Martin Luther King Shoreline update
Mon, 28 Feb 2000 19:43:33 -0800
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
Monday afternoon I found a 2nd-winter Glaucous Gull at Garretson Point - light eye, bill dark only at the tip, very pale plumage, and the same size as the Western Gulls beside it. It's the first one I've ever seen at the shoreline.
On Saturday I had another first: a muskrat swimming around near the fishing pier. I saw it while birding with Don Schmoldt, Sally Walters and Eric Brazil. The only other noteworthy sightings were a Burrowing Owl perched on the boardwalk over the marsh, and one Red Knot.
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Re: Least Terns at Martin Luther King
Shoreline
Mon, 28 Feb 2000 20:23:59 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
A couple of days ago, I forwarded a report from Bob Lewis via Rusty Scalf of their class sightings at Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline in Oakland on Saturday. Included in the list were 2 Least Terns.
Joseph Morlan pointed out that this would be unprecedentedly early for Least Terns to be returning to the area. After a review of the sightings, Bob and Rusty concluded that the birds were not seen well enough to justify such an unlikely identification, and that the ID should be changed to "tern sp.", probably Forster's Tern. No Least Terns were seen by Rusty's section of the class on Sunday.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index
Re: Least Terns at Martin Luther King
Shoreline
Mon, 28 Feb 2000 21:27:31 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hello all,
Just a quick note on Least Terns. This species has been heavily studied over the years in the East Bay and the earliest that they have ever been found here was one on 8 April 1995 at Alameda. The American Birds citation also mentions that the only 2 earlier records were Elkhorn Slough (Monterey County) on 27 March 1968 and Pigeon Point (San Mateo County) 1 April 1977. Of course this doesn't completely eliminate the possibility of a bird in mid-February but it does indicate that a bird at that time should be well studied and hopefully documented.
Steve Glover
Dublin, CA
Original Message Subject Index
Oldsquaw
Tue, 29 Feb 2000 18:51:54 -0800
From: Lillian Fujii
A somewhat belated report - the Oldsquaw is still being seen at the Inner Harbor of the Richmond Marina [Marina Bay]. Saw it Sunday during a very brief break from the rain. It now has more brown on the chest.
Lillian Fujii
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index