Summer Birding

       I have generally regarded summer as the worst season for birding, and I didn't go out as much in the summer last year as I should have. I now have realized that even though summer may be the slowest of the seasons for birding, it does provide some amazing birds for observing, and that I should take advantage of that.

       Summer is the season for nesting, and breeding passerine residents, like Western Bluebirds, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Oak Titmice can be found in many places. Birds that migrate into our county just to breed, like swallows and swifts, Ash-throated and Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, Bullock's and Hooded Orioles, and Warbling Vireos can be found as well. Our two most common shorebird species, American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts, mate and rear their young by the bay, providing great photo opportunities. Rarer birds, like the Least Tern and Snowy Plover, also breed in our county. Don't pass off summer as the slowest season, and miss all the good birds it has to offer!

       One thing that I have already realized about birding is that even though I may like racking up large lists and keeping track of them, it is important to enjoy the birds themselves: to observe them, and learn more about them. I don't think its right to just see a bird, identify it, say, "I'm done with that one!" and never pay attention to it again. I must admit that the big year has made me do things like this. Even though I don't have to see the bird after I first check it off, I need to remember to enjoy those birds when I see them again, because each bird is special in its own way, and offers many new things to learn about it each time. That's what I'll try to do this summer.

     Also, I've learned not to set expectations too high before my trips. If I think I'll see all the warblers out there on one trip, and not find a single one, I'll be disappointed. But if I just know what I could see, and not necessarily expect to see it, I'll be happy even if the trip isn't the best. Again, I can be be both appreciating the common birds, seeing new ones, and racking up a yearlist.

       Anyways, enough of my views on how to make birding more enjoyable for me during the second half of the year. My first birding outing after getting back from Arizona was my favorite hotspot, Santa Teresa County Park on Monday, the 21st of June. I didn't find any new birds, but highlights included refinding (and getting photos of the female) the Phainopeplas birders had seen earlier, my second Wrentit of the year, Western Kingbirds, breeding Western Bluebirds, and new park birds White-throated Swift, Brewer's Blackbird, and Hooded Oriole.

 

  
 Summary:
Birds seen: 33
New birds: 0
Big year count: 165

    * * *

       On the 25th, my grandma drove me to Almaden Lake and the Los Alamitos Creek Trail at six in the evening to do some casual birding. As soon as my grandma dropped me off, my trip started off on a high note, as I found an accipiter in one of the trees near the lake's shore. Its small size threw me at first, but I soon noticed its light nape and long, rounded tail, making it a male Cooper's Hawk. In summer, these are much more common in our county than their smaller counterparts, the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

       Birds on or near the lake included Great and Snowy Egrets on the rookery island, American Robins and Western Bluebirds, and way too many Canada Geese. Soon, Almaden Lake will undergo a major change. The SCVWD has noticed that mercury is being changed into a toxic substance (methyl-mercury) at the deepest parts of the lake, that the lake is acting as a barrier to cold-water fish trying to get upstream to spawn, and that the lake is contaminated by waste from geese and gulls. Over the next few years, the SCVWD plans to transform the lake into a restored Alamitos Creek, separated from the new, smaller, shallower lake by a levee. The City of San Jose also takes geese eggs out of their nest, stops embryo development, and puts the eggs back in the nest (called addling) to control the goose population. A site for more info: http://almadenlakeproject.wordpress.com/
Here's what the new park might look like:

       I next walked a bit down the Alamitos Creek Trail. The best birds here included a Red-shouldered Hawk, and a Pacific-slope Flycatcher feeding a subadult Brown-headed Cowbird! The poor flycatcher was being harassed by the cowbird to give it more food. Other than that, the birding was rather slow, but I enjoyed it anyways. It was an unusually cloudy evening:

       Back at Almaden Lake, the first birds I saw were a pair of Caspian Terns, one of my targets for the trip today. These were yearbirds for the county, and I really didn't remember them being so big! I watched them for a few minutes before they flew off up the Guadalupe River (the SCVWD pond has completely dried up). Other birds seen included a Brown-headed Cowbird, a Killdeer, and a White-breasted Nuthatch near the lake. I got an OK shot of an American Robin, as well as several of the scenery:

      
 Summary:
Birds seen: 36
New birds: 1
Big year count: 166

* * *

       So end the first half of my 2014 Santa Clara County Big Year. I would have done a halftime report, but I'm really behind on my trip reports, so I'll do one at the end of summer instead, outlining what birds I can still see, and summarizing what I've already seen.

