Glaucous Gull?
Fri, 23 Jun 2000 13:01:00 PDT
From: Mark Rauzon
Hi all,
At Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda off 8th Street, I saw what looked to me like a first winter Glaucous Gull. It was rather ratty and perhaps sickly, and it also looked a little small for a Glaucous, but was very light with a pink basal bill.
Also on the mudflats, about 10 Least Terns foraged at low tide this midday. The gull was out from the parking lot and on the beach berm. Good Luck.
Mark Rauzon
Re: Glaucous Gull?
Fri, 23 Jun 2000 14:32:56 -0700
From: Joseph Morlan
It is very much worth looking at Don Roberson's page on the controversial subject of summer records of Glaucous Gull in California:
http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/SCZgullmys.html
There is much useful information there.
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
Currently in Laguna Beach, California
California Birding, Mystery Birds:
http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee:
http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/
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Least Terns at Albany Mudflat
Sun, 25 Jun 2000 19:36:32 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
The Least Terns seem to be doing well on the "shellmound" at the northeast corner of the Albany Mudflats, just south of Central Ave and just west of the freeway (Contra Costa County).
There appear to be about six nests, and one chick has been running around for the past couple of days. Avocets, stilts, and Killdeer also are nesting in the area, and the terns and shorebirds seem to be cooperating in driving away any would-be nest predators.
The Least Tern nests are on the mound parallel to Central Ave, with good views from a viewing spot on top of the artificial hill. A scope is useful.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Hayward Shoreline
Mon, 26 Jun 2000 16:15:09 PDT
From: Bob Richmond
Seen at Hayward Regional Shoreline on 26 June -
Black Skimmer - 2
Arctic Tern - 1, nest (with Forster's Tern) has been abandoned
Blue-winged Teal - 8 (5 males, 3 females), 1 of the females was with 3 ducklings
Eared Grebe - the 3 young from before are still present, but not dependant on the adults
Good birding
Bob
Pileated Woodpecker in Oakland
Tue, 27 Jun 2000 21:23:27 -0700
From: Dave Quady
Hello, EBBers:
Over the last several weeks there have been a few messages relating to sightings/hearings of Pileated Woodpecker [PIWO] in the Oakland Hills. Earlier this year a non-EBB-subscribing birdwatcher friend of mine from work had told me he'd had PIWO around his house in the hills. Here's his report. I'm sorry it's tardy; I've been away for several weeks.
First sighting was March 13, mid-morning. Couldn't tell the sex of the bird, which was hammering a dead tree trunk. I seem to recall looking it up and deciding it was female. Confirmed ID - I walked up to within 20 feet of the bird. Sighting was in a wooded side canyon in Piedmont Pines area, off Shepherd Canyon. Specifically, the side-canyon that has its mouth at the athletic field next to the Shepherd Canyon fire station and goes east for about one-eighth mile, has a small stream and is rimmed by a section of Girvin Drive and the upper part of Pelham Place. There's a good quality road - Escher Drive, sharp right, easy to miss, enter off Shepherd Canyon Drive when going uphill - in the canyon with no houses on it. It is an unusually quiet road for Piedmont Pines, very little traveled. Walking that road a few months back, I saw on the upslope a dead tree - well back in the shade - with a lot of damage, and wondered then if a big woodpecker was in the area. It was a couple of weeks later I saw the woodpecker.Since that sighting, I've had one other, in late May. I suspect it was the same bird, but no way to tell. This one came to a dead juniper tree on my neighbor's property, late morning, called wildly and hammered for several minutes. My wife saw the bird also. It then flew off in the direction of Skyline Blvd and Redwood Park, up and over the houses.
If anyone has questions about these sightings or directions, they can call Jim Hendon at (510) 336-9707 (home number).
Good luck to listers hoping to see PIWO in Oakland.
Dave Quady
Berkeley, California
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Pileated at Joaquin Miller
Wed, 28 Jun 2000 00:08:49 PDT
From: Kathy Robertson
Saw a male Pileated Woodpecker at 7:30 PM Tuesday in Joaquin Miller Park (Oakland hills). It was on the west side of Skyline Blvd in a stand of (mostly pine) trees immediately north of the Castle Park trailhead, which is just north of the Sequoia Arena entrance. I had been hearing the bird calling on and off for approximately half an hour around the general vicinity of the arena before I was finally able to get a sighting. He then flew east across Skyline Blvd.
Also had a female Hairy Woodpecker in the same stand of trees.
Kathy Robertson
Hayward
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Brooks Island
Wed, 28 Jun 2000 20:24:57 -0700
From: Peter Grace
A paddle around part of Brooks Island [in the bay off Richmond Marina] turned up an Osprey flying over, 2 Black Skimmers amongst the nesting Caspian Terns, 8 Brant and a male Harlequin Duck. While paddling back, we saw a hummingbird over the water and flying towards the island.
Peter
Re: Pileated at Joaquin Miller
Wed, 28 Jun 2000 20:59:45 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
Kathy Robertson and East Bay Birders:
I was ready to finally track down this Pileated Woodpecker between 5 PM and 7 PM this evening. That did not happen, as has usually been the case for me. I parked at the Sequoia Arena and walked over to the Castle Park trailhead and then back to the arena and then along the trails at the opposite side of the road.
Most interesting surprise was a Peregrine Falcon that flew right over my head over one of the trails at the east side of Skyline. A few singing Hermit Thrushes was another pleasant surprise.
Is there a way to rent a boat to search for that Harlequin Duck? Harlequin Duck in Contra Costa County and Pileated Woodpecker in Alameda County are my eternal nemesis birds.
A number of fledged American Robins were present along with a probable fledged Lesser Goldfinch near the Sequoia Arena Parking Lot.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
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