Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline
Mon, 20 May 2002 16:17:23 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
On Sunday afternoon at Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline, Oakland, Alameda County, I was treated to a murder of crows, a charm of finches, a murmuration of starlings, a sorde of Mallards, a cover of coots, and, of course, a gaggle of geese. (Thanks to An Exaltation of Larks, by James Lipton, which should, but doesn't, include a crane of warbler watchers.)
Anyway, here's the list, of which the highlight was my first Black-necked Stilt chick of the season:
Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
scaup, species (Aythya sp.)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)
American Coot (Fulica americana)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
Sunday at Mitchell Canyon
Tue, 21 May 2002 12:54:18 -0700
From: Jeff Mohamed
Two hours of birding Sunday (May 19) at Mitchell Canyon in Mount Diablo State Park near Clayton on a rather dark morning produced a reasonable list. From what I could hear, the trees were fairly hopping with warblers but I only managed actually to see two.
Western Bluebirds
European Starlings
Northern Mockingbird
Western Kingbird
Red-winged Blackbirds
House Finches
American Crow
American Robin
Barn Swallows
Violet-green Swallows
Western Scrub-Jays
Steller's Jays
Mourning Doves
California Towhees
Spotted Towhees
California Quails
Anna's Hummingbirds
White-breasted Nuthatch
Oak Titmice
Bushtits
Bewick's Wren
Acorn Woodpeckers
Lesser Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Juncos
Black Phoebe
Lazuli Buntings
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Hermit Warbler
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawk
Apparently I just missed seeing a Golden Eagle fly over the parking area mid-morning. It was probably one of the pair that are said to be nesting in the Naval Weapons Station at Concord.
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Clark's Grebe at Lake Merritt
Wed, 22 May 2002 18:07:33 -0700
From: Bruce Mast
Clark's Grebe seen today between the bird sanctuary [Rotary Nature Center] and El Embarcardero at Lake Merritt in Oakland.
Bruce Mast
Oakland
Holland Tract
Wed, 22 May 2002 02:29:04 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hello all,
This morning I spent several hours atlasing at Holland Tract near Knightsen in eastern Contra Costa County. To get there take Delta Rd off of Hwy 4 in Brentwood to the east. After several miles the road will make an abrupt 90 degree left turn and soon after that you will cross a bridge. At that point you are onto Holland Tract.
Pull over wherever there is space though the roadsides can be crowded with fishermen on weekdays. Amongst the 42 species I recorded were:
White-tailed Kite - Carrying food to a nest in a cottonwood
Common Raven - Nest with young on a transmission tower
Northern Harrier - Adults carrying food to a nest
Green Heron
Belted Kingfisher
Blue Grosbeak - Several singing males along the road as well as a female carrying nest material
Song Sparrow - Fledglings
Downy Woodpecker - Nest with young in cottonwoods
Nuttall's Woodpecker - Nest with young in cottonwoods
Swainson's Hawk
American Robin - Carrying food to young
American Kestrel - Carrying food to nest
Western Scrub-Jay - fledglings
Osprey - One near bridge to Holland Tract seems late for east county
Cattle Egret - Seven on Delta Rd where the transmission wires cross over the road. This is definitely late for east county.
Steve Glover
Dublin