Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 09:37:58 -0800
From: Mark Eaton
Yesterday, my wife and I visited the Arboretum [Regional Parks Botanic Garden] in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Hills. While enjoying the California native flora there, I had 15 Band-tailed Pigeons roosting in some conifers and another flock of about 60 flying overhead. Perhaps more interesting were the 4 swift sp. high above in the waning light. While the birds did look square-tailed, the date almost certainly identifies them as White-throated Swifts.
Mark Eaton
SFBirds Web Page http://home.pacbell.net/mweaton
SFBirds mailing list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBirds
Hooded Merganser at Jewel Lake on Saturday
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 11:05:13 PST
From: Phil Gordon
Greetings EBB Birders,
I took a Lindsay Wildlife Museum group birding around the Jewel Lake (Contra Costa County) area Saturday morning [in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Hills]. Lovely, cool, moist morning. Lots of calls of winter birds everywhere - 5 Fox Sparrows seen at once plus a Winter Wren heard along the Pack Rat Trail. Of special note was a male Hooded Merganser that came skiing in as we stood by the bench in front of Jewel Lake. It remained visible for the ten minutes we watched, but flew out and away when we left. The lake is not as bird friendly as years past, with limited shoreline vegetation (I wonder whether Soras are still wintering here?), but (among others) Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Varied Thrushes, Hermit Thrushes and Hutton's Vireo and several Wrentits were heard/seen in the woodlands above the trail.
Also, later in the afternoon, we located several Barrow's Goldeneyes at Lake Merritt, Oakland, Alameda County, near the east nesting island. None were in the Peralta Park/Laney College estuary channel (as they often are), but American Wigeon were foraging on the college lawn and a lone drake Gadwall was with the myriad of Lesser Scaup, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks and American Coots at the duck-feeding shore by the Rotary Nature Center. No Mew Gulls were seen as yet. At least 7 Brown Pelicans were seen flying around and diving (on a fish school?) off shore near the Kaiser Convention Center.
Happy Thanksgiving - go for Turkeys!
Phil Gordon
Hayward, Alameda County
Les Demoiselle (Crane) de Staten Island
- seen Sunday
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 10:22:18 -0800
From: Mike Ezekiel
Since no one has posted it here yet, just a quick note to let the lists know that the Demoiselle Crane is still at Staten Island [San Joaquin County].
Just as everyone along the Staten Island road was about to pack up and leave - about 4:30 or so yesterday - a heroic birder whose name I did not get drove nearly the length of the road to tell us all - about 20 carloads or so of people were strung out along the road - that Jeri Langham had found the Demoiselle nearly at the end of the road. After a dash down the road - and missing the arterial levy road to the west where he was - a gang descended (in the dying light) and were able to see the bird off at some distance. I was my third try - as it was for a number of others.
This would have been a perfect place for several of the FRS radios I have been reading about here.
Mike Ezekiel
Oakland
Re: Birding in Sycamore Grove and Veterans
Park, Livermore
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 12:09:22 -0800
From: Akira So
Peter Rauch wrote:
The 3rd of 5 meetings of the technical advisory committee (TAC) is in January, and will focus on the biological resources (cultural, historical and archeological resources have been reported on thus far). I don't have the specific date yet. You could contact the LARPD in Livermore to ask for the date/time/place (probably held again at Ravenswood Historical Site, 2647 Arroyo Rd, Livermore).
I sent an inquiry to LARPD about the date of the TAC meeting, asking that they publish the date on their web site which is:
and received the reply below. (Their phone number appears in the reply.)
I intend to try again in a month or so to find out the date.
Thanks to Peter for his excellent suggestion about attending the meeting. I would hate to see it developed into another sports park or something, although the wide flat field with apparently "nothing" in it might be a little too inviting for some developer types. (I guess that's human nature.)
Akira So
Pleasanton, CA
From: Diane Daniel
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 9:54 AM
Subject: meetingWe will certainly announce the meeting when we have the details.
Sincerely,
Diane DanielDiane Daniel LARPD [Livermore Area Recreation & Park District]
Public Information Officer
925.373.5709
Original Message Subject Index
Cattle Egret returns to Lake Merritt
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 17:17:47 -0800
From: Tom Condit
Monday morning, 19 Nov 2001, circa 10:20 or 11 AM, the Cattle Egret was once more at Lake Merritt in Oakland. It was standing on the shore just west of the duck-feeding area (behind the big enclosure full of domestic ducks and geese, etc.).
Does anyone remember when this bird first showed up? I know it was many years ago, and I'm curious if we're learning something about Cattle Egret longevity here.
Birds seen:
Double-crested Cormorants
Ring-billed Gulls
Western Gulls
Herring Gulls
Glaucous-winged Gull
American Coots
Pied-billed Grebes
Eared Grebes
Canada Geese
Mallards
scaup sp.
American Wigeon
Common Goldeneyes
Canvasbacks
Ruddy Ducks
Bufflehead
Miscellaneous park geese and ducks, Chinese Geese, Egyptian geese, etc.
Black Phoebe
Western Scrub-Jays
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Herons
feral pigeons (Rock Doves)
Brown Pelicans
All this without binoculars, so imagine what awaits those of you who go prepared.
Tom Condit
Reply #1 Reply #2 Reply #3 Reply #4 Subject Index
Re: Cattle Egret returns to Lake Merritt
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 17:37:45 -0800
From: Mike Feighner
Tom:
I think the original date was back in 1987 or earlier. I think we had discussed this date sometime earlier over EBB.
Mike Feighner
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index
Re: Cattle Egret returns to Lake Merritt
Sun, 18 Nov 2001 19:41:29 -0800
From: Rusty Scalf
The US Geological Survey has pages with longevity records for banded birds. The heron page is:
Note that the record for Cattle Egret is 17 years 0 months. Our Lake Merritt friend has a little ways to go but will soon be a contender; Although I don't know if a non-banded bird would ever count.
Rusty
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index
In The News: Island in Delta Going to the
Birds
Mon, 19 Nov 2001 22:20:42 -0800
From: Kitty O'Neil
Island in Delta going to the birds
By Corey Lyons, Contra Costa TimesSTOCKTON -- The sale of a Delta island to an environmental group will assure a smooth landing for thousands of migratory birds that winter there.
The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that focuses on protection of wildlife habitat, is set to buy Staten Island for $31 million.
For story, see
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/stories_news/staten_20011119.htm
Cool!
Kitty
Kitty O'Neil
Orinda, CA
Editor's Note: Staten Island (in San Joaquin County) is where the rare Demoiselle Crane has been seen recently.