Franklin's Gull
Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:40:55 PST
From: Steve Glover
East Bay Birders,
This morning I went out to Iron House Sanitary District at Oakley looking for the Franklin's Gull and Swamp Sparrow found by Denise Wight yesterday. I did not find the Swamp Sparrow but the Franklin's Gull was present from 9:30 to 12:00. It was in the muddy field just after the ponds, amongst Ring-billed and Mew Gulls. This is a first-winter bird and sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the other gulls present which are much paler overall. I managed 66 species overall including (in no particular order) Spotted Sandpiper, Orange-crowned Warbler (3), Tree Swallow (200+ over Big Break), Green Heron, Hummingbird Sp. (unusual to find a hummingbird in east county in winter, most likely an Anna's), Tricolored Blackbird, Common Moorhen and Raven.
On Sunday we walked around a bit at the new Round Valley Regional Park on Marsh Creek Rd. The park is primarily open oak woodland so there weren't lots of species. We did have Hairy Woodpecker, numerous Golden-crowned Kinglets, several Golden Eagles, a House Wren and 3 Rock Wrens. This seems like a very likely spot for Phainopepla.
Steve Glover
Original Message Re: Phainopepla Subject List
RFI: North Mexico
Mon, 16 Nov 1998 20:11:43
From: Graham Etherington
Hi everyone, I'm planning a 2 week birding trip to Mexico this Christmas, and am looking for sight info and suggest itineraries for my journey. I will be driving from SF on 21 Dec, going into Mexico on about 23 Dec and then coming back up into Texas on about 5 Jan, travelling back across the southern states. I just really need info on Mexico, preferable in the form of an email attachment, but reimbursing postage and photocopying expenses is no problem.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me,
Graham Etherington,
UC Berkeley
(510)664-2867
more on cat hearing
Mon, 16 Nov 1998 20:49:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Emilie
Thank you for your response and interest. I just rec'd an agenda and "interdepartmental correspondence: feral and abandoned cat study - program recommendations" from EBRPD. Please note that feral cat recommendations will be presented on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 4 PM, not 3 PM as I had noted earlier. Public comment will begin at 4:30. The hearing will be part of the agenda of the Natural Resources Committee.
To receive a copy of the packet, contact Tom Mikkelsen (EBRPD) and hopefully he can fax it to you (ph. 635-0135). The EBRPD will accept letters on this subject, which will be distributed to respective committee members at the Thursday meeting, or you can go to the meeting and submit a letter which will become part of the public record. When Mikkelson was contacted, he said that participants "may" also be able to read your letter at the meeting if the committee allows (!) but the agenda sets aside time for public comment. By the way, I suggest noting in your letter that you would like to be put on the list to receive an agenda/correspondance for any additional feral cat hearings/committee meetings; evidently, inclusion on this list is not guaranteed otherwise.
Presumably, letters could be faxed. Contact Tom Mikkelsen at EBRPD for fax no. or to answer questions.
The packet is very disorganized, but a survey of cat numbers within each park ("staff opinion"; ie. no formal protocol for surveying) states that 194+ cats are present on EBRPD lands. Some of the data is current (it is impossible to tell the date of the non-current data from the info. they provided).
The packet also states that 72 cats have been trapped by volunteer cat rescue/advocacy groups during the 18-month pilot project. It does not indicate if some of these animals were re-released onto park property. The main issue is establishment of cat feeding stations - the program legalizes this activity under the auspices of "trapping". Preferably, this program should be discontinued and EBRPD staff should take responsibility for cat removal. If the volunteer program is continued, then formal reports must be prepared by EBRPD staff (NOT the cat rescue groups) (as Peter R. pointed out). The American Bird Conservancy requested that guidelines be devloped to ensure protection of wildlife while feeding and trapping of cats continues, that info. be provided on how long cat food will be left out and during what time of day, will feeders remove cat food from the park, and records of trapped cats and their fate must be made available to the public, etc.
The packet discusses results of a pilot project at the Coyote Pt. Museum. initiated by San Mateo County. The county should be commended for abandoning its trap, neuter, and re-release program at the Coyote Point Museum..."while the ..program successfully reduced the number of cats at Coyote Point, the County (note: not EBRPD) has abandoned the program due to continued impacts on park wildlife (ducks, songbirds) from resident cats involved in the program". Evidently all non-adoptable animals were released back into the park. "According to Ranger Gilley, who witnessed most of the attacks on wildlife, the County will not entertain any new requests for (neuter and release) programs".
The hearing will be held at the EBRPD office located at: District Headquarters - Board Room, 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, POB 5381, Oakland, CA 94605-0381.
Thank you.
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