Fwd: Phainopepla at Black Diamond Mines
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 10:29:30 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
Hi EBBers,
I am forwarding a few messages from Jeff Mohamed, who is having trouble getting his AOL 7.0 to send "plain text". AOL has had plenty of feedback about the difficulty of sending plain text, but with each new "upgrade" they make it even more difficult. I can only conclude that this is part of their plan to discourage AOL users from going out onto the wider internet.
For some tips on sending plain text from various mail programs, see
If anyone using AOL 7.0 has some tips for Jeff, I'm sure he would welcome them.
The first of three messages from Jeff follows:
On June 17, my wife and I squeezed in 30 minutes of birding at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch. As on our last visit (June 14), Western Kingbirds and Ash-Throated Flycatchers abounded. However, the highlight was a group of at least 4 Phainopepla. These were in and around the large oak on the left of the entrance road almost opposite the main park sign (that is, just before the pay booth).
We saw many Phainopepla in the Phoenix Botanical Gardens last month but after 3 years of searching for them in the Bay Area, I had given up hope of seeing any locally!
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
Fwd: Friendly birds at Mitchell Canyon
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 10:32:32 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
Message from Jeff Mohamed:
I had an excellent 2 hours of birding at Mitchell Canyon [in Mount Diablo State Park near Clayton] yesterday morning (June 17). Perhaps because there were few other visitors and no cyclists, many of the birds seemed totally unconcerned by my presence. At one point I was able to stand and simultaneously watch for several minutes 4 Lawrence's Goldfinch, a pair of Lazuli Bunting, a Black Phoebe, 2 Acorn Woodpeckers, a White-breasted Nuthatch and a Western Wood-Pewee. My wife and I saw virtually the same selection of birds between 1:30 and 3:30 PM on Saturday.
THE LIST:
American Robin
Mourning Doves
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Western Bluebirds
Lazuli Buntings
Acorn Woodpeckers
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Anna's Hummingbird
Oak Titmice
White-breasted Nuthatches
Bushtits
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
Hutton's Vireo
Dark-eyed Juncos
Western Wood-Pewees
Olive-Sided Flycatcher
Black Phoebes
Western Scrub-Jays
Steller's Jays
California Towhees
Spotted Towhees
California Quail
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey VulturesJeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
Fwd: Great-tailed Grackles at McNabney
Marsh
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 10:35:07 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
Message from Jeff Mohamed:
Yesterday (June 17) I managed to fit in a 30-minute noon visit to the Waterbird Regional Preserve area east of Martinez, hoping to see the Great-tailed Grackles that have been reported recently. The preserve still isn't officially open, but from the gate and at the junction of Waterbird Way and Waterfront Rd I saw:
Canada Geese
Mallards
Cinnamon Teals
Pied-billed Grebe
Ruddy Duck
Double-crested Cormorants
Great Egrets
Snowy Egrets
American Avocets
Black-necked Stilts
Barn Swallows
Brewer's Blackbirds
Red-winged Blackbirds
House Finches
Turkey Vulture
California Towhee
Marsh WrenI gave up on the grackles and started driving away, only to find the family of four grackles on Waterfront Rd, almost where the exit road from Hwy 680 joins it. It seemed odd to watch Great-tailed Grackles so near home when just a month ago I was watching them in Phoenix.
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall, who adds the note that Waterbird Regional Preserve is currently promised to open sometime in 2003.
Original Message Subject Index
Finding Saw-whet Owls in Contra Costa
County
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 11:05:44 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hello everyone,
The most convenient place for looking for Northern Saw-whet Owls in Contra Costa County is along Pinehurst Rd between Oakland and Moraga, near the town of Canyon. They are present all along the redwood area and I have had them several times right at the intersection of Canyon and Pinehurst.
Since you are technically not allowed into Redwood Regional Park during nighttime hours this is easily the best spot and there is almost no traffic at night.
Good luck,
Steve Glover
Dublin
Original Message Next Reply Subject Index
Re: Friendly birds in Mitchell Canyon
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 11:14:27 -0700
From: Cynthia Hamilton
Mitchell Canyon sounds like a great place. Where is it?
Also, a challenge for all you birders - I have an injured foot and can't walk much. I'm going through birding withdrawal. Where's a good place to go where I can hike a short distance and sit and watch?
Thanks,
Cynthia Hamilton, (moaning and groaning over inactivity in Alameda)
Editor's Note: Mitchell Canyon trailhead to Mount Diablo State Park is at the south end of Mitchell Canyon Rd from Clayton - consult a map. Birding there does require walking uphill on an unpaved fire road - not a great spot for an injured foot.
Original Message Reply to Challenge Subject Index
Short- or no-hike birding
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 11:39:48 -0700
From: Kitty O'Neil
In response to Cynthia Hamilton's challenge: I think Lake Temescal is awfully nice and you can pretty much park and bird.
Same with Aquatic Park in Berkeley. And at Lafayette Reservoir you can get to where the birds are without too much effort (you don't need a Trail Permit there either). Come to think of it, Arrowhead Marsh is easy too. And Point Isabel. Go look for the Clapper Rails!!
Kitty
Kitty O'Neil
Orinda, CA
Original Message Subject Index
Re: Finding Saw-whet Owls in Contra
Costa County
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 12:37:25 -0700
From: Roger Hartwell
Saw-whet Owls are much more evident in Contra Costa County than a few years ago, partly because of the California Wood Duck Program's nesting boxes. I don't know of any Wood Duck boxes in the area you are referencing, so the owls are probably using natural cavities.
But I should caution: with the exception of Redwood Trail that heads west to Redwood Park from the intersection of Pinehurst and Canyon (day access only), there is no access to East Bay Municipal Utility District watershed along Canyon Rd. If the county or East Bay Regional Park District police see you in there, they will stop you. On the bright side, the canopy is so thick that birds fly freely over the road and are accessible to birders. Also, if you bird by ear it's a nice change of pace to hear the forest suite of species (Swainson's Thrushes, Winter Wrens, Band-tailed Pigeons, Common Ravens, and the rest).
If you want information about EBMUD trail permits, call 510.287.0459. I will do what I can to answer bird-related questions at the number below.
Thanks to all.
Roger Hartwell
EBMUD
Fisheries & Wildlife
510.287.2025
Original Message Subject Index
Re: Wild Turkeys in Contra Costa County
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 13:45:45 -0700
From: Pat Matthews
Just a note to let you all know that Wild Turkeys have been around on the East Bay Municipal Utility District lands for years now. I have heard and seen them as I was working on a fence along Wildcat Canyon Rd. A male courted his reflection in the patio glass at the Watershed Headquarters a few years ago. I saw over a dozen near Rancho Laguna Park in Moraga a couple years ago, and Lafayette Reservoir had so many last year that they scaring moms who were concerned the big birds were getting ready to peck their babies when all they were doing was displaying for the strollers.
Ranger Pat Matthews
San Pablo Reservoir
7301 San Pablo Dam Road
El Sobrante. CA 94803
Voice: 510.223.8489 Cell: 510.453.7454
Original Message Subject Index
Immature Black-crowned Night-Heron
in restored Richmond creek
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 19:10:31 -0700
From: Lisa Viani
Dear EBB folks,
I saw an immature Black-crowned Night-Heron stalking small fish and frogs today for quite a long time in a stretch of Baxter Creek that was recently restored by the Urban Creeks Council (for which I work) with help from lots of volunteers from the Friends of Baxter Creek. It was so gratifying to see something like this since we had really hoped the project would benefit birds in particular. Along with the heron - lots of Black Phoebes, hummingbirds, goldfinches, and others.
The stretch of creek is in southwest Richmond, near Carlson Ave and the Bay.
Best,
Lisa Viani