Yellow-rumped Warblers in Pleasanton
Thu,
24 Oct 2002 09:04:36 -0700
From: Rich Cimino
The Yellow-rumped Warblers started in my yard a week ago. They have been feeding on a larva in a little white sack which the yellowrumps pull out from under the lawn. I do not use a weed or feed on my lawn to protect the food source for a families of towhees which use my yard daily. So the warblers have discovered something (?).
This morning Thursday October 24 I have three Fox Sparrows in my yard along with Golden-crowned Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows. Last year around winter, I had two consistent Fox Sparrows and a third would come and go from my yard.
Richard S. Cimino
Pleasanton
Clay-colored Sparrow at Hayward Regional Shoreline
Fri, 25 Oct 2002 18:22:26 -0700
From: Kris Olson
Hello East Bay Birders:
Yesterday afternoon Dave Quady and I saw a Clay-colored Sparrow at Hayward Regional Shoreline, accessed from the W Winton Ave parking lot. It was very buffy/warm colored, clear chest, gray collar, white malar stripe, slightly forked tail. It looked like the non-breeding adult in Sibley's book. Location: We walked from the parking lot that has the outhouse straight out to the shore, crossed over one levee to head north to Frank's Dump, crossed over a second levee, and I think we saw the bird there with a flock of sparrows. The Clay-colored Sparrow flew and was alone when we tracked it down a few bushes to the east along the levee.
We saw a Burrowing Owl being chased by a black-and-white sheep dog (whose owner was very nice when we explained the problem to him later). The owl was on a hill just before we got to Frank's Dump. It quickly retreated to a burrow. Smart owl!
Good birding.
Kris Olson
Menlo Park
Hooded Merganser at Moraga Country Club
Sat,
26 Oct 2002 10:59:39 -0700
From: Judi Cooper
I checked out the Moraga Country Club ponds today and there is one female Hooded Merganser there now - hope she brings in the males!
There is still one male and two female Ring-necked Ducks, Canada Geese, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Judi Cooper
Moraga
White-throated Sparrow in Tilden Nature Area
Sun, 27 Oct 2002 10:58:28 -0800
From: Bob Brandriff
Hi East Bay Birders:
There was a tan morph White-throated Sparrow along the Upper Packrat Trail this morning about half way between the Tilden Nature Area parking lot and Jewel Lake (north end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Hills). I also saw my first Varied Thrush of the season and a yellow-shafted Northern Flicker on the same trail.
Bob Brandriff
Berkeley, CA
Possible Sandhill Crane in Pleasanton
Sun,
27 Oct 2002 20:53:23 -0800
From: tim daly
Last Wednesday while driving north on Hwy 680 two miles south of Hwy 580, at about 4:30 PM, I saw what I believe had to be a Sandhill Crane flying from west to east no more than 15 feet off the roadway. It looked like it had just taken off or more likely was about to land.
Are these birds known to winter in that area or was it on the way to the central valley? Can anyone recommend a reliable spot for observing them in the valley?
Thanks,
tim
Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker in Berkeley Hills
Sun, 27 Oct 2002 21:35:13 -0800
From: Tom Condit
There was at least one yellow-shafted Northern Flicker at the UC Botanical Garden (on Centennial Drive east of the football stadium, UC Berkeley campus) at midday, Sunday, 27 Oct 2002. It was at the top of the garden where the creek comes in, northeast boundary, anting in the bank there. There was also a red-shafted flicker and we think a second yellow-shafted one in the same area but we didn't get a good sighting. (There's a square picnic bench there, and a patch of bare bank up above at the garden boundary.)
Also present there were an unidentified warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Robins and Steller's Jays (surprise!).
There are Selasphorus hummingbirds in both the Central American and South American sections, and Anna's Hummingbirds throughout.
Tom
Barrow's Goldeneye at Lake Merritt
Tue, 29
Oct 2002 13:26:10 -0800
From: Bob Brandriff
Hi East Bay birders:
Although I missed the Cattle Egret today at Lake Merritt (downtown Oakland), there was a single male Barrow's Goldeneye among the many ducks around the islands.
Also, a White-throated Sparrow showed up in our yard this morning.
Good birding.
Bob Brandriff
Berkeley, CA
Fall garden birds in Alameda County
Tue, 29
Oct 2002 20:02:20 PST
From: Phil Gordon
Greetings EBB'rs,
Today, Tuesday, 29 October, between 10:45 AM & 4:00 PM the following birds were observed in/from the 4.5-acre Shinn Memorial Park and Arboretum, Fremont, Alameda County, California:
American White Pelican (1)Water areas (Alameda Creek and the new Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area) are a few blocks away and account for the several waterbird flybys. At least 12 of these are likely wintering migrants. These were observed while conducting maintenance cleanup in the Garden. The Garden bird list is now at 75 species. At least a dozen butterfly and hummingbird flowers are blooming. Butterflies today included: Red Admiral, Cabbage White, Fiery Skipper and Common Checkered Skipper.
Double-crested Cormorant (1)
Turkey Vulture (6)
Canada Goose (20)
Ring-billed Gull (5)
California Gull (2)
Mourning Dove (2)
Anna's Hummingbird (2 male, 1 immature male feeding on sage spp.)
Nuttall's Woodpecker (1)
Northern Flicker (1)
Black Phoebe (1, 1?)
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow (5; 4 dove at probable but hidden hawk sp.)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (2)
Bewick's Wren (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
American Robin (1 eating red Magnolia flower bud!)
Northern Mockingbird (2)
"Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
California Towhee (2)
White-crowned Sparrow (6 adults, 1 immature)
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco (2)
House Finch (1)
Lesser Goldfinch (1 male)
American Goldfinch (2)
Happy Aves and Lepidoptera searching,
Phil E. Gordon
Hayward, Alameda County, Calif.
Red-breasted Sapsuckers in Tilden Nature Area
Tue, 29 Oct 2002 20:14:29 -0800
From: Tom Condit
The highpoint of Alan Kaplan's bird walk in the Tilden Nature Area (Berkeley Hills) this morning was finding two Red-breasted Sapsuckers along the Loop Road. The first one was near the junction with the trail leading from the loop road down to the Nature Center. Alan said he had been seeing drill holes for years, but had never seen one of the birds before. The second was just north of the junction with Laurel Canyon Road. This one was actually drilling in eucalyptus, with an Anna's Hummingbird aggressively flying about it. It moved back and forth between several trees, so everyone was able to get at least one good look.
Other birds: Red-shouldered Hawk (heard only), Golden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Bushtits, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, California Towhee, Spotted Towhees (heard only), Hutton's Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Robins, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Townsend's Warblers, Steller's Jays, Western Scrub-Jays, Anna's Hummingbirds, Mallards, House Finches.
On a walk up the Peaks Trail and down the Laurel Canyon Trail later, Marsha Feinland and I saw Turkey vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, and heard Red-shouldered Hawk again, and saw eight California Quail (on Laurel Canyon Road between the Peaks Trail and the Laurel Canyon Trail), all of the sparrows above, kinglets and Wrentits, as well as a Bewick's Wren.
Monday at the Carousel Picnic Area, Marsha and I were pretty sure we saw a Swainson's Thrush, but Alan says this would be extremely unlikely this far into the "winter" season. If anyone wants to take a look, it was at the northeast border of the picnic area - that is, perpendicular to the entrance road and furthest from the main road.
Tom Condit