Ah, spring break! What a relief! During this break, I'll try to find as many migrants as I can, in order to go out less in May, because I have finals and standardized testing in school, as well as projects due. I'm also going to Colorado for five days on a school trip.
On the first day of the break, I had originally planned to walk the Stanford Dish Trail to look for migrants, but I was deterred by my legs still being very sore from doing a walk-a-thon at school on Thursday. I decided that I wouldn't be able to do this trail, so I opted to go to Palo Alto Baylands instead to catch the tail end of shorebird migration, view shorebirds in breeding plumage, and find some birds I had missed earlier this year.
I obtained some valuable advice from Jasen Liu, a young birder friend who knows the Baylands well. He told me the best time to go was somewhere between low and high tide, but I hoped (incorrectly) that low tide would also be a good time to go. I got there at around 10:30, about an hour before low tide, and walked around the Duck Pond first. The only birds I found there were Ring-billed and California Gulls, and some Ruddy Ducks.
I checked out the mudflats near the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center next, and found about 10 Least Sandpipers. Nesting at the Interpretive Center were Barn and Cliff Swallows, the latter of which was the last common swallow I had yet to see this year. The Cliffs were actively gathering mud for their nests.
Also seen near the Interpretive Center were two Forster's Terns and Green-winged Teals. Next, I headed towards the boat launch, and found about 10 each of American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts on the ponds in the marsh to the left of the road.
At the boat launch, there were lots of Song Sparrows singing, Barn Swallows, and many more Least Sandpipers. On the way back, I saw a huge flock of shorebirds twisting and turning somewhere on the exposed mudflats near Dumbarton Bridge. We then decided to check the entrance of Byxbee Park, where I saw two Marsh Wrens flitting in the reeds and chattering loudly, for only the second time this year.
I was disappointed with myself for not going at the right time, but I learned from this experience, and got one yearbird. In fact, I'll probably be going to Palo Alto Baylands again next weekend to try my luck once more, but I'll make sure to bird at the right time.
Summary:
Birds seen: 27
New birds: 1
Big Year count: 148
Good birding,
Sergey
On the first day of the break, I had originally planned to walk the Stanford Dish Trail to look for migrants, but I was deterred by my legs still being very sore from doing a walk-a-thon at school on Thursday. I decided that I wouldn't be able to do this trail, so I opted to go to Palo Alto Baylands instead to catch the tail end of shorebird migration, view shorebirds in breeding plumage, and find some birds I had missed earlier this year.
I obtained some valuable advice from Jasen Liu, a young birder friend who knows the Baylands well. He told me the best time to go was somewhere between low and high tide, but I hoped (incorrectly) that low tide would also be a good time to go. I got there at around 10:30, about an hour before low tide, and walked around the Duck Pond first. The only birds I found there were Ring-billed and California Gulls, and some Ruddy Ducks.
I checked out the mudflats near the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center next, and found about 10 Least Sandpipers. Nesting at the Interpretive Center were Barn and Cliff Swallows, the latter of which was the last common swallow I had yet to see this year. The Cliffs were actively gathering mud for their nests.
At the boat launch, there were lots of Song Sparrows singing, Barn Swallows, and many more Least Sandpipers. On the way back, I saw a huge flock of shorebirds twisting and turning somewhere on the exposed mudflats near Dumbarton Bridge. We then decided to check the entrance of Byxbee Park, where I saw two Marsh Wrens flitting in the reeds and chattering loudly, for only the second time this year.
I was disappointed with myself for not going at the right time, but I learned from this experience, and got one yearbird. In fact, I'll probably be going to Palo Alto Baylands again next weekend to try my luck once more, but I'll make sure to bird at the right time.
Summary:
Birds seen: 27
New birds: 1
Big Year count: 148
Good birding,
Sergey
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