Burrowing Owl in Alameda
Wed, 23 Oct 2002
06:42:53 PDT
From: Darrell Lee
This morning about 6:00 AM a Burrowing Owl flew up in the dark and landed on a grassy lawn area bordering Harbor Bay Parkway on Bay Farm Island south of Alameda. The bird's location was about 300 feet east of the public restroom that's on the bay side of the road, but he was on the opposite side of the road near a large area of undeveloped land. It's about a mile east of the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal and perhaps 2 miles west of Doolittle Dr. The general area has many dozens of ground squirrels primarily living near the rocks on the bay side.
This site is a good 3 to 6 miles away from Arrowhead Marsh, the nearest area where I've seen other Burrowing Owls.
Darrell Lee
Alameda, CA
Moraga Country Club
Wed, 23 Oct 2002 09:51:28
-0700
From: Judi Cooper
Of special interest - there were 2 pair of Ring-necked Ducks and 4 Western Bluebirds at the Moraga Country Club ponds, in Moraga, yesterday.
Judi Cooper
Moraga
Wild Turkey update
Wed, 23 Oct 2002 13:45:04
PDT
From: Sylvia Sykora
Others, like us, are also concerned about the impact of Wild Turkeys in various habitats. The California Native Plant Society Bulletin notes that the California Department of Fish and Games' 2002 Draft Environmental Impact Report for a project to release Wild Turkeys (exotic in the area of release) in the Sierra Nevada has been withdrawn after strong opposition from, among others, CNPS citing lack of adequate disclosure and analysis of impact on native flora.
Original Message Subject Index
Yellow-rumped Warblers in Oakland flatlands
Wed, 23 Oct 2002 15:39:28 -0700
From: Judi Sierra
I was surprised to see 3 or 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers today at my backyard bird bath in the north Oakland flatlands. I don't recall seeing any in past years but who knows what I miss when not looking out the window! There have also been visits two or three times per day for several weeks from several Lesser Goldfinches, which also never occurred in the past.
Judi Sierra
MacCall St
Reply #1 Reply #2 Subject Index
Yellow-rumped Warblers in Richmond flatlands
Wed, 23 Oct 2002 17:18:13 -0700
From: Lisa Viani
They are here in the Richmond flatlands too (they are here every year).
Lisa Viani
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index
Cattle Egret at Lake Merritt
Wed, 23 Oct 2002
18:13:49 -0700
From: Bruce Mast
A Cattle Egret has shown up at Lake Merritt (downtown Oakland) in the last few days. I saw it first on Sunday morning and then again yesterday. It has been hanging out by the bird-feeding area (behind the Rotary Nature Center). Presumably this is the same bird that spent the winter here last year. If so, we can expect it to grace us with its presence for the next several months.
For those who haven't made it out to the area lakes and ponds lately, signs of winter are everywhere. At Lake Merritt there's now a good-sized flock of Ruddy Ducks and a small flock of scaups is back. Up until last week I had seen single Greater and Lesser Scaups but never a flock. Eared Grebes are also distinctly more numerous in the last week or so. Last week I also saw a Horned Grebe on the lake. And of course the lake is now crowded with coots and gulls. A few Forster's Terns are still lingering but I expect they'll be gone soon.
Has anyone seen any Cedar Waxwings yet?
Bruce Mast
Oakland
Yellow-rumped Warblers in flatlands
Wed, 23
Oct 2002 20:02:14 -0700
From: Tom Condit
I've certainly seen Yellow-rumped Warblers in Berkeley and Emeryville many times.
And speaking of warblers ... A Townsend's Warbler today in the oak trees south of the Cal Stadium (University of California) in Berkeley, in a mixed flock of Bushtits, Chestnut-backed Chickadees and miscellaneous little birds.
Tom Condit
Original Message Subject Index
Townsend's Warblers in Oakland Hills
Wed,
23 Oct 2002 21:16:26 -0700
From: Win Kryda
I've been seeing a few Townsend's Warblers off my back deck, which borders on Larry Ln in the Montclair district of Oakland, over the last few weeks.
Eagles and White-headed Nun at Del Valle Regional
Park
Wed, 23 Oct 2002 22:52:22 -0700
From: Dennis Rash�
I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner, but I had to do some research. On Sunday, I spent several hours out at Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore. Among the many native birds I saw, I found a White-headed Nun, or munia, amongst a flock of White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Song Sparrows. It is obviously an escaped cage bird, but exciting to find anyhow. I spotted it about 9:00 AM. It was on the north shore, west of the boat launching area. About a quarter-mile walk along the main path in the cattail reeds, in the middle of the dried-up Tarantula Cove area.
I was really there to see the Bald Eagle, which I spotted across the Cove on the south shore in its favorite Gray Pine. I was also entertained by a Golden Eagle soaring around the east end of the park.
To make this quicker to read, here are the other birds I saw:
Double-crested CormorantAll-in-all a fine Birdie Day.
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Bufflehead
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Wild Turkey
California Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
dowitcher
Least Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Forster's Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
White-throated Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Acorn Woodpecker
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Yellow-billed Magpie
American Crow
Oak Titmouse
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
California Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco
Western Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
White-Headed Nun
Take care,
Dennis Rash�
Livermore