I knew that I would have to compensate for the shorebirds,
gulls, and ducks, that I had missed in the winter during the latter half
of this year, and the earlier I started, the better. Also, lots of good
birds were being reported at Don Edwards (Ruddy Turnstone (Pond A16),
Lesser Yellowlegs (New Chicago Marsh), Snowy Plover (Pond A13), Red Knot
(Pond A9), and Red-necked Phalarope), so that was where I decided to go
on Saturday, July 26.
My mom, brother, and I spent the Friday night before fixing and setting up bikes. In the end, my mom took my bike, I - my brother's, and my brother one that he had ridden on about two years ago. I packed my binoculars, a camera, my Sibley, lunch, and water, and we set out. At around 9:00, we arrived at Alviso Marina County Park, about an hour after the peak of low tide. Our plan was to bike counterclockwise around the salt ponds, and then drive to New Chicago Marsh and Pond A16 to do some birding there.
The water level in A12 looked rather high, as if the low tide had never happened. The only birds here were lots of California Gulls. It took us barely five minutes to ride the entire length of A12, and arrive at A13. Meanwhile, I was continuously seeing flocks of about twenty or thirty phalaropes or peeps flying towards the general direction of New Chicago Marsh. Now, we could look over the levee with the railroad tracks into A16, where there were lots of fishing Forster's Terns, with a few larger Caspians mixed in. On A13 (and the levees around it), I found my only Ring-billed Gull of the day, as well as Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans, but no other birds. Despite scouring the exposed land in A13, no nesting Snowy Plovers were found.
Ponds A14 and A15 contained no birds other than the ones mentioned already, but in higher numbers. There were both Song and Savannah Sparrows in Triangle Marsh, and several heard only Marsh Wrens. This day, I would end up seeing all the common egrets and herons except for the Green Herons - multiple individuals were standing on either side of the trail - in Triangle Marsh and in the ponds. Eventually, we came to A9, which was the only pond with any significant mudflats exposed. I could see lots of shorebirds teeming on them, but the problem was that they were too far for good looks in binoculars, so I had no chance of finding a Red Knot, even when I tried to photograph the mudflats on high zoom. The only birds I saw for sure were American Avocets, Willets, Marbled Godwits, gulls, and dowitchers. Now I know why Birding at the Bottom of the Bay strongly recommends to bring a scope here! If anyone sees anything interesting here, please let me know:
The day was going rather slowly and disappointingly so far, but little did I know that soon something would happen that I will not forget for a long time. We had already rounded the corner of A9 and were almost at A10. I looked to my right, and saw lots of shorebirds on A6 (which we wouldn't walk around). Suddenly, I saw a couple of birds take off, which were soon followed by several more, and, in no time, the entire huge flock was rising off the mudflats like a wave, coming right at us with loud, piercing calls! All three of us watched in awe and wonder as the huge flock of about 700 birds glided over us for around thirty seconds before landing on the mudflats on A9. Birds in the group included around 300 Willets, 400 Marbled Godwits, 10 Long-billed Curlews, peeps, and what looked to be Black-bellied Plovers, but were left unidentified. Another awesome experience from this year!
Biking along A10 proved to be unproductive, with the only good birds being three more Long-billed Curlews in Alviso Slough, and Caspian Terns over the pond. When I arrived at A11, I saw that my mom and brother were lagging behind. When I doubled back to check on them, it turned out that my brother's bicycle had not just popped a tire, but that there was a foot-long gash on it, and that the bike was in no fit condition to be ridden on. I gave my brother my bike, and decided to walk his bike back to the marina.
Nothing of particular interest was on A11, but some of the first birds I saw on A12, along with California Gulls, were about 25 phalaropes! For the first time this day, I took out my field guide to help me with the ID of phalaropes. My first impression was that the phalaropes were rather small, and that they seemed to have dark eye patches and caps, but they were simply too far away for a certain ID this way - besides, they were molting. I saw several fly past, and noticed how they had a white stripe on each wing, something the Wilson's Phalarope conspicuously lacks when flying next to the Red-necked Phalarope. To clinch the ID of Red-necked Phalarope, I took several photos, and, upon examination, found that about half were molting, and the other half were already in nonbreeding plumage, with the distinct dark eye patch and cap. This was my first yearbird of the day, and the second of the three phalarope species in the world I've seen, and my 174th big year bird.
After walking the bike in the sun for about forty-five minutes, I finally arrived at the marina, where we loaded everything back in the car and headed for the Environmental Education Center. I took the bike my mom had been riding (it was a much better fit for me), and set out on the wooden boardwalk leading into Chicago Marsh. I had only twenty minutes, so I really had to walk and bird fast. The first thing I heard were the calls of a huge flock of shorebirds in the marsh. Soon, I began seeing my first-of-fall Least Sandpipers on either side of the boardwalk. Most of the marsh was still underwater, and I saw several molting Wilson's Phalaropes on the water, and some Black-necked Stilts on the exposed land.
