Conta Costa Summer Tanager, 1 April 2000
Sun, 02 Apr 2000 07:45:03 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East-Bay-Birders:
Mid-morning yesterday I set out to look for the immature male Summer Tanager in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley but in Contra Costa County. Leaving the parking lot, I ran into three women with binoculars returning to the parking lot. I stopped them as they were passing me to ask if they had seen the Summer Tanager. They said "yes" and explained: "Follow the smell of the skunk, and you'll be in the right area."
This was precisely the exact same area Alan Kaplan had described very well on 31 March 2000: From the parking lot walk eastward toward the farm corral on the right and the Junior Ranger Office on the left. On the wall of the back side of the Junior Ranger Office (I never saw a sign that identified the building.) there are a few "hand prints" painted on the wall. Right behind the Junior Ranger Office there is a small pond surrounded by eucalyptus trees and pines.
The immature male Summer Tanager flew right into one of the eucalyptus trees immediately north of the small pond and later flew into a pine to the left.
Actually, I had a little help in finding the tanager location. Thanks to Calvin Lou, who was just leaving, went out of his way to escort me back to the correct location where he had just seen the tanager ten minutes previous.
This is only the second Summer Tanager I have seen in the East Bay. The other one was in Oakland in Alameda County in the back yard of the home at 5815 Ivanhoe Road on 2 April 1991. It is odd that I missed seeing my second East-Bay Summer Tanager by one day of the anniversary of the first Summer Tanager.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Original Message Subject Index
Mitchell Canyon on 1 April 2000
Sun, 02 Apr 2000 08:01:10 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East-Bay-Birders:
Yesterday afternoon I birded Mitchell Canyon in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County [south end of Mitchell Canyon Rd from Clayton].
At the start of the trail there is a road that goes off to the right with a sign "authorized vehicles only." At exactly 1:19 PM a Western Screech Owl called 4 or 5 times. I was never able to find the owl. This is the first time I have ever heard a Western Screech Owl call in the middle of the day.
Otherwise there were lots of calling Orange-crowned Warblers and maybe two or three Warbling Vireos, and several Western Bluebirds. White Canyon had little to offer. I hiked up to the upper regions of Mitchell Canyon with the hope of at least hearing a Canyon Wren (which still evades me in Contra Costa County). This did not happen.
On the way back in the lower end of Mitchell Canyon I found my first Western Kingbird of the year and one Hammond's Flycatcher.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Livermore Wild Turkeys on 1 April 2000
Sun, 02 Apr 2000 08:05:23 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East-Bay-Birders:
On the way back to Livermore in Alameda County I spotted three Wild Turkeys (one male and two females) along the south side of I-580 just west of the Portola Exit. This was at about 7:30 PM. This is the first time I have ever seen Wild Turkeys this close to residential Livermore on the valley floor.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Spring
Sun, 02 Apr 2000 11:17:59 -0700
From: Martha Lowe
Spring is indeed finally here! I live on the north-facing slope of Thornhill Canyon [in Oakland] and I heard my first Pacific-slope Flycatcher this morning. Orange-crowned Warblers and Hutton's Vireos showed up in my neighborhood last week, and I heard a Warbling Vireo singing in the alders along Sausal Creek! Ruby-crowned Kinglets are singing as well. And I think I am hearing Townsend's Warblers. A Hermit Thrush woke me up two mornings in a row, singing with the dawn chorus in the redwood outside my window.
And yesterday I found a Bushtit's nest, hanging from an acacia right at eye level and right by the side of the road. What a wonder of avian engineering - it appears to be entirely constructed of mosses and is very nicely decorated with lichen. My field guide to nests says that Bushtits "probably double-clutch". Does anyone know anything about that? I would like to collect the nest after they are done with it!
Its an avian treat a day around here!
Happy April and warm weather days,
Martha
Mitchell Canyon visit on 1 April
03 Apr 2000 14:02:49 -0700
From: Les Chibana
EBB,
I checked Mitchell Canyon [south of Clayton] in hopes of finding Hammond's Flycatchers on Saturday 1 April. I came up empty in that respect. The only flycatchers I found were a single Black Phoebe and two Western Kingbirds, all at the parking lot. In fact, for the morning through early afternoon, the best birding seemed to be around the parking lot.
It went nearly dead at noon while my birding buddy, Harriet Gerson, and I had lunch at the lot. Then a group of insectivores, mostly male Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warblers, became very active. There seemed to be a bloom of flying insects around an oak tree behind the restrooms. The warblers were joined by one of the kingbirds and the phoebe as they sang and voraciously snatched insects out of the air, oblivious to our attentiveness. I heard a Bullock's Oriole practicing it's song, getting out mostly just the opening phrase. It also chattered.
We did see an adult Golden Eagle crusing east with some prey item.
Sara Orangetip butterflies were abundant and a few California Ringlets were flying. Great wildflowers, too: Lupine, Larkspur, Blue Dick, Indian Paintbrush, Milkmaids(?), Fringepods, and California Poppy. I don't know if the Fringepods are considered rare in the Mt Diablo area, but if you're interested, they were about 50 yards up Red Road Trail (White Canyon) on the right in front of a small cave just off the trail.
Les Chibana
Wild Turkeys in Pleasanton
Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:10:07 -0700
From: Rich Cimino
Mike Feighner has reported Wild Turkeys in Livermore. This may seem odd, but for the past year I have had turkeys near the Pleasanton dump off of Valley Ave. Now the dump is due west (7 to 8 miles) of the location Mike recently saw the birds.
Sunday Dave Boden and I visited Patterson Pass [east of Livermore]. Counted over 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Chipping Sparrow, several Lark and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, several Western Kingbirds, a Snipe, and Tricolored Blackbirds. One Golden Eagle and very few Red-tailed Hawks.
FYI to all! April 17 is the earliest I have recorded Blue Grosbeaks coming into Patterson Pass. Actually this bird was seen flying north over the saddle at the stone corral, heading north to the Delta.
Gone Birding
Rich Cimino
Original Message Subject Index
Hayward Shoreline
Tue, 4 Apr 2000 13:44:13 PDT
From: Bob Richmond
Today at Hayward Regional Shoreline the following were seen:
3 Surfbirds at Hayward's Landing
1 Wandering Tattler at Hayward's Landing
1 Red-necked Phalarope (the first of the year and earlier than usual)
1 Common Murre in San Francisco Bay near Johnson's Landing
1 Western Kingbird (the earliest I have seen here by 1 day)
Bob Richmond