[EBB Sightings] Byron birds

Pat and all,
During the Contra Costa Breeding Bird Atlas, the
series of transmission towers Pat describes were
heavily utilized by Red-tailed Hawks and Common
Ravens. In some places it appeared that almost every
set was utilized by one or the other. 
Swainson's Hawks do nest in eastern Contra Costa
County, but I never found them nesting on transmission
towers. Most were found in eucalyptus, and a few were
found in Cottonwoods. 
Hope this helps,
Steve Glover
Dublin, CA

--- bacpab at comcast.net wrote:

> 
> 
> EBB-
> 
> In poking around Byron and Brentwood to complete my
> Burrowing Owl survey, I ran across a large raptor
> nest with 2 birds that a better birder than I will
> need to identify.  I'd love to know what they are.
> 
> I take 580 over the Altamont Pass, take the Mountain
> House Road exit, and go north to the Byron Highway;
> turn left and go to Byron; turn right on Camino
> Diablo , go to the end and you will be at  the Byron
> Sanitary District Ponds.  Park at the end of the
> road looking SE at the large transmission lines
> right in front of you.  There are 2 nests up high,
> and there were 2 of the birds flying this afternoon
> about 5 PM. I couldn't get a close enough view with
> my scope, but the legs were feathered, and then
> yellow below. There is white below on the wings, and
> the head appears dark.  A Mockingbird was pestering
> one of the birds at one point and landing on it's
> back.  
> 
> There are Burrowing Owls in the dry corrals on both
> sides of the road.  There was also a pair of
> Black-Necked Stilts on the levee on the SW side of
> the road with 3 paler fledglings.  Western
> Kingbirds, Mockingbirds, RW Blackbirds,  Killdeer,
> and House Finches were abundant.
> 
> There are also 5 burrows full of owls in a place
> that looks like it's being developed, at Walnut Blvd
> and Central Blvd, right next to the tracks and a
> Park and Ride in Brentwood.  There were 8 owls on
> that corner, which will soon probably be a shopping
> center.
> 
> If anyone is interested in identifying the raptors
> in the towers, I hope you post the answer.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Pat Bacchetti
> 
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