AiQIBA+1AIwIZH+NDkEPBIBgCGRH5AHcEikfig5ERJwSXE0sAQgNPJw8wNxR4Fl KSAxK5Ac5UXw/QIwciwBOvNHJR7hJLNCYLhnaHQvIRrwAiBnN6HlNuJTPsRuYwpAPnIdEP8EAB7z PRErxCEAH5E6cAJgEyIgSJFrLQRgcnBoAyEAKEFBU0lUSUOgIEpBRUckYC4bjLZTNbBKYU0DEDSw cgqFBRSxAFkQAAMA8T8JBAAAAwD9P+QEAAADACYAAAAAAAMANgAAAAAAAgFHAAEAAAA2AAAAYz1V UzthPUFUVE1BSUw7cD1MTUNPO2w9RU1TUzAxTTE2LTk4MDkxODAxNTQxMVotMTc3MjMAAAAeADhA AQAAAAkAAABTRU1JTExFUgAAAAAeADlAAQAAAAkAAABTRU1JTExFUgAAAABAAAcwSJveOqfivQFA AAgwUXYUj6fivQEeAD0AAQAAAAEAAAAAAAAAHgAdDgEAAAAjAAAAUGFyYXNpdGljIEphZWdlciBh dCBTdW5ueXZhbGUgV1BDUAAAHgA1EAEAAABAAAAAPDgwMDJGQzk3NTUyOUQyMTFBM0FFMDAwMEY4 QkRDNDYzMzZBNEI2QGVtc3MwMW0xNi53ZGwubG1jby5jb20+AAsAKQAAAAAACwAjAAAAAAADAAYQ oEPfgwMABxAEAwAAAwAQEAAAAAADABEQAAAAAB4ACBABAAAAZQAAAEhFTExPQUxMOkFDSEVDS09G VEhFRElLRVNMT09LSU5HRk9SU0tJTU1FUlNXQVNNT1NUUFJPRFVDVElWRUFUNjoxNVBNLElBUlJJ VkVEVE9WRVJZV0lORFlDT05ESVRJT05TVEgAAAAAAgF/AAEAAABAAAAAPDgwMDJGQzk3NTUyOUQy MTFBM0FFMDAwMEY4QkRDNDYzMzZBNEI2QGVtc3MwMW0xNi53ZGwubG1jby5jb20+AOqs ------ =_NextPart_000_01BDE2A7.8F147651-- ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 17 18:58:04 1998 Subject: Re: Blackpoll continues in Milipitas Nick Lethaby wrote: > > This morning I had the Blackpoll Warbler again, this time off my front > deck. Mike Rogers was successful in seeing it last night. > immediately after the 'Dixon Landing Condo' sign. Keep straight and you > will come to a roundabout (traffic circle). This is by the swimming > pool and club house. Walk through to the area behind the swimming pool > and there are some bottlebrush bushes, a pine, and some other bushes Nick and South-Bay-Birders: This is exactly where I had the Blackpoll Warbler this afternoon at about 3:30 PM along with 5 Oranage-crowneds, 2 Yellows, two Anna's. These were all in the large bushes to the north of the bottlebrush. -- Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 07:10:44 1998 Subject: Re: Blackpoll continues in Milipitas At 07:01 PM 9/17/98 -0700, Mike Feighner wrote: >Nick Lethaby wrote: >> >> A good spot for the bird last evening was a willow in the slough behind > the complex. This seems best visible from the Okidata parking lot off >> California Circle. From the condo complex, the easiest route is to walk > N on Abbott and then take the bike path N along the creek to California >> Circle. Turn R to Okidata. > >Nick, I had some difficulty following this path to Okidata. I ended up >driving the long way around and saw the tree you describe. > >-- >Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] > It turns out you need to turn LEFT on California Circle and then left on Fairview and Left on some other street to get to Okidata. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 10:06:43 1998 Subject: Jaeger still present This morning I had the jaeger on A4. There were no birds at all on the levee between the sewage ponds although this may change in the afternoon. There were 2 Elegant Terns and 8 skimmers on A4 too. I am not sure whether the jaeger is a Long-tailed or a Parasitic at this point. If anyone gets close views, try to see if: a/ The central tail projection is sharply pointed or slightly rounded. b/ The presence of pale tips to the primaries c/ The presence of absence of streaking on the back and sides of the neck d/ % of bill that is black e/ exact pattern of barring on the upper and undertail coverts The bird is not an obvious gingery juv Parasitic or pale Long-tailed. I am reseaching the id now and will publish some notes later. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 12:37:49 1998 Subject: Palo Alto This morning, near the wastewater treatment plant at the end of Embarcadero way, there were (among other species) one MacGillivray's Warbler (probably an adult female), a Lincoln's Sparrow, and, more ominously, about three Yellow-Rumped Warblers. At the Baylands the fennel patch was pretty dull, while the duck pond had its usual Greater White-Fronted Goose. (Bill: is it still your policy to stop regarding unusual geese as wild if they stay the summer?) Al ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 13:12:25 1998 Subject: PARJA,BLTE South-Bay-Birders, Late this morning 9/18/98 I headed to Sunnyvale to look for the jaeger reported by Steve Miller yesterday evening. Walking out to the channel between the ponds, I had 3 VAUX'S SWIFTS in among 250 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and 4+ YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in the bushes. I met up with Bob Reiling and Frank Vanslager and we were soon joined by John Meyer. Frank and Bob pointed out the two BLACK TERNS they had been watching but had found nothing else, so we all headed to Salt Pond A4 to the east to look for foraging birds (not yet knowing about Nick's report of the bird earlier today). The trees at the WPCP had 1 WESTERN TANAGER, 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 2 YELLOW WARBLERS, and 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and 3 immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were along the path. While walking towards the roosting terns I spotted the PARASITIC JAEGER flying towards us along the channel and it later landed on the pond. Every few minutes or so it would take off and chase FORSTER'S TERNS (and once it was chased by a RING-BILLED GULL, appearing about 10% smaller than the gull) in the southeast corner of the pond (north of the softball fields) but would land again, preen some, and repeat the pattern. At one point it soared high up above Alviso for several minutes before returning to A4. The 8 BLACK SKIMMERS were also here, including both birds with bands on two legs. Mike Mammoser joined us later as well. The bird (and the two BLACK TERNS) were still present when we left at 12:40. Looks like this bird may stay around - get out and take a look! Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 13:52:37 1998 Subject: RE: PARJA,BLTE Mike and all: Not being able to hold down bookmarks here at work on a shared computer,I went to the wrong Pond A-4. So, I missed the Black Terns and the Parasitic Jaeger...but I shall return after work hoping to share the views with someone. Instead I found a Franklin's Gull at the north end of the levee going north from the radar installation. On the pond south of the radar installation were 9 Black Skimmers. Which one of these ponds is A-4? Mike Feighner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 14:11:39 1998 Subject: PAJA, BLTE I went to the Sunnyvale sewage ponds at lunch time today, 18 Sep 98, where I found Mike Rogers, John Meyer, Bob Reiling, and Frank Vanslager. They had already seen the PARASITIC JAEGER, but we refound it and continued to watch it for many minutes as it sat on the water and chased terns. Mike also helped me get some distant scope views of 2 BLACK TERNS over the sewage ponds. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 16:07:54 1998 Subject: BLTE & FRGU Today (9/18) around lunchtime a check of the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds revealed the continuing presence of three juv. BLACK TERNS, along what I believe would be the channel between pond A5 and the West Pond of the Sunnyvale WPCP. I'm not sure if this is the same area where Nick Lethaby reported the BLACK TERNs yesterday. After a brief chat with Mike Feighner, I also confirmed his FRANKLIN's GULL at the north end of the same channel. I also checked Stevens Creek north of 101 for the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, but without success, although I did see it on 9/15 at mid-day. good birding Alan ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 16:33:19 1998 Subject: Presentation on Patagonia birds etc. All, There will be a free presentation for SCVAS members about birds in Patagonia, Argentina at our office on Monday September 28 from 7-9PM (memberships available through the office). There has been insufficient time to get this announcement in the Avocet newsletter, so this forum is the only publicity for this presentation (except an announcement made at our general meeting to 132 people). Space is very limited, so don't be late! Luis Segura, the presenter, is founder and president of the Austral Ornithology Association