Double-Counted Cormorants 2026

Male Western Bluebird: Carol Ann Krug Graves

The Double-counted Cormorants Team (Carol Ann & David) had wonderful weather for our April morning Birdathon at Vasona Lake County Park. We were greeted in the parking lot by a Canada Goose before we could even get out of the car, and shortly after that, by a beautiful Western Bluebird posing on a sign post. The first Black-crowned Night Heron that we saw looked very sleepy, like he’d had a late night.

Great Blue Heron and chicks: Carol Ann Krug Graves

There were many signs of the season – male Ruddy Ducks in breeding plumage with bright blue bills; courting Pied-billed Grebes; a female Western Bluebird flying off with a downy white feather (perhaps from a duck or goose?), presumably to add to her nest; a Green Heron sitting on a nest, in the same location where we’ve seen them nest and fledge young since 2020; a Canada Goose who had nested at the top of the dam (four eggs were visible in the nest; the goslings may have a bit of a leap after they hatch); and a Great Blue Heron parent arriving on the island to feed young nestlings. We enjoyed all these sights while immersed in a soundscape f illed with many singing Bewick’s Wrens, Song Sparrows, House Finches, and others.

Bald Eagles: Carol Ann Krug Graves

Additional highlights include a Green Heron who was hunting dragonflies (we didn’t see him catch any); two Bald Eagles, sometimes perched in their usual redwood and other times flying over the lake (Are they a pair? It would be wonderful if they nested at Vasona! The larger of the two looks not quite adult, since some dark plumage remains at the crown); and a Pied-billed Grebe who caught a crayfish (it doesn’t look easy to swallow such prey).

Four hours fly by quickly when there is a hard deadline, and there are many birds to see, count, and photograph. In total, we observed 51 species (https://ebird.org/checklist/S319348055), and I photographed 33 species of birds, as well as California Ground Squirrel, Eastern Fox Squirrel, Western Fence Lizard, and Red-eared Slider.

Los Condors

Los Conors Birdathon Team

March 30

We are a crew, newer to birding - so this was the first year we participated in the Birdathon. It has been a rough past 3 months for our family, as we have had to adjust to varying challenges associated with our parents' health. The Birdathon presented an exciting opportunity to come together to participate in an event for birding, and for us to put aside the challenges for at least a couple hours. 

We are Los Condors - named for our love of the condor, a resilient bird species, and for part of our family history, which is from Peru. Our Birdathon took place in the evening of Sunday, May 3rd at Santa Teresa County Park.

Great blue heron by Rosalie Cárdenas

We saw 12 different bird species: 

• Crow

• Barn Swallow

• Turkey

• Northern House Wren

• Bushtit

• Spotted Towhee

• Red-tailed Hawk

• Anna's Hummingbird

• Great Blue Heron

• Scrubjay

• Western Bluebird

• Turkey Vulture

Coyote on the trail: Rosalie Cárdenas

We also encountered an unexpected sighting of two coyotes on the trail

Our collective memorable moment from that evening was having the Great Blue Heron fly over our heads to a smaller pond that was near the trail. We all thought a dinosaur was flying over us as the shade/shadow of the Heron flying over us was strikingly noticeable. We encountered the Great Blue Heron at the pond, staying there for about 20 minutes - noticing the slow, thoughtful pace of the Heron and the patience in waiting to strike for food (photo attached), before heading back to where we started.

Days later, our Birdathon was still a reflective experience. One of our team leads/my sister, Julie, shared two more encounters with Great Blue Herons in the following two days of our Birdathon. Beyond coincidence?  Meaningful?  Nature speaking? Yes, all of the above! Julie shared with us the symbolism of Great Blue Herons across different cultures - namely being symbolic of patience and stillness, self-reliance, and balance. It could not be overlooked and as the true team/family lead she has been, Julie's share reminded us all of the sacred space, patience, and reflective teachings that birding can offer. Amidst life's challenges, however big or small, there's always time for birding.

Until next year! 

Curious Clickadees

Curious Clickadees Team

May 2:

7 Curious Clickadees spent the Spring Birdathon in the wonderful East Hills of Santa Clara County, starting bright and early. 

We spent the early morning at Smith Creek Fire Station, where the birding was excellent right from the start. Northern Rough-winged Swallows were carrying nesting material, and the trail produced Cassin’s Vireos, noisy Steller’s Jays, and several beautiful Black-headed Grosbeaks singing from the trees. 

Ash-throated flycatcher: Vinayak Hebbagil

Later, at Joseph Grant County Park, colorful Lazuli Buntings greeted us immediately and remained one of the highlights throughout the trail. Spring migrants were active everywhere, with Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and Western Flycatchers all showing well. We also enjoyed watching a variety of seasonal behaviors: a pair of Northern Flickers mating, Bullock's Orioles feeding a fledged chick, a White-breasted Nuthatch catching insects and flying into its cavity nest to feed hungry mouths, and a female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher building a nest. A singing Orange-crowned Warbler on the trail clearly showed its rarely-seen orange crown. We finished the day with a juvenile Bald Eagle that soared over and gave great looks to the group. 

We ended the trip by sharing birding stories over lunch, capping off a nice spring morning.

The group totaled 62 unique species for the day (we had 57 at Joseph Grant County Park and 20 at Smith Creek).

Lazuli bunting by Vinayak Hebbagil

Cedar Nature

Lazuli Bunting by Luis Villablanca

April 25:

Cedar Nature recorded 103 species of birds.

Group 1
Charleston Slough, Shoreline Park and Palo Alto Baylands
8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Meeting Time: 8:00 AM
Meeting Point: trailhead near the corner of Terminal Blvd and San Antonio Rd, Mountain View, GPS: 37.433767, -122.099796
Leader: Joyce & Junyan

Group 2
Calero Creek Trail, Santa Teresa County Park & Coyote Valley OSP
8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Meeting Time: 8:00 AM
Meeting Point: trail head on Harry Rd: 37.207263, -121.823664
Leader: Susan

I started the day on a neighborhood street near the Webb Canyon entrance of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, where a silk oak tree often attracts many birds. Besides a large group of Band-tailed Pigeons often seen in this area, I saw Western Tanagers, Hooded Orioles, and one Black-headed Grosbeak. Western Flycatchers and Warbling Vireoswere heard. A Cooper's Hawk flew low overhead.

I then went to Calero Creek Trail. Although the Yellow-breasted Chat reported yesterday was not found, the birds were very active. A pair of House Wrens were visiting tree holes. Another pair were visiting a birdhouse from which babies’ calls could be heard. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flew over. Western Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, and Ash-throated Flycatchers were found. Along the hill, a pair of Lark Sparrows followed me. A pair of Lazuli Buntings kept singing. The male perched on top of a bush, while the female hid in the tall grass.

At the end of the trip, I met Kiting and his mom. They told me that some rare birds had been found at Santa Clara University, so I went there. After an hour of searching, I was rewarded with a sighting of the Gray Flycatcher.

Group 3
Los Gatos County Park & Vasona Lake
8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Meeting Time: 8:00 AM
Meeting Point: Trail head on 14341 Oka Ln, Los Gatos: 37.2598339,-121.9556785
Leader: Ping Li

Sarah, Kevin, and I started off at the Eucalyptus Grove where the Great Horned Owl nest was. But the owlets were gone and nowhere to be seen. Sarah wanted to check out a Merganser that she saw a week ago in the Los Gatos Creek. But it’s no longer there.

There were quite a few beautiful Western Bluebirds in an open lawn. As we walk towards the lake, many Violet-green Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows (200?) flew around. We saw Bullock's Oriole near the top of a palm tree next to the lake. A Red-shouldered Hawk stood on a tree close to the trail, which gave us a great view of it!

There is an island in the center of the lake. A family of Great Blue Herons lives there. The three chicks have grown quite big now. We looked for the Bald Eagles but with no luck. A group of birders told us there was a Green Heron nest not far from the pier. We found it! A mother Green Heron sat there in the nest.

As we headed out, we saw a couple of birders looking up for the owlets in a parking lot near the Eucalyptus Grove. They could not locate them and got to their car to leave. When I looked up, I saw the two owlets immediately! They stood next to each other, half asleep and half watching us. I ran to the other birders’ car and called them back. What good luck and great ending of the trip!!

Group 4
Ed R. Levin County Park
Meeting Time: 1:30 PM-6:00 PM
Meeting Point: Ed Levin Sandy Wool Lake parking lot 37.456157,-121.865335
Leader: Kaiting

We kicked off our afternoon birdathon under damp conditions at Sandy Wool Lake, where it poured hard for quite a while. Despite the steady rain, we still managed to pick up some nice birds, including Great-tailed Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Bullock’s Orioles, and Western Kingbirds, though overall bird activity was fairly limited.

