Calaveras Bald Eagles

I spent a few hours this afternoon our behind Ed Levin and checking the Eagle pair.

First stop was Spring Valley pond, which was fairly quiet, but while I was checking the trees for woodpeckers, I had a single white-throated swift (lifer 221!) fly over me headed north towards Sandy Wool.
I then headed out Calaveras to the eagles (Photo is from last year). When I got there, a couple was just leaving, having not seen anything. Initially, I didn’t, either, but after pulling out the scope,  I could occasionally see her head bob into view from the gate area. I shifted up the hill to get  better angle, and if you go back up the hill almost to the curve, you’ll have a better look at the bird (from what I can tell, this year’s nest is a few inches deeper than last year’s, so she’s not as visible when she’s sitting down).

After about 20 minutes, the male came out of some trees and made a pass across the reservoir and then back out of sight. He re-appeared about 10 minutes later and landed on the nest (by now, about 3PM) with something in his claws.

Bald Eagles are normally fish eaters, but there has been some discussion of a pair in San Benito county that’s shifted over to hunting ground squirrels, and earlier this week there was a little discussion on the SBB list about whether this pair might be doing the same. My photo of the male coming in clearly shows it with a clump of dirt and grasses in the claw, not a fish, and after he landed, the two of them spent some time eating, so it looks like he brought back either a squirrel or a vole of some some sort. The photo (not posted yet) isn’t great, but it does seem to prove they are, at least some of the time, ground hunting. I’ve seen White-Tailed Kites do this as well, carrying off prey and the area around the prey, as in the photo here.

They hung out together for about 40 minutes, then he flew off again and down into the trees near the water where I lost view of him.

Other birds seen in that area — 25ish yellow-billed magpies (and more heard but not seen), a northern flicker, a couple of acorn woodpeckers, a say’s phoebe, and a bunch of blackbirds.

On the way out I drove out to the end of Marsh and back. Highlights included good sized flock of blackbirds brought a couple of Brewer’s but no tri-colored, a couple of robins, and a gorgeous male western bluebird near the stream, which is running at high volume right now.

Interesting raptors included a Cooper’s hawk on the wire near the entrance to Spring Valley park, and a female kestrel on the wire near the Fester/Marsh junction.

I was originally going to head out to Sandy Wool and look for the nesting owls, but ran out of time. Oh well. Next time! With Spring springing, Ed Levin is going to be a hot spot for a while, with both Allen’s and Rufous hummers reported, a good supply of woodpeckers, and the return of the great horned owls. We’re not far from the return of the orioles as well….

Location:     Marsh Road, Calaveras
Observation date:     3/7/09
Number of species:     13

Red-tailed Hawk     X
American Kestrel     1
Steller’s Jay     3
Yellow-billed Magpie     X
American Crow     X
Western Bluebird     1
American Robin     2
European Starling     X
White-crowned Sparrow     X
Golden-crowned Sparrow     X
Red-winged Blackbird     X
Brewer’s Blackbird     3
Lesser Goldfinch     6

Location:     calaveras road
Observation date:     3/7/09
Number of species:     8

Turkey Vulture     X
Bald Eagle     2
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Acorn Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Say’s Phoebe     1
Steller’s Jay     2
Yellow-billed Magpie     25

Location:     Spring Valley Pond, Ed Levin Park
Observation date:     3/7/09
Number of species:     15

Mallard     X
Great Egret     1
Turkey Vulture     X
Cooper’s Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     2
American Coot     X
gull sp.     X
White-throated Swift     1
Anna’s Hummingbird     1
Western Scrub-Jay     2
American Crow     X
Yellow-rumped Warbler     X
Spotted Towhee     X
White-crowned Sparrow     X
Red-winged Blackbird     X

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