in Argentina and has led birding tours there since 1982. He has also conducted conservation campaigns for the preservation of penguins among many similar pursuits. It should be an unusually interesting evening. --Garth Harwood, SCVAS Chapter Manager ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 16:56:28 1998 Subject: more on the jaeger All, A few comments on jaeger ID and description of the bird seen this morning (in case others find something different looking): Separating jaegers that lack central tail streamers is notoriously difficult. Plumage patterns are so variable that almost any particular field mark can be shown by other species as well and ID often must be based on structure unless extremely close views can be obtained. When today's bird first flew by us it was in relaxed flight and the slow wingbeats combined with a lot of white at the bases of the primaries made me think of Pomarine Jaeger. However, the bird lacked the thick-chested, broad-winged look of a Pomarine and once in more motivated flight the wing beat cadence and long-looking wings were typical of Parasitic. The bill was slim and bicolored, being silvery blue-gray at the base and black at the tip. Both Parasitic and Pomerine show this pattern, but on Pomarine it is even more obvious because of the thick bill (some were having difficulty seeing this bicolored pattern this morning). The long thin bill is typical of Parasitic, unlike the short stubby bill of Long-tailed or large heavy bill of Pomarine. Size is also useful, although as Kaufman points out in "Advanced Birding", lone jaegers always seem larger than they are and size must be judged with other birds available for direct comparison. Today's bird was much larger than the Forster's Tern it was chasing, but notably (about 10%?) smaller than the Ring-billed Gull and Black Skimmers chasing it, a typical size for Parasitic (Pomerine should be about the same size and perhaps proportionately bulkier than a Ring-billed Gull). Steve Miller concluded that the bird was a juvenile dark morph bird. I believe that he is correct about the bird being a juvenile as the feathers all seemed of similar age, the tail protrusions are minimal, the coverts and scapulars had pale tips (not as obviously as on some birds), and the undertails coverts were barred (at least at the sides). However, I don't think the bird was a dark morph bird. The rump and uppertail coverts of this bird were off-white barred with blackish brown (best seen when the bird landed directly away). From side-on views the rump appeared a pale buff color not unlike the golden nape, but the rump was clearly not dark. Also, we had excellent views of the underwing surface today on several fairly close flybys and they are entirely barred dark brown on gray, not the near solid dark coloration of a dark morph bird. In general jaeger ID is oversimplified by standard field guides and even NGS does not show the full range of what might be seen. I strongly recommend reading Kaufman's Advanced Birding and, even more detailed, Olsen and Larsson's "Skuas and Jaegers". The size, structure, flight style, and bill of today's bird all fit Parasitic Jaeger. Also, according to Olsen and Larsson the extensive white on the upper surface of the wing, which today's bird had, is diagnostic of juvenile Parasitic. However, a few things may not be typical of Parasitic according to the above references. 1) Although today's bird did have some rufous edgings to the coverts and scapulars, the bird did not give a very rufous overall impression that is typical of many Parasitics. 2) The bird had a nice golden crown and nape, but this did not appear as a neck band behind a darker cap as is often the case with Parasitics. Also I did not note any streaking on the head that Kaufman lists for Parasitic (may need closer views?). 3) Juvenile #3 on page 44 of Olsen and Larsson shows much more irregular uppertail barring than on today's bird, which had barring that looked more like that shown for Pomerine (p.40) or Long-tailed (p.48). 4) The tail protrusions were quite short and, when seen during preening, appeared somewhat more blunt-tipped than those depicted on p.97 of Kaufman. My impression was more like Kaufman's Long-tailed in shape but much shorter in extension. Again perhaps closer views are needed to see this well. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 18 20:35:22 1998 Subject: Re: more on the jaeger Mike Rogers and south-Bay-Birders: I promissed I would return to the Sunnyvale Ponds (I work only a mile away), and the return trip did pay off. Mike Rogers' e-mail "more on the jaeger" went out at four minutes before 5 PM, and at 5 PM I enjoyed great views of the Parasitic Jaeger fly right past me within 100 feet heading north toward the main ponds. I was nearly at the correct location earlier today, and I had counted 9 skimmers but saw no Black Terns either on the earlier attempt or on the latter. On the return trip the skimmers were gone. I did get some close views of the jaeger in flight. There were few other birds around for it to chase. Please excuse me for not offering comments as deailed as Mike Rogers' (I have come home exausted after a hard day's work intermixed with a hard day's birding. I will say that I agree with Mike Rogers that it was a juvenile light-phased Parasitic Jaeger. The bill was slim and bi-colored, and the tail protrusions were somewhat short. I agree that the wing beat cadence and long-looking wings that I observed match that of Parasitic Jaeger. I too noticed the jaeger's underwing surface being entirely barred dark brown on gray. In addition I noticed the flanks with pale barring. Now we only need someone to find a South Polar Skua (would be a first-county record) in Santa Clara County to make to set complete. -- Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 19 11:02:03 1998 Subject: Re: more on the jaeger How about more details on the Jaeger location. From the radar station with the rotating antenna, where do I go? -- Richard Carlson Palo Alto, California [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 19 13:59:04 1998 Subject: Continuing rarities Today (Sat.), the Franklin's Gull was still at the Sunnyvale sewage ponds at the extreme N. end of the channel between the ponds, just around the corner. 3 Black Terns were still present. No sign of the jaeger, but I didn't check A4 that well. In Milpitas, I saw the Blackpoll Warbler in the pool bottlebrush. I didn't see much along the Guadalupe River south of Montague. Willow Flycatcher was the best bird. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 19 19:46:18 1998 Subject: Alamitos Creek, rattlesnake Howdy South-bay-birders, Did a bird(less) walk this evening along Alamitos Creek. It was pretty quiet--heard a single warbler chip (sounded like a Yellow), and a single Western Tanager. When I got back to the house I found a 2-plus-foot-long rattlesnake right where I usually park. Very pretty snake. This caused me a moral dilemma; there is a small child who plays in the yard here, so for a while I thought about killing it, but ultimately decided to just chase it back into the bushes. I love reptiles, but this was a tough call. I'm sure others would feel differently-- John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 19 20:35:17 1998 Subject: Am. Golden Plover at CCRS Sat. Evening I saw a juv. American Golden Plover at CCRS. There were also 5 Lesser Yellowlegs and a Pectoral Sandpiper here. