The Jack Sparrows Spring Birdathon
Friday 20 April 2007

View all the photos from this adventure.

On Friday we spent a wonderful day birding from 3:30am until after dark, starting in the East hills and working our way westward. Our total for the day was 126 species. Here is a summary.

The dawn chorus was somewhat meager on account of the cold rain, which slowly dwindled as the morning progressed. We were in hills behind the fire station at Smith Creek. First bird heard was a GREAT HORNED OWL. First bird seen was CALIFORNIA QUAIL. On the hike back down, a pair of WOOD DUCKs was seen in a small pond. In a cluster of oak trees next to the gate for the Foothill trail we saw NASHVILLE, ORANGE-CROWNED and WILSON'S WARBLERs as well as all three Goldfinch species. The bridge over Smith Creek did not give us any flycatchers, but we got great looks at a HERMIT THRUSH and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

On the drive down we found another pair of Wood Ducks at Bass Lake. At Grant Lake we saw a pair of CASPIAN TERNs mating. Across the road from the lake we heard several GRASSHOPPER SPARROWs, which we got glimpses of briefly near the parking area for the Hotel Trail in .

At Ed Levin we got selasphorus hummingbird (likely ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD), our first-of-year ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, more LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHes and in the locust trees near the dog run a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGs were hawking for bugs and passing berries to each other. We found a GREAT HORNED OWL in a tree near the spot where we had seen Long-eared Owl the previous year (perhaps the Great Horned Owl chased away the competition?). We assume the owl had recently dined on turkey, given the large collection of fresh turkey gore and feathers directly below the roosting spot!

On the drive into Alviso several BONAPARTE'S GULLs flew over the road from the dump to the water treatment plant. At the Alviso EEC we saw a single NORTHERN PINTAIL resting on the far shore of the close salt pond, A16. Also at the pond were EARED GREBE, SCAUP (likely LESSER) and many species of gull. The BARN OWL looked at us from within its box in the sycamores; we were relieved as we had seen a Barn Owl roadkill on Zanker Road. We stopped at State & Spreckels, where the only highlight was a smattering of SEMIPALMATED PLOVER.

Onward to Charleston Slough and Shoreline Lake where we saw NORTHERN HARRIER and many expected ducks and shorebirds. Two pair of CANVASBACK were swimming on salt pond A1. Shoreline Lake had a CLARK'S GREBE as well as WESTERN GREBEs.

Palo Alto Baylands, surprisingly, added only CLAPPER RAIL and RING- NECKED PHEASANT to our list, although we got great views of more Clark's Grebes and a giant flock (300+) of MARBLED GODWITs.

McClellan Ranch gave us our HOODED ORIOLE. Stevens Creek Reservoir had an OSPREY flying overhead. Near the Villa Maria Picnic Area we saw VAUX'S SWIFT and found a HUTTON'S VIREO by following its call. Driving up Stevens Canyon Road we found an AMERICAN DIPPER in the creek below one of the bridges.

We had a little bit of light left as we came back down out of the valley so we drove to Oka Ponds in hopes of seeing a lingering Wilson's Snipe, but we had no luck on our end-of-the-day "Snipe hunt."

The Jack Sparrows
Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne
~

Species List for The Jack Sparrows Spring 2007 Birdathon

Friday 20 April 2007
Species in order of first heard or seen. (h) = heard only, never seen
Total Species: 126

You can find lots more photos from this adventure in the 2007 Birdathon Gallery.

Joseph D. Grant County Park (Smith Creek area)
Great Horned Owl
Wild Turkey
American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Acorn Woodpecker
Orange-crowned Warbler
Western Scrub-Jay
California Quail
Steller's Jay
California Towhee
Mourning Dove
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wood Duck
Mallard
Nuttall's Woodpecker
European Starling
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Bluebird
American Crow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lesser Goldfinch
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Black Phoebe
White-breasted Nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black-headed Grosbeak
Wilson's Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Band-tailed Pigeon
Hermit Thrush
American Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch
Common Raven
Turkey Vulture
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Lincoln's Sparrow
Western Kingbird
Western Meadowlark

Joseph D. Grant County Park (Near Grant Lake)
Yellow-billed Magpie
Bushtit
Red-tailed Hawk
Anna's Hummingbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Brown-headed Cowbird
Canada Goose
White-tailed Kite
White-throated Swift
Violet-green Swallow
Tree Swallow
White-crowned Sparrow
American Coot
Pied-billed Grebe
Song Sparrow
Double-crested Cormorant
Caspian Tern
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Gadwall
Ruddy Duck
Great Blue Heron
Cinnamon Teal
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Western Grebe
Brewer's Blackbird
California Thrasher (h)
Grasshopper Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird

Quimby Road
Rock Pigeon

Ed Levin County Park
Purple Finch (h)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Oak Titmouse
Cliff Swallow
Cooper's Hawk
Killdeer
Allen's Hummingbird
Cedar Waxwing
American Kestrel
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Barn Swallow

Calaveras Road
Bewick's Wren

Zanker Road
Bonaparte's Gull

EEC
Black-necked Stilt
Snowy Egret
American Avocet
Long-billed Dowitcher
Burrowing Owl
Barn Owl
Marsh Wren (h)
Lesser Scaup
Eared Grebe
California Gull
Western Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Forster's Tern
Glaucous-winged Gull
Northern Shoveler
American White Pelican
Great Egret
Northern Pintail
House Sparrow

State & Spreckels
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Willet

Charleston Slough
Greater Yellowlegs
Green-winged Teal
Common Yellowthroat (h)
Common Moorhen
Northern Harrier
Marbled Godwit
Least Sandpiper
Canvasback

Shoreline Lake
Surf Scoter

Palo Alto Baylands
Short-billed Dowitcher
Savannah Sparrow
Clark's Grebe
Clapper Rail (h)
Ring-necked Pheasant (h)

McClellan Ranch Park
Hooded Oriole
Red-shouldered Hawk

Stevens Creek Reservoir
Osprey

Stevens Creek Park - Villa Maria Picnic Area
Vaux's Swift
Wrentit (h)
Hutton's Vireo

Stevens Creek Canyon
American Dipper