Selby Trail, Tilden Regional Park
Tue, 11
May 2004 23:07:34 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
On Alan Kaplan's East Bay Regional Park District birdwalk at 7 AM this morning, we strolled the northern half-mile or so of Selby Trail in Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley Hills). It was quite birdy in the early morning. There were lots of Song Sparrows and a few Lazuli Buntings singing, plus a variety of others. We were happy to hear an Olive-sided Flycatcher (the first Alan has heard this year in the vicinity of the Tilden visitor center - one has been singing up at Inspiration Point for some time) and Swainson Thrush.
Mystery bird of the morning was a small gray bird, at first seen deep in a bush and thought to be a titmouse. But when it came out for better looks, it had the smooth rounded head, longer bill, and spectacles of a vireo. It didn't stay around for much study, but it seemed to have no noticeable wingbars and no noticeable yellow on its body. After going over the guide for awhile, we decided that the most likely identification was an unusually gray Warbling Vireo (it didn't sing while we saw it).
Here's what I caught of the group list for the 2.5-hour walk:
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Patterson Pass, east of Livermore
Wed, 12
May 2004 12:33:32 PDT
From: Phil Gordon
Greetings Birders,
This is a belated report of a few highlights of the Ohlone Audubon Society Campout Trip to the Central Valley in parts of the counties, Alameda, San Joaquin and Stanislaus.
[The observations from Caswell Memorial State Park and Del Puerto Canyon are posted on Central Valley Birds.]
At mile marker 7.1 to about 6.3 on a walk along the Patterson Creek, Alameda County, we found Warbling Vireo, Western Tanager, and Lark Sparrow and finally found a male and female Blue Grosbeak (in the riparian zone near milepost 6.3). Also foraging on the north hill slope above here was a Burrowing Owl that chuck- chuck-chucked repeatedly. The Rock Wren also called here.
Happy Birding,
Phil E Gordon
Hayward, Alameda County
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve, Oakland Hills
Thu, 13 May 2004 15:11:41 -0700
From: Debbie Viess
Had a lovely hike at Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland Hills this morning, seeing and hearing the usual suspects. As always, it was a treat to see a Golden Eagle - this one was close and laboriously flapping its way through the canyon. As I watched him bank, I saw another eagle out of the corner of my eye; it is a rare treat for me to see two at once. While watching the second bird, a flock of 8 American White Pelicans flew into my field of view, a first for this location, at least for me. Pelicans are one of my favorite birds on the wing; the flash of white as they wheel is both breathtaking and an easy way to identify them from afar. This flock was close, and heading south to points unknown. As I approached the parking lot, an impressive swarm of bees rose up out of the canyon. The birds and the bees, yup, must be spring.
Debbie Viess
East Bay Cooper's Hawk Nesting Survey 2002-2003
Fri, 14 May 2004 14:18:25 -0700
From: Allen Fish
Dear EBBers --
Our Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Report on the 2002 and 2003 nesting seasons for Cooper's Hawks in the East Bay is hot-off-the-presses and available either on the GGRO website < www.ggro.org > by pressing the button "Research", or by calling us at GGRO and requesting that a hardcopy be mailed to you. Thank you greatly for your input on this project over the past two seasons. This study wouldn't have had anywhere near the success without the community-response opportunity of a solid listserv group.
We are continuing to monitor Berkeley and Albany Cooper's Hawk nests this season, and again have 12 territories currently. We're also looking widely through the East Bay for locations of other "Coop" nests, anywhere from Pinole to Hayward, and would love to hear of your sightings. Secondarily, we've been working recently with the California Raptor Center at UC Davis to rescue a nest load (ie, brood) of Coops from the Central Valley. Four bobble-headed chicks hatched in an incubator at Davis this past week. We'll be looking for Coop nests anywhere in the Bay Area or local region, in climbable trees, over the next week with the goal of "fostering" those chicks into a wild nest. Being "adopted" by a wild pair of Coops is the best hope for the chicks' survival.
If you know of any Coop nests, please email me with any information.
Thanks again for the community support.
All best,
Allen
Allen M. Fish
Director, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Golden Gate
National Parks Conservancy
Sausalito, CA
The nesting season continues
Fri, 14 May 2004
16:03:46 -0700
From: Tom Condit
This morning (14 May 2004) on the UC Berkeley campus I saw a male Brewer's Blackbird chasing a Sharp-shinned Hawk. I assume the latter got too close to a nest.
Cliff Swallows are nesting on the south sides of Valley Life Sciences Building and the Haas School of Business. They seem to pick sites which have maximum sunlight and an overhang. Male House Finches are singing on the ledge above the swallow nests at VLSB.
There's a hummingbird nesting on the 1700 block of Allston Way. Lee Trampleasure, who showed her to us, has photos of the nest-building process. Unlike the usual nearly-invisible nest, this one has enough lichens woven into it to make it stand out a little (visually) from the tree branch. It's in the first tree west of the bottle brush on the south side of the street. Do not disturb, needless to say.
And in old news, on May 1 Marsha Feinland and I had a pair of California Quail trot ahead of us down the path for about 100 yards on the stream trail in Redwood Regional Park before finally moving off into underbrush. There aren't any bikes or unleashed dogs allowed on this trail, and it makes quite a difference.
Tom Condit
Berkeley CA