Escapees and more
Mon, 05 Jul 2004 13:08:18 -0700
From: Dennis and Patricia Braddy
EastBayBirders,
Yesterday, while riding our bikes along the San Ramon and Dublin portions of the Iron Horse Trail, a mostly white Cockatiel flew across the trail and landed on a schoolyard fence. Pat saw it again today. Among the non-escapees were 5 immature Common Mergansers (Pat had one adult today), 2 Black-necked Stilts, a Green Heron, 2 Belted Kingfishers, loads of Mallard chicks, and 2 Killdeer parents attempting in vain to round-up their 3 wayward chicks.
At Bishop Ranch Regional Preserve (BRRP) this morning my Grasshopper Sparrow count was just 2, though one obligingly remained on the same perch for 5 minutes or more. I also saw the family of Brown Creepers that another birder told me about several weeks ago. (New for me at BRRP.)
Just before noon, as we were winding up our Dog-and-Bird-Walk around the neighborhood, Skip and I [Dennis] came upon a very tame Ringed Turtle-Dove by the community pool. Skip lost interest when he found out the dove didn't count on his life list.
Dennis and Patricia Braddy and Skip
San Ramon
White-throated Swifts nesting in downtown Berkeley
Mon, 5 Jul 2004 20:19:39 -0700
From: Phila Rogers
Dear Birding Friends:
A couple of years ago, naturalists Joe Eaton and Ron Sullivan told me that White-throated Swifts had nested in the corner building across the street from the main branch of the Berkeley Public Library. Though I often looked, I'd never seen them before late yesterday afternoon when I parked my car below the building and heard a faint chorus above me. Looking up I saw the parents swirl in, disappearing briefly into a corner crevice. When they reemerged they flung themselves across the sky and out of sight. What amazing birds with their long slender black wings and the flash of white! I stood and watched as they returned several times.
Rather than nesting under the more commodious tiles, they appeared to squeeze themselves into a barely-visible crack in the building fa�ade. Though I've read that they typically nest in small colonies, I saw no evidence of more than that single pair.
For those of you who'd like to take a look, the building, now belonging to the University of California, is on the northwest corner opposite the library's new addition.
Phila Rogers
White-throated Swifts nesting in Walnut Creek
Mon, 5 Jul 2004 20:57:56 PDT
From: Marily Trabert
On Rudgear Rd, where it passes under Hwy 680, White-throated Swifts nest in drainage holes under the freeway every spring. Several were flying around the area this morning. Cliff Swallows also nest under the outer edge of the freeway in this location.
Marilyn Trabert
Walnut Creek
Hooded Warbler in Tilden Nature Area, Berkeley Hills
Tue, 06 Jul 2004 18:43:47 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for David Vander Pluym:
Tue, 06 Jul 2004 18:31:46 -0700
This afternoon at Tilden Regional Park Nature Area I found a female Hooded Warbler (with a decent amount of black) near Jewel Lake. The bird was along the Lower Packrat Trail - as you head toward the lake there are some steps, the bird was just before here. Also heard a Winter Wren.
Good Birding
David Vander Pluym
Santa Cruz/Ventura Ca
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
Status of Alameda County Breeding Bird Atlas?
Sat, 10 Jul 2004 09:04:36 -0700
From: Joseph Morlan
What is the status of the Alameda County Breeding Bird Atlas? I believe the field work was completed some years ago, but I have seen no announcement on a publication date. I remember that there was a team of volunteers who were working on the publication, but I haven't heard or seen any results from that at all.
Anybody know?
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
Fall Birding Classes start Sep 14 http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/
Swainson's Thrush and Ralph Hoffman
Sat, 10 Jul 2004 13:33:27 -0700
From: Phila Rogers
Dear Birding Friends:
On one of those endless foggy mornings Emilie Straus and I went to the Jewel Lake area of Tilden Nature Area (Berkeley Hills) in search of the reported female Hooded Warbler. The first singer that greeted us was a male Winter Wren belting out his song from the dense streamside brush just north of the parking area. Alan Kaplan says this is probably an unmated male who is sending out its fervent (and long-winded) call for a female.
