Fwd: Final Oakland CBC info for East-Bay-List
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 19:34:17 -0800
From: Mike Feighner
Subject: Final Oakland CBC info for East-Bay-List
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 18:38:58 -0800
From: Clyde MorrisHere is the final write-up for the Oakland CBC. Feel free to pass it along to whoever it might interest. This will be published in the next [Golden Gate Audubon Society] Gull (newsletter) along with a complete list of all species and individuals seen on the count.
Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa
1998 OAKLAND CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT RESULTSOne hundred ninety-two participants braved the cold winds, rain, and in many places snow(!), to hit the trails, shorelines, hilltops and open bay waters to participate in the 1998 Oakland CBC. As always, everyone reported having spent a great day in the field with groups sharing some interesting birding stories at the count dinner. It was exciting to hear of all the unusual birds seen this year! Once again, the Oakland count was the most popular in California (based on having the most participants) and one of the top ten in the country.
Highlights from the 1998 CBC include the following unusual birds: 2 Snow Geese (seen 8 years out of the last 25 years on the Oakland CBC) one at Emeryville and one in the Point Isabella area , 1 Ross' Goose (seen 3 out of 25 years) at the Berkeley Waterfront, 1 Tufted Duck (4 out of 25 years) at Lake Merritt, 2 adult Bald Eagles (5 out of 25 years) 1 at Lafayette Reservoir and 1 at the North end of San Leandro, 2 Surfbirds (seen for the first time in count history) at the Point Isabella area, 1 Glaucous Gull (seen 3 out of 25 years) at the Berkeley Waterfront, 3 Long-eared Owls (seen 2 out of last 25 years) at Siesta Valley, 30 Tree Swallows (seen 4 out 25 years) at San Pablo Ridge, 1 Tennessee Warbler (seen for the first time in count history) at Lake Merritt, and a Black-and-white Warbler (seen 7 years out of 25 years) also at Lake Merritt. We had record highs for the following species: Common Merganser (147), Golden Eagle (7) (Same birds flying around the Count Circle so they can be counted multiple times and break the record?), Heermann's Gull (13), Black Phoebe (138), and Brown Creeper (86). Our species total of 181 (counting the swan sp. and Selasphorus sp.) is a record high for the 25 years that we have data for the Oakland CBC.
For the second year in a row, we enjoyed the participation on the count of students from Jefferson Elementary School. They call themselves the Chickadees, a classroom group led by science teacher John Poole. Thanks to John for making all the arrangements for the Chickadees to join us and to the area leaders who hosted them. The Upper San Leandro Reservoir area had a small group of Boy Scouts who enjoyed all the hiking and birding with Russ Wilson, the area leader.
For lowlights, we had the lowest number of individuals in count history (82,521 individuals). This may be because this year's cold and windy weather made the count from our boats and along the Bay shore lower than normal. However, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 are four of the five years with the lowest number of individuals in the 25 years for which we have recorded numbers in our database. Is all the development in our count circle finally catching up with us, resulting in fewer birds wintering here? Are we focused on looking for rare birds and not recording all the individuals of the common birds we see? We had record lows for the following species: Brant's Cormorant (12), American Wigeon (523, which is the second year in a row of a record low number of this species for the count), Semipalmated Plover (2), Herring Gull (13, which is the second year in a row of a record low number for the count), Mourning Dove (540, which is the second year in a row of a record low number for the count), Western Scrub-Jay (467, Steller's Jays were at near record low numbers), Wrentit (116), Northern Mockingbird (26 which is the second year in a row of a record low number for the count), California Thrasher (12), Cedar Waxwing (295 which is the second year in a row of a record low number for the count), Loggerhead Shrike (2), European Starling (1751 which is the second year in a row of a record low number for the count), Brewer's Blackbird (484) and Lesser Goldfinch (114).
A record low for a particular species for one year shouldn't cause alarm. However, when it happens for several years in a row and/or is repeated over a large number of Christmas Bird Counts in the country, it is worth investigating more closely (i.e., Burrowing Owls). Of course, the fact that we have recorded Bald Eagles wintering in the area for several of the last few years after not having seen them at all in the earlier years of the count and have had several years of high Peregrine Falcon numbers is worth celebrating. For us, the record low numbers of Starlings is also a positive development.
Thanks to the faithful area leaders new and old (awards were presented to the 9 who had been leaders for 20 years or more). Consistency and knowledge of the areas produce the best results so we hope our new leaders will continue to lead for many more years too. Thanks to Art for all his support in our Chapterís office and Jane Larkin and Jean Lucken who collected money at the count dinner. Thanks to William Giddens our caterer for the great food, and Ann Howard who arranged for the caterer and set up for the count dinner. Nick Story helped by making a giant wall chart of species likely to be seen to help us tally our count results. Thanks to John Robinson & Helen Green who formed the Rare Bird Committee. Of course thanks to all who participated in the count and shared their great stories at the count dinner. We hope to see everyone again next year! Mark your calendar for Sunday, December 19, 1999.
Your compilers:
Clyde Morris & Joelle Buffa
Fremont, CA
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Pt Richmond count
Mon, 25 Jan 1999 21:07:55 PST
From: Bob Lewis
Today five of us made a traditional (well, three years in a row) winter bird count in Point Richmond. We had 83 species, including some unusual birds for the area and time (Winter Wren [2 over the tunnel, reported by Rusty Scalf yesterday]; Steller's Jay [3 at the beach just through the tunnel]; Rufous Hummingbird [Miller-Knox Park] and Costa's Hummingbird [private residence]). The overall list follows:
2 Common Loon, 4 Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Horned Grebe, 1 Eared Grebe, 18 Western Grebe, 57 Clark's Grebe, 139 Double-crested Cormorant, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Snowy Egret, 7 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 42 Canada Goose, 8 Mallard, 4 Gadwall, 309 American Wigeon, 545 Greater Scaup, 1 Lesser Scaup, 4 Surf Scoter, 14 Common Goldeneye, 102 Bufflehead, 4 Red-breasted Merganser, 83 Ruddy Duck, 3 Turkey Vulture, 1 Osprey, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 5 American Kestrel, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 131 American Coot, 15 Black-bellied Plover, 2 Killdeer, 3 Willet, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Long-billed Curlew, 3 Black Turnstone, 23 Western Sandpiper, 2 Least Sandpiper, 124 Dunlin, 1 Mew Gull, 160 Ring-billed Gull, 12 California Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 6030 Western Gull, 1200 Glaucous-winged Gull, 5 Forster's Tern, 137 Rock Dove, 60 Mourning Dove, 14 Anna's Hummingbird, 1 Costa's Hummingbird, 1 Rufous Hummingbird, 8 Northern Flicker, 4 Black Phoebe, 3 Steller's Jay, 19 Scrub Jay, 8 American Crow, 6 Common Raven, 23 Bushtit, 5 Bewick's Wren, 2 Winter Wren, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 21 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 4 Hermit Thrush, 201 American Robin, 9 Northern Mockingbird, 3 American Pipit, 3 Cedar Waxwing, 105 European Starling, 1 Orange-crowned Warbler, 74 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Townsend's Warbler, 9 Spotted Towhee, 10 California Towhee, 9 Fox Sparrow, 3 Song Sparrow, 2 Lincoln's Sparrow, 48 Golden-crowned Sparrow, 85 White-crowned Sparrow, 17 Dark-eyed Junco, 50 Red-winged Blackbird, 29 Western Meadowlark, 13 Brewer's Blackbird, 27 House Finch, 5 Lesser Goldfinch, 2 House Sparrow
Bob Lewis
Sunday midday at Sunol Wilderness
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 23:15:23 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Made my fist visit to Sunol Regional Wilderness this morning. Walked from the Green Barn up to Little Yosemite and back, enjoying the sunshine, drifting clouds, and brisk weather. Saw mostly the usual birds, though I did get my first magpies for the year (something those of us on the Bay side of the hills have to travel for). Highlight of the trip came just as I was passing the Visitor Center on the way to my car to start home. An Acorn Woodpecker in an oak above my head was clinging to quite small twigs, dangling upside down and swaying in the breeze, and apparently gleaning insects off the leaves. Maybe he'd been watching the chickadees and decided that it looked like an easier way to make a living than banging your head against a tree!
Here's what I saw (including birds seen on Calaveras Rd & Geary Rd just outside the park):
Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker (Red-shafted), Black Phoebe (heard), Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Yellow-billed Magpie, American Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, California Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/