The Almaden Eagles team did our SCVAS Birdathon on Monday, Apr 25. We used the "Distributed" format for our day which worked out well as each of us took selected areas mostly in the Almaden area but also a bit further south to places in Coyote Valley and Canada del Oro. Our team this year included Janna Pauser, Kirsten Holmquist, Marion Farber, Bobbie Baker and Ann Verdi. We had a successful day with a total of 115 species - the highest number of species yet for the Almaden Eagles team as we cover a fairly limited area and we're not driving all over the county.
We found a great array of spring migrants (including seven different warbler species) as well as our familiar resident birds and even a few lingering winter birds. Each of us contributed sightings of unique birds to the total, so here is a brief summary highlighting some of the special birds of the day.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Janna Pauser
Janna found a Golden Eagle, our only eagle so the Almaden Eagles did not have to go "eagle-less" for the day as sometimes happened in previous Birdathons. Samples of other birds found by Janna included Osprey, Vaux's Swift, Brown Creeper, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow (the only ones seen for the day), and an actually seen Common Poorwill in the early evening.
Kirsten covered most of the southern part of our area, and here are some samples of birds seen by her during her day - Calero Reservoir: American White Pelican and four grebe species (Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe) - Stile Ranch trailhead at Santa Teresa CP: Horned Lark, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow - Coyote Valley: Rock Wren, Yellow-billed Magpie, Brewer's Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird - Canada del Oro for spring migrants: Western Wood-Pewee, Cassin's Vireo, Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak, and more
Marion took the Los Capitancillos Ponds and came up with six duck species including a female Wood Duck with young. Other good birds seen included Great-tailed Grackle, Downy Woodpecker, Green Heron, Hooded Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, and a heard-only Great Horned Owl by Coleman Road (which Janna had also located earlier).
Bobbie covered Almaden Lake and a portion of Los Alamitos Creek Trail. Bobbie's highlights included two Cackling Geese, California Gull, White-throated Swift, Cedar Waxwing, Wrentit, Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and our only White-crowned Sparrow of the day.
Ann was at the Water District and found two male Scaly-breasted Munia on the levee trail near the large juniper tree. She also saw two Allen's Hummingbirds near the large Pride of Madeira patch. And she also contributed the only Rock Pigeons of the day - hey, they count too!
It was a good day for all of us. We each found some special birds by going at our own time and pace, and we didn't end up totally wiped out at the end of the day. The "Distributed" concept for Birdathon teams has been good for us and we've also been able to increase our number of species both seen and heard over the past few years.