Barrow's Goldeneye at Lake Merritt
Sun, 11 Nov 2001 12:33:09 -0800
From: Mike Ezekiel
Birders,
The Game is Afoot, Watson, or perhaps I should say Afloat - the ducks are arriving at the Lake.
This morning in a very brief look, I got to Lake Merritt for the first time in several weeks - there were good-sized flocks of Ruddy Duck, scaup, Canvasback, and Bufflehead, with both species of goldeneye. At least 8 or 10 Barrow's Goldeneye were present - actually more then the Common Goldeneyes. In addition, there was a spectacular Mandarin Duck in the water in a group of Mallards at the Lakeshore end of the arm. Can I count it as a vagrant? - I guess not, but what a fantastic bird.
No sign yet of our recurring winter rarity, although I didn't Scope every Scaup, none appeared to be ATuft-ed (a Tufted Duck, that is.)
Mike Ezekiel
Oakland
Long-billed Dowitcher at Martin Luther King
Shoreline
Sun, 11 Nov 2001 16:38:42 -0800
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
The highlight of a couple of hours birding Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline, Oakland (Alameda County) was a brief visit from a Long-billed Dowitcher at the mouth of Damon Slough, near Garretson Point. I identified it by call, but it sure had a loooong bill.
Here's my list, which oddly doesn't include avocet:
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
Double-crested Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax auritus)
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
American Wigeon (Anas americana)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)
American Coot (Fulica americana)
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
California Gull (Larus californicus)
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
No Yellow-bellied Sapsucker near Livermore,
but ...
Mon, 12 Nov 2001 12:55:19 -0800
From: Dennis Rashé
I have spent the last three mornings (7:00 to 10:00 AM, Nov 10 to 12) out at Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was reported. No luck! I spent most of my time at the east end of the reservoir where the creek enters along the south shore between the bridge and the far western picnic area. I did journey over to the north shore to get a better look at some of the waterfowl, but never went further than the boat docks. So, here is a list of what was seen:
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Bufflehead
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-Tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Wild Turkey
California Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
dowitcher sp.
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
White-throated Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Black Phoebe
Yellow-billed Magpie
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
American Pipit
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Dennis Rashé, Livermore
Original Message Subject Index
Bald Eagle
Mon, 12 Nov 2001 13:07:26 -0800
From: Pat Matthews
A late note: An adult Bald Eagle, possibly male, was observed flying south over San Pablo Reservoir [north of Orinda] the last week of October. The visiting Bald Eagles typically do not arrive until late December or January for their brief winter stay.
Ranger Pat
San Pablo Reservoir
7301 San Pablo Dam Rd
El Sobrante, CA 94803
voice: 510.223.8489
fax: 510.223.0832