[EBB Sightings] Lake Merritt GGAS walk

Kathy Jarrett's post reminds me that I didn't report in after the 
Wednesday trip to Lake Merritt. About 16 of us strolled around, guided 
by Travis Hails to the best spots, including (or all things) the 
equipment parking lot for the garden center, where all sorts of 
tree-dwellers came to look at us and generally disport themselves. Black 
Phoebes in a nest, a California Towhee playing with its reflection in a 
truck mirror, an extremely bright Yellow-rumped Warbler bouncing back 
and forth between lawn and branch about ten feet from the group....

On the lake, we saw Red-breasted Mergansers - my first there - plus most 
of the usual suspects, but surprisingly, no Snowy Egrets at all. The 
Double-crested Cormorants are coming into their breeding plumage, 
meaning they're wearing their paired crests like bunny ears.

Here's the list Travis prepared - which matches what I checked off as we 
were walking and conveys far more info than I'd be willing to type, so 
I'm lifting it. :-)

Grebes
    Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
    Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Cormorants
    Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
    Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
    Great Egret (Ardea alba)
    Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Geese, Ducks, Swans
    Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
    Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
*  Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
    American Wigeon (Anas americana)
    Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) [plus, Hilary adds, some truly amazing 
mutt ducks of vaguely mallard ancestry.... Fun to watch, though they 
don't count.]
    Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
    Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) [male, hanging with the scaups by 
the boating center parking lot]
    Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) [female, ditto]
    Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
    Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) [the scaups were together and relaxed 
enough for even a fairly unschooled eye to tell them apart]
    Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
    Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
    Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Hawks, Eagles, Kites
    Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
    Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
    American Coot (Fulica americana)
Gulls
    Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
    Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
    Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Pigeons, Doves
    Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
Hummingbirds
    Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Tyrant Flycatchers
    Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Thrushes, & Allies
    American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Kinglets
    Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
Titmice, Chickadees, Tits
    Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
    Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus)
Jays, Crows, Magpies
    Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Old World Sparrows
    House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Siskins, Crossbills, Finches, & Allies
    House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Wood Warblers
    Yellow-rumped Warbler - Audubon's (Dendroica coronata auduboni)
Seedeaters, Sparrows, Buntings, & Allies
    White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
    Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
    California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)

*  Not a countable species


-- 
- Hilary Powers - hilary at powersedit.com - Oakland CA -
-   Freelance copyediting and developmental editing  -
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