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9 May Re: Solitary Sandpiper in north Davis [Charles Walker ] 09 May G-T Grackles & Eurasian Collared-Doves ["Randy Little" ] 08 May Solitary Sandpiper in north Davis ["tertial" ] 08 May Mute Swan at Yolo Basin Wildlife Area ["aengilis" ] 07 May Yellow Warbler arrival dates in Davis ["Steve Hampton" ] 07 May Savannah Sparrows on territory at YBWA ["Steve Hampton" ] 6 May RE: Lincoln breeders ["Brian Williams" ] 06 May Re: Marbled Godwits at YBWA [Steve Abbott ] 6 May Lincoln breeders ["Brian Williams" ] 6 May Birds at Carnegie SVRA ["Craig Swolgaard" ] 06 May Too young for Alaska? ["jhsnowden" ] 5 May Putah Creek 5-5-08 [Manfred Kusch ] 06 May White-faced Ibis ["drsgmule" ] 5 May Placer Red-Necked Grebe [Charles Walker ] 4 May wood ducks et al. [Manfred Kusch ] 4 May Folsom Dam Hooded Oriole ["Craig Swolgaard" ] 04 May Sutter County Big Day Highlilghts ["Jim Laughlin" ] 3 May Gray Flycatcher, Sacramento, 5/3 [] 02 May Re: Marbled Godwits at YBWA [Steve Abbott ] 2 May another post from Woodland WTP- 05/02/08 10:00 am [Jon Katz ] 02 May American White Pelicans over Sacramento ["Craig Swolgaard" ] 02 May Marbled Godwits at YBWA ["ryanabe79" ] 1 May Placer Birds [] 1 May Putah Creek [Manfred Kusch ] 01 May Recent Yolo Bypass WA birds ["maryolo1" ] 30 Apr Sacramento County Vaux's Swifts / Folsom yard hummer ["Craig Swolgaard" ] 30 Apr Yuba County Snowy Plover ["JOHN STERLING" ] 28 Apr Blue Grosbeak [Ari Bose ] 30 Apr Black-bellied Plovers ["drsgmule" ] 30 Apr Sacramento River, Sutter County, south of Krkville (Bank swallows nesting) ["Ed Whisler" ] 29 Apr Gray Flycatchers galore in foothills ["JOHN STERLING" ] 30 Apr Eurasian Collared Doves in West Sacramento ["naturestoc" ] 29 Apr e. Yolo Co. highlights [Gil Ewing ] 30 Apr Swainson's Hawk Kettle in Tracy ["bacpab" ] 29 Apr Black Terns and fancy Phalaropes in Merced County [] 29 Apr Black Terns, FOS, Woodland, Yolo Co. ["Sami LaRocca" ] 28 Apr Sutter Co. ["Frances Oliver" ] 29 Apr Western Bluebird ["Bill" ] 28 Apr Yolo Bypass [Ann Yasuda ] 28 Apr Davis tanagers ["Steve Hampton" ] 28 Apr gray fly ["Perrone, Michael" ] 27 Apr Grasshopper sparrows back on Meiss Rd. [Gil Ewing ] 28 Apr More Grackles anyone? ["Lowell Young" ] 28 Apr Marbled Godwit at YBWA ["ryanabe79" ] 27 Apr Re: Great-tailed Grackles in Mariposa County ["Ken Burton" ] 27 Apr Cosumnes birds plus Sac Weir ["Glennah Trochet" ] 27 Apr Putah Creek [Manfred Kusch ] 27 Apr Sutter NWR Yellow breasted Chat's and Blue winged Teal ["Jim Laughlin" ] 27 Apr Western Bluebirds Nesting in Davis ["Ed Whisler" ] 26 Apr e. Sacramento Co. birds [Gil Ewing ] 27 Apr Green-winged Teal or hybrid ["Eddie Chapman" ] 26 Apr Burrowing Owl continues on County Road 28H near Davis [Dave Kutilek ] Subject: Re: Solitary Sandpiper in north Davis From: Charles Walker <cvwalker1066 AT aol.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 09:06:09 -0700 5/9 The sandpiper was still there at 5PM 5/8, taking a bath on the west side of the pond. Thanks, Steve. Good Birding, Charley Walker Roseville, CA On May 8, 2008, at 9:45 AM, tertial wrote: > This morning there was a SOLITARY SANDPIPER at Judy Whitcombe's pond > in North Davis Farms-- this is the Lake House pond nearest the foot > bridge. There was also an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the eucs between > the foot bridge and Falcon. > > Great birds for my environmental big year in Yolo County-- now up > to 174! > > good birding, > > Steve Hampton > Davis, CA > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > Subject: G-T Grackles & Eurasian Collared-Doves From: "Randy Little" <chenrossii AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 09 May 2008 13:55:39 -0000 I've been visiting relatives in Escalon this week and it has come to my attention that Eurasian Collared-Doves are now making an appearance in Escalon, SJ Co. At least four have been in the area (block) north of Jackson Ave(HWY-120) between Mitchell and Brayton. On my way to Del Puerto Canyon Road, I swung by Turlock (STA Co.) to pick up my cousin. On the way out W. Main toward Patterson, we stopped at the Starbucks on the west side of town (sorry, I didn't get the cross streets), where we heard, then saw between 10-13 Great-tailed Grackles. I don't know if others were already aware of these populations, but they were new to me and I thought I'd report them. (Don't everyone get too excited!!) Randy Little Milpitas, CA Subject: Solitary Sandpiper in north Davis From: "tertial" <shampton AT ospr.dfg.ca.gov> Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 16:45:28 -0000 This morning there was a SOLITARY SANDPIPER at Judy Whitcombe's pond in North Davis Farms-- this is the Lake House pond nearest the foot bridge. There was also an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the eucs between the foot bridge and Falcon. Great birds for my environmental big year in Yolo County-- now up to 174! good birding, Steve Hampton Davis, CA Subject: Mute Swan at Yolo Basin Wildlife Area From: "aengilis" <aengilisjr AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 02:01:19 -0000 Today at 5:30 pm Irene and I saw an adult Mute Swan foraging in the flooded units of the Yolo Basin Wildlife Area. These ponds are visible from the east bound lanes of I-5. Don't know the origin of this bird but wanted to pass this along to those who might be interested. Andy and Irene Engilis Subject: Yellow Warbler arrival dates in Davis From: "Steve Hampton" <shampton AT ospr.dfg.ca.gov> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 11:59:17 -0700 While I'm at it, I'll report that yesterday I ran into a great migrant group on the greenbelt at the west end of Del Oro in north Davis. This is a woodsy spot that is worth checking regularly. In one tree I saw: 5 Warbling Vireos, 4 Wilson's Warblers, a Townsend's, a Nashville, a MacGillivray's, and a Swainson's Thrush. This morning at my house there was my FOS Yellow Warbler, a beautiful red-streaked singing bird. My records show the main arrival dates (after which they are seen virtually daily): May 4, 2001 Apr 29, 2002 May 11, 2003 May 4, 2004 (with an outlier on Apr 27) Apr 28, 2005 (with an outlier on Apr 22) May 6, 2006 (with an outlier on Apr 24) May 7, 2007 May 7, 2008 good birding, Steve Hampton ________________ Resource Economist Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Dept of Fish and Game PO Box 944209 Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 ----------------------------------- (916) 323-4724 phone (916) 324-8829 fax Subject: Savannah Sparrows on territory at YBWA From: "Steve Hampton" <shampton AT ospr.dfg.ca.gov> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 11:50:05 -0700 Yesterday, May 6, I observed what appeared to be a pair of Bryant's Savannah Sparrows (P.s. alaudinas, formerly bryanti) on territory at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. One bird was singing. They appeared darker and longer-billed than most over-wintering SASP. The location is basically the same as where I reported Savannah Sparrows nesting in the past (see Hampton, S. 1999. Probable breeding by Savannah Sparrows in Yolo County, California. Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin 1: 56-57), about 200-300 yards north of the turn on the returning northbound part of the autotour loop. 38.53165 n, 121.62121 w. The subspecies is described in detail in the new California Bird Species of Special Concern, but the range map for them does not extend much into the delta. I don't know what other subspecies these could be. Steve Hampton ________________ Resource Economist Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Dept of Fish and Game PO Box 944209 Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 ----------------------------------- (916) 323-4724 phone (916) 324-8829 fax Subject: RE: Lincoln breeders From: "Brian Williams" <BWCAL AT SPRYNET.COM> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 20:21:04 -0700 5/6/08 would be a neat trick. Change that to 5/5/08. -----Original Message----- From: central_valley_birds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:central_valley_birds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Brian Williams Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 7:58 PM To: CVBC Cc: Ed Pandolfino Subject: [CVBirds] Lincoln breeders Yesterday 5/6/08 there was a pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves building a nest in Lincoln near 2nd and F St. A female Hooded Merganser had 11-12 merganserlings on a pond at Sun City (3rd or 4th year in a row?). Brian Williams Wildlife & Conservation Ecologist Williams Wildland Consulting, Inc. Marysville, CA 95901 530-742-4248; bwcal AT sprynet. com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Marbled Godwits at YBWA From: Steve Abbott <papasula AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 06 May 2008 20:08:23 -0700 CVBirders, The swan was still present just south of the I-80 causeway today and I was able to get a much better look at it. It is, in fact, an adult MUTE SWAN. Obviously, origin is a question here but are there any rogue...I mean...feral populations in Northern California that may have produced this straggler? Cheers, Steve Steve Abbott Cameron Park, El Dorado County http://papasula.blogspot.com http://www.steveabbottphotography.com > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Steve Abbott > *Cc:* central_valley_birds AT yahoogroups.com > > *Sent:* Friday, May 02, 2008 7:01 PM > *Subject:* Re: [CVBirds] Marbled Godwits at YBWA > > There was a single swan sp. (presumably Tundra) foraging in the new > ponds due East of parking lot A. This was seen from the I-80 causeway > as I was returning home from work around 6:30pm. Seems a bit > late...probably an injury keeping it down. > > ryanabe79 wrote: > > > > Dear Birders, > > > > Today I did a few hours of birding at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife > Area and > > once again came across a Marbled Godwit. The bird was located > near the > > beginning of the eastern side of the one-way road that goes from > where > > the check station is located in winter to parking lot B. This > occurred > > at 7:00 pm and the bird left within 10 minutes. As I continued > towards > > parking lot B, I observed a flock of 23 Marbled Godwits land on the > > eastern side of the road at 7:15 pm. > > > > Other notable birds observed today included 4 American Wigeons > in the > > largest body of water to the southern side of the road that leads to > > parking lot F. There were also 8 Forster's Terns in this same > area. A > > flock of Greater White-fronted Geese was observed in the field > to the > > north of this same road, and 8 Yellow-headed Blackbirds mostly near > > parking lot A. > > > > Ryan Abe > > Davis > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Lincoln breeders From: "Brian Williams" <BWCAL AT SPRYNET.COM> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 19:57:52 -0700 Yesterday 5/6/08 there was a pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves building a nest in Lincoln near 2nd and F St. A female Hooded Merganser had 11-12 merganserlings on a pond at Sun City (3rd or 4th year in a row?). Brian Williams Wildlife & Conservation Ecologist Williams Wildland Consulting, Inc. Marysville, CA 95901 530-742-4248; bwcal AT sprynet.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Birds at Carnegie SVRA From: "Craig Swolgaard" <cswol AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 18:38:21 -0700 Birders- We completed some bird surveys today at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (an off-road vehicle park), located in western San Joaquin / eastern Alameda counties. Some interesting records included: Gray Flycatcher, "Western" Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Cassin's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, Townsend's, Orange-crowned, Hermit, Yellow, & Wilson's Warblers, Lewis' Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, "Selasphorus" & Costa's Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles (two immatures), and loads of Black-headed Grosbeaks. Craig Swolgaard Folsom, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Too young for Alaska? From: "jhsnowden" <jhsnowden AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 06 May 2008 22:44:16 -0000 At the Llano Seco (3 mi. SW of Dayton) this morn, 350+ white-fronted and 6 snow geese were present, a late Butte spring date for both species. The specks all appeared to be immature as most of them had no belly bars. All of the snows could fly: 3 are definetly immatures, and two of those geese have crippled legs. Jim Snowden, Butte Co. Subject: Putah Creek 5-5-08 From: Manfred Kusch <makusch AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 21:47:20 -0700 A one-hour walk along the Creek behind my house yielded today several Wilson's, two Townsend's, two Hermit, and still one Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Audubon). Also several Hermit Thrushes, Bewick's and House Wrens, Bushtits building second nests, one Cassin's Vireo, one Western Tanager, a Pacific Slope and several Ash-throated Flycatchers (one of the latter with a service band on its left leg, no color band), and Anna's and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Some of the Bullock's and Hooded Orioles nesting in my garden foraged in the riparian woodland. Four Northern Rough-winged Swallows were flying low above the creek back and forth in front of a steep 6ft bank. The swallows would alight on some exposed roots or cling briefly to the dirt cliff as if checking it for nest building suitability. But given the fact that the bank is composed of rather heavy clay I doubt that they will stick around. But it would be nice. Several years ago, Belted Kingfishers began excavating a tunnel in the same bank but abandoned the effort after a few days. The mink I had observed previously showed himself again today, swimming fearlessly past me. Manfred Kusch Davis/Winters makusch AT ucdavis.edu 707-678-1027 Subject: White-faced Ibis From: "drsgmule" <lpittman AT cwo.com> Date: Tue, 06 May 2008 04:22:19 -0000 While hand-walking my rehab horse this evening about 6:30 pm (with binoculars around my neck, just in case), a flock of 40+ white-faced ibis flew over my property in a large uneven "v". This was followed by a less exciting, but enjoyable sight of a pair of bluebirds bathing in the neighbor's sprinkler runoff. Linda Pittman Wilton Subject: Placer Red-Necked Grebe From: Charles Walker <cvwalker1066 AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 11:34:18 -0700 Between 8 AM and 9 AM today, May 5, my wife and I saw a Red-Necked Grebe at the Lincoln WWTP (on Fiddyment just south of Moore Rd). It was in the north part of the pond. No phalaropes or Terns were seen, but there were a couple Spotted Sandpipers and a couple Eared Grebes. The Red-Necked Grebe was in breeding plumage with the red neck and gray surrounded by white face patch, yellow at the base of the bill, and dark cap. Very nice. Good birding, Charley Walker Roseville, CA Subject: wood ducks et al. From: Manfred Kusch <makusch AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 14:48:42 -0700 Although I have tended my 10 or so wood duck boxes along Putah Creek behind my house for nearly 20 years and enabled in that time period over 2000 ducklings to leap from the boxes onto the ground and head for the creek about 200 ft away I have actually never been able to witness this spectacle until today. As I was heading down the path towards the creek shortly before noon, I heard a loud commotion in the box mounted on a eucalyptus tree next to the path. The hen appeared at the opening of the box and without noticing me fluttered to the ground about 30 ft away and began calling. Immediately the ducklings scrambled up to the opening and, one after another in rapid succession , they did not simply drop to the ground (about 15 ft below them) but actually jumped straight out into empty space. Their bottoms being rather heavier than their front end, they wheeled backwards gesticulating wildly with their tiny stubby wings and all landed on their backs in the grass below about 10 horizontal ft from the box. Quite amazing. The hen having by now noticed me, gave some alarm signal and the duckings all remained immobile in the dry grass. I retreated some distance and after about a minute the ducklings, all 11 of them, ran in single file towards the calling hen and followed her along the path to the creek. Shortly before they reached the bank, two scrub jays showed up and fluttered among the ducklings. But as far as I could tell they dick not peck at them. As I caught up with the brood, they were paddling in a small raft with the hen in the lead downstream towards two Wood Duck drakes who just happened to be there. Pretty neat. Wilson's, Townsend's, and Hermit Warblers are still trickling through, as are Hermit Thrushes and perhaps a Swainson's Thrush. Olive-sided and Pacific Slope Flycatchers are still present. Black-headed Grosbeaks are singing their hearts out and the females are busy building nests. An oriole, I suspect a Bullock's Oriole, is weaving a nest into the tip of a queen palm frond (a feather palm) directly below the nest of a Hooded Oriole higher up in an adjacent washingtonia palm. As always, this nest is attached to the underside of a palm fan. And yesterday a male Lazuli Bunting in brilliant breeding plumage spent some time in the garden, drinking from the fountain. Manfred Kusch Davis/Winters makusch AT ucdavis.edu 707-678-1027 Subject: Folsom Dam Hooded Oriole From: "Craig Swolgaard" <cswol AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 12:07:40 -0700 Birders- I went on a bike ride up the bike trail from Folsom to Beal's Point this AM, birding along the way. I was hoping to see some Empidonax or Contopus flycatchers, but nothing unusual. I did see a Hooded Oriole calling from beside a small Washintonia palm tree next to the work area for the new bridge by the dam. It flew off toward some warehouses and a larger palm. I also spotted an Osprey soaring over the bridge buttresses. Other birds included Wilson's and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, and two Rock Wren fledglings chasing their parent around the levee rocks. I heard maybe eight or nine Black-headed Grosbeaks (last weekend only one). At home this AM we got our FOS Black-headed Grosbeak and Bullock's Oriole stuffing themselves with mulberries. Good birding, Craig Swolgaard Folsom, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sutter County Big Day Highlilghts From: "Jim Laughlin" <buckeyes0268 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 18:24:39 -0000 Yesterday Dan Skalos and myself attempted a Sutter County Big Day and observed 127 species. Notable species included: MARBLED GODWITS (1) west of Hwy 99 on Marcus Rd (Dingville)in a flooded rice field. In this same location we had two BLACK TERNS and two WILSON'S PHALAROPES. We had approximately 30 WHIMBRELS in a flooded orchared at the corner of HWY 113 and Sawtelle Rd. This species was observed all over the county. Bobelaine Sanctuary, South trail, we observed a single SPOTTED SANDPIPER on the feather river. We also had numerous BANK SWALLOWS. Other notable species here included HERMIT WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, CASSIN'S VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, WRENTIT AND PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER. On Hughes Rd west of Sutter NWR in seasonal wetlands we had the continuing WESTERN GREBE found by Frances Oliver last weekend. Here we also had a single BLUE GROSBEAK. Near the corner of Tarke Rd and Franklin Rd we had numerous SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, WESTERN SANPIPERS and a unconfirmed LESSER YELLOWLEGS. In our trip around the Sutter Buttes we located two LAWARENCES GOLDFINCHES at the corner of Pennington and Bigelow Rd. Continuing around the Buttes we located a flooded area on the Southwest corner of the Buttes. Here we had two LESSER NIGHTHAWKS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (1) and a single BALD EAGLE. In the south east corner of the county at the corner of Catlett and Pleasant Grover Rd we had a single EURASIAN COLLARD DOVE. Cheers Jim Laughlin Yuba City Subject: Gray Flycatcher, Sacramento, 5/3 From: YLIGHTFOOT AT AOL.COM Date: Sat, 3 May 2008 13:51:03 EDT Hi folks: From reports I've been seeing, it appears to be a good spring migration for Gray Flycatcher in the CV and foothills this year, and personal confirmation of this was the first-ever in my backyard (actually my neighbor's yard, but close enough;-) this morning (5/3). Flycatching in a Eucalyptus tree, no less. Cheers, Tim **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Marbled Godwits at YBWA From: Steve Abbott <papasula AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 02 May 2008 19:01:12 -0700 There was a single swan sp. (presumably Tundra) foraging in the new ponds due East of parking lot A. This was seen from the I-80 causeway as I was returning home from work around 6:30pm. Seems a bit late...probably an injury keeping it down. ryanabe79 wrote: > > Dear Birders, > > Today I did a few hours of birding at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and > once again came across a Marbled Godwit. The bird was located near the > beginning of the eastern side of the one-way road that goes from where > the check station is located in winter to parking lot B. This occurred > at 7:00 pm and the bird left within 10 minutes. As I continued towards > parking lot B, I observed a flock of 23 Marbled Godwits land on the > eastern side of the road at 7:15 pm. > > Other notable birds observed today included 4 American Wigeons in the > largest body of water to the southern side of the road that leads to > parking lot F. There were also 8 Forster's Terns in this same area. A > flock of Greater White-fronted Geese was observed in the field to the > north of this same road, and 8 Yellow-headed Blackbirds mostly near > parking lot A. > > Ryan Abe > Davis > > Subject: another post from Woodland WTP- 05/02/08 10:00 am From: Jon Katz <jonathanekatz AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 13:31:53 -0700 (PDT) I went to check out the black terns, and indeed they were in the far corner pond. Other birds seen include: Redheads- several in pond on north side of road and several in the ponds south of the parking area Wilsons Phalarope- 3 in the pond on the north side of the road Spotted Sandpiper- 1 bobbing on the edge of the 4th pond south of the parking area Tri-colored Blackbirds- I spooked a medium sized flock from the cattails nearest the parking area Great-tailed Grackle- 3 flying around the parking area Jon Katz Davis ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: American White Pelicans over Sacramento From: "Craig Swolgaard" <cswol AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 02 May 2008 18:54:29 -0000 While driving through downtown Sacramento to go to work this AM I saw a small flock of about a dozen or more White Pelicans slowly circling over town. Yesterday I saw about the same number soaring over the Yolo Basin from Highway 80. Craig Swolgaard Folsom, CA Subject: Marbled Godwits at YBWA From: "ryanabe79" <ryanabe79 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 02 May 2008 05:56:02 -0000 Dear Birders, Today I did a few hours of birding at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and once again came across a Marbled Godwit. The bird was located near the beginning of the eastern side of the one-way road that goes from where the check station is located in winter to parking lot B. This occurred at 7:00 pm and the bird left within 10 minutes. As I continued towards parking lot B, I observed a flock of 23 Marbled Godwits land on the eastern side of the road at 7:15 pm. Other notable birds observed today included 4 American Wigeons in the largest body of water to the southern side of the road that leads to parking lot F. There were also 8 Forster's Terns in this same area. A flock of Greater White-fronted Geese was observed in the field to the north of this same road, and 8 Yellow-headed Blackbirds mostly near parking lot A. Ryan Abe Davis Subject: Placer Birds From: ERPFROMCA AT AOL.COM Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 19:11:31 EDT Nothing all that great, but some good Placer Big Year birds today. At about 7AM I found a single LESSER YELLOWLEGS among a few Greaters in a flooded rice field on Brewer Rd (west side) about a half mile south of Pleasant Grove Creek. At 9AM I visited the Lincoln WWTP (on Fiddyment just south of Moore Rd) and found two BLACK TERNs and 11 phalarope that included 9 WILSON'S (all in alternate plumage) and two RED-NECKED PHALAROPEs (one male in alternate and the other more or less still in basic). Several other Placer Big Year participants made it to the WWTP to get their year birds as well. Ed Pandolfino **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Putah Creek From: Manfred Kusch <makusch AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 09:06:49 -0700 During my walk along the creek (about half a mile downstream from Stevenson Bridge) yesterday morning I observed an unusually large group of about 10 Townsend's Warblers foraging in cottonwood trees. Traveling with them were 2 Wilson's and 1 Orange-crowned Warbler. Nearby a pair of Olive-sided Flycatchers were sitting next to each other on a high perch above the creek and after sallying out after passing insects would return to sit together again. In the past, I have seen Olive-sided Flycatchers passing through only as singles. Also, an osprey has been flying along the creek, off and on, for about the last 10 days. Black-headed Grosbeaks are abundant and in full courting mode. A few days ago, I observed four males pursuing a female, all four of them singing in flight, an almost comical spectacle. The Hooded Orioles have started building their many nests in earnest. Almost every day I discover a new nest sewn to the underside of a palm fan. The Bullock's Orioles, too, seem to have begun building nests since I saw a female this morning carrying building material towards the sycamores in front to my house. The Bewick's Wrens inside their tree stump nest next to the creek are close to fledging. The Black Phoebes are already on their second brood while the Black-chinned Hummingbirds can be seen collecting spider webs and cottonwood down, but I have yet to find any of their nests. Manfred Kusch Davis/Winters makusch AT ucdavis.edu 707-678-1027 Subject: Recent Yolo Bypass WA birds From: "maryolo1" <maryolo1 AT netscape.net> Date: Thu, 01 May 2008 00:16:13 -0000 Over the last two days we've seen two pair of Blue-winged Teal, one viewable from the "new" portion of the Auto Loop and the other pair viewable from the road to Parking Lot