Finally, I got to the third highlight of today - after the large shorebird flight on A9 and the Red-necked Phalaropes on A12. Yet another amazing quantity of shorebirds was present in the marsh, near the A16 levee. To me, there looked to be about 600+ Least Sandpipers and about 200 (half molting, half in breeding plumage) Western Sandpipers, much more than I'd ever seen before, all calling! There was probably a rarer sandpiper in there somewhere (Semipalmated or Pectoral, or something even better), but I didn't have the time, or skill, to pick it out from the mass of twittering white, gray, and rufous. Here's just part of that flock:
I raced down the A16 levee, looking for the Ruddy Turnstone and Lesser Yellowlegs both in New Chicago Marsh and on the islands in A16, but without success. Riding back, I did find two Greater Yellowlegs together with Forster's Terns, Least Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts, and California Gulls on A16's biggest island, but no rare birds that were reported.
So ended my day at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. Even though I saw only one yearbird, and no birds higher than our county code 2, I saw lots of birds I don't see often in very high numbers and had a great time biking and birding. Fall migration is definitely on!
Summary:
Birds seen: 32
New birds: 1
Big year count: 174
I decided to check near the pond for Snowy Plovers, and, as soon as I looked into Crittenden Marsh, a small bird on the shore of the pool caught my eye! Putting it in the view of my binoculars, I realized that, amazingly, it was a Snowy Plover! The endangered Western Snowy Plover is a rare sight in our county (judging by the five rating it has on the county code system - it should probably be a four, though), and I was really pumped after seeing it. It wasn't a lifer, but it was the first time I'd seen it this year, and in the county. Since the plover was pretty close, I got some pretty nice shots:
Then, came the icing on the cake. The plover began distancing itself from me, making it harder to take more photos, but I was already content with the ones I'd gotten, so I simply began observing it through binoculars. Suddenly, I noticed three absolutely tiny birds right next to the plover! They were too far away and tiny for my binoculars, so I had to use my camera's zoom, which confirmed the birds to be Snowy Plover chicks! It was awesome to find these tiny, adorable balls of fluff, which would grow up to become just like its parent, and help keep the endangered species from becoming extinct! In fact, these were probably some of the smallest birds I'd ever seen! The mom sat down on the ground, and the babies came up to her and snuggled right under her!
After this unforgettable experience (which more than made up for the missed Least Terns), we rode out to the next pond, AB1, to look for Brown Pelicans, but without luck. The only good birds here were Ruddy Ducks, a Western/Clark's Grebe, two Caspian Terns, a Northern Harrier, a White-tailed Kite, and an American White Pelican. The shorebirds on the mudflats were too far out to identify.
Well, that's it for July. School's started, it's September, and I still need to finish my August trip reports, where I got lots of good birds!
Summary:
Birds seen: 19
New birds: 1
Big year count: 175
P.S. - On my trip to Southern California, in August, I saw a Least Tern at Bolsa Chica, in Orange County. I can almost definitely say I didn't see any Least Terns on A2E, because I would have noticed it immediately: the Least is a lot smaller, and its flight pattern is different. If I had a Least in my binoculars, I most likely would have identified it correctly, so I believe I didn't see any Leasts without recognizing them.
Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov
My mom, brother, and I spent the Friday night before fixing and setting up bikes. In the end, my mom took my bike, I - my brother's, and my brother one that he had ridden on about two years ago. I packed my binoculars, a camera, my Sibley, lunch, and water, and we set out. At around 9:00, we arrived at Alviso Marina County Park, about an hour after the peak of low tide. Our plan was to bike counterclockwise around the salt ponds, and then drive to New Chicago Marsh and Pond A16 to do some birding there.
The water level in A12 looked rather high, as if the low tide had never happened. The only birds here were lots of California Gulls. It took us barely five minutes to ride the entire length of A12, and arrive at A13. Meanwhile, I was continuously seeing flocks of about twenty or thirty phalaropes or peeps flying towards the general direction of New Chicago Marsh. Now, we could look over the levee with the railroad tracks into A16, where there were lots of fishing Forster's Terns, with a few larger Caspians mixed in. On A13 (and the levees around it), I found my only Ring-billed Gull of the day, as well as Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans, but no other birds. Despite scouring the exposed land in A13, no nesting Snowy Plovers were found.