* * *

       My next trip, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, was already in July. On the afternoon of the second, my mom, brother, and I drove to Alviso to try to find the recently reported Wilson's Phalaropes in the State and Spreckles pond, as well as any other good birds that could be around.

       I got lucky with the phalaropes. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I spotted a large flock of what looked like phalaropes far away. I was about to start the long walk towards them, when the entire flock took off, and landed right by a group of American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts standing much closer! I still had to use my camera to confirm the birds as Wilson's Phalaropes, because my binocular zoom wasn't enough. Even though it was fall migration, the phalaropes were still in breeding plumage because it was so early. 

       An interesting fact about phalaropes is that not only are all three species sexually dimorphic (the females are bigger and more brightly colored), but that the females actually assume the "male roles." The females choose their mates and fight other females for them. The females may mate with several males during the breeding season, and then migrate south, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and care for the young!

       Birds on Pond A16 and in New Chicago Marsh included lots of Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets, American White Pelicans returning in large numbers, a dark morph Red-tailed Hawk, a Common Yellowthroat, and lots of Forster's Terns fishing and simply splashing around in the water (illustrated by the top bird in the photo). Anybody know why they do that? Other than that, it was pretty quiet, with no more yearbirds. Overall, it was a nice (but very windy) afternoon of birding.

 Summary:
Birds seen: 26
New birds: 1
Big year count: 167

* * *

       On the Fourth of July, I joined my dad and brother on a trip to Coyote Lake to attempt to find the Greater Roadrunner being found at the boat ramp. We arrived at the boat launch at seven in the morning, and walked around, looking for the roadrunner, without any luck. However, there was a bird at the boat launch that cancelled my disappointment about not finding the roadrunner.

        I noticed a large, dark shape sitting in one of the oaks on the edge of the parking lot. I thought it was a Turkey Vulture at first, but upon noticing its distinctly white head through my binoculars,  realized it was a Bald Eagle! Usually, they spend the winter at some of Santa Clara County's reservoirs, but are much rarer when they nest in the summer. It wasn't a yearbird (I'd seen one at Vasona Lake in February), but still a really nice bird.What a coincidence that we found the national bird of America on the Fourth of July! It was still rather dark (the sun hadn't risen from behind the hills), so I couldn't get completely satisfactory shots.

       I walked from the boat launch to the place my dad and brother were fishing, but found nothing special except for at least five Ash-throated Flycatchers singing from the oak trees, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and the Bald Eagle flying over us again. Dark-eyed Juncos and California Quail with fledglings were abundant, as were Oak Titmice and Acorn Woodpeckers. Other than that, the only birds were our common woodland ones. On the lake, though, I did find several Western Grebes (as well as some that may have been Clark's, but were too far away to identify), Common Mergansers, and my second Caspian Terns of the year. 

       After birding for a bit at the fishing spot, I walked all the way back to the mudflats at the southern end of the lake, hoping to find shorebirds. The only one I ended up finding was a lone Killdeer, but there was another pair of birds at the mudflats that would become the second highlight of my day. At first glance, the only ducks I saw were Mallards, but, as I took a close look at the closest pair, I saw that they were Wood Ducks! Because of their drab nonbreeding plumage and distance, I had mistaken them for Mallards at first! This was a yearbird for the county, and a rather surprising one - I had expected to find it on a creek, not on a lake. Also at the marsh were two Caspian Terns.

        One more interesting experience of the trip was watching an adult Acorn Woodpecker feed its fledgling in a tree cavity at the campground. The adult would fly between the granaries in the trees and its nest, delivering the acorns to the fledgling. I managed to get a photo of the baby in its cavity. Anyone know what is up with its bill? Is it just not formed completely yet?

 Summary:
Birds seen: 38
New birds: 1
Big year count: 168

Good birding,

Sergey Pavlov

 

Loma Prieta and 8th Grade Graduation

       I decided that my last trip during my years at my middle school would be driving up to Loma Prieta. I had originally planned to drive over Mt. Hamilton on that day, but I didn't have enough time, so I settled for the highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains instead.

       My mom and I set off early, before it got too hot up on the mountain. To get to Loma Prieta, you first have to take Highway 17, exit at Summit Road, and then follow several roads up the Santa Cruz County-side of the mountain. Eventually the roads turn into Santa Clara County, where the peak is located. Some of my targets were Purple Martin (which was recently reported), Bell's Sparrow, and Black-chinned Sparrow. I didn't expect to get the two latter birds, but I did hope to see Purple Martins, a county code 4, and a rare breeder up here.

       Once we were close to the summit, using my handy book Birding at the Bottom of the Bay and reports from the listserv, South Bay Birds, I located the little hill I had to climb to get the best views of Purple Martins. The first birds I noticed there were an Ash-throated Flycatcher, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a heard-only Wrentit. Here's the trail up to the top of the hill:

       I showed my mom what the Purple Martins looked like in my Sibley, and it took barely a minute for her to notice two suspicious birds in the sky, which she immediately pointed out to me. I took one look in my binoculars, and it was more than enough to identify the birds as Purple Martins, with their big heads, slightly notched tails, and the male's purple sheen on its back. I watched the two martins cruise around us at a very close range, before they glided down the hills toward some snags that they were apparently nesting in, according to the listserv. Unfortunately, the snags were just too far away for me to detect any nesting behavior. I didn't get any photos of the Purple Martins, but the views of the mountains were really good:

       After our success with the martins at the Lower Saddle, we moved on up Loma Prieta Rd to its intersection with Summit Rd. Walking up from here to the Upper Saddle might have produced the two formerly mentioned rare sparrows. First, though, I walked around the intersection, finding numerous Orange-crowned Warblers out in the open on snags (I rarely get to see this species, much less out in the open!), Bushtits, a Chestnut-backed Chickadee, lots of Western Scrub-Jays (my only bird photo of the day), and a Northern Flicker.

       From the canyon below, I heard lots of loud, warbling songs that I first thought could be Yellow-breasted Chats, but soon realized that my hopes were premature - the birds were actually California Thrashers. Listening later on Cornell, I found the Yellow-breasted Chat songs to be a lot more harsh, as opposed to the bubbly song of the thrashers. I also heard many Wrentits, and when I finally heard one singing from near the road, I rushed over, and caught a glimpse as it dove into the undergrowth, which was enough for me to count it as a yearbird! Ha! I knew the Wrentit couldn't hide from me the entire year! I'd been hearing its "bouncing ball" song since April, but never caught a glimpse until this day.

       Next, we walked up Loma Prieta Rd. We didn't get all the way to the Upper Saddle, where the best place for the sparrows is, but some of the highlights included a White-throated Swift, lots of Anna's Hummingbirds, two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Hairy Woodpecker, and lots of good views (the dark dot on the right of the third photo is actually a butterfly I accidentally got in the shot).

       Our day had to end here, but it certainly was a memorable one. Next time, I'd definitely love to drive and walk all the way to the top of Loma Prieta!

Summary:
Birds seen: 22
New birds: 2
Big year count: 165

* * *

       That Friday, I graduated from middle school. It may not be as big as high school or college graduation, but I think it's an important transition in life all the same. I've been going to the same middle and elementary school for the past five years, and it's really sad for me to let go the teachers and friends I've had, but the memories with them will live on. In August, I'm starting high school at Basis Independent, in downtown San Jose. It will be challenging, (if you don't believe me, read my friend Jasen's blog: http://insertcreativetitleheregkoprs.blogspot.com/), but I hope it will also bring many new experiences and memories for me, as well as prepare me for life. Goodbye, Old Orchard School; I'll miss you!

Good birding,

Sergey Pavlov

P.S. - I'm working on my Arizona trip report. I'll put it up on my other, (sort-of forgotten) blog: birdingcalifornia.blogspot.com

   

Santa Teresa County Park - Twice More! (and SW Colorado)

"Phainopeplas? In Santa Teresa County Park? Are you kidding me?"

       That was pretty much my reaction when I learned that one of the county's best birders, Bill Bousman, had seen several Phainopeplas in Santa Teresa County Park, one of my regular birding places. Several other birders had seen them since, and I knew that this was a great chance to see the yearbird that is devilishly hard to get anywhere else in the county, right near my house!

       On Sunday, May 18th, to celebrate my performance in the last of four Russian plays The Three Musketeers, (which, by the way had taken up mornings that I could have been racking up yearbirds somewhere in the county), we took an evening trip at 5:30 to Santa Teresa County Park.

        Getting out of the car at the Pueblo Picnic Area, I noticed that the grass here was also not completely yellow, though it was certainly on its way to being that.

       Because it was the evening, the birding was rather slow, but I still enjoyed birding my favorite hotspot, picking up most of the usual summer birds here: House Finches, a ton of breeding Western Bluebirds, Wild Turkeys, the resident Red-shouldered Hawk, Bullock's Orioles, Western Kingbirds, Tree Swallows, an American Kestrel visiting a nest box (yay!), and White-breasted Nuthatches. My brother also found an Ash-throated Flycatcher, which was the second-best bird of the day.

       The bird of the day, however, was found in a large oak tree on the far side of the picnic area. I located it by its bubbling, chattering song, and was elated to find the only yearbird of the day, a House Wren.

No Phainopeplas were found, despite me trying to call them in by imitating their whistled "whit" calls. But that didn't stop me from trying again less than a week later...

Summary:
Birds seen: 30
New birds: 1
Big year count: 161

*  *  *

        On Friday the 23rd of May, my brother and I got out of school early (at 12:00 instead of the usual 3:30), and used this time to visit Santa Teresa County Park again. Walking around the Pueblo Picnic Area by myself, I saw most of the same species I did last time (including a photogenic Western Kingbird), without the House Wren, but with a Northern Flicker.

 

       As I was rounding the bend in the road around the picnic area where the Coyote Peak Trail branches off, a black bird with white flashing on its wings flew over me. "That's my Phainopepla!" I gasped, and took off after it. I spent the next half-hour or so chasing after the male Phainopepla, but to no avail - all I got were looks at it flying, but never satisfactory looks at it sitting. But, a bird is a bird, so the Phainopepla would go down as the 162nd bird on my big year list, and one of the best birds on that list so far (hope fall migration brings something even better).

       We were already driving out of the park, having seen the Phainopepla in flight several times, when I saw it flying once more over our car. I decided to attempt to find it sitting one last time. I was about to take the Hidden Springs Trail to where the Phainopepla had flown, when I heard a call that I thought sounded a lot like a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's. I pished, and it took only five seconds for the small, energetic bird to flit over to a brush pile right in front of me. I immediately stopped pishing, and observed my second Santa Clara yearbird of the day at a very close range. 

        I followed the Hidden Springs Trail, and, to my surprise, I found the male Phainopepla sitting plain view on one of the bushes to the right of the trail - of course, I hadn't brought my camera. As soon as it saw me, it dove into the undergrowth, and I couldn't relocate it. Still, this day was definitely one of the best I've had this year at Santa Teresa County Park.

Summary:

Birds seen: 32

New birds: 2

Big year count: 163

       P.S. - On June 23rd, I took another trip to Santa Teresa County Park, seeing pretty much the same birds. I added new park birds Hooded Oriole, White-throated Swift, and Brewer's Blackbird. My brother refound the Phainopepla, which had a female with it this time.

