Lake Merritt update
Thu, 22 Oct 1998 20:46:01 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This afternoon (Thursday) at Lake Merritt, 1 male and 3 female Buffleheads along with around 150 Ruddy Ducks near the islands. Lots of Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans (suggesting that fishing is good in the lake at the moment). And the usual collection of Snowy & Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Mallards, American Coots, Canada Geese, and Pied-Billed Grebes.
On the other hand, in a very quick look-around this morning at the Berkeley Marina, the only birds I saw on the water were gulls and a couple of cormorants.
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/
Steller's Jays
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 15:21:55 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
On October 17, Mary Schaefer had a young Steller's Jay in her bird bath in Alameda. This is probably only the second record for the island.
On October 18, I had a flock of eleven pass through my neighborhood in the flats of south Berkeley. I have never seen that species in that vicinity before.
On October 21, Mary Schaefer had four Steller's Jays visit the Chiron complex on Hollis St in Emeryville; her place of employment. Neither of us have ever seen this bird in Emeryville before.
Question: Is anyone else noting roving bands of Steller's Jays in unusual places?
Rusty Scalf
Berkeley, CA
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RE: Steller's Jays
23 Oct 98 15:42:04 -0700
From: Les Chibana
Steller's Jays are being reported in San Francisco and at lower elevations along the Peninusula, as well.
Les Chibana, Palo Alto
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Re: Steller's Jays
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 16:55:00 -0700
From: Kirk Swenson
This past weekend (Oct 17-18) we had a roving band of 8 to 10 Steller's Jays in my neighborhood in northern El Cerrito. They're generally not uncommon in small numbers a few blocks from my house but this was the first time I'd had them in my yard, and a group that large is unusual for the area in any case.
Kirk Swenson
El Cerrito, CA
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Steller's Jay
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 17:10:52 PDT
From: Collin Murphy
There have been one or two Steller's Jays at my feeder and at a neighbor's feeder off and on for about the last month. One day, they chased away two Scrub Jays. This is the first time in 25 years that this species has been in my yard, just below Grizzly Peak Road in Berkeley, even though I regularly see them a couple of blocks away at the Shasta entrance to Tilden.
Collin Murphy
Berkeley, CA
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Re: Steller's Jay
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 17:33:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Peter Rauch
Are Stellar Jays not commonly found in the neighborhoods west of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills? The recent EBB postings seem to be hinting at that... I've never paid much attention to their distribution in the residential flats or hills.
We've had Stellar Jays in our yard in Kensington, a block below the Arlington stores, for years. They used to nest, along with the squirrels, in an Incense Cedar in the back yard (until we had to cut the tree down this year!!! :<( :<( )
Peter
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Steller's Jay in El Cerrito
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 18:41:13 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
I had a single Steller's Jay in my backyard on Thursday. This was my first yard observation of the species in the 2.5 years we've lived here (a few blocks north of the El Cerrito Plaza BART station), although I do see them about 5 blocks up the hill where things get more "woodsy".
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/
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Steller's Jays
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 22:40:20 -0700
From: Don Lewis
Gary Bogue, in his column in the Contra Costa Times the other day, mentioned the number of Jays this year, particularly Steller's. He suggested emailing Mike Williams at Wild Birds Unlimited with your reports on both Scrub and Steller's Jays ( wbuphca@hotcoco.infi.net ). Mike will compile the results.
In my yard this year, there have been far more Steller's than usual. I have at least 6 or more coming to my feeder. There seem to be more Scrubs also but I'm less sure of that.
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
[Editor's note: Gary Bogue's fine columns on pets and wildlife are on-line
at
http://www.hotcoco.com/living/
]
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