[EBB Sightings] More from Coyote Hills and Don Edwards - Fremont

At noon today, workers were digging up earth with a
small tractor near the BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER's
preferred hillside at Coyote Hills RP, so the bird had
moved away.  I found it by its wheezy "pwee"
vocalizing just down from the parking lot on the No
Name Trail, up a rocky hill from a "dogs on leash"
sign. The bird let me take handheld photos from 15'
away. (Caution: poor photo ahead.)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/sing4me/100_2853.jpg

The MERLIN was atop a pine on the top of the hill when
I arrived, but one of the LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES was
entertaining visitors in the parking lot.  It
practically perched on my car.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/sing4me/100_2852.jpg

I saw two NORTHERN FLICKERS by the Dairy Glen picnic
area.  The one that I saw well enough to photo was
red-shafted.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/sing4me/100_2857.jpg

Most interesting birds otherwise were two LINCOLN's
SPARROWs on the Apay Way sign, where the No Name trail
meets the shoreline.  In the thicket at the junction
of the Meadowlark Loop Trail, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and
SAVANNAH SPARROWS were plentiful.  WHITE-THROATED
SWIFTS were flying around over the hills. 

The raptor show is mighty fine at Coyote Hills right
now. At one point, in my scope I had a KESTREL,
RED-TAILED HAWK, and NO. HARRIER, all claiming the
same piece of hillside.  Later, I saw a similar mix
not far from the visitor center, with the dark morph
RTHA showing talons and flying in circles with another
RTHA - a third RTHA was up there, too, so I could not
tell if this was pair bonding or territorial dispute.
Two TURKEY VULTURES flew in to see what all the
excitement was about, and the third RTHA pursued a
KESTREL just for good measure.

I went on to Don Edwards NWR after 3:00, where I found
one AMERICAN PIPIT in the lawn next to the parking lot
under the fishing pier.  Many BONAPARTE's GULLS and
two COMMON GOLDENEYE were in the biggest pond west of
the pier.

Completely off this topic, during my 3rd unsuccessful
attempt at re-finding the wood duck at the Union City
ponds on Monday, I took a photo of a pretty hybird
domestic x Canada goose hanging out with its Canada
goose flock.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/sing4me/100_2848.jpg


Stephanie Floyd
Fremont


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