Date: 10/12/25 4:06 pm From: Vicki Silvas-Young via groups.io <mrnngwrblr...> Subject: [southbaybirds] SCVBA Centennial Field Trip to Lake Cunningham
Good afternoon, South Bay Birders,
With great anticipation, Sarah Chan and I met to lead the SCVBA Centennial field trip around Lake Cunningham on a bit of a chilly autumn day. Forty-five species delighted us with Great-tailed Grackles finally finishing up their moult and looking pretty spiffy; a seldom seen Common Yellowthroat making an appearance, adding to the celebration; a bunch of Green Herons brought their buddies, a proud group of American White Pelicans; White-crowned Sparrows and variously plumaged Yellow-rumped Warblers chorused all day long with a Golden-crowned Sparrow finally chiming in; a Northern Mockingbird along with some Spotted Towhees and a Hermit Warbler showed up a bit late to the party, looking like they celebrated heavily last night; many, many California Gulls with a couple of American Herring Gulls sneaking in with them; and the Bird-of-the-Day award goes to the Virginia Rail, also showing up late while skulking in the cattails. The surprise of the day was an Eared Grebe popping up from a dive about 15 feet from us! The day really warmed up a lot so we went home to cool off. Many thanks to Sarah for keeping the eBird list today.......and here it is eBird Checklist - 12 Oct 2025 - Lake Cunningham - 45 species (+1 other taxa) <https://ebird.org/checklist/S279026562> As always, keep birding, Vicki
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.
