Double-counted Cormorants Trip Report 2025

American Robin at Vasona Lake

The Double-counted Cormorants team (Carol Ann & David) returned this year for another 4-hour

photography Birdathon. We chose Vasona Lake County Park, a favorite location. We had beautiful

weather, and the park was not too crowded with people on a Wednesday morning.

We enjoyed watching birds go about their regular routines. Here’s a small sample of some of our

memorable sightings. American Robins foraged in the leaf litter under oaks. Swallows flew overhead in

pursuit of insects, and occasionally perched on a tree to rest and preen. Bufflehead were busy diving on

the lake, along with American Coots and some very vocal Pied-billed Grebes. Several Black-crowned

Night Herons stalked gophers in one meadow. In another meadow, a Red-tailed Hawk caught a gopher,

and flew to perch in a tree to dine. Halfway through his meal, the rest of the gopher fell off the branch.

He returned to the ground to retrieve it, and then flew to a different tree to finish.

There seemed to be many (territorial?) disagreements between different pairs of Canada Geese. One pair took up a position on the top of the footbridge, were followed there by another pair, and a commotion ensued. The Rock Pigeons seemed rather startled and put out that geese had taken over one of their favorite places.

Beside the lake, Rock Pigeons were courting and copulating. One family of Canada goslings grazed in a meadow, and then were led by their parents to swim in the lake. On the island, an adult Great Blue Heron flew off from a nest, and juveniles waited for a parent to return with a meal. A Double-crested Cormorant (our namesake species!) perched on a branch overhanging the lake, showing well the tufts (“crests”) of a breeding bird. A Bewick’s Wren foraged on the forest floor, entered a cavity in a fallen tree carrying food, and exited carrying a fecal sac. Nearby, a fledgling Dark-eyed Junco waited patiently, and was fed by a parent.

Our time ran out all too soon, and before we had completed the planned 2-mile route. We counted 46 species, and I photographed 31 of them. In addition to the birds, we also saw and photographed California Ground Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, and Western Fence Lizard. Our checklist can be viewed at https://ebird.org/checklist/S230330081. We spent a delightful morning birding, and are always pleased to help the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance raise funds for educational programs.

DeDUCKtions Trip Report 2025

Last Saturday I led my DeDUCKtions Birdathon team on a whirlwind tour from the East Hills to the Bay and then finally to the West Hills. This cross section of the county was fast paced and efficient compared to some of our previous routes, giving us access to a variety of habitats with fairly, short intervals of driving. Participants were Matthew Dodder, Kelly Dodder, Eric Goodill, Mary Ann Allan, Brooke Miller, Ashutosh Sinha, Ellyn Corey, Cathy Loewen, and Ally Romanow

We began at Spring Valley (Ed Levin) at 8:00 searching first for any Selasphorus Hummingbirds or Orioles at the large eucalyptus tree by the corral. We only heard one Selasphorus and it never appeared long enough for us to identify it, and found a pair of Bullock’s Orioles. We had good luck with the Lawrence’s Goldfinches, but the Phaiinopepla has been absent for about two weeks now and so didn’t appear for us. A pair of Golden Eagles appeared over the ridge and one White-tailed Kite was hovering above the trees by the lake. Early on our visit, Eric spotted an Osprey flying away from the lake.

At Sandy Wool (Ed Levin) we continued to hear Lawrence’s Goldfinches near the hang glider landing area as well as Lark Sparrow. Our real target was the Grasshopper Sparrow along the steep trail to Agua Caliente. Luckily we found it long before the steepest part of the trail. We also had our season first Lazuli Bunting here. Obviously, the lake presented a few water birds like Black-crowned Night Heron for us as well as  Great-tailed Grackle.

After leaving this area, we drove to Don Edwards and birded the entrance road to the Environmental Education Center (EEC). There we found a treasure trove of new birds for our list including Semipalmated Plover and breeding-plumaged Dunlin. At the native garden beside the facility we scoped the ponds finding a few new species such as Forster’s Tern, Western Grebe and Canvasback

From there we made a quick stop at Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Ponds just long enough to add Caspian Tern, and our target Green Heron and Common Gallinule. Marsh Wren was easy to hear at this location as well, but since we had already found them at Don Edwards we were more excited by the House Sparrows that were hanging out along the channel.

A quick stop at the Kite Flying are of Shoreline Park provided distant views of Burrowing Owl, but we also found Western Kingbirds and a lingering Merlin that landed on a power tower above the kiosk—a spot I’ve often seen this species perch.

We birded both the clubhouse area and the Terminal Blvd section of Shoreline Lake. The Black Skimmers, Black Oystercatcher and Lesser Yellowlegs were all found but we did not locate the female Common Goldeneye. I wish we had had time to look at A1 more thoroughly, but we were getting quite tired by late afternoon and still had three stops to go.

Pichetti Ranch OSP was not very birdy, perhaps because of the cool temperatures and the slight drizzle we encountered. This didn’t seem to discourage the revelers at the picnic tables… In fact, much of the day was less active as far as birds than we had hoped, but we still managed to pick up a bird or three, namely Wild Turkey, Orange-crowned Warbler and Black-throated Gray Warbler.

At the nearby Lake View Picnic Area overlooking the Stevens Creek Reservoir we were not optimistic about finding our target since the water was so high and litter exposed shoreline was available. A careful scanning of the entire lake however gave us what we came for a Spotted Sandpiper!

Finally, just before our clock ran out, we caravanned to McClellan Ranch where our Black-chinned Hummingbird female, the bird that I had reported just a day earlier, put in a brief appearance at the feeder before streaking off again. Sadly, two birds we missed on our 10-hour effort eluded us completely. Today however, when I arrived at work and opened my car door the two birds mocked me with their familiar calls. Both Brown Creeper and Western Flycatcher just wanted to rub it in…

We ended up with 124 species, which was eleven more birds than last year. Mission accomplished!