F. Caspian Terns were on a basking island in the same general vicinity as the latter. The "new" Auto Loop had a FOS female Blue Grosbeak in the tall yellow mustard. Semi-P Plovers were along one of the swales in draining seasonal ponds. Mary Schiedt YBWA staff Subject: Sacramento County Vaux's Swifts / Folsom yard hummer From: "Craig Swolgaard" <cswol AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:31:08 -0700 Birders- While conducting some State Parks bird surveys today in eastern Sacramento County we counted nearly 40 Vaux's Swifts in four separate groups; all flying northward. At home in Folsom, we've had a pair of Black-chinned Hummingbirds at our feeder for a few weeks now. Cedar Waxwings in our fruiting mulberry tree, but no tanagers, orioles, or grosbeaks yet. We usually start seeing them here around now or early May. Good birding, Craig Swolgaard Folsom, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yuba County Snowy Plover From: "JOHN STERLING" <ani AT cal.net> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:58:47 -0700 The first county record of Snowy Plover for Yuba County was found yesterday at Beale's Airforce Base. This area is completely off-limits to birders. John Sterling VVVVVVVVVV 26 Palm Ave Woodland, CA 95695 cell 530 908-3836 ani AT cal.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Blue Grosbeak From: Ari Bose <ari_bose AT pacbell.net> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:03:35 -0700 (PDT) I am looking for Blue Grosbeaks and am wondering if we someone can let me know of a reliable location to spot them. Regards Ari Bose Alameda Subject: Black-bellied Plovers From: "drsgmule" <lpittman AT cwo.com> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:17:27 -0000 Genelle Treaster and I headed out to Valensin Ranch area of Cosumnes River Preserve to monitor Wood Duck and Bluebird boxes this afternoon and were surprised to see ~80 Black-bellied Plovers along the shore between Hwy 99 and RR tracks. Also present were ~30 Dowitchers, Canada Geese with goslings. Nearer to box area was a Blue Grosbeak. Only a handful of plovers present after we finished monitoring. While on family houseboat outing on New Melones Lake 4/26 and 4/27, I birded an island with oaks. Highlights included Bullock's Oriole, Ash- throated Flycatcher, Phainopepla pair, lots of swallows (Violet-Green, Tree, Cliff and Barn) and a group of Rock Wrens. Also observed a Bald Eagle with a fish at water's edge that was being eyed by about 5 TV's. Between the lake and island, over 35 species. Linda Pittman Wilton Subject: Sacramento River, Sutter County, south of Krkville (Bank swallows nesting) From: "Ed Whisler" <edwhisler530 AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:57:07 -0000 While conducting the Yolo County Breeding Bird Atlas along the Sacramento River on the Sutter County side (off of Cranmore Road), south of Kirkville, Mel Bolander and I saw 34 species of birds. Highlites include Swainson's hawk pair, common ravens (2), savannah sparrows (one pair copulating), lark sparrows (2 pair courting), and Swainson's thrush (FOS for Ed). We also had a colony (estimated 25 burrows) of bank swallows nesting along a steep, eroded bank on the left bank (Sutter County side). Cheers, Ed Whisler Davis, Yolo Co. Subject: Gray Flycatchers galore in foothills From: "JOHN STERLING" <ani AT cal.net> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:07:38 -0700 Last Friday, Jim Tietz, Doug Drynan and I were conducting point count bird surveys in the blue oak-live oak hills just east of Madera on Hwy 41 very close to the valley floor grasslands (San Joaquin Experimental Range Station) and found 62 (sixty-two) Gray Flycatchers in 5 hours. This is an extraordinary number of this species west of the Sierra-Cascade divide. Although known to occur as a spring migrant in the foothills and valley floor, I don't think anyone would have predicted this number of birds at one location. Also present were 4 Brewer's Sparrows. On Monday in contrast, we only found 4 Gray Flycatchers. Our previous high count this spring was 7 in a day. Of interest was the continuing presence of at least two Cassin's Finches there as well on Monday. Earlier in the month (April 2-3) we found as many as 20 Cassin's Finches at this low elevation and atypical habitat. Cheers, John John Sterling VVVVVVVVVV 26 Palm Ave Woodland, CA 95695 cell 530 908-3836 ani AT cal.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Eurasian Collared Doves in West Sacramento From: "naturestoc" <Naturestoc AT aol.com> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:49:30 -0000 Hi all. I saw a pair of Eurasian Collared Doves in the parking lot at 3771 Channel Dr. in West Sacramento this morning. The birds flew from a freshly cut field just north of this parking lot, heading south across the Deepwater Channel. This area of the Channel is about 1/4 mile west of the Port of Sacramento Turning Basin (remember Delta and Dawn, the lost whales from last year?). Dan Brown, Sacramento Subject: e. Yolo Co. highlights From: Gil Ewing <gewing1 AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:27:48 -0700 (GMT-07:00) This morning I birded the e. Yolo Co. wetlands and noted some changes from just two days ago. Like Sami L., I also went to the Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant looking for BLACK TERN (I missed them entirely in 2007) and found 15 there this morning. The general #s and variety of species were lower than normal at this time of year, but minor lights included BONAPARTE'S GULL--1 in basic plumage, BUFFLEHEAD---1 male, MARBLED GODWIT---1, EARED GREBE---7 in alternate plumage, WILSON'S PHALAROPE---3, and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER---28. All of the interesting birds were at the first pond. Beyond there, nothing but the commonest breeding species were seen. This is also the first time I've seen together GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES--5 males, 1 female---in a breeding colony (in the ponds to the left of the entrance road) with nearby YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS---30 males and 12 females (in the cattails in the drainage ditch to the right of the birders' entrance. The newly flooded ricefield-to-be on the north side of Rd 25 to the east of 102 had nothing of note of 4/27, but today had 450 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 500 DOWITCHERS among other ducks and stilts. Both the Davis Dump pond and the Davis Sewer Ponds had mostly emptied out of birds since two days ago. The GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL--1st year, and the HERRING GULL---adult with wing damage, and the BONAPARTE'S GULLS---in alternate plumage seen 4/27 were all