Berkeley Tufted Duck at last
Sun, 07 Dec 2003
16:31:58 -0800
From: Doug Vaughan
With some nice weather at last, I found the Tufted Duck late this morning, between the Berkeley and Emeryville marinas. I glimpsed it briefly in its "usual" place north of Ashby Ave, but it was then flushed by rogue paddlers to a spot just north of Chevy's on the Emeryville marina. I had great looks there, with the sun at my back.
It is easy to imagine how I might have overlooked it before: the back is all dark, but the lower backs of many scaup also appear dark; the sides were very dusky, darker than many scaup; and the tuft, though evident in a scope, is a shorter, spikier version of the dramatic tuft of breeding males. One notable feature was some white feathering on the undertail or undertail coverts.
I hope this bird hangs around to show his full alternate plumage.
Doug Vaughan
Berkeley
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Livermore and Pleasanton
Sun, 7 Dec 2003 16:40:28
-0800
From: Steve Huckabone
Saturday on the south side of the Livermore airport I saw a Prairie Falcon and in the resident Canada Goose flock were 3 Greater White-fronted Geese. The Livermore sewage ponds had about 12 Bonaparte's Gulls.
This afternoon I did Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area in Pleasanton and found a late Green Heron. In the 5 years I've been birding I don't recall seeing a Green Heron in the Tri-Valley in December.
Good birding.
Steve Huckabone
Alameda County
Livermore California
Harris's Sparrow still visiting Berkeley yard
Sun, 07 Dec 2003 17:48:01 -0800
From: Dennis & Patricia Braddy
EastBayBirders,
The Harris's Sparrow put in another brief appearance at the Poole residence in Berkeley today just before 5:00 PM. It is a very handsome bird. John said that the sparrow had also been seen earlier in the day.
Dennis and Patricia Braddy
San Ramon
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Hooded Mergansers in Berkeley Aquatic Park
Sun, 7 Dec 2003 20:29:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Stewart Bolinger
I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers in the middle pond at Berkeley Aquatic Park Sunday about 3 PM. I saw a similar pair sitting on the post pilings last year but only for a couple days. I go to the park every weekend in winter and I have never seen a pair winter there.
Stewart Bolinger
Oakland
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker continues in Berkeley Hills
Mon, 08 Dec 2003 16:02:03 -0800
From: Dave Quady
Hello, all:
At about 11:00 AM today the juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew from the direction of the creek below the Little Farm into a eucalyptus on the edge of the lawn behind the Tilden Nature Area Visitor Center. The bird played hide-and-seek for a few seconds, then appeared on a vertical trunk/limb high on the right side of the tree for another few seconds, then disappeared for the remainder of the following hour. The tree in question is just north of the concrete pads on which manure, etc, is piled. There are sapsucker workings high in the tree, most obviously on its south side (right side, viewed from the lawn); this appears to be the same tree others have seen the bird in.
Thinking the bird may have worked its way uphill and away from us, I twice checked a sapsucker-worked eucalyptus on the uphill side of the small pond that's just uphill from the Junior Rangers' Lodge, which is a short walk uphill from the Nature Center. On my second visit a daggetti Red-breasted Sapsucker was silently working this tree, as it had done on my visit three days earlier.
Happy sapsucker seeking ...
Dave Quady
Berkeley, California
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Possible male Costa's Hummingbird in North Berkeley
Tue, 9 Dec 2003 09:24:06 -0800
From: Rebecca Freed
Keep an eye on your hummingbird feeders: My partner reports that she's seen a male Costa's Hummingbird at our feeder both Sunday and Monday. It hasn't shown up yet this morning, but I'm keeping my eye out. (I was unable to confirm the sighting because I was out of town.) I'm hoping it will stick around long enough to be included in our Christmas Bird Count.
Rebecca Freed
Berkeley CA
A few birds from eastern Contra Costa County
Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:55:56 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding the following message to the list for Steve Glover:
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 22:43:13 PST
Subject: A Few Birds from Eastern Contra Costa CountyHi all,
This morning I did a little scouting around for the Christmas Bird Count in eastern Contra Costa County and turned up some local interest birds. I was with Don Lewis and Jimm Edgar.
At one of the many new golf courses there was a female Great-tailed Grackle. From Balfour Rd turn north on Country Club Rd. I can't remember now if it was East Country Club or West Country Club. This same pond had a few Black-crowned Night-Herons in the reeds and a probable Cackling Canada Goose on the far side.
On Empire Mine Rd south of Antioch and west of Brentwood there were at least 2 Vesper Sparrows in with a large flock of Savannah Sparrows. From Deer Valley Rd turn west on Empire Mine Rd. After going west for a mile or so the road takes a 90 degree turn to the right (north) and the sparrows were about halfway between that turn and some dilapidated old mill of some kind. I think I have only seen Vesper Sparrow in the county three times and all were within a half mile of this spot.
As we split up at the parking lot for Round Valley Regional Park, Jimm spotted an adult Bald Eagle flying south towards Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
Good birding,
Steve Glover
Dublin
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall