Black Diamond on March 2
Mon, 4 Mar 2002 06:25:44 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
A 2:00 to 3:30 PM visit to Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch on Saturday, March 2, produced the following list:
Western Scrub-Jays
Northern Mockingbirds
Mourning Doves
Anna's Hummingbirds
Oak Titmice
California Towhee
Western Bluebirds
Dark-eyed Juncos
European Starlings
American Robins
Bewick's Wren
White-crowned Sparrows
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Hermit Thrushes
Western Meadowlarks
European Starlings
Red-winged Blackbirds
Downy Woodpecker
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawks
American Kestrels
White-tailed Kite
Jeff Mohamed
Donner Canyon on March 2
Mon, 4 Mar 2002 06:29:31 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
A 7:45 to 9:15 AM walk in Donner Canyon, Mount Diablo State Park near Clayton, on Saturday, March 2, produced the following birds:
Western Scrub-Jays
Northern Mockingbirds
Mourning Doves
Anna's Hummingbirds
Oak Titmice
White-breasted Nuthatches
California Towhee
Western Bluebirds
Dark-eyed Juncos
Bushtits
European Starlings
American Robins
Hutton's Vireo
Yellow-rumped Warblers
European Starlings
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flickers
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawks
American Kestrels
Cooper's Hawk
For those who don't know the site, it is on the north east side of Mount Diablo, next to Mitchell Canyon. To reach it, drive east from Concord along Clayton Rd. Turn right at Regency Dr in Clayton and park where the road ends.
It is as good a birding site as Mitchell Canyon but has the advantage of having fewer visitors - and many fewer mountain bikers!
In my experience, most of the birds here don't become active until well after 8:00 AM.
Jeff Mohamed
Upper San Leandro Reservoir
Mon, 4 Mar 2002 07:03:26 -0800
From: Derek Heins
The last three weekends I birded King Canyon Loop, a roughly 7-mile trail which starts from the Valle Vista parking area off Canyon Rd near Moraga. [An EBMUD Trail Permit is required.] For those not familar with the area, the best birding fortunately is in the first mile. A couple observations/questions:
Varied Thrush - I saw between 75 and 100 each week the first two weekends, but a couple today. I would assume it's early for them to begin migrating north but find the difference in count interesting considering all three days I birded the early morning in similar weather conditions.
Northern Flickers - from the parking lot I could hear at least four flickers actively drumming, which had me wondering whether this is a mating-related activity.
55 species seen yesterday:
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
California Quail
Killdeer
Band-tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Violet-green Swallow
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Wrentit
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Brown Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Meadowlark
Lesser Goldfinch
Larry Tunstall (my first-ever sighting)
Not noted on the list but sighted during the previous two weeks:
Red-breasted Sapsucker - in the thickets near the parking lot
Hooded Merganser - a pair around the midpoint of the reservoir
Derek Heins
Piedmont
Reply #1 Reply #2 Subject Index
Re: Varied Thrush numbers
Mon, 04 Mar 2002 13:54:09 -0800
From: Tom Condit
Derek Heins wrote:
[snip] Varied Thrush - I saw between 75 and 100 each week the first two weekends, but a couple today. I would assume it's early for them to begin migrating north but find the difference in count interesting considering all three days I birded the early morning in similar weather conditions.
We saw no Varied Thrush at Joaquin Miller Park [Oakland] yesterday. I think they must be inching their way north, but I could be wrong.
Incidentally, we had our first Berkeley Varied Thrush sighting about three weeks ago. I've been staring at all the bay trees in Strawberry Canyon for a couple of years now, wondering why we never see Varied Thrush in such perfect habitat. Then we went walking up the fire trail and beyond that along Panoramic at the top. I was looking down at a bay forest on one of the watercourses and wondering aloud why there were no Varied Thrushes in such a lovely spot for them.
"Because," Marsha said, "they're up there above us." Sure enough, varied thrush in the oak woodland above Panoramic. New place, new habitat.
Tom Condit
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Cooper's Hawk nests in the East Bay
Mon, 4 Mar 2002 15:19:10 -0800
From: Allen Fish
Our East Bay region may have some of the highest concentrations of urban-nesting Cooper's Hawks in the US. In 2002, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) is conducting a thorough Cooper's nest search of Berkeley, Albany, and surrounding areas, in order to assess these numbers. We'd like to get any reports of territorial or nesting adult Cooper's Hawks over the coming spring and summer, or any information regarding historical nest sites. Specific site information will be kept confidential, although the season's results will be published in the Pacific Raptor Report. As with all GGRO data, knowledge gained will also be used to benefit the well-being of Cooper's Hawk populations whenever possible. If you know of or suspect any East Bay Cooper's Hawk nest sites, or if you have questions regarding this study, please call Allen Fish, GGRO Director, at 415.331.0730. Thank you.
Allen Fish
Director, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Bldg 201, Ft Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
http://www.ggro.org/
Re: Upper San Leandro Reservoir
Mon, 04 Mar 2002 16:58:32 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
It was a lovely morning for birding from Valle Vista Staging Area on Sunday - almost too warm! I got there late - I was arriving as Derek was leaving. All the birders I encountered who had arrived early had seen Wood Ducks and sapsucker, but I didn't spot them. On the other hand, late morning is better for a few things. I could add the following to Derek's list (though I hasten to add that he spotted a lot of species that I missed):
scaup sp. - 1 with Ruddy Ducks
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Rock Dove
Selasphorus sp.
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow (identification uncertain - 1 orange underside flashed by)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (heard)
Thanks to Maury Stern for ID assistance.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
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