Subject: Quick Sunday Birding Trip
Date: May 05 08:28:39 1997
From: Peggi & Ben Rodgers - woodduck at cruzio.com


Hi all!

We had a great time Sunday afternoon. 13 species in a half hour at two
places! The weather was gorgeous, 70-74 degrees, sunny and no wind.

Our first stop was the northern end of Elkhorn Slough just south of
Watsonville, CA on Old Salinas Highway. There was saw three Western Grebes,
a variety of Tree or Violet green swallows (I couldn't get a good enough
look at them for a positive ID), a magnificent male Northern Harrier who was
not the least bit happy when he soared over a blackbird enclave and got
immediately mobbed! There was also several Red-winged blackbirds and brown
Sandpiper types (as you all know, sandpipers and gulls are not my area of
expertise!). Feeding in the shallows, apparently unpreterbed over the
Harrier above, were three Black-necked stilts. Shortly thereafter on a wire
by the side of the road was a Kestral.

Moving to the Kerby Public Access boat launch on Elkhorn Road, there were
large numbers of both Great and Snowy Egrets as well as several pairs of
Mallards. Red-winged blackbirds and bard swallows were also common. But,
the most remarkable sighting (at least for me) was a pair of Amer. Avocets -
a lifer for both of us!

We did note some interesting behavior by some Black-necked stilts in this
area. They were a distance away over a little berm so we cuoldn't see what
was exciting them so much, but there were four and they seemed to be hopping
up and down for several minutes. As they hopped up, they'd spread their
wings and sort of glide down, similar to the cranes' dances. Courtship do
you think?

We finished our short birding trip with a walk to the beach where we located
a Steller's Jay's nest enroute. Super afternoon!

Bird List
North Elkhorn Slough

3 Black-necked Stilts
Several Tree/Violet Green Swallows
3 Western Grebes
1 Male Northern Harrier
Bunch of sandpiper-types
Red-winged Blackbirds
Kestral

Kerby Boat Launch
Great Egrets
Snowy Egrets
Barn Swallows
2 American Avocets
Mallards
2 Black-necked Stilts
Red-winged blackbirds
Brewer's blackbirds

Peggi
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"