[EBB Sightings] Hayward and Arrowhead in the rain

Taking up Bob Power's invitation for a 2008 Alameda Co. Big Year, I tried to
get a start on my 2008 list today but the weather wasn't too cooperative.
Attempting to replicate some of Bob's choice sightings, I started at Hayward
Regional Shoreline, Winton Ave., before dawn. I was hoping for Short-eared
Owls but found instead a cop dealing with a burned car. No owls.

The LAPLAND LONGSPUR is still hanging out with the Horned Lark flock just
north of the flood channel. If I didn't double-count, then I came up with 81
CACKLING GEESE in several dispersed groups, including goose 16J. The 5
ROSS'S GEESE and solo SNOW GOOSE were mixed in with the cacklers and the
canadas, along with 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. No swans to report. Also
no kingbirds. The Tropical was apparently hunkered down from the wind and
rain.

By 9 am, I got rained out at the Grant Avenue entrance and the rain just got
worse when I relocated to Arrowhead. I walked out to the boardwalk in a gale
and found a BLACK SKIMMER bullying the shorebirds for a place to roost. The
rain drove me off before I could locate the Wigeon flock or anything else of
note. I went home with 60 species for the day and the year.

Bird on,

Bruce Mast
Oakland


HAYWARD REGIONAL SHORELINE
Horned Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Clapper Rail
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Willet
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Horned Lark
American Pipit
Northern Mockingbird
American Crow
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
California Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Western Meadowlark
House Finch

MLK JR AND ARROWHEAD MARSH
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Clapper Rail
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Marbled Godwit
Willet
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Western Gull
Black Skimmer
Marsh Wren
American Crow