Cinnamon Teal breeding at Coyote Hills Park
Thu, 27 May 1999 05:31:00 PDT
From: Bill Scoggins
26 May 1999
Hello Coyote Hills Bird Watchers and friends,
Yesterday I talked to Kay Bloom and she said that she found a Cinnamon Teal pair with 8 very young ducklings at Coyote Hills Regional Park in the creek by the DUST marsh trail. Also she observed swallows flying in and out of one of the nest boxes at the same location.
Observed yesterday at Cull Canyon Park, Castro Valley, by me at sundown were Cedar Waxwing 60, Black-headed Grosbeak 3, Yellow Warbler 2, Dark-eyed Junco 3, all singing. Identified by ear were Warbling Vireo and Swainson's Thrush. Pacific chorus (tree) frogs were loud and numerous in the creek.
Please join Dave Riensche (Doc Quack), park naturalist, and me for the breeding bird survey at Coyote Hills Park on Sunday; beginners are welcome. See details below.
Happy birding,
Bill Scoggins
Castro Valley, CA
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Nesting Bird Survey/Atlas & Tree Care.
Sunday, May 30, 1999, 8 AM - 1 PM. Coyote Hills Regional Park. Leader: Doc Quack.
We will continue our decade long attempt to document all breeding birds within the park. After this GREAT training opportunity we will spend some valuable time caring for our past tree plantings. Please bring binoculars, clip boards/breeding bird atlas sheets, field guides, wear hiking shoes for all trail travel, gloves and gardening tools (bucket), water and lunch. If interested please sign up by calling Doc Quack's office (510) 795-9385 and leave a message or email Doc Quack at chvisit@ebparks.org
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BIRDS & BIRD BABIES
Location: Coyote Hills Leader: Jan Southworth
Theme: Birding 5/29/99
9:30-11:30 AM, Sat. May 29
A short hike through marsh and meadow to study spring's offspring. Bring binoculars. Parking: $3.50. Info: (510) 795-9385 or email Jan at chvisit@ebparks.org
Shadow Cliffs and Mines Road
Thu, 27 May 1999 20:09:51 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning Ore Carmi and I birded Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area and the first 5.6 miles of Mines Road. The weather was cool and overcast at Shadow Cliffs, but the sun gradually emerged in the late morning and the temperature became quite comfortable.
We were at Shadow Cliffs from around 7 to 7:30 AM, and the male Great-tailed Grackle was quite easily located. It was visible and vocal, moving around a lot in the area north of the boat rental building. We first found it in a tree on the shoreline just north of the small marsh area there. We also saw it on a post in the water just north of the pier at the boat rental area, and flying back and forth across the lake to the north side near Stanley Blvd.
Here is our list for this brief visit to Shadow Cliffs:
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
American Coot (Fulica americana)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) - heard only
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
Our first stop on Mines Road was at the entrance to Murrietta's Well winery. (For those who might not know, Mines Road extends into the hills southeast of Livermore. You'll find a wonderful guide to its birds by Art Edwards on Joe Morlan's Alameda County Birding Page - see the EBBC website birding links.) We found a jackrabbit as well as the following birds by the creek and along the winery road:
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
California Quail (Callipepla californica) - heard only
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
woodpecker (Picidae) hammering
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) - at least 3 fledglings
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - feeding young in cavities
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) - heard only
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Near Milepost 1.09 we found:
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) - 2 flying along creek
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - 3 roosting, many soaring
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) - 3 or more flying
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) - carrying food to nests
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus)
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - heard only
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - probably nesting
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) - singing on high treetop
Near mile 1.8:
Great Egret (Ardea albus) - flying along creek
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) - one seen entering nest
swallows (Hirundinidae)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) - heard only
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Near mile 4.1, ground squirrels and:
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
California Quail (Callipepla californica) - heard only
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) - heard only
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) - heard only
Near mile 4.8, ground squirrels and our first Phainopepla:
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) - heard only
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) - many nesting under bridge
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) - one male, probably more in oaks
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) - heard only
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) - many mobbing a cat
Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) - heard only
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - heard only
Near mile 5.6, another Phainopepla and California Thrashers:
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - 3 interacting in air
California Quail (Callipepla californica) - heard only
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) - heard only
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
Common Raven (Corvus corax) - pair mobbing redtail, and being mobbed by something smaller
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) - heard only
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - heard only
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) - came to edge of road to give us great views
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) - one seen, another heard
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) - one female, near thrashers
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) - heard only
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) - heard only
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) - heard only
At this point we had to turn around and head for home. It would have been a perfect day (two lifers for each of us) if the car hadn't decided to die, leaving us waiting an hour for a tow truck in the middle of East Oakland. All I saw there was Rock Doves and House Sparrows, and lots of interesting people. We did make it home eventually, though Ore was a couple of hours late getting to work.
Happy birding and fully functioning vehicles, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA