Wild Turkey in San Leandro (Alameda County)
Fri, 29 Mar 2002 01:33:43 PST
From: Kathy Robertson
Hi EB Birders
I was delighted to add species #65 to my "yard list" at work this week - a lone male Wild Turkey, who was foraging along the road next to our parking lot. I was first alerted to the bird on Wednesday morning, March 27, by my supervisor, who was yelling, "Kathy, did you see this big bird out here?" I saw the bird again later that day, and then again Thursday evening, when he went to roost in a tree across the road from the parking lot.
I should explain that my "yard" at work is the grounds of Fairmont Hospital (county hospital) in San Leandro. My office is situated at the rear of the hospital grounds, which is adjacent to a large chunk of undeveloped county property, which is, in turn, adjacent to Anthony Chabot (Lake Chabot) Regional Park. So, of course, the habitat is quite good for this species, but I really didn't expect one to turn up in our parking lot!
Kathy Robertson
Hayward, CA
Swainson's Hawk in Emeryville
Fri, 29 Mar 2002 10:35:00 -0800
From: Kirk Swenson
A Swainson's Hawk soared leisurely past my office window in Emeryville this morning (Friday, March 29) around 10:00. It circled several times offering excellent views and drifted slowly off to the north. Those in points north of here (Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond) should make sure you look up periodically today. This is the first Swainson's Hawk I've seen in the East Bay and only the second in the local Bay Area, although I see them commonly now that I live in the Central Valley.
Kirk Swenson
Emeryville, CA
Missing Cooper's Hawks in Berkeley
Fri, 29 Mar 2002 18:33:32 -0800
From: Rita & Leonard
A pair of Cooper's Hawks has nested in an old elm tree on Russell St just west of Pine Ave in Berkeley for a number of years, but they do not seem to be around this year. Last year, we saw them mating on February 20 and, by this time, nesting activity was evident. We watched as 3 chicks fledged on June 13, 2001.
We did spot one adult about a month ago, in a regularly used roost in a tall pine that overlooks the nest tree. No sighting since then. We will report back if the hawks should return, but it does not look good right now.
Rita & Leonard
Southeast Berkeley
Field trip on April 13 to Arrowhead Marsh,
Oakland
Fri, 29 Mar 2002 19:03:44 -0800
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
Pencil in Saturday April 13 and join Golden Gate Audubon Society's morning stroll at Arrowhead Marsh and Mitigation Marsh. We should see lots of shorebirds in breeding plumage as well as basic and a challenging combination of the two. Martin Luther King Jr Shoreline is one of Oakland's treasures. If you haven't birded there, you're in for a treat. Beginners especially welcomed.
We'll congregate at the bridge over Elmhurst Slough at 9:30 AM. Take the Nimitz (Hwy 880) to Hegenberger Rd, head west and turn right on Edgewater Rd, pass Pardee Ln, cross the bridge over the slough, and take the first left into either the parking lot or the dirt lot.
Hope to see you there.
Good birding,
Courtenay Peddle
Shadow Cliffs
Sun, 31 Mar 2002 16:07:04 -0800
From: Derek Heins
Friday afternoon from 3 to 5 PM I walked Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area between Pleasanton and Livermore on a very warm day, but the birds were still very active. Highlights were good looks at my first Bullock's Oriole and California Thrasher of the year. Saw a total of 53 species:
Pied-billed Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
California Quail
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Allen's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
California Thrasher
European Starling
Hutton's Vireo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Derek Heins
Piedmont
Warm weekend around Livermore
Sun, 31 Mar 2002 20:31:39 -0800
From: Steve Huckabone
Despite a bad case of hay fever, I did see a few good birds this weekend. Saturday morning I had Hutton's Vireo in the riparian habitat south of Veterans Park in Livermore and five Picidae: Northern Flicker, Acorn Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Nuttall's Woodpecker.
Sunday south of the Livermore airport, I had my first-of-the-season Bullock's Oriole and Western Kingbird. The Livermore Sewage Ponds had American Avocets, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Black-necked Stilt, Gadwall, Bufflehead, and in the Sycamore trees 1 Cooper's Hawk.
Good birding.
Steve Huckabone
Alameda County
Livermore, Ca 94550
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Sun, 31 Mar 2002 20:43:38 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Late this morning, I made my first venture of the year down Rifle Range Road Trail from El Cerrito into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. From Arlington Blvd just south of the Country Club Golf Course, take Rifle Range Rd to its end at the trailhead. Even though it was past time for best birding (I was there around 11 AM to 1 PM), there was a great deal of singing and calling, and quite a few birds making themselves visible.
The Cliff Swallows this year seem to be nesting on the back sides of the buildings, away from the Rifle Range Road trailhead. Three nests were in the usual spot facing Rifle Range Rd, but one was broken open (looking suspiciously as if a person had attacked it) and the other two appeared to be abandoned. I saw Violet-green Swallows and perhaps some Tree Swallows going in and out of the large eucalyptus on the east side of Wildcat Creek Trail, just north of Rifle Range Road Trail.
For the first time this year, I heard many Wilson's Warblers singing, and I even caught a glimpse of one at a distance. There were also a lot of Orange-crowned Warblers and Dark-eyed Juncos singing, among many others.
I heard a Cooper's Hawk calling near their usual nesting spot on the trail down the hill, though I never managed to spot it. Three Red-tailed Hawks soared overhead (along with four Turkey Vultures and two Common Ravens). I saw a few Selasphorus hummingbirds, and a couple of Double-crested Cormorants flew high overhead toward San Pablo Reservoir.
This spot is best in the morning as soon as the fog clears away and sunshine hits the hill. It offers a nice mix of chaparral, grassland, oak/bay woodland, and riparian habitat (plus the very tall eucalyptus) between the trailhead and the creek area. From there, a walk up Havey Canyon Trail usually offers another good selection of habitats and birds (I didn't get to that today).
The only drawback to birding this area is the steep climb back to the car at the end!
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Upper San Leandro Reservoir, Moraga
Sun, 31 Mar 2002 21:10:48 -0800
From: Don Lewis
This morning there was a pair of Cooper's Hawks hanging around the Riche Loop trail at Valle Vista Staging Area, Upper San Leandro Reservoir, near Moraga [EBMUD trail permit required]. Riche Loop is the always birdy (in early morning) trail above [south of] the parking lot.
Cooper's Hawk has not been confirmed breeding in the Moraga block for the Breeding Bird Atlas. If any of you see any nesting or fledgling activity by the Cooper's Hawks there, please note the location and let me know. Similarly, there was a pair of Common Ravens noisily hanging around the tree tops in the pine grove and near the corral. Raven also is not confirmed breeding there, but I'll bet they are about to do so. If you seen any nest activity, please note the site and let me know. [Messages for Don can be sent to birds@folkbird.net and will be forwarded to him.]
I was surprised how far along some of the little guys are in family raising. I noted Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Hutton's Vireos, and Oak Titmice feeding fledglings already.
The Wood Ducks are truly back there (or maybe never there before a few years ago?). I saw at least 6 gorgeous pairs this morning, and I think that there were at least 8 pairs but I couldn't be sure that I wasn't seeing the same ones twice. This must be one of the most reliable places in the Bay Area for Wood Duck.
I didn't see any Common Snipe, so they must have left for the summer. The Ring-necked Ducks are still there. A Canada Goose is sitting on a nest on a narrow island, a few inches above the water. Same place as last year. As the water level rises, the nest will be flooded again. Do you suppose it is the same goose, a slow learner?
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA