[EBB Sightings] Eurasian Wigeon, snow goose in Albany

Yesterday (Monday) morning in Albany Marsh, we saw one Eurasian Wigeon, 
floating with a few American Wigeons.  Also, a white-phase Snow Goose 
(with good views of the black "grin").

The tide was very high, so the only shorebirds were a pair of 
Blacknecked Stilts

Other birds included
Canada Geese, including at least one individual of the smaller 
subspecies with the dark breast
Pintail (two pairs)
Canvasback (several males)

While we were viewing, most of the birds rose up and flew off.  We 
looked up immediately, but didn't see anything overhead.

I was stunned at how few birds there were (compared to last year at this 
time), but the tide was high and it was calm, so the ducks were probably 
mostly rafted out in the Bay where we couldn't identify them with our 
binoculars and later we saw lots of shorebirds bunched up on the jetty 
at Marina Bay in Richmond, but, aside from the three Long-billed Curlews 
at the tip, too far away for me to id.

Ellen Simms

-- 
Ellen Simms
Professor
Integrative Biology
University of California, Berkeley
3060 Valley Life Sciences #3140
Berkeley, CA 94720-3140
Voice:  510-642-6992
Fax:  510-643-6264
email:  esimms at berkeley.edu
http://ib.berkeley.edu/research/interests/research_profile.php?person=204