OHLONE AUDUBON SOCIETY
CASWELL PARK
and
DEL PUERTO CANYON CAMPOUT 2004
Sat. - Sun., 8 - 9 May, 2004
Leaders: Phil E. and Pat A. Gordon
This is a report of a few highlights of the 75 species found on this year’s Ohlone Audubon Soc. Campout Trip to the Central Valley in parts of the counties, Alameda, San Joaquin and Stanislaus. The camping went well. Plenty of sites to pick from, so we were mostly by the Stanislaus River. The intrepid seven participants included Byron Arnett who brought his kayak and explored some of the areas reached no other way.
On Sunday (9 May) our regular early morning chrono-bird song walk resulted in the following (heard only unless otherwise indicated; as noted by PEG): 1. 4:48 AM TREE SWALLOW 2. 5:18 AM SPOTTED TOWHEE 3. 5:20 AM WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE 4. 5:22 AM AMERICAN ROBIN 5. 5:29 AM WESTERN KINGBIRD 6. 5:32 AM BLACK HEADED GROSBEAK 7. 5:32 AM YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE 8. 5:41 AM AMERICAN CROW 9. 5:42 AM HOUSE WREN 10. 5:42 AM RED-SHOULDERED HAWK M 5:44 AM BEAVER (Castor canadensis) Seen not heard X 5:45 AM TREE SWALLOW First bird seen 11. 5:53 AM OAK TITMOUSE 12. 5:55 AM WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 13. 5:56 AM EUROPEAN STARLING Seen not heard 14. 5:57 AM NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER 15. 5:57 AM ACORN WOODPECKER 16. 5:59 AM MORNING DOVE 17. 6:01 AM WESTERN SCRUB-JAYX 6:02 AM AmCr chased a calling (complaining?) RSHa 17. 6:03 AM CALIFORNIA QUAIL 18. 6:05 AM BUSHTIT 19. 6:07 AM WESTERN TANAGER Also seen 20. 6:10 AM LESSER GOLDFINCH Also seen 21. 6:10 AM ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER 22. 6:12 AM NORTHERN (Red-shafted) FLICKER Seen not heard 23: 6:14 AM CEDAR WAXWING Seen not heard 24. 6:16 AM RED-TAILED HAWK Seen not heard 25. 6:16 AM BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD Also seen 26: 6:16 AM AMERICAN GOLDFINCH 27. 6:19 AM Hummingbird species (Small = Black-chinned?) 28. 6:19 AM TOWNSEND'S WARBLER Seen not heard 29. 6:21 AM WARBLING VIREO Seen not heard 30. 6:34 AM WILSON'S WARBLER Seen not heard 31. 6:38 AM WOOD DUCK Seen not heard 32. 6:39 AM WRENTIT 33. 6:41 AM SWAINSON'S THRUSH
On the late afternoon walk in Caswell Park’s riparian forest (Sat., 8 May) of special note were the flocks of 50+ WHITE-FACED IBIS AND 12+ WHIMBREL, a fly-off GREAT HORNED OWL, and several SWAINSON'S HAWKS coming in to roost. We had great opportunities to study several morphs of these hawks that migrate to/from the neotropics of Argentina - - so fitting since this was an International Migratory Bird Day weekend. Several species were found nesting including: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (exploring for a nest site); TREE SWALLOW; BUSHTIT; WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH; HOUSE WREN; WESTERN BLUEBIRD, no doubt others were preparing for the courtship/nesting season. Several neotropical migrants were noted besides the Swainson’s Hawks including: WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE; PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER; ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER; WESTERN KINGBIRD; WARBLING VIREO; TREE SWALLOW; NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW; SWAINSON’S THRUSH; TOWNSEND’S WARBLER; WILSON’S WARBLER; WESTERN TANAGER; BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK; BULLOCK’S ORIOLE.
With mixed feelings we were told herbicides were the reason the Persian Mulberry trees, near the picnic restrooms, were dead or dying as part of a program to rid the park of non-natives. We always could count on berry eating Tanagers and Grosbeaks there. The good news was the discovery and subsequent protection plan of a rare, State protected broom rape (prob. Orobanche vallicola Jepson), graciously shown to our group by the Park Ranger and manager of current environmental Park programs, Terri Jensen.
Along the Stanislaus River we had a new dragonfly (for us), Common Whitetail.On Sunday a group of 31+ SWAINSON'S HAWKS were on the ground and above a dry disked field in Stanislaus Co.; one white-headed, immature bird carried a young meadow vole to consume on the ground. This site is along River Rd. (J3) about 1 mi. south of Hwy 132 on 9 May (going south, the next, unmarked, town = Grayson, named for its founder, Andrew Jackson Grayson, the "Audubon of the West").
Arriving at Del Puerto Rd., STA Co. at ca. 11:30 PM, we didn't expect the Grasshopper Sparrows, etc., but the male Costa's Hummingbird was at mile post marker ca.3.6mi.; and a female CoHu was about .2mi. above here in the roadside Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca?). A female Anna's Hummingbird was also seen nearby. We had a CANYON WREN feeding young at a narrow rock crevice while a RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW sang nearby. Two nestling COMMON RAVENS were in a medium-large stick nest in plain view (south cliff) beside the road (mile marker not noted).
At lunch along Del Puerto Creek while watching Bullock's Orioles, Western Kingbirds, etc. another picnicking family, were sad to show us a pile of shot? song birds in the rocks of the creek bed. Included were one of each: Yellow-billed Magpie; American Robin; California Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird. We had never before seen such wanton killing - is this some new practice? This has become an increasingly more heavily used recreation area for Valley residents (and beyond) .The only Lawrence's Goldfinches (although we didn't go as far as the junction) were in Gray Pines along the road (creekside) in front of Frank Raines Park. Two immature Hairy Woodpeckers were also here.
In the late afternoon, at mile marker 7.1mi. to ca. 6.3 mi., on a walk along the Patterson Creek, ALA Co., we found WARBLING VIREO, WESTERN TANAGER, and LARK SPARROW and finally found a male and female BLUE GROSBEAK (in the riparian zone near 6.3mi.). Also foraging on the north hill slope above here was a BURROWING OWL that chuck- chuck-chucked repeatedly. The ROCK WREN also called here.
It was Happy Birding,
Phil and Pat Gordon, Leaders
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