Morgan Territory Road
Tue, 13 Apr 1999 14:08:49 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hello Atlasers and East Bay Birders,
This morning I went out to do a little atlasing on Morgan Territory Rd in Contra Costa County. For those of you who have never been out there, let me mention a few things. One of the good things about this road is that it is very lightly traveled. I think I saw about 5 cars in 2.5 hours this morning. The bad news is that this road is truly pretty dangerous for driving. It is very curvy and, in many places, not wide enough for two cars to pass each other (I found this out the hard way last spring). Definitely drive slow. The road follows Marsh Creek through some pretty dense oak/bay woodland and open sycamore woodland. You can access this road from Clayton and Livermore. The section I birded this morning was mostly sycamore woodland and savannah/ranch style. There were really no migrants to speak of, although the more heavily wooded sections further south of where I was are usually better (closer to Morgan Territory Regional Preserve).
I was able to confirm 5 new [nesting] species in the block. The only passerines I confirmed were Chestnut-backed Chickadee (carrying nest material into a cavity) and "Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco (with a faceful of nest material). In the area around the Morgan Barn (an obvious barn next to the road), I hit the jackpot. A Red-shouldered Hawk was nest-building, a Red-tailed Hawk was on a nest, and a Great Horned Owl was on a nest near the top of a Sycamore. A guy doing tree cutting also told me about a Barn Owl on eggs. I was able to find the spot but could not see the bird.
Summer residents present included numerous House Wrens, lots of Warbling Vireos, and several Western Kingbirds.
Good birding,
Steve Glover
Iron House, Yellow-headed Blackbird
Wed, 14 Apr 1999 13:36:29 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hello East Bay Birders,
This morning I birded Iron House Sanitary District at Oakley and, as usual, it was interesting. The highlight was Yellow-headed Blackbird(s) out near the outhouses where the Swamp Sparrows wintered. On the way out I heard at least one singing but was unable to ever locate it. Upon returning 5 males flew out and headed toward the dairy to the east. This isn't solid evidence of breeding but it is encouraging since the only record of nesting in Contra Costa County is old enough to be included in Grinnell and Miller (1944). I can't even find an April record from the county since 1979!
There were still basically no migrants around but I still managed about 70 species. The highlights, in the order I found them, are as follows:
Black Rail - 5 heard
Green Heron - several pairs
Caspian Tern - 36
Greater Scaup - at least one. Lesser is always more common out there, and today there were 40+ of those
Eared Grebe - 2, one in basic plumage, one in alternate plumage
Black-crowned Night-Heron - at least 10 in the area with the Yellow-headed Blackbirds
American White Pelican - A group of 8 and a group of 15, both heading east
Great Horned Owl - One in a snag at Marsh Creek
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 2, uncommon in east county
Swainson's Hawk - One light-phase swooping in and trying to pick a coot off the water! This doesn't seem like a particularly good strategy for a Swainson's Hawk and you have to wonder if the genes he/she inherited for coot hunting are likely to be passed on to many more generations. Needless to say it was an unsucessful attempt.
There were also a handfull of wintering species hanging on including Lincoln Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and American Pipit.
If you have the time, the weather was gorgeous out there today and is supposed to continue through tomorrow. It is rare to find spring days in east county that aren't windy and it wasn't today until about 12.
Steve Glover
Re: Iron House, Yellow-headed Blackbird
Wed, 14 Apr 1999 21:43:22 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
Steve and all:
Made it out to Ironhouse late this afternoon, 4-14-99, and found not 5 but 13 Yellow-headed Blackbirds. None were calling, and all were in flight. One group consisted of 6 birds in a westward flight and a 2nd group of 5 in a westward flight. Both groups were just west of the picnic tables. At the bridge one male flew to the north, while a 2nd male flew south.
I heard a total of three Black Rails, one Virginia Rail, three American Bitterns. Also present were about 12 American Pipits, 2 Common Snipe, and others.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Wintering Sparrows Still in Danville
Wed, 14 Apr 1999 22:03:58 -0700
From: Nancy Harrington
A flock of White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows (20 to 30) are still hanging out in my yard. Today a Fox Sparrow was there as well.
Nancy Harrington
Danville, CA