Tales of July

       Overall, I'm the only really "obsessed" birder in our family. Well, besides my dad, when it comes to owls.

       Owls are my dad's favorite birds, and he has no shortage of enthusiasm when it comes to seeing them. It all started in December of last year, when I thought I had heard multiple Western Screech-Owls in Santa Teresa County Park. I told him about the experience, and he was immediately intrigued in the prospect of actually seeing an owl. In January and February, we went out several times to try to see the Short-eared Owls being reported at dusk in Coyote Valley, but to no avail. In late February, we found our first Burrowing Owl at the Sunnyvale Baylands, and later at Shoreline. In March, we stayed after dark at Ed Levin to spy a Barn Owl flying over the residntial area. Many nights, we heard Western Screech-Owls calling from oak woodlands we went to, but we never actually got to see one.

        Now was our chance. The past several days, reports had come in on the South Bay Birds listserv of a pair of Western Screech-Owls in Shoup Park, in Los Altos. The special thing about these owls was that they weren't only heard calling their bouncing-ball songs, but that they were actually seen on the lawns and swing sets of the playgrounds, hunting for insects!

       It was too good of an opportunity to pass up - the day that we drove over Mt Hamilton, we also tried for the owls in the evening at Shoup Park. We arrived in Los Altos at about 8:10 PM. The owls were reported being heard at around 8:50, and being seen at around 9:00. It was a bit early for the owls, but we walked around between the two playgrounds and under the large redwood trees, enjoying the cool evening air.

       We had been walking around for almost an hour already, now in the near-darkness, listening for the owls, but to no avail. We split up, with my dad patrolling the lawns, and my brother and I keeping an eye on the playground. Suddenly, my brother said, "I hear it!" I didn't believe him at first, but soon heard the Western Screech-Owl's distinctive bouncing ball call coming from the large oak tree near the first playground! We rushed over, and I made out a dark shape sitting on the playground's tanbark! The Western Screech-Owl was right in front of us!

       My brother and I called our dad over, and we shared the awesome moment of watching the 8-inch owl flit between the tanbark, the trees around the playground, and the top bar of the swing set. Even though we never got the first owl up in the large oak to come out, or to get good looks at the owl on the playground, this will definitely be one of the highlights of my big year.

Summary:
Birds seen: 8
New birds: 1
Big year count: 171

* * *

       On July 12th, I did some casual birding at Shoreline Park. My dad and brother were out fishing on Monterey Bay, so my mom and I invited my grandparents to go for a walk at Shoreline. Of course, I decided to bring my binoculars to do some casual birding, but not my camera. I hoped to see the early returning shorebirds in fall migration, which could have included the Long-billed Curlew, which I somehow didn't get in the winter. I am going to need to rely on fall migration of both shorebirds and passerines to net me some good birds during the months of August, September, and October.

       We parked on Terminal Rd at about 11:30 AM,  and I immediately set off down the trail along Coast Casey Forebay. There weren't many birds on the remaining water in the forebay - only Canada Geese and California Gulls. I did enjoy watching the Barn and Cliff Swallows around the pumphouse, though.

       Most of the good birds were in Charleston Slough, where the tide was out and the mudflats were exposed. A huge flock of shorebirds foraged far out on the mudflats, most too far to identify, except for a few close-by Willets. Close by, there were lots of American Avocets, some already with gray heads - in nonbreeding plumage.

       To get closer looks at the shorebirds, I walked out on the trail, between the slough and Adobe Creek. Adobe Creek contained about 50 American White Pelicans, together with Snowy Egrets and Mallards. About a quarter of a mile out on the trail, I took another look at the shorebirds. The heat distorting the image in my binoculars, I tried to make out the blurry shapes on the mudflats. I saw many more Willets, with their bright black-and-white markings on the wings, about five Marbled Godwits, and at least two birds with very long, downcurved bills - Long-billed Curlews! I was happy to have finally gotten this common, but awesome, bird.

        I walked to Shoreline Lake, where the best birds were three Surf Scoters and Forster's Terns. I was about to return to the car, when I saw a bird flying toward me over the lake. I noticed its contrasting black and white colors and orange bill with a longer lower mandible in my binoculars, and immediately knew it was one of the Black Skimmers that were often being seen this year at Shoreline! The skimmer flew not more than ten feet over my head, before winging off in the direction of Charleston Slough.

