Date: 5/17/25 2:54 pm From: Adam Burnett via groups.io <adamburnett33...> Subject: [southbaybirds] Red-necked Phalaropes on Adobe Creek and Shoreline Lake
On a Stanford Birdwatching Club trip to the Shoreline Lake area in Mountain View this morning, we were pleased to find RED-NECKED PHALAROPES in a couple places.
We first saw a group of 6 fly in and land on Adobe Creek about half a mile north of the forebay, around (37.4412, -122.0942). When I returned to this spot around 1 PM, the original 6 were still there, and an impressive group of 65 was in the same area. We also saw a group of 15 on Shoreline Lake, just west of the island.
Though Red-necked Phalaropes can be abundant in Sunnyvale and Alviso, I had never seen more than a handful at a time in the Palo Alto and Mountain View area (or in my 5-mile radius), and I see them more often in fall migration than in spring. It was especially nice to see them in their colorful breeding plumage.
The BLACK OYSTERCATCHER also continues in the area. We first saw it on the levee between Charleston Slough and Salt Pond A1, then foraging alone on the flats of Charleston Slough at low tide, and finally on the island in Shoreline Lake.
A male BLUE-WINGED TEAL in the forebay was another highlight, as were four GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES flying by. 25 WILLETS and 9 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS lingered on the flats of Charleston Slough and Adobe Creek.
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.
