Re: Snow Bunting and Chukar at Clifton Court Forebay
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 09:37:30 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hi all,
I have just returned from seeing the Contra Costa County Snow Bunting, found yesterday by Akira So at Clifton Court Forebay near Byron.
To get there I would suggest exiting Hwy 580 in Livermore at Vasco Rd and taking Vasco Rd north. In 14 miles you will come to a traffic light at Camino Diablo. Turn right and go several miles to Hwy J-4. Turn right and go several more miles to Clifton Court Rd where you will turn left. Drive a mile or so to where you are forced to make a 90-degree right turn and park immediately in the gravel area. The bird was seen there yesterday. From the gravel area you will notice a pair of parallel levees that wind their way east and north. Take either of the levees and watch for the bunting either on the levees or in the grass between the levees. This morning at about 8 it was about one-eighth mile from the parking area.
This is just the second county record of Snow Bunting and the first one that is chaseable.
I didn't spend too much time scoping the water as the light is horrendous there in the morning. This morning when I arrived there were easily 10,000+ gulls roosting on the levee, of which several hundred departed for points westward each time the flock was flushed. I would estimate that the flock was about 85 to 90 percent California Gulls, the vast majority of the rest were Herring Gulls, and quite a few Thayer's Gulls were mixed in.
Good luck,
Steve Glover
Dublin
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Belated report on east Contra Costa County birding
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 09:39:43 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hi all,
I sent this message out earlier in the week and didn't realize that it hadn't made it through. The date for these sightings was February 24.
Steve
Hi all,
This morning I towed a reporter and photographer out to Holland Tract in east Contra Costa County. While standing around for an hour or so we saw 15+ Sandhill Cranes, 2 Ferruginous Hawks, 60+ American White Pelicans, a single flyover Yellow-headed Blackbird, a dark-phase Swainson's Hawk (its now the time of year where the bird could be a migrant or one of the Delta wintering birds) and, best of all, at least 10,000 geese, mostly white ones. I estimated 7,000 Snow Geese and 1,500 Ross' Geese, which is likely the most Ross' Geese identified in the county at one time. The flocks were all flying south and landing in the distant fields to the south and conveniently passed right over us. There was also a single Blue Goose amongst them, a rarity for the county.
As John Sterling mentioned for Sutter County, I have found February to be the best month for geese in east Contra Costa County. We spent the entire Christmas Bird Count in that general area and saw only a handful of geese.
Good birding,
Steve Glover
Dublin
Re: Snow Bunting and Chukar at Clifton Court Forebay
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 11:16:57 -0800
From: Dennis Braddy
EastBayBirders,
The Snow Bunting continued at Clifton Court Forebay until at least 10:15 AM today, February 28. During the hour that we observed the bunting it was always between the 1st and 5th telephone poles past the parking area. Less confiding than the San Leandro Marina Snow Bunting, this bird flushed whenever pedestrians came near. We last saw it near 2 dead American White Pelicans directly beneath a perched Red-tailed Hawk.
We also saw 2 Chukars and 2 Northern Bobwhites - unfortunately, they were in a cage at the marina.
Dennis and Patricia Braddy
San Ramon
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Possible Swainson's Hawk in Walnut Creek
Sat,
28 Feb 2004 14:36:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Diane Perry
Last weekend, I heard the unmistakable cries of a hawk, and went out in my backyard with my binoculars (I finally get some good ones) to see if I could sight him. There he was, in the big redwood tree that is directly across the road behind our backyard (this tree was separated from me only by half of my backyard, the Contra Costa Canal and trail, and Walnut Ave). I got a good look at him in my scope. He was brown all over, huge, at least 18 to 19 inches tall, and very large in "girth." I got a good look at his breast, and it too was brown (not lighter in color as a Red-tailed Hawk's would be). He sat up there in the tree for some minutes, while I continued to "memorize" him as closely as I could. He then flew off, and unfortunately I could not capture in my scope (binoculars) a good sighting of his underside. I immediately went inside and checked out my Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Western Region. In looking carefully through the "hawks" section, I found nearly exactly what I had been looking at through my binoculars: a Swainson's Hawk, in the dark-morph adult mode. Now, is this possible? Noting from the Stokes guide, he would be right on the fringes of his usual territory. Thanks for any feedback you more experienced birders can give me.
Diane Perry
Walnut Creek, CA (near Northgate Highschool)
Wood Ducks at Upper San Leandro Reservoir, Moraga
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 15:14:45 -0800
From: Don Lewis
It is a good time of the year to see the Wood Ducks at Valle Vista Staging Area of Upper San Leandro Reservoir in Moraga [EBMUD trail permit required]. Saturday morning I saw ten beautiful pairs. The lack of leaves on the trees and shrubs allows viewing of much of the slough below the bridge.
Most unusual bird was a Red-breasted Merganser, the first I've seen there in some 50 visits.
Mount Diablo Audubon Society has a bird walk there on Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM. Meet in the staging area [no trail permits required to join this group]. It will end by noon. It is very muddy in many spots - bring footwear accordingly.
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
Re: Snow Bunting at Clifton Court Forebay
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 20:01:05 -0800
From: Akira So
Hi everyone,
I understand that the Snow Bunting continued this morning (February 28) at Clifton Court Forebay, though I haven't heard how the afternoon went.
I get the impression that the bird was seen rather well this morning. Has anyone taken additional documentation photos (something better than the single photo that I posted) and/or written descriptions/sketches, for documentation purposes? Do I need to go back out there and try to do that, assuming it's still there?
I'm hoping that some additional photos have been taken today, as well as some written descriptions, to better document the bird. For example, is it a male or female?
For your information, I just added Yahoo Map links to the forebay location on my web page below, in case anyone unfamiliar with the location is planning to go there tomorrow.
http://home.earthlink.net/~akira_s/Temp/CliftonCourtForebayMap.htm
Good birding,
Akira
Pleasanton, CA
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Re: Snow Bunting at Clifton Court Forebay
Sat, 28 Feb 2004 21:35:25 -0800
From: Joseph Morlan
Akira So wrote:
Has anyone taken additional documentation photos[?]
A photo of the Snow Bunting contributed by Ed Pandolfino is at:
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/gallery.htm
Enjoy!
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
California Birding & new rarities
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/
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