[EBB Sightings] Sat 12-15-train and bicycle in Contra Costa

Saturday Blair and I rode the train to Antioch and biked to Big Break
and the Marsh Creek Trail in Oakley. The views of the shoreline from
Richmond to Martinez allowed us to see rafts of birds. The trail begins
at Jordan and Fetzer Lanes in Oakley and sewer ponds are a short
distance from the trailhead. Bonaparte's Gulls were there in large
numbers, and a considerable number of shorebirds. About a mile in is a
picnic bench (and toilet) and some Tamarisk trees where a Red-Tailed
Hawk lurked. Golden-Crowned and White-Crowned Sparrows were busy there,
too. When more trail is opened up between Big Break and Antioch-Oakley
Regional Shoreline, which is planned, the views of the delta will be
even better, but we did see an American White Pelican from the trail.
There were four Kestrels just south of East Cypress Road on a block
which is clearly slated for development. Where will they go next year?
On the creek itself a Kingfisher and Green Heron were seen in this
area, as were Great Blue Herons and Great and Snowy Egrets. Further
south we saw a Say's Phoebe. Between the train and the bicycling, we
saw about 55 species.
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback
Redhead
Scaup sp.
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye	
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Black Phoebe	
Say's Phoebe
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Mockingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
California Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
House Finch
American Goldfinch




kathy jarrett
kathy_jarrett at yahoo.com


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping