[EBB Sightings] Oakland Christmas Bird Count 12/16/07 - Preliminary Results

Bay Area Birders:

The 67th annual Oakland Christmas Bird Count was held yesterday.  Our 
preliminary (a few areas not yet heard from, reports of unusual birds 
not yet reviewed) Count Day total  was 177 species, near our long term 
average.  Co-compiler Bob Lewis and I thank the 180+ participants who 
contributed to the count's success.

On Count Day we missed four species usually found recently:

	Redhead (often 20-30 present in the scaup flock offshore Chevy's 
restaurant in Emeryville, according to Bob Hirt)
	Tufted Duck
	Heermann's Gull
	Burrowing Owl (already found during Count Week)

Our Count Week extends from Thursday, December 13 through Wednesday, 
December 19.  If you see any of the first three species listed, or 
already saw one, or know of someone who sees one during Count Week that 
MIGHT be within the Oakland Count Circle, please send me a note with 
date and time, exact location, number of individual birds, etc.  Please 
report any unusual species, too!  Thanks.

Yesterday birders reported these unusual species:
	Snow Goose -- one on the lawn at the Alameda Elementary School	Brant 
-- one in the pond at the Bay Farm Island ferry terminal	Black Scoter 
-- one seen on the bay, south of the Bay Bridge
	Long-tailed Duck -- one along the Berkeley waterfront	
	Common Moorhen -- one at the Oakland Airport
	Lesser Yellowlegs -- one at the Oakland Airport, two on Bay Farm Island
	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -- one at Lafayette's Orinda-Lafayette 
Presbyterian Church
	Red-naped Sapsucker -- one in Tilden Regional Park, at the Loop 
Road/Sylvan Trail intersection, and another at the bottom of the 
Briones Dam spillway (EBMUD Trail Permit needed for access)
	Cassin's Vireo -- one in a pine across the street from the fountain at 
the Oakland Raiders headquarters, Bay Farm Island (chosen as the 
count's best bird)
	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- one at Lafayette Reservoir
	Palm Warbler -- one at Middle Harbor Park in Emeryville; another at 
Oakland's Aquatic Park

In addition, birders outside the perimeter fence of Children's 
Fairyland at Lake Merritt reported hearing an unseen Northern 
Waterthrush's 'chip' note.  The sound originated from an inaccessible 
construction area within Fairyland.

Finally, Lake Merritt birders re-found the apparent male Barrow's 
Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid first found by Bob Battagin on 15 
May 2004.  Doug Greenberg's fine photo can be seen at

Thanks in advance for reporting any potential additions to the Oakland 
CBC.  And please mark your calendar: next year's count will be held on 
Sunday, December 14, 2008.


Dave Quady
Berkeley, California
davequady at att.net