Iron House Sanitary District 4/1
Thu, 1 Apr 1999 13:00:19 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hello East Bay Birders,
This morning I braved the winds and birded Iron House Sanitary District at Oakley. I had 67 species in about 2 hours. There was little evidence of songbird or shorebird migration but plenty of diversity. The following highlights are in the order I found them, sorry for the inconvenience.
Bonaparte's Gull (230 but still no Little Gull), Black Rail (3 heard), Common Raven (2), Green Heron (3), Sora (2, including one seen), Orange-crowned Warbler (1 calling, 3 singing. It is unclear if the singing birds are migrants or the wintering birds. I don't normally hear them sing out there, making me wonder if these are true migrants), Common Moorhen (3), Virginia Rail (3), American BIttern (2), Caspian Tern (1), Cattle Egret (2), Black-crowned Night-Heron (2), Swainson's Hawk (2 light-phase birds to the east, close to last year's nest site).
Today may be the first time that I have ever seen all 7 Heron/Egret-type birds in the county on a single day!
Steve Glover
Re: Yard List
Thu, 01 Apr 1999 16:15:10 -0800
From: Dave Quady
It's good to learn that my yard list slightly exceeds Bob Lewis's, my near-neighbor and birding companion, with whom I have a very friendly yard-list rivalry. I don't know yet how my list compares with the Brandriffs' list, who live much closer and who seem to have the knack of attracting and retaining birds I'd like to see at my place, such as Costa's Hummingbird and Cassin's Finch.
I live on the edge of Tilden Park, overlooking Lake Anza. Since moving here in April 1991 I've seen (no birds remaining on my heard-only list!) 77 species from my yard; this total includes several waterbirds, naturally. My only 'house' birds are Anna's Hummingbird and Red-breasted Nuthatch. The latter left the house clinging to the collar of my shirt, where it had flown to evade an approaching pillowcase.
Perhaps my best yard bird is a Canyon Wren. I noticed this bird outside my basement window in early September 1997, and watched it slowly work its way at ground level around two sides of our house before it flew away (but not to the Brandriffs', evidently.) More enjoyable in its own way was a Great Blue Heron standing stock-still alongside a shallow pool in the yard next door, in May 1997. I watched the bird for five minutes, until it flew away, all the while wondering whether it would strike at the small goldfish in the pool. Why didn't it strike? Because, I learned later, it had already devoured every last goldfish before I noticed it.
Dave Quady
Berkeley
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Garin Regional Park
Thu, 1 Apr 1999 21:01:20 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Ore Carmi and I went on Doc Quack's birdwalk this morning at Garin Regional Park in Hayward. It was a lovely morning, though a bit cool when the occasional cloud darkened the sun now and then. The birds were out and active. We walked from the barn northward on the lawn side of the creek, up to the fence.
Highlights included at least one male Bullock's Oriole glowing brightly in the morning sun, a Golden Eagle flying over, lots of raptors interacting up in the sky, and a pair of Loggerhead Shrike nesting near the parking lot to the left as you enter past the booth.
After the walk, Ore and I strolled south to Jordan Pond, picking up a few more species, including a lovely Chipping Sparrow that was feeding with Dark-eyed Juncos along the path near Dry Creek, not far north of the pond.
Here's my list (including some species called by others). Asterisks indicate birds seen by Ore and me after the organized walk.
Pied-billed Grebe *, Double-crested Cormorant *, Turkey Vulture, Mallard *, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, California Quail *, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Northern Flicker *, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Hutton's Vireo (heard), Warbling Vireo (heard), Western Scrub-Jay, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit *, Bewick's Wren (heard), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird *, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler (heard), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee (heard), California Towhee, Chipping Sparrow *, Song Sparrow (heard), White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco *, Red-winged Blackbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch *, American Goldfinch *.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/
Re: Yard List
Fri, 2 Apr 1999 10:47:51 -0800
From: John Luther
Hi All,
My yard list is 124. I have lived in this house for 19.5 years. The house is in the Oakland Hills on the south side of Shepherd Canyon almost up to Skyline Blvd. The canyon is a great place for flybys as gulls, cormorants, egrets, ravens, etc., use the canyon to get over the hills. There is a tall walnut tree behind and next to my decks that brings birds to the feeders. So I get large numbers of Band-tailed Pigeon (up to 60 sometimes, but more often only 10 to 20, real vacuum cleaners when it comes to eating bird seed), Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Pine Siskin, House Finch, Northern Flicker (red-shafted), Hairy Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker occasionally, along with a Red-breasted Sapsucker once in a while. Unusual species include White-throated Sparrow (one here right now and is seen here more often than White-crowned Sparrow), 4 species of falcons (no Gyrfalcon yet), Cassin's Finch, Pileated Woodpecker, Sandhill Crane, Black-and-white Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-eyed Vireo, and Townsend's Warbler. I occasionally see Golden Eagle as I look out across the canyon at Round Top [in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve] where they have nested.
John Luther
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Re: Yard List, Barn Owl
Fri, 2 Apr 1999 11:38:58 -0800
From: Nancy Harrington
Since I haven't been here long, I don't know if this is of interest, but I added a Barn Owl to my life and yard list yesterday evening. He was actually in the back part of my yard which is behind our fence and has been left natural, and I saw him when he flew up to a Redwood. I was thrilled!
My parrot was sounding his alarm scream which prompted me to look out back and try to figure out what he was squawking about, so I was fortunate to see the owl. I wonder if I should keep a life list for my parrot. :)
Nancy Harrington
Danville
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Blue Grosbeak sightings data base
Fri, 02 Apr 1999 22:39:34 -0800
From: Rich Cimino
This year I want to begin an East Bay Blue Grosbeak data base. Some 15 years ago I spotted the first (what some people claimed) nesting record for the Blue Grosbeak in Alameda County on the far eastern edge of the county on Patterson Pass Road.
Since that observation I have developed a special interest in the Blue Grosbeak. I watch them raise their young along Patterson Pass Road annually. I make a casual rare bird report early in April when they arrive.
But last year (1998) Blue Grosbeaks reports came in from a number of locations in both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. So this year I'd like to step forward and create a data base. I am requesting all birders to stay alert this year for this species. Please E-Mail your sighting and specific locations to me savemono@pacbell.net I'll create a data base and update all EBbird listers as to our observations.
Thanks in advance for your support in this effort. I am new to this.
Happy Birding
Rich Cimino