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