[EBB Sightings] Alameda Co. various

Hi all:

I spent most of the morning following up on previously
reported birds.
Highlights:  2 male White-winged Scoters at San
Leandro Marina, just off of the point.  The first bird
dove and another appeared in an area that just seemed
to far away to have been the first bird.  Shortly they
were both up at the same time.  Very close-range looks
were completely captivating.

After the scoters at the point, I drove to the last
marina parking lot and walked the par course to look
at the island offshore.  The crew-crews (crewers?
skullers?) had a Horned Grebe flying around the
interior channel, and I couldn't recall ever seeing a
small grebe in flight.  It was a treat.

At the farthest northern point of the parcourse loop,
I could see one of the White-winged Scoters preening
and thought I might get a better picture than I
already had. I started to walk down towards the rocks
and heard a twittering and there were 50 or so Willets
parked below me. No one flushed, and I was fortunate
to find 2 Surfbirds roosting with them. 

I scanned the northeast side of the island and there
was another large shorebird roost, primarily Willets,
but also containing 3 Ruddy Turnstones.

I ended the morning enjoying Chuck Woodrum's
extraordinary hospitality and having a brief but
satisfying view of the Clay-colored Sparrow. 

After other responsibilities, the afternoon had me
back at Patterson Pass looking for my nemesis bird. I
scoured Patterson Pass and Flynn Rd. I had quite
similar results to Rich Cimino's. 

An adult Ferruginous Hawk was just south of the
intersection of the Railroad tracks and Patterson Pass
rd. at about the 1 mile mark west of the county line.

A couple of pictures from today can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14935921 at N00/

And to piggy-back on Steve Glover's note, there's at
least one Winter Wren adjacent to the parking lot at
the end of the Stream Trail entrance to Redwood Park.
As reported earlier in January.

Good birding,

Bob Power
Oakland, CA