Coyote Valley

        After going to Vasona and Stanford,  I had gotten most of the resident and wintering woodland birds. There were some missing, like Varied Thrush, Brown Creeper, and Red-breasted Sapsucker, but I knew where to go for them - up in the mountains. Now, I decided to focus on open-country/grassland birds, as well as ducks and shorebirds. To see some birds from the former category, one of the best places in the county is Coyote Valley. This hotspot, located between the two mountain ranges on either side of the Silicon Valley, is mostly undeveloped farmland, that, sadly, is being bought by companies to build residencies on. As of now, this is probably the best place in Santa Clara County to see raptors - including recently reported Short-eared and Burrowing Owls, Red-tailed Hawk, accipiters, Red-shouldered Hawk, Golden Eagle, all four falcons, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, and, my biggest target, the several winter resident Ferruginous Hawks.  

        One the fourth day of my Big Year, I woke up early, and my dad and I set off towards Coyote Valley. Our first stop would be Laguna Ave. Most people car-bird in Laguna, but we decided to walk its length instead. As soon as we got out of the car, we were greeted by many GREAT BLUE HERONS and GREAT EGRETS hunting in the fields.

 

       Next, my dad showed me a white bird sitting in a tree across the field, too far for binoculars, but not for the camera's 50x zoom, with which I identified the bird as a WHITE-TAILED KITE, and even managed to take a passable photo. 

       

       Also seen coursing over the field was a male NORTHERN HARRIER, and several RED-TAILED HAWKS on the other side of the road. On the farm near the entrance to Laguna Ave, there were many introduced EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES on the wires, as well as some BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, and a few BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS: all yearbirds. Also on the wires, farther down the road, were some WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, SAVANNAH SPARROWS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and an AMERICAN KESTREL. On the other side of the road, there was a BLACK PHOEBE, and a female Northern Harrier. I got some photos:

 

       I still had some major target birds to see that were not showing up: Say's Phoebe and Western Meadowlark, for example. The owls were nowhere to be seen, and every hawk I saw flying was a Red-tail, not a Ferruginous. My luck would soon change, though, as I saw a medium-sized gray bird with orange undertail coverts far away - a SAY'S PHOEBE - and came closer, getting some shots:

      

       At the end of Laguna Road, I heard loud squawking calls, and manage to track them down to YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES, which were a pleasant surprise because I had forgot about them as a target bird when planning this trip. Also photographed was one compared to a COMMON RAVEN.

       At the end of Laguna, there were many unidentified blackbirds, as well as several far-away WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. As we were waiting for any other birds to put in an appearance, a mockingbird-sized bird perched at the top of a snag, but flew off quickly to another tree, and I managed to identify it with my camera's zoom - a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE!

      And, to give you an idea of the habitat we were birding in (looking back on Laguna Ave):

       More Say's Phoebes put on a show, flycatching together with the Blacks, on the way back, but no new birds were seen until the very end of the road, where I met a nice gentleman named Bob Gunderson, who was going to car-bird down Laguna Ave. As I was talking to him, I had a GOLDEN EAGLE glide over us, but was gone too fast for photos. However, Bob Gunderson pointed out that my target Ferruginous Hawk had often been seen on the next road in the valley, Richmond Ave.

      My dad and I drove off to the western part of Richmond Ave, but all we found were more Black and Say's Phoebes, many Northern Harriers, more Red-tails (no Ferruginous), two TURKEY VULTURES, and a flushed, unidentified juvenile accipiter in the brush at the end of the road. This CALIFORNIA TOWHEE did pose nicely, though:

       We next drove off to the eastern part of the avenue to try our luck there. It had been an amazing trip so far, but I really wanted to see that Ferruginous Hawk for a lifer (owls were out of the question). We met a group of birders who were watching the fields between Laguna and Richmond, and they gave me great scope views of herons and Red-tailed Hawks. In the distance, I saw a large flock of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. I learned from the group that there were many other proposed developments in this area. This is really said, because Coyote Valley is one of the last strongholds in the county for some species, like the Loggerhead Shrike, and is of great environmental importance.

        The second group we met was Bob Gunderson and another man, both pointing cameras at a large bird in the field on the other side of Richmond Ave. I'll admit to saying, "That's my FERRUGINOUS HAWK!" quite loudly as I leaped out of the car with my binoculars and camera!

        The Ferruginous Hawk took off, and landed on a power pole labeled "High Voltage." Then, to our utter surprise, the raptor moved to the field on the other side of the road, and went after a jackrabbit! No kidding! It took several swipes at the rabbit, taking a small chunk of fur out, but it got away. I watched through my camera's high zoom, and managed to get this shot:

       

          The Ferruginous Hawk circled back to the power pole, and my dad and I snapped many shots of it:

       WOW! What a way to get a lifer! The best way to get one (in my opinion) in fact: to go looking for one, and on the verge of giving up, to see it with great looks. Thanks to Bob Gunderson for giving me the tip to look on Richmond Ave! The trip to Coyote Valley was a great success, and netted me my first lifer of the year, a Ferruginous Hawk - a Code 4 in county codes. Now, to look for ducks and shorebirds at Shoreline!

Summary:

Birds seen: 32

New birds: 15

Big Year count: 70