Almaden Eagles Trip Report 2025

The Almaden Eagles team did our SCVBA Spring Birdathon on Friday, April 18. We are an all-women distributed team of eight participants in which each person takes her own part of the Almaden area and nearby vicinity to count. The start of our morning was under very cloudy overcast conditions which didn't begin to clear up until later in the day, not what we would have hoped or expected but we persevered anyway, and came up with a good collection of birds for the day. 

Birds seen and heard besides our local residents included a few lingering wintering birds (crowned sparrows, Hermit Thrush) - newly arrived spring migrants (orioles, flycatchers, vireos, etc) - 7 duck species - 6 woodpecker species - 5 swallow species - 5 finch species - 11 sparrow-types - 5 warblers - and more.

Here I want to acknowledge our team members with some of their unique birds seen during the day

JANNA PAUSER: Hicks Rd & most of the New Almaden area - Pileated Woodpecker - and later, Great Horned Owl, W. Screech Owl, Common Poorwill

AMANDA NEWLOVE: Mt Umunhum area & nearby vicinity - five warbler species including Black-throated Gray Warbler - Chipping Sparrow - 14 Band-tailed Pigeons

KIRSTEN HOLMQUIST: portion of Stile Ranch Trail including Horned Lark, Rufous-crowned Sparrow & Lark Sparrow - Calero Reservoir: Wilson's Snipe, White-tailed Kite, Caspian & Forster's Terns, and "rushing" Western and Clark's Grebes

MARION FARBER: Los Capitancillos Ponds - female Wood Duck with very young ducklings - Spotted Sandpiper (the only one for our day)

BROOKE MILLER : Calero Creek Trail & nearby vicinity - Lawrence's Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting (first one of  season)

BOBBIE BAKER: Los Alamitos Creek Trail from Mazzone to Camden bridge  a male Black-chinned Hummingbird (first one of season seen in this location) - Common Mergansers 

LINDA SULLIVAN: Almaden Lake & Water District - Linda gave us our "eagle" for the day - a Bald Eagle seen in both locations - also detailed sightings of the heron/egret nesting island - Vaux's and White-throated Swifts

ANN VERDI: portion of Guadalupe River Trail from Coleman Rd to the spillway - many N, Rough-winged Swallows seen around Coleman Rd where they nest underneath the Coleman Rd vehicle bridge - and 6 newly arrived Cliff Swallows beginning nesting activities under the Coleman pedestrian bridge - and then at least 5 House Sparrows in the bushes near the apartments (hey, they count too!)

We ended up with a total of 121 species for the day - the highest number for this all-women team. I want to thank all our team members for their efforts that day - especially during the gloomy overcast at the start of the day. Way to go, team!

Sawbuck Rangers Big Day Trip Report 2025

Yesterday (April 20), my intrepid Birdathon team of Eve, Liz, Jackie, and I ranged hither, thither and yon to find as many species as possible all day. I had a personal best day in: checklists (12), species(116) and distance walked while birding (>10 miles). 

My birding lesson of the day (aside from how amazing my team is, of course): I hadn't realized breeding Dunlin can have black bellies. That puzzled me for some time. 

When the whole tale was told, the Rangers found 140 species. With my promised Sawbuck-per-species and other donations from the team, we raised $1580 for the SCVBA's Education Program.

While truly recounting my team's odyssey would require Epic Greek Poetry, I will highlight a few finds from each of the locations scouted, without repeating species :-): 

Metcalf and Las Animas Roads: Western Screech Owl and about 30 California Quails (standing in the road, of course). 

Heintz Open Space: Purple Finch and California Thrasher.

Laguna Ave:  American Goldfinch and 5 Great Egrets.

Shannon Valley OSP: Hooded Oriole and Northern House Wren.

Dr. Gross ponds: Bullock's Oriole and Brewer's Blackbird. 

Coyote Valley OSP: Yellow-billed Magpie and American Kestrel.

Los Alamitos Creek Trail (Singer/McKean): Western Flycatcher and Band-tailed Pigeon.

Sanborn CP (entrance): MacGillivray's Warbler (!!!) and Cassin's Vireo.

Calero Reservoir: 29 Common Mergansers and a Virginia's Rail (HO, naturally).

Santa Teresa CP (BGJ Ranch): American Barn Owl.

Parkway Lakes: Golden Eagle and Gadwall.

Santa Teresa (Stile entrance) was visited 3 times: Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, Common Poorwill, and Great Horned Owl.

Bear Creek Redwoods Pond: Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Pygmy Nuthatch.

SCV Water District: Ring-necked Duck and Black-crowned Night Heron (they were scarce today, only 4 seen in all locations).

Calero Creek Trail (Harry Rd): Say's Phoebe and Lawrence's Goldfinch (HO).

Sanborn (John Nicholas): Pacific Wren and Black-headed Grosbeak.

Shoreline kite flying area: Burrowing Owl and Savannah Sparrow

Shoreline Park (lake); Lesser Yellowlegs and around 50(!) Black Skimmers. 

Sanborn (Lake Ranch Res): Wood duck and Pileated Woodpecker.

Casey Forebay: Marsh Wren and a ton of Barn Swallows. 

One of the ranger's backyard: Vaux's Swift.

PA Baylands: 9(!) Whimbrels at the boat launch and a huge number of Marbled Godwit in the distance. 

Sunnyvale Shopping Center: Mitred Parakeet.

Emily Renzel: Common Gallinule and White-tailed Kite

Quack Pack Trip Report 2025

Today, the Quack Pack Birdathon team visited Palo Alto Baylands.  Our best birds were 2 Ridgway's Rails copulating, 1 American Kestrel near the Lucy Evans Nature Center, 1 male Bullock's Oriole near the Palo Alto Treatment Plant, and 2 Osprey flying overhead.  In total, we had 50 species in 4 hours.  There's still time to support this team and/or to support or join another team.  All donations raised go to support SCVBA’s education programs including our Wetlands Discovery Program in which we teach elementary school children all about the importance of our wetlands with classroom and in-the field education.

Here's our ebird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S226426518

Hot Spotters Trip Report 2025

The Hot Spotters, the second of my four Birdathon teams this year, ventured out Saturday morning (April 12) for a 4-hour, three destination tour. Team members included Carolyn Straub, Steve McHenry, Daniel Whol, Allison Morantz, Joan Loney, Amanda Newlove, Christopher Klein, Kelly “Cricket” Dodder, and myself. We also had a visiting birder from New York who tagged along for a while and got several lifers!

We began at Ed Levin’s Spring Valley section to search for continuing birds like the Phainopepla, Lawrence’s Goldfinch as well as expected birds like Chipping Sparrow, Golden Eagle, Rufous Hummingbird. We were quite happy to find our FOS Ash-throated Flycatcher and a continuing Says Phoebe. At least two Western Kingbirds were present near the picnic area and tons of Tree Swallows.

Next we stopped in briefly at the Dog Run in the Sandy Wool portion of Ed Levin. Among the new birds were a single Lark Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle and at least 5 Grasshopper Sparrows that were low enough on the Agua Caliente hill trail to make it feasible for our limited time. No Lazuli Buntings or Rufous-crowned Sparrows were heard from our low listening post beside the dog run.

Finally, we drove 20 minutes or so to reach the Don Edwards EEC. There we were able to get a number of birds unlikely at the previous two stops. Namely, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Semipalmated Plover, a single Snowy Plover, tons of Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, Ruddy Duck, and Western Grebes that we scoped in A18 from the corner of the Native Garden. As luck would have it, we also heard a Virginia Rail in the slough beside the entrance road.

We ended up with a very satisfactory 99 species but missed some obvious birds. Perhaps the Subspecies trip in a few weeks will correct that but they will be using a different route. 

Thank you to everyone who pledged their support for our team. Your donations will go directly (and entirely) to our Education Program so we can continue to inspire young people to care about birds and learn how to protect it for the future.

The complete trip report can be found here:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/350320

Subspecies Trip Report 2025

Yesterday, my fourth and final Birdathon team ventured out on its 4-hour effort. The Subspecies consisted of Andrew Melnick, Liz Frith, Jim Dehnert, Christopher Klein, Kelly and Matthew Dodder. Ally Romanow and Sue Pelmulder had intended to be with us but last minute conflicts that prevented them from joining the birding portion. Many others supported our team (and SCVBA) through their sponsorships, and for that we are grateful!

The team was faced with cool and drizzly weather—a far cry from the brilliant day before or the sunny warmth of today. But we did not let this get us down. We still found many of our targets but had some embarrassing misses on our trip list.

We began at the Stile Ranch trailhead leading up to Santa Teresa County Park. Our targets were obvious, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Horned Lark. We managed to find all of them despite the drizzle, but we were never actually able to view the Grasshopper Sparrows. We had a tiny and intriguing Hummingbird zip past us on the switchback portion of the trail, and while we were tempted to call it a Calliope Hummingbird, we lacked enough evidence to add it to our list.

After returning to the gravel lot, we headed toward Harry Road along the Calero Creek Trail. We continued to hear Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Lazuli Buntings and Wrentit the entire length of the trail until we crossed the dry creek and passed through the orchard section. There we added Ash-throated Flycatcher and a single Wood Duck flying high overhead. When we reached the wooded creek section, we added Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Song Sparrow and other expected species. Oddly, we had no Western Flycatchers here or anywhere the entire day. But we did get our first-of-season Swainson’s Thrush. Heading back to the cars we added Blue-gray Flycatcher and White-throated Swift.

Our final stop was at the Calero Reservoir boat launch. We quickly added a number of waterbirds including Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe, and Pied-billed Grebe. We were also treated to views of two different Bald Eagles (one adult, and one immature), White-tailed Kite, and Yellow Warbler. Our biggest surprise was when we walked the trail along the north edge of the lake leading from the boat ramp toward the east end. Our group was slightly stretched out, but not so much that they missed my repeated scream “LEAST BITTERN! LEAST BITTERN!! LEAST BITTERN!!!” Everyone got a look at the bird as it lifted out of the reeds and took off toward the east end of the reeds. From my observation, it struck me as a male—a small dark-winged bittern with golden coverts and a very dark back with white streaks and greenish legs. Everyone echoed the observations and we were pretty confident this was the best bird of the day. After scanning the shore and not finding the bird again, we returned to the parking area taking a slightly different route—picking up a tick or two… I was in front of the group when I heard the folks behind me yell out BITTERN as it flew up and east along the water. This “second" bird was farther west than the initial bird and made us consider the possibility that it was actually two individuals. Something to look for. It would be wonderful to have them breeding in the county again!

We ended the day with 86 species (pending final checklist review)

As far as embarrassing misses. Rock Pigeon, American Robin, Western Flycatcher and probably a bunch more…. Oh well. 

Thank you to all my teammates and to our sponsors.