gone. A single flyover BLACK TERN was seen today at both spots. Vic Fazio did not had much of interest, except the continuing MARBLED GODWIT, 29 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS (we are seeing larger #s of this species migrating through than in decades past) and considerable #s of TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS. Gil Ewing Fair Oaks, Sacramento Co., CA Subject: Swainson's Hawk Kettle in Tracy From: "bacpab" <bacpab AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:29:24 -0000 After spending an enjoyable weekend birding Palm Springs/Great Morango Canyon with the Golden Gate Audubon Society, I had to go out to Tracy to attend to some family business today. I had vowed to myself NOT to bird today and get caught up, but...the birds wouldn't let me. On my way home at 4:30 PM, on Tracy Blvd heading south towards I 205, I came upon 4 Swainson's Hawks scrimmaging in the air over an alfalfa field. Two landed in the field and stood, allowing good looks at both a light adult and a first-year bird. I couldn't help heading out east on to Paradise Cut and Delta Road, where I came upon a kettle of at least 21 birds in the air and in the fields. It was quite a sight,with all sorts of morphs present. The birds were circling in the strong winds, and some were being harassed by Ravens. I was able to watch them for 1/2 hour before they drifted westward. Though Swainson's Hawks are not unusual in the area, I have never seen such a large aggregate before. Having had the pleasure of seeing the NA hawk migration over Panama this last Nov., I couldn't help but wonder if I hadn't seen some of the same individuals as they headed south for the winter. Also seen near the Tracy Sewer Ponds was a Eurasian Collared Dove, the first I've seen in the area. NRW Swallows and Barn Swallows were working the open ponds. All of the winter's Bonaparte's Gulls, ducks, and shorebirds were gone. So much for catching up. Good birding, Patricia Bacchetti Oakland [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Black Terns and fancy Phalaropes in Merced County From: ERPFROMCA AT AOL.COM Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:52:28 EDT Today Frances Oliver and I braved the howling winds to bird Merced. We did pretty well on the expected montane migrants at Basalt Campground and San Luis Day Use areas near San Luis Reservoir but the highlight of the day for me was Gustine Sewage Ponds (at the east end of Carnation near Gustine). Seeing Black Terns is always a spring thrill for me and getting good looks at breeding plumaged phalaropes is a great treat. At Gustine Sewage Ponds there were 9 Black Terns, 10 Wilson's Phalarope (9 of them females in breeding plumage) and 2 Red-necked Phalarope, also in alternate plumage. The ponds were very birdy today with lots of Bonaparte's Gulls, Forster's Terns, gobs of shorebirds, Eared Grebes (also in spring finery) and such. Gotta love spring, even when its windy. Ed Pandolfino **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Black Terns, FOS, Woodland, Yolo Co. From: "Sami LaRocca" <sami182 AT charter.net> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:57:06 -0000 Today I breifly stopped by the Woodland Waste Water Treatment Ponds looking for the target bird, Black Terns. There were approximately 10 flying around the back of the first pond to the south. Also noteworthy was an Earred Grebe in breeding plummage. Not far away on the "new" pond at Farmer's Central aand CoRd 102 was seen a pair of Redheads, also continuing were the Clark's Grebes previously reported. Sami LaRocca Woodland, CA 530 908-0288 Subject: Sutter Co. From: "Frances Oliver" <hummer52 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:12:32 -0700 After spending the last several weeks birding in Bhutan & India, I decided it was time to get back to birding in California. Thought I would start out by birding in Sutter Co. Had a very nice morning. Highlights were both a WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBE on a seasonal pond just west of Sutter NWR. This pond can be seen by scoping from Hughes Rd. Jim Laughlin originally found 2 Clark's Grebes in this pond several days ago. I was pretty excited that the grebes had remained since this was the last county I needed to find them in. At Bobelaine a nice chorus of singing birds greeted me upon my arrival. Walking to the the southern part of the area, along the South Trail I refound the BANK SWALLOWS that Jim Lomax found the other day. Also, had a VAUX'S SWIFT fly over. Good Birding! Frances Lodi, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Western Bluebird From: "Bill" <billmck AT surewest.net> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:55:33 -0000 I was startled Saturday morning when my wife called me to our front window here in semi-suburban Citrus Heights, to ask me what that funny looking Scrub Jay was. It turned out to be a male Western Bluebird hanging out in our elm tree looking for insects in our lawn. I've seen them many times in areas away from homes, but never one within 20 feet of my own front window. I guess it was just my lucky day. Bill McKnight Citrus Heights, CA Subject: Yolo Bypass From: Ann Yasuda <annyasuda AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:49:34 -0700 (PDT) Interesting birds at the Yolo Bypass on Sunday. I noticed two Horned Larks on the on the ground as you head west on the back end. I also noticed some possible Savannah Sparrows along the loop as well. The usually suspects are still there, but no ducklings or Pied Bill Grebe chicks as of yet. Shorebirds numbers are increasing, and I spotted my first Virginia Rail a few weeks back and that was a thrill. Davis wetlands: Finally saw the ever elusive river otter as he/ she crossed Waste Water Lagoon into Storm Water Lagoon. Ann Yasuda Davis --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Davis tanagers From: "Steve Hampton" <shampton AT ospr.dfg.ca.gov> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:26:18 -0700 Since tanager arrivals were discussed earlier and I finally got my FOS this morning, here are my FOS dates for north Davis: Apr 26, 2001 Apr 24, 2002 Apr 24, 2003 Apr 26, 2004 Apr 25, 2005 Apr 27, 2006 Apr 25, 2007 Apr 28, 2008 (but I was gone Apr 26-27) The highlight this morning was a singing Lincoln's Sparrow, definitely the first I've ever heard in Davis. Steve Hampton ________________ Resource Economist Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Dept of Fish and Game PO Box 944209 Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 ----------------------------------- (916) 323-4724 phone (916) 324-8829 fax Subject: gray fly From: "Perrone, Michael" <mperrone AT