Ponds A14 and A15 contained no birds other than the ones mentioned already, but in higher numbers. There were both Song and Savannah Sparrows in Triangle Marsh, and several heard only Marsh Wrens. This day, I would end up seeing all the common egrets and herons except for the Green Herons - multiple individuals were standing on either side of the trail - in Triangle Marsh and in the ponds. Eventually, we came to A9, which was the only pond with any significant mudflats exposed. I could see lots of shorebirds teeming on them, but the problem was that they were too far for good looks in binoculars, so I had no chance of finding a Red Knot, even when I tried to photograph the mudflats on high zoom. The only birds I saw for sure were American Avocets, Willets, Marbled Godwits, gulls, and dowitchers. Now I know why Birding at the Bottom of the Bay strongly recommends to bring a scope here! If anyone sees anything interesting here, please let me know:
The day was going rather slowly and disappointingly so far, but little did I know that soon something would happen that I will not forget for a long time. We had already rounded the corner of A9 and were almost at A10. I looked to my right, and saw lots of shorebirds on A6 (which we wouldn't walk around). Suddenly, I saw a couple of birds take off, which were soon followed by several more, and, in no time, the entire huge flock was rising off the mudflats like a wave, coming right at us with loud, piercing calls! All three of us watched in awe and wonder as the huge flock of about 700 birds glided over us for around thirty seconds before landing on the mudflats on A9. Birds in the group included around 300 Willets, 400 Marbled Godwits, 10 Long-billed Curlews, peeps, and what looked to be Black-bellied Plovers, but were left unidentified. Another awesome experience from this year!
Biking along A10 proved to be unproductive, with the only good birds being three more Long-billed Curlews in Alviso Slough, and Caspian Terns over the pond. When I arrived at A11, I saw that my mom and brother were lagging behind. When I doubled back to check on them, it turned out that my brother's bicycle had not just popped a tire, but that there was a foot-long gash on it, and that the bike was in no fit condition to be ridden on. I gave my brother my bike, and decided to walk his bike back to the marina.
Nothing of particular interest was on A11, but some of the first birds I saw on A12, along with California Gulls, were about 25 phalaropes! For the first time this day, I took out my field guide to help me with the ID of phalaropes. My first impression was that the phalaropes were rather small, and that they seemed to have dark eye patches and caps, but they were simply too far away for a certain ID this way - besides, they were molting. I saw several fly past, and noticed how they had a white stripe on each wing, something the Wilson's Phalarope conspicuously lacks when flying next to the Red-necked Phalarope. To clinch the ID of Red-necked Phalarope, I took several photos, and, upon examination, found that about half were molting, and the other half were already in nonbreeding plumage, with the distinct dark eye patch and cap. This was my first yearbird of the day, and the second of the three phalarope species in the world I've seen, and my 174th big year bird.
After walking the bike in the sun for about forty-five minutes, I finally arrived at the marina, where we loaded everything back in the car and headed for the Environmental Education Center. I took the bike my mom had been riding (it was a much better fit for me), and set out on the wooden boardwalk leading into Chicago Marsh. I had only twenty minutes, so I really had to walk and bird fast. The first thing I heard were the calls of a huge flock of shorebirds in the marsh. Soon, I began seeing my first-of-fall Least Sandpipers on either side of the boardwalk. Most of the marsh was still underwater, and I saw several molting Wilson's Phalaropes on the water, and some Black-necked Stilts on the exposed land.
Finally, I got to the third highlight of today - after the large shorebird flight on A9 and the Red-necked Phalaropes on A12. Yet another amazing quantity of shorebirds was present in the marsh, near the A16 levee. To me, there looked to be about 600+ Least Sandpipers and about 200 (half molting, half in breeding plumage) Western Sandpipers, much more than I'd ever seen before, all calling! There was probably a rarer sandpiper in there somewhere (Semipalmated or Pectoral, or something even better), but I didn't have the time, or skill, to pick it out from the mass of twittering white, gray, and rufous. Here's just part of that flock:
I raced down the A16 levee, looking for the Ruddy Turnstone and Lesser Yellowlegs both in New Chicago Marsh and on the islands in A16, but without success. Riding back, I did find two Greater Yellowlegs together with Forster's Terns, Least Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts, and California Gulls on A16's biggest island, but no rare birds that were reported.
So ended my day at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. Even though I saw only one yearbird, and no birds higher than our county code 2, I saw lots of birds I don't see often in very high numbers and had a great time biking and birding. Fall migration is definitely on!
Summary:
Birds seen: 32
New birds: 1
Big year count: 174
* * *
At the beginning of the year, I set myself three target birds that
I really wanted to see: Bald Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker, and Least
Tern. I'd seen the Bald Eagle twice already (Vasona Lake in February and
Coyote Lake in July), I'd tried for the Pileated Woodpecker
(unsuccessfully) in March on the John Nicholas Trail in Sanborn County
Park, and would try for the Least Terns on July 27th on Salt Pond A2E,
near Moffett Field, in Mountain View.
Each year, the diminutive Least Terns can be found staging in July and August on or around A2E, often on the wooden boardwalk and posts, or foraging around the pond. In September, the terns migrate south. An additional bonus to the possible Least Terns were Snowy Plovers being reported from Triangle and Crittenden Marshes, and early returning Brown Pelicans on the outer ponds.
