[EBB Sightings] empid blues

My across the street neighbor, a non-birder, dragged
me over to his house the other day to help identify a
nesting flycatcher; the bird had made a nest in the
eaves above his front porch. 

John, a pretty obsessive and creatively talented
fellow, had photographed the birds, and recorded their
calls, but was tearing out his remaining hair in his
attempt to put a name on it. When he pointed out the
nest to me, I could just see a couple of yellow-mawed
beaks poking out, but no adults were around. 

He proceeded to show me his images on the computer,
and after some commiseration at his plight (I assured
him that empids were difficult for everyone) we IDed
it as a Pacific slope Flycatcher. Good one, John! 

This morning, the hummingbird feeder outside my
kitchen window was visited by a female Allen's
hummingbird, a nice change from the omnipresent Annas.

A couple of evenings ago I spied a Lesser Goldfinch in
my garden. Flocks of American Goldfinch, a far
prettier bird (often feeding on liquidamber seed pods
with Pine Siskins) are common here in the winter.

Coops and Red-shouldered hawks continue to cruise my
'hood, no doubt hustling to feed their voracious
young. We have great hawk nesting hab across the
street, where the San Leandro Creek runs through
mature oak and majestic sycamore woodlands. It's the
spillway for Lake Chabot, and with an extensive
greenbelt above us as well, it makes for a great,
wildlife neighborhood (if the dam don't break, and the
creek don't rise). 

Thank heavens this isn't earthquake country. 

Debbie Viess
Oakland