       At the car, I saw that my grandparents hadn't returned yet, so I returned to the lake with my mom, This time, we saw three Black Skimmers, chasing each other near the island and calling loudly. I also spotted a bird flying high over the lake, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon - only my second of the year!

       To sum up, it was an enjoyable day at one of my favorite birding hotspots, with some nice birds. I'll make sure to come here again later in the year to get more migrating birds.

Summary:

Bird seen: 31

New birds: 1

Big year count: 172

* * *

       If I thought that after having seen the Western Screech-Owls, my dad's owl-mania would subside, I was wrong. Only a couple of days after the visit to Shoup Park, my dad went to the McAbee entrance of Almaden Quicksilver County Park to try to look for more Western Screech-Owls. There, he met Kurt and Eric Ongman, who were also owling (successfully). They had also found, and photographed, a Common Poorwill about a mile down the trail. Kurt and Eric taught my dad how to play the recordings, wait for the owls to come in, and look at them using a flashlight. Armed with this knowledge, our dad took me and my brother to look for the owls and the Common Poorwill on the evening of July 16th.

       When we got there, it was 8:45, and already getting dark quickly. Just past the first intersection (the start of the dirt path), we heard a rustling in the trees near the dried up creek. My dad played some of the Western Screech-Owl calls from his phone, and, miraculously, in less than 30 seconds, we saw a dark shape swoop over our heads and land on an oak tree's branches. My dad quickly shined the light on it, but our flashlight wasn't powerful enough to make out the owl a lot better than we had in Shoup Park. We marveled, just like we had ten days ago, at the little, dark shape of the owl sitting so close to us. Here's a National Geographic-quality photo I got (the owl is in the middle of the shot):

       As soon as we had finished looking at the owl, I heard a loud call coming from the hillside above us. I had researched the call of the Common Poorwill just before we had driven out, and it was a perfect match. We set off down the trail, listening to the poorwill's calls echo around the hills. Suddenly, my brother said,"There it is!" and pointed to a dark shape on the trail about 50 feet ahead of us. Approaching, with my dad shining the flashlight on it, I identified the bird as the smallest of the North American nightjars, and the only one found in our county - the Common Poorwill - a lifer!

       About a quarter of a mile down the trail, we found another poorwill. This time, it was seen flying up from the ground, catching insects. We climbed a hill, and watched the poorwill and bats both trying to catch their food. Upon lightening what I originally thought to be a unidentifiable photo, I realized that I actually had captured the poorwill sitting on the ground quite well, even if the eye is glowing.

       As we were walking back, I saw a bird flying over, which was almost certainly an owl. Judging by the size and color, it was probably a Great Horned, but could have also easily been a Barn. We only managed to catch the tail end of the owl as it disappeared out of view, so we couldn't know for sure. By the time we got back to our car, it was about nine-thirty, and almost completely dark. It was a bit scary being out in the park, not knowing what animals inhabit it (definitely Coyotes, and possibly Mountain Lions). While we were birding however, the fear was gone, replaced by excitement with the birds we saw. I will long remember these awesome experiences with both the owls and the poorwills. 

Summary:

Birds seen: 4

New birds: 1

Big year count: 173

* * *

       On July 19th, our family went on a trip to San Francisco. On the way there, my dad wanted to see some Burrowing Owls, so we exited Highway 101 at Amphitheater Parkway, drove a bit, and parked the car with Google buildings on our right and the Permanente Creek Trail on our left. My dad had seen several Burrowing Owls here in the spring, but I'd only ever seen one (at the Sunnyvale Baylands). 

       It wasn't long before our dad shouted, "There they are!", pointing up the hill at two Burrowing Owls in one area, and four more in a different place, with at least one being an immature! It's great to see this threatened species still breeding, less than a mile from the headquarters of one of Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies! I managed to get some photos of the owls that weren't nearly as good as the ones in February. However, the last one clearly shows the banded leg of the owl - part of the conservation process being undertaken by the Santa Clara County Audubon Society (SCVAS).  

       In San Francisco, among other good birds, I found several Pygmy Nuthatches at both Land's End, and in Golden Gate Park, which were yearbirds. I could probably watch these little birds on the conifers, and listen to their squeaky twittering calls, for a really long time!

