The DeDUCKtions Birdathon Trip Report

Yesterday (tax day) “The DeDUCKtions” participated in the 2020 Birdathon.

The team was Matthew and Kelly “Cricket” Dodder, Luis Villablanca, Ellyn Corey, Yuning Wei, and Eric Goodill. We were distributed around the county, and birded for about 14 yours. Soon all the DeDUCKtions stories will be added to our growing Birdathon Chronicles: 

Cricket and I essentially duplicated last week’s itinerary, hoping for the same or better results. Actually, our species county went down slightly, but we still managed 132 species. In retrospect, we probably ventured too far and lost time between stops. Still, it was a lovely warm day, and we had several season firsts!

First thing in the morning, Right out front door, we had Brown Creeper, Band-tailed Pigeon and Townsend’s Warbler, species we did not find again the rest of the day. We also had our only House Sparrows at the gas station at the end of the block.  

Next we drove to Gilroy where we found Cassin’s Kingbird and Lawrence’s Goldfinch in the huge eucalyptus trees on San Felipe Road. The drive along the peaceful and stunningly beautiful Cañada Road, Jamieson Road, and Gilroy Hot Springs Roads where we had our first woodland species, including Black-throated Gray Warbler. Wood Duck was slowly paddling along the creek and we found a note pair at Coyote Lake Park. The dam at Coyote Lake Park was where we enjoyed the song and call of both Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Canyon Wren. We admired the Bald Eagle on its nest, Spotted Sandpiper and Common Merganser on the water.

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Coyote Valley was beautiful with California poppies everywhere! We also found Rock Wren, Swainson’s Hawk, Vaux’s Swift and a number of other day birds. I noticed how my glasses kept steaming up. Price you pay, I guess.

Rancho Cañada del Oro was very relaxing, and view new birds for us, but we did spot a Sharp-shinned Hawk high overhead.

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By the time we reached the Stile Ranch Trailhead it was quite hot and we were getting tired. We hiked up the switchbacks to find Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow, but missed the Horned Lark or Lark Sparrows we had the week before.

A quick stop at the Santa Clara Valley Water District failed to produce any Selasphorus hummingbird, but we did add Cedar Waxwings…. Yay!!

Along Stevens Canyon Road we had our first of season Ash-throated Flycatcher and Cassin’s Vireo. The place was full of birdsong!! There was one Ring-necked Duck at Gates of Heaven cemetery, but alas, no Hooded Mergansers.

We then rushed to Charleston Slough and Shoreline Lake to admire a dozen Black Skimmers, Caspian and Forster’s Terns, as well as all our remaining ducks and Shorebirds. The wind was picking up and it was suddenly much cooler. I was very happy to spot a single alternate-plumaged Dunlin on the mudflats, as well as several flashy Black-bellied Plovers.

Emily Renzel Wetlands was quite chilly and windy when we arrived, but it produced our last few birds which included American Wigeon, Green Heron and a Wilson’s Snipe.

Looking forward to next week, when the “5 Milers” venture out on a very relaxing 4-hour tour within the 5-mile radius centered on McClellan Ranch… If you’d like to join or support the 5-Milers, please sign up here: 

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Hi Team,

I spent my time in the east hills yesterday, in some familiar places and a couple of new ones.  It was beautiful everywhere, but the birds sometimes seemed pretty quiet -- much down from last week (from mostly different places, so perhaps not meaningful).  I saw 42 species at Joseph D Grant CP, out of a total of 48.

I started at Grant Park, in the Ranch House area.  My highlights there were a Warbling Vireo -- I've only seen it once before, on the class trip to Del Puerto Canyon -- and Lincoln's and Chipping Sparrows.  I walked up to the Lake, flushing five or six hogs along the way, and rewarded by the resident Bald Eagle and an Orange-crowned Warbler along with the residual waterfowl, and returned by the Lakeview Trail and the upper pond, which was new to me (but not very birdy).  Back through the Ranch House area -- I had hoped for the Vermilion Flycatcher and Lawrence's Goldfinches, but neither appeared.  That was the story I heard from other birders encountered, though I heard later that the Flycatcher had shown up in the rose garden.  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67297200  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67289497  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67289507

After that, I headed up Hwy 130 for Mt. Hamilton, intending to attempt a circuit on Kincaid Road out and Mt. Hamilton Road back via the summit.  I realized when I hit the Kincaid Road turnoff that it wouldn't work.  The sign said NO EXIT, ... and ...  I realized that I had forgotten to check gas before I left and had ~50 miles left. :-(  So I dove in.  It was pretty, remote, narrow roads, with isolated homes and ranches in the woods.  And eventually it ended at two locked gates.  Up to then I'd seen mainly California Scrub-Jaysand Acorn Woodpeckers -- lots -- but I stopped at the end for lunch and a few more birds.  The highlights were a couple of California Quail and a White-breasted Nuthatch.  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67289602

