[EBB Sightings] Burrowing Owl at Bay Farm Island

Marsha Feinland and I found the Burrowing Owl on Bay Farm Island today, 
after being somewhat confused by Marilyn Trabert's directions. During our 
confusion we saw other interesting things. More about them later.

When you park on Veterans Court, you will see straight ahead of you a 
wooden footbridge which goes under the car bridge you just came across. 
The  six or eight feet of pavement leading to that is, I guess, "the paved 
trail" (but there's another one). After you cross the footbridge, you'll 
come to an intersection with a bicycle and pedestrian bridge which also 
crosses San Leandro Channel. Keep going east on the asphalt path, with a 
cyclone fence on your right. Then follow the rest of the directions below. 
For those of you haven't seen a Burrowing Owl before, it's the thing that 
looks like a brown rock sitting on the hillside. In this area are both 
crowned sparrows (especially white-crowned), many Meadowlarks, 
Yellow-rumped Warblers, and, of course, Starlings.

We started getting confused looking for a paved path, and wound up going up 
into Veterans Memorial Park, which is full of granite benches but nothing 
resembling Burrowing Owls, cyclone fences or eucalyptus trees. During our 
confusion, as we stood by the roadside on Veterans Court, a Clapper Rail 
came out of the grass into full sight and began vigorously probing the mud, 
finally coming up with what appeared to a mussel and then disappearing back 
into the vegetation to eat it. If we'd known what we were doing, we never 
would have seen it.

Also seen: Spotted Sandpiper, Surf Scoters, Horned and Eared Grebes, lots 
of Bufflehead, Coots.

At 06:31 PM 12/4/06 -0800, Marilyn Trabert wrote:
>Today during a birdwalk with friends at Bay Farm Island, we saw a 
>Burrowing Owl.  (Directions follow)  As you face the water, turn right and 
>walk down the paved trail towards the bridge, then continue  to the second 
>concrete bench, which is not far after the big eucalyptus.  The owl was on 
>the hill behind the cyclone fence.  As we walked out it was at a burrow 
>almost directly in line with the bench, but on the way back it was 
>somewhat to the left of that spot.
>Among other species seen today were one American Pipit, Spotted Sandpiper, 
>Black-bellied Plover, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, Belted Kingfisher, 
>Horned and Pied-billed Grebe, Anna's Hummingbird, Western Meadowlark, lots 
>of scaup and Bufflehead.
>Directions to Bay Farm Island
>Take Hwy 24 to I-880 south (the Nimitz).  Exit at High Street.  Turn right 
>at the traffic signal (not before) and cross the High Street Bridge.  Make 
>the first left onto Fernside.  When Fernside ends, turn left at Otis and 
>cross another bridge.  As soon as the bridge ends turn right on Island 
>Drive, then immediately turn right again onto Veterans Court.  Look for 
>4-hour parking area along curb.
>Marilyn Trabert
>Walnut Creek
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Tom Condit
tomcondit at igc.org