[EBB Sightings] no Sage Sparrow-Sunol, but other good birds

In a message dated 5/4/2008 6:07:15 P.M. Pacific  Daylight Time, 
rcpower at sbcglobal.net writes:
A sparrow-hunt in beautiful sage  habitat turned up
Lark Sparrows and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, but no  Sage
Sparrow this morning (Bob Brandriff and Kathy
Robertson may have had  different results) along the
Eagle View trail above Sunol Regional  Wilderness. 

No, Bob and I didn't have any luck finding a Sage Sparrow  either.  After 
that defeat, we headed out to the Hayward Shoreline area and  birded at various 
spots (including a private tour through the city ponds/water  treatment plant 
-- long story I won't recount here).  We had a male  GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE at 
the west end of Depot Rd.  We went searching for  Snowy Plovers on the islands 
about half a mile north of the interpretive center  -- no SNPL, but there were 
many phalaropes.  Try as we might, all we could  ID were Red-necked.  On the 
way back to our vehicles, we stopped to scope  the barren salt flat area west 
of the interpretive center, and were able to spot  three SNOWY PLOVERS.

After we parted ways, I headed to north to  Alameda.  At the Elsie Roemer 
Sanctuary, I saw my first LEAST TERNS (3) of  the season.  They were on the 
mudflats, at low tide, with several Forster's  Terns.  Other birds of note were 
several breeding plumage Red Knots and a  single Ruddy Turnstone.  Heading home, 
I stopped off at MLKJ  Shoreline.  In the seasonal pond along the entrance 
road were four  excruciatingly cute American Avocet chicks being closely guarded 
by their  parents.

Good birding,
Kathy Robertson
Hayward, CA  




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