Backyard goldfinches - happy golden sunshine
Sun, 17 Mar 2002 10:19:12 -0800
From: Mary
This might not mean as much to those of you who can get out and about, but I can only walk short distances, so I do most of my birding from roadsides and my backyard. This spring, for the first time, I have hung up a thistle feeder in my backyard in Fremont. (I've always had your basic millet-and-sunflower tube feeders before, and made many White-crowned Sparrows and House Finches happy.)
This morning, for the first time, the thistle feeder was absolutely swarming with goldfinches, both Lesser and American, male and female. I counted at least three American, and at least two Lesser males, and four or five females of both species combined. I've seen a few Lesser before, but these were my first ever American goldfinches, and I'm still walking on sunshine. : )
Mary
Re: Backyard goldfinches - happy golden
sunshine
Sun, 17 Mar 2002 10:37:28 -0800
From: Dustin Alcala
Hi Mary,
Congratulations on your accomplishment! Keep up the good work and remember it is the enjoyment of the bird for its own sake that makes its sighting memorable, not necessarily the rarity of it. To each his own, birding is as diverse as are the people look at birds. Keep up the good work.
Dustin,
Albany
Original Message Subject Index
Hermit Warbler near Inspiration Point
Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 17:55:20 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
On Saturday I took two visiting birders from Kansas City around looking for some of their target species. Although we didn't get any of the threatened showers, it was chilly and windy, so there were few birds out and visible. In Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley Hills), we did find a Hermit Warbler in the trees along Nimitz Way just a short distance from Inspiration Point.
At Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (Oakland Hills), we struck out on the Rufous-crowned Sparrows, but we did see a quite unexpected Osprey flying northward high over Round Top.
When we got down to Point Emery (Emeryville) at the end of our day, the wind was whipping up small waves and it did not look promising. In fact, the only shorebirds we found were two Black Turnstones - fortunately, one of their target species!
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall, El Cerrito CA
Near Byron on March 17
Mon, 18 Mar 2002 10:51:19 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
Inspired by Steve Glover's post, my wife and I decided to bird the Clifton Court Forebay area. We were lucky enough to get a good, long look at one of the Burrowing Owls that Steve mentioned but couldn't find the Swainson's Hawks' nest that he described.
Clifton Court Forebay (2:00 to 2:45 PM):
Burrowing Owl
Red-winged Blackbirds
Brewer's Blackbirds
Mourning Doves
Western Meadowlarks
Loggerhead Shrikes
American Crows
Long-billed Curlew
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Merlin
Northern Harriers
Ring-billed Gulls
Forster's Terns
American Coots
Western Grebes
Pied-billed Grebe
scaups
Ruddy Duck
Common Goldeneye
American Wigeon
Double-crested Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Jersey Island Road (3:15 to 3:45 PM):
Great Blue Herons (more than a dozen!)
Great Egrets
Snowy Egrets
Cattle Egret
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-winged Blackbirds
Brewer's Blackbirds
Western Meadowlarks
White-crowned Sparrows
American Crows
Common Ravens
Mourning Doves
Barn Swallows
Violet-green Swallows
Killdeer
yellowlegs
Black-necked Stilts
Mallards
Canada Geese
American Coots
American Kestrels
Red-tailed Hawks
Swainson's Hawk
White-tailed Kites
Northern Harriers
March 16 at Richmond
Mon, 18 Mar 2002 11:52:39 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
Early Saturday morning it was beautiful around Richmond and the birds were pretty active. It was my first visit to the area but it certainly won't be my last!
Richmond Marina area (7:15 to 8:15 AM):
White-crowned Sparrows
Mourning Doves
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
American Crows
Western Meadowlarks
Red-winged Blackbirds
Brewer's Blackbirds
California Towhee
Turkey Vultures
Killdeer
Western Sandpipers
Least Sandpipers
Dunlins
Sanderlings
Willets
Marbled Godwits
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlews
yellowlegs
dowitchers
Black-bellied Plovers
American Avocets
Black Oystercatcher
Ring-billed Gulls
Western Gulls
Buffleheads
American Coots
scaups
American Wigeons
Western Grebes
Ruddy Duck
Surf Scoters
White-winged Scoters
Red-breasted Mergansers
Double-crested Cormorant
Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline (8:45 to 9:30 AM):
White-crowned Sparrows
Mourning Doves
Rock Doves
American Robin
American Crows
Red-winged Blackbirds
Western Meadowlarks
Turkey Vultures
Killdeer
Willets
Black-bellied Plovers
Wandering Tattlers
American Wigeons
American Coots
Buffleheads
scaups
Surf Scoters
Canada Geese
Mallards
Pelagic Cormorant