A Walk in Santa Teresa County Park

Thanksgiving Break - six days that I knew I needed to use to my advantage. How I spent these six days would probably determine the outcome of my big year, and I knew that. The first day (Wednesday, November 26th) I decided to take a rest from school and enjoy a walk with my dad and brother in Santa Teresa County Park.

Unfortunately, there was nothing of note in the Pueblo Picnic Area except for more Acorn Woodpeckers than I'd ever seen and some nice Hermit Thrushes. However, a new bird for my park list was present near Santa Teresa Creek: a male Purple Finch. A Rufous-crowned Sparrow sang from a nearby slope.

The first standout bird of the trip was found by my dad  - he noticed a bird landing on a telephone pole in the residential area near the Fortini Trail. It looked almost exactly like an Acorn Woodpecker, but I couldn't see any white on its face or chest, or on its wings when it flew. It looked like a miniature crow, but I was sure it was a woodpecker, so that left one possibility - a Lewis's Woodpecker! Upon examining photos, we were able to confirm the ID of this rarity, which has been surprisingly common this winter in the south county.

We moved up the Stile Ranch Trail, where we found a male Northern Harrier, Savannah Sparrows, and Western Meadowlarks.

However, the real highlight of the trip was found on the rock wall (pictured above). I noticed some movement, and saw a small bird working its way all over the wall, darting from stone to stone. Rock Wren! This awesome bird wasn't a yearbird, but it definitely made my day. After some hard work, I managed to get some photos.

I ended the trip without a yearbird, but it was still a day to remember.

Summary:

Birds seen: 35

New birds: 0

Big year count: 193

Good birding,

Sergey Pavlov

Fall Catchup Post

       I'm sorry, but I'm just way too far behind to be able to do good, long posts. I'll post until my Thanksgiving break in more of a diary format, with just a bit of words and more photos.

October 12th, 2014: Calero Reservoir
Reported Lewis's Woodpecker - must get! Also chance for Tricolored Blackbird.

Got it! Lifer and big year #186. Makes up for my dip over Mt Hamilton in July. In the oaks near the Los Cerritos Trail, just as reported by Pete Dunten.

Scared off its perch by a Great Blue Heron from the Los Cerritos Pond:

        Relocated:

Early morning scenery from the park:

       No luck with the Tricolored Blackbirds anywhere, but more than made up for by the Lewis's Woodpecker. Got scared by several Wilson's Snipes taking off from the reeds, though, and had FOS Red-breasted Sapsucker! Calero Reservoir's a good place - I'll come here again for sure.

Summary:
Birds seen: 39
New birds: 1
Big year count: 186

October 12th, 2014: Shoreline at Mountain View
Decided to try the same day after my Russian theater class for dowitchers at Shoreline. Read up on ID before. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a nice shot of a Greater Yellowlegs:

       After scouring the flocks in the forebay, I finally found some dowitchers with profoundly flat backs during feeding, making them Short-billed! This was actually a lifer for me, because I had never identified one, despite most likely having seen one (but not recognizing it). Also, it was my second yearbird of the day and #187. Only 13 till the grand 200!

Summary:
Birds seen: 33
New birds: 1
Big year count: 187

November 2nd, 2014: Calero Reservoir and Coyote Valley
After not being able to get out for a long time, we finally made it out on a chilly November morning to Calero Reservoir with my dad and brother. We were hoping for Tricolored Blackbird, Merlin, and a recently reported Clark's Grebe on the reservoir.

Started out early at Calero. Highlights included a female Hooded Merganser, a Wilson's Snipe, and the Clark's Grebe (yearbird #188 and a lifer!). No Tricolored Blackbirds anywhere.

       We crossed the hills via Bailey Road and started walking down Laguna Ave in Coyote Valley. Little did I know what lay in store. First, three Ferruginous Hawks (we got to observe the three points of light on their backs) flying over the street. There was also a big flock of Rock Pigeons and Brewer's Blackbirds near the farm, but no Tricoloreds in there.

        Several birders already there alerted us to the presence of a Bald Eagle sitting on a tree in the fields, and it was soon joined by another. Never seen one here until that day!

       Biggest surprise - a flushed Burrowing Owl around the middle of the street! My dad loves owls, so this was a nice treat for him. No photo.

        End of the street - found reported Lewis's Woodpecker in the oaks, Loggerhead Shrike, and juvenile Golden Eagle. Truly amazing.

          Could it get any better? Yes, it could. We were almost back at the car when a dark shape winged over the pigeon/blackbird flock, carrying something in its talons. I knew that it was a Merlin, with the falcon-shaped wings and a larger size than a kestrel. This bird had eluded me for two years now, and now I had finally caught a glimpse of it! What a perfect way to end the day - a long- sought-after bird that became #189 of the year.

A photogenic Ferruginous Hawk on the way out of the valley:

Summary:
Birds seen: 36
New birds: 2
Big year count: 189


November 9th, 2014: Lake Cunningham
I took this Sunday morning to visit Lake Cunningham, looking for Great-tailed Grackle, American Pipit, and any rare geese. Starting off at the marina and checking out Thompson Creek, the best birds were my yearbird #190 Great-tailed Grackle on the lawn (making strange calls that I forgot from the time I saw them last year), about five Hooded Mergansers on the creek, and a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the parking lot.

Next, we drove to the opposite side of the lake, where I would search for American Pipits and geese on the lawn. The Great-tailed Grackles were concentrated on this side of the lake in a large flock. I had plenty of luck getting my 191st yearbird (the pipits were in a large flock at the end of the lawn), but no geese were to be seen. It made me really happy to see the puddles on the lawn after the recent rains, which almost made up for the absence of a Cackling, Snow, or Ross' Goose.