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 08:44:23 1998 Subject: La Rinconada Park Got to Borders at 8:40 am Sunday for the CCRS field trip only to find it had already left. (I thought 8:30 field trips STARTED at 8:45am!) so what to do? Decided I'd bird "my" park...so went to La Rinconada Park in Los Gatos. Was very quiet as I walked the path, then a symphony began. I stayed near one bench for an hour and a half and had 27 species. I was impressed. I had WESTERN TANAGER, TOWNSEND'S AND YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, BROWN REEPER, NUTTALL'S AND ACORN WOODPECKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, both STELLAR AND SCRUB JAY, BEWICK'S WREN, etc. There was an amazing amount of activity including a large CHICKADEE flock. I even layed down on the bench to keep my "warbler neck" from breaking off my body!!! I felt like I missed stuff high in the trees, but after doing Pt Reyes yesterday after an hour and a half my neck told my body to call it quits and go home! Had my first WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW for the fall feeding in my backyard.. gloria leblanc los gatos http://www.lgsia.com http://www.wallstreetgifts.com ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 10:19:15 1998 Subject: Saturday in Santa Clara Co. A few highlights from Saturday, Sept. 19: Lesser Yellowlegs - 6 at the northwest pond of the Palo Alto FCB. (I didn't check other parts of the FCB or Adobe Creek.) Pectoral Sandpiper - 1 at the Calabazas ponds. Black Tern - 2 (possibly 3 at one point) still at the Sunnyvale WPCP. Black Skimmer - 1 at the southeast corner of salt pond A4, 7 or 8 along the channel separating the two ponds at Sunnyvale WPCP. Willow Flycatcher - several at CCRS. (I saw about 3, but Mike Mammaoser, who arrived earlier, can give a fuller accounting. One possible addition from checking the creek trail: several Hermit Thrushes were present.) Yellow-Headed Blackbird - At least 1 still with the flock at the east end of Nortech Pkwy, Alviso. Both the CCRS pond and the Spreckels/State impoundment were pretty dull during my visits. Finally, I missed seeing any Jaeger in my late-PM visit to A4 and the Sunnyvale WPCP. But at the latter I met another birder (on this list? - if so, I apologize for not recalling your name) who said he had seen a Jaeger flying out toward the Bay about a half hour previously. Al ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 10:36:36 1998 Subject: Migrants? Up on Skyline Blvd. you wouldn't necessarily know that a bird migration was happening. I had one TOWNSEND'S WARBLER yesterday, 9/20/98. I did see five different species of butterflies, though: Acmon Blue, Woodland(?) Skipper, Cabbage White, a Checkerspot sp. and something like a Buckeye. Les ========================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 11:12:11 1998 Subject: birds On Saturday, 19 Sep 98, I started the day at CCRS, looking for migrants. There was some good activity in the riparian habitat, producing 16 YELLOW WARBLERS, 5 WILSON=92S WARBLERS, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 8 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 2 WESTERN TANAGERS, 4 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 6 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, and 2 HOUSE WRENS. I also saw my first FOX SPARROW of the season. There were 2 GRAY FOXES in the overflow channel. I then stopped at the Sunnyvale sewage ponds, where I got excellent scope views of the 3 juvenile BLACK TERNS roosting on the levee with countless FORSTER=92S. Eventually, 5 BLACK SKIMMERS came in a landed with= them. On Sunday, 20 Sep 98, I again went to CCRS. This time I had 16 YELLOW WARBLERS, 4 WILSON=92S WARBLERS, 6 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, an immature NASHVILLE WARBLER, 3 WESTERN TANAGERS, 5 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 6 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, and a HOUSE WREN. Overhead, I had 5 VAUX=92S SWIFTS flying with the swallows, and a flyby WHIMBREL. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 11:58:51 1998 Subject: Black-throated Gray Warbler in Milpitas I had a male in the bottlebrush by the pool at my condo complex. Lots (8+) of Yellow Warblers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 21 15:25:31 1998 Subject: Sunday birds South Bay birders--- Yesterday (Sun., Sept. 20) Dick Stovel and I did a little birding along Coyote Creek east of 237, starting out behind the SC county bus yard off Zanker Rd. The overflow channel had a number of sparrows, including 20+ SAVANNAH SPARROWS, 12 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, and 6 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS. Along the riparian corridor we had a female WESTERN TANAGER, 2 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 1 YELLOW WARBLER, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, 1 or 2 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEEs, and a HERMIT THRUSH dining on elderberries. Anyone else had HETH's yet? The industrial park development on both sides of the creek, particularly the south side, is appalling. Is there no end to the insatiable expansion of Silicon Valley? ---Grant Hoyt To: [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 22 09:53:02 1998 Subject: BLTE,BLSK All, Yesterday evening 9/21/98 at 6:15pm all four BLACK TERNS (1 molting adult, 3 immatures) were with 380+ FORSTER'S TERNS along the dike separating the two Sunnyvale WPCP ponds. The eight BLACK SKIMMERS were on the island along the southern edge of Salt Pond A4. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 22 14:50:01 1998 Subject: Spizella at CCRS I had brief very close range views of a spizella about 40 yards N of the trailers at CCRS at lunch time. Unfortunately it was mostly on the other side of a bush to me. It has a dark outline to the ear-coverts and lacked the dark stripe through the lores so it was not a Chipping. I could not make out any well-defined crown stripe and the supercilium appeared not as striking as on most Clay-colored. Diane banded a spizella earlier and released it at the trailer, so it seems likely the same bird. Her bird lacked a central crown stripe and had pale lores. We can wait for the photos! ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 22 14:50:34 1998 Subject: Common Terns All: Today (22 Sep.), I checked the Sunnyvale WPCP and salt pond A4, finding two COMMON TERNS with about 100 FORSTER'S TERNS and 8 BLACK SKIMMERS in A4. One of the Common Terns was a juvenile, but it was not the same juv. that I saw previously at the WPCP ponds, having much more fleshy-orange color on the bill. The other was ostensibly an adult in mostly alternate plumage, having only a few white feathers on the forehead. However, it also had some black feathering in the carpal region, and I'd be surprised if adult Common Terns replaced alternate carpal feathering before replacing crown feathers, so this bird may have been a second- (or third?) year bird. A warning to those (like I) looking for Arctic Tern in this area: this adult Common Tern was noticeably smaller, shorter-legged, and smaller-billed than the juv. COTE; it had a noticeable gray wash on the underparts and sides of the neck, setting off a white stripe on the side of the head (though this wash was not as dark as on a typical Arctic or even many Commons during the breeding season); and its bill was mostly red. There was some black on the tip of the culmen and the tip of the lower edge of the lower mandible, but along most of the bill the red extended all the way to the tip. This is not too uncommon on Common Terns, but the overall impression of a red bill could lead one to think of Arctic. This bird's primary pattern, with 4-5 extensively dark outer primaries (the outer two slightly paler than the adjacent 2-3, so that there was a dark wedge in the interior of the outer primaries) and broad dark tips to the undersides of the primaries, clinched the ID as Common. Also in the Sunnyvale WPCP area were a WESTERN KINGBIRD and 18 YELLOW, 4 ORANGE-CROWNED, 1 WILSON'S, and 8 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Foraging with 10 BARN and 175 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS here were 45 VAUX'S SWIFTS. Most strangely, several of the swifts were calling repeatedly, and on several occasions I saw pairs of birds flying in tandem as they do during courtship! Checking the Alviso area, I saw an imm. CHIPPING SPARROW, 60 VAUX'S SWIFTS, 150 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, an imm. PEREGRINE FALCON, and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER near the intersection of State and Spreckles, and the EEC had 4 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 2 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, and a few WILSON'S, YELLOW, and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 22 16:11:52 1998 Subject: NY weekend I was in the New York area the end of last week on business and I was able to get in a little birding. This should be near the height of fall migration, but it seems you could see more eastern warblers at Pt. Reyes last weekend than you could in Central Park (at least if you are Rich Stallcup). Anyway, I birded the Ramble and then sat up in the Belvedere hawkwatch on Sat morning. Best bird: a Louisiana Waterthrush, which I was the only one to see, a closeup prolonged view early in the morning before any other birders were around. Then I hooked up with two regulars, Marty from Brooklyn and Mary from Manhattan, and together we saw Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackpoll, Chestnut-sided, Canada, Redstart, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 2 hrs at the hawkwatch produced exactly 3 Osprey and 2 Sharpies. Sunday at Jamaica Bay no one saw the Broad-billed Sandpiper. I ran into Greg Miller who was there trying to refind the probably Broad-billed which he had seen the day before, and despite no luck on that, we saw a Curlew Sandpiper (species #703 of 1998 for Greg), which hung around all day and which everyone (including experts) had earlier in the day identified as a Dunlin. The bill was not very decurved, more Dunlinesque. But when the wind came up in the afternoon after everyone else had left, it blew the primaries aside and revealed a white rump. Greg had been saying the supercilium looked wrong for a Dunlin, and the white rump with black legs clinched the Curlew Sandpiper i.d. Also saw a couple of Hudsonian Godwits, some Yellow-crowned Night-herons, and several each of Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 22 19:10:21 1998 Subject: South county waterbirds Howdy South-bay-birders, Checked out Calero Reservoir this afternoon. Shorebirds there included 10+ BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, and a few GREATER YELLOWLEGS. After that I stopped at Almaden Lake Park. There I had a EARED GREBE (I think this may be the first one I've seen in the Almaden Valley--a local rarity?) and 3 COMMON MERGANSERS. Did some birding in the Monterey Bay area today. No exciting finds, but I did see my first GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWof the fall season--they're back! John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 23 08:38:07 1998 Subject: Milpitas migrants Today, I had an Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-pewee, and male Black-throated Gray Warbler at my apartment complex, along with 8 Yellow Warblers, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, some Yellow-rumped (at least one was Audubon's), and 3 W. Tanagers. Could be a good day to check elsewhere for vagrants. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 23 09:07:55 1998 Subject: Maine in Sept Hi all, Marti & I just returned from two weeks in Maine, birding when we got the chance. My overall impression was that birds were scarce. Really made me appreciate the SF Peninsula. Feeding flocks consisted mostly of BC Chickadees. Finding the few warblers was challenging. A week spent at a cabin on the water on Mt. Desert Island showed the scarcity of water birds. At high tide, Mallards and a few Black Guillimots. At low tide, Greater Yellowlegs, a small flock of Semipalmated Plovers (once), and a brief stop by some peeps that I didn't try to ID. Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, and a Kingfisher rounded out that list. We had better luck with hawk watching that Tom Grey did in NY. Hiking on Mt. Champlain, we had many hawks fly right over us. The real hawk watch on Cadillac Mt, nearby, recorded 181 that day. We went up to Cadillac the next day. Although it wasn't a great day, it was still better than we've managed to see in Marin. Highlight was 3 Bald Eagles. We spent 2 days on Monhegan Island, a noted migrant trap. Unfortunately, we had S winds, so it wasn't a great time. Even so, all the birders were excited to discover a Yellow Billed Cuckoo and an Indigo Bunting. A raft of 25 Common Eiders close to shore was a treat for us. Several Northern Gannets flew close to the ferry on the return to Port Clyde. After returning to work Monday, while walking between buildings at SRI I heard a screech and looked up to see 2 RT Hawks circling directly overhead. Unusual for "downtown," a nice welcome home. ---------------- George Oetzel <[[email protected]]> ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 23 10:31:58 1998 Subject: Blackpoll in Milpitas I just saw a Blackpoll Warbler in the pool bottlebrush in my apartment complex. This may be a different bird since I haven't seen one for 3 days, although it looks fairly similar - perhaps less streaked above. Also 6 W. Tanagers in view at once. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 23 15:01:48 1998 Subject: Blackpoll, N. Waterthrushes All: This morning (23 Sep.), I recorded >175 neotropical migrants along the Guadalupe River from Montague Expwy. to a point about 2/3 of the way upstream to Trimble Road. Birds were everywhere. Unfortunately, the ratio of western migrants to eastern vagrants was much, much higher than it has been recently on the coast (e.g., at Pt. Reyes). While this is no real surprise, I was actually a little disappointed to come away with only one BLACKPOLL WARBLER (about 1/2-mile upstream from Montague) and 2 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES (seen together about 1/3-mile above Montague). Other birds here included 90+ YELLOW (possibly twice that many, it was hard to tell), 11 WILSON'S, 7 ORANGE-CROWNED, 5 AUDUBON'S, 5 MACGILLIVRAY'S, 3 BLACK-THROATED GRAY, and 2 NASHVILLE WARBLERS, 14 COMMON YELLOW- THROATS, 12 PACIFIC-SLOPE and 4 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, 16 WARBLING VIREOS (7 in view at once), 1 CASSIN'S VIREO, 2 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, 13 WESTERN TANAGERS, 12 SWAINSON'S and 7 HERMIT THRUSHES, 2 HOUSE WRENS, 3 VAUX'S SWIFTS, 27 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, 55+ ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS (12+ in view at once), and 2 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 23 18:31:47 1998 Subject: COTE,BLSK Birders, Late this afternoon 9/23/98 the juvenile COMMON TERN with a fair amount of orange in the basal half of the bill was roosting with 8 BLACK SKIMMERS (including the two birds banded on both legs) on the island along the southern edge of Salt Pond A4. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 06:56:27 1998 Subject: temptations Blackpoll Warblers, Palm Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, Common Terns, Black Skimmers. You guys are really making it hard for me to stay in Stanislaus County and collect bird records. Hope I can find one of those Sabine's Gulls over here. Jim Gain (Work) [[email protected]] (Home) [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 07:40:06 1998 Subject: CCRS yesterday. Birders, The first Herring Gull I have seen this season was at the waterbird pond on the 23d. Also there was one Pectoral Sandpiper. It was a great day for migrants, with a big wave of Yellow Warblers banded. No rare landbirds however. Al Alvaro Jaramillo "It was almost a pity, to see the sun Half Moon Bay, shining constantly over so useless a country" California Darwin, regarding the Atacama desert. [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 11:01:53 1998 Subject: Embarcadero Way I had time for a brief visit to Embaracadero Way in Palo Alto this morning, particularly the area beyond the end of the road. Before today, I've been seeing only a handful of Yellow-Rumped Warblers there, but today there were at least a dozen. Yellow Warblers were also up, with at least six seen. And there was one Palm Warbler (occasionally calling, too); the last I saw it it had headed for the tall Euc's south of the dirt road. I also saw one Willow Flycatcher and several Lincoln's Sparrows. [Yesterday at noon I had seen two Western Wood Pewees here, but no definite Willow; and also Wilson's Warbler, which I missed this morning.] I did not have time for a thorough check of the area, so I could well have missed something else. Al ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 11:46:55 1998 Subject: Another Blackpoll I birded CCRS hard this morning. Highlight was another Blackpoll Warbler up by the N. nets. It was unbanded. Other birds (some seen in the nets) were 42 Yellow, 10 Wilson's, 10 Audubon's, 1 Myrtle, 2 Black-throated Gray, and 1 Orange-crowned Warblers, 3 Willow and 15 Western FLycatchers, 4 Western Tanagers, a few Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes, 30 Violet-green Swallows, 2 Vaux's Swifts, and 4 Warbling Vireos. I had a probable W. Wood-Pewee get away - still not on my CCRS list! I think it's probable that the Blackpoll at my complex yesterday was a second bird, given the big arrival yesterday. