[EBB Sightings] Little Blue Heron in Niles on Saturday

Now that Rosita has returned from a five-week visit with her parents in 
Chile, I talked her into going this morning to Niles to look again for the 
Little Blue Heron which I had missed in mid-July.  We decided to stop in 
Alamo and see if Jean Richmond could accompany us.  It was her first birding 
outing since April.

We were successful in finding it, even before Jean had opened her car door. 
We stopped first just before the Old Canyon Road bridge over Alameda Creek. 
The bird was a couple of hundred yards upstream of the bridge.

We then drove upstream and parked in the Niles Staging Area.  The views of 
the Little Blue Heron were outstanding.  After some time, the heron worked 
its way downstream, but was still above the bridge when we finally left.

Jean is the author of the first Birding Northern California, published in 
1986.  Though out of print, the book is available on-line at the Mount 
Diablo Audubon website.

It was such a gift for all of us to be able to help Jean get her first 
year-bird in months.  But I think Rosita had more fun making applesauce with 
Jean's husband, Rich, after we returned to Alamo.

Hugh B. Harvey
Walnut Creek