Wanted to follow up to this morning's email. Although there were no
rarities seen, it was still great to bird this area for a number of reasons.
First, what led me to bird here was the California Bird Atlas
<https://www.californiabirdatlas.org>. As some may have heard, there is
a project underway to create the first state wide, California Breeding
Bird Atlas. This effort is being done in conjunction with eBird, many CA
county record keepers, and numerous institutions.
Specifically, looking at the block maps yesterday, I noticed that two
blocks, (areas), in Santa Cruz county had NO data. The first block was
where I birded today. The second block with no data is near the north
end of Swanton Road, near Last Chance Road. (You can review and zoom in
on the block map
<https://cba-blockboard.share.connect.posit.cloud>Â yourself and see all
kinds of interesting info.)
To easily contribute your sightings to the CA Bird Atlas, use eBird, set
the breeding codes, and follow the instructions in either of these
YouTube videos; Moving an eBird checklist .. (Web)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg6neRbv_zw> or How to Add an Existing
eBird Checklist... (eBird Mobile App
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG0BB_c_mDU>). Based on this morning,
one of the "empty" blocks, should now have at least one entry show up in
the next day or so. I'm going to bird the other "no data" block some
time next week.
Another reason to visit this area, is terrific overall birding. It has
tall grass pasture, with some oaks, exposed large rocks, and cliffs, all
ringed by oak woodlands and redwoods. I was there from about 8:15am
until about 11am. Originally, I intended to bird both "no data" blocks.
However, every time I thought to leave, I saw or heard something that
caught my attention. For a full list of birds seen or heard, see this
eBird list: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S368175142
In the next few hours, I'll continue to refine the list, and perhaps add
some documentary photos.
One last note, the parking is limited. You pull off the road onto the
easement as best you can. There is private land on both sides. I parked
at roughly GPS coordinates: 37°08'33.1"N 122°11'35.2"W . Then I walked
up and down the road checking both sides for birds. This morning, it was
wonderful! The birds were plentiful, and there was almost no traffic
or human generated noise.