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 12:34:01 1998 Subject: CCRS birds I forgot to mention 2 MacG. Warblers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 13:18:10 1998 Subject: Warblers on Los Gatos Creek Wednesday, 9/23, I tried the Los Gatos/Oka ponds for early waterfowl - nothing special. The fennel along the creek south of the bridge had many YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and BUSHTITS, plus an first-year female BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (no hint of a black throat), YELLOW WARBLERs and a first-year BLACKPOLL WARBLER. Charles Coston ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 18:21:17 1998 Subject: Migrants along Alamitos Creek Howdy South-bay-birders, This afternoon I walked Alamitos Creek from Graystone down Almaden Lake Park. Was surprised by the relative abundance of migrants--for this area it was a veritable fallout of warblers. Counted upwards of 20 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED (race celata? Had a very noticeable gray head, almost as conspicuous as the hood of an oporornis warbler ), about a half dozen YELLOW-RUMPED (AUDUBON'S) WARBLERS, and 4 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. The warblers were found mainly in fennel patches. Other migrants included 1 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, 4 WESTERN TANAGERS, 1 FOX SPARROW, and 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS. There was a COMMON MERGANSER on the creek near the parking area at Graystone. A SPOTTED SANSPIPER was on a little island at Almaden Lake Park. John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 24 19:04:03 1998 Subject: Stevens Creek at L'Avenida I checked a bit of this area a little after noon. No sign of the Northern Waterthrush. There was a guy removing a branch from the fallen cottonwood; I have no idea what he was up to. His disturbance could have spooked many birds. I saw 1 WILLOW and 2-3 WESTERN FLYCATCHERS, 2 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 adult gambelii WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and several LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Les ========================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 25 09:54:49 1998 Subject: Milpitas migrants In addition to the usual tanagers, Yellow Warblers, etc., I had a Willow Flycatcher, 2 Wilson's Warblers, and a Fox Sparrow this morning. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 04:06:10 1998 Subject: CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER All: This morning (27 Sep.), I had a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER at CCRS. The bird was well north of the office, in the row of half-dead willows along the creek where the riparian habitat is right along the edge of the levee road (between the "dogleg" in the road and where the road turns to the left north of the trailers). Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 11:38:36 1998 Subject: weekend birds Yesterday morning, I tried out the area behind the pool at Nick's condo in Milpitas. Good activity in and around the bottlebrush, with YELLOW and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, plus a one each of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and LINCOLN'S SPARROW, but no rarities, or even tanagers. In the creek across the road was a SPOTTED SANDPIPER in basic. On to Alviso, where at Spreckels and Grand I saw a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, plus 3 LESSER and 12 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. I scanned the blackbird flocks on Arzino Ranch from the end of Nortech, but couldn't come up with any Yellow-headed. This mornings, hoping for good things after yesterday's rain, I started at the Baylands fennel patch, where my best bird was an overflying VAUX'S SWIFT. There were YELLOW & ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS but nothing rarer. The end of Embarcadero by the entrance to the water plant was very birdy, with 40+ YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 10 YELLOW, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, a FOX SPARROW, and a "WESTERN" FLYCATCHER, but again, couldn't find any rarities. Same at Matadero Creek, where there were again quite a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, which now seem to have definitively arrived, and a few YELLOW WARBLERS. I don't recall seeing so many of the latter in previous fall migrations. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 15:09:55 1998 Subject: CCRS birds All: On Friday (25 Sep.), I had 3 WILLOW and 3 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS and a female BLUE-WINGED TEAL at the EEC in Alviso. A PRAIRIE FALCON was perched along the EEC entrance road, and 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were in New Chicago Marsh. Today (27 Sep.), I birded the CCRS area for a few hours in the early morning. At about 07:05, I found an imm. female CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER along the creek north of the trailers, where the riparian habitat is right alongside the levee road. There are several half- dead willows there, and pishing attracted large numbers of birds into the open in these trees. I watched the CSWA for 45-60 seconds, in fairly good light (sun behind bird but hidden behind clouds; I saw the bird against foliage in the background for most of the observation rather than against the pale sky), before it disappeared in the vegetation. Mike Mammoser arrived shortly thereafter, and we searched for some time along this section of creek and for quite a way upstream without being able to refind it. The bird had a bright lime-green crown, hindneck, and back, contrasting fairly sharply with adjacent areas. The entire sides of the head, up to the upper edge of the superciliary area, and the sides of the neck, were an even, medium-pale gray. The dark eye with moderately broad whitish eyering were conspicuous against this gray. The chin, throat, and upper breast were pale gray, being paler than the sides of the head but not whitish like the belly and undertail coverts. The gray from the upper breast extended down the sides and onto the flanks (flanking the white on the belly), but I could not see even a trace of chestnut on the sides. The wings were blackish with two broad, conspicuous, pale yellowish wing bars and moderately conspicuous greenish edging on the secondaries (becoming slightly paler greenish-yellow) on the tertials. I did not get a good look at detail of the tail pattern, and I did not hear the bird call. Although the back did not look completely smooth, even green, I was unable to see any darker streaking on the back. This, combined with the lack of chestnut on the sides and flanks, indicates that this was probably an imm. female. In the same row of trees that had the CSWA were 22+ YELLOW, 2 WILSON'S, 2-3 BLACK-THROATED GRAY (all imm. females), 2 ORANGE-CROWNED, and many AUDUBON'S WARBLERS, 2 HOUSE WRENS, 1 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, and 2 PACIFIC- SLOPE FLYCATCHERS (Mike Mammoser also had 5 or so WESTERN TANAGERS here). A WARBLING VIREO in this patch was very unusual in having dark loral stripes like a Philadelphia. These stripes were not quite as extensive or as dark as the blackish lores of a Philly, and they were actually a bit higher (toward the supraloral area) than on a Philly, but they were quite conspicuous nonetheless. Both sides of the head were virtually identical. Mike and I also had 12 WOOD DUCKS fly by this area, heading upstream together. As Mike and I birded upstream a bit, we saw a banded MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, 3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS (one singing the full song several times), 5 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, 25+ more YELLOW WARBLERS (one virtually completely medium gray all over, with barely any color at all), and a handful of WILSON'S and ORANGE-CROWNEDS. Approximately 90 VAUX'S SWIFTS accompanied the 400+ VIOLET-GREEN and 40 BARN SWALLOWS foraging over the area. Several HERRING GULLS were at the CCRS waterbird pond, and 20 or more were in pond A-18. The WPCP ponds visible from the fence near the waterbird pond contained 7 AMERICAN PIPITS, 1 juv. BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 17:14:54 1998 Subject: A4/Sunnyvale Tern roost I checked this area on Friday and Sunday and it looks like the roost has broken up. It was nice while it lasted, but I never did catch up with any Common Terns. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 17:32:38 1998 Subject: Weekend birds On Saturday morning I led a bird walk for Pat Curtis of the Backyard Bird Store in Los Gatos at McClellan Ranch. Most interesting birds were 2 W. Wood-pewees and a juv. Sharp-shinned Hawk. I then went on a family trip to Half Moon Bay where I saw a Willow FLycatcher at the Princeton Willows. Nothing much at Princeton Harbor (as usual). In the evening I surveyed a private area in Santa Clara County and was fortunate enough to find a Red-throated Pipit in among about 40 American Pipits. The same area has 18 Pectoral Sandpipers and 4 Baird's Sandpipers. Unfortunately, it is not possible to arrange general access to this area. On Sunday, I decided to go to the Marin Headlands Hawkwatch. Although the weather forecast was not so different to Saturday (a big day), the cloud cover did not break up and I saw no hawks! On the way I dropped in at CCRS. There were 25+ Vaux's Swifts, 250+ Violet-green Swallows, 3 W. Wood-pewees, 1-2 Willow FLycatchers, 15 Yellow, 5+ Audubon's, 1 Myrtle, 2 Black-throated Gray (males), 1 Hermit (county bird), and 1 Blackpoll (yawn!!) Warblers. Birding was so good, I almost abandoned my plans to go to the hawkwatch, especially when I spotted Steve Rottenborn in the distance. As usual, leaving Steve alone with lots of birds proved fatal! At Rodeo Lagoon (Marin Co) I had great looks at juv. Arctic and Common Terns together at point blank range. Also Willow Flycatcher here. At the Marin Headlands, I had 4 Varied Thrush fly over and a Hermit, 1-2 Townsend's, and 2 Wilson's Warblers, and a W. Wood-pewee in the pines. On the way back, I checked the pond by the VTA depot off Zanker and 237. Had nice looks at an adult Sora and a Lesser Yellowlegs. A surprise was a Lark Sparrow, rare on the valley floor. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 27 19:49:17 1998 Subject: Migratory Birds All, Having read with interest, the abundance of migratory birds being seen around the bay margins, here in the Belmont Hills I have seen only the occasional Western tanager on my evening walks with my Brittany .No Yellow-rumps yet, and only today did I see a Golden-crown Sparrow at my feeder. It seems that these migrants are either confined or concentrated to the margins of the Bay and the "wintering" component of these species have yet to arrive in my area. I guess I should get out more often. Screechowl. Paul L. Noble 841 Covington Rd. Belmont CA 94002 (650) 654-0878 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 10:26:29 1998 Subject: Vaux's Swifts on the move Hello Everyone, On Sunday (Sept 27) I did some "patch" birding in the Almaden area and saw 60+ VAUX'S SWIFTS at the confluence of Guadalupe and Alamitos Creeks behind the SCV Water District Ponds at Coleman Rd & Almaden Expwy. This was a "pure" flock with no swallows in the mix. At Almaden Reservoir and the ponds along Coleman Road, 20-30 Vaux's Swifts were seen in with mixed swallow flocks (mostly Violet-green, but also Barn). Other birds of interest in the area include the following: eight WOOD DUCKS at Almaden Reservoir; 30+ AMERICAN WIGEONS at the Coleman Ponds; 200+ coots at the SCV Water District Ponds; and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER in Guadalupe Creek along Coleman Rd. In the weedy fennel patches along the creeks YELLOW WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, and PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER were seen. I have a questions about migrant warblers in the fennel patches - are these warblers feeding on the fennel seeds or are they gleaning small insects? Ann Ann Verdi AMD/CA Central Svc Scheduling 408-749-2199 or x42199 [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 10:38:27 1998 Subject: NAWA in Los Altos This morning I had a female/immature NASHVILLE WARBLER in my backyard in Los Altos, travelling with a flock of Bushtits and Chickadees. The bird had a dull greyish head contrasting slightly with a dull olive back, whitish cream throat, small yellow washed patches on its flanks and brighter yellow undertail coverts. It had a strong complete eyering. Rita Colwell ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 11:33:26 1998 Subject: CCRS/Milpitas migrants This morning I missed a Palm Warbler N. of the waterbird pond seen by Steve R. Steve also saw a Franklin's Gull. I had 2 Chipping Sparrows by the big Euc and a Merlin and MacGillivray's Warbler by the N. nets. Lots of common migrants. I only had time for a very superficial check. Back at my apartment complex, I've seen a Vaux's Swift, 2 W. Tanagers, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a W. Wood-Pewee, and the usual warblers. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 13:35:18 1998 Subject: PAWA, TEWA, FRGU All: Early this morning (28 Sep.), I saw a PALM WARBLER on the fence in the northwest corner of the San Jose WPCP, near the northeast corner of pond A-18 in Alviso. Two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were also visible in WPCP sludge ponds visible from the fenceline near the CCRS waterbird pond. A first-winter FRANKLIN'S GULL flew east (not south as I reported on the Birdbox) high over the waterbird pond, although given Bob Reiling's report it apparently returned to the pond. Conducting a Burrowing Owl survey in Mountain View, I found the TENNESSEE WARBLER that Mike Rogers reported. Fortunately, Mike's persistence paid off when the bird proved difficult to relocate, and we got excellent looks at this bird. Twenty VAUX'S SWIFTS foraged with swallows over the area, and again, several were calling while engaged in display flights. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was at our office in Alviso. Yesterday, I forgot to report a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH in redwoods at our apartment in Santa Clara and 2-3 PEREGRINE FALCONS at CCRS. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 14:39:49 1998 All, Steve Rottenborn found a TENNESSEE WARBLER today 9/28/98 at the east end of Shoreline Park. He called me at about noon and I headed out to try and refind the bird, being joined by Steve shortly thereafter. The bird had been in the small isolated eucalyptus grove near the Stevens Creek dike about two-thirds of the way from Crittenden Lane to the rusty bridge over Stevens Creek that leads to Crittenden Marsh. This is at the end of the road that heads east from the Shoreline Park entrance kiosk. It had been with several YELLOW, ORANGE-CROWNED, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (also a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, 1 "WESTERN" FLYCATCHER, and a small WILLOW FLYCATCHER in these trees). It took an hour to refind the bird because the birds kept flying in and out of the eucs to the nearby brush and the wind made finding birds in the eucs tough, but eventually I spotted the bird in the small fennel patch (3 plants?) just across Stevens Creek from the eucs. It flew back to the eucs a few minutes later and provided nice views. I believe this is the 8th county record of this species. More warblers and a LARK SPARROW were along the road back to the entrance booth. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 15:07:27 1998 Subject: CCRS; Green-tailed Towhee, Hammond's Flycatcher and Franklin's Gull All, Today at CCRS "Dianne" had an adult Green-tailed Towhee in the far edge of the northern most net (it may have been the last bird in a very busy day but it certainly made her, and our, day). When released from the banding station located north of the trailers the bird flew northeast to the creek. An immature Hammond's Flycatcher (with a 1/2 yellow and black lower mandible) when released, flew toward the "Cottonwoods" located north of the banding station. Frank Vanslager and I also had a Franklin's Gull (first winter?) at the Waterbird Pond. The gull had a black bill, blackish legs, black wingtips with white windows and a white tail with a black sub-terminal band. The back of the neck was light gray with the gray extending around the neck toward the throat and down the neck onto the side of the chest. The throat, chest, belly, flanks and undertail coverts were white. The head had a "half black" hood with a white forehead and bold white eye crescents. The mantle and the forward portion of the folded wing (coverts?) were mediam grey while the secondaries were brownish-grey. The FRGU was still at the pond when we left. Take care, Bob Reiling, 2:36 PM, 9/28/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 15:44:37 1998 Subject: Re: CCRS; Franklin's Gull [[email protected]] wrote: > Frank Vanslager and I also had a Franklin's Gull (first winter?) at > the Waterbird Pond. I wonder if this is the same bird that was at the Sunnyvale sewage ponds (it was still there on Saturday). The description sounds quite like it. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 17:31:01 1998 Subject: Golden Gate Park birding All, This is a report for the the South Bay, but some of you may be interested in who may be coming down the Peninsula. Saturday, I took a group from my birding class to the City. We started at Strybing Arboretum, mainly walking the perimeter. There were numerous TOWNSEND'S and drab YELLOW WARBLERs immediately at the Eastern Australia garden. PYGMY NUTHATCHes were numerous throughout the gardens. Half way to the succulent garden we encountered 5+ WESTERN TANAGERS actively feeding on fruiting vines. Several WESTERN FLYCATCHERs were present along the way. Over the succulent garden we saw an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK perched in a tree. One Audubon's YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was seen above the restrooms near the fountain. Two AMERICAN WIGEON were in the main pond along with the MALLARDS. A North Lake, the PROTHONOTARY WARBLER made a showing after a 20-30 min. wait. Also in the area were an immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, a HERMIT THRUSH, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, CEDAR WAXWINGS, WARBLING VIREOS and YELLOW WARBLERS. At Middle Lake, several WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEEs were present. We couldn't locate any rare warblers here. A short stop at the west side of south Lake Merced proved fruitless for the American Redstart, but there was a lot of distant activity high up in a few cypress and eucalyptus along the golf course. Some TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS were in the blackbird flock by the cement bridge. Les ========================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 17:46:57 1998 Subject: RE: Golden Gate Park birding REPLY RE: Golden Gate Park birding Les Chibana wrote: >All, > >This is a report for the the South Bay, but some of you may be interested >in who may be coming down the Peninsula. > Sorry to take up bandwidth clearing up a typo, but this was, of course, a = report for OUTSIDE of the South Bay.... Les ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 28 21:46:54 1998 Subject: Tennessee Search South-Bay-Birders: I had read Mike Rogers' original e-mail report of Steve Rottenborn's Tennessee Warbler with great interest as I had never seen any of the other previous sightings of Tennessee Warbler in Santa Clara County, and despite knowing refinding the Tennessee Warbler would be most difficult or even impossible (the trail was cold by now, and the winds were still moderate), I made a go for it. I birded the area around the small eucalyptus grove just prior to the "rusty" bridge. I watched the numerous bushtits hoping the Tennessee might show up here. This did not happen. I did come across one ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and 3-4 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Although I birded the area from 4:30 to 6:15 PM, I did not refind the Tennessee Warbler. Nonetheless, I did spot a fly-over ELEGANT TERN, a fly-over OSPREY, and a PEREGRINE FALCON that flew up to perch on the high-tension power pole. -- Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 09:27:31 1998 Subject: Small birds Just returned from trip to the mid-west. Visited Quivera Nat'l Wildlife Refuge in Kansas. There were 3000 plus WHITE PELICANS resting there. WHITE FACED IBIS were feeding with SNOWY EGRETS. A pretty sight. MONARCH butterfly migration was in full swing in the area, also. Thanks to my daughter putting out feed in my absence, when I returned Sunday afternoon I spotted a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (last sighting in Nov. & Dec. of '96 and the second ever for me), TITMOUSE, CHICKADEE, SPOTTED TOWHEE and my first WHITE CROWNED SPARROW of the season. Back yard birding can be profitable. Barbara ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 09:48:01 1998 Subject: TEWA try I tried for the Tennessee Warbler late yesterday, Monday, apparently just missing Mike Feighner. I saw a couple of YELLOW WARBLERS in the euc grove, a few of them flew between the grove and the small clump of fennel just across Stevens Creek. There were many other warbler-types that flew into and between the eucs in this area, but the steady breezes on the leaves masked their perches and movements. I stayed until the light faded. Tough birding! There were lots of singing WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS in the shrubs along the creek. Les ========================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 12:46:43 1998 Subject: No TEWA :-( All, This morning John & Maria Meyer, Frank Vanslager, Nick Lethaby and I saw lots of Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lincoln's Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows and at least one Golden-crowned Sparrow but no Orange-crowned warblers or the Tennessee Warbler. When Frank and I first arrived their were hundreds of Violet-green Swallows and 10-20 Vaux's Swifts over the creek. Take care, Bob Reiling, 12:27 PM, 9/29/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 13:07:48 1998 Subject: A4 pond Parasitic Jeager All, Last Sunday Dick Stovel told Frank Vanslager that a sick or weak Parasitic Jeager was carried out of Salt pond A4 in a box (I believe that Dick ID'd the bird). Does anyone know what eventually happened to this bird? Thanks Bob Reiling, 12:46 PM, 9/29/98 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 13:27:35 1998 Subject: New tern concentration While missing the Tennessee Warbler, I noticed a large feeding frenzy on the saltpond N of Crittenden Marsh. I checked it out and found at least 100 Forster's Terns. I had a couple of quick looks at a vaguely possible adult Common Tern in the flock but never saw anything good for sure. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 14:41:51 1998 Subject: Lark Sparrow at McClellan today All, Today, 9/29/98, a single LARK SPARROW was seen feeding on the ground in the wide firebreak behind the community gardens near a group of White-crowned Sparrows. It was last seen at about 2PM. The bird has wide black moustachial stripes (wider than those in the NGS illustration), warm brown striping on the head and face with a wide whitish crown stripe, small white patches well behind the eye (another variation from the NGS guide), and an unstreaked breast and flanks, although I could not verify the presence of a central breast spot due to the viewing angle. It also has a distinctive outline of white around the uppertail in flight (sides and tip). --Garth Harwood ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 16:04:46 1998 Subject: birds On Saturday, 26 Sep 98, I joined Grant Hoyt, Dick Stovel, and Janet Hanson for a Big Day in the SFBBO-sponsored California Fall Challenge. We started our day in the area of Stevens Creek Park, getting a calling COMMON POORWILL across the road from the reservoir. As a slight drizzly rain was falling we tried to get any kind of owl to answer our tapes, but had no luck and started our daylight birding with zero owls. There was a bustle of activity at Pichetti Ranch OSP, where we picked up a calling RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RED-SHOULDERED and 2 immature COOPER=92S HAWKS, WESTERN TANAGER, WILSON=92S WARBLER, and our only thrush of the day, a SWAINSON=92S, among other common local birds. Stevens Creek Reservoir yielded an immature GREEN HERON. We then headed for the Guadalupe River, where we had a flyby MERLIN as our first bird. We picked up some migrants in the riparian, though not the numbers seen here previously by Steve. They included YELLOW, WILSON=92S, YELLOW-RUMPED, ORANGE-CROWNED, and NASHVILLE WARBLERS, as wel= l as COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WARBLING VIREO, PACIFIC-SLOPE and WILLOW FLYCATCHER, and VAUX=92S SWIFTS. = At CCRS we added HOUSE WREN and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE in the riparian. In addition to the BARN and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS overhead, we were able to pick out at least one TREE. The area of the waterbird pond had nothing more unusual than 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS in the pickleweed marsh west of the pond and a calling VIRGINIA RAIL in the tidal pond north of A18. EARED GREBES were seen in the distance on A18. Ed Levin Park added a few more common species and the way up to Sierra Road gave us LARK SPARROW, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, SAY=92S PHOEBE, and a soarin= g GOLDEN EAGLE. Most interesting was a BURROWING OWL sitting on the rocks at the summit. Alviso was a bust for any of the stakeout species, but we had about 10 WHIMBRELS with LONG-BILLED CURLEWS in the field at the end of Nortech Pkwy. So we headed for salt pond A4 behind the softball field, where we had 8 roosting BLACK SKIMMERS, and other tern and gull activity. Grant had to leave us at this point, but the rest of us carried on. At the Sunnyvale sewage ponds we hiked out to the end of the channel that separates the 2 ponds, where we picked up the 1st year FRANKLIN=92S GULL. On the way back we ran into Peg Woodin and her friend, Becky, who were doing a botulism survey. They showed us a box with some interesting contents, an immature PARASITIC JAEGER that they had earlier picked up off the levee on which we were currently standing. I=92m convinced that this is the same bird that had been seen by numerous birders in this area, as the plumage characters matched quite well. I was able to get some up-close looks at this bird. The head and neck color, which I had previously described as being much like the nape of a Golden Eagle, looked darker this day, though it was still a warmer and paler brown than the rest of the bird. I guess it=92s the difference between being seen under bright sunlight before and now under overcast skies. As I mentioned in my previous description, the head and neck were uniformly colored, with no streaking, which is untypical of Parasitic Jaeger. The central tail feathers protruded slightly from the rear edge of the tail and were rounded in shape, but were well worn, making them less than ideal for identifying this bird. This bird had white feather shafts on the 5 outer primaries, with some white on the webs at the base of these feathers, almost certainly ruling out Long-tailed as a contender. The tips of the primaries were somewhat worn, but I could still see a vague pale edging to the tips of these feathers, a good mark for Parasitic. The bill was most instructive, lacking the massive structure, heavy hook, and steep gonydeal angle of a Pomarine, while lacking the proportionately large nail of a Long-tailed. In other words, it looked like the bill of a Parasitic. = After this, we headed for Charleston Slough. We found the usual SURF SCOTERS on Shoreline Lake, along with a HORNED GREBE and a male GREATER SCAUP. Adobe Creek had a sleeping COMMON SNIPE. A quartet of 3 VIRGINIA RAILS and a SORA entertained us from the forebay, while a LESSER YELLOWLEGS posed next to its GREATER cousin for comparison. = At the Palo Alto Baylands the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was still at the duck pond. The only dowitchers we heard on the estuary mudflats were SHORT-BILLED. As we scoped the shorebirds, a CLAPPER RAIL called, and was then seen along the edge of the marsh. = We finished the day with 132 species, a fairly typical fall Big Day count for this team. On Sunday morning, 27 Sep 98, I went to CCRS for a few hours of "recreational" birding. Frustratingly, I saw 9 species within a couple hours that our team had missed on the previous day=92s bird-a-thon. I searched in vain with Steve Rottenborn, trying to refind his Chestnut-sided Warbler. In the meantime, we had a couple BLACK-THROATED GRAY and a MACGILLIVRAY=92S WARBLER. Other migrants included a singing WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 4-5 WESTERN TANAGERS, and a large number of VAUX=92S SWIFTS overhead. A flock of 12 WOOD DUCKS flew by as we birded the creek. The waterbird pond had 5 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 29 21:15:34 1998 Subject: Almaden Valley today Howdy South-bay-birders, Visited Calero Reservoir today. Numbers of waterfowl were up from a week ago, with EARED and WESTERN GREBES, 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS, and a big flock of AMERICAN WIGEON. If numbers continue to build this might be a good place to look for Eurasian Wigeon. There were few shorebirds, with just the usual KILLDEER, a dozen BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and 3 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. But swallows and swifts put on a real show, with hundreds and hundreds of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and lesser numbers of VAUX'S SWIFTS intermixed. I've seen swallow "fallouts" like this here in springtime under similar weather conditions. On IBM property in the nearby Santa Teresa Hills I had COOPER'S HAWK, ROCK WREN, and at least 4 RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS. An OSPREY was just north of Coleman Road behind the water district building. Noticed more YELLOW WARBLERS there--I don't think I've ever seen this many YELLOW WARBLERS locally in fall. This past week I've been seeing and hearing them all over the place, even in the suburbs. John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 30 22:55:57 1998 Subject: Big Day STA I'm planning a Big Day for Stanislaus County on Sat. Oct 17. From about 2 or 3 A.M. until 8 P.M. (I have to lead a local field trip Sunday morning). If any of you county listers are interested, you are welcome to join in the fun. I don't live in a motel, but I do have a couple of single beds available and a good 4 inch pad to sleep on if you need a place to stay Friday night. (not particularly good for tall people) My goal is to beat our county record of 147. I have a spacious van, but due to ABA rules and wanting to allow quick exit/entry I will only be able to take a total of 4 people (and that includes me). Many birders have expressed interest in birding over here so I thought I'd let everyone know, just in case. It's on a first reply basis. If I still have openings left by 10/9, I'm going to open it up to the local birders. No fees just fun. You can come and see if we really do get as many Golden-Plovers as I claim (10 last Saturday). Jim Gain Modesto, STA (Work) [[email protected]] (Home) [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]]