11th Annual Ohlone Audubon Society Bird-A-Thon
Phil’s Kingfishers
This Spring’s Ohlone Audubon Society Bird-A-Thon took place on Sunday, 24 April, 2005.
The fund raising pursuit was to supply sponsors with a good reason to
pledge money to support the various projects under the responsibility
of the OAS Conservation and Education Committees.
What follows is a running tale of the "adventure" the intrepid
Kingfishers team enjoyed, while searching for bird species in the chosen
Bay Area counties. Brevity of this report only allows highlights to be
reported since each of the 141 species had a "story" of its
own.
Up at 2 AM, the gathering began at 3:00 - 3:30 AM when Fred Wolin of Atherton
and Michael Mortensen of Hayward arrived at the leader’s house, Phil
Gordon’s, in Hayward. Then they picked up, already waiting on a curb
in Livermore, Jaan Lepson, to begin "serious" bird finding at
Veteran’s Park, Arroyo Rd., Livermore at 4:15 AM. Almost immediately
a Barn Owl "click-clicked" its contact call in the darkness,
and when Phil did a mouse-like squeak (to call the Barn Owl in closer),
a Great Horned Owl flew by and soon a Great Horned Owl (same one?) perched
on a nearby telephone wire. Our first two species. We continued for another
30+ minutes imitating Western Screech-Owl and Northern Pygmy-Owl, but
neither responded.
The drive down to I-5 toward Los Banos was fairly uneventful, except for
the cheery light as dawn approached. We all had packed rain gear in preparation
for the forecasted rain. This prep was along with the usual snacks, lunch,
drinks, I.D. books, maps, cameras, binoculars, spotting scopes, tape recorders,
emergency CB, talk-a-bout communicators, etc, etc.
In Merced County we ticked our first bird in daylight, American Crow.
Once rare here in the San Joaquin Valley Desert, now with delta water
handy for the fruit and nut orchards, quite common. At our turn off to
SR-33 the Anderson’s Split Pea Soup windmill hadn’t yet begun
turning for their day at the restaurant we often enjoyed. On Gonzales
Rd. we paid our $6 and entered the Basalt Campground, which is above O’Neil
Forebay, which is just below the dam of San Luis Reservoir. Right away
we had our first (expected) raptor, a male Northern Harrier. Nearby were
2 mini-raptors (PEG), Loggerhead Shrike. The pleasant surprise just below
the Campground in tall forbs of Common Mustard and Poison Hemlock, was
a flock of Tricolored Blackbirds - good "study" views by all.
This is now a Threatened Species in Calif.
In Basalt Campground we "harvested" 22 species. Nesting in trees
planted for this Park was observed for both Western Kingbirds and Bullock’s
Orioles. A singing Lazuli Bunting, detected by Jaan, thereafter refused
to give us any good looks, even when its song was played. A few warblers
found included Orange-crowned, "Audubon’s" (Yellow-rumped)
and Wilson’s. Obvious and special were the Northern Mockingbirds
and Yellow-billed Magpies, with glimpses of Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Hermit
Thrush. All agreed that the many vocal Western Kingbirds were a highlight
of the site, despite missing out on Cassin’s Kingbird.
O’Neil Forebay from the Madeiras Gate Access began rather interestingly
when an ellusive Great-tailed Grackle was seen near the reservoir, but
couldn’t be found later. We found more GTGrs later in the day. It
was somewhat disappointing, though, as most waterfowl were gone. We did
find lingering Short-billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers. Jaan spotted
a diving white duck in a group of Am. Coots that at first wouldn’t
stay up long enough for our I..D.‘ing; finally we saw a shiny male
Bufflehead (the only one of the day).
The Volta " swan" pond on Henry Miller Rd. had a few waterfowl:
Cinnamon Teal; Northern Shoveler; Gadwall; but no swans or - other than
a Common Moorhen - even any rails, usually in the marsh across the Rd.
(too dry we guessed). A male Great-tailed Grackle was seen by all.
Onward to San Luis NWR, finding egrets and herons along the way, we knew it was a good choice when Swainson’s Hawks were in the sky along with a flock of White-faced Ibis. At the Info.Kiosk Michael called out when a long-tailed, dark duck flew by, "Wood Duck" for all of us to see - making us glad to abide by the ABA Big Day Rules: "Stay within voice contact all day". Here, during our mid-morning snack, Phil played his rail tape. This produced good responses from both Sora and Virginia Rails. We drove out the Tour Route far enough to add Tule Elk to our Mammal list, but besides Black-necked Stilt and a pool of Short-billed Dowitchers, not many other birds could be found. On our drive back to Hwy 152 we found a flock of over 30 White-faced Ibises with many dowitchers and breeding-plumaged Dunlin, which put on a spectacular show of synchronized panic as they were bombed by a Prarie Falcon while we were buzzed by the speeding traffic.
We left the Merced County area with about 80 species by 11:30 AM, heading
over Pacheco Pass for Casa de Fruta, near Hollister, but in Santa Clara
Co. Our lunch spot was pretty hectic with Sunday visitors to this multi-media
food, exhibits, and tourist trap. We did find a picnic table beside their
(polluted) pond. During lunch Fred spotted a Northern Flicker and we heard
a Nuttall’s Woodpecker along with Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Oak
Titmouse. We were serenaded with songs of Bullock’s Oriole. On a
walk here, along Pacheco Creek bank, amid the relict and rusting farm
equipment, we found a singing Warbling Vireo and Pacific-slope Flycatcher,
the latter remaining hidden from our prying eyes.
