[EBB Sightings] Union City Library pond and Hayward Regional Shoreline (11/28)

I birded parts of western Alameda County today with my wife, sister
and mom.  We started out at the Union City library/civic center pond
at the corner of Alvarado-Niles and Royal Ann roads and observed the
continuing male WOOD DUCK and female HOODED MERGANSER, as reported
previously by Joe Devine.  A calling RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH seemed a
bit out of place here.  We then proceeded to the Winton parking lot of
Hayward Regional Shoreline and walked out to Frank's Dump at high
tide. A small flock of HORNED LARKS was seen in the dirt field north
of the slough. There was a very nice mixed flock of geese on the
grassy slope just south of the dump that contained at least 15
ALEUTIAN CACKLING GEESE, 3 ROSS'S GEESE, and 4 SNOW GEESE (incuding
three juveniles and one adult).  Thousands of shorebirds roosting at
Frank's Dump included at least 50 RED KNOT on the southern island,
which at times were almost completely concealed by the hundreds of
larger WILLETS and MARBLED GODWITS packed in on the same island.  We
then spent a short time at the San Leandro Marina, where we found a
couple hundred SURF SCOTERS, but did not see any other scoter species.

Ken Schneider
Redwood City