Given the slow start, we decided to head over to Spring Valley, but unfortunately bird activity there was even quieter. We missed our target Lazuli Buntings, and the chickadee nest we were hoping to check on was empty.

We then made a quick stop at my school, Curtner Elementary, to look for the nesting pair of Bald Eagles, but had no luck there either.

Our final stop was Ulistac Natural Area, which also proved to be on the quieter side, with no sign of the Palm Warblerwe were hoping for.

However, the day ended on a high note when I spotted a Hammond’s Flycatcher in another section of the park, a rewarding find to wrap up an otherwise challenging afternoon.

Team Spiderhunters

Vivek and Vayun Tiwari)

April 19:

Team Spiderhunters (Vivek and Vayun Tiwari) repeated what has now become a father-son annual tradition. 4-hour Birdathon, where Vayun tries to photograph as many species as possible while Vivek tries to see or hear as many birds as possible. We stuck to the same itinerary as part years - start at Shoreline Lake/Charleston Slough, quick stop at the Palo Alto Baylands and then hurry across the Valley floor to end the trip at Ed Levin Park. The Shoreline Area always delivers even though this year many of the waterfowl had already left and we got less species here than usual. But Black Skimmers, Black Oystercatcher and Elegant Tern and a lovely singing Wilson's Warbler were new for the count for us. The tide was out at the Baylands so we dipped on several hoped for shorebirds. Ed Levin had glorious weather and spring migrants like Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Bullock's Oriole and Black-headed Grosbeakadded to our haul, even though we missed out some other expected birds. All in all it was a great day to be out and about. Thanks to our sponsors for their support.

Final results:

4 hours

66 species photographed

81 species observed

Rock Wrens

Northern Pintail by David Mcintyre

April 26:

The Rock Wren team approached Birdathon as a distributed countywide effort, with team members covering different regions and habitats across Santa Clara County. Together, the team recorded 156 species during the day.

Bob Hirt reported covering about 118 miles and recording 108 species during a full day of birding from 7:30 AM to 8:15 PM, with stops including Calero Creek Trail, the loop around Mountain View Forebay, and Palo Alto Baylands.

Among the species Bob recorded that were not found by other Rock Wren team members were Black-chinned Hummingbird, Black-bellied Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Bonaparte’s Gull, Western Wood-Pewee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, American Goldfinch, and Black-throated Gray Warbler.

his year’s Rock Wren team included Mike Mammoser birding South County, Bob Hirt birding West County, Craig Hunter birding the Santa Cruz Mountains, David McIntyre and Bill Holland birding Palo Alto and Mountain View, and Steve Patt joining in the early morning.

The team also recorded several locally uncommon “Code 4” birds, species that occur yearly in Santa Clara County but are not always found in the same places. These included Blue-winged Teal found by Bill and David, Snowy Plover found by Craig, Swainson’s Hawk found by Mike, Pileated Woodpecker found by Craig, Cassin’s Kingbird found by Mike, and Pygmy Nuthatch found by Bob and David.

Golden Finches

Snowy Egret by Kira Oleweiler

April 26:

On April 26, the Golden Finches team explored Baylands Nature Preserve and Palo Alto Foothills Park in search of many species for the Birdathon. We were out for 4 hours in the afternoon. It was a chilly day, with wind making the air colder, but we enjoyed our time in nature.

Black-necked stilt: Kira Oleweiler

We started out at the Baylands Nature Preserve, where we saw birds swimming in the waters of the bay and a pond, as well as flying in the air and walking on the ground. We were excited to observe Black-necked Stilts standing in the water on their long legs. The black on their backs and necks provided a stark contrast to their bright white stomachs. We also noticed many ducks, including Mallards and Ruddy Ducks. The Mallard was our most common species found, with 14 sightings. Hovering above the water was a beautiful Forster’s Tern. It fluttered in mid-air, and then would dip down into the water to grab food in its beak before rising back up into the air. As we walked along the paths, we heard the sweet, melodic sounds of a Song Sparrow, moving from bush to bush and perching in the leaves to make music. In total, we found 18 species.

