Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, Saturday
Sat, 26 Jun 1999 18:28:27 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello folks,
In addition to the usual suspects, at 5 PM at Arrowhead and Mitigation marshes [in Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline, Oakland] I had:
More than 60 Willets, most resplendent in breeding (I loathe "alternate") plumage
One Marbled Godwit
One WhimbrelSix Greater Yellowlegs, three of which were substantially smaller than the other three, which gave me a few minutes of hope for Lessers, but good sense prevailed, and then all six flew off together.
Two basic plumage, very skinny, Bonaparte's Gulls were foraging in the shallow pools in Mitigation Marsh.
Good Birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Nimitz Way, Tilden Regional Park
Sat, 26 Jun 1999 21:47:18 -0700
From: Larry Tunstall
This morning I walked about 2.6 miles north from Inspiration Point on Nimitz Way along San Pablo Ridge in Tilden Regional Park. It was a beautiful day with very little wind, and birds were quite vocal and active all during my walk, from around 9 AM to noon.
Highlights were a Great Horned Owl sitting on an exposed branch in excellent view quite near the trail a short distance from Inspiration Point, and a group of Lawrence's Goldfinches including at least one male and two fledglings feeding on the ground near the trail about half a mile north of Inspiration Point.
Here's my list (without Ore, my voice-only identifications are a bit more tentative than usual - I've omitted the really unsure ones):
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aura)
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
2 accipiters (Accipiter sp.) - I think 1 Cooper's and 1 Sharp-shinned
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - 1 probable juvenile plus adults
California Quail (Callipepla californica) - heard only
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) - heard only
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) - heard only
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) - many seen, juveniles heard
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) - heard only
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - heard only
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) - heard only
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)
Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla)
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria)
Lawrence's Goldfinch (Carduelis lawrencei)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Good birding, Larry Tunstall
El Cerrito CA
Re: Nimitz Way, Tilden Regional Park
Sun, 27 Jun 1999 20:38:13 -0700
From: Michelle Sixta
Well, we must have past each other along the way. My friend and I were heading out from Inspiration Point to the north at about 9:30 AM this morning and finished at about Noon. I'm somewhat of a crispy critter now - forgot the sun screen.
Not being such a pro like you Larry, I saw many birds but wasn't quick at the draw with my binocs. I saw the following that I could confidently ID:
immature Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vultures
Western Bluebirds
Red-winged Blackbird
California Thrasher
Spotted Towhee
Lark Sparrow
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
California Towhee
California Quail (at about 10 ft)
And, an added treat, my first-time spotting of a coyote at about 10 feet. It walked right across the trail in front of me and my friend.
I'm very jealous of you for the sighting of the owl. I have yet to get a good look at one to get a positive ID. It always burns me up when friends of mine, who don't bird, relate their stories of owl sightings. I guess I've never been in the right place at the right time. And maybe I just haven't done enough birding since I started about 4 years ago!
Hope you all enjoyed this beautiful day!
Michelle Sixta
NOTE: It appears that Michelle was out on Sunday, whereas I was out on Saturday. Larry Tunstall