Snow Bunting continues at Clifton Court Forebay
Sat, 13 Mar 2004 21:05:32 -0800
From: George Griffeth
No surprise - it was seen by several around 9 to 10 AM today, at the bend in the levee described in previous posts (drive in on Clifton Rd until it makes a right 90-degree bend when you get to the water, park at the bend and walk 100 feet out the levee that continues out in the same direction you drove in on before the road bent right, look on the reservoir side). Still with a single accompanying American Pipit part of the time, and wisely fattening up on french fries.
George Griffeth
University of California, Berkeley
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Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Sun, 14
Mar 2004 07:20:14 -0800
From: Steve Huckabone
Saturday March 13 I took a 3.5-hour hike at Morgan Territory Regional Preserve in Contra Costa County between Clayton and Livermore. I saw and heard 4 Hutton's Vireos and 6 Orange-crowned Warblers. In all I tallied 41 species.
The most unusual bird was a large accipiter flying northwest. I got about 10 seconds to observe the bird in an opening in the canopy. The bird didn't fly like most accipiters I've seen in the past, direct with deliberate wing beats. The body shape was accipiter like with a long tail. The most noticeable feature was billowing white under tail coverts. The fluffy undertail coverts were very noticeable backlit against a bright sky. Due to the bad lighting conditions the overall color could not be detected. National Geographic guide mentions fluffy white undertail coverts on Northern Goshawk. Dunn, Sibley and Sutton Hawks in Flight also mention the fluffy under tail coverts but caution that this in itself is not sufficient to identify Northern Goshawk as some Cooper's Hawks also have this field mark. Good birding.
Steve Huckabone
Alameda County
Livermore California
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Re: Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Sun,
14 Mar 2004 09:48:57 -0800
From: Debbie Viess
Tough call on your raptor. Did it have an almost buteo-like gestalt? That is one of the characteristics of the Northern Goshawk. Hawks in Flight describes goshawk wingbeats as heavy, deep and labored. In soar, their large size and broad tail can also appear buteo-like (in fact, the rule of thumb is that any bird first identified as a buteo that turns out to be an accipiter may safely be called a goshawk). My husband and I observed at length a pair of goshawks, soaring over Huckleberry Regional Preserve (Oakland Hills) in the fall of 1985 (they were also seen that fall in the Marin Headlands). When I first saw the birds, I thought that they were Red-tailed Hawks, and only reluctantly glassed them. With the binoculars, the blazing white undertail coverts were apparent, as well as the gray markings on the breast.
Debbie Viess
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Re: Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Sun,
14 Mar 2004 10:35:28 -0800
From: Slide
I was there as well and saw 3 accipiters in excellent light, late afternoon. I decided to call my accipiters as 1 Cooper's Hawk and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, based on the fact that the tail looked rounded on the large accipter and squarish on the smaller one. The 3rd I decided was the same Cooper's Hawk I saw earlier. The Cooper's Hawk did look pretty large, it would be exciting if it was a Northern Goshawk as that is one of the 2 diurnal raptors that I haven't seen in California.
slide
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Shasta finds the Snow Bunting
Mon, 15 Mar
2004 04:26:15 +0000
From: Judi Sierra
Shasta's life list is not as long as Skip's, but she managed to add the Snow Bunting to hers today (not bad for a duck dog). This, at the second hour of the second foray (the first being 3 hours) to Clifton Court Forebay. About ready to leave at 5 PM we practically stumbled on it and its American Pipit buddy, near where it's been found recently. It was eating miniature dandelion-like fuzzy seed pods, on a common short weed with a small yellow flower (pineapple weed?). At the end of the first curve and the beginning of the second and near the 4th telephone pole on the forebay side of the upper levee. It was quite near the road. I'd spent most of time scouring the rocks and the grassy area, although we'd walked by that spot several times. We also saw a Belted Kingfisher, a female Red breasted Merganser, and a Red-tailed Hawk on top of the second telephone pole.
Judi Sierra & Shasta
Oakland
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Sunol Regional Wilderness
Mon, 15 Mar 2004
19:16:34 -0800
From: Steve Huckabone
Sunday morning I went birding at Sunol Regional Wilderness near Sunol. Saw several firsts for the season - pair of House Wrens and one Warbling Vireo. In addition I watched a pair of Hutton's Vireos diligently building a nest.
Good birding.
Steve Huckabone
Alameda County
Livermore California