Wrong Terns Trip Report 2025

The Wrong Terns went out for a morning of birding today (April 23) to McClellan Ranch, Blackberry Farm, and Linda Vista Park. Highlights of the event included seeing a territorial dispute between a pair of adult and juvenile HOODED ORIOLES at Blackberry Farm, nesting PYGMY NUTHATCHES, MALLARD ducklings in Stevens Creek, and a WHITE-TAILED KITE soaring high above the preserve. We ended the day with lunch at the McClellan feeders, and 43 species for our 4 hours of birding.

eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S228608771 

You can support the Wrong Terns' fundraising efforts here: https://scvas.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/scvas/campaignTeam.jsp?campaignId=194&teamId=142&. Funds raised in the SCVBA Birdathon go to fund our education programs in Santa Clara County, allowing us to offer our programming for free to low-income schools, cover material costs for programs like owl pellet dissections, and offer schools bus funding support (bus funding is the biggest hurdle preventing schools from providing field trips to students).

Birdcassos Trip Report 2025

April 5, 2025

The art-based Birdathon team. Composed of Matthew Dodder, Leena Khanzodé, and Shweta Shidhore.

For the fifth year the Birdcassos set out to celebrate the beauty andl diversity of birds in our area through painting and drawing. We ended up raising a significant amount for the SCVBA Education Program and donations are still trickling in. As always, all skill levels were welcome and stylistic approach was completely open. We began at Shoreline Lake drawing together. The air was warm and the sky a brilliant blue! The lake was showing signs of spring with a smooth surface that echoed the sounds of Black Skimmers and Forster’s Terns busying for the nesting season. After a couple of hours of rough sketching, we separated to continue drawing at home or our backyards. The artwork created by our artists is collected in the pdf linked below. Enjoy!

Loong Trip Report

This year, we proudly formed the first Chinese Birdathon team: the Loong (Chinese dragon) Team 🐉! Our team name carries deep meaning, celebrating the pride of the Chines community and our reverence and love for nature.

On the morning of April 28th, we spent four hours at Overfelt Garden for the Birdathon. We recorded 32 bird species, including rarer sightings like the Hooded Oriole and Nashville Warbler.

Simultaneously, our team’s birding expert, Phil, recorded 48 species at Ogier Ponds, including the rarely-seen Solitary Sandpiper, significantly boosting our Birdathon records. In total, we documented 56 species.

As a well-known Chinese saying goes, “Heroes come from the youth.” Despite having only seven months of birdwatching experience, our pupil birder Kaiting has rapidly honed his birding skills, inspiring his mom to become a birding enthusiast. His keen eyes and ears led to the discovery of the rarest bird we saw on this trip. Kaiting is indeed a young birding prodigy! We spent at least 20 minutes under a sun-dappled tree, finding almost ten species including Nashville Warbler, which added to our life lists.

While walking along, we spotted a beautiful golden bird perched atop a tree ahead. Everyone exclaimed in surprise as it turned out to be a male Hooded Oriole, shining brilliantly in the sunlight. Although we had seen a female Hooded Oriole earlier, it hid among the foliage. In contrast, this male posed for us to take plenty of photos. After a while, a red-headed Acorn Woodpecker also flew to the top of the tree, making a striking pair with the bright oriole.

From the lake came the loud calls of the Pied-billed Grebe while Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Violet-green Swallows were busy foraging—a Violet-green Swallow with its beautiful metallic feathers streaked by like lightning. Besides birdwatching, our plant expert, Ping Li, introduced us to many native plants. We also took the opportunity to appreciate Chinese architecture. In front of the “One World, One Family”; archway at Overfelt Garden, an elderly Chinese man who regularly exercises there took a group photo for us.

Through this Birdathon, we enjoyed unforgettable birdwatching experiences and have raised $570.18 in donations for bird conservation efforts. Let’s hope for more participation and contributions in next year’s Birdathon!

Loong Team! 🐉 Soar like a dragon in the sky 🐉, you’re amazing!

Double-counted Cormorants Trip Report 2024

18 April 2024

7:46 – 11:46am

This year was our second time participating in Birdathon. We decided to create our own team, the Double-counted Cormorants, and do a 4-hour photography Birdathon, to see how many species we could count and photograph in a four-hour period. We considered visiting multiple sites to see a wider variety of species, but in the end decided to stick with a single location, Shoreline Lake, to avoid using any of our time driving around.

Upon arrival, we saw our first bird before even getting out of the car – a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk atop a street light, enjoying a breakfast of squirrel.

While we didn’t see any unexpected species, we did find a good variety of birds – from geese, ducks, grebes, coots, shorebirds, gulls, skimmers, terns, egrets, and herons on the water; to swallows, finches, sparrows, and others in the surrounding shoreline areas.

Although we did see some still remaining “winter“ species, such as White-crowned Sparrow and Golden- crowned Sparrow, many signs that the breeding season has begun were evident. Black Skimmers were back on the island. There were several families of Canada Geese with goslings. Some of the Eared Grebes were in their breeding plumage. Many songbirds were singing. A pair of Western Bluebirds and a pair of Tree Swallows seemed to be interested in the same nesting site.

We were very happy to see some of our namesake species, the Double-crested Cormorant. They’re a favorite photography subject of mine, with their elegant black plumage and bright teal blue eyes.

When our time ran out, we had counted 45 species, and I had photographed 42 of them. In addition to the birds, we also saw and photographed Black-tailed Jackrabbit, California Ground Squirrel, and Gray Squirrel. Our full checklist can be viewed at https://ebird.org/checklist/S169750106. We had a fabulous morning of birding, and we’re very pleased that we could help SCVAS raise funds for the abundance of programs they offer to educate our region’s diverse population about the importance of preserving open spaces for both wildlife and our own well-being.