The morning of the 27th, we loaded our bikes back into the car (from the trip to Don Edwards the day before) and set out for the Stevens Creek Trail, which would lead us to A2E. We exited Highway 101 at Shoreline Blvd, turned right on Crittenden Lane, and parked on the roundabout at the end of it, with the time being around 10:00. The only birds on the Stevens Creek Trail were Barn Swallows, House Finches, and Savannah Sparrows. Soon, we saw the completely dry (except for a few shallow pools of water) Crittenden Marsh on our right.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived at A2E were the terns - no, not the Least Terns - Forster's Terns. These larger terns were all over the place, fishing in A2E and sitting on the boardwalk. Try as I might, I couldn't find a smaller Least Tern among them. Other birds on the pond included American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, California and Western Gulls, and a Pied-billed Grebe family. The morning was cloudy and breezy, and the views of Moffett Field were scenic (Crittenden Marsh in the foreground):
It occurred to me that maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, so I began
checking each tern that flew past to be certain that it was a Forster's.
They all seemed to be - I just couldn't find a smaller individual with a
yellow bill. We had now gotten to the west point of Triangle Marsh,
where one of the remaining pools of water in Crittenden Marsh was
located.Each year, the diminutive Least Terns can be found staging in July and August on or around A2E, often on the wooden boardwalk and posts, or foraging around the pond. In September, the terns migrate south. An additional bonus to the possible Least Terns were Snowy Plovers being reported from Triangle and Crittenden Marshes, and early returning Brown Pelicans on the outer ponds.
The morning of the 27th, we loaded our bikes back into the car (from the trip to Don Edwards the day before) and set out for the Stevens Creek Trail, which would lead us to A2E. We exited Highway 101 at Shoreline Blvd, turned right on Crittenden Lane, and parked on the roundabout at the end of it, with the time being around 10:00. The only birds on the Stevens Creek Trail were Barn Swallows, House Finches, and Savannah Sparrows. Soon, we saw the completely dry (except for a few shallow pools of water) Crittenden Marsh on our right.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived at A2E were the terns - no, not the Least Terns - Forster's Terns. These larger terns were all over the place, fishing in A2E and sitting on the boardwalk. Try as I might, I couldn't find a smaller Least Tern among them. Other birds on the pond included American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, California and Western Gulls, and a Pied-billed Grebe family. The morning was cloudy and breezy, and the views of Moffett Field were scenic (Crittenden Marsh in the foreground):
I decided to check near the pond for Snowy Plovers, and, as soon as I looked into Crittenden Marsh, a small bird on the shore of the pool caught my eye! Putting it in the view of my binoculars, I realized that, amazingly, it was a Snowy Plover! The endangered Western Snowy Plover is a rare sight in our county (judging by the five rating it has on the county code system - it should probably be a four, though), and I was really pumped after seeing it. It wasn't a lifer, but it was the first time I'd seen it this year, and in the county. Since the plover was pretty close, I got some pretty nice shots:
Then, came the icing on the cake. The plover began distancing itself from me, making it harder to take more photos, but I was already content with the ones I'd gotten, so I simply began observing it through binoculars. Suddenly, I noticed three absolutely tiny birds right next to the plover! They were too far away and tiny for my binoculars, so I had to use my camera's zoom, which confirmed the birds to be Snowy Plover chicks! It was awesome to find these tiny, adorable balls of fluff, which would grow up to become just like its parent, and help keep the endangered species from becoming extinct! In fact, these were probably some of the smallest birds I'd ever seen! The mom sat down on the ground, and the babies came up to her and snuggled right under her!
After this unforgettable experience (which more than made up for the missed Least Terns), we rode out to the next pond, AB1, to look for Brown Pelicans, but without luck. The only good birds here were Ruddy Ducks, a Western/Clark's Grebe, two Caspian Terns, a Northern Harrier, a White-tailed Kite, and an American White Pelican. The shorebirds on the mudflats were too far out to identify.
Well, that's it for July. School's started, it's September, and I still need to finish my August trip reports, where I got lots of good birds!
Summary:
Birds seen: 19
New birds: 1
Big year count: 175
P.S. - On my trip to Southern California, in August, I saw a Least Tern at Bolsa Chica, in Orange County. I can almost definitely say I didn't see any Least Terns on A2E, because I would have noticed it immediately: the Least is a lot smaller, and its flight pattern is different. If I had a Least in my binoculars, I most likely would have identified it correctly, so I believe I didn't see any Leasts without recognizing them.
Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov
Another really good tip for finding the least is that when they dive, they don't fully submerge. I've found that to be a surprisingly striking way of separating the birds. Better luck next time!
ReplyDeleteThanks - I'll certainly try again next year!
ReplyDelete