Shorebirds at Bayfront Park, Pinole
Wed, 14
Apr 2004 18:14:55 -0700
From: Bob Battagin
EBBer's,
Today, from 1 to 2 PM, I observed the following shorebirds feeding in the mudflats at Pinole's Bayfront Park. Bayfront Park is located at the bay end of Tennent Ave in Pinole.
Good birding,
Bob Battagin
Oakland, CA
Clapper Rail surveys
Wed, 14 Apr 2004 21:02:04
-0700
From: Tom Condit
From the newsletter of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory:
The Kek-kek-keking of Clapper Rails - 'Tis is the season for California Clapper Rail surveys around the Bay. Numerous agencies and groups are determining just how many of these elusive rails are around. Largely due to marsh and coastal habitat destruction, a number of rails are on the U.S. Endangered Species List. Light-footed Clapper Rail and the California Clapper Rail are classified as endangered in California, and the Yuma Clapper Rail is classified as endangered in California and Arizona. The San Francisco Bay is considered the "stronghold" of the California Clapper Rail, aided in part by habitat restoration, non-native predator control (feral cats, foxes, and rats) and hunting laws (during the gold rush Clapper Rails were considered a culinary delicacy).
So when you are next out along the Baylands at dawn or dusk, listen for the distinctive kek-kek-kek or two as the rails look for mates and set up breeding territories.
For a sample of the Yuma song along with other common marsh birds, see
http://www.naturesongs.com/falcstri.html#lgrui
Tom Condit
Blue Grosbeak in Patterson Pass east of Livermore
Sat, 17 Apr 2004 23:48:28 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for Rich Cimino:
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 16:41:15 -0700
This morning between 8:40 and 9:40 a singing male Blue Grosbeak was heard in the area east of road marker 6.21 on Patterson Pass Rd east of Livermore. I walked the road from gate marked 15205 east to road marker 6.21. It was very windy, cold and cloudy. I have been listening to the CD Bird Songs of California by Geoffrey A. Keller. The song and loud 3 chink notes I heard is that of a Blue Grosbeak.
There were also three Yellow Warbler and several Yellow-rumped Warblers as well as many Golden-crowned Sparrow and Lark Sparrows too.
Last weekend I walked the same area. I did not post my sightings. But there a few noteworthy "flyby"s during the same time frame, 8:30 AM: Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeaks and Bullock's Oriole. None of these birds stopped. They all followed the creek drainage in a northwesterly direction. Road Marker 6.21 is a good spot to look down over the creek drainage willow riparian habitat.
Have a good weekend everyone
Rich Cimino
Forwarded to EBB by Larry Tunstall
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Hayward Regional Shoreline
Sun, 18 Apr 2004
20:06:01 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
An Albany Adult School bird identification class this morning at Hayward Regional Shoreline had splendid views of shorebirds, coming into and in breeding plumage. We saw at least 400 Red Knots, I think the most I have ever seen at one time in San Francisco Bay, most of those quite orange. Lots of great close views, as the tide came in, of breeding-plumage peeps [Western Sandpipers and/or Least Sandpipers], turnstones and dowitchers.
Also noteworthy were at least 150 Semipalmated Plovers. I ran into an East Bay Regional Park District biologist finishing a survey who told me that a Tufted Duck had been in the freshwater lake (I did not see this) and commented that Semipalmated Plover numbers were way up from the previous day's survey, perhaps indicating the arrival of migrants. There were at least two Black-necked Stilts seen incubating which strikes me as early.
Rusty Scalf
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Migration
Mon, 19 Apr 2004 14:11:54 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
I agree with Rusty that the nesting Black-necked Stilts seem early. At Mitigation Marsh (Martin Luther King Jr Shoreline, Oakland), the American Avocets are usually a month ahead of the stilts in nesting, and they've only just begun.
Re Semipalmated Plovers: I didn't post this, but on April 3 I saw 120 on Pond 3 (the one nearest San Leandro Creek channel) in Mitigation Marsh, and April 17 I saw 40 on the tidal marsh, after seeing none there since last August. So definitely, they're moving through in good numbers now.
Also of note April 17 was just one Least Sandpiper among a mixed flock of about 1,100 birds (Western Sandpipers, Dunlins and the Semipalmated Sandpipers). Birds of Northern California (Joe Morlan et al, 1988) doesn't suggest that Least Sandpipers leave earlier than Western Sandpipers, but this ratio seemed unusual to me, since Least Sandpipers have predominated all winter at Martin Luther King Jr Shoreline. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
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Mines Road, southeast of Livermore
Mon, 19
Apr 2004 19:56:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bob Power
Hi all:
Leslie Flint led a superb Oakland Bird Club trip yesterday up Mines Rd and out Del Puerto Canyon Rd.
Highlights were: A sizeable flock of Santa Cruz County birders. Sorry we couldn't bond a little more. Hands across the border... (Band on the run: '75?) Darkish morph and intermediate morph Red-tailed Hawks at Murietta Wells Winery in Livermore. Vaux's Swift, 1 at the winery and 2 up Mines Rd. Green Heron on the wing called out by Tim Kask at the corrals near the Santa Clara County / Alameda County line. Male Phainopepla at the same spot.
East Bay report ends here!
The Mines Rd target birds continued to pop up in Santa Clara County, with Lawrence's Goldfinch at the Firehouse near the Del Puerto Junction. Lewis' Woodpecker one-quarter mile south of the junction on Mines Rd. We had 100+ Violet-green Swallows feeding along the creek as we descended Del Puerto Canyon. Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, and Rufous-crowned Sparrows provided excellent views approximately 12 miles down the canyon. A Great Horned Owl adult presided over two chicks in cliff hollows approximately 15 miles down the canyon and a Costa's Hummingbird (male) was in the same general area.
If you're not having fun birding, this is a good group to hook up with. Great trips, cool birds, fun people.
Good birding,
Bob Power