[EBB Sightings] biking Alameda Creek to Lake Merritt

Jim Chiropolos and I had our first ride together of 2010 and were fortunate to find many of the notable birds seen recently along Alameda Creek and up the bay to Lake Merritt. Highlights of the 116 species seen:

Alameda Creek just east of Mission Creek: Hooded, Common and Red Breasted Merganser, Spotted Sandpiper, Acorn Woodpecker. Slightly west of Mission Blvd were Mew and Glacous-winged Gulls. Further down the creek was a Merlin

Coyote Hills: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rock Wren (finally...), Loggerhead Shrike, Peregrine Falcon

Frank's Dump - Snow Goose & Ross's Goose, American Pippit

MLK Shoreline/Garretson Point shortly after high tide - Clapper Rail, Sora, Burrowing Owl, Wood Duck (in the pond in the southeasten corner at Arrowhead), Black Turnstone

Doolitte Drive - Greater White-fronted Goose

Alameda Island beach: Black Oystercatcher, Sanderling

Estuary Park: Palm Warbler (thanks Cal and others for directions) Hooded Merganser

Lake Merritt: Ring-necked Duck, female Redhead, Downy Woodpecker

It was great to also see so many birders today, including a young boy on his first birding adventure (he had a Red-breasted Sapsucker in his first ten species!).

Derek Heins