Date: 11/3/24 2:17 pm From: connor.r.christensen via groups.io <connor.r.christensen...> Subject: [southbaybirds] SCVBA Field Trip to Los Gatos Creek County Park and Oka Ponds
Hello all,
Today Liz Frith, John Tsortos, and I lead a group of enthusiastic birders through Los Gatos Creek County Park and Oka Ponds. We started at the Oka Ponds side and saw our expected *Mallards* , *Gadwalls* , *Ring-necked Ducks* , *Buffleheads* , and *Ruddy Ducks*. The *Belted Kingfishers* were very active this morning and we saw a male and a female fly together and interact over the ponds. A very gracious *Great Egret* and *Snowy Egret* perched next to each other in one of the trees giving us all a great view for comparison. On the central island in the Oka Ponds, we saw a young *Cooper’s Hawk* chasing a *Killdeer* on the ground and then burst into flight in hot pursuit.
Along the Los Gatos Creek, we spotted a lone *American Wigeon* loosely mixed with some *Gadwalls*. While making a quick pitstop at the County Park restrooms in the bushes nearby we found a flock of *House Sparrows*. In a nearby tree, we even saw them sticking their heads out of nest cavities. Right as we were finishing up our trip we spotted a *Red-breasted Sapsucker* in some pepper trees in the backyard of one of the houses adjacent to the park. It was a very birdy morning and in total we had a species count of 46. Check out our checklist for the full list of birds. https://ebird.org/checklist/S201302304
Do not disclose information that identifies the location of nesting birds of any species, to minimize stress on the nesting birds and the risk of vandalism or abuse.
