California Quail website
Thu, 1 Jul 2004 18:37:49 -0700
From: Dorthy Furseth
All -
I had the good fortune this year of having a mother California Quail nest in one of my geranium plants. My son got the idea of putting a webcam on the side of the pot, and I was able to watch the mother without disturbing her. I also had the incredible luck of watching the eggs hatch a few weeks ago. We were able to take pictures along the way, as well as capturing several videos, so I have created a website to share this experience with others that might be interested.
The URL is
http://home.comcast.net/~dorfurPlease let me know if you have any comments or questions - there is a Feedback page on the site.
Hope you enjoy it!
Dorthy Furseth
Gratitude
Fri, 2 Jul 2004 19:28:08 -0700
From: Phila Rogers
Greetings everyone:
With the posting of Dorothy Furseth's quail family website, I reminded again of how lucky we are to have this East Bay bird source.
These late nesters (including the Sibley eagles) help keep the bird season interesting during the summer doldrums when most mornings begin with fog and the local birds sing less and begin their annual molt.
The local Common Ravens - new nesters this year in my neighborhood - have fledged one offspring who seems to be surviving occasional collisions with chimneys and other stationary objects. The Red-shouldered Hawks call almost constantly so I assume they too have a fledgling.
Aside from these noisy locals, and an occasional finch song and lots of shed feathers, the neighborhood bird scene is subdued. But just when the post-nesting blues start to set in, I remember a couple of summers ago on a day so foggy the trees below were lost to sight, a brilliant Rose-breasted Grosbeak appeared at my sunflower feeder for a brief visit.
Thanks again, fellow birders, for so generously sharing your sightings.
Phila Rogers
Re: Gratitude
Sun, 4 Jul 2004 11:48:45 -0700
From: Terry Coddington
Dear EBBers,
I just wanted to second the thanks of Phila Rodgers and note that the neighborhood flight training has included at least one Red-tailed Hawk fledgling who sits on the neighbors' ridgelines and/or chimney caps, wondering what to do next in the eucalyptus forest north of the UC Berkeley campus.
Terry Coddington
Original Message Subject Index
Belated report on June 20 trip to Sunol Regional Wilderness
Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:01:01 -0700
From: Bruce Mast
About a dozen of us from Golden Gate Audubon Society gathered at Sunol Regional Wilderness on Sunday morning, June 20, for a day of beautiful early summer weather and fair birding. The picnic area was remarkably quiet, due in part to the fact that Yellow-billed Magpies have apparently abandoned the area. We only heard a distant magpie call far up a side canyon. The most conspicuous birds were European Starlings, American Crows, and Acorn Woodpeckers. The starlings have taken over some nesting cavities that Acorn Woodpeckers used to use. I fear they may be squeezing other cavity nesters out of the park.
The woods were also quiet because breeding season is winding down and many males have stopped singing. In compensation, we got great looks at a number of chicks and fledglings, including young California Quail, Wild Turkey, American Crows, and juvenile Nuttall's Woodpecker. Green Heron showed up right on cue, just downstream from the picnic-area bridge. We also got long lingering looks at Warbling Vireo and Hutton's Vireo and found a Black-throated Gray Warbler.
One of our target birds, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, stuck to the high rocks and provided totally unsatisfactory views. We also missed White-tailed Kites, which the week before had been seen harassing a Golden Eagle. Kites and Red-shouldered Hawks both nested in the park this spring.
Here's the full list.
Bruce Mast
Oakland, CA
Empty Golden Eagle nest at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
Sun, 4 Jul 2004 20:03:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Alan Howe
Happy 4th, everyone.
Since the fog was so thick last night at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland Hills that I couldn't even see the Golden Eagle nest, I headed back this afternoon around 5:00. It was strangely quiet up there - none of the usual American Kestrels sitting on burned-out stumps (they especially like the tree where the old eagle nest was). But an eaglet was perched - a bit awkwardly - in a bare tree up the hill, not too far from the nest tree. It flew while I watched, revealing the juvenile white wing spots, landed in a tree a bit further up Round Top, then moved again and I lost sight of it.
I did check out the nest to be sure this wasn't the one that had already flown on Monday. Whether it was that bird or not, the nest was indeed empty. I didn't spot any other members of the family during the hour I was up there. I got the feeling that the one I saw today was still a bit unsure of itself and was sticking near the nest. But, of course, that's just a guess.
Anyway, it's been an exciting couple of months watching the family grow.
Cheers,
Alan Howe