New Acorn Woodpecker occurrence in Hayward
Wed, 10 Dec 2003 08:01:27 PST
From: Phil Gordon
Greetings EBBirders,
On Monday, 8 December 2003, I spent 50 minutes birding in the area of the Hayward Senior Center. This is near the corner of Knox St and N Third St (22200) along and between two converging segments of San Lorenzo Creek. It includes the Japanese Garden. In the mature Monterey pines, blue gum eucalyptus, arroyo willows, western sycamores and garden and riparian trees and shrubs were the following:
Mammals:
Fish:
This was between 2:30 and 3:15 PM for some Christmas Bird Count previewing.
Happy Birding,
Phil E. Gordon
Hayward, Alameda County
Bald Eagle at Lafayette Reservoir
Wed, 10
Dec 2003 12:35:40 -0800
From: Don Lewis
A friend reports that the Bald Eagle has returned to Lafayette Reservoir. It was seen yesterday around 9 AM sitting in its usual oak tree on a ridge, seen as one walks clockwise around the reservoir, about a third or quarter of the way around.
This presumably is the same bird regularly seen at San Pablo Reservoir.
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
Pileated Woodpeckers in Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland
Wed, 10 Dec 2003 17:02:56 -0800
From: Tom Condit
Unless a Pileated Woodpecker can call with its bill closed and throw its voice like a ventriloquist, there are two of them in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland.
This morning (Wednesday, December 10, 2003) at about 11 AM I was headed toward the junction of the Sequoia Bay View and Cinderella Trails when I heard a Pileated Woodpecker call. I started looking about for it, then it seemed to call from a different direction. This kept up for about 5 or 10 minutes. Finally, I located the bird in a tall conifer at the top of Palo Seco Creek, clearly visible from right next to the sign marking the beginning of the Nature Trail. I was able to watch it for several minutes as it inched up the tree, cocking its head from time to time and occasionally drawing back in preparation for striking the trunk with its bill. It pecked in once, climbed further, then walked backwards down the tree, still listening, preparing to strike, then moving on. While this was going on, the bird never opened its bill, but several times there were calls from what sounded like further north (or west if you prefer) across the canyon. Finally it flew down-canyon and disappeared. I went down the Cinderella Trail, but didn't refind or hear the birds again. I think this may explain the increased sightings lately.
Now if one of them will be cooperative on count day Sunday, ...
Birds seen or heard this morning
Tom Condit
American Dipper in Temescal Regional Recreation Area
Thu, 11 Dec 2003 15:26:52 -0800
From: Dave Quady
EBBers:
This isn't even in the same league as David Fix dreaming about finding a Rustic Bunting the night before 1995's Willow Creek Christmas Bird Count, but ...
Every year Bob Lewis and I look at the piddling length of Temescal Creek that's exposed in our count area, and dream about a dipper wintering there. Why, just Tuesday we paused on a bridge over the creek and I said, mainly out of habit, "someday there's going to be a dipper there."
Someday came today. About 11:30 AM I paused on the bridge, looked upstream, and just about choked when I saw an American Dipper bobbing away on a rock about 15 yards upstream. I stayed with the bird for 30 minutes or so, went home to get my camera, and photographed it up until about 1:40 PM.
To look for the bird, enter Temescal Regional Recreation Area from Broadway Terrace in Oakland, and park. A wooden pedestrian bridge crosses the creek near the end of the parking lot. The bird spent most of its time upstream from here, in the stretch of creek that ends about 150 yards upstream, where the creek emerges from a culvert. Once, the bird flew downstream of the bridge and foraged on the muddy bank of a wide spot in the stream, just downstream from a trio of redwoods that are close to the east bank of the creek.
If you try for the bird, stand on the bridge and look upstream (it'll appear!), or slooowly walk upstream from the bridge on the paved path that borders the parking lot. Please don't crowd the bird. We want very much for it to linger until the Oakland Christmas Bird Count on Sunday. Thanks in advance.
Dave Quady
Berkeley, California
Possible Townsend's Warbler in Richmond
Thu,
11 Dec 2003 15:32:19 -0800
From: Lisa Owens-Viani
Yesterday I think I saw a Townsend's Warbler at Booker T Anderson Park in Richmond (near the Bay at S 47th St & Carlson Blvd). The site is really birdy; it's a restoration project I did with the Urban Creeks Council three years ago. It's thick with yellows, young alders, etc., and has lots of bugs for the birds (the birds seem to be quite happy there). If anyone has time to bird it and let me know what you see, I would really appreciate it. I also saw (definite) White-crowned Sparrows, Bushtis, Black Phoebes, etc.
Best,
Lisa