Tilden stuff
Thu, 17 Sep 1998 13:34:39 -0700 (PDT)
From: Emilie
OK, here's a "what's around" report. I birded the Jewel Lake area this AM for about [1.5] hrs. Saw a few nice flocks (Bl[ack]-thr[oated] gray warbler 8, Townsend's Warbler 35, Yellow Warbler 3, Pac[ific]-slope Flyc[atcher] 4, Swains[on] Thrush 1 heard). NO Wilson's Warblers! There seems to be a huge void in the Warbling Vireo department this fall. I suspect it is due to the absence of dogwood berries - the dogwoods are currently in full bloom! only a few green berries present.
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Re: Tilden stuff
Thu, 17 Sep 1998 15:12:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Condit
Thanks to Emilie for report. Looks like the flocks are really showing up - I only saw a few individuals last week.
Are the "green" dogwood berries Emilie refers to those white ones?
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Re: Tilden stuff
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 16:14:10 PDT
From: Steve Glover
East Bay Birders,
The birds seen this morning by Emilie were definitely different than those I had yesterday. I don't have my totals here but I had way less Townsend's and Black-throated Grays but did have some Wilson's Warblers. The weather conditions of the past few days make me think that the birds there were probably very similar both days. This is probably a tribute to how tough this spot is to bird.
I haven't looked back through my notes but I do specifically remember large numbers of Warbling Vireos through Sept. of last year. I'm thinking 30 to 40 a day. This year I've missed them there on a few days and have yet to record more than 2 or 3. I'm impressed with the Dogwood theory, which seems quite probable. Its nice to see birders using their sightings to hone in on the big picture. I seem to have a brain like a collander when it comes to anything other than birds. As a result I have forgotten how to recognize dogwood dozens of times. Kudos to Emilie.
This morning I went out to east Contra Costa County and quickly discovered that the wind was going to prevent a very good birding day. I did have a Ferruginous Hawk on Hwy J-4 near Clifton Court Forebay, the first I've had this fall. Lincoln's Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows are now in in numbers. There were 2 Willow Flycatchers at Piper Slough.
Steve Glover
Miller Knox Hawkwatch
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 21:37:39 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Steve and Lillian and the East Bay Birders,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The hill I use to look for hawks at Miller Knox [Regional Park] is behind the boardwalk/willow clump area across the street from the first parking lot. There is a blue and yellow building there that at least used to say Richmond Ramblers on it. The easiest way to get up there is from just behind this building. There is a trail that goes up the hill from there. Follow it uphill for a couple of minutes until you are in a draw between 2 hills. One trail goes up a hill to the left and another goes up the hill to the right. Take the right turn. It goes almost straight up for several hundred yards. At the top is a flat area with a round flat mound in the middle (obviously built by aliens). There is also a very conveniently placed bench that faces in exactly the correct direction.
The most important places to keep an eye on are as follows: On a good day the birds come from Marin, passing over the lower hill directly in front of the bench. Some birds also appear to come from the north, meaning they will basically come from the area of the euc[alyptus] clump surrounding the water tank. The telephone poles to the south should also be scrutinized because the resident kestrels and Red-tails sometimes fly up to harrass the migrants. It is also a good idea to look up.
Other than this I can't add much. In general I would suspect that a really good day at Hawk Hill will be pretty good (but not nearly as so) at Miller Knox. I also suspect that some west winds would encourage birds to cross the bay. It does seem that this spot is also well positioned to catch birds coming down the edge of the bay. I'm not doing it really scientifically but I am keeping notes as follows: Every half hour I note the time, wind speed and direction, temp., cloud cover (including whether or not it looks like Hawk Hill is in the clear). There are few enough birds that I also write down what time each bird goes by, from what direction they came and to what direction they went. In general, most come from the west or north, usually circle several times to gain altitude, and head south or east or both. It is tricky to label birds down as migrants or residents. The only resident birds are some Turkey Vultures, Red-tails and Kestrels. I usually feel comfortable calling any other species a migrant. This in not like the Marin Headlands where there is habitat for many residents. There is very little habitat here. In my few trips I have only seen a couple of Kites and no Harriers. I have seen a Northern Goshawk (it circled for several minutes just yards from me) and Black Swifts so who knows what might go by.
I can't promise that you will see much up there but you never know. I find it interesting, not to mention peaceful. Very few people make it up there and they never stay long.
If anyone makes it up there I would love to hear about it. I will try to mention when I'm going up there if anyone wants to join me.
Steve Glover
Western Tanagers in Martinez
Fri, 18 Sep 1998 12:48:55 PDT
From: Denise Wight
Hi East Bay Birders,
This morning at Martinez Regional Shoreline I had the great pleasure of watching a flock of 30 to 40 Western Tanagers for over an hour. There wasn't one red-headed adult male among them. I first saw them in the Eucalyptus behind the playground, then they moved to the Eucalyptus beside the small stream, near the first parking lot off Joe DeMaggio Dr. At one time, up to 12 came down to the stream to bathe or drink. They were extremely active with much chasing one another, but only once did I hear a vocalization. I watched one bird pick off and eat tiny white cocoons which dotted the Eucalyptus leaves. Really a great sight.
There were also:
Yellow Warblers - 7
Black Throated Gray Warbler - 1
Denise Wight
Martinez, CA
"Don't Forget To Look Up"