Canada Geese: Kira Oleweiler

Next, we went to Palo Alto Foothills Park, which had a different environment with a lake, wooded areas, and grassy fields. When we entered the park, we were greeted by large Wild Turkeys walking through the rolling hills. As we came closer to the lake, we heard the calls of Red-winged Blackbirds and saw flashes of vibrant red on their wings. We saw approximately 21 Red-winged Blackbirds in the trees, sitting in tall grass next to the water, and on the ground. In the lake, American Coots were swimming and feeding, and we even saw a baby following one of the adults. Canada Geesemade a bold appearance in the lake and on the grass, loudly calling to one another. In the trees, we noticed tiny Oak Titmice, Bushtits, and a Chestnut-backed Chickadee hopping through the branches and constantly tweeting. Overall, we counted 11 species and had a nice walk on the path circling the lake.

Our birding adventures were very fun and we were thrilled to see some species for the first time!

Check out the eBird Trip Report and Species List here:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/506374

Run for the Hills! 2026

Wilson’s Warbler: Sarah Chan

We had a very fun and birdy day with so many favorite moments! We spotted the two Bald Eagles soaring, one right next to the very small-in-comparison Red-tailed Hawk. We found two Yellow Warblers, a first of the season sighting for many of us. Other warblers included 2 Nashville Warblers, a Wilson's Warbler or two, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Orange-crowned Warblers. There were at least a couple of Lawrence's Goldfinch pairs spotted. And, towards the end of our trip, a male Lazuli Bunting was singing from an exposed branch so that we could all finally get a great look at what we had been hearing everywhere all morning. Lastly, a very red and yellow Western Tanager stayed still high in a eucalyptus for us all to enjoy.

Here's our ebird list.

The Ulistac Pack 2026

Priya and Caitlin

April 22:

Our small but intrepid Birdathon team, Priya Pharate and Caitlin Dempsey, set out to bird at Ulistac Natural Area on a wet spring morning that alternated between steady rain and brief breaks of sunlight.

Neither we nor the birds were deterred by the weather. An exuberant northern mockingbird provided a running soundtrack, cycling through an impressive range of calls that at times suggested red-shouldered hawks, killdeer, lazuli buntings, and hooded orioles were all sharing the same tree.

While we officially recorded 47 species (see checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S325603273), we resisted the mockingbird’s attempts to convince us to push that total past 50.

Black Phoebe: Caitlin Dempsey

The rain had one clear benefit: it kept mosquito activity low, particularly near the eucalyptus grove.

We were pleased to be true to our team’s banner image with a sighting of a western tanager perched high on a snag, standing out even against the gray sky.

Warblers were far more audible than visible. Wilson’s warblers, orange-crowned warblers, and a single MacGillivray’s warbler were all heard singing, while yellow-rumped warblers gave characteristic “chek” calls from within the oak canopy. Bewick’s wrens were singing throughout Ulistac.

White-throated Sparrow: Caitlin Dempsey

Other active species included Nutall's and hairy woodpeckers, black-headed grosbeaks, bushtits, dark-eyed juncos, lesser and American goldfinches, flocks of house finches, blue-gray gnatcatchers, California scrub jays, American crows, and a ruby-crowned kinglet moving through the canopy. Lingering winter residents, including white-throated sparrow and golden-crowned sparrows, were also present, a reminder of the seasonal overlap typical of spring migration.

Near the wetland edge, a great egret hunted while a hairy woodpecker worked into oak bark in search of insects. In the reeds, song sparrows and red-winged blackbirds provided a steady chorus.

Lean Green Birding Machine 2026

April 17:

For the 6th year, the Lean Green Birding Machine birdathon team of Winnie Homer-Smith, Bill Walker, Mary Wiznewski and I spent the day biking from one side of Silicon Valley to the other, raising funds for the education programs of the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance. Fittingly, on the 100th anniversary of SCVBA, we found an even 100 species, breaking our previous high of 94!

Highlights of this year’s effort included an Osprey (at Rancho San Antonio!), a Bald Eagle (at Shoreline), and some heard-only Black Rails (in the Stevens Creek Tidal Marsh), all new for our count, plus the always elusive Wilson’s Snipe (at the Rancho wetlands), the recently arrived Ash-throated Flycatcher and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (both personal favorites, both at Rancho), and a lone American Pipit (on the hardpan at the Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area). We failed to refind the Virginia Rail I had seen Tuesday in the Rancho wetlands, and missed several others like Great Blue Heron(!), Great Horned Owl (not nesting at Rancho this year for the first time in ages), Mergansers (almost always in the cemetery pond this time of year), and Black-headed Grosbeaks (which showed up on my balcony today, rubbing it in), so the 100 was an even more satisfying result.

The birdathon raises money for the education programs of SCVBA, which is used to subsidize nature programs for schools in poor areas who otherwise can’t afford the cost of such enrichment programs. Use this link https://scvbirdalliance.org/event-calendar/birdathon-lean-green-birding-machine if you’re inspired by our effort (27 miles, 8 1/2 hours!) and want to contribute.

All sightings were recorded in real-time, complete with GPS coordinates, with Birdwatcher’s Diary software (http://stevenscreek.com/birdwatchersdiary.htm).Greenpins on the map represent sightings; red pins are “heard-only” species.

Birdcassos 2026

April 18

Like previous years, Team Birdcasso began a day of drawing at Shoreline Lake. Sarah, Leena, Megan, Mary, Cricket, and I sat at the tables beside the Clubhouse and enjoyed the sunny weather and laughter of Black Skimmers on the island. For me, Team Birdcasso compels me to draw more quickly and with a looser style—free from the trappings of detail or accuracy. It’s always a challenge to draw outdoor with moving subjects, but after the first few awkward strokes, it becomes a little easier and more comfortable. I think many of us feel the same. Mostly, we enjoy using our creativity to appreciate the wildlife around us and doing so together. After a couple of hours we had all completed our initial sketches and then parted to continue working without an audience. Below you will see a selection of portraits made by our group.

Wrong Terns 2026

April 17:

The Wrong Terns hit the trails again this year for another morning of social birding! The birds were cooperative for us, with migrants like Western Flycatchers and Warbling Vireos singing from the sycamores, and many of our residents like the Chestnut-backed Chickadee were already tending to young!

We wandered through McClellan down to Blackberry Farm, where we finally caught sight of the American Robins who had been singing to us through the morning. Our arrival to the trail to Linda Vista Park started with the adorable sight of Canada Goose babies trying to hop the fence their parents had stepped through, and we delayed our progress for 10 minutes to see them finally overcome the challenge and make their way to the golf course for lunch.

We used the last 45 minutes of our 4-hour window to enjoy our own meal at the feeders, and our patience was rewarded by visits from female Black-chinned Hummingbirds and a Selasphorous Hummingbird visiting the feeders.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S323038787

Concrete Juncos 2026

April 19:

Carolyn, Rowena, Steve, and Carolyn hit the pavement on Sunday for a morning of birding in downtown San Jose! Beginning at Plaza Cesar de Chavez, we watched Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Oak Titmice flit between oaks and palm trees. Quetzalcoatl was not counted as part of our checklist, despite his fine feathers. After seeing the Acorn Woodpeckers of this small park we headed east through the city for coffee and made our way onto San Jose State University campus.

American Robins and Black Phoebes accompanied our stroll through campus, and we were able to find where the Cliff Swallows were nesting on campus, adding yet another breeding code to our list of birds!

Despite our patience (and checking the nest cam feed to confirm they were in residence!) we were not rewarded with a sighting of San Jose’s Peregrines, and the university’s resident Common Ravens were also uncooperative, leaving us with 20 species to end our adventure!

Checklist: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S324290918

DeDUCKtions 2026

Saturday, May 2, 2026

For 20 years, the DeDUCKtions has held our team effort on tax day, or at least close to it. This year, we moved the date to the last weekend of April because of the forum I was invited to attend in China. At 6:00 AM we met at Cooley Picnic Area of Stevens Creek Park to find (primarily by sound) our first songbirds of the day. Eric, Andy, Sheila, Mary Ann, Ken, Ashutosh, Emily, Cricket and I logged Black-headed Grosbeak and Western Warbling Vireo within moments of opening our car doors.

We then stopped at Lakeshore Picnic Area to search for Spotted Sandpiper but were not successful. Instead we found a pair of Wood Duck and two Caspian Terns.

Picchetti Ranch OSP is where we found some woodland targets like Wilson’s Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a other Wood Duck on the small pond.

Of course we had to stop at McClellan Ranch to search for Black-chinned Hummingbird, which we did find at the feeders. A nice surprise was a male Lazuli Bunting feeding in the meadow, as well as Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Flycatcher, Hooded Oriole and Northern House Wren.

Next on our itinerary was Palo Alto Baylands, Charleston Slough and Shoreline Lake, Sunnyvale WPCP and Don Edwards. We easily doubled our bird count after working the Bay locations. Highlights included Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Black Skimmer, Black Tern, Common Gallinule, and Green Heron.

