[EBB Sightings] Berkeley Aquatic Park and Pt. Emery this afternoon

Hi. I was back at Aquatic Park today, hoping for the Ruff, but did not find 
it. The Northern Waterthrush literally came to meet me at the edge of the 
willow thicket, and there were numerous ducks including both scaup, 
Red-breasted Merganser, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, Mallard, Surf 
Scoter, and Ring-necked Duck. A large flock of dowitchers (both species 
judging by size) on the freeway side of the lake included two Dunlins, and a 
Belted Kingfisher chased gulls from nearby trees. Still lots of 
Yellow-rumped Warblers.

I also tried Point Emery for the Ruff, but it was absent there as well. This 
was a very productive place, though. The sandflats were full of gulls, 
including Mew, Ring-billed, Glaucous-winged, and Western. There were also 
fair numbers of shorebirds: Marbled Godwits, Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews, 
Willets, Black Turnstones, Sanderlings, and numerous Black-bellied Plovers. 
Among these was at least one probable Pacific Golden-plover, with a very 
contrasty head pattern (almost recalling Semipalmated). The light was bad, 
but I don't think that a winter adult Black-bellied could look like that. 
The White-crowned Sparrows in the bushes around the Point included an 
individual similar to White-throated, with strong, richly colored pattern on 
upperparts and fairly dark gray auriculars and breast, but lacked the white 
throat and had a yellow bill.

-- Noah Arthur, Oakland