[EBB Sightings] Costa's Hummer and other goodies

Hey birders,
I spent yesterday engaged in some remedial ABY birding, tracking down a few
birds that have been old news for awhile. Best bird of the day was a
female/immature COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD at the butterfly garden next to the
Coyote Hills Regional Park visitor center. I had the good fortune to run
into Judith Dunham and Pat Bacchetti at the garden and we sat on a garden
bench for a good hour admiring the migrants and the hummingbird wars. The
Costa's was identifiable by its small size; dumpy, round, hunch-backed
posture; disproportionately large round head; long primary extensions;
short, slightly curved bill; and creamy white underparts.

While we were admiring the hummers, Tom Dalton and his wife Linda walked in
and immediately started shooting pictures at a ratty-looking Great Horned
Owl, perched on an adjacent telephone pole with a partially eaten ground
squirrel carcass that must have weighed as much as the bird.

Pacific-slope Flycatchers were numerous around the park but I couldn't turn
up a Willow Flycatcher. Other migrants included a Wilson's Warbler, several
Yellow Warblers, Western Tanager, and Warbling Vireo.

Other birds of the day:
The LITTLE BLUE HERON continues on Alameda Creek in Fremont. Yesterday it
was below the uppermost inflatable dam, just west of Mission Blvd, moving
downstream.

Hayward Regional Shoreline's Winton Ave entrance was quiet but a VAUX'S
SWIFT briefly joined the swallow flock over the parking lot.

Mid-afternoon high tide at Middle Harbor Regional Park (West Oakland) meant
there were no peeps on the mudflats but a single COMMON MURRE was paddling
around among the California Gull flock.



Bird on,

Bruce Mast
Oakland