Cooper's Hawks in the East Bay
Mon, 7 Apr
2003 14:06:00 -0700
From: Allen Fish
Greetings EBB'ers -
The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) is in its second year of monitoring breeding Cooper's Hawks in the East Bay, a project we call "East Bay Cooper's Hawk Intensive Nesting Survey" or "East Bay CHINS." We've been focusing on a concentrated Berkeley-Albany study area, however we'd like information on nesting or active "Coops" in any outlying areas as well from Pinole south to Hayward. Twenty volunteer nest searchers put in over 500 hours last year. And EBB list members provided a huge amount of info toward finding several of those nests in 2002.
In 2002, we located 12 nests in the Berkeley-Albany area, a region of roughly 3200 hectares. This density of nests (272 hectares per nest = 671 acres per nest) compares closely to the results of long-term studies of urban Cooper's Hawks in Tucson, AZ (384 ha per nest), and Steven's Point, WI (272 ha per nest). The 12 nests fledged an average of 3.3 young in 2002. We've collected data on nest habitat and prey remains as well. Our goal is to continue to run this study over the long-term to collect data on the state of Cooper's Hawk populations locally, data that will be comparable to our extensive autumn count data from the Marin Headlands.
Anybody who would like to read our 2002 Annual CHINS Report, please email me privately as afish at parksconservancy dot org and give me your traditional mailing address. I'd be happy to send you a copy. Finally, if you have any information on Cooper's Hawk nesting activity (or just activity) in the East Bay, please drop me an email with any details of time, place, and behavior, and a phone number where I might call you.
Several weeks ago, GGRO volunteer Dorothy Gregory mentioned that the GGRO is doing their annual recruitment for new autumn banders and hawkwatchers in the Marin Headlands. It's true; we have no-commitment Recruitment Classes coming up during the last week in April, if you want to just check us out. These will be at Ft Mason in SF on April 24th (evening), 26th (morning), and 28th (evening). Call the GGRO 415.331.0730 or visit our website www.ggro.org if you need more info or for times and directions.
Before closing, I wanted to let you know that I got a call this morning from the CHINS Coordinator, Ralph Pericoli, who reports that our first Coop mama started incubating eggs as of yesterday, April 6th.
Thanks for your past and future help -
Peace and great birds -
Allen
"White-tailed cormorants" in Orinda?
Mon, 07 Apr 2003 18:17:05 -0700
From: Stan Scher, via Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for Stanley Scher:
Last time I wrote in June 2002, I reported a female Wild Turkey in the El Cerrito Hills. Since then many other birders continue to observe Wild Turkeys in the East Bay.
At Orinda, yesterday (5 April) afternoon, a friend and I observed three Double-crested Cormorants sitting on a float on Lake Cascade, along Camino Sobrante west of Orinda Village. At least one bird was a 1st-year juvenile, and the others appeared to be adults in breeding plumage. All three cormorants displayed white to gray tail feathers. We observed the birds with two different binoculars, Accordingly, our observation was unlikely to be an optical aberration. I welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions.
We also observed a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the trees along the lakeside, as well as Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks on the lake surface. If birders need directions to Lake Cascade, please call me at 510.526.3520 or send e-mail c/o birds@folkbird.net
Good birding,
Stan
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Golden Eagles high above Mitchell Canyon
Tue,
08 Apr 2003 10:05:24 -0700
From: David Couch
On cool, sunny Saturday, April 5, along Deer Flat Rd north of Juniper Campground, we saw three Golden Eagles flying north together toward the Mitchell Canyon area (south of Clayton). Two of them were juveniles, but we did not see the markings on the third. They took turns mobbing each other � playing, I suppose? � as they flew on together.
Later we saw, soaring among the dramatic clouds floating over the summit, many awesome Homo sapiens hanggliderialis.
Thanks to Dennis and Patricia Braddy for their report a few days ago. The wildflowers were glorious. My partner Nancy pointed out many of the same flowers Dennis and Patricia reported, as well as Mission Bells, Wild Snapdragon, Mules Ears, Red Maids, Grand Hounds-tongue, Indian Paintbrush, Indian Warrior (is there a less ethnically loaded term for these?), Cardinal Larkspur and a beautiful dark blue Larkspur.
David Herzstein Couch
Berkeley
Swallows and Prairie Falcons at Morgan Territory
Tue, 08 Apr 2003 18:32:36 -0700
From: Lois, via Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for Lois:
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 21:43:52 PDT
Hiking for wildflowers this morning at Morgan Territory Regional Preserve (between Clayton and Livermore) without proper binoculars. Has anybody seen a Violet-green Swallow there? Maybe I mistook a Tree Swallow. No mistaking the Prairie Falcons.
lois
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland
Wed, 09 Apr 2003
11:19:36 -0700
From: Terry Coddington, via Larry Tunstall
I am forwarding this message to the list for Terry Coddington:
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 11:10:39 -0700
Dear EBBers:
Not having been to Arrowhead Marsh for a month or so, I was happy to find, yesterday afternoon, that an American Pipit flock still persists in the fenced marsh (the short growth of "alfalfa" in bloom), that two Caspian Terns had dropped in and that a flock of 20 to 30 Semipalmated Plovers were resting on the edge of the east pond. Three White-fronted Geese were still with the diminishing Canada Goose flock. Yes, the Black-bellied Plovers on the Bay side were quite striking in black; half were showing no progression to secondary plumage.
Terry Coddington
Posted to EBB by Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Pinole Creek Wetlands
Wed, 9 Apr 2003 23:39:02
-0700
From: Terry Coddington
Dear EBBers,
Today I made a discovery (new for me, anyway), it's called Pinole Creek Wetlands Field Station - the mouth of Pinole Creek sandwiched between two parcels of East Bay Regional Shoreline at the end of Tennent Ave, which connects with Pinole Valley Rd off Hwy 80 in downtown Pinole. Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Dunlin, Willets and Marbled Godwits were in the hundreds in mid-afternoon with the tide way out. Three Black Oystercatchers were present, secondary and primary-plumaged Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Caspian Terns and Forster's Terns, Western Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls. A small group of Sanderlings picked the rocks at water's edge and Song Sparrows had the creek channel staked out. A White-tailed Kite was foraging in the nearby pickleweed marsh and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks courted in the Eucalyptus behind the point.
One of the oystercatchers seemed to be distressed, possibly by oil, since his bill was black-tipped and he was making frantic movements instead of feeding.
Good birding.
Terry Coddington
Reply #1 Reply #2 Reply #3 Subject Index