[EBB Sightings] Lawrence's Goldfinch- Wildcat Canyon

Had a nice walk along the fire road in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park  
(Richmond, Contra Costa County) this morning.  It was a great day  
with lots of activity, but the highlight was a male Lawrence's  
Goldfinch singing.  It was just down off the trail in the 'city'  
direction, past the access path to the top of Park Avenue.  I'm  
pretty sure this is the first time I've seen a Lawrence's this far  
west in the county.

    Other treats were a covey of at least 8 California Quail, many  
fox sparrows, nice looks at several raptor species (red tailed hawk,  
white-tailed kite, a sharpie and TV's.  red-shoulder also heard)  
hanging out before the day got warmer. Other birds include Band- 
tailed pigeon, both the usual towhees, both kinglets, cedar waxwings  
and robins in the pyracantha (sp?), several purple finches (absent  
from our feeder for a while now), singing wrentits, many golden- 
crowned sparrows, bewick's wren, several flocks of bushtits, flicker,  
anna's hummingbirds, morning dove, both jays, chestnut-backed  
chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, townsend's and yellow-rumped  
warbler, and probably a few other species I'm forgetting.

   Back at home, we were treated to an (unsuccessful) Sharpie attack  
on our feeder, about 15 feet in front of our faces, while we were  
enjoying lunch outside in the sunshine.

Good birding!

Alan
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Alan H. Krakauer, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Patricelli Lab

Section of Evolution and Ecology
University of California
One Shields Avenue
2320 Storer Hall
Davis, CA 95616
Office: 530-754-7837
Fax: 530-752-1449
ahkrakauer at ucdavis.edu
http://web.mac.com/ahkrakauer
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