[EBB Sightings] Pileated no, Tufted yes

Hi all:

Funny how trips to the grocery store end up at
parks....

At least 5 of us were out in 4 separate groups looking
for the Pileated Woodpecker at Redwood Park today. Ron
Barklow has the luck with this bird. We did not. 
Meeting up w/Bruce Mast and Tim Howe were excellent
consolation prizes.  Having run casual transects for
this bird for the past year, I wasn't hopeful and the
bird didn't do anything to change my outlook.  There
is a LOT of habitat for that Woodpecker to bury itself
in.  Anyway, it was good to get out.

A second "oh sure, no problem, I'll go pick that
up...." had me at Lake Merritt in the afternoon
looking for Bruce's pet Tufted Duck.  This bird didn't
disappoint, as it popped up near the east end buoys
that guard the east fountain, just as advertised. 
This looks to be a first year bird with the barest
hint of a tuft coming in, as described earlier by
Bruce. Smudgy flanks also, not the clean flanks of an
adult. But nice charcoal gray/black back, big wide
nail, thick feathering in the center crown extending
back along the nape.
digi-scoped photos at:
http://flickr.com/photos/14935921 at N00/

Ran into lisascenic who posted some gorgeous pictures
of male and female ring-necked Ducks and Bufflehead in
exquisite light on flickr. Worth checking out.

Good birding,

Bob Power
Oakland, CA