Everyone who posted a complete eBird checklist on May 8, 2021 was an honorary member of The Local Global Big Day Birders. Yes, even you “Anonymous eBirder”! 😁
Together, we found 168 species in the county and submitted 246 complete checklists. Below are a few stories from participants. Also check out the photos and audio uploaded to eBird at:
Barry Langdon-Lassagne:
My plans for the eBird Global Big Day were thwarted by my reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. As happy as I was to have signs that the vaccine was effective (fever, chills, etc.) it meant I had no energy or strength to get out and bird our county. I did manage one eBird checklist, in our yard, for twenty whole minutes before crawling back into bed. I even managed to record the calls of a Bushtit and a House Finch.
Carter Gasiorowski:
Yesterday, we had a full day of birding for eBird's Global Big Day, as well as for the SCVAS birdathon team "Local-Global Big Day Birders."
My dad and I began the day at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy just before 8 am. This is where the Gilroy Garlic Festival is held, as was evidenced by the powerful garlic smell during the first part of our outing. The parking area was filled with the songs of PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, WILSON'S WARBLERS, WESTERN TANAGERS, and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS. Heading east along the south side of the creek, there was a YELLOW WARBLER, as well as two CALIFORNIA THRASHERS and a WRENTIT singing from the drier areas, while a group of VAUX'S SWIFTS foraged overhead. A silent SWAINSON'S THRUSH along the path 1/4 mile from the parking lot was a nice surprise, as was a male BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER foraging in the oaks. This was our birdiest stop, providing 41 of our 63 species for the day.
We then made a quick stop a few miles away along Bolsa Road, where we had a flyover LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH.
Our next stop was along Betabel Road, where we hoped to find Blue Grosbeaks. The heatwaves were too severe to get scope views of the hillside where Frank Vanslager and Bob Reiling found Blue Grosbeaks breeding last summer, but we did get a good look at numerous LAZULI BUNTINGS flying around the field.
Heading back north, we visited the San Pedro Percolation Ponds in Morgan Hill. It wasn't particularly birdy, but during our 20-minute visit, we did manage to see all five local swallow species.
We then went to Calero Reservoir, our final stop for the morning. They are doing some pretty major work on the entrance to the boat launch area, but it didn't affect access at all, at least while we were there. While looking at the swallow flocks, a male TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD flew over the parking lot with a group of red-wings, a nice surprise!
Driving home past Rancho San Vicente, we saw the (resident?) pair of GOLDEN EAGLES soaring over the parking lot, as well as an AMERICAN KESTREL on the wire.
After resting for a while at home, my dad, mom, and I arrived at the Stile Ranch Entrance to Santa Teresa County Park at 7:45 pm. A short way west along the Calero Creek trail, there was a lot of activity on the chaparral-covered hillside, with TOWHEES and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS flying around and singing near the trail. At 8:17 pm, 13 minutes after sunset, a COMMON POORWILL called a few times from up on the hillside. We heard the calls from around 37.203431, -121.810087, and we stayed there for the rest of the evening. A few minutes later, we got a fleeting glimpse of the poorwill as it flew up, presumably from its day roost, and over the backside of the hill. At around 8:30 pm, two poorwills started calling from very close by on the hillside, and I was able to hear and record all three parts (poor-will-ip) of their call, instead of just the 'poor-will' that is audible over a greater distance. You can barely hear it in the recording that's in my eBird list below. After getting the recording, I saw a dark shape flying over the hillside. I got it in my bins, and it was a Poorwill! It was shortly joined by another Poorwill, and then, to my astonishment, both Poorwills landed in a bush together, with their outlines silhouetted against the fading light. I started heading closer to try and get a photo, and then both birds took off, and flew just 10 feet over my head! It was a truly magical experience that my mom captured in a cellphone video (linked below). We continued to hear poorwills sporadically as we headed back to the car, including one that was quite far away from the two we saw, so there were at least 3 poorwills present.
All in all, it was an amazing day with 63 species, 2 year-birds for me (Swainson's Thrush and Poorwill), and an unforgettable experience.
Garrett Lau:
Canada Goose Gosling, Palo Alto Flood Control Basin — Garrett Lau
My main goal for today was to get better photographs of the Red-necked
Phalaropes that had been spending the past few days in the southeast
pond in the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin. I went there at 3:00pm and
had the sun directly behind me while shooting from the bike path, and
I even managed to get both the male and the female in the same photo.
I also photographed the Canada Goose goslings, which almost
outnumbered the adults.
Red-necked Phalaropes at Palo Alto Flood Control Basin — Garrett Lau
Next, I drove a half mile up the road to Emily Renzel Wetlands to
photograph the Common Tern. I saw it flying above the south pond as
soon as I got out of my car. I took many photos of it in flight. After
it perched on the rock island where it often perches, I scanned both
ponds to count all the birds. There was nothing else unusual, but it
is always nice to see the Common Gallinules.
Common Tern at Emily Renzel Wetlands — Garrett Lau
My third and final stop was Geng Road. A pair of Western Kingbirds and
a Northern Mockingbird posed nicely at the entrance to the San
Francisquito Creek Trail. I took the trail to the Friendship Bridge
and then crossed the bridge into San Mateo County before returning the
same way. On the return trip, I watched a Red-tailed Hawk fly in and
then eat a jackrabbit on the golf course, close to the cart path. I
think the jackrabbit must have been struck by a golf cart.
Northern Mockingbird at San Francisquito Creek Trail — Garrett Lau
Western Kingbird at San Francisquito Creek Trail — Garrett Lau
Looking South from Mt. Eden trail
Carolyn Knight:
Saturday dawned bright and early and I… missed it. I had planned with the best intentions to start birding with the sun, but whether it was the work week or the tail end of recovering from my own second vaccination, the need for sleep prevailed over the desire to find owls. So, scrapping my more ambitious plans, I hit McClellan Ranch at 7AM to get the Ranch’s resident owls on their roosts for the day. Hooded Orioles, more Chestnut-backed Chickadees than you could shake a stick at, and a flyover of an out of place Double-crested Cormorant rounded out the 26 species I left with.
With two hours before I had to do things other than birding I decided to stay in the area for the rest of my birding, leading me to hike the Canyon trail in Stevens Creek County Park. Not the most birdy of locales, at least not with the other weekend hikers sharing the trail with me, but an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and my FOS Golden Eagle (finally!) made the effort worth it as I signed off from birding for the rest of the day.