[EBB Sightings] The Weekend Along Coyote Creek Trail

We spent a couple of hours both Saturday and Sunday mornings walking north
then back along the trail.  Notable sightings included two male and one
female Hooded Oriole at the farmhouse and about 200 yards north and three
make Bullock's Orioles at various locations creek side.  Yellow-rump
Warblers were active; both Audubon's and Myrtle were seen.  A Wilson's
Warbler made a belief appearance.  White and Gold-crowned Sparrows are still
around.  Savannah sparrows were seen near the cinder block pump house north
of the ranch.  I watched a pair of Lincoln's Sparrows make their way across
the creek and later, a Fox Sparrow came out of hiding.  Song sparrows
abound.  Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Bushtits are busy in the creek side
shrubs.  Nuttall's and Downy Woodpeckers were working the trees along the
creek.  American Robins, Scrub Jays, Mourning Doves, European Starlings,
Red-winged Blackbirds, Rock Doves, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Great and
Snowy Egrets, Double-crested Cormorants, Canadian Geese, Lesser and American
Goldfinches and House Finches are commonly seen along the trail.  At the
least, California, Glaucose-winged, Mew and Thayer's Gulls are often
overhead, as are Turkey Vultures.  A Merlin sat atop a dead cottonwood south
of the farmhouse Saturday morning.  A little farther north the
Red-shouldered Hawks are decorating their nest with greenery.  Further north
yet, creek side just north of the ranch, the White-tailed Kites are driving
off any potential threat to their nesting area.

This morning a swarm of swallows worked the tall grass on the leeward side
of the creek between the farm house and the block pump house.  In the swarm
were seen Violet-green, Northern Rough-wing, Tree and Cliff Swallows; the
Violet-green's made up the greatest proportion.  In many cases, the birds
flew within inches of us. 

Those of you familiar with the area know that high voltage power lines run
north from the power plant at 237 near Zanker Road.  They are on the west
side of the creek until they approach the Milpitas lift station, where they
cross the creek and continue north.  The lines are supported by galvanized
metal power poles, each capped with a structure that is supposed to
discourage birds.  It seems a pair of Red-tails has found this structure a
useful matrix to hold together their nest, which can be seen atop the
western-most pole before the lines cross the creek.  Both Saturday and
Sunday they were seen making additions.

Chuck Woodrum
Fremont 94539