[EBB Sightings] huckleberry happenings

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This week, a gang of 50+ ravens were making things hot for the Sibley
golden eagle pair, a case of   "no rest for the regal". The ravens have
been contesting the eagles for the "King of the Hill" position atop the
com towers on Round Top. They are also gathering in large social groups,
flocking along the sere cow pastures on the Sibley side of the canyon.
Hard to determine the precise complexities of their behavior from afar,
but there was much calling, and spontaneous, aerial, pas de deux. Ravens
rival the higher mammals in their reasoning abilities. Pity the poor
eagles, having only fierceness to pit against a determined gang of
clever, feathered tricksters and master aerialists. 
 
Back on the Huckleberry side, within the Bay forest, I observed a male
Townsend's warbler, and a few R.C. kinglets in a mixed species flock. I
watched a bold, purple finch greedily choke down the bright red,
enormous (bigger than his beak, at least) berries of our climbing,
native honeysuckle. Most surprisingly, as I headed along the trail, I
spotted a fox sparrow, and despite also spotting me, he still came onto
the trail, not three feet ahead of me, to scratch in the dust. I got
great looks at his sooty brown back and heavily marked breast. In fact,
I eventually got bored with watching him, and wanted to move on, but the
darn bird not only didn't flush, but stayed ahead of me in the trail.
The prior week, Sylvia Sykora and I flushed a few California quail, who
also ran ahead of us along the trail. 
It's always a pleasure to see and hear evidence of our beleaguered state
bird, even if we catch them on the run.
 
Debbie Viess 

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style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>This week, a gang of 50+ ravens were making things hot for the =
Sibley golden
eagle pair, a case of   “no rest for the =
regal”. The
ravens have been contesting the eagles for the “King of the =
Hill”
position atop the com towers on Round Top. They are also gathering in =
large
social groups, flocking along the sere cow pastures on the Sibley side =
of the
canyon. Hard to determine the precise complexities of their behavior =
from afar,
but there was much calling, and spontaneous, aerial, pas de deux.
Ravens rival the higher mammals in their reasoning abilities. Pity the =
poor
eagles, having only fierceness to pit against a determined gang of =
clever, feathered
tricksters and master aerialists. 


style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> 


style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Back on the Huckleberry side, within the Bay forest, I observed =
a male Townsend’s
warbler, and a few R.C. kinglets in a mixed species flock. I watched a =
bold, purple
finch greedily choke down the bright red, enormous (bigger than his =
beak, at
least) berries of our climbing, native honeysuckle. Most =
surprisingly,
as I headed along the trail, I spotted a fox sparrow, and despite also =
spotting
me, he still came onto the trail, not three feet ahead of me, to scratch =
in the
dust. I got great looks at his sooty brown back and heavily marked =
breast. In
fact, I eventually got bored with watching him, and wanted to move on, =
but the
darn bird not only didn’t flush, but stayed ahead of me in the =
trail. The
prior week, Sylvia Sykora
and I flushed a few California quail, who also ran ahead of us along the =
trail.

style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>It’s always a pleasure to see and hear evidence of our =
beleaguered
state bird, even if we catch them on the =
run.


style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> 


Roman">Debbie Viess =




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