All photos by Carol Ann Krug Graves

Los Gatos Birdwatcher Trip Report 2024

Led my (Lisa Meyers) "Los Gatos Birdwatcher" SCVAS Birdathon team this morning. It was a 4 hour adventure. We spent the first two hours on the Los Gatos Creek Trail south of the Main Street Bridge. While we hoped for an American Dipper we never saw one. While here we did watch nest building NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. CEDAR WAXWINGS were also here in numbers. One STELLER JAY was the only jay we found all morning. We did have a few WARBLING VIREOS in view and singing. All in all it was rather quiet along the creek.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S169538589

We then moved over to Vasona County Park. We did not find anything un-expected and added 30 new species to our list including a SPOTTED SANDPIPER working its way along the shore. A GREEN HERON flew by and we also watched an AMERICAN COOT fly the distance of the reservoir. Ya don't see that everyday. An ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was feeding a chick in the nest. The chick fully feathered actually fledged before our eyes. We found a WILSON'S WARBLER high in an oak and only one YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER today. One of the GREAT-HORNED OWLS was clearly in view as it sat in the eucalyptus above the camp host. The goslings are around now following their parents. We ended with 57 species.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S169539587

We had 16 participants out there today. The youngest in 3rd grade and the oldest probably has a grandchild in 3rd grade. A great group to share sightings and knowledge amongst each other and those passing by. Letting "civilians" look through a scope at a great bird is always fun.

Thank you to all supporting our efforts for SCVAS.

Weathered Wanderers Trip Report 2024

Below is a belated summary of a Sunday 4/21/2024 Big Day that Richard Jeffers and I (Mike Rogers) did.

We started out at 3:05am at the Mountain View Forebay, hoping to get our list started with birds that are vocal at night. We did hear 2 VIRGINIA RAILS and a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, but not much else of note. Likewise, a stop at the Palo Alto estuary added a BARN OWL and the day's only LONG-BILLED CURLEW, but not the hoped for Short-billed Dowitcher or Ridgway's Rail. A check of Alviso turned up the day's only NORTHERN PINTAIL and a pair of CINNAMON TEAL, as well as a few expected shorebirds.

Heading over Quimby Road to Grant Ranch, we added WESTERN SCREECH-OWL and several GREAT HORNED OWLS as well as a few early vocalizing songbirds. A stop at the pullout at mile 13.9 above Grant Lake just before 6am added more species, including a heard-only COMMON POORWILL. A stop at milepost 15.5 added one of only two HERMIT THRUSHES on the day, as well as more morning bird song.

Day birding began in earnest at Smith Creek at 6:14am. A very vocal RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH upslope of the fire station was a surprise and our only one of the day. Otherwise, migration was modest and we worked for over 2.5 hours to find many of the expected less common migrants, including 2 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS (both found by their calls), 1 WESTERN FLYCATCHER, 4 WARBLING and 1 CASSIN'S VIREOs, 8 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 2 singing NASHVILLE WARBLERS, 14 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 1 singing BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, 4 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, 2+ singing HERMIT WARBLERS, 3 WILSON'S WARBLERS, 3 WESTERN TANAGERS, and 4 LAZULI BUNTINGS. Other notable birds included a singing CHIPPING SPARROW, a female PHAINOPEPLA, and a male HOODED ORIOLE.

Grant Lake had limited diversity and no eagles, but PIED-BILLED GREBES and AMERICAN COOTS already had precocial young. We found no wigeon, a species we missed the whole day for the first time in over two decades of spring big days! The ranch house area was also pretty quiet, but added 2 more WESTERN FLYCATCHERS, our first WESTERN KINGBIRDS, and a SELASPHORUS HUMMINGBIRD, but no Vermilion Flycatcher like last year. A goldfinch flock near the wishing well sounded like it held a Lawrence's Goldfinch, but we could only find 6 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and 5 PINE SISKINS among the LESSER GOLDFINCHES.

Lake Cunningham added 4 GREEN HERONS, 3 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, at least 10 GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES, and an EARED GREBE, but we found all these species again later in the day. A quick stop at the Rosicrucian Museum on the way to the bay turned up a male BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD perched on the telephone wires and a flock of 40 CEDAR WAXWINGS (we had seen a single waxwing earlier at Smith Creek).

Arriving at the bay, the Gold Street ponds provided the only SPOTTED SANDPIPER for our day. Alviso Slough behind the cannery had 6 LESSER SCAUP. Precocial young BLACK-NECKED STILTS were already in evidence along the EEC entrance road. Scoping ponds A16 and A18 from the EEC didn't turn up much besides impenetrable heat haze. We ended up with only Ring-billed and California Gulls on the day (combined with no lingering wintering geese, this significantly impacted our species total).

The Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant/Pond A4 turned up 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS (no Tropical) and 2 COMMON GALLINULES but again a low diversity of wintering waterfowl. A flock of 20 all-white pigeons looked out of place flying over Pond A4. Things got better when we circled the Mountain View Forebay and we added a pair of SURF SCOTERS and 13 BLACK SKIMMERS on Shoreline Lake, 5 CANVASBACKS, 2 GREATER SCAUP, and a BUFFLEHEAD on Pond A1, and a MARBLED GODWIT and 2 DUNLIN on Charleston Slough.

A stop at the Emily Renzel wetlands on the way to the Palo Alto Baylands added the continuing HARRIS'S SPARROW. Shorebirds were already pretty far out at the boat launch at the estuary mouth, but we added our first BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (4) and a WHIMBREL for the day. And at 4:30pm, we were both scoping the bay edge when a RED-THROATED LOON flew by heading north just outside the yacht harbor mouth. A completely unexpected bird and the latest I've ever seen on an SCL county spring big day (the other April record being from 19 Apr 2008)!

