Date: 3/22/26 6:43 pm From: Vicki Silvas-Young via groups.io <mrnngwrblr...> Subject: [southbaybirds] Today's First Day of Spring at Lake Cunningham
Good afternoon, SBBers, Today we lucked out and the weather was just right! Fourteen birders met us at the Marina parking lot of Lake Cunningham park. It was a bit cool, just a little wind, hardly any clouds and a lot of enthusiasm as we started out on a 30 species day. A chorus of Great-tailed Grackles greeted us as Tree Swallows and Cliff Swallows darted overhead and California Gulls started to arrive from the Kirby Canyon landfill. We checked out the wells in the pepper trees, but no sapsuckers were feeding today. *Sigh* Spring was in the air with American Coots battling it out, Pied-billed Grebe displaying to each other, and a male Common Yellowthroat singing his heart out to an unknown lady love along with a couple of other Common Yellowthroats. Maybe they were all competing for the same lady love!!? Bushtits were busy in pairs gathering nesting material and catching a snack here and there. White-crowned sparrows were in abundance and singing rambunctiously. I suspect they are from the south and beginning their migration northward, but stopped by the Native Garden to "tank" up before their northward journey. A Green Heron did a very quick flyby and did not linger. Darn! It was not easy but Eve helped find a Hooded Oriole at the very top of a Eucalyptus tree and earlier helped find a Red-winged Blackbird, lurking in a tree. A Red-tailed Hawk dramatically swooped amongst the trees in the Native Garden taking us for a nice surprise. Two Song Sparrows who were obviously a pair entertained us up with their tender interaction. Ahhh, Spring. Here is the checklist for today. eBird Checklist - 22 Mar 2026 - Lake Cunningham Inner Lake Path, San Jose, California, US (37.334, -121.81) - 30 species (+2 other taxa) <https://ebird.org/checklist/S312221837> My thanks to Eve Meier who helped attendees identify birds and Arvind and Ashok who took over the botanical duties of the trip. There are a bunch of time consuming administrative duties at the beginning of the trip, thank you, Priya, for helping with those duties and making sure attendees got a bunch of merch! Join the Birdathon! 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.