       That wasn't the only birding for the day... We went to the McAbee Entrance of Almaden Quicksilver Park once more in the evening! This time, we took our mom with us, to show her the owls and poorwills.

       We arrived a bit earlier than we had on the 16th, and set off down the same trail. The views of the sunset were stunning:

       We were at the place where I had gotten the poorwill photo, waiting for it to get dark enough for the owls to start calling, when, seemingly out of nowhere, we all heard a loud yipping and howling. I first thought it was just a person walking with his or her dog, but no one looked to be around. Then, my mom put forth the possibility that maybe a coyote was interacting with someone's dog far away (my dad had seen three coyotes farther down the trail on the day he had met Kurt and Eric Ongman). However, it soon became clear that there was no dog around.

       As soon as I had heard the coyotes, I immediately tensed up, and adrenaline pumped through my entire body. It was scary - I almost felt like one of my ancient ancestors, sitting in the dark, trying to fend off an inevitable attack of some unknown wild animal. I took out a dull pocketknife I usually kept when hiking, and my mom readied herself with her hiking stick. We saw several coyotes coming down the slope, and yelled to my brother and dad to come down.

       We saw a woman rushing down the trail, waving her hands over her head and screaming to discourage the coyotes from coming closer. Four of us cleared out pretty quickly, but my dad kept on lagging behind to listen for owls. As we moved down the trail, we heard the barking and howling of the coyotes echoing after us, but eventually getting quieter, and then completely dissipating.

        Almost at our car, the woman heard a rustling in the leaves near the trail. My dad shined his flashlight on the animal, and it turned out to be a California Kingsnake! It's the third time I've ever seen this snake, and what makes them really interesting for me is that they eat rattlesnakes! They're immune to their venom, and quickly grab the rattlesnake's head so it can't even open its jaws to bite.

       Later, safe at home, I looked up information on coyotes. In recorded history, there have only been two deaths from coyotes. Coyotes mostly attack little children that are left unattended, and are usually easily fended off with a walking or hiking stick. Their small size makes them a small threat, and they usually hunt alone (we saw a pack, though). Overall, I definitely overreacted. :) However, I'd rather not repeat this experience again, as some coyotes have rabies, and I wouldn't like being attacked by one in the dark, or encountering a mountain lion. Just a little reminder that nature can be dangerous, as well as pleasing and relaxing to be in.

* * *

       The next day, I decided to try to see a Wilson's Warbler - something I hadn't succeeded in doing during the spring. I chose the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, because I'd seen a Wilson's Warbler there last year in early August, and it was close to our house. 

       We parked on Winfield Blvd at around 11:00, and my dad and brother went jogging on the trail. The first bird I saw was a Nutmeg Mannikin, in a pepper tree right above the car! I'd seen these birds only once before (at the SCVWD last year). Even though they're technically ABA countable now, the Nutmeg Mannikin doesn't have a well-established population in our county, so the county birders have reached a general consensus that it shouldn't be counted in our county. Still, it was pretty cool to see this bird, which actually lives in tropical Asia, but was introduced in Southern California, and then expanded its range up here.

       Walking down the trail, the best birds I found were a female Black-headed Grosbeak eating elderberries, a Green Heron I accidentally flushed near the bridge, and a Bullock's Oriole. Farther down the trail, I met another birder, Steve, who showed me the same pair of birds - a subadult Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by a Pacific-slope Flycatcher - that I had seen in June. He told me that an interesting adaptation of the cowbird chicks was that they made generic baby-bird calls, to increase their likelihood of being "adopted" by an unsuspecting "mother". 

       I think that fall is coming earlier this year, with some of the trees' leaves already turning their autumn colors:

       On the way back, some of the best birds included several Ash-throated Flycatchers in the scrub to the right of the trail, my first observation of Western Bluebirds on the trail (also feeding on elderberries), and two Wrentits: one heard only, and one seen, and even photographed!

        Even though I didn't end up finding the Wilson's Warbler, I still had a great time, and saw some nice birds.

Summary:
Birds seen: 26
New birds: 0
Big year count: 173

* * *

       On Monday, the 21st of July, my dad and I went for a walk in Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, to watch the sunset and to try to find Western Screech-Owls. Bird-wise, the park was rather slow, except for a flyover Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile, but the sunset over the Silicon Valley from the hill in the park was stunning:

       At about 8:45, as we were completing our third circle around the park, when my dad thought he heard the trill call of the owl, but I didn't. We were already heading back to the car after a nice walk, when we both heard the owl much closer than last time. My dad played the call a couple of times, and I saw a dark shape swoop over us and land in an oak tree, for the second time this month. We took turns with the flashlight and my binoculars to look at the owl. It swooped from one tree to the other, and moving farther down the trail, we noticed another owl fly into the same tree as the first one! It's possible that this is a pair, and there is probably good habitat for nesting in this park, so it would be interesting to see if anything happens between the two owls.

       Before going to Southern California for a week, I would round off July with two trips - one to the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge Salt Ponds, and another to Salt Pond A2E near Moffett Field.

Good birding,

Sergey Pavlov

      

Over Mt. Hamilton!!

   I've been wanting to do this trip for so long that when I finally got a chance to, it seemed like a dream come true. I'd wanted to do this trip in May to catch the migrants in Joseph D. Grant County Park, but I couldn't find a weekend to do the trip, so I settled for this day. On Sunday, July 6th, my mom, brother, grandma, and I drove on Highway 130 through the Diablo Range before having to go to my brother's tennis match at 2:00. I was hoping to find birds like Wilson's Warbler and Western Wood-Pewee at Joseph D. Grant County Park, and specialty birds Lewis's Woodpecker and Lawrence's Goldfinch in San Antonio Valley. Here is the story:

        We arrived at Joseph D. Grant County Park at around 9:00 in the morning. A bit late, but not too bad, and I would soon find out that I wouldn't be disappointed with the birds I would see. It was already heating up, even though there was a slight breeze. We parked at the parking lot for Halls Valley Lake and walked the trail through the chaparral and oak savannah along the creek leading to the lake. During the 25 minutes we were there (we were on a strict schedule), we managed to see some pretty nice birds, both summer and year-round residents: a House Wren, two Warbling Vireos (really nice to see), two Ash-throated Flycatchers, several Western Kingbirds, a heard only Wrentit, and a White-tailed Kite.

       Halls Valley Lake offered more great birds. The island in the middle had at least three Green Herons, as well as a Great Blue Heron and lots of Red-winged Blackbirds. A Cooper's Hawk was cruising over the foothills to the east of the lake. A Killdeer, an early returning Western Sandpiper, and several young Song Sparrows were foraging on the mudflats at the edge of the lake. As I was about to walk back to the parking lot, I heard a high three-note call coming from a large oak. It took me awhile to find the bird making the call, but it turned out to be a flycatcher! I studied it closer, hoping for a Western Wood-Pewee, but after comparing the two in my field guide, I realized it was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Even though it was a very drab bird sitting in bad light, its primary projections and bill seemed short, the bird itself seemed small, and the call sounded much more like the Pacific-slope's on Cornell.

       In short, I was not disappointed with my stop at Halls Lake. Even though I didn't see any yearbirds, the birds I did see were amazing - I've rarely gotten to see such a variety in less than half an hour!

       We continued up Highway 130 (Mt Hamilton Rd.) for several more miles to the Twin Gates Trail. On the way there, we stopped several times to watch the Acorn Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, and a photogenic Ash-throated Flycatcher in the surrounding oaks and grasslands.

       We didn't stop at the Twin Gates Trail for lack of time, and continued on to our next stop - Smith Creek Fire Station. Earlier in the year, this place is very good for migrants and summer residents, like warblers, vireos, and flycatchers. Key word - earlier. The middle of June was unfortunately too late for these birds, so I ended up seeing only one bird that wasn't a year-round resident - House Wren. The birders that were there several minutes before me didn't find anything of note except for the wren either.

       Now, the road really began to climb steeply, winding and employing switchbacks to take us up Santa Clara County's highest mountain. We stopped at several points on the road, but didn't find any birds. Here are the views from and of the road:

        As we drove farther up, the white dome of the the University of California's Lick Observatory loomed closer. We hoped to go inside once we reached the top of Mt Hamilton to see what had once been the world's second largest telescope.
        