water.ca.gov> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:42:51 -0700 April 27 just east of Slide Hill Park in Davis were two gray flycatchers. In the park itself was a ruby-crowned kinglet. Michael Perrone Department of Water Resources Division of Environmental Services 1725 23d Street, Suite 220 Sacramento CA 95816 (916) 445-6452 mperrone AT water.ca.gov [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grasshopper sparrows back on Meiss Rd. From: Gil Ewing <gewing1 AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:42:39 -0700 (GMT-07:00) Two (first of season) Grasshopper sparrows were seen on the barbed wire fences along Meiss Rd near the eastern edge of Sacramento Co. today, in the same areas as in recent years. For the first time in at least a decade, the unpaved road has been improved with gravel and grating. (We did not stay late enough to see any nighthawks). Gil Ewing Fair Oaks, Sacramento Co., CA Subject: More Grackles anyone? From: "Lowell Young" <mtnfolks AT yosemite.net> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:19:03 -0000 Hi everyone, Since I posted our sightings of the Great-tailed Grackles, I have received emails from several people who have seen the birds in our area. Steve Glover saw them at Lake McClure and stated, "I have a feeling the county birders had a lot of records you guys didn't know about before the Yosemite list-servs was up and running, John Luther in particular." Boy, was he right on. I have heard from Jim Lomax saying that he and John Luther saw them at Lake McClure. Ken Burton who saw them in El Portal. And John Turner who saw them at Highway 108 near the west junction of Highway 49 in Tuolumne County. I am personally very grateful to each of the above individuals who have taken the time to share their knowledge with us. I also love the way you can get tidbits of information (enlightenment might be a better way of putting it) from these list-servs. Lowell Young Mariposa, CA Subject: Marbled Godwit at YBWA From: "ryanabe79" <ryanabe79 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:24:44 -0000 Dear Birders, This is my first post on the Central Valley forum as I do not usually have anything to post. I bird when I have the time, which isn't as often as I would like, and I usually check out this message board before I go out. Anyways, I decided to make a trip out to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area this afternoon and observed one MARBLED GODWIT a little after 7 pm. This occurred near where the check station is located during winter. The spot can be found by making the right hand turn onto the one-way road at this junction. The bird was sighted to the right hand side of the road immediately after making the turn onto the one-way road. Ryan Abe Davis Subject: Re: Great-tailed Grackles in Mariposa County From: "Ken Burton" <brdnrd AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:40:03 -0700 Lowell, I've seen Great-tailed Grackle near El Portal. Ken Burton McKinleyville ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lowell Young" To: Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 5:32 PM Subject: [CVBirds] Great-tailed Grackles in Mariposa County Lightning has struck two days in a row in Mariposa County. Yesterday, 4-25-08 , Paul Oldale and I observed two Great-tailed Grackles in Mariposa County. They were first observed flying West from Lake McSwain toward Merced Falls. About 15 minutes later they flew back from Merced County and disappeared over Lake McSwain's Dam. Today, a group of birders out for a morning of birding and I saw another Great-tailed Grackle in Mariposa County. This time on the Wire Ranch. These sightings of Great-tailed Grackles may be the first for Mariposa County. On Wednesday, 4-23-08, Kris Randal, Len McKinzie and I saw a Gray Flycatcher on the Wire Ranch (off of Darrah Rd.) in Mariposa County. Lowell Young Mariposa, CA Subject: Cosumnes birds plus Sac Weir From: "Glennah Trochet" <trochetj AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:04:47 -0700 Dear Birders, This morning first thing I surveyed at Shaw Forest, a closed parcel of the Cosumnes River Preserve. The highlight, easily, was listening to a singing hermit thrush go on and on before sunrise. Wonderful stuff that I get to hear infrequently on the valley floor. Also a treat were the several * Empidonaces. * There were two Hammond's, a dusky and four Pacific-slope/western flycatchers, and a couple got away unidentified. There were small numbers of many common western passerine migrants. The lowlight was stumbling around for half an hour, through the 8- 10 foot high hemlock* *interspersed with nettles and Himalayan blackberry, trying to find my starting point! I'm not sure if the GPS was a help or hindrance, since the readings bounced around so much below the tree canopy. From about 09:30 to 12:30 I walked the River Walk at the Preserve, having spotted my first blue grosbeak this season beside Bruceville Road south of Twin Cities Road en route. In these three hours I picked up 93 species. The highlights include a semipalmated plover, three Vaux's swifts, two western wood-pewees (both at the Point), a willow flycatcher (FOS, east of the footbridge on the way back from the Point), six Cassin's vireos, a singing Hutton's vireo (I don't recall one of these in the breeding season along the Willow Slough Trail previously), nine warbling vireos, one ruby-crowned kinglet, ~10 orange-crowned warblers, ~12 Nashville warblers, ~12 Audubon's warblers, 1 myrtle warbler, ~8 black-throated grays, 3 Townsend's, one hermit warbler (at marker 13 on the trail, singing), two MacGillivray's warblers, ~20 common yellowthroats, ~20 Wilson's warblers, five western tanagers, two fox sparrows (my first in two weeks or more), a white-throated sparrow (molting into white-striped finery just east of the wooden foot bridge on the way south), six black-headed grosbeaks, one blue grosbeak (audible singing west of Middle Slough), one lazuli bunting, one great-tailed grackle, and one purple finch (a fly-over between the railroad bridge and the Point). Yesterday I started at Sacramento Weir, doing another bird survey in the bypass. There were lots of migrants. I had my FOS wood-pewees, a couple of Cassin's vireos, lots of black-headed grosbeaks and one lazuli bunting. But I fanned on warbling vireo and ash-throated flycatcher was a near-miss. There was a good variety of wood warblers- I saw eight of the regular eleven species (missed yellow, hermit and chat). And I found a chipping sparrow between count points. I then went to the Tall Forest down at Cosumnes. Birds were mostly harder to come by, but warbling vireos and ash-throated flycatchers were everywhere! Aside from the wintering three, the only warbler species I found was Wilson's. It was an interesting contrast to the earlier experience in Yolo County. Best, John Trochet -- John Trochet Sacramento, California trochetj AT cwnet.