[EBB Sightings] A morning in the garden of Eden

Dear Birders:

Yesterday morning I participated in the second bird walk of the year at the UC Botanical Garden in Strawberry Canyon.  About 25 of us gathered at 8 am -- an hour earlier than usual because of a breakfast provided by one of the garden volunteers in memory of her mother, an enthusiastic birder.  The morning was perfect with the new day's sun emerging from behind the trees and a torrent of bird song coming from all directions.

I know of no other place of similar size where the birds are more abundant.  It's as if the plants gathered from habitats world-wide have stimulated our native birds to new heights of inventiveness and enthusiasm. 

Just up from the Visitor's Center, we lingered in front of the South African hill where blooming plants, especially a particular melaleuca is used by many species. It was on one of the perches above the flowering plants that an Olive-sided Flycatcher gave us full views from all angles.  A pair of Hooded Orioles came and went from the flowers before returning to a tall palm in the cactus garden

Following paths that took us by fragrant flowering rhododendrons, some that spiced the air with scents like warm nutmeg,  Chris Carmichael, our co-leader who is the curator of the collections and an expert birder, pointed out nests along the way. At the top of the Garden in the Mediterranean section -- the wild corner where over the fence is a remote part of the Canyon, we heard wren-tits, and a Swainson's thrush but on this morning, no expected California Thrasher. 

Descending downhill on a narrow trail, we paused again at a large puya, an extravagant bromelia with turquoise bracts where a blue-black Steller's Jay has been seen emerging from feeding dusted with yellow pollen.

Our destination was the conference room in a building that resembles a large greenhouse where a breakfast of many offerings was spread out.  We took our feast to tables covered with white linen while Chris talked about the birds we had seen, as songs continued drifting in the open door -- all this for the price of admission to Garden itself

Every paradise is reputed to have its "serpent" although it may be the native "serpent," the Alameda Whipsnake, a federally-listed endangered species that may help put the damper on the LBNL's and UC's desire to turn the canyon into sites for industrial-scale buildings.  

In our loop we saw or heard 34 species.

A recently-updated bird list for the Garden, which shows seasonal occurrence and relative abundance, is available at the gift shop.  It lists 84 species with 25 additional sightings.


- Phila Rogers