Eastern Contra Costa County
Thu, 13 May 1999 15:33:25 PDT
From: Steve Glover
Hello atlasers and east bay birders,
This morning I spent most of my time at Iron House Sanitary District near Oakley. This is the first day out there that I have encountered much in the way of migrants and I added a few birds to my list there. Highlights today included the following:
Common Yellowthroat - Begging juvs. in 2 spots
Warbling Vireo - 3
Black-headed Grosbeak - 2 males
Blue Grosbeak - 1 singing male near the trailhead
Mallard - 2 families, 1 with 10 babies, 1 with 11
Black Rail - at least 7 and the alarm call heard again
Yellow Warbler - 5 singing males
Wilson's Warbler - 3 singing
Yellow-breasted Chat - 1 singing but well out in the willows
Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Anna's Hummingbird - singing male. Their status is unclear there. I would have assumed that Black-chinned would be there in summer but thus far I have not found one.
Hermit Warbler - 1
Townsend's Warbler - 1 singing
American Wigeon - 1 male
Northern Shoveler - 1 male
Common Raven - 1
American Bittern - 2 circling overhead and croaking caused one on the group to begin "pumping"
Later on I did a little bit of atlasing in a couple of the blocks in north county around Pittsburg and Bay Point. These are anything but beautiful blocks. At the McAvoy Yacht Harbor on Pt. Chicago Hwy I found a public access trail out the the banks of the river. You park at the entrance to the harbor and walk west. At the gate go north. It is about a 10-minute walk to the river where there are about 10 very pathetic trees. There were several fishermen there (they always seem to know the spots better than we do!). This is basically a slough with a fair amount of Clapper and Black Rail habitat, although I heard neither. The area is dominated by Song Sparrows (presumably maxillaris), Common Yellowthroats and Marsh Wrens. A bittern flushed and flew east. There were also 2 Golden-crowned Sparrows on the way out. This is definitely the spring for trying to establish late dates (although this wasn't one as there are several records from both Alameda and Contra Costa counties from early to mid June).
I didn't see any good spots to try to look for Steve Rottenborn's Little Blue Heron. This is the one and only spot that will get you to the river but I saw no herons while I was there.
By the way, there is a tanager calling out my window at this very moment, a new yard bird.
Steve Glover
Paso Nogal yesterday
Thu, 13 May 1999 17:14:51 PDT
From: Denise Wight
Hi E.B.Birder,
I had a nice migrant wave yesterday, 12 May 1999, at Paso Nogal park in Pleasant Hill, and thought I would pass on the info. Most of all, I wanted to make sure anyone who lives in the Diablo Valley knows about this park. It's a nice place to go if you live in the area and only have a limited amount of time to bird.
In Pleasant Hill, take Taylor Blvd. to Morello Ave. Head north on Morello a few blocks to Kiki Dr. and turn left. Park at the end of the road and you're at the "back" entrance to the park. The good birding start where the pavement ends. There is a main parking lot off Paso Nogal Drive, but I don't bird here often because there are lots of dogs. The entire park is designated a "dog park", but weekday mornings are quiet from the Kiki Dr. entrance.
Highlights for 12 May 1999: 8 to 9 AM
Western Wood-Peewee 2
Pacific-slope Flycatcher 2
Swainson's Thrush 4
Warbling Vireo 5
Cassin's Vireo 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Townsend's Warbler 3
Hermit Warbler 3
Wilson's Warbler 4
Western Tanager 8
Black-headed Grosbeak 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2 (still here)
Bullock's Oriole 1
Within the past few months I have also seen Hammond's Flycatcher, and flyby Vaux's Swifts. Last fall a low-flying Golden Eagle was being pursued by a Red-tailed Hawk, and last spring three California Thrashers were singing at one time. Acorn Woodpecker nest here.
Today, 13 May 1999, in Tilden Park there was a MacGillivray's Warbler along the Seaview Trail in the large pine grove on the bay side.
Fwd: [MBB] Mines Road Highlights
Thu, 13 May 1999 17:52:37 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East-Bay-Birders:
Passing along a post from Marj Bourret from Monterey Bay Birds. She reports on her birding trip down Mines Road in Alameda County on 5-12-99. She is reporting a Dickcissel along Mines Road at MP 8.29.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 12:14:52 -0700
From: Marjorie A. Bourret
To: Monterey Bay Birds
Subject: [MBB] Mines Road HighlightsHighlights of a Mines Road trip taken on May 12 by Traveling Geriatric Warders Barbara Scharfenstein, Lorraine Elrod, Virginia DeWolfe and my self included:
A breeding plumage male Dickcissel at mile 8.29 on Mines Road; a Roadrunner and a Great Blue Heron foraging within 20 feet of one another on a field on Del Puerto Canyon road; a male Costa's Hummingbird in the tree tobacco on Del Puerto Canyon road; 2 male Wood Ducks and a Spotted Sandpiper just coming into breeding plumage on a pond along Antone Valley Road, and a Lewis' Woodpecker on the same road.
Also of note were Western Bluebirds in the same area as the Dickcissel, a pair of Lazuli Buntings, a Phainopepla, and an Ash-throated Flycatcher. Altogether we found 48 species of birds.
Animals of interest were a glimpse of a bobcat on Highway 84, 3 deer at various places, and 13 elk on private property along Del Puerto Canyon Road. Plus a road-killed California brown weasel given to us by a passing resident of Mines Road. It was in such good condition we planned to take it to the Santa Cruz Museum, but it got so ripe in the heat of the car that we had to dispense with it along the way.
Marj Bourret
Wildcat Canyon and Albany Crescent
Thu, 13 May 1999 21:01:35 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning (Thursday), Ore Carmi and I (and 2 other people) joined Alan Kaplan for a birdwalk from Clark Rd into the north end of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park on the Clark-Boas Trail up to the Belgum Trail on the ridgetop. This is the same walk I took last Sunday (we saw no sign of the promised use of herbicide on the artichoke thistle). We failed to find the Grasshopper Sparrow, our target bird, but we did have great looks at Lazuli Bunting. Bewick's Wren were singing in trees everywhere, and we heard California Quail both near the parking area and up near the ridgetop.
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) - flyover
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
California Quail (Callipepla californica) - heard only (2 places)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Common Raven (Corvus corax) - heard only
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) - heard only
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) - heard only
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - heard only (all over the place)
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) - heard only
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) - heard only
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - numerous flyovers
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata) - heard only
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) - heard only
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis) - heard only
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) - heard only
Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
After Alan's walk, Ore and I headed over to the south end of the Albany Crescent (north of the racetrack, at the end of Buchanan St), where signs say "Albany Waterfront Trail." We found the flock of Red Knots, as well as a lot of Dunlins (many in summer plumage). There were some dowitchers, including some with "robin-red" breasts, but the mix of plumages on all the birds made it difficult to tell when you were seeing real species differences. Among the peeps, I was pretty sure about Western Sandpipers, and we agreed that there probably were some Sanderlings, but we never could find any that seemed unmistakably Least Sandpipers. There were quite a lot of Semipalmated Plovers. This spot gives you nice close looks, so that you can do pretty well without a scope, but we were still a bit frustrated. Just when you think you've got the winter plumages pretty well sorted out, they go and change on you! :-)
Western or Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus sp.)
Great Egret (Ardea albus)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americanus)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
Sanderling (?) (Calidris alba)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA