Thursday morning at Tilden
Thu, 4 Mar 1999 18:20:40 -0800
From: Sheila Junge
This morning at Tilden Park about 10 participants enjoyed a clear sunny, morning for Alan Kaplan's Thursday morning birdwalk on the Seaview Trail near Inspiration Point. We had some great looks at very cooperative birds who at times seemed ready to come almost to our feet.
My list included: Dark-eyed Junco, American Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Double-crested Cormorant, Hermit Thrush, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Western Bluebird, Anna's Hummingbird, Wrentit, Turkey Vulture, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Varied Thrush, Northern Flicker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Western Scrub-Jay, California Towhee, Steller's Jay, Red-tailed Hawk
Happy birding
Sheila Junge
Sunday morning on Nimitz Way
Sun, 7 Mar 1999 20:12:59 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning, Ore and I walked north on Nimitz Way from Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park. Beautiful morning, but we didn't see too many birds out in the chaparral, perhaps because the wind was fairly brisk at times. Here's my list:
Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk (calling loudly near Inspiration Point, as it had been on Thursday morning, and surveying the scene from high in a tree nearby), Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin (uncertain ID - hadn't yet ruled out immature Sharp-shinned when it flew out of sight), Rock Dove (probable flock in distance), Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, unidentified hummingbirds (thought we heard some non-Anna's calls, but never saw the birds), Nuttall's Woodpecker (heard), Hairy Woodpecker (heard, probable visual ID), Northern Flicker (heard), unidentified swallows or swifts in distance over Wildcat Peak, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee (heard), Oak Titmouse (heard), Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper (heard), Bewick's Wren (heard), Golden-crowned Kinglet (heard), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, Wrentit, California Thrasher (heard), Hutton's Vireo, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch (heard), American Goldfinch (heard)
As you can probably tell from this list, Ore is getting extremely good at identifying birds by ear. I can recognize a few, but I still get confused between Anna's Hummingbirds and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, so I still have a ways to go!
Another birder encountered on the trail said they had recently seen a Peregrine Falcon fly low over the trail. Perhaps the resident on the edge of Wildcat Canyon Park in the Berkeley Hills of El Cerrito who told me some time ago that a pair of Peregrines were nesting near her house was not mistaken.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/
Sunday morning at Tilden Botanical Garden
Sun, 7 Mar 1999 21:36:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Condit
This morning, 7 March, Marsha Feinland and I took a short walk in the Tilden Botanical Garden and later up the Seaview Trail a ways.
The birds present were pretty much the usual suspects. There were a pair of Red-tailed Hawks over the Botanical Garden and a kettle of them visible from the Seaview Trail at a location over the Berkeley Hills - about five.
In the Botanical Garden there was a Black Phoebe doing a lot of babyish calling. On close inspection, it had traces of juvenal plumage, so it would appear that at least one pair of phoebes has already successfully nested this year.
Golden-crowned Sparrows are still present in small numbers.
Tom Condit
You sometimes see the darnedest things
Mon, 8 Mar 1999 09:17:33 PST
From: Doug Greenberg
Sorry folks, I haven't been able to get out birding much recently, what with young non-birding kids and all. But I did see something noteworthy last week as I dutifully drove toward Costco in Richmond to do some large-quantity shopping. I was driving along I-80 between Ashby and University, right past Berkeley Aquatic Park. Perched on one of the cypress trees that are planted on the "frontage" road there parallel to the freeway and bordering Aquatic Park was a gorgeous Red-shouldered hawk. Needless to say, I did a double-take (fortunately, I did not rear-end the car in front of me :-) .
I also spotted an Osprey flying overhead at San Francisco State University a couple of weeks ago. Just goes to show you, ya gotta keep your eyes open at all times.
Doug Greenberg
Alameda - Sunday
Mon, 8 Mar 1999 11:27:40
From: Graham Etherington
Hi all, Just a brief note about a short trip out yesterday (Sunday). I started off at Berkeley waterfront and then went on to Arrowhead Marsh:
BONAPARTES GULL - 2 adults behind the See-breeze cafe, on the north side of Berkeley Marina approach road.SURFBIRDS - 42+ on and just north of Pt. Emery. These birds were feeding on the rocky shorelines at high tide with about 20 Black Turnstones. I saw 25 birds there 3 weeks ago, but I've been away recently, so haven't checked in between times.
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER - 2 birds just south of Pt. Emery
EURASIAN WIGEON - 2 drakes at Arrowhead Marsh, on the most SW pool, just north of the first carpark.
That's it for now. Good birding.
Graham Etherington
UC Berkeley