[EBB Sightings] Mines Road/Del Puerto Canyon Rd. Bird Spp. & Other Taxa

4/27/08???Mines Road and del Puerto Canyon Rd., Alameda, Santa Clara and Stanislaus Co.

On Sunday, my class from Merritt College (?Bird Song Ecology?) enjoyed observing the following species of both local interest and seasonal/phenological intrigue: 

MINES ROAD:

- WESTERN TANAGER (1, male, seen) (initially seen by Leslie Fitch and her group) 

- ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (3, seen and heard)

- YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE (4 seen, 3 heard)

- BULLOCK?s ORIOLE (using plastic woven, pendulous nest, colored red and blue) (another true pendulous nest and female within it spotted by Cosmo Lettich)

DEL PUERTO CANYON ROAD:

- WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE (1, heard)

- GOLDEN EAGLE (1, sub-adult, seen)

Also worth noting (and highlighting with joy-colored marker):

- 1 baby (precocial) KILLDEER (not more than a ~week old) next to an adult of the same sp. on Mines Road within the flat, rocky substrate riparian area (kudos to Harv Wilson?s ID on the newborn as I went to get the scope after first hearing, then seeing the adult from 300?)

- 4 newborn HOUSE FINCH in a nest at the firehouse area across the ?store?  at  the del Puerto Canyon Rd. intersection; thanks to Leslie Fitch for pointing me toward this nest and gaping/begging babies.

- 4 butterfly species: W. Tiger Swallowtail, Orange Sulphur, Sara Orangetip, Cabbage White

- 1 newborn BRUSH RABBIT (Sylvilagus bachmani, seen, cuter than cute)



Daniel Edelstein

Novato, CA (Bay Area)

&


Ellison Bay, WI

http://www.warblerwatch.com 

http://warblerwatch.blogspot.com (my blog devoted to wood-warblers)

12 Kingfisher Court
Novato, CA 94949-6628 USA
415-382-1827 (voice & DSL fax)