Date: 4/6/25 9:24 pm From: Carter Gasiorowski via groups.io <carter.gasiorowski...> Subject: [southbaybirds] SCU Migrants & Thoughts on Birding by Ear
Today, 4-6-25, I birded around the SCU campus from around 8 to 9:45 am. I considered sleeping in, but Birdcast ( https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-CA-085) detected a "high" migration volume for this date, so I rolled out of bed and got started.
Walking past the engineering building, I heard an unfamiliar song. I turned and was surprised to see a LINCOLN'S SPARROW teed up a nearby tree. At least three wintered on campus this year, but hearing their song was a treat!
The fountain at the center of campus (37.348878998531674, -121.94021140563866) was lively with activity, as a WILSON'S WARBLER sang loudly from a small tree while groups WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and CEDAR WAXWINGS flew between treetops. I did a double-take as a female COMMON YELLOWTHROAT perched in the open atop an oak sapling- perhaps it was trying in vain to find a body of water larger than the fountain. Walking north, a warbler's soft flight call made me turn towards a bright ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER flitting between the leaves on an ornamental tree.
Now heading towards the Forge Garden, I heard a distinct "yank yank" call, and saw a tiny, almost tailless bird fly from a conifer. It was a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH! I was ecstatic, as I thought that I'd have to for an irruption year to find one on campus. At the Forge Garden, a gorgeous YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (MYRTLE) sang from an oak and a HOODED ORIOLE called from a nearby row of fan palms. An immature COOPER'S HAWK soared over the center of campus and a KILLDEER made a loud flyover of the main parking structure.
It was a great day to bird on campus, with my 36 species shattering my previous campus record of 29 species! While I can't deny that heading for the hills may be the best way to experience spring migration in Santa Clara County, being in an urban area doesn't mean that you're missing out! Now is probably the best time to bird local patches, as you could encounter a rarity on its way north.
Also, I want to highlight how valuable birding by ear has been for me. I recently got to hone my skills with the excellent leaders Vinayak Hebbagil and Shweta Shidhore on their "Chipchasers" birdathon (support a birdathon if you aren't already!), and I put those skills into action today. Of the 10 species on this report, I heard seven of them before seeing them, and two (Hooded Oriole and Killdeer) were heard-only. I only found one bird (Cooper's Hawk) purely by sight. That means that I found 90% of the birds by ear- a very high percentage! l credit this to Matthew Dodder, Janna Pauser, Mike Rogers, and others in the community who exposed me to the wonders of birding by ear. Most birds are singing right now, so if you also want to get better at birding by ear, there's no better time to learn!
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.