Finally, we headed up to Ed Levin Park (Sandy Wool), completing our western hills, bay front, and eastern hills agenda. Against the will of all our leg muscles and sore feet, we hiked up the hill to find Western Kingbird, Rufous-crowned Sparrow but were unable to find Grasshopper Sparrow. The wind was quite stiff by late afternoon, so that’s our excuse… Our final stop of the day was at Ed Levin (Spring Valley) where our best efforts failed to find the Say’s Phoebe pair that had been present the previous week. Nevertheless, we had spectacular showing of Tree Swallows, White-tailed Kites, and an adult Bald Eagle.

Our final species count for the day was 122 birds.

Our trip report can be found here: 

https://ebird.org/tripreport/509583?view=checklists.

www.Birds! 2026

April 2:

Our team had a great day yesterday:  beautiful weather, cool, blue skies, puffy clouds

We saw 32 species https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S316518087

and our team included Brand New Birders, Beginning Birders Getting Good, Experienced Birders, CBC team members, friends from various connections in life.  We had a great time!

The Fledglings 2026

Western Screech-Owl: Binu John

April 4:

Hello everyone!

Thanks for joining the Fledgling team for the spring birdathon!
 
We started off our birdathon strong at Ulistac Natural Area, with our new motto: "early birder gets the mosquito bites".
We encountered intense swarms, but we still picked up some nice birds like Black-throated Gray Warbler and Fox Sparrow, though we had some easy misses, including the resident California Thrasher.

After shaking off the bugs, we headed off to Ed Levin County Park, where we caught a flock of Cedar Waxwings neatly spaced out like they were practicing social distancing along a single vertical branch.
We then staked out the "magic tree" and were rewarded with views of Rufous Hummingbird and a possible Prairie Falcon cruising through.

Our next stop was Don Edwards SF Bay NWR, which turned out to be fairly productive, with shorebirds and waterfowl galore, along with a potential Golden Plover species mixed in.
Yet we witnessed nature's crime scene on the boardwalk - a sudden explosion of scattered primary feathers, remains and an abandoned egg against the green of the salt marsh - clear evidence of a successful hunt in the pickleweed !
On our way out, we had 4 Snowy Plovers fairly close to the road, and one was banded!

Heading over to Shoreline Lake, we had 3 rather late Cackling Geese at Coast Casey Forebay, and lots of Black Skimmers resting at the island, as well as a Willet molting into breeding plumage - a nice seasonal highlight.

At Sanborn County Park, we missed out on a few regulars like Cassin's Vireo, but we got our target Pacific Wren, another Black-throated Gray Warbler, and a Rufous Hummingbird paused briefly before zipping off, likely another migrant moving through.
Beyond the birds, we found several cicadas emerging on the trees, their discarded shells clinging to the bark. We also spotted two bright banana slugs, and had some fun watching the newts in the small pond adjacent to the Walden Pond.

Vasona Lake was unexpectedly quiet by comparison - we barely had any birds. Other than the picnic crowds, easily the dominant and loudest species on site, most of what we saw were Canada Geese. 

It was quite disappointing, as we expected to get some spring migrants here.

Afterwards, we made our way to Calero Reservoir, where things picked up again with many grebes and a plethora of raptors, including Osprey and Bald Eagle.

The second-to-last stop of the day was Stile Ranch in Santa Teresa County Park, where we had several calling Poorwills, a few of which zipped by fairly close. 

The calling Poorwills were already a treat, but the real highlight was an out-of-nowhere Nighthawk that cut through the fading twilight - long, pointed wings with bold white wing bars flashing as it turned, before it disappeared over the hill just seconds later. We all lit up at the sight, it was the true apex of the trip!

To close out the day, we did some owling along Las Animas Road, with only a single very distant Western Screech-Owl. That was quite surprising, especially compared to the visit here at the same time last year when I had Long-eared Owl, Barn Owl, and Great Horned Owl. We also missed out on Northern Pygmy-Owl, which had been reported by a few others in the past few weeks.

Despite a few "guarantees" which forgot to show up - such as Say’s Phoebe and Pelicans, and fewer owls and gulls than we had hoped for, making our "big day" a little less big than planned, it was still a very solid and fun day overall.
We finished with a total 110 species - not bad for a day that started with mosquitoes and ended with a lone Screech-Owl.

A big thank you to Eve for generously backing our birdathon effort with a donation per species - really appreciated!