Digiscoped Spotted Sandpiper

After this, we headed to the south county, stopping along Hellyer Avenue to add SAY'S PHOEBE. Ogier Ponds did produce the SOLITARY SANDPIPER, but not the hoped for kingfisher, Wood Duck, or Osprey. A flock of 13 BUFFLEHEADS was a surprise though! Palm Avenue added 2 YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES and a KESTREL; both species were also along West Laguna Ave as well. At 7:11pm, we arrived at the Calero boat launch and soon added 5 PURPLE MARTINS (2 males), our first CLARK'S GREBES, but no Osprey or eagles.

We finished our day at the Stile Ranch trailhead, finally catching up with RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS and hearing two singing HORNED LARKS as a bonus! Heading back home we were treated to another BARN OWL at 8:14pm.

All-in-all we had lots of misses, but ended up with 148 species, 4 of which I have not found on previous Santa Clara County April Big Days (Solitary Sandpiper, Purple Martin, Phainopepla, and Harris's Sparrow). As noted above, American Wigeon was missed for the first time ever. Hutton's Vireo I've only missed once before, but was presumably missed this year largely because we spent the morning in the Diablo Range instead of along Skyline and at Stevens Creek County Park, as in most past years. Conversely, I've missed Ruby-crowned Kinglet the last 11 years, but the odds should have been better at Smith Creek, where I can normally find one at this time of year. And definitely we need to find a better/more accessible place for lingering gulls!

Bobettes Trip Report 2024

On the cool, breezy, mostly sunny, morning of April 6 at 8:30 AM, Donna Meyer and Linda Sue Johnson found parking a challenge at Coast Casey Forebay along Terminal Blvd. We eventually found parking on San Antonio 2+ blocks away. As we walked toward the Forebay, we immediately saw and heard American Crows cawing, CA Gulls swooping, Dark-eyed Juncos socializing, Anna’s Hummingbirds buzzing each other and heard the metallic chink of CA Towhees. Barn Swallows were swooping Coast Casey Forebay and the paved walk way. We raised our binoculars to see the following water birds feeding in the Forebay: Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Northern Shovelers, American Coots, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canada Geese, Long-billed (?) and Short-billed Dowitchers, Green-winged Teals and only 2 Black-necked Stilts.

Darting in and out of the tall grasses on both sides of the paved walkway leading to the Pump House were White-crowned and Gold-crowned Sparrows. 2 Song Sparrows sang and were visible behind the fence; one handsome bright red male House Sparrow boldly sat atop the fence. A grumpy Northern Mockingbird loudly sang its imitative phrases. Hunched in the tall grasses around the seasonal pond west of the walk was a Black-crowned Night Heron and swimming were a pair of Gadwalls.

There were surprisingly few birds in the slough: a Mallard pair, and several American Coots. We were to learn why in a few minutes.

A very Low Tide provided a grand feasting area in the exposed mud flats and edges for hundreds, maybe thousands, of water birds in view from the wooden deck, darting rapidly, wildly in what appeared to be total confusion: American Avocet, (Black-necked Stilts,) Marbled Godwit, Willets, (Green-winged Teal), Cinnamon Teal, (Long-billed?) and (Short-billed Dowitchers), Dunlin, (Snowy and Great Egrets.) There were probably more species in the undulating turmoil!

Continuing East around Shoreline in the swampy area we (along with Bob found 2 Lesser Yellow-legs, saw/hard (with Bob Reiling+scope) more Marsh Wrens, (Short-billed Dowitchers) and heard only Common Yellowthroat. Forrester Terns; (CA Gulls) flew over-head. (In A1 more Forrester Terns rested on posts.) At Shoreline Lake: one Ring-billed Gull rested on wooden pier while Ruddy Duck, Western Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe dove and fished. In tree at north side of lake, 2 Red-tailed Hawks squabbled over a roost in same tree. Killdeer were the last new species we spotted before we departed via Coast Casey Forebay.

We had saved an hour to explore a different habitat at CUESTA PARK where we spotted Mourning Doves, (more Dark-eyed Juncos), Black Phoebe, American Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bushtits, (and another Red-tailed Hawk.)

We, The Bobettes, are happy to contribute to the fund-raising for children’s learning and experiencing the wonder of Birds and Wetlands.

~Donna Meyer and Linda Sue Johnson

Lean Green Birding Machine Trip Report 2024

At 7 am on Wednesday, April 24, three intrepid members of the Lean Green Birding Machine left my front door to embark on a day-long two-wheeled birding expedition. 35 1/2 miles, 9 1/2 hours, and 93 species of birds later, we concluded a very successful and very satisfying outing. Contributions to honor our efforts and benefit the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society’s educational programs for kids can be made here: https://scvas.app.neoncrm.com/campaignTeam.jsp?campaignId=157&teamId=112&

The Lean Green Birding Machine (originally the Mean Green Birding Machine when the team had more people) has been participating in the SCVAS spring birdathon for at least a dozen years. This year after some unfortunate personal issues we were down to just three intrepid cyclists — long-time LGBMers Bill Walker and myself, and new recruit Winnie Homer-Smith. In past years we've opted for the 4-hour category, but it's always felt a bit rushed. This year we decided to switch to the new 10-hour category, allowing us to cover a bit more territory, stop for lunch, and in general feel less pressure to move on from a good bird (or a possible sighting). It was an excellent decision.

Starting at my house at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio, we started off the day in nearby Rancho with the first of two GREAT HORNED OWL nests, and proceeded to exhaustively cover the bike-accessible trails at Rancho. By 8:30 we had a solid 40, highlighted by two different Rails in the "Rancho wetlands" — SORA and VIRGINIA RAIL. To top it off, we actually saw the Sora for the first time at this location. We did have some misses (Black-headed Grosbeak), but in general were off to a good start. Nearby Gate of Heaven Cemetery added COMMON MERGANSER and KILLDEER, though the Ring-necked Duck present two days earlier had gone.

SCVAS HQ at McClellan Ranch Nature Preserve added several more species, including the resident WESTERN SCREECH-OWL, but neither the hoped-for White-throated Sparrow nor a Hooded Oriole made an appearance. On through Blackberry Farm and the Stocklmeir property, and then we had a bit of a ride to our next stop, Cuesta Park, where we quickly found our target PYGMY NUTHATCH. A short jaunt from there puts us on the Stevens Creek Trail, headed for the Bay. Along the way we added another 17 species, most notably a WESTERN KINGBIRD.

It was now noon, so we rewarded ourselves with a nice lunch at the Shoreline Cafe. It would have been nice if a Brewer's Blackbird had joined us at our table, as they often do, because that was one of the common species we never did lay eyes on during the day (Great Blue Heron was another). After lunch, Shoreline Park and Lake added more to the list. The highlight was watching the largest squadron of BLACK SKIMMERS we'd ever seen flying around.

After surveying the Charleston Slough shorebirds from the platform (with time saved thanks to Pete Dunten letting us know we wouldn't find any Least Sandpipers among the thousands of WESTERN SANDPIPERS, thanks Pete!), the Adobe Creek Trail was particularly productive. Not only did we pick up some DUNLIN farther out in Charleston Slough, but in Adobe Creek itself we added both AMERICAN WHITE and BROWN PELICANS, a lone NORTHERN PINTAIL, three CINNAMON TEAL, and last but not last a RED-THROATED LOON (or "Red-throated Diver" as Apple's Brit-speaking Photo ID software would have it).

In the Palo Alto Baylands we finally found our only pair of GREEN-WINGED TEAL along with a group of WHIMBREL, and our only crowned sparrow, a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. The final spot on our agenda was the vagrant stakeout at the north end of the Emily Renzel Wetlands. At first we came up empty, but while we searched were rewarded with our first BUSHTITS for the day. But then the cry came from Bill — "There it is!" And so, very satisfyingly, our 93rd and final bird for the day showed himself — a HARRIS'S SPARROW. As with the Loon and several earlier sightings, though none of us had brought an actual camera, my iPhone 15 ProMax with its 5x optical zoom lens produced quite satisfactory results, with a lot lighter load!

The other two members of the team seemed eager to keep searching for species we had missed like Brewer's Blackbird, but there was no chance we were going to reach 100 species, and having that be our final species instead of the Harris's seemed way too anticlimactic to me. So instead we pretty much made a beeline back to Cupertino. When we started, I think we all thought the "10-hour" time limit was way more than we'd need or want, but as it turned out it was a little over 9 1/2 hours by the time we returned to the start for a beer and a ceremonial listening to Grant Hoyt's epic birdathon song, "One More Bird". "One more bird, one more bird! Don't even have to see it, you can count it if it's heard!"

Join us next year, but in the meantime, if you were inspired by our efforts, we welcome and encourage contributions to both honor our birdathon and support the educational programs of SCVAS, which provide nature study opportunities for under-funded schools who can't afford to pay for such enrichment programs.

Run for the Hills! Trip Report 2024

Orange-crowned Warbler: Teresa Cheng

Today, Edward Rooks and I led a non-traditional birdathon team "Run for the Hills".  Instead of trying to find the most birds possible, we birded Woods Rd in Almaden Quicksilver hoping for Black-throated Gray Warblers.  Our favorite bird of the day ended up being a Pileated Woodpecker near the parking lot. We could hear him hammering on a tree a little ways off and, at one point, the bird flew over our heads.  Orange-crowned Warblers and Hutton's Vireos were calling all along the trail.  We had at least 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers as well.  As far as the Black-throated Gray Warblers, we heard many but we're only able to get our eyes on one or two.  Here's our complete checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S170135806

Almaden Eagles Trip Report 2024

On Friday, April 19, the Almaden Eagles team did our annual Spring Birdathon. We are an all-woman team and do our counting using the "distributed" option with each member selecting their own area and/or place to count at their own time and pace. This year's team includes Janna Pauser, Kirsten Holmquist, Marion Farber, Linda Sullivan, Bobbie Baker and Ann Verdi.

Cedar Waxwings: Janna Pauser

We ended up with a total of 114 species this year. Rather than go through a long list of birds seen and heard, I just want to highlight special birds seen by each team member.

Two of the team members cover fairly large areas, so I want to start with them first:

Black-throated Gray Warbler: Jann Pauser

Janna Pauser covers most of the Almaden area including Hicks and Alamitos Roads and always comes up with a substantial number of species seen and heard, including ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, CASSIN'S VIREO and more.. This year she had a PHAINOPEPLA at Casa Grande in New Almaden, Also, in the early evening she got COMMON POORWILL on the road leading up to IBM.

Kirsten Holmquist covers much of the area south of Almaden proper - part of Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa (ROCK WREN, WHITE-TAILED KITE), Calero Reservoir (OSPREY, 4 grebe species including EARED GREBE, 5 swallow species including BARN and CLIFF, and two tern species (CASPIAN and FORSTER'S). At Canada del Oro her finds included OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, W. WOOD-PEWEE, W. FLYCATCHER, W. KINGBIRD and HUTtON'S VIREO. In Coyote Valley, she added YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE and YELLOW WARBLER.

Linda Sullivan joined us this year to cover the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Guadalupe Oak Grove Park. Unfortunately the Water District had decided to drain the entire main pond and do maintenance on the smaller mitigation pond at this time - so what to do? As a true birder, Linda decided to go ahead with it anyway, and somehow the birding god (goddess) looked down on her and sent a magnificent adult BALD EAGLE to survey the situation thereby causing the workmen to stop what they were doing to see what was going on.