Before leaving SR-152 to SR-156 on the way to Monterey County, in Santa
Clara Co. Phil had seen a grassland access (though open private gates)
for a possible Western Bluebird and others. We got to the last gate and
sure enough there was a bright blue male Western Bluebird. While looking
at a wire-perched Purple Finch we became aware of a rancher who parked
his pickup beside us. Through open windows we found that he didn’t
really want us there - on his property. We politely left, but not without
a couple of nice ticks.
In Moss landing, off Hwy 1 onto Jetty Rd., several Dowitchers prompted
us to stop (although the small pull-offs are no longer available); Jaan
spotted a Long-billed Curlew for us here also. The Moss Landing (Jetty
Rd.) State Park didn’t have an attendant to pay , so in we went to
the parking lot and walked out to the jetty with Elk Horn Slough on the
south side and the sandy beach along the Pacific Ocean in front of us.
This was the site in the 1970’s that Eugene Makishima set the first
bird record for a mile and a kilometer of 72 species in a Big Day. Here
we started adding many species to our inland list. The two other Cormorants,
Brant’s and Pelagic; Surf Scoter; Pigeon Guillemot; Common, Red-throated
and Pacific Loons; Sanderlings; Whimbrel; Marbled Godwit; Forster’s,
Caspian, and 2 late Elegant Terns; a few lingering Brown Pelicans; to
name a few. Here the unique (best day’s bird?) was found by Michael
while we were sea watching; when he got his scope on a strange murrelet
among the Common Murres and Western Grebes and loons that we had to puzzle
over. Although Phil thought it looked most like Craveri’s, a later
literature check showed it the more likely (but quite similar) Xantus’s
Murrelet. Most rare when this far north; just a small hand full of records;
and they’re usually seen on Pelagic Boat Trips 3 - 7 miles offshore
in the Fall. They breed from Channel Islands to Baja Calif. and winter
up to Monterey Bay. Our bird may have been a lingering winterer. A pod
of Risso’s dolphins provided an interesting backdrop.
Along the inner marsh we found a Savannah and several non-migrant White-crowned
Sparrows in the pickleweed. The sand and mud tide flats offered views
of resting gulls including Glaucous-winged, Western, California, Herring,
and one whitish 1-2 year old Thayer’s. Two breeding plumaged Eared
Grebes were diving near the Hwy 1 bridge. When all the 250 - 350 sandpipers
flew off we checked until a magnificent Peregrine Falcon was spotted in
a long stoop (dive) into the middle of them, only to go twice again without
catching prey. Its third try was successful by pinning a medium sized
shorebird against the sand edge and low bank. It flew off with the unlucky
prey’s two outstretched wings on either side of its head, powering
200 300 ft. up and flapping and soaring around for several minutes before
disappearing with its quarry. Finally the shorebirds all re-settled to
feed on the expanding tide flat as the tide was receding. Then we all
had good views of the Ruddy Turnstones.
Next we went up the coast to Zmudowski SP beach and lagoon, where three
more Great-tailed Grackles were more evidence of this species’s expansion
into central California. A lovely gopher
snake in the road here was the herpetological highlight of the day, while
the mama American Coot with three or four tow-headed young lead in the
“how adorable” category. By walking over the dunes to the beach
we neared the cables to a protected area. Phil found a male Snowy Plover,
the subject of the nest protection for another State Threatened Species.
Little else was in view here other than a bunch of shorebirds and a dying
cormorant.
From here we went into Santa Cruz County to Harkin Slough, just north
of Watsonville. This wet year had the slough lake too full for wading
birds, but hundreds of gulls were on the water and flocks of 300 - 700
would circle up from time to time. We heard Downy Woodpecker and Spotted
Towhee along the riparian lake edge and above it in the coastal scrub
came the "bouncing-ping-pong-ball" like call of Wrentit. As
we were leaving Michael found us a perched White-tailed Kite and Jaan
spotted the towhee.
Not quite finished with the day, the Team returned on Hwy 1 to SR-152
to head for Mt. Madonna County Park in Santa Clara County. The Campground/Park
was just closing down so they found the route for the Ridge Rd. to Summit
Rd. that follows the Santa Cruz Mts. North to Los Gatos. Here there were
trails back into the Park. Along the nice walk under the tall Coast Redwoods
species found here included: Band-tailed Pigeon; Brown Creeper (responded
to tape recording of Golden-crowned Kinglet - also found); Hermit Thrush;
Spotted Towhee. Gilroy was on the other side of Hecker Pass and dinner
was found at Chevy’s TexMex Restaurant.
As the Team approached Alameda County on the way home, they lamented not
yet finding Western Screech-Owl. Phil suggested visiting a nesting colony
of White-throated Swifts to possibly hear chattering from the drain holes
under the I-680 / SR-84 overpass, and then try for WSOw at Welch Rd. off
Calaveras Rd. The WTSw’s were heard chittering in the darkness below
the freeway's dull roar, delighting all with this new technique for finding
species. The WSOw’s might have been present, but rushing water down
Welch Creek made hearing too difficult. And so we had completed another
successful OAS Bird-A-Thon in the name of Kingfishers.
Related by Phil Gordon, Leader
Kingfishers Bird-A-Thon Team
PEG:peg 28 April 2005
P.S. We dedicate this effort (in part) to our comrade Rick Baker, Kingfisher
Team Member, stuck at home recovering from surgery, and wish him well.
Also, we dedicate this effort (in part) to our competitor, Willie Wilcox,
Phalaropes Team Member, recuperating at home from surgery, and await her
return to birding and next year’s Bird-A-Thon. PEG.
Text by Phil Gordon, augmented by Jaan Lepson;
(not enough) photos © Jaan Lepson
Click here for the official results!
Fred, Phil, and Michael after an unsuccessful search for rails across from the Volta "Swan Pond."
