Spring haz sprung and the grass is riz; let’s go see where the birdies iz!
The first weekend in April was wide open, and Mines Road beckoned. But my friends’ schedules were complicated and we’d heard about another place that was worth checking out. We sorted things out — half a day at Vargas Plateau Saturday, and then on Sunday two of us would go to Mines while the other fished.
Another friend had gone to Vargas a few days earlier and had some really nice raptor sightings, and mentioned that wildflowers were really starting to come out. That’s all the convincing we took. The park is in the hills above Fremont, CA, with sweeping vistas of the whole south bay. (One clue that you’re in Fremont is that more than half the cars in the lot were Teslas.) We decided on a nice loop trail that looked like it would take 3-4 hours at a birding pace.
HOLA cutie!
One of my friends is doing a photo fundraiser for Golden Gate Bird Alliance, so we were looking to add species to her tally. A Yellow-billed Magpie and Loggerhead Shrike at the parking area made for a nice start, then about 20 minutes into our walk we heard the unmistakable tinkling call of a Horned Lark. A Horned Lark… I didn’t even know they existed as singles. After some diligent searching, we found it among the cow patties on the hillside.
Then things took a turn. I started feeling some digestive distress (very suddenly) about a mile and half down the trail. It may have been a recurrence of some food poisoning that landed me in the ER a week earlier, or maybe a bad reaction to a new medicine, but in any event, there was nothing to do except go through it. I had a lot of water so didn’t get dehydrated (yay), but it was an hour before I felt strong enough to walk back. At first I was only able to go 100-200 feet before needing to stop and rest. Back at the parking area, my friend was able to get better photos of the magpie while I made sure I could drive, so that was good.
Might not look like much, but you can not imagine how many birds were singing here.
Sunday’s planned trip to Mines Road was postponed to the following weekend. During the week, the weather gods decided to postpone spring weather — the forecast was calling for cooler temps, and then downright cold days, with overnight snow flurries on the peaks above Mines Road and drizzly, breezy conditions with a high in the mid-40s. No thanks. We decided on lower elevation adventures. First stop was Ogier Ponds, a set of water treatment ponds south of San Jose.
Every bird was in full song — blackbirds, finches, sparrows, wrens and of course Mockingbirds. Everyone had their finest colors on display, angling for the best glint of sunlight. Though rain clouds massed just south of us, they managed to pass us by (on the way to Mines Road no doubt.
The littler birds were just getting started, but this redtail was already well settled in to her nest.
We were still in the mood to stay out longer, so we headed to Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, just a few miles away. As we climbed the Arrowhead Trail (it’s pictured at the top of the diary), we were treated to a great showing of raptors — Kestrel, Cooper’s Hawk, several Redtails and Red-shoulders, Bald Eagle and capped by a trio of Golden Eagles flying together, two adults and one second-year. Wow!
Golden Eagle right over us!
Mines Road! Finally!
Last Saturday, the stars finally aligned and three of us headed to Mines Road and Del Puerto Canyon. I have been making this trip in the spring for 30 years now, missing only 2020 (we were only a month into lockdown and were being discouraged from heading more than five miles from home.) There have been changes, but they come slowly and a lot of the road feels like it probably looked the same 50 years ago or more, especially after the first 8 miles. It’s lightly ranched, rolling oak grasslands on steep hillsides with a creek below; at higher elevations pines enter the mix. Interesting rock formations jut out all along the road.
Oh, look! More nesting redtails. They just did a shift change; she’s on the nest and he’s perched to the left. We counted three occupied redtail nests within a few miles at the start of the road — must be great habitat to support that kind of density.
It seemed quieter in some spots compared to previous years, as though the migrants hadn’t all made it quite this far yet. Still, there was a lot to see. Bullock’s Orioles were present in more places, and in higher numbers, than in most previous years. They were positively gleaming in the treetops.
Honestly, this made my day 20 minutes into the drive.
Western Kingbird wiping bug debris from its bill. Love them!
Trio of Acorn Woodpeckers clowning around.
As we wound our way up the hills, we stopped at a pullout that looked down to where I’d seen a Great Horned Owl nest in 2023. There was still a giant nest in the tree but this year is was occupied by (you guessed it) a redtail. I have to wonder if the owl tried to use it but got blown out by one of our early spring storms.
Tucked into a sturdy sycamore at a bend in the creek, this nest appeals to both owls and hawks.
A few miles further, at another favorite pullout, we heard some lively (dare I say cute?) chatter that sounded just a bit different — it was a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Though this is solidly in their range, seeing them is slightly a matter of luck. They don’t flock and they’re scattered on rocky hillsides. They’re kinda skulky. This one really cooperated by sitting on a fencepost for a few minutes, then continued to pop up and down along the fenceline.
Not generally cooperative for photos, so excuse the quality. I think this may be a female, with her brood patch showing (the dark area in front). Normally, they’re a solid light grey below and this bird was too, in other photos. Yay more Rufous-crowned Sparrows on the way!
In the same field, another “sometimes you get lucky” bird — a Lazuli Bunting. Never very common, and it’s been several years since I last saw one out here.
We continued up to the Junction of Mines Road/Del Puerto Canyon/San Antonio Valley Road. It’s usually a good area for Lawrence’s Goldfinches and Lewis’s Woodpeckers, but we didn’t see any this time. There’s an interesting development (especially for those who know the area) — The Junction Restaurant was closed last year and put up for sale. It was always nice to stop there for lunch and bird from their picnic tables. Turns out it was finally sold a few months ago and the new owners have some great plans for the place. They plan to grow a lot of their food, and they will be adding a few walking trails around the property (137 acres, I think). They may even add a small number of campsites. It would be great to spend the night at the top and get an early start on all of the birds in the area.
This particular field of wildflowers was on Mines, not San Antonio Valley, but you get the idea.
We drove San Antonio Valley Road for a few miles to continue the search for Lewis’ Woodpeckers and revel in the wildflowers, then headed down Del Puerto Canyon Road. At the off-road vehicle park, we stopped and found our Lawrence’s Goldfinches at last, and had some singing Black-headed Grosbeaks. On we went to the eastern end of the road and Owl Rocks, which stayed true to the name.
Great-horned Owl, with nearly fledge-ready owlet behind.
From the end of Del Puerto Canyon Road, you can hop on I-5 and do a loop back to the starting point in under an hour. However, we decided to backtrack and hope for some second sightings or new surprises, even though it takes twice as long. And we did get one more surprise — a few miles from the end, we saw a huge snake in the road. I was driving at that point and managed to swerve around it, though we figured it had probably already been hit. But no! We looked back and saw it move, so we turned around and shooed it from the pavement. It was a big ol’ gopher snake and it was easily a full lane across, so 6 feet maybe? It felt good to ensure it saw another day.
It took a while to get out there this year, but it’s always worth the effort.