Linda also joined others, including Janna, to check Santa Teresa later in the day to view some of the birds there - LAZULI BUNTING, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, and also found a GOLDEN EAGLE. So that makes for a two eagle day for the Almaden Eagle team.

Marion Farber checked the Los Capitancillos Ponds again this year, and happily has reported that a female WOOD DUCK is now caring for her young brood in the easternmost pond west of Meridian again.

Bobbie Baker saw the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE  at Almaden Lake who seems to want to hang on here a while longer. We were hoping this goose would still be here, and so it was.

Ann Verdi counted at the Greystone Park and was able to come up with a furtive RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH in the tall evergreen trees there - the only one seen for our day.

So - there you have it - another successful and somewhat unique day for our annual Birdathon. We hope to try it again next year.

The DeDUCKtions Trip Report 2024

The DeDUCKtions set out on our 10-hour Birdathon effort today. The team comprised of Liz Frith, Mary Ann Allan, Pauline Marchon, Emily Kim, Kelly Dodder and Matthew Dodder. We met at Dodder Abbey in Mountain View and proceeded to Ed Levin County Park, Don Edwards EEC, Sunnyvale WPCP, Emily Renzel Wetlands, Stevens Creek Park, and McClellan Ranch. Highlights were as follows.

Dodder Abbey:

Rufous Hummingbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Ed Levin Sandy Wool/ Elm Area:

Grasshopper Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, and Say’s Phoebe on the hillside trail leading to the Sycamore Grove. The hike had completely dried out since last weekend, but at Sycamore Grove we decided to turn around. We bumped into friends Sheila Raymond and Mr. Melnick who informed us of a Western Kingbird we had missed on our way up. We found it later high on the hillside on the barbed wire fence above the hang glider landing strip. A singing White-throated Sparrow was in the Elm Area and stood for pictures near the parking lot.

Ed Levin Spring Valley Area:

Golden Eagle perched high on the hillside across the road. We had multiple Selasphorus Hummingbirds during our visit to the East Hills, but we had our first really good look at Rufous Hummingbird in the flowering eucalyptus above the horse training area. A White-tailed Kite and a Cooper’s Hawk presented themselves too.

Don Edwards EEC:

We picked up most of our Shorebirds here, but also had a Bonaparte’s Gull, and an Iceland Gull scoped from the corner of the Butterfly Garden. A small group of Greater Scaup was found in the distant pond. Three Barn Owls were seen as well.

Sunnyvale WPCP:

We searched for the wintering Tropical Kingbird and came up short, but we had a Lesser Scaup, another Western Kingbird as well as several Common Gallinule. We never did see Green Heron, sigh….

Emily Renzel Wetlands:

We made this detour of the sole purpose of finding the Harris’s Sparrow, which was briefly visible and has become so completely handsome since we last saw it! So much black on its face and snow white belly. Its distinctive call clued us to its presence and with some patience it revealed itself.

Stevens Creek Park (various):

We picked up a few species here, but not as many as we’d hoped. Still, seeing Black-headed Grosbeak, and Western Tanager bathing in the creek was wonderful.

McClellan Ranch:

Since I bird this place all the time, we had some expectations. The late afternoon - early evening activity is quite different, so it took us a while to get our remaining targets. One by one we located Western Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and finally Black-chinned Hummingbird (reported earlier by Eve Meier). We also had a large number of Cedar Waxwings near the parking lot.

We missed some painfully easy birds, but that’s the way it works when you’re working against the clock and all you’re eating is chocolate-mint pretzels.

We ended up with at least 112 species (tentatively). https://ebird.org/tripreport/223705

Subspecies Report 2024

Yesterday, my last Birdathon team, the Subspecies, ventured out on a four hour effort. We began at Picchetti Ranch OSP at 8:00, and ended at noon at McClellan Ranch. The team comprised of Carolyn Straub, Steve McHenry, Mike Armer, Ryan Ludman, Amanda Newlove, Christopher Klein, Fanghong Chen, and Matthew Dodder. We spent a lot of time on bird songs, of which there were many to be heard. 

At Picchetti Ranch OSP we hiked to the seasonal pond finding a family of Mallards and most exciting was a pair of Wood Ducks. As we continued toward the boundary and into the woods we found Ash-throated Flycatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Further along the trail, we heard Western Tanager and Western Wood-Pewee in the valley below us.

Next we went to the Lakeshore Picnic Area to scan the water and sky. We found the Spotted Sandpiper along the shore before the boat ramp. Later, we saw a second Spotted Sandpiper in the cove blow the road. Our most fortunate discovery here was a Green Heron flying along the far edge of the reservoir toward the north end of the reservoir. 

At the Stevens Creek Reservoir Spillway (below the dam), we added our first Song Sparrow, Bushtit, and had exceptional looks at Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Finally at the McClellan Ranch, we picked up a few common birds at the feeders such as Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown-headed Cowbird and California Towhee. We spent some time watching the salvia flowers outside the conference room and were rewarded with excellent views of the female Black-chinned Hummingbird.

We ended at lunch quite satisfied with our haul of 56 species. Trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/230426

We also raised nearly $2000 for the SCVAS Education program. Thank you to all of our excellent team members, and all our generous donors!

Winging It Trip Report 2024

Canada Goose Family: Mary Ann Robertson

Our Birdathon team, Winging It, birded at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto. It was a beautiful, calm, sunny morning. In the four hours, we saw and heard 52 species, including: a Lazuli Bunting; many Ash-throated Flycatchers and House Wrens; two Western Kingbirds; several Wilson's Warblers and a Hutton's Vireo calling from creekside trees; many Tree and Violet-green Swallows; and a lonely White-crowned Sparrow. Some of us also heard a Western Tanager. 

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