Tilden Nature Area on 18 April 1999
Wed, 16 Jun 1999 11:07:54 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This is another in an ongoing series of Golden Gate Audubon Society fieldtrip reports being saved "for the record" in the EBbird archives.
Date: 18 April 1999
Place: Tilden Regional Park Nature Area, Contra Costa County
Leader: Lewis Cooper
Habitats: oak forest, deciduous forest, eucalyptus forest, grasslands
12 participants. Clear, 52 to 65 °F, wind less than 5 mph.This annual spring trek into the Tilden Park Nature Area went very well. Local residents were on territory and were vocal, although total numbers were low. The cool wet spring, up until the last few days, may have put a damper on things. A migrant passage was little in evidence at this location today. For our beginning birders, we spent a considerable amount of time listening to and learning the songs of the locals. Wilson's and Orange-crowned Warblers, Warbling and Hutton's Vireos, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Purple Finch, and Black-headed Grosbeak were all part of the chorus. "Heard-not-seen" birds included Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Red-shouldered Hawk. Male Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds gave great views. Our most unusual sighting was a vocal parrot (Amazona sp.) that flew over us in the parking lot. Anyone missing a "Polly"? --Lew Cooper
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
American Coot (Fulica americana)
Band-tailed Pigeon (Columba fasciata)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin)
Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)
Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla)
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria)
Exotic: Parrot (Amazona sp.)
Reported to GGAS by the leader, posted to EBbird by Larry Tunstall.
Recent MLK shoreline sightings
Wed, 16 Jun 1999 16:51:54 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Here are my most interesting sightings of the last week at Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline in Oakland:
Add to the list of usual suspects:
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
a pair of which has recently taken up residence.
In addition to the usual suspects, I've seen the following birds in the past week, while walking my dog (which means no telescope!):
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) - a pair
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) - a pair
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) - carrying a fish that measured from the tip of its tail to the midline of its wing
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) - in adult plumage
Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia) - in basic plumage; I saw no carpal bar
The avocets appear to be having their second clutches. A whole new batch of balls of fluff have arrived.
Good birding!
Courtenay
Tilden Gorge Trail
Thu, 17 Jun 1999 19:16:26 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning from about 9:30 to 12:30, I walked the Wildcat Gorge Trail in Tilden Regional Park from near the Pony Ride to Lake Anza (returning along Central Park Dr). I was being lazy and didn't keep a formal list (well, okay - I forgot my notebook and pen!), but I heard and/or saw most of the usual suspects. Particularly noteworthy were several Brown Creepers not far from Lake Anza, unconcernedly browsing on tree trunks and branches within a few feet of the trail. Best views I've ever had, often right at eye level. In at least one case, there was a family with adults and a youngster.
Also there were a great many Chestnut-backed Chickadees, with lots of youngsters calling for food.
Good birding, Larry
Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Shadow Cliffs Great-tailed Grackles
Fri, 18 Jun 1999 20:46:22 -0700
From: Mike Feighner
East Bay Birds:
The pair of Great-tailed Grackles reported first on 9 May 1999 were still at the same location this evening at 6 PM in the reeds near the boat rental area. Shadow Cliffs Regional Park is about 4 miles from where I live, mid-way between Livermore and Pleasanton at the south side of Stanley Blvd. If you park outside along Stanley west of the entrance, you can avoid the $5 fee.
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA