[EBB Sightings] Lapland Longspur, Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley

Hi all:

Today's highlights:
2 Eurasian Wigeon males, one still in a slight molt.
1 Lapland Longspur, Cesar Chavez Park.  NE corner of the main grassy area at the corner of Marina and Spinnaker. There's a prominent red pipe there. I left the Longspur munching grass peacefully.
10,000 shorebirds in a tizzy just because a Harrier was coursing through them. Frank's Dump.
9 Elegant Terns at San Leandro Marina
1 Short-eared Owl at San Leandro Marina*

A digiscoped image of the Longspur can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14935921 at N00/

Good Birding,

Bob Power
Oakland, CA

*In the category of "Hmmmmm, never expected to see THAT...." I went to the shoreline opposite the little island and the big island adjacent to the parcourse at the south end of San Leandro Marina.  It was 2 hours after high tide, and the islands were still surrounded by water. As I approached, I saw a fisherman wade across the channel up to his upper thighs, in his underwear and bare feet (no digiscopes; I have my limits).  All of the birds on the little island flushed, and then he proceeded to cross the next channel over to the big island.  On the south side of the big island a large flock of Terns and Willets was roosting, and as he approached, they all flushed.  I watched the shorebirds fly over to the little island and then I watched the terns. There was a funny tern mixed in with them as they wheeled about 200 yards off-shore. This Tern had a huge head and big rounded wings.... He'd flushed a Short-eared Owl off the island.  I watched the Owl for
 several minutes as it headed south and to its peril, stayed over the bay instead of shooting for the golf course.  First one then two then a third gull started harassing the owl when I lost it in the haze to the south.