Re: Lake Merritt
Sun, 18 Feb 2001 09:12:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Emilie Strauss
I saw the female Tufted Duck on February 8. She was near the islands and very close to shore. The Cattle Egret was lurking in the "gull-feeding" corral by the Rotary Science Center. The Barrow's Goldeneyes were all clustered exactly where Joe described them. No Greater White-fronted Geese present there on the 8th. There was also a Thayer's Gull near the part of the lake by Fairy Land.
(sorry I didn't post all this - my email was crashed last week).
Original Message Subject Index
Arrowhead/Mitigation Marsh, Oakland
Sun, 18 Feb 2001 13:54:11 -0800
From: Lillian Fujii
The weather and tide for were perfect for Courtenay Peddle's Golden Gate Audubon Society field trip to Arrowhead/Mitigation Marsh in Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline (Oakland) on Saturday, February 17, beginning at 9:30 AM. The birds were great too, with many shorebirds and ducks and the resident Peregrine Falcon. The Mitigation Marsh mudflats started peeking through at about 9, giving us early arrivers somewhat close views of 5 Red Knots among the many Black-bellied Plovers, Dunlins and Western Sandpipers. At about 9:45, the knots were farther out, but still viewable through scopes for the group. Other highlights, in no particular order, included: 3 Burrowing Owls, and from the fishing pier, a pair of Blue-winged Teal, Clapper Rail, and about 70 Black Turnstones feeding at the mouth of Mitigation Marsh.
Happy birding.
Lillian Fujii
Kennedy Grove
Thu, 15 Feb 2001 18:43:16 -0800
From: Rusty Scalf
This weekend Bob Lewis and I led two field trips to Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area for Albany Adult School. This is the park just below the dam of San Pablo Reservoir.
This morning we found a very pure-looking male "Yellow-shafted' Northern Flicker.
In general I'd like to comment that this is a place rich in bird life. Chaparral, Oak and Oak-Bay woodland and the enormous Blue Gum Eucalyptus seemed full of song and activity. There is a significant wetland which bears investigating during spring. One can hike up the side of the dam for a look over the water. Yesterday a pair of Osprey were calling to one another flying over the park towards the reservoir.
The class enjoyed great looks at Red-shouldered Hawk, Varied Thrush, California Thrasher, Purple Finches (sometimes mixed with House Finches), Western Bluebirds, Hutton's Vireo, Brown Creeper, Townsend's Warbler and very large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warbler (most of which seemed to be Myrtle type) in the Eucalyptus.
Rusty Scalf
Lewis' Woodpeckers at Round Valley
Mon, 19 Feb 2001 07:46:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Emilie Strauss
Yesterday (February 18), Mike McClaskey and I refound the Lewis's woodpecker at Round Valley Regional Park (Contra Costa County) at the same location described in earlier reports. At least two were present, and potentially as many as five. In addition, we had five other woodpecker species (Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, and Red-breasted Sapsucker), several Golden Eagles, and a Loggerhead Shrike.
Be forewarned that the trails are very muddy.
Later in the day a Ferruginous Hawk flew over downtown Brentwood.
Surfbirds at Point Emery
Wed, 21 Feb 2001 17:26:19 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Just before 2 PM today, Karen Peterson and I saw a flock of 13 Surfbirds at the tip of Point Emery, near the Emeryville-Berkeley border. Working among the rocks with them were Black Turnstones, Willets, Dunlin, Least Sandpipers, and Western Sandpipers.
Quite a large flock of Sanderlings was working the beaches just north and south of the spit. In the water north of the spit was an Eared Grebe making the transition to breeding plumage, with quite a bit of yellow and brownish color beginning to appear on face and neck. Come to think of it, with the light neck turning brown, maybe it was a Horned Grebe.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Northern Fulmar in Emeryville
Thu, 22 Feb 2001 21:28:54 PST
From: Denise Wight
Hi EB Birders,
Today, about 1:20 PM, from the end of the road at the Emeryville Marina, I saw a dark morph Northern Fulmar. It sailed by, in typical fulmar arcing flight, about 200 feet from breakwater, being harassed by an immature Western Gull. It made one attempt to land on the water, but the gull seemed to keep it in flight. It flew in towards the shore, past Point Emery, and around the cove. I drove over to Point Emery and the Shorebird Park, but was unable to relocate the bird.
Denise Wight
Martinez, CA
P.S. This was the first Northern Fulmar I've viewed with the UC Berkeley Campanile in the background!
Long-tailed Duck
Thu, 22 Feb 2001 22:25:21 PST
From: Kathy Robertson
Sorry for the late report, but I saw a female Long-tailed at the San Leandro Marina on Monday afternoon around 5:00.
After entering the Marina area (west end of Marina Blvd off Hwy 880), make a right at the first stop sign and drive out past the old Blue Dolphin restaurant and the Marina Office to the end of the parking lot. I first sighted the bird southwest of there (in binocular range), and it then flew further southeast and was diving off the west end of the point (the land that becomes islands at high tide).
Kathy Robertson
Hayward, CA