Oakland - Berkeley today
Sat, 13 Mar 1999 23:06:35 -0800
From: John Luther
Today was a great day for waterbirds in the Oakland - Berkeley area. There was a Oldsquaw close to the rocks just south of the Berkeley pier and, while watching it, 4 calling Black Oystercatchers flew south over the pier. There were many Common Loons there and a Red-throated Loon.
While standing at the point at the end of Ashby Ave we found a male Tufted Duck about halfway between there and the Emeryville shore as we looked south. It was in a flock of scaup and a few Common Goldeneye. There was a Pacific Loon due west of the point. Many Black Turnstones, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Willets, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Plovers and Black-bellied Plovers were on the rocks and muddy shore. A single Long-billed Curlew flew over.
At Arrowhead Marsh area in Oakland there were 2 male Eurasian Wigeon in the first pond on the right as you drive into the park along with hundreds of American Wigeon. Out by the marsh itself there were gobs of ducks including a pair of Blue-winged Teal, many Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeon, 1 male Eurasian Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Lesser and Greater Scaup.
All seen by John Luther and Steve Rovell.
John Luther 13 Mar 1999
Cerrito Creek to Richmond Marina Bay
Mon, 15 Mar 1999 16:54:03 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Got rained out of my usual Sunday birding outing, so when the sun came poking through this morning, I decided to walk down to the bayshore and do a little exploring. I left the house about 9 AM, and didn't get home until about 3:40 PM, having walked pretty much steadily the whole time. My feet are a bit sore, but it was a nice day.
I started out intending to explore the path along the Albany Crescent that Steve Glover describes in his excellent "Guide to Finding Birds in Contra Costa County" on Joe Morlan's Contra Costa County Birding Page:
http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/ccsites.htm
It turns out that the path is closed at both ends by Caltrans landscaping work (they're actually planting coyote bush and other native plants - has Caltrans undergone a radical transformation to ecological sanity?). From the south, there is no path at all right now. From the north, if you can get through a short area of construction (and very sticky slippery mud), you can walk easily along the old path to a short distance south of Cerrito Creek. This may all change soon, though, because one of the workers told me that the entire length of the path should become a construction zone soon as it is readied for its role as part of the Bay Trail and the new Eastshore State Park. After exploring the Crescent, I walked north along Rydin Rd and then the Bay Trail to Shimada Friendship Park, cut across to Richmond Marina Bay (formerly Richmond Inner Harbor Basin), walked around the point where the new Vincent Park is open but very unfinished, then back to Pt Isabel, around the outer edge of the point, and then up Central Ave to home.
Highlight of the day was a lovely Pelagic Cormorant in the southeast corner of Richmond Marina Bay. I didn't have a scope, so I couldn't do much with the shorebirds out on the breakwaters or the waterbirds far out on the bay (not to mention Brooks Island), but here's my list of what I did see and more-or-less identify:
Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover (some actually getting black bellies!), Killdeer, American Avocet, Willet, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, dowitcher sp, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, unidentified swallows, American Crow, Bushtit, Marsh Wren (2 were singing loudly and displaying themselves for some time in dry vegetation right next to the trail north of Pt Isabel, quite some distance from the water or marsh), Northern Mockingbird, American Pipit, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, California Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, House Finch.
Some nice interpretive signs have been added along the trail between Pt Isabel and the Marina Bay housing development. Among the useful information on these panels is the name for the marshy area where the Bay Trail meets the housing development - it's called Meeker Slough. A panel next to Hoffman Channel (at the Pt Isabel end of the trail) has a lot of interesting information about the history of Pt Isabel.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
http://www.best.com/~folkbird/
Re: Cerrito Creek to Richmond Marina Bay
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 02:12:55 -0800 (PST)
From: Richard Mix
Howdy - We spent an hour at the marina from 4:30 PM - the cormorant was in the sun by then and I dismissed it as a Double-crested, but did of course think it rather slender at the time ...
The jaw drooper of the day was a Black Skimmer at the end of the pier - it was only a dozen yards away at one point before gulls chased it away, and I was able to add a species to my naked-eye list as well as my California list. Nearby was a probable immature Red-breasted Merganser, to go by the reddish head with a steep forehead, conspicuous white speculum, and red streaked brest. There were also a single Gadwall, several American Wigeons, scaup, Ruddy Ducks, Surf Scoters and Buffleheads. There were also quite a few Common Loons, most in grey plumages but at least one with a bright green head: they looked like whales after a while spent studying the grebes! The later were almost all Eared, though I found one very long and tan necked individual who swam in formation with two contrasting companioms the entire time (as well as one Aechmophorus). One had a cinnimon stripe down the back of its neck; when (and how far north of here) do they reach full breeding plumage?
Inside the bay found a single yellow-legged Least Sandpiper on the rocks, very calm and apparently oblivious to the frolicking rats, and over on the muddy side large numbers of Western Sandpipers, Marbled Godwits, Willets and Long-billed Curlews. The Black-bellied Plovers looked rather red beneath and had dark crowns (rather than white?), but one took pity on me and showed its very black armpits.
Thanks again for the Spotted Sandpiper hints last month! We havn't gotten a second look yet, but there's no doubt that was the Richmond Point bird.
Richard Mix, El Cerrito
Tufted Duck at Lake Merritt
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 09:47:57 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
Saw the female Tufted Duck again at the 3:30 PM [Tuesday] feeding behind the Rotary Nature Center at Lake Merritt. However, the Cattle Egret has not been seen for a few days, so presumably has departed for the summer.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Job openings at Lake Merritt
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 11:31:55 -0800
From: Larry Tunstall
The Rotary Nature Center at Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland has some job openings: a part-time Nature Center Attendant (work with birds and animals, prepare and present educational programs, interact with visitors - also clean ponds, pick up trash, and other routine work), and summer jobs for day camp naturalist and counselor. For details, see
http://www.naturecntr.com/employment.html
On the part-time job, the qualifications represent an "ideal" - if you feel you would be good at the job but don't have all the qualifications listed, talk to the staff at the Nature Center anyhow.
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA