[EBB Sightings] Arrrowhead and Alameda

At the very high tide Thursday noon, we saw a Barn Owl asleep in the 
long grass near the boardwalk at Arrowhead Marsh. Is this common 
behavior for a Barn Owl?. It finally flew off into the trees near the 
restroom as the rising tide got it's feet wet.

Also seen were three Clapper Rails. There was a Cackling Goose in with a 
bunch of Canadas in the upper part of the restored area, and a Greater 
White-fronted Goose across the slough, along Doolittle Drive.

At Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary in Alameda, we saw a close Virginia Rail 
and heard two or probably three Soras. At the smelly beach north of 
Elsie Roemer, there were thousands of shorebirds of a dozen kinds, a 
truly magnificent sight as they wheeled around. There was a Common Tern 
sitting on the groin in with a line of Forster's Terns.

At Crab Cove in Alameda. we noted three Elegant Terns sitting with many 
birds on the rock breakwater.

There are almost no ducks here yet.

Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
donlewis at comcast.net