[EBB Sightings] Harris sparrow at Sunol, SPTO escapes bobcat!

As long as we're talking about dangerous felines, I
know this is a birding list, but thought I'd share my
sighting of a mountain lion.  A month ago on 580
between Castro Valley and Dublin, on the grassy hills
on the north side, I saw what I could swear was a
mountain lion.  I always look for deer there, and
usually spot some, but this was so out of the ordinary
that I was about 75% sure it was a mountain lion.

Today on BART, at the same spot, I saw it much better,
and now I am about 95% sure.  The body shape, the
muscular shoulders, the shoulder movement the way cats
walk, size, etc., everything said "mountain lion".  He
was walking leisurely through the grass about 200
yards up from the freeway.  So, keep an eye out next
time you're on 580 (but try not to crash when looking
as my wife always reminds me).

Anyway, just thought I'd share... back to birds now.

--- Les Chibana  wrote:
> Jackie,
> 
> SPTO is a four-letter code for Spotted Towhee,
> formerly Rufous-sided 
> Towhee (RSTO).
> 
> Basic etiquette (usually unwritten) for most bird
> lists suggests that 
> posters spell out a bird's common name at the first
> usage followed by 
> whatever code you use. Thereafter, the code can be
> used. There are at 
> least a couple 4-letter and a 6-letter code code
> system.
> 
> You can read about some of the codes on Kendric
> Smith's website,
> South Bay Birders Unlimited
> 
> go to the Information Archives
> 
> Les
> ---
> Les Chibana
> BirdNUTZ(tm) - Ornigasmic Birding
> Palo Alto Baylands Birding Classes
> em 
> web 
> ph 650-949-4335
> fx 650-949-4137
> snailmail: SR2 Box 335, La Honda CA 94020
> 
> On Apr 26, 2005, at 1:45 PM, Jackie Vaughan wrote:
> 
> > For those of us not so up on all the birding
> lingo, what is an SPTO?
> > �
> > -Jackie Pierson
> >
> > l.p.ellis at att.net wrote:
> > On Sat. 4/23, we observed the Harris' sparrow
> several times.� Previous 
> > posters have reported observing it near the
> porta-potties�in the small 
> > parking lot beyond the "green barn".� When it
> disappears into the 
> > brush, it can often be found behind (creekside
> of)�this area, foraging 
> > with the GCSPs along�the muddy dirt road to the
> right as you cross the 
> > footbridge.� This road goes directly to the creek,
> impassable now with 
> > the very high flow.� There is water (after a
> shower) in the rut on the 
> > right side of the road.� The GCs come down first
> and are joined by the 
> > HASP, usu for a brief visit only.
> > �
> > While looking at the sparrow, a bobcat, coming
> from upstream,�crossed 
> > the foot of the road at the creek and continued
> downstream in the 
> > understory.� It crossed the path leading to the
> footbridge, and tail 
> > quivering, lunged into the understory just
> downstream, flushing a 
> > SPTO.�Then it walked up onto the deck of the
> classroom building.� When 
> > I heard crows scolding, I continued downstream
> along the edge of the 
> > brush, and saw the cat hunkered down about 30 feet
> away, enjoying a 
> > kill.� I took several photos while he? feasted,
> looking up at me 
> > occasionally.� After 5-10 minutes, he walked
> toward the creek.� He 
> > didn't have anything in his mouth.� About an hour
> later, I returned to 
> > the site of the kill to see what he had eaten.�
> All that remained was 
> > the tail of a ground squirrel!� Other hikers to
> Little Yosemite 
> > reported seeing a bobcat there too, at about the
> same time.
> > �
> > While in the area, look at the right side wall of
> the�office building� 
> > to see a white=breasted nuthatch enter its large
> nest hole to feed 
> > young.� A house wren was seen "apartment hunting"
> on the same wall to 
> > the right of shiny metal ventilation? ducts on
> Thursday.� 
> > Red=shouldered hawk can be observed on nest in
> sycamore downsteam�from 
> > mid-bridge.� An oriole nest with shiny cellophane
> Easter grass is in 
> > the syc with the old RSHA nest.� There is a
> Cassin's vireo nest 
> > suspended in a live oak above the trail leading
> left from the bridge.� 
> > It's an old oak with a long=healed stub of a large
> branch extending to 
> > the left side of the trail.
> > �
> > We heard turkeys in the park and saw 2 toms and a
> hen at the stop sign 
> > at the end of Geary Road at Calaveras Rd.
> > �
> > Lee Ellis
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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