We never did find the elusive warbler but on this still morning I had the chance to indulge myself in the full repertory of thrush song and call variations. Though it's easier enough to wax poetic about the ascending song, I listened most carefully to the several call notes coming from both above and below the Lower Pack Rat trail. We're all familiar with the sweet, slightly inflected whit - I was puzzled by another far less melodious call which Emilie informed me was also the Swainson's Thrush.
Coming home, I looked through my several field guides and could find nothing to match it until I pulled out the tattered copy of the first bird book given to me as a child by my parents - Birds of the Pacific States, by Ralph Hoffman. Printed in 1927 just before I was born, this splendid book was considered the first field guide though by Sibley standards, field guide might be the wrong word. Under its earlier name - Russet-backed Thrush - the redoubtable Mr. Hoffman listed among the thrush's various calls "a harsh grating cherrr". Bingo!
I treasure this book above all others, both for its poetry and its accurate descriptions of habitat, behavior, and his unfailing ability to capture the "itness" of each species. Public libraries usually have copies and once I heard that this long-out-of-print book was going to be reissued, but I've been unable to confirm that.
Mr. Hoffman was an amateur ornithologist and botanist, a teacher of Latin in several private schools, and later in life, his brilliance was officially recognized by his appointment as the director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Before reaching his 70th birthday he fell to his death from a cliff on San Miguel Island (off Santa Barbara) while trying to reach a particular buckwheat. Beats rotting away in a nursing home.
Phila Rogers
Shorebirds off Emeryville Peninsula
Sat, 10 Jul 2004 15:54:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Peter Diegutis
Good Afternoon
I guess the rumors must be true and the fall migration has begun. This afternoon I enjoyed watching about 300+ Western Sandpipers refuel in the mudflats off Emeryville Peninsula. I must say, they looked very dapper, in their alternate plumage. Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews and the usual Willets were present in much lesser numbers. What I thought to be an odd-looking Marbled Godwit turned out to be just a very muddy bird.
Have a nice day.
Cheers
Peter
Global warming and early shorebird migration
Sat, 10 Jul 2004 16:55:42 -0700
From: Phila Rogers
Dear Birders:
Several people have observed large numbers of migrating shorebirds, commenting that the "fall" migration seems earlier this year. Any correlation here between the early warmth of March and the early onset of the Sierra snowmelt which most climatologists see as further evidence of global warming? Was there any observed change in the onset of nesting season in our area?
Phila Rogers
Reply #1 Reply #2 Subject Index
Fremont birding
Sat, 10 Jul 2004 18:32:25 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for Mark Chao:
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 14:38:28 PDT
Subject: Coyote Hills and SF Bay NWR, Sat 7/10Dear Larry,
I am a longtime birder and former Bay Area resident, now living in Ithaca NY. I'm back in the area for a visit this week, and have been consulting your birding website with great interest. Many thanks for your work in running the site.
This morning I visited Coyote Hills Regional Park and San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Prodigious numbers of shorebirds were present on the long unvegetated levee that runs west into the bay from the No-Name Trail, between the Alameda Creek Regional Trail and SF Bay NWR. I saw 400+ Pluvialis plovers (I believe that both Black-bellied Plover and American Golden-Plover were present, but I didn't get conclusive looks - I didn't have a scope with me), 30+ Long-billed Curlews, 150+ Marbled Godwits, about 20 American Avocets, 300 Willets, and a flock of about 20 Red-necked Phalaropes flying by. Many small Calidris sandpipers were present too - I got nice looks at Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers, and saw many flying flocks that I couldn't identify to species. I also saw a Peregrine Falcon and a Least Tern here.
I don't think that I saw anything unusual elsewhere in the park and refuge, but it sure was wonderful to see beautiful, locally-common species that we seldom or never see back east - American White Pelican, Black-necked Stilt (several dozen at LaRiviere Marsh), White-tailed Kite, Loggerhead Shrike, White-throated Swift, and so forth.
Please feel free to share all or part of this message with members of your list, if you think that people might be interested. Thank you.
With thanks and best wishes,
Mark Chao
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall