Re: Orinda Connector Trail
Wed, 18 Jun 2003
07:33:19 -0700
From: Roger Hartwell
Yes. John Poole's list for the Orinda Connector Trail and a few others (e.g., Swainson's Thrush) makes a full list of the spring suspects [for the area just south of San Pablo Reservoir]. And they all nest here, except for the Cliff Swallow and Turkey Vulture. The Cliff Swallow is just upslope at Briones spillway. Don't know about the Turkey Vulture, but most mornings lately at about 10 AM there is usually a juvenile Turkey Vulture testing out the thermals in front of Briones Dam. Thanks.
Roger Hartwell
EBMUD Fisheries & Wildlife
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Re: Possible California Spotted Owl in Rossmoor
Wed, 18 Jun 2003 14:57:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Diane Perry
After some more research, and input from more experienced birders, my possible Spotted Owl sighting of Sunday could have have been a Short-eared Owl. I looked at some websites and there's one owl in this website (see link below, middle photo of the top row of photos), that looks quite similar to the owl I saw. Also, about 15 inches in length would be about right. He was seen along the creek just behind 3474 Tice Creek Dr (in Rossmoor), in case anyone is interested in checking this area out. There is also a small "bird park" directly to the right of that group of condos, as you face them from the road (i.e., it is a park particularly planted with plants loved by birds, and supposedly does attract many different species according to the neighbors around there).
Link: http://owling.com/Short-eared.htm
Diane Perry
Walnut Creek
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Wild Turkeys near Orinda
Fri, 20 Jun 2003
9:4:38 -0700
From: Terry Coddington
Dear EBBers,
Joe Morlan told me once to never leave home without binoculars, so late yesterday afternoon I was treated to a flock of four Wild Turkeys on the slope high and behind the Bruns Theatre while waiting for a performance of Julius Caesar by the California Shakespeare group. This is at the end of Gateway Blvd off Hwy 24 (Orinda area).
Terry Coddington
Indigo Bunting in Briones Regional Park
Fri,
20 Jun 2003 16:55:32 -0700
From: Dennis & Patricia Braddy
EastBayBirders,
Having parked outside the still-locked gate at the Bear Creek Rd entrance to Briones Regional Park this morning, we birded our way the mile and a half of road/trail to the reported location of the Indigo Bunting. By the time we reached the corral at the intersection of Old Briones Road and Valley Trails, we had 30 species including Chipping Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting (common), Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Wilson's Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bewick's Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Black-headed Grosbeak, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Western Bluebird (common), and Violet-green Swallow. All but the last were (audibly) vocalizing.
While hanging around the corral waiting for the Indigo Bunting to show, we added several more birds including a singing Lark Sparrow, Western Wood-Pewee, and Anna's Hummingbird. The Indigo Bunting put in his first appearance just before 10:00 AM. He sang a few phrases and then retreated to the trees west of the corral. This performance was repeated every 20 minutes or so over the next 2 hours. Each time, the bunting perched on corral fence or poison hemlock or nearby tree, sang a few bars, and vanished into streamside thicket. On one occasion the Indigo emerged just long enough to chase off a Lazuli Bunting. It appeared to be about the same size or slightly smaller than the Lazuli. The Indigo Bunting has retained some winter white on its under-tail coverts and lower belly (first year?), has fairly extensive black about the face and on the wings (no wing-bars), and is otherwise entirely dark blue.
Between shows we had Selasphorus hummingbird (immature female, presumably Allen's Hummingbird), White-throated Swift, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, 3 American White Pelicans, and an immature eagle being harassed by a pair of Red-tailed Hawks. As we were leaving the corral we saw California Quail, our 43rd species of the morning.
Dennis and Patricia Braddy
San Ramon
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Lake Merritt, Oakland
Sat, 21 Jun 2003 14:40:43
-0700
From: Bruce Mast
This morning, Paul Meidinger and I completed another round of colonial nesting monitoring at Lake Merritt in Oakland. The nesting colonies are starting to wind down. Most chicks look like they'll be leaving the nest soon, if they haven't already. Non-monitoring highlights for the morning were a Clark's Grebe that has joined the 2 Western Grebes reported earlier this week and three fledging Cooper's Hawks from the nest along Grand Ave. Previously, I had never seen more than one chick at a time. All three are now hopping around the top of the pine tree.
Bruce Mast
Oakland, CA
Summer camp sightings in Berkeley area
Sat,
21 Jun 2003 15:30:17 PDT
From: Brian Fitch
Summer camp is back in session, and we spotted a few birds of local interest.
Monday: the adult Black-crowned Night-Heron continues at Jewel Lake in Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley Hills), as does the singing Yellow Warbler.
Tuesday: a pair of Gadwall and two male Greater Scaup were at the Albany mudflats. Shorebirds included a Black-bellied Plover, a Black Oystercatcher, 20 Willets, 3 Whimbrels, 4 Long-billed Curlews and more than 20 Marbled Godwits. 7 Least Terns flew from the shellmounds out over the flats near us, and 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows were with the flock patrolling the north end of Golden Gate Fields racetrack.
Wednesday: the hills around South Park Dr in Tilden Regional Park have been very low in quail sightings for us the past two years, but this week we heard and saw California Quail in four different locations.
Thursday: 25 American White Pelicans flew over Berkeley during the early afternoon, a lone and unhealthy looking Surf Scoter was on land east of the Marina hotel, the White-tailed Kite and Northern Harrier pairs were patrolling the weedy field west of Hwy 80, and a very bleached out young Glaucous-winged Gull was on the mud south of University Ave.
Brian Fitch & crew
Indigo Bunting and Western Screech-Owl in Briones
Regional Park
Sat, 21 Jun 2003 17:21:26 -0700
From: Calvin Lou
The Indigo Bunting was seen briefly during a two-hour wait at Briones Regional Park at the intersection of Old Briones Road and Valley Trail. At 10:35 AM, the bird flew into the corral area and disappeared.
At 12:30 PM, the Western Screech-Owl was in the madrone described by Kitty O'Neil. From a few feet past the yellow gate, I saw the owl's head as it appeared to be sleeping at the entrance. As I approached close, the owl ducked into the hole and out of sight.
Calvin D Lou
San Francisco
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