Summary:
Birds seen: 36
New birds: 2
Big year count: 191



November 11th, 2014: Sanborn County Park - John Nicholas Trail
I was really lucky to get a Tuesday off the eleventh of November, and decided to use it to my advantage. My dad and I made a trip to the John Nicholas Trail in Sanborn County Park. Main target: Varied Thrush, but also any other birds that could be potentially found up there (Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted or Pygmy Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Pine Siskin).

Started at 7:15. Again, it was a cold morning. Heard some Varied Thrushes:

       Began perfectly with several Varied Thrushes seen. One of my favorite birds ever, with their bright colors and buzzy calls. Unfortunately, other than that, the trail to the lake was rather quiet, with the only standout birds being several Brown Creepers, both Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and a heard only Wrentit. There were plenty of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, but we failed to find a Golden-crowned among them. The fall scenery was beautiful, though.

       Upon arriving at Lake Ranch Reservoir, we found that it was half dried-up. The best birds there included FOS Fox Sparrow and Ring-necked Duck, and American Kestrel on a snag in the lake, and some more Varied Thrushes. Probably the biggest highlight was the scenery.

Brown Creeper on the way back:

Overall, I had wished for a better trip, but I still had a great time watching Varied Thrushes for the first time this year, and enjoying the beautiful nature.

Summary:
Birds seen: 36
New birds: 1
Big year count: 192

November 23rd, 2014: Shoreline at Mountain View
After my Russian theater class on November 23rd, I decided to take time off and visit Shoreline at Mountain View. There was nothing new there (except for one bird), but the highlights included Brown Pelicans on A1, high numbers of Northern Shovelers, a Golden Eagle, around 30 White-throated Swifts, and some nice shots.

The awesome surprise came at the very end: the American Bittern was there in Terminal Creek! I had searched in the creek every time I had walked past, but never found this interesting bird until today. I love the way it blends almost perfectly into the reeds. A very fitting way to end the day - with yearbird #193.

Summary:
Birds seen: 40
New birds: 1
Big year count: 193


Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov

(still on November on New Year's Eve) :)

A Big Day

        My month of September was going pretty poorly bird-wise until the couple last days. On the 28th, I got two code fives (Sabine's Gull and Parasitic Jaeger) at the Sunnyvale WPCP. The week from September 29th to October 6th, I had fall break. My dad stayed home from work on Tuesday, so we went birding together. I tried to hit all the spots (especially those by the bay) that could get me a lot of yearbirds.

       We started off at the Sunnyvale Baylands at 7:25 AM, trying to find Western Wood-Pewee and Swainson's Thrush for the last time. I told myself that if I missed them that day, then I would miss them for the rest of the year - the chance of them appearing in our county was simply too low. Unfortunately, we had no luck in the test garden, Baylands Grove, or the cottonwood row with either of the birds, despite scouring all three of them. We did find Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Hermit Thrushes, and Yellow Warblers, and got some good photos of the thrushes.

         Next, we headed to Alviso/Don Edward National Wildlife Refuge. I'd met Gena Zolotar at the test garden, and she told me that a continuing juvenile Ruff was still being seen in the eastern corner of salt pond A12. I also needed to see Lesser Yellowlegs, and a good place to try was the part of New Chicago Marsh off the corner of Gold and Elizabeth Streets

       We arrived there at 9:15, and I immediately got out of the car to scan the islands in the marsh for yellowlegs. The Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs may seem quite similar at first, but size and bill length can be used to effectively differentiate between them. Luckily, there were eight or so yellowlegs on on of the islands. Even from a distance, I could make out the short bills and small size of three of them. Lessers - yearbird #184 and an (overdue) lifer! (fourth bird from the left)

       I was optimistic about the Ruff being where it was supposed to - it had been seen continuously for about half a month now, and had been seen yesterday. We parked at Alviso Marina and walked down the boardwalk through the marsh, where there were many Song Sparrows singing, and even a Marsh Wren. Upon reaching the levee, we turned right and began closely scrutinizing the shore to our left.

       Turns out we didn't need to pay all that much attention - the Ruff stood out like a sore thumb from the much smaller Least Sandpipers surrounding it. We could see that it was a juvenile because of the scalloped back and the uni-colored bill, and it didn't look like any shorebird I'd seen before. It was my second lifer in twenty minutes, and a code five! It cooperated for some photos:

       Unfortunately, after this stellar start, I found nothing of interest at the Environmental Education Center except returning Cinnamon Teals, and a Herring Gull with trash. However, I was far from disheartened by this - who would get disheartened after seeing two lifers? I couldn't have asked for more from Don Edwards that day! Besides, we were now going to drive to Coyote Valley to see if we could find one of my year nemeses: the Tricolored Blackbird.

       Upon arriving in Coyote Valley, we checked both Laguna Street and Palm Street. The highlight on Laguna was my first-of-fall Say's Phoebe, but no Tricolored Blackbirds were present - only Brewer's and a single Brown-headed Cowbird.

       The end of Palm Ave. turned out to be somewhat more interesting, with both a juvenile and an adult Golden Eagle, and a trio of an American Kestrel, Yellow-billed Magpies, and an accipiter chasing each other around. I never got to identify the accipiter 100% because the lighting was so bad, but it was still intriguing to watch it getting chase by the long-tailed, squawking magpies.

        To end our productive big day, we looked into Calero County Park for five minutes for Tricolored Blackbirds, but to no avail. We finished the day with a grand total of 68 species - only three short of my big day record! Within these 68 species, there were two lifers and several first-of-seasons, making this day one of the best of my big year, and leaving me with only 15 birds till 200.

Summary:
Birds seen: 68
New birds: 2
Big year count: 185

Good birding,
Sergey Pavlov