The Jack Sparrows Birdathon - writeup for South Bay Birds email list - Friday 4 April 2014

Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne

Ginger and I (The Jack Sparrows) braved the rain showers and the chill on Friday to total 122 birds, despite the elements. I managed to photograph 107 of those species; I'll post a link to the pictures after I’ve finished processing. Here are some highlights of our day:

We started at 5:30am on the Stevens Creek Nature Trail in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, where our first bird of the day was a GREAT HORNED OWL calling out from the valley below. The first rain of the day started as we entered the forest canopy. Along the creek we heard PACIFIC WREN loudly singing in at least two locations, one just after the creek crossing before the intersection with the Skid Road Trail, and another halfway along the Skid Road Trail toward the Canyon Trail. We also heard several PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERs along the creek. It wasn’t until we hit the Canyon Trail that the rain let up and it was light enough to photograph our first bird of the day: AMERICAN ROBIN.

On the Canyon Trail heading back toward Page Mill Road we heard an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER call, but never managed to see it. A distant unseen PILEATED WOODPECKER called several times. The rain significantly quieted the dawn chorus. In the chaparral near Page Mill we got great views of a lovely BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, followed by WESTERN BLUEBIRDs which helped us keep our spirits up in the drizzle.

At Arastradero Preserve, on the hillside on the eastern leg of the Redtail Loop Trail, we heard and saw a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Then it poured rain on us for a while. We made it to the line of eucalyptus trees where we found (and photographed) another GREAT HORNED OWL, and also found an adult male BULLOCK’S ORIOLE. Felt Lake had a small group of RING-NECKED DUCKS along the far shore, and several pairs of BUFFLEHEAD closer in. A GOLDEN EAGLE soared in front of the Stanford Dish. While taking a picture of a singing HOUSE WREN in the grasses, a LINCOLN’S SPARROW jumped up and photo-bombed me! Across the street from the parking area, as we changed out of our muddy shoes and wet clothes, we enjoyed the complex, often-mimicking song of a CALIFORNIA THRASHER.

At Palo Alto Baylands we found GREATER SCAUP in the duck pond. In the slough by the parking area at the Lucy Evans nature center we found a pair of CANVASBACK and a pair of AMERICAN WIGEON. A NORTHERN HARRIER hunted overhead. A FOX SPARROW scratched under the chaparral between the ranger station and the slough, giving me a chance to photograph him. Selasphorus hummingbirds (probably ALLEN’s) flew around in the eucalyptus by the ranger station. We couldn’t walk the boardwalk as it was closed for safety reasons, so we tried to scope the bay, but from that distance could only clearly identify AMERICAN WHITE PELICANs.

In the distance we saw an additional GOLDEN EAGLE at the Emily Renzel Wetlands.

At Charleston Slough, we found five BLACK SKIMMERs on the island by the observation deck.

At Sunnyvale Baylands park we hiked to the boardwalk, where a SAY’S PHOEBE posed for a lovely portrait, in the open field behind the Twin Creeks baseball complex.

At the end of the boardwalk at Alviso Marina County Park we scoped for grebes. There were dozens of EARED GREBES, but we did not find any horned. There were also quite a few LESSER SCAUP. An AMERICAN KESTREL hovered over the wetlands, and a PEREGRINE FALCON flew past.

In Alviso, at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Disk Drive we found a WESTERN KINGBIRD, and further down Disk Drive in the fields were about a dozen LONG-BILLED CURLEWs. While photographing the curlews, a flock of 11 WHIMBRELs flew overhead, conveniently; easier to compare and contrast them like that!

On Calaveras Road, on the way up to Ed Levin, we stopped along the roadside and saw COOPER’S HAWK, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WILSON’S WARBLER and heard a ROCK WREN.

Then we drove up to Ed Levin County Park, where we found more Selasphorus hummingbirds and got our only PIED-BILLED GREBE of the day. The drive down Marsh Road gave us CASSIN’S VIREO, YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE and another PEREGRINE FALCON. We were stormed upon one last time at the summit of Sierra Road, where the birds had the sense to stay in more sheltered places than a ridge top with drenching rain and high winds.

We drove to the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant and Baylands Trail for one last hike before the light failed us, hoping for green heron. There were no new birds as darkness descended, but we did flush a young skunk, who scampered away from us down the trail. And, lastly, we tried for our missing cowbird or maybe a herring gull in their usual hangout — the Lucky’s parking lot in Sunnyvale — but the birds had long-since gone to sleep. We took the hint and went home ourselves at 9:30pm.

Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne

The Jack Sparrows

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