[EBB Sightings] Fw: Re: today

Dear Birders:

I was surprised and delighted to pull into the parking lot at Jewel lake to discover a group of about 10 people assembling on this first day of the new year.   

Dave Quady was once again able to join us and because he completed the walk, I'm sending along his notes and comments.

"On Friday, January 1, 2010 I helped Phila Rogers with her regular first Friday of the month bird walk to Jewel Lake, in Tilden Park.? We began at 8:30 am.  Phila left at about 10:00 am, and I continued with most of
the group until nearly 11:00 am.? Today we lingered at the end of the road, then walked slowly down the fire trail to the Jewel Lake dam.? I took the group a short distance west along the dam, then we retraced our
steps.? I met George Peyton who was there to begin his year list.

Today I recorded only 19 species on the trip.? Others reported hearing a Northern Flicker and a Song Sparrow that I missed.? Otherwise I believe I recorded everything that anyone else did.?

On our walk back to the parking area I saw a small bird foraging beneath the low vegetation on the east side of the road that I believe was probably a Winter Wren (by size, quickness of movement, habitat and foraging behavior, and overall coloration -- warm reddish brown above, unspotted, but seen only with my naked eye at about 20 ft range because I had lent my binoculars to a participant.? I chose not to count it.

I was surprised that we did not encounter any sparrow flocks (except for a few juncos),or many warblers.

Weather was fine: a few sprinkles early that posed no difficulty, calm, mostly cloudy, about 50 degrees. 

The Mallard flock (10) on Jewel Lake included one female that quacked enthusiastically. Other ducks on Jewel Lake included:  Bufflehead?3 (two females and one male), Common Goldeneye 3 (two females and a male whose face pattern was only faintly developed so its white mark looked crescent-like by it head profile screamed "Common"), Hooded Merganser?(three females).

A White-tailed Kite, a surprising flyover, heading northeast.  My park bird!

Red-breasted Sapsucker?1.  This bird was working a small oak near the parking lot.
Steller's Jay?6
Western Scrub-Jay?3
American Crow??2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee ?10
Golden-crowned Kinglet?2.  Two birds seen well, at near eye level at
different locations.? Each was among a flock of about
four birds, the rest of which might well have been
Golden-crowned Kinglets, too.? But I didn't see them
well.? They were in oaks, not redwoods.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet? 4 
American Robin???2
Varied Thrush? 2?(seen on the fire road close to the upper end of Jewel Lake.? They foraged a bit on the edges of the road, then returned to cover before everyone could see them.? On our return walk, I saw one of the birds in a tree off the trail to the east.? It appeared to be a male, as had one of the birds seen earlier).
Wrentit?1?(Heard singing from chaparral west of the lake).
Townsend's Warbler?1
California Towhee?2
Fox Sparrow (sooty)?1? ? ?
Dark-eyed Junco?10
Phoebe 1 "