Short-eared Owls
Mon, 15 Apr 2002 12:07:26 PDT
From: Phil Gordon
On South Bay Birds [SBB], Vijay Ramachandran wrote:
I have a query about Short-eared Owls. Is it possible to see them now? Are there any reliable locations and times in the south bay?
I seem to recall that the most recent, reliable nesting of Short-eared Owl is in the North Bay on Grizzly Island State Wildlife Management Reserve Area in Solano County. This is part of the huge (84,000 acre) Suisun Marsh. This area is easily found via Hwys 680 > 80 > 12 (south of Fairfield, Solano County) > south to the end of Grizzly Island Rd to the tour roads. Other nearby areas here for birding and perhaps encountering Short-eared Owl include Peytonia Slough Ecological Reserve, Suisun; Hill Slough Wildlife Area, Grizzly Island Rd; Rush Ranch Interpretive Center and Marsh Trail, Grizzly Island Rd. For specific directions see: Kemper, John. 1999. Birding Northern California. Falcon Publishing, Inc. Helena, Montana. Pp.152-155.
Wintering Short-eared Owls can remain in suitable habitat almost to the end of May. In Merced County, the Santa Fe Grade Rd has been reliable near dusk, where you would be driving/stopping along its 12-mile length looking for them foraging over the marshland (they probably nest here as well). No recent reports have been given for Hayward Regional Shoreline or Coyote Hills Regional Park where they have been this winter. I'm sure those birders more familiar with Santa Clara or San Benito Counties can fill in that info.
Note that as the Bay Area Counties finish and publish their Breeding Bird Atlases we all will be better able to anwser such questions, if only the historical aspects. We anxiously await Breeding Bird Atlases from Alameda, Napa-Solano, Santa Clara, and Contra Costa Counties, etc. soon?
Good luck with your search,
Phil Gordon
Hayward, ALA Co.
Cedar Waxwings
Tue, 16 Apr 2002 20:23:55 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
At my East Oakland home this afternoon, a flock of more than 300 Cedar Waxwings congregated, feeding off pyracantha bushes.
Good Birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Cedar Waxwings in Concord
Wed, 17 Apr 2002 07:16:56 -0700
From: Joseph Frank
Oh the wonder of micro climates. In Concord the pyracantha bushes bloomed and were cleaned by the American Robins and Cedar Waxwings in late November to December.
Joseph L. Frank, CCM
BSA Risk Monitoring
Original Message Subject Index
April 13 at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline
Wed, 17 Apr 2002 12:13:31 -0700
From: Jeff Mohamed
On Saturday, April 13, my wife and I spent two hours birding Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. There were no exciting sightings but a good selection of common birds, considering the time of day (2:00 to 4:00 PM).
Rock Doves
Mourning Doves
White-crowned Sparrows
Dark-eyed Juncos
European Starlings
American Crows
Red-winged Blackbirds
Brown-headed Cowbird
Western Meadowlark
Northern Mockingbirds
American Robin
Western Scrub-Jays
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Barn Swallows
Tree Swallows
Anna's Hummingbirds
Rufous Hummingbird
Turkey Vulture
Canada Geese
Brants
Mallards
American Coots
Ruddy Duck
Double-crested Cormorants
Pelagic Cormorant
Western Grebes
American Wigeons
scaups
Surf Scoters
Killdeer
Willets
Semi-palmated Plovers
Western Sandpipers
Least Sandpipers
Ruddy Turnstones
Black Turnstones
Caspian Terns
Ring-billed Gulls
Western Gulls
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Cooper's Hawks in Berkeley
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 13:36:17 -0700
From: Leonard Elmwood
The pair of Cooper's Hawks that have perennially nested on Russell St in Berkeley are back. This year they are in a different tree than the last 2 years. They are in a tall elm in front of 2800 Russell, the northeast corner of Pine and Russell. That's about 3 blocks above College. The tree is leafing out but visibility is pretty good now.
Last year, the pair fledged 3 chicks on June 13.
Rita & Leonard
Rancho Laguna Park, Moraga
Thu, 18 Apr 2002 15:08:38 -0700
From: Don Lewis
This morning birded Rancho Laguna Park and the area south to the extreme north end of the King Canyon arm of Upper San Leandro Reservoir. For those unfamiliar, Rancho Laguna Park is at the southern end of Camino Pablo, Moraga. It is a nice area but usually not as many birds as can be found at nearby Valle Vista Staging Area, because habitat is less varied.
Count was 48 species. Best birds were 3 pairs of Wood Duck in the edges of the reservoir (just south of the Alameda county line; can't count them for the block 575-180 breeding bird atlas, which is limited to Contra Costa County). Also of note was Lark Sparrow, found as usual on the wires on the east side of Camino Pablo in the last couple hundred yards before reaching the park, where there are no houses on the east side. Returning migrants were Ash-throated Flycatcher and Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and Black-headed Grosbeak. Some yet-to-leave stragglers were a few each of White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
Waterbird Regional Preserve, Martinez
Thu, 18 Apr 2002 23:57:08 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
Late this morning I visited the not-yet-open Waterbird Regional Preserve overlooking McNabney Marsh east of Martinez. The gate is on Waterbird Way off of Waterfront Rd, which is the continuation of Marina Vista east of Hwy 680. If you're going north on Hwy 680, take the Marina Vista exit (last exit before the bridge), go right on Waterfront, take the first right on Waterbird and watch for the preserve entrance in a very short distance on the right.
The gate is still locked with a sign forbidding entry. This is unfortunate because there is a lovely little facility here with parking lot, picnic facilities, benches, restroom, and even interpretive signs. It appears to be all ready for use. Presumably, it remains closed because the district has no funds for routine maintenance (garbage pickup, etc.) after the failure of their bond issue. I think there may also be some further work to be done on trails and other "back portions" of the preserve.
There is room at the gate for two or three cars to park, and it is easy enough to enter past the locked gate, though you get a great view of much of the marsh from outside the gate where you're legal. A scope would be very useful.
This would be a great place for someone who wants to work on identification of the common local waterbirds. I saw most of them with binoculars from outside the gate, though there were some shorebirds far enough away to need a scope. Avocets, stilts, Canada Geese, and various ducks all appeared to be nesting. Of particular note were several pairs of Cinnamon Teal within binocular view of the entrance.
It would certainly be wonderful if the East Bay Regional Park District could at least get the finished overlook area near the gate open to the public because it would be perfect for classes or birdwalks introducing beginners to local waterbirds.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA