[EBB Sightings] Nesting NOHA at Coyote Hills RP - Saturday

Spent a nice four hours this morning walking the trails at Coyote Hills RP - the highlight for me was a female Northern Harrier carrying nesting material and both her and her mate defending a ground nest site only about 50 yards from the entry kiosk.  I hope that they are successful, especially with the nearby human foot traffic and the possibility of feral animal predation.  As many of you know, they are a Bird Species of Special Concern in California and have suffered significant declines in abundance and habitat, although they are seen fairly commonly in the Bay Area.  The area near the kiosk may be a good place to observe their breeding behavior from a discreet distance this spring, although the nest itself is, of course, hidden from direct view by vegetation...  A not-so-great photo of the male harrier and some better photos of some of the songbirds I saw are at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zonotrichia/

Also saw three coyotes at dawn in the agricultural fields along the entry road!

Good birding!

Ken Schneider
Redwood City
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