[EBB Sightings] Frank's Dump

Hi, East Bay Birders

Well, once again we didn't read every line of the previous posts. We went
off like a shot, and got there for low tide. We didn't really understand
where Frank's Dump is. We thought it was the actual working landfill, but
now we think it is the unnamed large squarish pond/marsh south of Sulphur
Creek on the Hayward Regional Shoreline official map. This colloquial naming
and inspecificity is annoying to us as still-somewhat-novice birders trying
to find unfamiliar locations. In addition, Bob was so excited about all the
Red Knots that he wrote "Walk 1/2 mile west to the bay. walk another 1/2
mile east and Frank's dump is on your right, just east of the Bay Trail."
Well, if you walk 1/2 mile west and then walk 1/2 mile east, you are back
where you started from. I believe he meant west then north, which is what we
did.

To contribute to the madness, the CSAA map doesn't show any detail at all
for Hayward Regional Shoreline, I guess 'cause there's no roads. But the
official park map also doesn't show the very large lake east of the area
named "landfill" and south of the flood control channel, where we saw
Mallards and 300+ Ruddy Ducks. It also doesn't show the pond south of
Frank's Dump, where we found the Stilts, Red-necked Phalaropes, and Avocets.
The official park map DOES have this statement on it: "Please let us know
how this map may be improved to help you use this park. Write, email, or
call with your suggestions: 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland CA 94605;
info at ebparks.org; (510) 544-2210.

Be all that as it may, there were no birds in that particular
marsh/pond/former dump that is below the height of the trail. They were all
out on the mudflats west of the Bay Trail. We did knot see Golden plover sp.
We did see:

White-tailed Kite     1
Snowy Egret            8
Barn Swallow           83
Forster's Tern        13
Willet                    338
Great Egret            5
Western Sandpiper     4000+
Long-billed Curlew       21
Black-bellied Plover           143
Marbled Godwit            425
House Finch            37
Black-crowned Night Heron         1 Adult &  1 juvenile flying over together
Semi-palmated Plover        20
Black-necked Stilts        37
Red-necked Phalaropes    20
Turkey Vultures    6
Least Sandpiper    30
Short-billed Dowitcher    390
Red Knots    50
California Gulls    480
American Avocet    305

Yours for more rewarding birding

Laurie Graham
Jeff Fairclough