*  *  *

       From May 25th to May 31st, I was gone on a trip to Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in southwest Colorado with my eighth grade class. We had a great time, and learned a lot both about the native people's cultures and archaeology. Of course, while we were driving around, doing activities, and having free time on campus, I managed to spot some birds (38 species in total, to be exact). Highlights included: lifers Juniper Titmouse and Pinyon Jay, yearbirds Clark's Nutcracker and Black-billed Magpie, three Bald Eagles, Western Kingbirds, nesting Barn Swallows on campus, Chipping Sparrows, an unidentified nighthawk, and several Black-throated Gray Warblers at Mesa Verde National Park.

Good birding, 

Sergey Pavlov 

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

       Wow! I'm really behind on posts now! It's almost July, and I still haven't done any posts from May. Now that I'm on summer vacation and I won't be so busy with school, I can catch up on my blog, and do some birding to progress on my yearlist as well.

       On May 17th, I took a trip to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, one of the best places for spring migration. To get there, my mom and I took Highway 9 up to Highway 35. At the intersection of these two roads, right on the border of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, we stopped for a while, and I used that time to bird the forest around the roads. I found one yearbird - Western Wood-Pewee, but it was in Santa Cruz County. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to cross the road to the county I was doing a big year in. :( I also heard the honking, nasal calls of a Red-breasted Nuthatch (one of my favorite sounds to hear in a forest), but couldn't determine which county it was in. Another bonus in Santa Cruz County was a Hutton's Vireo coming about five feet from me, without me even pishing!

       We arrived at the main Monte Bello parking lot at around 8:30, and started walking our 4-mile loop. Up here, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the grass still hadn't turned dried up and turned yellow like it had in the other hills and mountains around the Silicon Valley. I guess the fog from the Pacific Ocean really helps. The views were great:

       In the chaparral at the start of the trail, all I heard were several Wrentits. There were several of them there, and their bouncing ball calls were clearly heard, but they absolutely refused to show themselves, not giving me my first Santa Clara County yearbird of the day. A bit farther down, an Ash-throated Flycatcher put on a real show for us, calling and flitting about in bushes close to the trail.

       We descended down to where the trail runs alongside a creek. There were some nice birds here, but nothing new for the year: Song Sparrows, a male and female Lazuli Bunting, a Hutton's Vireo, a late Townsend's Warbler, and what I though to be singing Warbling Vireos high up in the oaks. Throughout the trip, I never once saw the Warbling Vireos, though I'm pretty sure they were the ones singing. As we walked farther down the trail, more great views of grassy hills and the blue sky opened up.

      
       We soon began walking into more forest on the Stevens Creek Nature Trail. Here, it was very cool, unlike on the hills, where it had begun to warm up already. I heard thin, high bird calls, and was happy to find a pair of Brown Creepers on one of the many pine trees. I still hadn't seen a single yearbird, and was rather desperate. Where were all the vireos, flycatchers, and warblers that had been reported earlier?

      It took about another mile of hiking before I found my second warbler. I thought I had finally caught sight of a Warbling Vireo, but when I put my binoculars on the bird, I found it to be gray, and its underparts and head to be streaked with black - a Black-throated Gray Warbler, my first Santa Clara County yearbird of the day! Even though the looks at the bird were horrendous, it was definitely a Black-throated Gray Warbler. I picked up several more good birds walking on the Skid Road Trail, including another pair of Brown Creepers, a Black-headed Grosbeak, a Pacific-slope Flycatcher high up in a tree, a Common Raven (look at that shaggy throat!), and Chestnut-backed Chickadees nesting in a tree cavity.

     
       We came out of the forest, and were greeted with more good views. My last birds of the trips were a pair of Orange-crowned Warblers, including one with a fat, green caterpillar! I tried my hardest to get a shot of them, but all my attempts were foiled by either leaves, branches, or the fast-moving warblers.

       Overall, this trip didn't quite live up to its expectations yearbird-wise, but I still had a great time out in nature, taking a break from school, and seeing some great birds. I'll definitely come back here next year to try to see more of the preserve's specialties.

Summary:
Birds seen: 33 (+ 2 in SCZ County)
New birds: 1
Big year count: 160

Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov