Pacific-slope Flycatchers in Oakland
Mon, 1 Apr 2002 09:41:04 PST
From: Sylvia Sykora
Heard and saw my first Pacific-slope Flycatchers last weekend on Friday, March 29, both along reclaimed portions of Sausal Creek in Oakland, Alameda County. The first song was heard at the bottom of the trail down to the creek from the Bridgeview fire trail (in the Leimert neighborhood of Oakland), with background noise from Hwy 13 and Park Boulevard. This small portion of riparian habitat is an oasis that was unknown to me despite its location just north of the Montclair Golf Course on Park Boulevard. The second bird was in the Dimond Park portion of the creek, recently reclaimed and restored by Friends of Sausal Creek.
Sylvia Sykora
Oakland, CA
Contra Loma Regional Park
Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:10:02 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
On March 29, I managed to fit in 45 minutes of birding (from 10:45 AM) at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. It was very quiet and I saw only 20 species, all common local birds:
Mallards
American Coots
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorants
Turkey Vultures
American Kestrel
American Crows
Mourning Doves
European Starlings
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Western Scrub-Jays
Loggerhead Shrike
Anna's Hummingbirds
Bushtits
Yellow-rumped Warblers
White-crowned Sparrows
Dark-eyed Juncos
Red-winged Blackbirds
Western Meadowlarks
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Alvarado Staging Area, Wildcat Canyon Regional
Park
Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:16:05 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
I spent a pleasant couple of hours (7:30 to 9:30 AM) on March 30 around the Alvarado Staging Area of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park (San Pablo), but unfortunately saw very few birds or species. My total list:
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Kestrel
Northern Mockingbird
Western Scrub-Jays
Steller's Jay
Mourning Doves
American Crows
Yellow-rumped Warblers
California Towhees
Dark-eyed Juncos
Chestnut-backed Chickadees
Bushtits
White-crowned Sparrows
Anna's Hummingbirds
Rufous Hummingbirds
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Jersey Island Rd, eastern Contra Costa County
Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:31:19 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
30 minutes of from-the-car birding along Jersey Island Road northeast of Oakley on March 31 revealed nothing very exciting, but a nice variety of local birds.
Great Blue Herons
Great Egret
White-tailed Kite
Turkey Vulture
American Crows
Common Ravens
European Starlings
Red-winged Blackbirds
Western Meadowlarks
Northern Mockingbird
House Finches
White-crowned Sparrows
Ring-necked Pheasants
Barn Swallows
Violet-green Swallows
Killdeer
yellowlegs
Mallards
Canada Geese
American Coots
Northern Shovelers
Cinnamon Teals
Double-crested Cormorant
American Avocets
Black-necked Stilts
American White Pelicans (45 in a single skein)
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Trail at Hayward Shoreline Interpretive
Center has reopened
Mon, 01 Apr 2002 13:40:47 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
East Bay Birder Eleanor Briccetti has a show of her bird and other nature photographs opening at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center this Saturday, April 6. There will be an artist reception on Sunday afternoon (see website calendar for details).
She wanted to be sure that other EBB subscribers know that the trail from the Interpretive Center to Johnson's Landing has been reopened for the spring and summer. Because of Snowy Plover nesting, construction work on the marsh has been suspended until fall. Access to tidal action has not been restored to the H.A.R.D. Marsh, but rainwater has filled ponds and channel, and birds are settling in to do some nesting there.
Birdwalks that start from the Center for the most part will go out into the unaffected freshwater Hayward Marsh that is otherwise closed to the public. This is where most of the nesting takes place anyhow, so there will be plenty to see on the walks.
Thanks to Eleanor and to Adrienne Morrison at the Interpretive Center for providing this information.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall, El Cerrito CA
Dates for Short-eared Owl at Hayward Regional
Shoreline
Mon, 01 Apr 2002 18:55:01 PST
From: Peter Dramer
In response to an earlier question about late dates for Short-eared Owls I reviewed records that I have for Hayward Regional Shoreline. There are a handful of sightings (1 to 5) during any average winter, and the dates overall are random. The winter of 1999 to 2000, however, was notable. During the winter of 1999-2000, Short-eared Owls were sighted on an almost daily basis. Recorded dates here bracketed all other years both early and late. The first date was October 17 and the last date was April 18.
Peter
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