Date: 3/5/25 8:45 pm From: Vicki Silvas-Young via groups.io <mrnngwrblr...> Subject: [southbaybirds] Field Trip to Sunnyvale WPCP today!
Good evening, SBBers,
Today Dan Bloch and I took 14 dry birders to the Sunnyvale WPCP area to view avian wildlife. We were lucky, lucky because at 11:49 the waters parted, er, I mean, the heavens parted and the sunshine fell upon us, but the wind certainly tried to discourage us. In spite of the weather challenges, singing Marsh Wrens (the Ruddy Duck of the wren world) were in full song, providing us with good, long viewing times. A rare experience for the beginners in our group with just about everyone getting very good views of the usually hidden songster. Gadwalls, American Coots, Mallards, and Anna's Hummingbirds, the cold weather wonder-nester, lead our way along the Sunnyvale West Channel. Common Gallinules and more Gadwalls were in the no-name slough that host the high voltage towers. An unusually high number of Black-necked Stilts hogged all the space on the pipe going across the West Pond with a couple of Double-crested Cormorants chaperoning. Along the trail to A4, Marsh Wrens chorused with a couple of Song Sparrows chiming in, as Green-winged Teal were seen and heard! A real treat! Alas, a Sora was heard, but not seen. White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows decorated the trail while feasting on the fruits of the Canary Island Ivy. On choppy, pea-green A4, Western/Clark's Grebes were seen along with a nice little group of snoozing Ruddy Ducks with a lone Lesser Scaup. Other notable birds seen were the rear end of an intently hunting Snowy Egret, a "bazillion," well, maybe only 75, Violet-green Swallows overhead most of the day having brunch, and a nice pale Glaucous-winged Gull posing on a pole. As the saying goes, a day outside birding is better than a day inside even when it is almost rainy! (I just made that up....sorry). Dan is the keeper of the eBird list........Thank you, Dan, very much! Here is his effort of 33 species. https://ebird.org/checklist/S216816432 It was just a very nice day......go birding more, Vicki, a co-leader for Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance
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.
