Swainson's Hawk in Tilden Regional Park
Sun, 1 Sep 2002 17:16:33 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hi all,
This morning I spent a couple of hours at my hawk-watch site at Inspiration Point, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Hills. Birds were few, but the highlight was a light-phase Swainson's Hawk circling over the transmission towers to the north. The only other clear migrants were a single White-throated Swift and three Vaux's Swifts heading south.
The only thing more exciting than the hawk was Miguel Tejada's game winning homerun in the ninth at today's A's game.
Good luck, Steve
Steve Glover
Dublin
Tilden Regional Park Nature Area
Sun, 1 Sep 2002 18:31:21 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
The Golden Gate Audubon Society trip to Tilden Regional Park this morning drew 53 participants!
Anticipating that there might be a good draw, I asked Bob Lewis to help me out, and he kindly did. We ended up conducting two separate field trips. Comparing notes afterwards, the differences were surprising, not just in what we saw, but in numbers. In general there were surprising numbers of migrants around, including lots of Western Tanagers. This trip has seen remarkable variation year to year in bird activity, from virtually dead to really hopping. This morning, it hopped.
Afterwards, about 10 people went down to the Albany mudflats for a short visit. The additional species seen follow in a separate list.
In the list that follows, (S) means Rusty Scalf's group, (L) means Bob Lewis' group, and (B) means seen by both. Highlight for Bob's group had to be Willow Flycatcher.
Great Blue Heron (B)
Mallard (B)
Turkey Vulture (S)
Red-tailed Hawk (L)
Red-shouldered Hawk (L)
Mourning Dove (B)
Anna's Hummingbird (B)
Allen's Hummingbird (L)
Northern Flicker (heard B)
Downy Woodpecker (S)
Willow Flycatcher (L)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (B)
Western Wood-pewee (S)
Black Phoebe (B)
Steller's Jay (B)
Western Scrub-Jay (B)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (B)
Bushtit (L)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (S L-hrd)
Brown Creeper (L-hrd)
Wrentit (L S-hrd)
Bewick's Wren (L S-hrd)
American Robin (B)
Swainson's Thrush (B)
European Starling (S)
Hutton's Vireo (B)
Cassin's Vireo (L)
Warbling Vireo (B)
Wilson's Warbler (B)
Orange-crowned Warbler (S)
Yellow Warbler (L)
Townsend's Warbler (B)
Hermit Warbler (S)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (S)
Western Tanager (B)
Black-headed Grosbeak (S)
Song Sparrow (B)
Dark-eyed Junco (B)
Spotted Towhee (L)
California Towhee (S)
Lesser Goldfinch (S)
Second part at Albany Crescent (north of Golden Gate Fields racetrack), species added:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Northern Pintail
Ruddy Duck
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
American Avocet
Willet
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Forster's Tern
Barn Swallow
House Finch
Baby goldfinches in Richmond
Sun, 01 Sep 2002 19:40:12 -0700
From: Lisa Viani
I have lots of baby goldfinches in my back yard these days (Richmond), being fed by parents.
Lisa Viani
Golden Gate Audubon meeting in Berkeley
Mon, 02 Sep 2002 13:56:12 -0700
From: Anne McTavish
Again this year the Berkeley Golden Gate Audubon Society meetings will be the third Thursday of the month, still at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley, CA 94707 (between Solano and Marin). There are exceptions, so check the dates and locations carefully.
Our first meeting of the season, on September 19, features Dan Cooper: "Important Bird Areas Program."
Audubon Society, as the Partner Designate for BirdLife International, is working to identify a network of sites that provide critical habitat for birds. This effort, known as the Important Bird Areas Program (IBA), recognizes that habitat loss and fragmentation are the most serious threats facing populations of birds across America and around the world. The IBA program is a global effort to identify areas that are most important for maintaining bird populations, and focus conservation efforts at protecting these sites. Dan Cooper, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon California, will bring us up-to-date information on this effort.
You can see a list of upcoming program dates and speakers on the GGAS web site:
You can get directions to the Northbrae Community Church here:
We hope to see you there!
Anne McTavish
GGAS Program Chair
Eastern Kingbird in south Berkeley
Mon, 2 Sep 2002 14:32:41 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
I had a remarkable experience today around 1 PM. I am spending the day working in my yard, clearing vegetation and cleaning in preparation for house painters. As I worked I heard a distant sound that seemed Hutton's Vireo-like. Startled (Hutton's don't usually show up in the flats of south Berkeley), I looked up and heard the sound again, louder and less like Hutton's Vireo. I headed to the middle of my back yard and an Eastern Kingbird flew by! The bird was headed southsouthwest. I ran around the house to the front hoping for another look. Not to be. The bird was all business and didn't tarry.
I was astounded. Not a bad yard bird.
Rusty Scalf
Eurasian Collared Dove in south Berkeley
Mon, 2 Sep 2002 15:32:56 -0700
From: Rusty Scalf
There is a Eurasian Collared Dove perched in a fig tree that overhangs my yard. I live on Dohr St (cross street Oregon) in Berkeley.
Rusty Scalf
Cooper's Hawk in Pleasanton birdbath
Mon, 02 Sep 2002 21:46:40 -0700
From: Rich Cimino
Today at 2 PM, I had an adult male Cooper's Hawk in my birdbath near downtown Pleasanton. Temperature was 100+ degrees Fahrenheit.
Several weeks past, a juvenile Cooper' Hawk spent a week+ in a redwood tree across the street from my home. I took some photos - I'll see how they turn out.
Several years past, one early morning I discovered a Barn Owl feather near the same birdbath which sits very close to a large 22-year-old Leland cypress tree.
This past week I have had a single Rufous Hummingbird feeding on my Salvia plants on my deck. Today Monday I did not see the bird. I am wondering do others have rufous hummers coming through currently?
Happy Birding
Rich Cimino
Re: Eastern Kingbird in south Berkeley
Mon, 02 Sep 2002 21:52:02 -0700
From: Rich Cimino
I had been hearing a Western Tanager earlier in the week near my home in downtown Pleasanton. I have been unable to locate the bird.
Eastern Kingbird is a great "western" yard bird! Here in Pleasanton I'd like to have a Yellow-billed Magpie. That would make me happy.
Happy Birding
Rich Cimino
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