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Putah Creek From: Manfred Kusch <makusch AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:50:57 -0700 During my morning walks along the creek yesterday and today I observed a steady trickle of migrating warblers and other spring birds. Among the decreasing number of Yellow-rumped Warblers the proportion of the Myrtle variety has grown. Wilson's Warblers, 3-5 per morning, are the most common among those migrating through, but I also saw on both days a Hermit Warbler, 1-2 Orange-crowned Warblers, a Townsend's Warbler, and a Black-throated Gray Warbler. Today, while observing two Wilson's Warblers taking a bath in shallow water at the creek's edge, I noticed a pair of Warbling Vireos joining in, but in their own way. Instead of stepping into shallow water and splashing water over their backs as most birds will do, they plunged from a branch about 3-4 feet above the water into the middle of the creek almost in kingfisher fashion but without disappearing under water. The resulting splash would get them good and wet and they would fly back up onto their perch, shake the water off, preen, and repeat the sequence several times. Quite a spectacle. Western Tanagers are present but as yet only very sparsely, one here and there. Returning to my garden this morning, I was greeted by a pair of Lawrence's Goldfinches, a species I have never seen here before. The number of Hooded Orioles in my garden is increasing as is the number of Bullock's Oriole's. I estimate that there are now 4 pairs of Hooded and 2 pairs of Bullock's around my house. Among the hummingbirds, the Black-chinned are currently by far the dominant species, followed by Anna's, several female Allen's/Rufous and still at least one brilliantly cinnamon male Rufous. The Calliope hummer I reported earlier seems to have moved on or has so far escaped my notice among the many other hummingbirds flitting around. At least 8 American Robin nests are currently under construction in my garden, most of them in palm trees. It is impossible to estimate the number of House Finch nests, they are simply everywhere. The Brown-headed Cowbirds who have also arrived should have no trouble finding nests for their eggs. Manfred Kusch Davis/Winters makusch AT ucdavis.edu 707-678-1027 Subject: Sutter NWR Yellow breasted Chat's and Blue winged Teal From: "Jim Laughlin" <buckeyes0268 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:11:40 -0000 Birded Sutter NWR this morning and picked up a few more species for the year. I was suprised to find two YELLOW BREASTED CHAT'S and two pair of BLUE WINGED TEAL. Also observed numerous WESTERN TANAGERS, BLACK HEADED GROSBEAK'S, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE'S, NASHVILLE WARBLERS, WILSON'S WABLERS AND PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHERS. The two, now three, CLARK'S GREBE'S continue west of Hughes Rd. Cheers Jim Laughlin Yuba City Subject: Western Bluebirds Nesting in Davis From: "Ed Whisler" <edwhisler530 AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:47:21 -0000 While conducting the Yolo Audubon Society--Yolo County Breeding Bird Atlas in the east Davis block,I found a pair of western bluebirds nesting in a snag in the far eastside of the Davis Cemetery. The first bluebirds I've seen nesting in Davis in 30 years. Also in the snag are nesting tree swallows and starlings. About 10 wild turkeys were roosting in a nearby cottonwood along the old slough channel. Three of the Toms are aggressive. Ed Whisler Davis Subject: e. Sacramento Co. birds From: Gil Ewing <gewing1 AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:22:14 -0700 (GMT-07:00) Saturday, I went birding with two out-of-state birders looking for lifers and state birds. There was a BREWER'S SPARROW with about 8 Savannah sparrows in the second roadside wet grassy swale on Michigan Bar Rd in the grassland well north of the river. In the first swale there was a male BLUE GROSBEAK. In the oak savannah just before this, there were two CHIPPING SPARROWS, 1 Cassin's vireo, and 3 Wild Turkeys. As one goes north downhill on Michigan Bar Rd. south of the river, 3 male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES were on the roadside barbed wire fence. On Latrobe Rd. west of its intersection with Michigan Bar Rd., 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKERS were still present at the first oaks encountered as one travels west. Within the first two-tenths mile west of there an additional 5 male and 2 female LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES were encountered along the rough unpaved road. (Within the same stretch I had also encountered 6 male and 4 female Lawrence's goldfinches 6 days ago, exceptional numbers, locally. All of these goldfinches were attracted to patches of Fiddleneck). Gil Ewing Fair Oaks, Sacramento Co., CA Subject: Green-winged Teal or hybrid From: "Eddie Chapman" <echapman AT online.no> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:41:12 +0200 Hallo all, There is a discussion going on at the moment in a local birding group. A Green-winged Teal was reported, which is a good observation here in Norway. The male bird in the centre of the picture shows the characteristic vertical white stripe on the side. However if you look closely at the photo, you can also make out a very thin horizontal white stripe as is normal with Eurasian Teal. I have not seen the bird but the discussion is if it is a hybrid or if Green-winged Teal can sometimes show a little white like the bird in the picture. Check this link: http://www.nofbuskerud.net/Linnesstranda/images/AmerikakrikkandJMY2008-1.jpg Regards, Eddie Chapman, Voss, Norway. Today's Photo: http://www.birdwatchnorway.com/index-filer/Page403.htm Subject: Burrowing Owl continues on County Road 28H near Davis From: Dave Kutilek <dave AT birdingpix.com> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:47:02 -0700 I was driving along County Road 28H on Friday 25 April, when I noticed the BURROWING OWL just alongside the roadway... at the location where its been... just a few hundred yards west of where all the Short-Eared Owls were this winter. Also, I saw over 20 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDs at the YOLO BYPASS WILDLIFE AREA mixed in with the flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds. Plenty of new photos posted online in my regular BIRDBLOG page... www.BirdingPix.com ... All the best, Dave Kutilek Morgan Hill; California -- www.BirdingPix.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]