[EBB Sightings] MLK Shoreline and Berkeley Pier

Hanno and I decided to take advantage of the high tide today, and went to MLK 
Shoreline.  A lot of others had the same idea, and there were probably 20 
birders near the pier when we arrived, after negotiating the flooded parking lot.

Our target was the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, and it didn't disappoint, 
popping up to give us short but great scope views.  It was at the same corner 
that many have reported it to be, on the SE corner of an island just west of 
the pier.  Since the tide was so high, we expected to see some rails, but hadn't 
expected that every direction we looked would provide views of Clapper Rails 
moodily surveying their flooded homesteads.  There were six Sora just west of 
the pier, and we saw 9 or 10 during our one hour visit.  One Virginia Rail 
kept ducking out behind it's much larger Clapper relative, and then disappearing 
back under the pier.  On the grass we looked over the Canada Geese and quickly 
found quite a few Cackling Geese, as well as some White-fronted Geese.  A 
Peregrine flew over.

We were so pleased with the results that we drove over to the Berkeley Pier 
after a really nice lunch at Cafe Cacao, and saw the two Sharp-tailed Ducks 
(females) on the north side of the pier almost down to the end.  They dove and 
paddled back and forth from the middle of the pier to the far end.  Very nice.  
Oh yes, another Peregrine flew over.

Bob Lewis
Berkeley, CA
RLewis0727 at aol.com