[EBB Sightings] Blue Grosbeaks

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Hi all,
In reply to Rich's questions about Blue Grosbeaks, here is what I know:

The Birds of Northern California shows them beginning to arrive about the 
beginning of the second week of April. The coverage of this book extends south to 
the Kings/Kern Co. line so they may arrive slightly further south a couple of 
days earlier, I don't know. It shows one winter record but no records for 
March. In a couple of hundred trips to eastern Contra Costa (where they are 
pretty common breeders) I never found one before 4/21. On Big Days in the last week 
of April I was usually happy to get a couple of them. 
So.... As I said last year about this time, a bird significantly earlier than 
4/20 should be seen well.
Incidentally, during the Contra Costa County Breeding Bird Atlas we found 
quite a few pairs or singing males in the Diablo Range where they were completely 
unexpected. Sites included the south end of Lawrence Rd. near Blackhawk (very 
close to the massive development currently consuming Dougherty Valley), near 
Marsh Creek Reservoir, and in the Nortonville side of Black Diamond Mines 
Regional Park. It isn't clear to me at this point how new this phenomenon is but 
it suggested to me at the time that there might be some expansion taking place. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot. There seems to be no reason to believe that Blue 
Grosbeaks ever nested along the bay plain in the East Bay. I have gone through a 
great deal of the literature and nothing going back to the turn of the century 
even hints at it. There are a precious few records of migrants from western 
Alameda County, including at least one for Hayward Regional Shoreline on 
8/14/1995, 1 from Coyote Hills on 5/8/1973 and one at Hayward (when it was still 
known as Haywards!) on 5/1/1876. Yes, I meant 1876. 
Hope this helps,
Steve Glover
Dublin

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=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">Hi all,

In reply to Rich's questions about Blue Grosbeaks, here is what I know:

The Birds of Northern California shows them beginning to arrive about the be=
ginning of the second week of April. The coverage of this book extends south=
 to the Kings/Kern Co. line so they may arrive slightly further south a coup=
le of days earlier, I don't know. It shows one winter record but no records=20=
for March. In a couple of hundred trips to eastern Contra Costa (where they=20=
are pretty common breeders) I never found one before 4/21. On Big Days in th=
e last week of April I was usually happy to get a couple of them. 

So.... As I said last year about this time, a bird significantly earlier tha=
n 4/20 should be seen well.

Incidentally, during the Contra Costa County Breeding Bird Atlas we found qu=
ite a few pairs or singing males in the Diablo Range where they were complet=
ely unexpected. Sites included the south end of Lawrence Rd. near Blackhawk=20=
(very close to the massive development currently consuming Dougherty Valley)=
, near Marsh Creek Reservoir, and in the Nortonville side of Black Diamond M=
ines Regional Park. It isn't clear to me at this point how new this phenomen=
on is but it suggested to me at the time that there might be some expansion=20=
taking place. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot. There seems to be no reason to believe that Blue Gr=
osbeaks ever nested along the bay plain in the East Bay. I have gone through=
 a great deal of the literature and nothing going back to the turn of the ce=
ntury even hints at it. There are a precious few records of migrants from we=
stern Alameda County, including at least one for Hayward Regional Shoreline=20=
on 8/14/1995, 1 from Coyote Hills on 5/8/1973 and one at Hayward (when it wa=
s still known as Haywards!) on 5/1/1876. Yes, I meant 1876. 

Hope this helps,

Steve Glover

Dublin

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