Back in San Jose

On Wednesday July 19th I attended an Owling Class run by Santa Clara Valley Audubon that was held at McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino. The instructor talked wisely about the different species found in Santa Clara county and as the sum set we wandered around the park. Someone had staked out a Western Screech Owl for us to see, and we had a Great Horned Owl fly over as we started to head back.

With some information earned my wife and I drove to the Coyote Valley OSP on Friday July 21st and heard Common Poorwills calling from the hillside at sunset and had a poor view of a Barn Owl as the skies darkened.

We attended a Field trip to Sanborn County Park on Sunday July 23rd, a rather disappointing affair as the trip hardly ventured away from the open area where people began to picnic. A few of us wandered off - Sergio who had given me a ride home on Wednesday, Garret and Nana? - and we found a Cassin's Vireo and a Pacific Wren to make the morning worthwhile.

I also added a few more species on day trips over the next week or so. On Saturday July 29th my wife and I went to Land's End (San Francisco) but dipped on the Parakeet Auklet that has been around from time to time the previous week. I did add Heerman's Gull and Common Murre for the year while looking.

Sherwood and Oxley

I spent time visiting my house on Monday and added no new birds that day, although I got a first yard bird for the house - Spotted Dove on a roof across the street (and heard Torresian Crows calling from the nearby trees).

Spotted Dove

I spent my final day, Tuesday July 11th at the Sherwood Arboretum and at Oxley Creek Common where I added another 8 species but fell 3 short of my target of 100 for the short trip down under. I did see a few Eastern Grey Kangaroos from the train as I headed out to the airport on the Gold Coast.

Australian Kite

Australian Swamphen

Double-barred Finch

Pied Bitcherbird

Spangled Drongo

Superb Fairywren

Willie-wagtail

A BQ Outing and a day with Jill & Ian

I spent the morning of Saturday July 8th walking across the Kurilpa Bridge, along the South Bank Parkland, across the Goodwill Bridge and around the City Botanical Gardens. I added Figbird - a large flock feeding on a fruiting tree -  and Bush Thick-knee. As I was about to exit the Gardens I saw something strange flying about - some Grey-headed Flying Foxes were arguing over the roosting spots.

Bush Thick-knee

Figbird

Grey-headed Flying Fox

I then took the train out to Bald Hills to attend a BQ Outing led by Esther Townsend at Canterbury Park and the adjacent Barungwarra Bushland Reserve. There were many participants and the best of these saw over 50 species. I had a few less but added 25 for the trip. My best bird was a Cotton Pygny Goose, a species that I had only previously seen in Cambodia.

Cotton Pygmy-goose

Galah

Rainbow Lorikeet

Straw-necked Ibis

 
On Sunday July 9th Ian and Jill picked me up from my hotel for a morning in Brookfield - initially hoping but failing to find an elusive Black Bittern at Gold Creek Reservoir - and then the early afternoon in Moggill. I added 21 new species for the trip including the always lovely Golden Whistler and Rose Robin.

Australian Pipit

Pied Stilt

Rainbow Bee-eater

White-faced Heron

Out and about around Brisbane

I arrived at the Gold Coast Airport early on Thursday July 6th and took a shuttle to my hotel close to Roma Street Station. I spent the morning in the Roma Street Parklands and the afternoon wandering around the city, adding 23 species of bird plus a few Eastern Water Dragons. In the evening I went to Milton for a Birds Queensland Meeting hearing about feral cats at Bowra and Glossy and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Crested Pigeon

Dusky Moorhen

Little Black Cormorant

Little Pied Cormorant

I awoke to rain on Friday morning, July 7th, but unable to waste a day I headed out first to Lone Pine in Fig Tree Pocket where I knew there was some shelter and then out to Walkabout Creek and the Araucaria trail around Enoggera Reservoir in The Gap. Despite the weather I was able to add another 18 species.

King Parrot

Pale-headed Rosella

Malaysia - Bangsar and Ulu Langkat

After a few days back in Arizona courtesy of a QR workshop in Scottsdale, I headed to Malaysia with my wife and saw 14 expected species around Bangsar before going out with Cheong of Endemic Guides to Ulu Langkat, an area just beyond Ampang on the east side of Kuala Lumpur. We saw over 50 species on our day out.





On Wednesday July 5th I took an Air Asia flight to Australia where I stayed for a few days before returning to Malaysia for another 4 days stay. I was able to add a few more species in this time including Crested Serpent Eagle at the kolam on Lorong Maarof (as well as the more likely Striated and Purple herons) and a Black-shouldered kite along the motorway as we headed to the airport. The trip ended in a disappoinitng way when Swee Seng fell ill and we were unable to go birding as planned at Ulu Kali. I ended with 66 species in Malaysia - fewer than I had seen in England - but in just 8 days, most of which were spent locally.