The end of Kincaid Road:

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On the way back to civilization (and gasoline), I stopped at Smith Creek Fire Station (actually a bit beyond it since they wouldn't let me park) and walked the trail.  It was _very_ quiet -- I think the only new bird was Northern Rough-winged Swallows at the bridge.  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67289573

After refueling, I decided to give the Penitencia Creek Trail another shot -- I hit it at dusk last week and had only managed the ponds.  It was a bit better at 4pm, but still pretty quiet.  The highlight was swallow variety -- Northern Rough-winged, Tree, and Cliff.  https://ebird.org/checklist/S67289480

And home, after about 8 miles walking and more than 50 driving, on a beautiful day in very nice locations!

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Cheers,

~Jim


Due to the limited range I’ve mentioned before, I started at the Palo Alto Baylands area. Embarcadero Rd is blocked just past the golf course, so one has to walk in and between the various birding sites out there.

I started at Byxbee Park which was full of the usual suspects but nothing more than that. I was hoping for rails and managed to get two Ridgway’s Rails but nothing else. Then headed over to the Palo Alto Duck Pond and Baylands where hundreds of snappily-dressed Western Sandpipers fed on the mudflats. A few Least Sandpipers were mixed in as well. A few Semipalmated Plovers showed up too. They also look quite nice in their alternate dress. I tried in vain to find Dunlin. No luck. A surprise were three Blue-winged Teals and six American Wigeons still hanging out.

Out at the boat ramp were two USFWS employees struggling with some equipment in a small boat. Lots of swearing! Barn Swallows nest under the walkway to the ramp, so they are constantly flying in and out. Oddly, several landed on the walkway and just sat for a while.

Back to the car for a quick lunch and then to the Palo Alto Library/Art Center and Rinconada Park. Pygmy Nuthatches were the best birds here. I had had Brown Creep here before but none today.

I then drove through three shopping centers listening for House Sparrows. The first two gave nothing, but the third yielded the family chirp, but then I realized I had strayed into San Mateo Co., so it didn’t count. I was actually on my way to a bike/pedestrian bridge that crosses San Francisquito Creek which is the boarder between San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. On my walk to the bridge, I was waylaid by a mother and son who wanted to know all about birding. The son was quite the fanatic but was only about 7 or so. I ended up talking to them for about 15 minutes.

After crossing the bridge, there’s a wonderful walk along the creek where I has my FOS Warbling Vireos and Pacific-slope Flycatchers. Bewick’s Wrens, plentiful all day, were singing vigorously here.

After this I headed over to the Stanford Museum to bird the oak woodland where I picked up a few woodpeckers and was happy to get two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a large flock of Cedar Waxwings. I’m also pretty sure I was hearing a Bushtit nest, but I could never find it in the oak tree.

Back in the car, I checked the news and saw a report of a Tropical Kingbird out at the Palo Alto Airport control tower, so I headed out there. No luck with the TRKI, but there’s also a Barn Owl nest box out there, and the resident owl was sleeping inside. I also had a few FOS Bullock’s Orioles here.

It was getting pretty close to sunset now, and I thought I’d try the long shot of the Short-eared Owl at Byxbee, so I parked again at the barricade and walked back in and up to a bluff overlooking the large marsh towards Charleston Slough. Unfortunately, no luck with the owl.

Finally, back to Stanford oak woodlands were I’ve heard Western Screech Owl a few times. Turns out there’s a pond with very noisy frogs which made it a bit difficult. The only owl I saw was a Barn Owl that came zooming out of an oak tree and came right at my parked car, it suddenly veered upwards and crashed into some branches before disappearing into the night.

I was out for about twelve hours and walked 29,000 steps. For all of that, I only logged 68 species with many notable misses—like not a single Western Scrub-Jay all day (except I thought I had one, but it was a perfect imitation by a Northern Mockingbird).

Here are just a few photos.

Ridgway’s Rail at Byxbee

Ridgway’s Rail at Byxbee

Golden-crowned Sparrow at PA Baylands

Golden-crowned Sparrow at PA Baylands

Next to a sculpture at the Palo Alto Art Center

Next to a sculpture at the Palo Alto Art Center

Best,

~Eric

Total species for the team for the day: 155