Most of us saw the infamous Upland Goose in Hollister. Also saw an Accipter sp. (RJ only) and Dowitcher sp., for a total count of 99 for the day.

The Early Bird Gets the Prize trip was designed by RJ Adams for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory California Fall Challenge big day contest - one of the trips for those of us who don't yet feel comfortable planning a big day. RJ, Mary, Bill, Juana, and Michael met at 4 am in San Juan Bautista and packed it in around 8:45 pm with dinner at Dona Esther's.Weather: Sunny with light clouds in the morning, overcast skies from about 11 am kept the temperatures moderate all day

Here's Mary's reconstruction from memory of where we were... times may not be accurate!

• 4:30 Owling along county roads
• 7:00 Fremont Peak for oak woodland species
• 9:30 "urban" birding in San Juan Bautista
• 11:00 San Felipe lake,
• 12:30 Percolation ponds near Hollister sewage treatment ponds
• 1:30 San Justo reservoir
• 2:00 Take out Burritos from Mi Casa in Hollister
• 2:30 Piacines Reservoir for ducks
• 4;00 Pinacles campground for hummingbirds
• 5:00 Pinacles National Monument
• 8:00 A couple more owling stops, but no new species