Farren Road was well worth hiking this morning. Though birds were not abundant, the quality was very good.
My first find was a group of 2 Blue Grosbeaks and 5 male Laziuli Buntings all together and singing in a mustard patch on the west side of road, approx. opposite the first patch of Prickly pear on the opposite side after you pass 500 Farren Road. The two Grosbeaks eventually flew up to the utility wires, then back down before the whole group moved down the hillside to the west and out of sight.
There were not a lot of sparrows, but I found a couple of remaining White-crowns and at the viewpoint above the reservoir, I had a Savannah Sparrow foraging on the gravel with 2 Lark Sparrows. The eucalyptus trees at the end of the road had one pair each (male and female) of Bullock's and Hooded Orioles. There was also a pair of Robins in the trees, singing House Wrens, and a singing Yellow-rumped Warbler. I heard a Common Ground-Dove calling from the avocado orchard on the east side. The only other warblers around were a couple of Common Yellowthroats and a couple of singing Orange-Crowns.
We don't seem to have a big swallow flock hanging around the reservoir this year. The best I could find were two Violet-green Swallows working the field opposite the reservoir. There did not appear to be any waterfowl on the reservoir itself.
This is not really a road for flowers, but the shady bank along the oak grove section of road has quite a few Mariposa Lillies, and the field immediately west of the viewpoint has lots of lupine.
Florence Sanchez