Friday, March 27 saw the Wrong Terns disperse our flock in a four-hour adventure in urban birding. In the face of our county’s shelter-in-place order we tightened our focus on our own neighborhoods and local parks, spotting sparrows in our yards, dropping in on ducks in the local creeks and ponds, and watching the warblers in their freshly donned breeding plumage. It was more than a little odd, knowing that we’d be missing not only each other’s company during our walks, but also the potluck lunch that highlights this annual activity. Still, we persisted, and shockingly, managed to avoid getting lost this year. The Wrong Terns ended the day with a total of 88 species from our neighborhood adventures.

We’ve compiled our stories from this year below, with accounts of each location. If you get a little lost following who was where, that’s perfectly acceptable. It’s practically a tradition at this point.

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Carolyn Knight

Oka Ponds is always worth a stop (even if just for the dog park, sadly closed at the moment), and this Friday morning was a fantastically clear day for birding. I met Matthew Dodder for some social-distance birding for the first stop, where we circled the ponds and made way for cyclists and joggers taking advantage of the fresh air. The swallows were out in full force, dodging each other and swooping over the ponds, Violet-greens, Rough-winged, Cliff, and Barn, all swirling overhead. Our only gulls were Californias for this stop, but there were ducks aplenty to make up for the deficit, and it isn’t truly a visit to Oka without the cacophony of coots (and one Common Gallinule), so even with the reduction in traffic noise there was hardly a quiet moment. An American Goldfinch was hiding in the trees by the southernmost ponds (now very dry), and we spent several minutes watching a Cooper’s Hawk fend off a pair of mobbing American Crows, though we failed to identify what our lone raptor for the location was carrying. In our defense, the crows had either interrupted our hawk’s breakfast or it had been a particularly violent hunt.

Matthew and I parted ways soon after as I continued on to Belgatos Park in Los Gatos. An hours spent in the hills and under the oaks nabbed a handful of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, more Anna’s Hummingbirds than you could shake a stick at, and the call of a frustratingly unseen California Quail, in addition to both Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks.

A Spotted Towhee screaming its head off for a good five minutes from its perch. Honestly, I've never felt my mood so well reflected by a bird before.

My intention to continue birding in my local park was foiled by a dog who is by now quite done with the shelter in place, thank you very much, was completely uninterested in yet another walk today. I decided to let her nap and call it a day.

Oka Ponds: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66283446

Belgatos Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66280679

Matthew Dodder

Carolyn and I walked round the ponds at Los Gatos Creek County Park today where we had a full complement of Swallows, a lingering “Aleutian” Cackling Goose, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaup. The trees were active with Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a single Hutton’s Vireo and several Townsend’s Warblers. Spotted Sandpiper and Green Heron were among the highlights. We also had a Cooper’s Hawk being harassed by American Crows.

I continued to the Los Gatos Creek Trail on my own but was unable to find my target bird, American Dipper. So I rushed to Vasona Lake Park where I added Band-tailed Pigeon, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch and Western Bluebird to my day list.

McClellan Ranch was on my way to my last destination so I swung into the lot to quietly view the Western Screech-Owl.

Finally, I decided to get some chaparral on the day’s list and located Wrentit near the spillway of Stevens Creek Reservoir. An Orange-crowned Warbler popped up and sang loudly near my parked car, several White-throated Swifts and a Raven flew overhead.

Oka Ponds: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66283446

Los Gatos Creek Trail: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66283463

Vasona Lake County Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66283480

McClellan Ranch Preserve: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66284966

Stevens Creek Resevoir: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66283366

Diane & Peter Hart

Peter and I are lucky enough to live near a local hotspot, a section of San Franciquito Creek that runs through Menlo Park. The creek is lined on both banks with trees and shrubs, both native and introduced, and this time of year has a good flow of running water (see photo below).

Most of the birds we see there regularly are year-round suburban residents. But this time of year we also see waterfowl and migrants. Earlier this week, for example, we saw our first ever Western Tanager in this location, but alas, not today.

Our birds of the day are a pair of California Thrashers (see photo below) that have taken up residence at the now closed Allied Arts Guild, the first Black-Crowned Night Heron we’ve seen roosting down in the creek bed, and the first rough-winged swallows of the year hanging around the El Camino Real bridge crossing the creek near the Stanford Shopping Center. The swallows endeared us by stopping now and then to perch, preen, and call, giving us a chance to really study them and confirm our identification. You can see our checklist at:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S66280242

As the last photo below shows, we really enjoyed getting out for a bit of distributed birdathoning.

Jim Meikrantz

I walked my local neighborhood this morning and really enjoyed feeling like I was “Birdathoning”! Although it wasn’t a particularly bird morning numbers-wise, I did find two pleasant surprises:

a male purple finch in full-throated song, and a red-breasted sapsucker sitting in a tree in my yard as I returned. Both a bit uncommon in my “patch”, which is in the vicinity of The Terraces, where we’ve been having the speaker series of late.

Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne

Greetings fellow Wrong Terners!

Ginger and I birded our Sunnyvale neighborhood and nearby park early yesterday afternoon. We managed to find most of our regular local birds, with plenty of Black Phoebes, Lesser Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings and Bewick’s Wrens. At Ponderosa Park we tracked a mysterious repeated call that turned out to be the scolding of an Oak Titmouse, apparently complaining that the Cooper’s Hawk perched on a bare branch in the redwoods was not adhering to social distancing guidelines. At the blooming eucalyptus near Ponderosa Elementary we found a single selasphorus hummingbird (most likely Rufous Hummingbird) guarding the top of the tree from the many Anna’s Hummingbirds that wanted to feed there. In a tree alongside the park we found a calling Nuttall’s Woodpecker, and also found its nest hole in a snag. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are still around in good numbers and we were pleased to find several Townsend’s Warblers in the trees along with the Yellow-rumped Warblers. All in all it felt like a nearly normal neighborhood birding walk. The best part was virtually teaming up with all of you!

Our total count for approximately two hours of birding was 24 species. Here are our eBird checklists (with additional photos):

Sunnyvale neighborhood: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66288780
Ponderosa Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66291081

Jim Liskovec

At Diane’s encouragement, I did my distributed Wrong Terns birding around the Forum campus this morning starting at 8:30AM. Over the course of approximately 1.2 Miles and one hour, I came up with 17 species, all regular birds for the Forum, either residents or wintering.

Even before I walked out the door, I heard Houses Finches singing outside. Barely down the walkway I had five species - House Finch, Bewick’s Wren, California Towhee, Acorn Woodpecker and Mourning Dove - all singing or calling. Activity slowed after that.

Alas, no Western Bluebirds that Sue saw yesterday on the ridge; they are fairly regular this time of year. The view of the valley from the ridge was nice - but no Red-tailed Hawks soaring like the other day. An American Robin called from not far away. Further along the ridge, I encountered humans: I chatted with a couple of Forum residents on their morning walks. All our discussions were from a safe distance of more than six feet. Just past the upper lobby I looked long and hard for a wintering Hermit Thrush I heard the day before. Finally it popped up and sat on the curb for a nice look.

After that the birds were few, but I did pick up a croaking Raven in a pine tree, one Golden-crowned Sparrow here and one White-crowned Sparrow there.

My hour walk was a short and pleasant separation from all the craziness going on around the Forum and elsewhere.

Elaine Gould

If you look closely, you'll see that is a lesser goldfinch hanging on the side of the feeder. Could not get out there when there was a group hanging on; they immediately flew off. SO----- today was not a good day weatherwise for birding. Counted birds in my patio and in some of the surrounding green areas of Dry Creek Village. Following is my list:

3 Dark Eyed Junco

1 CA Towhee

12 Lesser Goldfinch

1 Chestnut-backed Chickadee

6 American Crows

3 Mourning Doves

3 Anna's Hummingbirds

2 Red Shouldered Hawks

Liz Salzer

I did try to find a few birds in my neighborhood this morning, but it was a pretty unsuccessful venture. I'm attaching my report. There were a few songbirds that could be heard, but they were hiding in the new leaves on most of the trees; and I was not able to find and identify any of them, while still maintaining social distancing. Even the crows were largely hiding! The day ended with total count of three birds: a pair of American Crows, and a lone Anna’s Hummingbird.

Mary Ann Robertson

In keeping with the traditions of the Terns, Mary Ann’s lists for her yard-birding and neighborhood walk sandwiched the lunch hour, and may have included some wrong turns as well!

Yard Birds: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66323069

Los Altos Neighborhood: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66321709

Joanne Artis

Joanne ventured out early on the Don Edwards Bay trail, picking out the red beaks of a pair of Common Gallinules amongst flocks of American Coots “too numerous to count”. A mass of Snowy Egrets were hunting in the shallow waters of the wetlands, as were lone Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons, with our recently arrived Barn Swallows zipping overhead.

Ginny & Jerry Kaminski

Ginny and Jerry reported in their backyard birds for the day, their feeders drawing in the crowds for their shelter in place friendly bird watching. Joining the Lesser Goldfinches at the feeder were American Goldfinches, as well as Santa Clara county’s ubiquitous House Finches and Dark-eyed Juncos, but everyone clears out when the woodpeckers come to visit! Spring has made everyone noisy and bold, including the fearless Oak Titmouse below.