[EBB Sightings] Corral Hollow/Del Puerto Cyn/Mines Rd.

[EBB Sightings] Corral Hollow/Del Puerto Cyn/Mines Rd.

Debbi Brusco
Mon May 08 16:24:20 PDT 2006
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    Yesterday was a beautiful, very warm day, we saw no other birders, 
    and saw around 67 species.
    
    I met Harold Fukuma, Harriet Gerson and Kay Partelow at the Nob Hill 
    in Livermore around 8:45. While I was waiting, a flock of about 60 
    Cedar Waxwings flew over the parking lot. We decided to try 
    Tesla/Corral Hollow Road over to 580/5. This proved to be a very 
    birdy road, but also noisy from the trucks and motorcycles going to 
    the vehicle recreation area.
    
    We pulled over at marker 7.69 (viewed from the opposite direction). 
    There's a v-shaped rock formation on the north side. Two Great Horned 
    Owl branchers (actually, rockers, who occasionally adjusted their 
    footing) were spotted there. In the two trees on the down side of the 
    road between 7.69 and 7.73 were Wilson's Warbler and Warbling Vireo. 
    Farther down at 9.25 were at least 4 Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli 
    Bunting, Northern Rough-wing Swallow, Bewick's Wren feeding a 
    hidden-in-the-grass baby. Closer to the veh. rec. area at the 
    driveway to Connolly Livestock, were Western Kingbird, a flock of 
    Cliff Swallows, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and a pair of Golden Eagles. 
    Somewhere along there we heard Rock Wren, and we saw one later, I 
    think on Del Puerto.
    
    We entered Del Puerto Canyon Road around noon. We stopped close to 
    the entrance, and a herd of cattle came walking over from a ways away 
    to come see us. We heard Horned Lark, and got a couple of Barn 
    Swallows. We drove a bit down the road, and there was a Horned Lark 
    sitting on a fence post!  We could see its horns. Unfortunately, just 
    as I was about to take a picture, one of many motorcycles flew by and 
    scared it off.
    
    Our lunch stop was the raven's nest place, where Kay spotted a bat 
    flying around. We could hear Canyon Wren, and found it across the 
    --well-- canyon. We stopped at the Pygmy Owl pullout, but, alas, no 
    POs for us.
    
    Around 2:45 we arrived at Frank Raines. We used the men's room 
    because the women's was rather unappealing. There was a loud 
    reverberating Starling baby, whose location was not readily apparent. 
    Later, we found out that it was in a half-moon shaped hole at the 
    bottom of one of the squares in the windows, as it popped up when a 
    parent flew in to feed it. Then it disappeared from sight. There was 
    quite a bit of noise and dust from some off-road vehicles across the road.
    
    There's a pond east of the Junction. It's on a curve, and the water 
    is on both sides of the road. We heard Virginia Rail, found a 
    Lawrence's Goldfinch nest, saw and heard Cassin's Finch (x-rated 
    activity), a Coot with red-headed baby, Western Wood Pewee, Western 
    Tanager, a Golden-crowned Sparrow, Violet-green Swallow, Western 
    Bluebirds, and the Red-winged Blackbirds made a descending whistle in 
    unison when an accipiter, we thought Cooper's Hawk, flew over. They 
    did that twice while we were there. I don't recall what set them off 
    the second time, maybe a Red-tail. Needless to say, that was a very 
    enjoyable spot. We got very good looks at the LAGOs. And the pop-eyed 
    Bullfrog on the north side.
    
    At the Junction there was an Acorn Woodpecker excavating a hole that 
    was at the bottom of a big knot/bulge on a tree looking downhill from 
    the tables. It would carry the excavated wood to another tree, where 
    another ACWO was sitting, and deposit the wood there. There were 
    three piles of shavings.
    
    Nothing new at the firehouse. On to San Antonio for the Lewis' 
    Woodpecker who showed up on the big snag. Then on to the pond around 
    6:15, where a few Wood Duck pairs were. There were two foals among 
    the horses nearby. And a couple more Bullfrogs in the water. It was 
    so quiet noise-pollution-wise along here and Mines Road, compared to 
    the other two roads, hardly any traffic. Well, quiet except for one 
    of many begging Starlings along the way. I told this one to shut up. 
    I walked over pretty close, from looking at something else. 
    Fortunately not too close, because right after I stopped, poop came 
    shooting out of the hole!
    
    There were lots of CA Quail coming out while we drove back to Livermore.
    
    Acorn Woodpecker (2) excavating at Junction
    American Coot with red-headed baby
    American Crow
    American Kestrel
    American Robin (1)
    Anna's Hummingbird
    Barn Swallow (2)
    Belted Kingfisher (2), pair
    Bewick's Wren
    Black Phoebe
    Black-headed Grosbeak (1), 2 pair
    Brewer's Blackbird (2)
    Brown-headed Cowbird (2)
    Bullock's Oriole
    Bushtit (1)
    California Quail
    California Thrasher (3)
    California Towhee
    Canada Goose (2)
    Canyon Wren (2)
    Cassin's Finch (2)
    Cassin's Kingbird (1)
    Cedar Waxwing (1)
    Cliff Swallow (1)
    Common Raven (1)
    Cooper's Hawk
    Dark-eyed Junco
    European Starling, nest in window of men's bathroom at Frank Raines
    Golden-crowned Sparrow (2)
    Golden Eagle (1) pair
    Great Horned Owl (1)
    Horned Lark (2)
    House Finch
    House Sparrow
    House Wren
    Killdeer (2)
    Lark Sparrow (2)
    Lawrence's Goldfinch (2), nest in tree with small dead tree 
    underneath, between two pines on marshy side of the pond
    Lazuli Bunting (1)
    Lesser Goldfinch (2)
    Lewis's Woodpecker (3)
    Loggerhead Shrike (2)
    Mallard
    Mourning Dove
    Northern Flicker
    Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1)
    Nuttall's Woodpecker
    Oak Titmouse
    Red-tailed Hawk
    Red-winged Blackbird
    Rock Wren
    Turkey Vulture
    Violet-green Swallow (3)
    Virginia Rail (2) heard
    Warbling Vireo (1)
    Western Bluebird
    Western Kingbird
    Western Meadowlark
    Western Scrub-Jay
    Western Tanager (2)
    Western Wood-Pewee (2)
    White-breasted Nuthatch (2)
    Wild Turkey (3)
    Wilson's Warbler (1)
    Wood Duck (3)
    Wrentit
    Yellow-billed Magpie (1)
    (67)
    
    I tried to mark the above as to the first sighting.
    
    (1) 919 E. Stanley Road to Tesla/Corral Hollow Road.
    Mile marker 7.69 (viewed from the other direction) Great Horned Owls
    Mile marker 9.25 Black-headed Grosbeaks
    (2) Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
    (3) Mines Rd.
    
    There are photos of the pond, among other things, here:
    http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dgbrusco/album?.dir=478escd&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dgbrusco/my_photos
    
    
    
    Debbi Brusco
    Hayward
    
    


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