27 White-faced Ibis
Tue, 22 May 2001 20:01:24 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East-Bay-Birders, South-Bay-Birders:
Today at 4:28 PM I spotted 27 White-faced Ibis at Coyote Hill Regional Park in Fremont, Alameda County. The flock was flying in from the bay in the southwest over the hill to the east, crossing the main paved trail from the parking lot where it merges with the trail along Alameda Creek, then to the south-east and then to the south and then out of sight.
It seems there have been several reports of a flock of 27 ibises. The Glossy Ibis may have been in that flock.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, Alameda County
Original Message Subject Index
Hutton's Vireo in Ohlone Park, Berkeley
(Alameda County)
Wed, 23 May 2001 06:46:00 -0700
From: Rebecca Freed
Last night about 7:45 PM I watched a vireo foraging in the oaks near the intersection of Hearst Ave. and California St. This is the spot where Emilie Strauss has heard a Hutton's Vireo singing. There wasn't a Golden-crowned Kinglet handy for comparison, and it was being very quiet, but I think I saw Emilie's bird.
It seemed like the light was still fairly strong, but the bird looked quite a bit grayer than in the field guides. I haven't seen many Hutton's Vireos, but it seems like the ones I have seen were yellow-gray, not just gray. The eye ring also looked complete. Geez, I guess I don't really know what I saw. I'll have to try to hunt it up again.
Rebecca Freed
Berkeley CA
Bald Eagle 19-20 May 2001 carrying food
in Alameda County
Wed, 23 May 2001 08:52:25 PDT
From: Phil Gordon
Greetings EBB Birders,
This last weekend, 19 to 20 May, was the annual Bald Eagle Campout for Ohlone Audubon Society and the Sierra Club in Del Valle Regional Park, Alameda County, California, southeast of Livermore.
There were several rumors that the birds had abandoned the whole area and were not going to show. As it turned out we just hadn't talked to the right people. At our campground, "Punta Vaca," a segment of Del Valle Creek holds water next to which we all camped. As Saturday was ending, about 5:30 PM, the form of a huge white-ended hawk - about 20 feet above the stream, but in the riparian corridor seen by us as though it was in the sycamores, oaks, and gray pines - flew by on slowly flapping wings. So the eagle was in town.
Next morning, at about 8:30 AM, I saw the bird appear over our ridge carrying a fish apparently from the main lake; over our heads and up the canyon - away from the old nest, which for the last 4 years was about two miles north in a large Gray Pine on a northeast facing slope. We hiked to it later to see just how empty the old nest was. We surmised the pair has a new nest, probably on private property. Although more recently nesting has been fostered in Monterey County and Santa Catalina Island, Los Angeles County (where one of the Del Valle birds was banded), this is most likely the nearest naturally occurring nesting Bald Eagle this side of Redding or further. DDT and DDE pesticide poisoned the Bald Eagle population on both U.S. coasts along with peregrines and ospreys, seriously depleting their populations!
Other highlights on our weekend of the 55 species found, included 5 Green Herons, Wood Duck, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Golden Eagle, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and White-throated Swift (nesting as usual under the main entrance bridge, where Howard Cogswell first documented mid-air copulation of White-throated Swift). The pancake breakfast (cooked by trip organizer Ron Barklow) was preceded by a morning chorus of Wild Turkeys.
Happy Birding, Phil Gordon
Re: White-throated Swift mating
Wed, 23 May 2001 10:15:15 -0700
From: Joseph Morlan
Phil Gordon wrote:
... White-throated Swift (nesting as usual under the main entrance bridge, where Howard Cogswell first documented mid-air copulation of White-throated Swift).
Has it been documented that actual copulation occurs in these aerial trysts?
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044
Mines Road redux
Wed, 23 May 2001 20:30:40 -0700
From: Mark Eaton
Alan Hopkins and I did the Mines Road circuit [southeast of Livermore] today and a nice, if toasty warm day.
Birds of note:
Cassin's Kingbird, one at milepost [MP] 8.7 and another at MP 9.0 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd. We did not see any at MP 3.7, but did not spend a lot of time looking.
Grasshopper Sparrow, one at MP 0.8 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd just beyond the cattle guard. They were not singing even at 8:00 this morning.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, two at MP 3.7 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
Blue Grosbeak, one at MP 3.9 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
3 Costa's Hummingbirds, at MP 3.9 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
Greater Roadrunner, one at MP 3.9 on Del Puerto Canyon Rd and another ridiculously cooperative bird at MP 6.74 along Mines Rd.
Phainopepla, one at MP 7.4 along Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
Green Heron, a surprise flyover at MP 8.7 along Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
Swainson's Thrush, one or two at the Summit along San Antonio Rd.
California Thrasher, two at MP 15.3 along Del Puerto Canyon Rd and another pair at the Summit along San Antonio Rd.
Also of note was an apparent family group of Rock Wrens at MP 7.4 along Del Puerto Canyon Rd, a probable breeding record.
Mark
Partial bird list:
Del Puerto Canyon Road
0.8 Grasshopper Sparrow
1.1 Horned Lark
2.0 Loggerhead Shrike, 3 Western Kingbird
3.0 Rock Wren, Bullock's Oriole
3.7 Lark Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Red-tailed Hawk
3.9 Blue Grosbeak, 3 Costa's Hummingbird, Greater Roadrunner, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker
5.8 California Towhee
7.4 3 Rock Wren (PR), Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, Canyon Wren, Ash-throated Flycatcher
8.7 Green Heron, Cassin's Kingbird
9.0 Cassin's Kingbird
10.4 Black Phoebe, Canyon Wren
11.7 Oak Titmouse, 13 House Finch
14.3 Western Scrub-Jay, California Quail, Acorn Woodpecker
15.3 California Thrasher, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak
Frank Raines White-breasted Nuthatch
17.x Wrentit
25 Lewis' Woodpecker
Junction
Western Bluebird, Anna's Hummingbird, Birding-hostile locals
San Antonio Road
Barn Swallow
Metal Bridge Violet-green Swallow, Wood Duck
Cattle Guard Turkey Vulture
Summit Swainson's Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Wrentit
Mines Road
6.74 Greater Roadrunner, Western Kingbird
Mark Eaton
SFBirds Web Page http://home.pacbell.net/mweaton
SFBirds mailing list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBirds
Amtrak ride
Wed, 23 May 2001 22:30:33 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
Today I took Amtrak to Sacramento to attend a meeting. Took the 7:55 AM train out of Emeryville.
It never ceases to amaze me how much one can see from that train. I assumed that the marshes of Suisun Bay would be quieter than in Winter, and they were. But there were two flocks of White-faced Ibis (about 15 and about 65), two flocks of White Pelican (12 and about 30) and broods of Cinnamon Teal and Mallard ducklings clearly visible from the train. I looked straight down on the teal family from my window. I also saw a family of Canada Geese. I wonder about their origins - Are they like those from the shores of San Francisco Bay, descended from rehabilitated birds? Perhaps its our local bayside population on the move farther inland.
I spotted at least three Swainson's Hawks. Don't know if these are migrants or locals.
And the usual kites, harriers, egrets, etc.
Rusty Scalf
Least Terns
Wed, 23 May 2001 22:01:57 PDT
From: Denise Wight
Hi EB Birders,
Three to five Least Terns were foraging between the boats in the Emeryville Marina today between 1:30 and 2:00 PM. A great place to have lunch and watch Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, and Least Tern, all in the same view. Also, American Robins were taking handouts. In this case they were fighting with a Brewer's Blackbird over a piece of banana.
Denise Wight Martinez, CA