Bald Eagle at San Pablo Reservoir
Sat, 11
Jan 2003 21:38:52 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning, East Bay Municipal Utilities District Watershed Manager Steve Abbors led an Ohlone Audubon Society birdwalk at San Pablo Reservoir, between El Sobrante and Orinda. We birded the area around the Watershed Headquarters and the boat launch area. You can reach these areas by trail with an EBMUD Trail Permit, but you should check in with Abbors at the Watershed Headquarters building to get a special permit if you want to bird around the building there (the parking lots and equipment areas are off-limits to the general public).
The day started slowly with European Starlings, Mallards, and House Finches. Acorn Woodpeckers and a Hairy Woodpecker rewarded our wandering around the Headquarters parking lots, and a swift falcon flying past under constant attack by a hummingbird was identified as a possible Merlin.
On the way to the boat launch, we saw Wood Ducks, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeons, a common Merganser, American Coots, Western Grebes, Eared Grebes, Horned Grebes, a Spotted Sandpiper, and Red-tailed Hawks.
At the boat launch area, we were rewarded with the lovely sight of a V-formation of Canada Geese flying noisily and majestically at low level down the lake, with a much smaller goose flying above the flock. No one saw a white collar, so it presumably was a "Cackling Goose." Then the Bald Eagle (which had not been seen on the previous day's eagle survey) cruised along the opposite shore below treetop level, causing all the birds (including the big flock of geese now grazing on the opposite shore) to freeze motionless and silent. Moments later someone spotted an Osprey perched in a treetop on the opposite shore to the north.
Around the boat launch area, we saw a variety of gulls, Bushtits, Northern Flickers, Western Scrub-Jays, White-crowned Sparrows, a Black Phoebe, Mourning Doves, lots of Brown Creepers and Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Spotted Towhee, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a Dark-eyed Junco, a Belted Kingfisher, and several Ruby-crowned Kinglets. There was a daggetti Red-breasted Sapsucker - after it had been probing its holes on a tree and flew away, an Anna's Hummingbird promptly flew in to feed from the holes. A hawk flew down the lake near the opposite shore when few people were looking - I thought it was a Red-shouldered Hawk, but didn't get a good enough look to be sure.
Finally, as we were returning to our cars, some high-pitched sounds from the roadside trees turned out after considerable peering to be a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets.
All in all, a very rewarding morning. In his brief remarks before the walk, Steve Abbors described a study he has been doing and showed us some of his photographs. He has found that Golden-crowned Sparrows (banded for individual identification) that depart in the fall with full adult plumage return the next spring in what appears to be immature plumage. There's always something new to discover!
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Re: San Pablo Reservoir
Sun, 12 Jan 2003 08:36:40
-0800
From: Judi Sierra
Some of us also saw/heard a Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Original Message Subject Index
White-winged Scoters continue at San Leandro Marina
Sun, 12 Jan 2003 09:04:58 -0800
From: Bob Dunn
Saturday morning (January 11) at 7:30 at least 2 male White-winged Scoters were in close to shore at the San Leandro Marina as previously reported. This is near the old Blue Dolphin restaurant.
Bob Dunn
San Leandro
Greater White-fronted Geese at Arrowhead Marsh
Sun, 12 Jan 2003 09:08:24 -0800
From: Bob Dunn
On Saturday January 11 in the afternoon, there were 9 Greater White-fronted Geese at Arrowhead Marsh (Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline, Oakland). They were mixed in with the Canada Geese on the lawn area at the last [Arrowhead Marsh] parking lot.
Bob Dunn
San Leandro
Blue-winged Teal in Oakland
Sun, 12 Jan 2003
10:56:16 -0800
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
I saw at least one pair of Blue-winged Teal in Damon Slough, Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, on Saturday. The easiest way to the site is to take Hwy 880 to 66th Ave,turn toward the bay and at the traffic signal turn left, then almost immediately right into the new parking lot. Walk onto the bridge across the slough and look toward the bay.
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker in Walnut Creek
Tue, 14 Jan 2003 18:38:11 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message for Marilyn Trabert, who is having trouble getting AOL to send "plain text". If you're having similar problems, see
http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
Subj: Yellow-shafted Flicker
Date: 1/14/03 3:26:42 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: Marilyn TrabertI saw a Yellow-shafted Flicker this morning, January 14, at Old Borges Ranch [in Walnut Creek] along the entry road just beyond the parking lot/restrooms in the oak trees on the right.
Marilyn Trabert
Walnut Creek
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
Kettle of Broad-winged Hawks over Berkeley
Tue, 14 Jan 2003 19:10:45 -0800
From: Yvonne McHugh
Today in north Berkeley, at 4:05 PM, while I was writing a report about the �River of Raptors� trip in Veracruz in October 2002, my husband yelled for me to come upstairs � what he yelled was �kettle�!
I ran upstairs and we watched a kettle of 28 Broad-winged Hawks that eventually flew off to the west, or west-northwest.
Please keep an eye out for these birds.
Y McHugh