[EBB Sightings] GGAS Coyote Hills and Alameda Creek Bicycle Trip, 12-08

GGAS Coyote Hills and Alameda Creek Bicycle Trip, 12-08
Trip Report, Kathy Jarrett leader
Eight of us had a wonderful day, bicycling 25 miles and seeing 67
species between 9 am and 3 pm. We started by seeing a pair of
Red-shouldered Hawks in the large dead tree by the pond near the
Fremont BART Station. We stood a long time on Alameda Creek just above
the BART overpass, seeing an incredible number of birds including a
Spotted Sandpiper and some Wilson's Snipes. As we entered Coyote Hills
on the Alameda Creek Trail we began to see White-tailed Kites and
Northern Harriers and could see American White Pelicans in the marsh.
We left the Alameda Creek Trail to follow the DUST and Chochenyo
Trails, seeing some red-shafted Northern Flickers near the Ohlone
Shellmound. We then went directly to the Quarry Staging Area (aka the
first parking lot) in hopes of seeing the Barn and Great Horned Owls
seen on Wednesday, which we did not; they were probably at the
Visitor?s Center, where we did not go. All during our lunch a
Loggerhead Shrike posed for us. We headed out the No Name Trail to the
Shoreline Trail and had a great circuit back to the Alameda Creek
Trail. This area west of the Bay View Trail of Coyote Hills EBRP is
part of Don Edwards SF Bay NWR. The sun was out and the wind was just
about nonexistent, but the bicycle tires got a muddy. Bicyclists
wishing to avoid the mud could go out to the end of the Alameda Creek
Trail, which is paved, and still see a lot, although if it doesn?t rain
for a few more days that should not be a problem. Many of the species
we saw only in the NWR area, e.g. the Red-necked Grebe, Common
Goldeneye, American Pipit, Savannah Sparrow, and almost all of the
shorebirds. 

Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Clark's Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (I)
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker, red-shafted
Black Phoebe
Violet-green Swallow
Western Scrub-Jay
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
American Pipit
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling (I)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
House Finch
House Sparrow (I)


kathy jarrett
kathy_jarrett at yahoo.com


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