[EBB Sightings] Palm warbler continues; Blue-winged Teal

Hi all:

I started the day at 11 at Arrowhead Marsh. A chance
meeting with George Peyton made my day right there.
Everything else was icing. 
George had a friend in tow and wanted to show his
friend some rails, and in short order produced 3
VIRGINIA RAILS. Not too shabby George!

By the way, speaking of George, and making my day, I
ran into Art and Adele Edwards yesterday afternoon.
Again, made my day.

When I was ready to call it quits at Arrowhead, a male
taiga-type MERLIN came gliding through the parking lot
and posed for some pictures. Friendly birders alerted
me to two BURROWING OWL(s) inside the fence just south
of the middle parking area. I found one.

I went to the watchacallit parking area at the end of
Edgewater in search of reported Blue-winged Teal, but
had to settle for a shorebird swirl and a fly-by
PEREGRINE FALCON. And the hybrid EurasianXAmerican
Wigeon Bruce reported. Do we get 1/2 a species credit
for that if we had to subtract the White Pelican? That
may be a rhetorical question...

I then went to Estuary Park looking for Doug
Greenberg's PALM WARBLER and was rewarded for having
faith. Despite the extremely limited habitat and the
feral cat licking it's lips, the Palm Warbler
persists.  Estuary Park is a 1/4 mile east of Oak St.
on Embarcadero, just on the south side of 880. A flock
of domestic/wild-domestic geese gave momentary pause. 


A trip to the Berkeley Pier turned up 4 COMMON LOONS
grouped tightly around whatchacallits restaurant.  I
was going to go out to Albany Crescent and pray for
some Blue-winged Teal to be mixed in with the Wigeon
flock. I decided to look at the mudflats behind
Seabreeze at University/W.Frontage, and lo and behold
there were 4 BLUE-WINGED TEAL loafing with the
mallards. Two males and two females.

I counted my blessings and headed to the library. 
A few photos from today can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14935921 at N00/

Good birding,

Bob Power
Oakland, CA