[EBB Sightings] Friday morning at Jewel Lake

Dear Birders;

Maury Stern was among the 20 or so birders who gathered at the parking lot for the first-Friday-of-the month Golden Gate Audubon trip.  The day before he led a similar walk to Jewel Lake for the Diablo chapter experiencing a banner day for migrants.  He hoped to repeat the performance.  No such luck.  At least he was kind enough not to say: "Why did I bother?" 

While yesterday had been clear and warm, today was cool with the morning beginning with fog which cleared away within in an hour.  We speculated that last night the migrants had taken advantage of the clear evening sky and had moved on while the foggy morning in the canyon may have discouraged new arrivals that might have set down.  Nothing stimulates speculation like the mysteries of migration.

The stars of the morning were the two calling Sharp-shinned Hawk fledgings who flew back and forth below us on the Pack Rat trail.  Dave Quady spotted the stick nest in a live oak close to where one of the birds perched.  We had some interesting conversation on the differences between "Sharpies" and the other accipiter nesting in the canyon, the Cooper's Hawk.

Among the passerines was a Townsend's Warbler, a Warbling Vireo, a Pacific slope Flycatcher and a still-singing Wilson's Warbler whose song lacked the vehemence of its spring song. 

The Swainson's Thrush is still around "whitting" in the thickets.  Maury reported that yesterday his group had good looks at a newly-arrived Hermit Thrush confirming that in early September the two species often overlap.

Regular visits to Jewel Lake are likely to turn up many migrants over the next few weeks, along with early arrivals among the birds that will spend the winter.

-- Phila Rogers