Robins in Tilden Regional Park
Sat, 29 Sep 2001 11:14:43 PDT
From: Collin Murphy
Dear EBBers,
Every morning for the past few weeks I have observed at least 20 American Robins near the Lake Anza parking lot in Tilden Regional Park [Berkeley Hills]. They favor the nice lawn there, as well as the madrone berries on Lake Anza Rd. Also they are often around the Merry-go-round lawn.
Good birding,
Collin Murphy
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More robin questions
Sat, 29 Sep 2001 12:23:54 PDT
From: George McRae
Dear Ebbers,
From all the input on American Robins it seems that there is herding behavior: Follow the food.
The next question for me is there any connection between waxwing arrivals and robins? We have a pyracantha that gets invaded by both and at times it seems at the same time. Do separate species observe the feeding behaviors of the other or is it coincidental? Etc.
George McRae
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Dunlin and a treat at Martin Luther King
Jr Regional Shoreline, Oakland
Sat, 29 Sep 2001 16:28:51 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
While birding Mitigation Marsh at Arrowhead Marsh, Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline, Oakland, Alameda County, on Saturday afternoon with Lillian Fujii and Steve Noguchi, we saw a Dunlin, the first of the season for us all.
Earlier, while doing the Golden Gate Audubon census with Pet Cleere, I saw a Pacific Golden-Plover flying over amid a flock of 140+ Black-bellied Plovers. The golden-plover was distinctive for lacking the black armpits of the black-bellies, being a smidgen smaller, and having a pale, sandy wash over the entire underside. This is a big-deal bird for me. It's my first Alameda County and Oakland sighting of a golden-plover. Yahoo!
Here's my complete list for the afternoon:
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)
American Coot (Fulica americana)
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
California Gull (Larus californicus)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
The list lacks some of the Usual Suspects (Killdeer for example!), but that's OK, I'll take the golden-plover, thanks very much.
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Hayward Shoreline
Sun, 30 Sep 2001 20:07:31 PDT
From: Bob Richmond
Seen today at Hayward Regional Shoreline -
Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 1 at W Winton Ave trailhead.
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1, first this fall, was at Winton.
Northern Flicker - 1, first this fall, was at Winton.
Did not see the sapsucker that Peter saw at Winton on Tuesday.
Surfbird - 1 at Haywards Landing.
Brown Pelican - 40, was a large number for here.
Elegant Tern - 12 seen from Haywards Landing, 24 at San Leandro Marina (also a large number for this location).
Pacific Golden-Plover - 1, at Frank's Dump West.At Frank's Dump West, the shorebirds, which included the usual hundreds of Red Knots, were constantly harassed by both a male Northern Harrier and an immature Peregrine Falcon, both looking for a meal. Remember, this is a high-tide shorebird roost.
Wandering Tattler - 1 at San Leandro Marina.
Common Tern - at San Leandro Marina.
Did not see the Black Oystercatchers or Prairie Falcon seen last Sunday.
Good Birding
Bob
Albany Waterfront to Richmond Marina Bay
Sun, 30 Sep 2001 20:39:41 -0700
From: Dustin Alcala
This morning, Sunday, I walked from the Albany Waterfront to the Richmond Marina Bay. The trip took some 7 hours, going from 7:00 AM to around 2:00 PM.
The "Bulb" in Albany was fairly alive with songbird activity in the early morning. The area to the right of the boardwalk along the main upper trail was a good spot as usual. Hammond's Flycatcher and Hermit Thrush were highlights and there were numerous warblers hanging around. A little further along, a House Wren (an oddity here) was near the junction where the lower road connects to the upper trail. A Black Oystercatcher was near the outflow of the pond at the far end of the Bulb, another oystercatcher and a Wandering Tattler were at the outflow of the pond that faces the Crescent [mudflats to the north]. Sparrows were just everywhere, on the bulb, on the narrow section leading the to the bulb, in the lower meadow, even at the end of the crescent where Buchanan St goes under the freeway. Fox Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and especially Lincoln's Sparrows were scattered about. A Common Tern flew over the narrow section heading west.
At the east end of the crescent [mudflats north to Central Ave], aside from the normal activity on the mudflat, I also had a Pacific Golden-Plover fly over, similar to the previous report [from Oakland] except it was flying with only one Black-bellied Plover. An American Pipit was on the mudflat. But most surprising was a Steller's Jay hanging out in the elderberries at the base of the meadow, near Buchanan. This spot is right by the second overlook area as you enter the park, or if you know where the old light post is on the edge of the mudflat, it was right there. 5 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Bufflehead, some Northern Pintails, a Gadwall, and lots of American Wigeon were here also.
High tide had come in by the time I started walking the crescent towards Central Ave. There was a lot of activity on and around the shell mounds though. 1 Red Knot, a few Ruddy Turnstones, and a dozen or so Black Turnstones were here.
Things were fairly quiet along the Richmond waterfront. But there were some good birds in the 2 ponds hidden above the marsh at the Carlson Street trailhead [see next message]. Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and more American Wigeon were in the large pond. The smaller pond had an American Bittern and another Hammond's Flycatcher. There was one Caspian Tern and 3 Elegant Terns east of Meeker Slough.
At Meeker Slough there was 1 Clapper Rail and a flyover of 10 White Pelicans. On the beach just west-ish of the slough there was a flock of Sanderlings. This is a dependable location for this species. Out on the Bay was a flock of several hundred Aechmophorus type grebes. 1 Horned Grebe and 4 scaup species were with them. Maybe a loon, but it was too far away to make out.
Richmond Marina Bay was quiet with 1 Brandt's Cormorant and another flyover of 21 American White Pelicans. A Say's Phoebe was in the weedy field across from Shimada Friendship Park.
I ended up with exactly 101 species for the day, as well as with a bit of a sunburn and two sore feet. Here's the complete list.
Dustin
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Western Grebe
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
scaup species
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Clapper Rail
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Wandering Tattler
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Black Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Caspian Tern
Elegant Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Barn Swallow
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Bushtit
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
American Pipit
European Starling
Warbling Vireo
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
California Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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Correction
Sun, 30 Sep 2001 21:43:06 -0700
From: Dustin Alcala
Larry Tunstall e-mailed me just a minute ago with a correction about the 2 ponds mentioned in my previous message. Here is a copy of his message to set things straight.
I'm a little puzzled by what you mean by "the two ponds above the Carlson St trailhead". Do you mean the trailhead near the Bayview exit from Hwy 580, which actually is on the corner of S 51st St & Channel Ave? And are you talking about the two reservoirs behind chain link fences? ... I've been able to see a little in the larger reservoir through the fence....
Larry's location is the correct one for these ponds.
Thanks for the help,
Dustin
PS A minor omission was that it was a there-and-back trip, not a one-way trip as it was described.
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