[EBB Sightings] More good Livermore birds on March 4.

Today, Saturday, March 4, George Bing and I toook advantage
of a sunny day to bird in the Livermore area, with good results.

Two male Eurasian Wigeons, which I first saw on Feb. 4, were
at the Las Positas Golf Course, seen from Clubhouse Road, off
Airport Road just S of Hwy 580.  They were with a flock of
about 100 American Wigeons.

Two Burrowing Owls were near the W end of Jack London
Blvd.  I had not seen them there since Oct. 1,  after which a
truck drove over and caved in their burrow.
.
A pair of Great-tailed Grackles were at Shadow Cliffs Regional
Park, at the swimming beach, and in the cattails at the end of
the little creek just to the S, which is where they nested in 1999.

My previous earliest sightings have been May 10, 1999,
May 22, 2003, and April 11, 2005.  Nesting was verified in
1999 and 2005.  This year's pair were seen by a park ranger
on March 1 or 2.

Shadow Cliff's entrance is on Stanley Blvd. between Livermore
and Pleasanton.  The entrance fee is $6 per day or $50-$60 for
an annual pass.

The Red-necked Grebe, which I first saw Feb. 4, was there
today, quite far across the lake from the swimming beach.

The White-throated Sparrow (tan-striped morph or immature?)
which I first saw Nov. 19, 2005, and again Feb. 4, was along
 the creekside trail just upstream of the bridge across the creek,
 located S of the water slide.

Some other notable birds we saw at Shadow Cliffs included:

Double-crested Cormorant (in nest tree)
Great Blue Heron (in nest tree)
Osprey (flying overhead)
Red-shouldered Hawk (on nest)
Moorhen (near creek bridge)

Along the Arroyo Mocho creek upstream of Isabel Avenue
we saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers.  A good viewpoint
is 1 block E of the S end of Murdell Avenue, where we
park in a little side street, and get on the creekside trail,
where the creek ponds have a good variety of birds.

Many Wild Turkeys were at the Veteran's Hospital,
near the S end of Arroyo Road.  Two pairs of Wood
Ducks were in the hospital sewage settling ponds, and
in the Arroyo Del Valle in Veterans Park.

A Barn Owl was in the old water tower on Vintage Ave,
which is off Bess Ave, just N of the intersection of
Arroyo Rd and Concannon Blvd.  I last saw it there
on October 1, 2005.

Art Edwards