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
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:
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
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