Thanks again for joining us - whether for part of it or for the full adventure.

Here's the eBird trip report with all the checklists of the day which I've already shared with you.
You are welcome to add your own comments to share the day from your perspective!!

Happy birding!
Kaiting

The Hummy Pot 2026

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Tom Grey

April 19:

Yesterday morning, The Hummy Pot Birdathon team set out 13 members strong. Our hopes for migrating hummingbirds were high, but the Magic Tree’s blossoms had largely gone to seed, and migrating hummingbird activity was nonexistent. Fortunately, the rest of Ed Levin Spring Valley area was full of birds and exciting breeding activity. A lovely pair of White-tailed Kites was the highlight of the morning for me. We observed them hunting, feeding on a vole, and even mating! We saw plenty of other breeding activity with Acorn Woodpeckers, European Starlings, and Chestnut-backed Chickadees seen visiting their cavity nests, carrying food and fecal sacs. 

There were plenty of other spring breeders or migrants. A swarm of Cliff Swallows was diving at bugs on the pond's surface, while Tree Swallows had nest box property disputes with Western Bluebirds, and Violet-green and Barn Swallows hunted. Flycatchers were also out in force with an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a pair of Western Kingbirds, and Black and Say's Phoebes making their presence known. We also got treated to some spectacularly colored male Bullock's Orioles and a Western Tanager. In total, at Ed Levin County Park, we observed 54 species! Here is a copy of the checklist.

Hoping to redeem the slow hummingbird activity, our group continued to the Los Gatos Creek trail to find a Black-chinned Hummingbird. We were quickly rewarded for our efforts when a male Black-chinned showed up at his favorite perch spot moments after we arrived. Here is a copy of that checklist and the GPS coordinates of that perch spot if anyone wants to go check it out: 37.300704, -121.921607. With the hummingbird and 2 California Gulls seen flying over the Los Gatos Creek Trail, our total species count comes to 56. It was a spectacular morning for birding, only made more enjoyable by a wonderful team of birders. I greatly appreciate everyone joining our team, and thank you to everyone who has supported the Birdathon! 

Happy Birding,

Connor Christensen

Almaden Eagles 2026

Bald Eagle: Amanda Newlove

April 24:

Team Almaden Eagles completed our Birdathon day on Friday, April 24. We are a distributed 24-hour team of eight women, birding all over the Almaden Valley.

A very special THANK YOU to everyone in this awesome group: Ann V., Kirsten, Linda S., Marion, Brooke, Janna, and Bobbie for their fundraising and birding efforts!

We had 115 species in total!

Here's our eBird trip report for the day: https://ebird.org/tripreport/504910

Some notable finds of the day: Janna found our namesake Eagles - a pair of GOLDEN EAGLES to be precise. Linda found a MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER at SCVWD. More than one WOOD DUCK was spotted: Marion at Los Capitancillos ponds and Kristen finding a Wood duck with several young at Chesbro Reservoir. Ann had our group's only MERLIN at Greystone Park. Brooke saw a pair of BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDs at Calero Creek Trail. Several of our lovely arriving migrating birds were found by multiple members of our group: LAZULI BUNTING, WESTERN TANAGER, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

I enjoyed hearing many singing ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER up on Mt Um area! (Wood Rd trail and Woods trail) and watching the male Wild Turkeys puffing up and displaying. Spring is here!!

Hot Spotters 2026

April 25:

We descended on Ed Levin Park (Sandy Wool Lake Area) at 8:00 to find an enormous line of Fish Day participants waiting at the entrance. Within a few minutes though, everybody in our group had gathered at the Dog Run above the lake. I had been suffering from a bad cold and was planning on taking the day slowly and not exerting myself. But the temptation to climb the hill and locate Rufous-crowned Sparrow proved too strong to ignore. So up we all went, sweating and panting the whole way but we found our target perched on the barbed wire fence beside the trail. As well we located several Lazuli Buntings and Grasshopper Sparrows!

Next we dropped by Spring Valley to see a breeding pair of White-tailed Kites, both species of Oriole and the remainder of the day’s Swallow species including nesting Tree Swallows. In fact, we saw many examples of breeding behavior during our day—another nice thing about spring birding! Happily, we found many fewer people in this portion of the park but it still seems like we made the right decision going to Sandy Wool before it got too hot. Cars were still streaming into the main entrance even as we made our way down the road toward Milpitas.