       After about ten more minutes of driving, we arrived at the summit of Mt Hamilton. Finally, as I've dreamed about for almost a year, I could stand on one of the best vantage points for miles around and take in the entire southern San Francisco Bay Area. I could see almost everything - from the Santa Lucia Mountains near Big Sur in the south, to Loma Prieta, to downtown San Francisco and Mt Tamalpais in the north. Here is the Flickr set to the views from the summit, where I've labeled the major landmarks: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96975200@N08/sets/72157646097689971

       Unfortunately, the observatory opened in another hour, and we had to move on, so I just walked around the building. The only birds I found were a fledgling Dark-eyed Junco, an Oak Titmouse, and Turkey Vultures. There were also lots of dragonflies in the air. The vegetation up here was really different from any other place in the county, with oaks growing together with chaparral and coulter pines. Views from (and of) the summit:

       I would have stayed longer until the observatory opened, but we had to get to my brother's tennis match, so we moved on. From now, Highway 130 changed from Mt Hamilton Rd to San Antonio Valley Rd, which descend down the back of Mt Hamilton through a thick forest of coulter pines, and then takes us through San Antonio Valley into Alameda County. A quarter of a mile or so past the observatory, we passed Santa Clara County's highest point - Copernicus Peak, at 4372 ft (the observatory on Mt Hamilton was 4213 ft), on our left. Next time, I'd like to take the short trail from here up to the fire station to climb Copernicus Peak.

       Our minivan negotiated the windy road down the back of the mountain, going from the coulter pine forest to chaparral, and then to oak savannah. We stopped about five miles from the summit, where San Antonio Valley Rd crosses Isabel Creek.

 

       Getting out of the car, I heard birds calling from the the bushes near the almost dried-up creek. My first reaction was that they sounded like slightly wheezy Lesser Goldfinches, which got me running pretty quickly to the bushes. I managed to catch a glimpse of yellow wingbars on the otherwise gray pair of birds before they flew away. Lawrence's Goldfinches - my first yearbird (and lifer) of the day!

       A minute later, I refound the goldfinches on a snag, and even watched what looked like one feeding the other, making me suspect that one of them was an immature.

       After about 10 more minutes of driving, we stopped in the middle of a large expanse of chaparral. Here, the only birds were three Ash-throated Flycatchers. We continued on San Antonio Valley Rd, until it turned north into San Antonio Valley, and the chaparral was entirely replaced with oak savannah and woodland with hills rising on either side. The first birds I saw were several Yellow-billed Magpies, flying around and flashing their black and white plumage. It had been a long time since I'd seen these corvids (Ed Levin in April), and it was nice to see my second ABA code 2 of the day (Lawrence's Goldfinch being the other). Soon, my mom spotted a large bird soaring rather low over the valley, which turned out to be an immature Golden Eagle!

       As we neared the junction of San Antonio Valley Rd and Del Puerto Canyon Rd, I left the car for a bit to walk around to try to find the Lewis's Woodpeckers resident here. I came back empty-handed, but got some photos of the surroundings:

       At the junction, I got out of the car for the last time to walk around for five minutes - a last try for the Lewis's Woodpeckers. I checked every tree as fast as I could, but all I found from the melanerpes genus was an Acorn Woodpecker.
        I walked a bit down the road and heard House Finches from around the trees and bushes near the white building just south of the junction, as well as some other calls I didn't know. I finally located a bird sitting in a tree near me that was making the call. Looking at it through my binoculars, I saw a distinct dark facial pattern and a dark breast spot. Lark Sparrow! Another lifer and yearbird for today! Even though its a county code 2, I think it should be a 3 - the south and east county hills (like Santa Teresa County Park) are the best place for them, and I've never seen one there before today, and there aren't that many eBird reports in our county. It was nice to see this bird, because I wasn't sure I could get it later in the year, since I won't have much time to chase after tough birds like this.
        I returned to the car, and we continued in the same direction on Mines Rd without turning onto Del Puerto Canyon Rd for possible Canyon and Rock Wrens, and Greater Roadrunner. We drove on Mines Rd for about thirty more minutes until we reached Livermore, from where it took another thirty minutes to get to my brother's match in Fremont. We were only late by five minutes!
       Of course, not getting the Lewis's Woodpecker was a disappointment. I'll probably make this trip again in October to get the Lewis's Woodpeckers - they should be a good, easy addition to my list this year. If I don't see them in October, I'll most likely let them go - I can't afford to waste too much time on one bird, and the drive up and down the mountain isn't the easiest. Now, I'm happy that I managed to see the two yearbirds I saw

Summary:
Birds seen: 43
New birds: 2
Big year count: 170

Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov