I hiked up the trial alongside San Antonio Creek this morning, from Kiwanis Meadows to the trailhead at San Marco Pass Road. High overcast but good visibility the whole way. Activity was slow pretty much throughout. In terms of migrants, I had zilch; in terms of summer residents, I had 3 Yellow Warblers, 2 Black-headed Grosbeaks, 1 pair of Hooded Orioles, and several Pacific-Slope Flycatchers. Resident birds like Orange-crowned Warblers and Bewick's Wrens were singing and active, and I saw Oak Titmice feeding fledglings.
The creek is still flowing strongly and I used sandals to navigate the two upper creek crossings. A portion of the creek and nearby trail above the dam were significantly affected by this winter's rains. I found no swallows nesting under the overpass at San Marcos Road, which seems odd. Overhead at that point, I had a Barn Swallow and a smaller bird with it that appeared to be a Vaux's Swift. This is not a trail for flowers, but the Fiesta Flower an dCanyon Sunflower stands are particularly nice.
Afterwards, I decided to check out Farren Road as this is the type of weather in which one can find a good swallow/swift flock above the slopes. When I arrived at the start of the road, I found Sue Cook, who was watching a swallow flock there. She told me that Merlin has just identified the calls of both Vaux's Swift and Grasshopper Sparrow at that spot. I decided to check the slopes above and drove on.
Just as I rounded the first bend of the road, a Roadrunner streaked across it in front of me. Then as soon as I reached the top of the hill opposite 500 Farren Road, I had a singing Lazuli Bunting in the mustard, an Ash-throated Flycatcher in the field, a pair of Lark Sparrows on the wire overhead, a Blue Grosbeak a little way further on the utility line that crosses the road, and a small Swallow flock. In that flock I got Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, and Cliff Swallows. I heard the chattering call of a Swift and after a little searching, found a Vaux's Swift high above the flock. Back down where I saw Sue, I checked the larger Swallow Flock and found Tree, Rough-winged, and Cliff Swallows along with 3 more Vaux's Swifts. Eventually the flock was joined by a soaring Peregrine Falcon. Never heard or saw a Grasshopper Sparrow, but all-in-all, this was a pretty cool half-hour's birding!
Florence Sanchez