mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (09/28/89)
We were going for the record. It was time for the annual fund raising birdathon for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. Two friends of mine, Grant Hoyt and Dick Stovell, have always done "big days" for years; and I have joined in with them the last couple of years. But we were going for the record. Their record, that is. The most species that they have seen on a September "big day" was 147, and we wanted to beat it this time. Grant knocked on my door a little before four o'clock in the morning and we hustled off in Dick's van for Carmel. Five thirty found us in Robinson Canyon. The last time I was here we had gotten six species of owls, but this time only Great Horned, Northern Pygmy, and Western Screech could be coaxed into calling. However, the "day" started out great when, at first light, the landbirds started rolling in. A California Thrasher (a difficult bird to get) sang from the undergrowth and the eleventh bird (first bird seen) was a Winter Wren, another difficult bird. As we moved down the canyon back toward the coast, things just seemed to go our way. Not only did we get the usual birds, but the unusual ones also seemed to be there. When we stopped at a spot, a small flock of Lawrence's Goldfinch were feeding along the side of the road. We had never seen them before in Robinson Canyon. At the same spot a small flock of Wild Turkeys were feeding a few hundred yards away from the road in the open. We had never seen them before in the canyon either. As we drove the road looking for sparrows along the fenceline, they seemed to pose for us everywhere we looked. A Fox Sparrow sat up in a bush while we watched through the car windows. The same with White-Crowned and Lark Sparrows. An interesting sparrow flew by and, upon investigation, turned out to be a Chipping Sparrow. A Golden-Crowned sang. We left Robinson Canyon with over fifty species and the old record looked doomed. Things continued well along the coast. At Monterey's Cannery Row we scoped the kelp beds for alcids. Along with Pigeon Guillemot and Common Murre, there was a Thick-Billed Murre that had been in the area for some weeks. At Point Lobos a Sooty Shearwater flew by. I excitedly called out when I saw a small falcon, but it turned out to be an American Kestrel. No sooner had a minute gone by when, as if in answer to my wishes, another small falcon came upon the scene. As it made a shallow stoop on a shorebird, its dark brown upperparts and its three or so narrow whitish bars on a dark tail identified it as the Merlin that I thought the other one might have been. The specialty birds kept coming; Ruddy Turnstone at Jetty Road, Golden Eagle & Snowy Plover & Spotted Sandpiper at Moss Landing Wildlife Area, Wood Duck at Neary's Lagoon, Black Oystercatcher & Surfbird at Pebble Beach. Only near the end of our coast run did an item of concern enter our thoughts; time. It was one thirty in the afternoon. We didn't feel that we had any birds to gain at our last coast stop, Pescadero Marsh, so we skipped it and, with 124 birds on our list and an hour's drive ahead, we started back to the Bay. We decided that our first stop should be Charleston Slough, because so many of the birds that we still needed could be found there. Most of the ducks, rails, and White Pelican. The area did not disappoint us, as we added a dozen more birds to the list. However, two birds that we thought should be fairly easy to get had eluded us thus far; American Robin and Northern Mockingbird. As we drove to the Dumbarton Bridge, Dick took the scenic route through a residential neighborhood in order to find Robin. As if on cue, two Robins appeared on the lawn of a house as we drove by. It was on across the bridge to the east side of the Bay and Coyote Hills Regional Park. By this time we were wondering if the record was still in reach. We had about 137 birds, but we were running out of places and, more importantly, time. However, Grant says that Coyote Hills is a place that should not be underestimated. We had about an hour and a half to bird the park before closing time. It seems that Grant really knew what he was talking about, for we got warblers and vireos and flycatchers; and Mockingbird. When we left the park at closing time, we had 145 birds. This is where the time bug got us. We were planning on going to Sunol Regional Wilderness, where Yellow-Billed Magpie was a sure thing. When we left Coyote Hills the sun was going down, and we were going to have to skip Sunol. But we weren't finished yet. We drove around the south end of the Bay and stopped at Alviso, where I knew that Burrowing Owl could be found. It was just a matter of whether they were sitting out or not. When we pulled up to the spot and jumped out of the van, an owl flew up and landed on a sewer cover. We jumped back in and took off for the Baylands. When we got to the Baylands, the sun had set and it had gotten dark; the perfect time to hear Clapper Rails calling (which is why we waited until then to go). As we walked from the parking lot towards the marsh boardwalk, the sounds of calling Clapper Rails drifted out to greet us. The record was tied! We realized then how important it was to have been able to get to Sunol. We decided to make one last-ditch effort to break the record. If we were to get one more bird, then it would have to be an owl. Long-Eared or Saw-Whet would require a long drive back up into the hills, but Barn Owl might be found right down in the populated areas of the valley. We headed for the Stanford campus. There are historical records of Barn Owl breeding in Hoover Tower, so we spent the next half hour walking around the tower, Grant screeching and me hissing (and passersby laughing, no doubt). It was no dice. Dick dropped us off at Grant's house. Grant gave me a ride back home and, on the way, we stopped at a small park where I had found Barn Owl breeding; but it seems that our luck had run out. We would have to settle for a tie. It was alright though; we had a great day and had seen plenty of good birds. And as the saying goes; wait until next time. Mike