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!