Hayward Shoreline
Thu, 1 Nov 2001 20:34:29 PST
From: Bob Richmond
Today at the shoreline nothing very unusual was seen. A Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Chestnut-backed Chickadee were seen at W Winton Ave. On San Francisco Bay, a young Clark's Grebe (almost full sized) was seen begging from its parents and they fed it.
Good Birding
Bob
Harlequin Duck, Elegant Terns in Richmond
Thu, 1 Nov 2001 23:06:59 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hello all,
This morning I birded around Marina Bay in Richmond. I exited Marina Bay Pkwy from Hwy 580 and followed it all the way to the end, parking at Vincent Park. From there you can scope towards Brooks Island. The light is always best here in the morning, the earlier the better, though it was foggy this morning and the light was rather poor.
Scoping towards the island I eventually found the male Harlequin Duck swimming near the island with a couple of scaup. Though I have seen the Harlequin pair out there dozens of times over the years, you can definitely not count on seeing them on any given visit. The vast majority of my sightings have been of the male sitting on the beach by the old pier, so if I don't see them there I usually don't expect to see them at all, though on rare occasions they have even been inside the harbor. Amazingly, this is more than likely the same pair that was first detected here in 1991! You will definitely need a decent scope and some patience to see them.
I was also surprised to see at least 7 Elegant Terns, seems late for us. Also unusual was a single Heerman's Gull following around the Brown Pelicans.
Other birds from here included Pelagic Cormorant and White-winged Scoter. I then walked southeast towards Point Isabel hoping for an unusual sparrow or a Palm Warbler. No luck on that stuff, just some Lincoln's Sparrows and a small flock of Green-winged Teal. Just past Meeker Slough there was a Say's Phoebe.
I then took the trail that heads inland along Meeker Slough. Though the habitat isn't overwhelmingly good, it looks like it could get a rarity from time to time. I had to settle for an Orange-crowned Warbler, Hermit Thrushes, and Fox Sparrows. There was also an apparent American X Eurasian Wigeon in the slough.
Crossing Marina Bay Pkwy I visited the park adjacent to the harbor. There is a nice double row of pines here that had Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Townsend's Warbler.
I had a total of 76 species for the morning.
Good birding,
Steve Glover
Out-of-place Song Sparrow
Fri, 2 Nov 2001 10:43:25 -0800
From: Rebecca Freed
I know Song Sparrows are all over the place, but I've never seen one in my backyard (in the Berkeley flatlands) until yesterday. It was hanging with the breakfast crowd of Lesser Goldfinches at my thistle feeder, and in fact tried to use the feeder, but mostly stuck to gleaning in the shrubs and on the ground.
This one looked chunkier and grayer than I typically think of Song Sparrows being - at first I thought it was a Fox Sparrow. The odd location, odd behavior, and different look make me wonder whether this individual is a migrant.
Rebecca Freed Berkeley CA
Hayward Shoreline
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:13:33 -0800
From: Sheila Junge
Starting about 3 PM at the W Winton Ave access to Hayward Regional Shoreline.
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was seen in the trees near east end of the parking lot. At Hayward's Landing there were 5 Surfbirds, a Ruddy Duck, and a Black Turnstone. Good close looks as the mudflats were just emerging. A Loggerhead Shrike was seen near the radio towers, and a Prairie Falcon perched on one of the radio towers.
Good Birding!
Sheila Junge
Hayward, CA
Palm Warbler in Richmond
Sat, 3 Nov 2001 16:01:44 -0800
From: Calvin Lou
This morning (9:50 AM), there was a Palm Warbler at Vincent Park in Richmond (tip of peninsula enclosing Marina Bay). I first saw the bird on grass area near the bathroom. It was around for about five minutes before it disappeared.
Other birds:
Osprey
Black Oystercatcher
Belted Kingfisher
Calvin Lou
Shadow Cliff Regional Recreation Area, Pleasanton
Sun, 4 Nov 2001 19:22:48 -0800
From: Akira So
Hello all,
On Friday November 2, I spent a few hours in the Shadow Cliff Regional Recreation Area east of Pleasanton. Here is a list of birds I saw at the park.
On the reservoir water near the park entrance, I saw a lone Greater White-fronted Goose among the many Canada Geese. A Belted Kingfisher was going back and forth along the shore. Over on the water I counted a few Western Grebes, several Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants and numerous American Coots, along with some Ring-billed Gulls. A Great Egret was near the shore as well.
In the sky over the reservoir were an Osprey and a Red-tailed Hawk, among the numerous Turkey Vultures circling the area.
Moving over toward the back of the park in the more wooded part of the park, I saw some woodpeckers (a Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flickers (red-shafted), and a Nuttall's Woodpecker). Among the trees and shrubs were a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Black Phoebes, House Finches, and Western Scrub-Jays.
On the water were Common Moorhens, Gadwalls, Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, and the ubiquitous American Coots. Over the water, flying back and forth again and again with their distinctive vocalization, were three or four Belted Kingfishers.
Finally, on the ground were a Hermit Thrush, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows, and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Several Anna's Hummingbirds were seen and heard as well.
Four days ago, I saw a California Thrasher and a few Fox Sparrows here as well. I was hoping to find them again but didn't have any luck this time.
That's it for now. Happy birding,
Akira So
Pleasanton CA