Finally, we caravanned to Don Edwards to round out our Shorebirds and Waterfowl. The first birds along the entrance road included Semipalmated and Snowy Plover, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitchers, Least and Western Sandpipers. We then scoped the main pond and picked out an American Wigeon and a single Redhead among the crowd of Ducks. We  ended our day right at noon with a total of 95 species after which I went home a returned to bed with a spoonful of cough syrup and a very big smile.

Cedar Nature Trip Report 2025

Cedar Nature: Wei Xue

On April 13, a warm, sunny day, the Cedar Nature Team set out on our hike for Birdathon fundraising. We split into two groups: one ventured to Sunol Regional Wilderness to seek the majestic pileated woodpecker, the colorful merganser, and the iconic California quail; the other headed to Vasona Lake County Park—a charming urban oasis set around a scenic lake with a vintage train—offering sightings of waterfowl and woodland birds.

Cedar Nature: Kaiting

Seven participants went to Sunol, ranging in age from 8 to 80! Not long after we started, we encountered a Pileated Woodpecker drumming hard on the shack, which attracted everyone’s attention. We stopped by a tree for a while and then luckily saw a pair of Lawrence’s goldfinches – what a nice surprise! We observed around 26 bird species and more than 30 kinds of wildflowers and plants on this field trip. Spring is the best time of the year. The hiking was moderate, and the weather was perfect with a cool breeze in Sunol Regional Wilderness Park.

Black-crowned Night-Heron: Bohao Huang

A team of eleven set out to Vasona Lake, surrounded by the vibrant colors of spring. Vasona Lake Park was chosen for its rich mix of habitats—lake, trees, and open grassy areas—making it a great spot to observe a wide variety of bird species. The outing did not disappoint: on the water, we saw waterfowl such as Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks; in the reed beds along the lakeshore, we spotted herons, including Great Blue Herons and Green Herons; and swallows zipped swiftly over the lake’s surface. In the lakeside trees, we encountered oak titmice and goldfinches busy collecting nest materials, while hawks and falcons occasionally circled overhead. The trip’s true highlights were the juvenile bald eagle that swept by us at close range and the delightful hooded oriole perched serenely in a palm tree. The House Finch and Acorn Woodpecker nest added even more surprises. In total, we observed 40 bird species—what a rewarding experience, especially for many in our group who were birdwatching for the first time!

4月13日，风和日丽，Cedar Nature Team 出发远足为观鸟马拉松募款。我们分成两组分头行动：一组前往 Sunol Regional Wilderness，寻觅红头发的啄木鸟、漂亮的秋沙鸭，以及标志性的加州鹌鹑；另一组则奔赴 Vasona 湖县立公园——这个迷人的城市绿洲环绕着美丽的湖泊和一列复古小火车，可观赏到各类水鸟与森林鸟类。

这次观鸟行共有七位参与者，年龄从 8 岁到 80 岁不等！我们刚出发不久，就遇到了一只大斑啄木鸟在小屋上“咚咚咚”猛敲，引得大家纷纷围观。我们在一棵大树下驻足片刻，幸运地看见了一对劳伦斯金翅雀——真是惊喜满满！整个行程中，我们大约记录了 26 种鸟类，以及 30 多种野花和植物。春天果然是一年中最美的时节。徒步难度适中，Sunol 区域荒野公园的天气也十分宜人，伴着清爽的微风。

4月13日Cedar Nature的Vasona Lake小分队十二个人在满目春色中准时出发进行今年的Birdathon活动，选择这个地点是因为Vasona Lake公园有湖有树有草坪，可以看到各种种类的鸟。活动全程不负所望，我们在水面上看到了Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck等水鸟，在岸边芦苇丛中看到了大蓝鹭、绿鹭等鹭类，湖面上还看到了快速穿梭飞行的各种燕子。岸上的树林中也看到Oak Titmouce, Goldfinch等忙着筑巢的林鸟，头顶还时不时有hawk盘旋。当然全程的高光当属从我们眼前近距离掠过的白头海雕的亚成鸟，以及在棕榈树上可爱的hooded oriole。House finch 和acorn woodpecker的巢更添意外惊喜。全程我们看到了40种鸟，这对我们队伍中很多第一次观鸟的队员来说是很大的收获！

Ebird list

Sunol Regional Wilderness:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S225369166

Vasona Lake Team: https://ebird.org/checklist/S225399929