Date: 11/4/26 6:29 pm From: Vicki Silvas-Young via southbaybirds <mrnngwrblr...> Subject: [southbaybirds] Today's SCVBA Field Trip to Sunnyvale WPCP, 11-4-2026
Good afternoon, South Bay Birders,
Today after a bit of a rough start due to Google employees taking up the parking spaces designated for trail users, 12 not-so-beginnerish birders gathered with Dan and myself to see what was shaking at the local sewage treatment plant. And there was plenty shakin', 28 bird species. Yellow-rumped Warblers greeted us as we sauntered up the trail to see a Snowy Egret flying by along with an American Coot paddling in the slough. A slow start. Thinking that we heard some Green Herons vocalizing we scurried further up the trail. As we were exclaiming about how many American Crows were overhead, from a tree out pops a Cooper's Hawk with a meal in its beak, maybe a juicy, fat Jerusalem Cricket, with a bunch of American Crows in hot pursuit. Even after taking a couple of direct hits from the American Crows, the Cooper's Hawk did not let go of its meal, but finally found another perch down the trail to rest and dine in peace only to be chased by a Red-tailed Hawk! Later we saw the poor harassed Cooper's Hawk patiently sitting in a half bare tree, looking at the ground, presumably looking for another meal. Then it suddenly dove for the ground and came up with a tasty tidbit, flew to a nearby perch so we could watch it stuff its face. In the slough pairs of Mallards with a Snowy Egret here and there accompanied by a Common Gallinule swimming with a couple more American Coots were seen by us and a couple of stoic Black-crowned Night Herons on the shore. White-crowned Sparrows, House Finches, tiny Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, (only one!) California Towhee, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, and European Sparrows gathered here and there along the trail. On the two pipes that go across West Pond, a bunch of American White Pelicans were preening with a sprinkling of snoozing Black-necked Stilts among them. Pied-billed Grebes hung out in the background as a lone Forster's Tern surveyed the gull species gathered below. Many European Starlings prompted a discussion of molt along with the iridescence of their plumage as a Double-crested Cormorant ushered a Brown Pelican into our view. It was a lovely fall day! My "thank yous" to Dan, the other leader, for keeping the eBird list. Here it is........ https://ebird.org/checklist/S408055032 Sign up for a Christmas Count! 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.
