Re: Arrowhead Marsh
Thu, 19 Nov 1998 07:47:42 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
There have been several messages on the BirdChat list (not CalBird as I erroneously said in an earlier message) about the marsh restoration in Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline. If you're not a BirdChat subscriber, you can easily find these messages at
http://listserv.arizona.edu/lsv/www/birdchat.html
In a message sent to BirdChat this morning, Joseph Morlan says:
I used to bird that marsh back in the early 1970's with Elsie Roemer who was very active in trying to preserve it. It was a wonderful freshwater marsh with American Bitterns and lots of ducks. It did not have cordgrass, but instead tules were the dominant vegetation. Elsie's name for his was "Erstwhile Marsh" and it was discouraging to watch it being destroyed as the Port of Oakland filled it ostensibly to build a warehouse.
Morlan suggests that the name Arrowhead Marsh "should be restricted to the arrow-shaped salt marsh which has always been there on the north side of Erstwhile Marsh," and that Roemer's name be adopted for the newly restored marsh. This seems to me a very useful suggestion to avoid confusion in birding reports, since the two marsh areas differ considerably in habitat conditions and hence are likely to have quite different bird populations.
Good birding,
Larry Tunstall
Lake Chabot Birds, Nov. 19, 1998
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 14:49:04 PST
From: Bill Scoggins
Hello East Bay Birders,
Our first bird was an American Coot, but our second and third birds were a pair of wood ducks. They were in the small pond-like area closest to the marina parking lot at Lake Chabot. A wrentit called from the top of the hill and Nuttall's woodpecker and flickers were heard in the oaks. A black-crowned night heron flew across the lake and landed in a big leaf maple. The heron and golden maple leaves sparkled in the light of the sunrise.
Also seen at the marina were pied-billed grebe, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, mallard, Anna's hummingbird, scub jay, chestnut-backed chickadee, American robin, hermit thrush by voice, ruby-crowned kinglet, cedar waxwing, yellow-rumped, warbler, Cal[ifornia] towhee, dark-eyed junco, fox sparrow, gold-crowned and white-crowned sparrows, spotted towhee, and house finch.
Doc Quack led the group on an East Bay Regional Park Bird Walk, 7-9 AM.
Join Doc Quack for a bird walk at Coyote Hills Regional Park on Thursday, 17 Dec. '98, 7-9 AM.
Note: Bill Thomas saw 17 wild turkeys on the west side of the California State University, Hayward campus, along a service road. He says they have been there for about two weeks. Have you seen them too or know anything about them?
Happy Birding,
Bill Scoggins
Castro Valley
Golden-crowned Kinglets
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 19:00:51 -0800
From: Marty Lycan
Again today at Benicia State Park the pine trees were loaded with Golden-crowned Kinglets.
I've seen more so far this year than all of last year. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I just happening to run into more of them this year?
Regards, Marty
Martin Lycan
Oakland, CA
American Dipper at Lake Temescal
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 19:06:08 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
On the Northern California BirdBox, Jean Puffer reported an American Dipper at Lake Temescal in Oakland on November 19. For the location of Temescal, see
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/temescal.htm
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center Staff
Cuts
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 19:54:48 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
With Sheila's permission, I'm forwarding this message to the entire EBbird list.
Larry Tunstall
From: Sheila Junge
To: Larry Tunstall
Subject: Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center Staff Cuts
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 17:24:07 -0800You may already know that staff hours have been cut over 20% at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. The result is program cuts due to lack of sufficient staff and potential loss of staff as employees may longer have enough work to have a liveable income. The Center is now closed 2 days a week (currently Monday and Tuesday but may be switched to Sunday and Monday) instead of one.
The HARD [Hayward Area Recreation District] board will be considering "Review of Operational Hours at Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center" (and senior centers which have also been cut) at its meeting on Monday, November 23, at 7:30 PM. The meeting will take place at the District Office at 1099 'E' St. in Hayward. As far as I am concerned the Intrepretive Center with its many environmental educational programs for both children and adults is HARD's most valuable program. We need to focus the board on the real issue: restoring staff cuts not simply on restoring operational hours and show them that the Intrepretive Center has a concerned constituency.
I hope to see you at the meeting.
Sheila