Terns at Oakland Airport
Mon, 23 Aug 1999 15:07:06 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Hello Birders,
Sunday morning I birded the pond at the northwest end of the Oakland Airport runway and enjoyed a rare sight: Four species of tern in the scope at once: Elegant Tern, Common Tern, Forster's Tern, and Least Tern. I was using my new toy, a Celestron C5 spotting scope, which is very heavy, but worth the weight. To get to the pond from Doolittle Drive, turn onto Harbor Bay Parkway and drive out beyond the office buildings. When you see a pile of dirt on the right, you're just about there. Look for the first opportunity to do a U-turn and drive back to the rip-rap seawall that keeps the pond separate from the Bay. The terns were roosting with shorebirds on a mud spit. Good luck!
Here's the complete list of what I saw at the pond.
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
California Gull (Larus californicus)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Elegant Tern (Sterna elegans)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Least Tern (Sterna antillarum)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Re:Terns at Oakland Airport
Tue, 24 Aug 1999 14:15:39 -0700
From: Courtenay Peddle
Oops, I forgot to mention that the pond where I saw the terns is in Oakland, which is significant if you're an inveterate lister like me!
Good birding!
Courtenay Peddle
Lake Merritt & Albany mudflats
Wed, 25 Aug 1999 16:35:26 -0700
From: Bob Brandriff
East Bay Birders:
During my lunchtime walk around Lake Merritt yesterday, I saw a Green Heron perched next to the water. It then flew across the lake and onto one of the islands close to the Rotary Science Center. First time I've seen that species on the lake. Haven't seen any Least Terns here for about a month.
Earlier this week, in addition to the regular shorebirds, there were two Red Knots at the Albany mudflats [between Point Isabel and Golden Gate Fields].
Good birding.
Bob
Bob Brandriff
Berkeley, CA 94708
Request for directions to Calabasis Marsh
Fri, 27 Aug 1999 00:34:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: J. D. Phillips
Birders,
I'm interested in directions to Calabasis (sp?) Marsh in Sunnyvale. Is this the area near Alviso that some call Sunnyvale Baylands Park? If so, I'm fairly familiar with this area, but am not sure exactly which part is the Calabasis Marsh. I'd like to see the Stilt Sandpiper that's been reported there. Directions (to the marsh and the sandpiper!) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much.
J.D. Phillips
Stilt Sandpiper still at Calabazas Marsh
Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:53:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: J. D. Phillips
The Stilt Sandpiper was still at Calabazas Marsh in Sunnyvale as of about 1:00 PM today. Relatively easy to find, tucked in with the dowitchers on the north side of the northernmost pond. Thanks to all of you who sent me directions.
Cheers,
J.D. Phillips
[J.D. passes along the following directions: Go to the Sunnyvale Baylands Park on the north side of Hwy 237 at Lawrence Expwy (there is an entrance fee). Park as far east in the parking lot as possible. Walk east along the paved path, parallel to Hwy 237. Cross a small bridge, then turn left (north) along the dike. The mudflat with the shorebirds is the northernmost pond on the right.]
Early evening bird walks
Fri, 27 Aug 1999 20:57:22 -0700
From: Judy
I work full time so I catch up on sleep on the weekend AM's. Aren't there any people wanting to go for evening - just before sundown - walks, weekends preferred?