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3 Feb Palm warbler [sonny mencher ] 3 Feb Leaders and Participants Wanted: Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 17-18-19-20 [Jennifer Rycenga ] 02 Feb Re: Palm Warbler in Redwood Shores ["rferrick99" ] 1 Feb Like Clockwork ["D Weber" ] 1 Feb Palm Warbler in Redwood Shores [] 1 Feb Re: The gulls are back! [] 31 Jan Double Dip 1-31-2012 [] 31 Jan The gulls are back! [] 31 Jan Scoters along the coast [Jennifer Rycenga ] 31 Jan Black-legged Kittiwake, Francis Beach, HMB ["Leslie Flint" ] 31 Jan Sequoia Audubon "First Wednesday" Fieldtrip - Mtn View Forebay/Shoreline Lake ["Leslie Flint" ] 30 Jan Cascade Ranch (belated, and now corrected) [Tom Grey ] 30 Jan Cascade Ranch (Saturday, belated) [Tom Grey ] 30 Jan Wild Turkeys at Filoli [Jennifer Rycenga ] 30 Jan Ano Nuevo/ Cascade Ranch: GLAUCOUS GULL, SWAMP SPARROW, etc. ["Peter Metropulos" ] 30 Jan Re: Bald Eagle over San Bruno Mountain - 1/29/12 [M.Bruce Grosjean ] 30 Jan Snow Goose, HMB, 29Jan12 ["keith_in_eg" ] 30 Jan Dipper [Rich Ferrick ] 29 Jan HMB warblers etc. 1/29/2012 + sapsucker update [] 30 Jan Cascade Ranch (1/29) ["Ken Schneider" ] 29 Jan Bald Eagle over San Bruno Mountain - 1/29/12 [Dominik Mosur ] 29 Jan Unusual hummingbird behavior ["James Barnes" ] 29 Jan Save the Dates: Pt Reyes Birding & Nature Festival: April 27-30, 2012 ["will_w04" ] 28 Jan Brussels Sprouts patch etc. 1/28/2012 [] 29 Jan Recent Highlights [Rich Ferrick ] 27 Jan Great Grey [jen k ] 27 Jan Black-and-white Warbler continues Sweetwood Park 1/27/12 ["maliadances" ] 27 Jan loggerhead shrikes ["larrcamp" ] 25 Jan SFBBO gull and sparrow classes. ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 25 Jan Merlin, Pipit, Redwood Shores [Dan Davison ] 25 Jan Long-tailed Ducks off of Coyote Pt. [] 24 Jan Harlequin duck, Coyote Point [Donald Pendleton ] 24 Jan The Pinnacles Field Trip - Correction ["Leslie Flint" ] 24 Jan Panoche Valley and The Pinnacles - Field Trips ["Leslie Flint" ] 23 Jan Red-naped Sapsucker returns 1-22-2012, photos ["garthharwood AT ymail.com" ] 23 Jan A day off! Where to bird? ["Jen K" ] 23 Jan Fwd: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Wordss ["45.lisa AT gmail.com" ] 22 Jan Miscellaneous sightings [] 22 Jan Rusty Orange color on waterfowl at Radio Road [Jennifer Rycenga ] 22 Jan Foster City Shorebirds [Tim Howe ] 22 Jan Laurelwood Park and Radio Road [Jennifer Rycenga ] 22 Jan Pescadero State Beach-1/22 ["mark" ] 21 Jan Laurelwood Field Trip for Sunday, January 22, still ON [Jennifer Rycenga ] 21 Jan Re: White-throated Sparrow [Joseph Morlan ] 21 Jan White-throated Sparrow ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 20 Jan Re: CA Thrasher's [Bob Power ] 21 Jan Re: Re: CA Thrasher's [Glen Tepke ] 20 Jan Re: Re: CA Thrasher's [Sandy Greenberg ] 21 Jan Re: CA Thrasher's ["George Chrisman" ] 20 Jan Ano Nuevo, Cascade Ranch, and Thanks! [Katrina Knight ] 20 Jan CA Thrasher's ["xeronimo_castaneda" ] 20 Jan Heerman's Gulls Pilarcitos Creek lagoon 1/20/12 ["maliadances" ] 20 Jan Continuing Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker 1/19/12 ["maliadances" ] 19 Jan Red Naped Sapsucker and possible MacGillivray's Warbler (san bruno mt feeder) ["sanbrunomtfeeder" ] 19 Jan Pilarcitos Creek's estuary and lagoons ["ploverwatchchinggrandpa" ] 18 Jan Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Jennifer Rycenga ] 18 Jan Continuing Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Bill Bousman ] 18 Jan Possible Townsend's Solitaire in San Bruno ["Laurie" ] 17 Jan Eurasion Widgeon & Hooded Merganser - Redwood Shores ["johnosner" ] 16 Jan RFI: Cascade Ranch [Katrina Knight ] 17 Jan Tunitas Creek Mouth-1/16 ["mark" ] 16 Jan Pescadero Sunday ["kentjohnson55" ] 15 Jan Wood Ducks etc. 1/15/2012 [] 15 Jan Wood Ducks @ Crystal Springs Reservoir 1/15/12 ["George Chrisman" ] 15 Jan Re: Vesper Sparrow ["Gary Deghi" ] 15 Jan Harris's, E. Phoebe, Bl. Grosbeak, Virginia Rail 1/14/12 ["maliadances" ] 14 Jan Redwood City Bair Is. and environs by kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 14 Jan Harris Sparrow still at Cascade Ranch [Ruth Troetschler ] 14 Jan Bair Is. area, Redwood City by kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 14 Jan Coastal Saturday morning birding [] 14 Jan Continuing grosbeaks (plural) and a new tanager, etc. 1/14/2012 [] 14 Jan San Mateo Coast-Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Phoebe, ten species of sparrow ["Gary Deghi" ] 13 Jan Long-tailed Duck at Coyote Pt. [] 13 Jan Blue Grosbeak YES [Jennifer Rycenga ] 13 Jan Estern phoebe -yes(photos), grosbeak-no [sonny mencher ] 13 Jan corrections to previous post. ["D Weber" ] Subject: Palm warbler From: sonny mencher <soccerquiz AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 21:45:10 -0800 (PST) Found the palm warbler in Redwood Shores as described by Ron Thorn and Rick Ferrick at junction of Portman and Seal Pointe Drive. It was on the ground with group of Yellow rumped Warbler and moved to both sides of the cement walk that leads up to the slough trail. Many crowned Sparrows in same area but Palm stay with the Yellow rumped Sonny Mencher [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Leaders and Participants Wanted: Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 17-18-19-20 From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 09:08:20 -0800 Dear San Mateo County Birders: Sequoia Audubon requests your help and participation - and it is easy and fun! The fourteenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count is happening later this month. This event is a coordinated citizen-science volunteer project that takes a late-winter 'snapshot' of North American birds, by inviting birders of all skill levels to submit lists from their locales, great and small. Information from any bird-watching you do on the four days of the count - Friday-Monday, February 17-18-19-20 - is submitted and recorded on-line (at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/), where results are tabulated hourly for a near-real-time expanding data set. These are then archived for comparison across the years, making this a rather impressive use of the resources of our ever-improving birding community and the computer technology of the internet! This year, Sequoia Audubon will sponsor a number of short birding field trips as a form of participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count. We are requesting LEADERS for self-designed Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) trips that should be limited to thirty-sixty minutes in length. We want these short field trips to serve as a friendly introduction to birding, without a huge time investment for either the leaders or the newbie birders! Build your trips as ways to provide your friends, family members, and neighbors who are politely curious about birdwatching with a low-risk way to try it, with the immediate benefit that their efforts will be part of a tangible, citizen-science project. If you want to design a longer trip for this window, that is fine, too, but the idea here was to keep these short and sweet! Here's how to volunteer 1. Choose a DAY from the four days of the GBBC, a LOCATION to which you can supply directions (feel free to use the San Mateo County Birding Guide [SMCBG] for this purpose [http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ ], and a TIME of day. 2. As a leader, familiarize yourself with the GBBC website and data entry methods - http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ 3. I recommend inviting another friend whose birding skills you know and trust, as a co-leader, so that your data collection and intro-to-birding reinforce each other! 4. Get this information to me, as well as the contact information you want us to share in our publicity. 5. A list of all of the San Mateo county GBBC sites will be sent over this email list, the sequoiaaudubon email list, posted on the Sequoia Audubon website (http://www.sequoia-audubon.org/), and on the Sequoia Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/107733283003/). At next week's Sequoia Audubon general meeting, Thursday February 9th, 7:00 pm, San Mateo Garden Center, these miniature field trips will be discussed, and a powerpoint presentation on the GBBC will be shown. Thanks for your participation! Looking forward to hearing back from many of you. For starters, my participation will be on Friday, February 17, with the following locations. This can also be taken as an example of the information I need from prospective leaders. Friday, February 17, Blufftop Coastal Park, Half Moon Bay, 7:30 - 8:30 am. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Poplar Road (fee, $2/hour). We will look for seabirds, raptors, and sparrows, as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Directions to this site can be found in the San Mateo County Birding Guide. Leader: Jennifer Rycenga (smcbgeditor AT earthlink.net). Friday, February 17, Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, Portola Valley, 10:30 am - 11:30 am. Meet at the east parking area, in Portola Valley, off of Portola Road (free). We will walk to Sausal Pond, through open oak and mixed woodland, counting birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Directions to this site can be found in the San Mateo County Birding Guide. Leader: Jennifer Rycenga (smcbgeditor AT earthlink.net). Friday, February 17, Union Cemetery, Redwood CIty, 3:00 - 4:00 pm. Meet at this entrance to this small wedge of a cemetery (and California registered historic landmark) on Woodside Road (CA 84), just west of El Camino Real. We will be counting and identifying birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. We will conduct a thorough survey of the birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and also discuss the history of this location. Directions to this site can be found in the San Mateo County Birding Guide. Leader: Jennifer Rycenga (smcbgeditor AT earthlink.net). Looking forward to adding YOUR trip to this list! Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Palm Warbler in Redwood Shores From: "rferrick99" <richferrick AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:22:32 -0000 Hi Pen-Birders: This afternoon (2/2, 12:55PM) the PALM WARBLER found yesterday by Ron continued in the same location. It was foraging on the ground amongst Yellow-rumped Warblers and crowned sparrows. Directions from Ron's report below. Rich Ferrick > A PALM WARBLER flew up from the ground and landed in an > ornamental bush. After feeling I was no threat, the Palm Warbler > flew back down to the ground. This area is along Seal Pointe Drive > between Portman Drive and Cape Cod Drive. Access would be from > Egret Street from the south side of Redwood Shores Parkway. ------------------------------------ Subject: Like Clockwork From: "D Weber" <dwbirdster AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 22:24:55 -0800 Hi Birders- Thanks to Garth for the five-thirty dipper tip-off. I got to the Wurr Rd bridge around 2pm ready to wait it out. For the next hour, nothing. I decided to drive out to the coast to get some phone reception. On the way, I checked out Stage Rd, since there haven't been any reports from there recently. The Eastern Phoebe continues on the hillside next to 1655, but the Blue Grosbeak location was birdless. I got back to the bridge at 4:30. And again for the next hour, nothing. Then right at 5:30 I hear zee-zee noises from under the bridge and an American Dipper lands on the very first rock in the creek on the upstream side of the bridge! County bird 299. It was joined by another a few minutes later. They preened for five minutes then flew downstream. Dave Weber, Milpitas ------------------------------------ Subject: Palm Warbler in Redwood Shores From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 22:17:20 -0500 (EST) Today, I was out on one of my afternoon bicycle rides around Redwood Shores. I was riding on the public access trail along Steinberger Slough. There were crowned sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers flying away that were foraging next to the trail, as I approached on my bicycle. A PALM WARBLER flew up from the ground and landed in an ornamental bush. After feeling I was no threat, the Palm Warbler flew back down to the ground. This area is along Seal Pointe Drive between Portman Drive and Cape Cod Drive. Access would be from Egret Street from the south side of Redwood Shores Parkway. Seldom seen at this time of the year at Radio Road was an adult Bonaparte's Gull. Scanning across Steinberger Slough to Bair Island, a Red-tailed Hawk was carrying nesting material and adding to an old Common Raven's nest on a P.G.E. tower. This could the first nesting of Red-tailed Hawk, I have observed on Bair Island. On January 28, Michael Scott, Leonie Batkin and I did some birding along the coast. There was not too much to note. We did have the continuing COMMON GALLINUDE at Ocean Colony in Half Moon Bay. Stopping at Pigeon Point, it was not even worth the time to take a scope out. The first migrating Brant of the season pasted close to shore with group of ( 7 ). January 29, Leonie and I checked Radio Road and noted a female EURASIAN WIGEON. She was probably an immature, as the tertials were still growing in. Seldom seen in Redwood Shores were an American Kestrel near the Radio Road and a Northern Flicker ( red-shafted ) flying out of the trees at the wastewater treatment plant. Large numbers of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins have been passing through Redwood Shores the last flew days. Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: The gulls are back! From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:35:07 -0500 (EST) I forgot to mention that among the gull flock is a Canada Goose that appears to be a Lesser Canada Goose ( parvipes ) and not one of the ubiquitous introduced Canada Geese. Another hybrid gull combination I did not mention were two first-cycle Nelson's Gulls ( Glaucous x Herring Gull ). Ron Thorn ------------------------------------ Subject: Double Dip 1-31-2012 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:03:47 -0800 (PST) Hi All, All work, no play today 1/31/2012 - or so I thought. At 5:30PM there was just enough light left as I passed by Wurr Rd. in Loma Mar to make it worth a quick stop at this traditional location to see if the American Dipper (reported by Rich Ferrick 1/29) was about. After a few minutes of waiting I began to hear calls, and after a few more I got to see 2 dippers preening and dipping just upstream from the bridge. I had checked the area a couple of weekends ago with no result. BTW, Wurr Rd. is a loop road with 2 ends and 2 bridges, so to reduce the potential for confusion, the end in question is the more upstream one, farther from 'downtown' Loma Mar (which consists of about 6 buildings.) It's a beautiful backroad too, well worth a slow cruise just for the scenery. Garth Harwood Pescadero ------------------------------------ Subject: The gulls are back! From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:02:02 -0500 (EST) After reading about Alvaro's SLATY-BACKED GULL with the many other gulls at Venice State Beach in Half Moon Bay, I decided to spent some time today observing gulls. I have been checking the gull flock this month and the numbers have been very low. Sometimes, as low as ( 10 ) gulls! Leslie told me even she had noticed the number of gulls were very low, as she did her Snowy Plover surveys. I was surprised to count about ( 7,000 ) gulls on the beach or bathing in Pilarcitos Creek! Many gulls were coming in from the landfill during the five hours I was there. Waves of gulls flying in average about ( 100 ). The largest wave of gulls coming in were ( 1,500 )! Have the personnel at the landfill given up on their tactics to scare off the gulls or have the gulls feel there is no threat from the tactics? Time flies by, but I think it has been a few years when the tactics were put in place and the number of gulls dropped to an all time low. Its like old times once again! I could not find any Slaty-backed Gulls today, but the highlight that came in with the ( 1,500 ) gulls was an adult GLAUCOUS GULL. Most adult Glaucous Gulls winter farther north. I have only ever seen several in the county over the years. As expected, there were a number of hybrid gulls. Many Glaucous-winged x Western Gulls, ( 18 ) Herring x Glaucous-winged Gulls and a combo that I do not often see especially ( 2 ) adult Glaucous x Glaucous-winged Gulls. One of these showed mostly white primaries with small gray subterminal bands. What was interesting about this individual was one eye was dark and the other pale. There were about ( 25-30 ) Thayer's Gulls. Another surprised was an immature ROSS'S GOOSE walking among the gull flock. I walked out to the beach to look for Leslie's BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, but missed it, as it had flown off. Leslie, I appreciate you coming over to tell, even though I missed the bird! Ron Thorn ------------------------------------ Subject: Scoters along the coast From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:03:13 -0800 Today I saw a pair of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS off of Pomponio State Beach, and a pair of BLACK SCOTERS off of Pescadero State Beach, as I took the long way to San Jose. No sign of Sapsuckers by Garth's place, and some scat on rocks, but no American Dipper at the Wurr Street Bridge. At Windy Hill OSP, Sausal Pond held three female RING-NECKED DUCKS, four GADWALL, and a few other waterfowl. One WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH was heard, along with four OAK TITMOUSE. Good birding! Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Black-legged Kittiwake, Francis Beach, HMB From: "Leslie Flint" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:36:29 -0000 Hi all, While doing my snowy plover survey today at Half Moon Bay State Beach, I walked out the the gull flock at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek. ( I was at the south end of the flock on Francis Beach.) While scanning for the slaty-backed gull reported yesterday, I found a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake. It was at the southmost end of the flock near the edge of the water (not visible from the bluff where a truly special species, a Ron Thorn, was scanning for the slaty-backed). I went back to the car and got my camera and was able to get a few OK shots, but enough to ID it. They can be seen on my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leslie_flint/6797442091/in/set-72157626871594986/ I then walked over to the bluff where Ron was still scanning but while I was there, we could not find the slaty-backed. I had to leave so I am hoping that Ron found it. Leslie Flint San Mateo ------------------------------------ Subject: Sequoia Audubon "First Wednesday" Fieldtrip - Mtn View Forebay/Shoreline Lake From: "Leslie Flint" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:47:27 -0000 Sequoia Audubon's "First Wednesday" fieldtrip to Mountain View Forebay and Shoreline Lake is this Wednesday, February 1. This area affords some of the most varied shorebird and waterfowl wintering habitat on the bay. We'll hope for White Pelicans and Black Skimmers, Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal. This trip will involve walking on level, well defined trails. Directions: Meet at the end of San Antonio Road at 9:00 AM. From San Mateo, take Hwy 101 south to San Antonio Road and take the San Antonio Rd (North) exit. Follow San Antonio Road a short distance until it makes a right turn onto Terminal Road. Stop and park as close to the intersection as possible. Bring scope if you have one, snack and water. Leader: Leslie Flint lflint AT earthlink.net Leslie Flint San Mateo ------------------------------------ Subject: Cascade Ranch (belated, and now corrected) From: Tom Grey <tgrey AT law.stanford.edu> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:30:34 -0800 I reported White-crowned Sparrows where I meant WHITE-THROATED . -- Tom Grey www.pbase.com/tgrey tgreybirds.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Cascade Ranch (Saturday, belated) From: Tom Grey <tgrey AT law.stanford.edu> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:55:45 -0800 I visited Cascade Saturday morning (1/28/12) with some participants in a bird photo workshop taught by Ashok Khosla, Bill Walker and me. For the first time, I walked in from the Ranch driveway instead of the Hwy 1 pulloff, and this brought us by the a flock of PURPLE FINCHES on the right, between the driveway and the pond. This species has been a nemesis of mine for photography, and I did manage to get a few, albeit distant, photos in good light, so this is a spot worth trying if you've found this species camera-shy. I'd recommend a tripod and as much glass as you can manage. During our two and a half hours at the Brussels sprout piles, we had two appearances of the HARRIS'S SPARROW, and up to 4 separate WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. I photographed a FOX SPARROW with some characteristics of the Slate-colored type; see photo, comments welcome. After lunch in Pescadero. Sonny Mencher showed Caroline Lambert and me the spots along Stage Road where the Eastern Phoebe and Blue Grosbeak have been seen. They didn't appear, but we had a flock of PINE SISKINS and a single RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in the trees along the road at the Eastern Phoebe spot. Pictures at http://www.pbase.com/tgrey/latest . -- Tom Grey www.pbase.com/tgrey tgreybirds.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Wild Turkeys at Filoli From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:22:24 -0800 This morning at 7:25, there were eleven WILD TURKEY visible from Cańada Road near the Filoli entrance station. For folks needing this as a county bird (and I know at least one prominent county birder in this category), it is my experience that mid-January to late February, about 45 minutes to 90 minutes after first light, is a very good time to look for them. Many of the toms had their tails on full display. Good birding! Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Ano Nuevo/ Cascade Ranch: GLAUCOUS GULL, SWAMP SPARROW, etc. From: "Peter Metropulos" <pjmetrop AT pacbell.net> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:46:28 -0800 Greetings, Yesterday (Sunday, 1/29/12) I was on duty as docent naturalist at ANO NUEVO STATE RESERVE. On my way there I stopped off at the CASCADE RANCH Brussels Sprout dump to look through the sparrows. From 7:30-9:00 I enjoyed a gorgeous sunny, calm morning, with an abundance of singing, feeding, and sun-bathing songbirds. Despite much searching I could not locate the Harris's Sparrow. However I did encounter an impressive total of WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS: FIVE ! A first-year SWAMP SPARROW was feeding in the vicinity of the blue-flagged stick. I also tallied 35 Fox Sparrows, 30 Lincoln's sparrows, and 8 savannah sparrows. In addition, a California Thrasher was singing from the grassy hillside, a flock of a hundred or so Tricolored Blackbirds foraged in the plowed field, and a Merlin streaked overhead. Among the ELEPHANT SEALS at Ano Nuevo I found a Second-year GLAUCOUS GULL ( pure white body, pale eye) gorging itself on the rotting carcass of a seal pup. Also here was a pair of Pelagic Cormorants in breeding-plumage (white flank patches), a hunting MERLIN, and two singing California thrashers. NOTE: ELEPHANT SEALS are now at the peak of breeding activity: plenty of sex , violence, and gore. This "R-rated" entertainment should continue for another month or so. If you are planning a visit call to make the mandatory reservations immediately. Peter J. Metropulos [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Bald Eagle over San Bruno Mountain - 1/29/12 From: M.Bruce Grosjean <mbgsf AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:01:38 -0800 Wow Dominik - I was on the mountain later that afternoon but missed your eagle. Did see a couple of WTK though and since February is the month they've started nest building in the past I'm crossing my fingers that they're able to stand up to the ravens this year. ------------------------------------ Subject: Snow Goose, HMB, 29Jan12 From: "keith_in_eg" <keith_ineg AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:10:37 -0000 This afternoon at about 1400, while traveling Hwy 1 northbound away from Half Moon Bay, I saw a single SNOW GOOSE in a field on the east side of Hwy 1. I was driving in traffic so I managed a quick glance, but the bird was large with a sloped bill to top of head - so my gut tells me SNOW. The location is Hwy 1 North of Safeway and just north of the merge from 2 to 1 lanes (sorry, no cross street). Kind of a neat January sighting when it's 65 degrees outside. Keith G. El Granada ------------------------------------ Subject: Dipper From: Rich Ferrick <richferrick AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:34:01 +0000 (UTC) Hi Pen-Birders: This morning (1/29, 830AM) an American Dipper was seen upstream from the Wurr Road bridge (near intersection with Pescadero Creek Road). I tried for the sapsucker between 5830-5901 Pescadero Creek Road but I was probably too early, as the sun never got onto the trees before I had to leave (930ish). Rich Ferrick ------------------------------------ Subject: HMB warblers etc. 1/29/2012 + sapsucker update From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:51:30 -0800 (PST) Hi All, As James Barnes reported earlier, I caught up to a/the continuing Black-and-white Warbler at Sweetwood Park in Half Moon Bay this morning 1/29/2012. The bird was in adult female plumage. Many thanks to Malia DeFelice for keeping us all informed about this bird. I also checked in at Frenchmans Creek Park, just across Hwy 1, on Ruisseau-Francais Ave. Late last year, I had found a female B+W Warbler there as well, just minutes after seeing the Sweetwood bird 1/4 mile to the west (I had, to my chagrin, not bothered to note the age and sex of the Sweetwood bird on that date; it only seemed relevant once a second sighting had occurred. A lesson for us all!) It seemed very unlikely to me - but statistically possible - that the same bird had moved that distance faster than I walked it. If that did not happen, there were actually 2 BAWW in the area. So, I spent some time peering into the Frenchmans Creek drainage in this area as well - who knows? Lightning could strike twice... It didn't, at least not today. But it was still worth visiting the little park on the east side of Hwy 1. Two Orange-crowned Warblers were in a mixed flock of small insectivores there, and just past the eastern end of the park, at the entrance to a private lane with a big double iron gate (at the intersection of Ruisseau-Francais and Tourrance), I found a Nashville Warbler feeding in a small group of red-flowering shrubby trees (a female I believe, given the low contrast between the incomplete gray hood and otherwise mostly yellow plumage. Bold white eye-ring, though.) After leaving the area I moved uphill to Skylawn Cemetery, where it took some effort to locate two silent Red Crossbills, a male and female near the winged victory statue. Back home in the afternoon, I had completely given up on the Red-naped Sapsucker when it suddenly appeared at about 4:30 and fed on another apple just 30 feet away as I continued pruning trees. I enjoyed its company for about 15 minutes before I had to move on. Good birding - Garth Harwood Pescadero ------------------------------------ Subject: Cascade Ranch (1/29) From: "Ken Schneider" <kschnei1 AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:24:40 -0000 Hi all, As my tripod is in for repairs and I'm hopeless without my scope for any birds farther than about 10 feet, I decided to make the pilgrimage to Cascade Ranch this afternoon. I wasn't disappointed! After parking along the side of the entrance road, I walked towards the north end of the field and the piles of decomposing brussels sprouts. On the east side of the path, just past the small pond, I found one of the continuing SWAMP SPARROWS perched low in the dense vegetation. When I arrived at the brussels sprouts, numerous sparrows (but no warblers I could find) were foraging on the ground near the brush pile, including a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. After a few minutes, the continuing adult HARRIS'S SPARROW fulfilled his/her contractual obligations by showing up near the famous blue ribbon. A link to my eBird checklist with really bad embedded photos of the Swamp and Harris's sparrows is here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9714530 Of note, the Harris's Sparrow was my 250th county bird (not counting introduced birds) and garnered me my first and long coveted "red county" on John Sterling's county birders web site. Of course, about a hundred of those birds were found by Ron Thorn... :) Good birding, Ken Schneider San Francisco ------------------------------------ Subject: Bald Eagle over San Bruno Mountain - 1/29/12 From: Dominik Mosur <polskatata AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:08:56 -0800 (PST) Early this afternoon I took my family out for a hike on San Bruno Mountain. As we hiked the Summit Trail west of the main road around 12:40 p.m. an immature (probably 3rd year) BALD EAGLE flew over heading north, with a Common Raven in pursuit. The Bald Eagle circled a couple of times over the Crocker Hills on the north side of Guadalupe Canyon Rd. before continuing on into San Francisco airspace. Interestingly I had another Bald Eagle (this one with more extensive white feathering underneath looked like a 2nd year) flying north off Ocean Beach in San Francisco earlier this morning. Other than that just the expected resident birds and almost no other raptors (one Red-tail, two Turkey Vultures) Common Ravens rule the skies these days over San Bruno Mountain with a high count of over (80) total observed in a single scan around noon. Dominik Mosur San Francisco ------------------------------------ Subject: Unusual hummingbird behavior From: "James Barnes" <james AT barnesdawn.net> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:13:04 -0800 Around 9:30 this morning I went by Sweetwood Park on Frenchman's creek to see the continuing Black-and-white Warbler. It was across the creek from the camp restrooms as advertised, being observed by Garth Harwood. It immediately flew into a euc above our heads and I got good but brief underside looks of what appeared to be an adult female before it took off for the brushy trees by the creek mouth. What astounded me, however, took place earlier on my way through the park in the forested area. I heard a pygmy nuthatch and looked up into the canopy and saw one calling from a bare branch. A male Anna's hummingbird circled it tightly and then landed on its back and appeared to mount it! The encounter was brief and both birds took off. I'm curious if anyone has seen this kind of interaction between a hummingbird and an at-least-tolerant nuthatch or other bird. Hot birding, James Barnes Montara [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Save the Dates: Pt Reyes Birding & Nature Festival: April 27-30, 2012 From: "will_w04" <will_w04 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:13:27 -0000 2012 Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival April 27-30, 2012 REGISTRATION OPENS IN MID-FEBRUARY! Trips will fill fast! If you'd like to be notified when registration opens, email your request to: prbnfestival at gmail.com (use ' AT ' instead of 'at') Join trips and lectures led by such experts as Rich Stallcup, Alvaro Jaramillo, Peter Pyle, Jules Evens, David Wimpfheimer, Lisa Hug, Joe Morlan, Sarah Allen and Keith Hansen. Observe birds of the ocean, coast, forest and wetlands, and see spring wildflowers, whales, and seals. Offerings also include outings for kids, butterfly and dragonfly walks, a pelagic trip to Cordell Bank, a birding by boat cruise on Tomales Bay, a Saturday night banquet with keynote address by John Muir Laws and much more! The 2012 Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival is sponsored by the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin www.pointreyesbirdingfestival.org . Questions about the festival should be directed to 'prbnfestival at gmail.com' (use ' AT ' instead of 'at'). This notice has been posted on behalf of Carolyn Longstreth, Director, Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival 2012, by Will Wilson of Corte Madera. ------------------------------------ Subject: Brussels Sprouts patch etc. 1/28/2012 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:03:20 -0800 (PST) Hi All, Many birders were enjoying the fine weather, and the cooperative Harris's Sparrow, at the Cascade Ranch dumping grounds in the late morning today 1/28/2012 when I arrived on the scene. At least three White-throated Sparrows were also present among the sprouts, two of them still showing faint streaks on the breast and these had only poorly developed yellow patches in the loral area. Farther afield among the eucalyptus trees, I had my first of season Allen's Hummingbird and also had good views of an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk. A California Thrasher could be heard singing from the hillside behind the eucs as well. As I was about to leave I had to pop out of the car again to check out an arriving raptor, which turned out to be a 'dark adult' Red-tailed Hawk. Familiar species, unusual form...quite a sight. On my way home I stopped to walk along Gazos Beach for a ways to see if the Snowy Plovers were about. Indeed they were - 27 individuals was a high count in the county for me I think. At least 8 of these were color banded, which I dutifully recorded and will report to reportband.gov when time permits (they are a little cumbersome with multiple reports; you have to be in the mood.) There was also a banded Western Gull with the code A84. I pruned trees in my orchard much of the afternoon, but encountered no unusual birds here today. Garth Harwood Pescadero ------------------------------------ Subject: Recent Highlights From: Rich Ferrick <richferrick AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:30:27 +0000 (UTC) Hello Pen-Birders A few stops in the last two days. On Friday (1/27, 445PM), there was a Varied Thrush at Flood Park in Menlo Park. At the Foster City Shell Bar (1/28, 345PM), there at least 5 Ruddy Turnstones and 2 Black Turnstones near the roosting flock. Further out, there was a very good candidate for Long-tailed Duck sleeping amongst the scaup. I didn't catch a glimpse of the bird with its head untucked and upright but that which could be seen was supportive. Scoping Upper Crsytal Springs reservoir from Canada Road (1/28, 445PM), I saw the continuing Wood Ducks (at least 10) along the far shore and there 14 Wild Turkeys in the field in front of Filoli. Rich Ferrick ------------------------------------ Subject: Great Grey From: jen k <creeturefeeture AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:04:42 -0800 (PST) Does anyone have any ideas of where to find Great Grey Owl in Yosemite? I heard that they're there, and would love to find one..please feel free to contact me off the listserv.    Jen Kotkin  Listserv Moderator, Association of Professional Wildlife Educators Come join us! www.apwe.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Black-and-white Warbler continues Sweetwood Park 1/27/12 From: "maliadances" <maliadances AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:08:14 -0000 Today around 11:00am Chris and I got good looks at the continuing BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. We watched it forage, working it's way downward, head first, on a good-sized tree trunk. The bird was seen today west of the foot-bridge and across the creek from behind the Sweetwood Park group camp bathrooms. Other Sweetwood park birds included Yellow-Rumped and Townsend's Warblers, Pygmy nuthatches, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk, Bushtits, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Purple Finches, Song, White-crowned and Lincoln's Sparrows and at least 3 dozen American Goldfinches. There was a COMMON GOLDENEYE in the wide part of the now flowing out to sea Pilarcitos Creek and the gull flock today looked to be about 600. On Tuesday 1/24/12, I spotted a gull which I'm wondering if it could possibly be a Glaucous-winged/Glaucous hybrid. It was in adult non-breeding plumage. It had a pale grey mantle. paler than the glaucus-winged gulls. The wingtips appeared almost unmarked and had only the merest trace of a Glaucous-winged wing-tip pattern. In fact I had to keep looking and waiting for it to turn so I could get to see it in different angles to be sure the wingtips were not completely white. I did not have my scope only binoculars, but the color of the iris appeared lighter than the Glaucous -winged eye color. Fascinating trying to figure these gulls out! Malia DeFelice and Chris Hayward Half Moon Bay ------------------------------------ Subject: loggerhead shrikes From: "larrcamp" <larrcamp AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:14:31 -0000 While I realize this is about San Mateo County birds, I've read several reports about loggerhead shrikes. If you want to see loggerhead shrikes go over to Coyote Hills Regional Park. You can't miss them! ------------------------------------ Subject: SFBBO gull and sparrow classes. From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:52:03 -0800 Folks, Just an FYI that I will be giving a gull identification workshop for SFBBO next week, and there are spaces still available. Also later in February I will be working on the sparrows. These will be at the Sobrato Center in Redwood City, so these are not in the South Bay! For more information, visit the SFBBO web site here: http://www.sfbbo.org/activities/workshops.php Good gulling to you all! Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo Biologist San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) 524 Valley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 www.sfbbo.org ajaramillo AT sfbbo.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Merlin, Pipit, Redwood Shores From: Dan Davison <dandavison7 AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:08:42 -0800 At noon today there was a Merlin perched high in the electricity pylon[1] over the water from Gossamer Avenue. A female or an immature. It was calling. A bit further west[2] by the fence next to Hartstene Drive there was an American Pipit. Near: [1] 37.543569, -122.237771 [2] 37.545442, -122.245168 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Long-tailed Ducks off of Coyote Pt. From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:09:38 -0500 (EST) This winter, there has been above the normal numbers of diving ducks on San Francisco Bay. Today many of the diving ducks are being attracted to a Herring run off of Coyote Point. The bay water was calm, but you could see the areas where the Herring ripple through the water. Large Striped Bass were jumping out of the water! There were two groups made up mostly of scaup and Surf Scoters. I estimated about ( 42,000 ). A number of times, I scanned the large group east of the marina, as the group was constantly diving. Finally the scanning back and forth paid off with ( 2 ) LONG-TAILED DUCKS together. The flock north of Coyote Point was just too far off in the distance to spot any other Long-tailed Ducks. Other diving ducks attracted to Herring run were ( 500 ) Common Goldeneyes and ( 1,600 ) Buffleheads. The adult male HARLEQUIN DUCK was with about ( 100 ) Surf Scoters close to shore on the north side of the jetty. I rarely have seen at this time of the year on the bay, was an immature PACIFIC LOON foraging close to shore on the north side of Coyote Point. ( 42 ) Red-throated Loons were noted. Resting on the concrete slabs east of the marina were ( 190 ) Brown Pelicans. Most were adults. This could be the highest count of Brown Pelican ever at this time of the year on the bay in San Mateo County. Most Brown Pelicans have departed to breeding grounds to the south. During the low tide, there were many gulls foraging on the Herring eggs along shoreline on the north side of Coyote Point. Yesterday, I scanned the bay from the north side of the San Mateo Bridge. There was a high of ( 100 ) Horned Grebes. There was an adult male Barrow's Goldeneye also seen. Other new sightings of Barrow's Goldeneyes were ( 2 ) adult males and an immature male on the lagoon off of Twin Dolphin Drive in Redwood Shores. The ( 2 ) adult males and adult female continued along Gossamer Street. Ron Thorn ------------------------------------ Subject: Harlequin duck, Coyote Point From: Donald Pendleton <pen55ton AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:04:47 -0800 (PST) Today the harlequin duck was seen amongst the raft of surf scoters along the jetty north of the marina. It is great at hiding within the mass, it took three thorough viewings through the sea ducks before I saw it. Don Pendleton East Palo Alto Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: The Pinnacles Field Trip - Correction From: "Leslie Flint" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:01:46 -0000 This trip will be Sunday, January 29. Leslie Flint San Mateo ------------------------------------ Subject: Panoche Valley and The Pinnacles - Field Trips From: "Leslie Flint" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:59:05 -0000 Hi all, Saturday, January 28, Sequoia Audubon Fieldtrip to Panoche Valley led by Leslie Flint - a great opportunity to see raptors, Mountain Bluebirds, Mountain Plover (maybe) and Long-eared Owls plus lots more. Meet Paicines Reservoir at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, January 28, Pinnacles National Monument with the star attraction being California Condor, but other great birds await. Meet Laurie Graham and Jeff Fairclough at 8:00 a.m. at Paicines Reservoir. See Sequoia's website: www.sequoia-audubon.org for details, directions and more. Contact Leslie at lflint AT earthlink.net for carpooling for Saturday. Hope to see you all there. Leslie Flint San Mateo ------------------------------------ Subject: Red-naped Sapsucker returns 1-22-2012, photos From: "garthharwood AT ymail.com" <garthharwood@ymail.com> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:47:26 -0000 Hi All, The Red-naped Sapsucker returned to my apple orchard at 5901 Pescadero Creek Rd yesterday 1-22-2012. I watched it from 10:50 to 11:30AM, at which time it flew across Pescadero Creek to my neighbor's yard (she also has apples.)The bird likes to eat apples, and was so absorbed in doing so that it allowed me to go get my scope and camera, set everything up, and then get some record shots. These can be found in the 'Red-naped Sapsucker' folder on our yahoo group page. Fine art they ain't, seeing as I was just holding my point and shoot camera up to my scope lens, but I managed to get a lot of key features in the set. When I first encountered this bird on January 8, I noted that there was no black at all beneath the red throat patch. These images show that a bold black crescent is now molting into place there. Importantly, there is no sign of red 'bleeding into' this dark area, which is typical in hybrids with Red-breasteds. It is hard to tell for sure, but in some of the images it seems that there is a break in the formative black line at the sides of the throat, which would not be the case in Yellow-bellied (the line would be continuous.)Back pattern and red nape are, I believe, both good for Red-naped without signs of hybridization. On 1/8 I also noted 'a hint of brown flecking' along the bird's flanks. The images just obtained clearly show that the flecking is in fact dark gray or blackish. I don't know whether I failed to see that correctly on my first observation, or whether the molt process has brought about a change there too. Many apple trees are visible from the roadside in the area although the last fruits are going fast. Good luck! --Garth Harwood ------------------------------------ Subject: A day off! Where to bird? From: "Jen K" <creeturefeeture AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:43:33 -0000 Hi folks: Just joined the group, have a day off today and would love to go and locate a rare bird, or meet up with fellow birders..anything good out there with all this wind today? I am in Half Moon Bay.. Jen ------------------------------------ Subject: Fwd: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Wordss From: "45.lisa AT gmail.com" <45.lisa@gmail.com> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:42:20 -0500 > I hope it's ok to pass along this Sierra Club call for photos of the King Tides. > > Lisa Weber Begin forwarded message: > From: "Amanda Wallner, Sierra Club California" > Date: January 22, 2012 3:21:13 PM EST > To: "Weber, Lisa" > Subject: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words > Reply-To: "Amanda Wallner, Sierra Club California" > > > View a web version of this email. > > > > > > > A sea level rise of 7.66 ft. along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. > > Dear Lisa, > > Damaged homes and businesses, flooded streets, and devastating coastal erosion -- this is a glimpse into the future of climate change. > > We are getting a sneak peak into that future, as extreme high tides, known as "king tides," will occur this weekend and again on February 7-9 along the Pacific coast. These tides can be up to nine feet higher than average.1 > > Take some photographs this weekend! Help Californians visualize the effects of sea level rise and give decision makers the wake up call they need! > > Sierra Club California and the California King Tides Photo Initiative are encouraging Californians to take pictures of these extreme high tide events. Your photos can help us make the complex issue of climate change real. > > Your images will be added to an interactive map and used to educate leaders and decision makers about the effects of climate change on their community. > > Find a location near you to view these high tide events, suggestions on what to take pictures of, and how to email your images to us, it's easy! > > Californians up and down the coast will be working together to create a rich and diverse archive of photographs that will serve as a powerful demonstration to our legislators of the devastating effects climate change will have on our coast. > > Help us spread the message about sea level rise by sending us your pictures. > > Thanks for all you do for the environment, > > Amanda Wallner > Organizer, California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign > > P.S. Share this message with your friends and family today. You can also spread the word on your social networks with these handy links: > > > 1. 2011 California King Tides Initiative Report: http://www.bcdc.ca.gov/planning/climate_change/KingTides.pdf > > > > If you do not wish to receive future emails like this, click here to be removed from this type of email contact. > > > > Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests > > Sierra Club > 85 Second St. > San Francisco, CA 94105 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Miscellaneous sightings From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:32:07 -0500 (EST) Busy with work most of the week and with limited time to bird, there were some sightings. January 16 An Osprey was flying north over Hillsdale Boulevard and Foster City Boulevard in Foster City. Could this individual be one that has been wintering for years in Burlingame? Leonie decided to find for rails close to home in Redwood Shores. The freshwater marsh at the end of the public access trail on the south side of the wastewater treatment plant at the end of Radio Road had a Virginia's Rail. The creek that flows into the pond behind the Nob Hill Market had a Sora upstream from the bridge at Twin Dolphin Drive. Yesterday during a 6.8 ft. high tide, ( 2 ) Clapper Rails were in an island of cord grass on Belmont Slough seen from the Park Preserve. January 21 With the 6.8 ft. high tide, the Radio Road pond in Redwood Shores was packed with shorebirds! The small island with vegetation had among the many dowitchers, Willets and Marbled Godwits were at least ( 6 ) Red Knots. At this time of the year, Red Knots can be found coming into Radio Road during the higher tides. A Black Turnstone seen is occasionally found during the higher tides. Unexpected were ( 2 ) SURFBIRDS! Surfbirds wintering on San Francisco Bay in San Mateo County are found only, as far south as Coyote Point. So where did the Surfbirds come in from? Over the years I have only noted Surfbird at Radio Road three other times. Today with limited time and rain showers, we spent about thirty minutes along a part of Belmont Slough in Redwood Shores. We picked an area during the 6.7 ft. high tide that had sufficient enough salt marsh vegetation to force birds to higher ground along the public access trail. This limited area of the salt marsh vegetation had ( 2 ) Marsh Wrens, ( 13-15 ) Common Yellowthroats and ( 18-20 ) Salt Marsh Song Sparrows. The surprise was another race of Song Sparrow showing characteristics of an interior race. From a description out of Identification Guide to North American Birds Part 1 by Peter Pyle could be a possible montana race, but races can be difficult to determine with individual variation and intergrades. A bright looking Song Sparrow even on a gray day! A question, I ask just like Jennifer and others, why are there so many stained ducks at Radio Road when in any other year it is not noticed. What I was told by Al Duerson that because there was a lack of rain, many places where ducks would have winter in the Central Valley were dry and forced ducks to move to the bay area. The ducks were stained from feeding in the fields in the Central Valley. Now that the rain has started, many ducks have already dispersed from Radio Road. Also today, as Jennifer mention, the Red-tailed Hawk feeding on the dead carcass at Radio Road to not to be confuse with the immature Red-shouldered Hawk that has been present at Radio Road since January 11 made also a visit to the carcass. We also did see the Red-tailed Hawk in the nearby trees at the wastewater treatment plant. Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin ------------------------------------ Subject: Rusty Orange color on waterfowl at Radio Road From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:33:27 -0800 Dear Pen-birders - On my last two visits to Radio Road, I and other birders have noticed an orange coloration, somewhat segmented and broken, on the breasts of waterfowl, most noticeably on the breasts of Northern Pintail. I have also seen evidence of it, though, on Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, and a few others. Light conditions and my own inadequacies as a photographer have not enabled me to get a good picture. But I'd appreciate it if others could take a look at the phenomenon, and get a good picture. Let me know if anyone has a theory about what is happening, and if Sequoia and/or others should try to intervene with anyone about this, if it poses a danger to the birds. Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Foster City Shorebirds From: Tim Howe <timgh88 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:23:04 -0800 (PST) Following another's lead I birded the shell mounds between Marlin and Tarpon Sts. on Beach Park Blvd. today at high tide. Among birds seen were 5 Ruddy Turnstones and 3 Pacific-Golden Plover. I'm reminded again what a great place this is to  shorebird. The areas are small and the birds are very concentrated at high tide.   Tim Howe, Oakland  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Laurelwood Park and Radio Road From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:57:52 -0800 Today's Sequoia Audubon Field Trip to Laurelwood Park had a virtually rain-free 1.5 hours. We walked the loop of the Tenderfoot Trail and Creek Overlook Trail. We saw over twenty species, the best being a male/female pair of VARIED THRUSH. Lots of good opportunities to study birds close up, including a cooperative HAIRY WOODPECKER, numerous OAK TITMOUSES, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS and STELLER'S JAYS. A subset of us went over to Radio Road, where there were HOODED MERGANSERS and BLUE-WINGED TEAL in the channel behind the Dog Park. At least two WHIMBREL were scattered amongst the LONG-BILLED CURLEWS and MARBLED GODWITS. We also saw a young RED-TAILED HAWK dining/scavenging on a huge prey item - could not tell if it was a Turkey Vulture, Double-crested Cormorant, or a very large former waterfowl (like a Muscovy Duck). I will see what the combination of poor light and distance produces on my photos. Good birding! Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Pescadero State Beach-1/22 From: "mark" <mkudrav AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:51:45 -0000 All, This morning my friend and I went to go look at the ocean and see how high the surf was. Big waves for sure. At Pescadero State Beach there was a large collection of shorebirds on the linear rock runs west off of the parking area. The high surf plus high tide concentrated the birds there. 100+ Surfbirds, 55+ Black Turnstones, 8 Whimbrel, 1 Willet, and 31 Black Oystercatchers (the largest group I've seen together). I was on the lookout for Pelagic Cormorants in breeding plummage since I saw many of them done in Monterey yesterday. None of the Pelagics that I saw today were that far along. A pair of Black Scoters were just beyond the large rock, as well as 5 Red-Breasted Mergansers. NON-BIRD NOTE--*A CORRECTION regarding the Great White Shark I reported from Tunitas last weekend...it was actually a salmon shark. Same family (Lamnidae). For those still reading and interested, our shark had two keels, which is apparently a differentiating feature for Salmon Shark vs. Mako or Great White. Best, Mark Kudrav ------------------------------------ Subject: Laurelwood Field Trip for Sunday, January 22, still ON From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:34:25 -0800 Any of you thinking of attending Sequoia Audubon's Laurelwood Field Trip tomorrow at 8:30, we will still meet, and judge the birding possibilities from there. The forecast is quite uncertain in the morning - the serious rain and wind is for the afternoon. Meet at the playground below Glendora Drive. On my scouting today around sunset, saw/detected twenty species, but many birds were already roosting, which will likely not be a problem tomorrow morning! Best bird today was a pair of GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: White-throated Sparrow From: Joseph Morlan <jmorlan AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:52:24 -0800 We still have two White-throated Sparrows visiting our yard in Pacifica. Photo from today: http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/white-throatedSparrowP1160556.htm -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu Birding Classes start Feb 7 http://fog.ccsf.edu/jmorlan/ ------------------------------------ Subject: White-throated Sparrow From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:31:20 -0800 Hi Folks While driving in from SFO on Thursday I saw a Cackling Goose fly over 101 heading to Coyote Point. Then yesterday (20th) there was a White-throated Sparrow in my HMB backyard. This is the first I have seen here in years, perhaps 3 years or more. It was a very dull and streaky bird. Nothing today though. Good birding, Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: CA Thrasher's From: Bob Power <rcpower AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:45:20 -0800 (PST) Xeronimo, As described by Joe, California Thrashers are one of the nice surprises of the Menlo Park birding scene. Creek and Arbor, Valparaiso, St Patrick's, Sharon Park, and probably several other locations have breeding California Thrashers and a healthy wintering population. This is area 3 of the Christmas and Summer bird counts and we'd welcome your participation in either or both. Bob Power McClellan Ranch Cupertino, CA ________________________________ From: xeronimo_castaneda To: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, January 20, 2012 2:39:38 PM Subject: [pen-bird] CA Thrasher's I saw a pair of CA Thrasher's along Creek Dr., on Menlo Park side; Creek Dr. is right at the border of San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co. They were foraging just off the road right before you reach Yale Rd moving west. It was around 12:30 1/18. They were there for about 20 mins or so and I got some great looks. They didn't seem to mind me being there. Seems like an unlikely bird for the riparian habitat, any comments about that? Cheers, Xeronimo [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Re: CA Thrasher's From: Glen Tepke <g.tepke AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:24:19 +0000 (UTC) When I visited family that used to live in Atherton, I would routinely see California Thrashers in the well-vegetated residential neighborhoods around Serrano Drive, Robleda Drive and Patricia Drive. They were generally less shy and skulking than the birds you see in their more typical coastal sage-scrub and chaparral habitats. Glen Tepke Oakland ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Chrisman" To: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 5:47:16 PM Subject: [pen-bird] Re: CA Thrasher's I think California Thrashers are much more common in Menlo Park, Atherton, and Woodside as yard birds than most people think. When my son was a student at Sacred Heart Prep on Valparaiso Street in Atherton, I would see Thrashers their regularly, just like they were towhees or mockingbirds. George Chrisman Burlingame, CA --- In peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com, "xeronimo_castaneda" wrote: > > > I saw a pair of CA Thrasher's along Creek Dr., on Menlo Park side; Creek Dr. is right at the border of San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co. They were foraging just off the road right before you reach Yale Rd moving west. It was around 12:30 1/18. They were there for > about 20 mins or so and I got some great looks. They didn't > seem to mind me being there. Seems like an unlikely bird for > the riparian habitat, any comments about that? > > Cheers, > > Xeronimo [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Re: CA Thrasher's From: Sandy Greenberg <sandygreenberg AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:59:59 -0800 Palo Alto too. I see 1 regularly at Allied Arts. Sandy Greenberg Redwood Shores CA From: George Chrisman Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:47:16 -0000 To: Subject: [pen-bird] Re: CA Thrasher's I think California Thrashers are much more common in Menlo Park, Atherton, and Woodside as yard birds than most people think. When my son was a student at Sacred Heart Prep on Valparaiso Street in Atherton, I would see Thrashers their regularly, just like they were towhees or mockingbirds. George Chrisman Burlingame, CA --- In peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com , "xeronimo_castaneda" wrote: > > > I saw a pair of CA Thrasher's along Creek Dr., on Menlo Park side; Creek Dr. is right at the border of San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co. They were foraging just off the road right before you reach Yale Rd moving west. It was around 12:30 1/18. They were there for > about 20 mins or so and I got some great looks. They didn't > seem to mind me being there. Seems like an unlikely bird for > the riparian habitat, any comments about that? > > Cheers, > > Xeronimo > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: CA Thrasher's From: "George Chrisman" <geodani55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:47:16 -0000 I think California Thrashers are much more common in Menlo Park, Atherton, and Woodside as yard birds than most people think. When my son was a student at Sacred Heart Prep on Valparaiso Street in Atherton, I would see Thrashers their regularly, just like they were towhees or mockingbirds. George Chrisman Burlingame, CA --- In peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com, "xeronimo_castaneda" wrote: > > > I saw a pair of CA Thrasher's along Creek Dr., on Menlo Park side; Creek Dr. is right at the border of San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co. They were foraging just off the road right before you reach Yale Rd moving west. It was around 12:30 1/18. They were there for > about 20 mins or so and I got some great looks. They didn't > seem to mind me being there. Seems like an unlikely bird for > the riparian habitat, any comments about that? > > Cheers, > > Xeronimo > ------------------------------------ Subject: Ano Nuevo, Cascade Ranch, and Thanks! From: Katrina Knight <kknight AT fastmail.fm> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:59:07 -0500 I want to thank everyone who sent me helpful messages about Cascade Ranch. We went to Ano Nuevo on Tuesday morning, saw lots of elephant seals and a bunch of common birds, then one of the seals gave birth and a swarm of gulls came to eat the afterbirth. Amongst the horde, I spotted a very white gull which turned out to be an adult Glaucous Gull. That was a real treat. I see a Glaucous Gull or two most winters, but they're almost always young birds rather than adults. After lunch I persuaded my sister to let me spend an hour at Cascade Ranch. (She's not a birder. Spending time looking at sparrows in not her idea of fun.) I quickly found a California Thrasher which had been eluding me thus far on my trip. The Harris's Sparrow was cooperative and popped out onto the brussels sprouts a few minutes after I started looking for it. I'd call two new species in a little less than an hour a pretty good birding stop! -- Katrina Knight kknight AT fastmail.fm Reading, PA, USA ------------------------------------ Subject: CA Thrasher's From: "xeronimo_castaneda" <capinx18 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:39:38 -0000 I saw a pair of CA Thrasher's along Creek Dr., on Menlo Park side; Creek Dr. is right at the border of San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co. They were foraging just off the road right before you reach Yale Rd moving west. It was around 12:30 1/18. They were there for about 20 mins or so and I got some great looks. They didn't seem to mind me being there. Seems like an unlikely bird for the riparian habitat, any comments about that? Cheers, Xeronimo ------------------------------------ Subject: Heerman's Gulls Pilarcitos Creek lagoon 1/20/12 From: "maliadances" <maliadances AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:10:47 -0000 Headed out in the rain today. There were 4 breeding plumaged HEERMAN'S GULLS in the gull flock at the Pilarcitos Creek Lagoon. other gulls seen were Western, Glaucous-winged, Mew, California, Thayers and Herring. The LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE is still hanging out at the north end of the St. Francis Beach campground. Malia DeFelice and Chris Hayward Half Moon Bay ------------------------------------ Subject: Continuing Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker 1/19/12 From: "maliadances" <maliadances AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:15:13 -0000 We were able to get out to Menlo Park and around noon found the continuing Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. It was in the acacia tree by the speed warning sign on Creek Dr. Here are photos of the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker http://www.flickr.com/photos/49404229 AT N07/6728380777/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/49404229 AT N07/6728379157/in/photostream/ Malia DeFelice and Chris Hayward Half Moon Bay ------------------------------------ Subject: Red Naped Sapsucker and possible MacGillivray's Warbler (san bruno mt feeder) From: "sanbrunomtfeeder" <leewaysf AT pacbell.net> Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:44:07 -0000 In conifers in back of my fence, edge of SB Mt. Park, Crocker Road. Male RNS was very red, maybe enhanced by rain. Yellow on underside. Momentarily perched on snag at top of tree. Today, at 1:30ish. Possible Female MacGillivray's Warbler was two days ago, havn't seen again. Brief sighting, attracted to bright yellow underparts and what looked like a full white eyering. Light grey hood. My first thought was Nashville Warbler and I say "possible" MacGilvray's because I couldn't tell in the short time it was in the conifer behind my fence. Hopefully, someone won't say that is a garden variety, immature so and so bird that I already have for my backyard list. Otherwise, the usual backyard birds have been very active. With the exception of only 3 AM GF, no pine siskins, YR WA that didn't stay, but lots of bold fox sparrows, the list is the same. juncos CA towhee WC & GC sparrows Fox sparrows-sooty and reddish White Throated sparrows, one tan, one white chickadees pygmy nuthatches mourning doves Anna's hummingbird Robin RC kinglet Townshend's Warbler pair House Finch pair Steller's & Scrub jays RT Hawk Also, while walking the dog in the complex, a GH owl flew into a euc in the meadow area just b4 it got too dark to see. Perhaps it found the new gopher holes that my JRT is obsessed with. GH owls are contact calling in the park, this was the first time I have seen in our townhouse complex. ------------------------------------ Subject: Pilarcitos Creek's estuary and lagoons From: "ploverwatchchinggrandpa" <ploverwatchchinggrandpa AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:36:58 -0000 There are actually 2 Lagoons at the moment (there may be one big estuary again after the next series of storms) and there were 1 male and 1 female Plover 600 feet north-west of the smaller upper lagoon. The female has an injured right leg but has a foot and can walk and forage quite well. I wondered if this might be our fish-line entangled bird (?)... There were 23 Western Snowy Plovers counted today from lower Venice State Beach to the lower Francis State Beach at the camp grounds. There were 6 American Coots floating on this separate little pond and our approach flushed them as well as a Wilson's Snipe on the edge. Being a slow flier it only when 8 or so feet circling us, then landing in the grasses on the east-side of the pond. Good Birding, Edwin Geer HMB State Beach Ploverwatch Volunteer ------------------------------------ Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:26:28 -0800 The YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was seen today, January 18, around 1:00 pm, on its active tree along Creek Road in Menlo Park, just east of the intersection with Arbor Road. The woman who lives in the corner house is fascinated by the bird, but has never seen it; I did not have the time today to knock on her door and tell her it was present, but if you go for the bird and see her looking, point it out to her. Good birding, Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Continuing Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: Bill Bousman <barlowi AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:21:47 -0800 Folks: I parked at the intersection of Creek Drive and Arbor Road this morning, 1/18/12, from 1130 to 1200 hr. I saw the continuing female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER over most of this time, working the various acacias with extensive hole systems. I occasionally left these trees to sit in one of the nearby coast live oaks. Bill Bousman Menlo Park ------------------------------------ Subject: Possible Townsend's Solitaire in San Bruno From: "Laurie" <fair80 AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:28:00 -0000 Hi, all We could not get this to you sooner, although we tried, so save us the nasty comments. A woman who goes on our walks, Karen Bristol, found the bird on Jan 7. She emailed us for help with the ID, then could not get back to where she had found it for a couple of days. We now have a location. It came in while we were in the field yesterday. Here is the relevant part of her email, and good luck! The location is across from Golden Gate National Cemetery on Sneath Lane approx. 1/4 block west of Cherry Avenue. The bird was seen on a bare tree on the other side of a chain link fence, which encloses parking spaces behind an apartment building. Please let me know if you go looking for him and whether or not you see him. Thanks! Laurie Graham on behalf of Karen Bristol ------------------------------------ Subject: Eurasion Widgeon & Hooded Merganser - Redwood Shores From: "johnosner" <johnosner AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:43:04 -0000 Yesterday (1-16-12), from the bridge over the channel at Rockport Ave and Seabrook Lane (close to Radio Rd), I saw 1 male Eurasian Widgeon and 6 Hooded Mergansers (2 adult males and 4 females) ------------------------------------ Subject: RFI: Cascade Ranch From: Katrina Knight <kknight AT fastmail.fm> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:01:55 -0800 Hello, I'm visiting from Pennsylvania. We're planning on going to Ano Nuevo for elephant seals tomorrow morning and I'd like to check out the sparrows at Cascade Ranch while we're in that area. I know that Cascade Ranch is private property and I know that the Harris's Sparrow has been seen near a blue marker by a brussels sprout dump, but I'm rather unclear about birding there in general. I need some instructions, like where to park, how to find the brussels sprouts, and what is and isn't acceptable behavior there. I'm pretty sure I saw some general information about birding there when I was doing research at home before arriving here, but I can't locate it now. Can someone point me in the right direction? -- Katrina Knight' kknight AT fastmail.fm Reading, PA ------------------------------------ Subject: Tunitas Creek Mouth-1/16 From: "mark" <mkudrav AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:40:29 -0000 All, I went with some friends to enjoy a sunny day off at the beach at Tunitas Creek. There was an Orange-Crowned Warbler in the canyon below the hwy 1 bridge across the creek. A Greater Yellowlegs was in the lagoon on the beach with some nearby Mew Gulls. Seven Snowy Plovers were hiding out in some of the very sparse human footprints down on that beach. The most fascinating discovery was (mostly) non-avian... While relaxing on the beach, we noticed a few turkey vultures collected on the beach by the bluff just north of the creek mouth. None of us thought too much of it until we walked over that way later in the afternoon. That's when we discovered a (dead) 3 foot long Great White Shark washed up on the beach. Knowing this was probably our only chance to look at a white shark so closely, we all took a few minutes to allow ourselves to be fascinated, though a bit sad. Mark Kudrav ------------------------------------ Subject: Pescadero Sunday From: "kentjohnson55" <kentjohnson55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:44:52 -0000 Birded around Pescadero on Sunday. A female WESTERN TANAGER, presumable the same one reported recently at 5901 Pescadero Creek Road, was easily visible from the gate at 403 Dearborn Park Road both in the late morning and again mid-afternoon. The EASTERN PHOEBE was on the fence along the drive and in the adjacent field at 1650 Stage Road. I did not find the Blue Grosbeak down the road at 1820 Stage, but did see a SLATE-COLORED JUNCO with the other Dark-eyed Juncos there. I counted nine BLACK SCOTERS off the end of Pescadero Road. Kent Johnson Boulder Creek ------------------------------------ Subject: Wood Ducks etc. 1/15/2012 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:59:58 -0800 (PST) Hi All, No rarities at the orchard today. Half of my persimmon crop disappeared overnight, likely the work of raccoons or opossums. The remaining 14 fruits are relatively hard to reach even for birds, at least for those that need to perch when feeding. I did enjoy seeing a small flock of creek ducks in midafternoon, consisting of 3 Wood Ducks (2 drakes, 1 hen), and an adult male Hooded Merganser. A Belted Kingfisher darted away while I admired the ducks. While I was pruning apple trees, two Pileated Woodpeckers flew over the orchard giving great looks even without optics. Earlier in the day I visited Pescadero State Beach, where an adult Heermann's Gull sat among Westerns and Gaucous-wingeds. Garth Harwood Pescadero ------------------------------------ Subject: Wood Ducks @ Crystal Springs Reservoir 1/15/12 From: "George Chrisman" <geodani55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:30:29 -0000 This morning I was scanning the duck flock at Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir, North of highway 92, and spotted 4 WOOD DUCKS along the western shoreline across the lake. There was also a single RING-NECKED DUCK mixed in with a large group of GADWALLS & NORTHERN SHOVELERS. George Chrisman Burlingame, CA ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Vesper Sparrow From: "Gary Deghi" <gdeghi AT h-bgroup.com> Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:54:56 -0800 I reported a Vesper Sparrow from Ano Nuevo Brussels Sprouts Field National Monument yesterday. I had some email discussions last night with other birders wherein I learned that this would be the first winter record of Vesper Sparrow in San Mateo County. It appears such a record would need to be well-documented as there are similar races of Savannah Sparrow, for instance, with which it could be confused. I will submit my notes on my sighting. I have to admit that I saw this bird only in profile for about two or three seconds and then flying away and obtained no photographs. Still, everything I saw on this bird suggested Vesper Sparrow (fairly obvious eye-ring, bold streaking at least on the side of the breast, white outer tail feathers, even the facial pattern). Although others have reported a Vesper Sparrow in the same field recently, no one has seemed to get a sustained look or photos of this bird. I will be too busy to get out there to look for or study this bird further this week, so welcome input (or photos!) from others. Gary Deghi [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Harris's, E. Phoebe, Bl. Grosbeak, Virginia Rail 1/14/12 From: "maliadances" <maliadances AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:42:59 -0000 Birded the south coast yesterday, but had a late start. First stop Cascade Ranch 2:00pm. Sparrows were somewhat dispersed out in the field. As I approached the brussle's sprouts dumps, I spooked a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK that was sitting on top of the wood pile. It took a good 20 minutes before sparrows started to feed in the open and another 1/2 hour for the HARRIS"S SPARROW to appear. the Harris's reappeared about 20 yards away from the blue flagging tape. Got good views of LINCOLN'S,FOX, SONG,WHITE and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS and several HERMIT THRUSH, but none of the other sparrow goodies that Gary Deghi posted earlier. I walked along the dirt road past the pond back to my car. A small, reddish rail shaped bird with a longish orange/red tinged slightly downturned bill ad reddish legs walked into view on the grassy trail. To my surprise, a VIRGINIA RAIL. It lingered on the trail for a good 1/2 a minute before going into the undergrowth along the side of the trail. I've seen this species at Pescadero Marsh, but is there habitat for it at Cascade Ranch? Onto Stage road. The EASTERN PHOEBE appeared 10 minutes after I got out of my car. It was fly-catching on the fenceline that borders the north boundary of the hillside, north of 1655 Stage Rd. I got situated at 1820 Stage Rd. around 3:45pm. After about 45 minutes I got decent views of the BLUE GROSBEAK. It was in amongst the junco flock and not far from the road. A noisy truck drove by and spooked the flock up into the eucs by the road. On the way home I got the last 3 minutes of the 49'ers Saints game. What a win for the 9er's! Malia DeFelice Half Moon Bay ------------------------------------ Subject: Redwood City Bair Is. and environs by kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bekossy AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:36:54 -0800 Correction: Forster's Terns (not Elegant) My apologies, and thanks to those who pointed out my error. I'm kinda tired after paddling for four hours. Barbara Moss Beach [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Harris Sparrow still at Cascade Ranch From: Ruth Troetschler <rebugging AT att.net> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:32:03 -0800 Although the Brussel sprouts are now much degraded, we found the Harris Sparrow near the blue flag stake. Also present was a wide variety of Fox Sparrows and White-crowed Sparrows visiting the sprouts, one Yellow Throat, a Song Sparrow and multiple Yellow-rumped Warblers in the willows. Ruth Troetschler rebugging AT att.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Bair Is. area, Redwood City by kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bekossy AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:38:46 -0800 Launched at the small boat dock at the end of Chesapeake. Wow. So many birds! Flocks on the water, in the air. Flushed by raptors, so exciting. I've never seen so many birds in that area while I was kayaking. Highlights included one Pacific Loon Elegant Terns Western Sandpipers Western Grebes Willets Curlews Marbled Godwits Buffleheads Surf Scoters Coots Am. Avocets N. Harrier Turkey Vultures Ring Billed Gulls Canada Geese Snowy Egrets Greater Egrets Great Blue Herons Peregrine Falcon Ruddy Duck Pintails and more. Barbara Moss Beach Barbara Kossy Communications Moss Beach, California Office: 650-728-8720 Mobile: 650-430-1094 www.barbarakossy.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Coastal Saturday morning birding From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:42:02 -0500 (EST) Today, Leonie and I headed to coast for the morning, so we could get back in time for the afternoon 49er's game. Stopping at the Skylawn Memorial Park, the target specie we were looking for were RED CROSSBILLS, where there was a pair. At Venice State Beach in Half Moon Bay, checking the Snowy Plover flock, we could only find ( 3 ) on the beach. Also at Venice State Beach, as we were walking to Frenchman's Creek, there were in a big hurry ( 3 ) BARN SWALLOWS together flying north along the bluff. The mystery continues with these very early arrival Barn Swallows. Very early arrivals are always during a period of high pressure systems building in along the west coast. Just, as we walked over the pedestrian bridge into Sweetwood Park, it only took thirty seconds to see the continuing BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. It was along Frenchman's Creek near the east side of the bridge. It was foraging without a flock. On to Tunitas Creek to pickup fresh eggs, where we stopped to check a large patch of Cape Ivy along Lobitos Creek Cutoff Road, just up the top of the hill from Verde Road. There were the usual suspects Bushtits, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Warbler and Orange-crowned Warbler. The surprise foraging in the Cape Ivy was a HERMIT WARBLER. This would be the first time that I have come across this specie at this location in the winter The habitat is made up of Eucalyptus Trees, Monterey Cypress and some willows. Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin ------------------------------------ Subject: Continuing grosbeaks (plural) and a new tanager, etc. 1/14/2012 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:47:10 -0800 (PST) Hi All, As I begin writing this at 1:30PM on 1/14/2012 the female Black-headed Grosbeak is continuing to dine on ripe persimmons in my side yard at 5901 Pescadero Rd. And there is a new visitor today, a bright, female Western Tanager (which also just now dashed in for some fruit but got run off by a robin.) I am here working outside today so if you are around the area please feel free to drop in and have a look around. The persimmon tree is down to about 20 fruits so the show won't last long. The grosbeak is my second of the day after seeing the Blue Grosbeak with Gary this AM. I've seen 2 Red-breasted Sapsuckers so far today but nothing fancy as yet. No sign of any out-of-range tanagers either. After parting company with Gary Deghi this morning I dropped by the Butano Cut-off bridge over Pescadero Creek, by the high school. In the lush and blooming Cape Ivy there was a flock of Bushtits that also held a few other species including at least one Orange-crowned and one Nashville Warbler. A White-throated Sparrow was singing along Dearborn Park Rd. at about 12:30 PM. The unseasonably warm weather is misleading some birds to think about nesting already. On Stage Rd this AM I observed an Anna's Hummingbird collecting nest material, and at home, Pygmy Nuthatches are cleaning out the nest cavity they used successfully last year. I have also seen chickadees looking into nestboxes over the past few days. The tanager just returned and is gorging itself about 20 feet away. What a treat! Plant persimmons, everybody... Garth Harwood Pescadero ------------------------------------ Subject: San Mateo Coast-Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Phoebe, ten species of sparrow From: "Gary Deghi" <gdeghi AT h-bgroup.com> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:37:23 -0800 I had a productive morning of birding Saturday. Started about 8:00 a.m. along Stage Road where Garth Harwood and I enjoyed great scope views of the BLUE GROSBEAK. It took about a half hour of searching, but then we spotted the grosbeak foraging in the grass with the junco flock just east of Stage Road and south of the entrance road to 1820. We watched it for about 10 minutes near the road in the field with the eucalyptus stumps before it flew into the trees to the east and then to the area north of the entrance road to 1820. I was just getting ready to leave when Bob Dunn arrived, and I walked with him to the area north of the entrance road and we quickly re-found the bird with the junco flock in that area. I stopped to look for the Eastern Phoebe at its usual spot north of 1655 Stage Road without seeing it. Next I went to Ano Nuevo Brussels Sprouts Field National Monument, where, in under 45 minutes, I saw ten species of sparrow. Watching in the area of the brush pile by the blue marker where the Harris's Sparrow has been seen, I observed large numbers of White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Song, Lincoln's and Fox Sparrows, but also at least two and maybe three separate WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and then a bird that flew in from the east, disappeared into the brush pile, perched on a branch for about two seconds and flew off into the field to the south.a SWAMP SPARROW. Then seemingly out of nowhere, the HARRIS'S SPARROW was foraging in the rotting Brussels sprouts near the blue marker. I watched it for about 10 minutes and decided to leave. On the way out I started sorting through all the sparrows, including a few Savannahs, along the edge of the weedy field to the south, and after about 10 minutes found one with a distinct eye-ring, streaking and white on the tail, a VESPER SPARROW. On the way back north, I tried again for the phoebe on Stage Road. I was looking where I had seen it at the end of last year on the fence line north of 1655 Stage Road, on the west side of the road, when two very nice ladies (sorry, didn't get names) told me they had been watching the phoebe on the east side of the road. I followed their directions after they left, walked about 100 feet up the entrance road to 1650 Stage Road to (but not beyond) the gate, and there was the EASTERN PHOEBE, flycatching back and forth over the entrance road between the wooden fence line and the willow trees that line the drainage paralleling Stage Road. All this and back home in time to prepare this message and get ready for the game. GO NINERS! Gary Deghi [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: Long-tailed Duck at Coyote Pt. From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:13:49 -0500 (EST) I have been checking the many diving ducks between Foster City Coyote Point for Long-tailed Duck. Higher numbers of Long-tailed Duck are being reported in California this winter. Don Roberson reported a tight group of ( 5 ) Long-tailed Ducks today on Monterey Bay. Scanning San Francisco Bay from the east side of the Coyote Point Marina, I spotted a LONG-TAILED DUCK flying by that was flushed by a boat. The Long-tailed Duck landed directly out from me. It was in a female type plumage. There were no slivery-gray scapulars growing in that an immature male could be showing at this time. I could not get a good look at the bill and cannot say if it had the pattern of an immature male. There has been Red-throated Loon in higher numbers than usual off of Coyote Point with ( 40 ) sighted today. I have noticed on San Francisco Bay this winter, there has been more diving ducks than in the last ten or more years than I can remember. High numbers of dabbling ducks are also being seen along the bay. Scanning the bay today, there were groups of Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintails flying south into the bay. I have never before seen the high numbers of Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon that are now at the Radio Road ponds in Redwood Shores. Ron Thorn ------------------------------------ Subject: Blue Grosbeak YES From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:23:39 -0800 Peggy Macres and I just saw the BLUE GROSBEAK. It was feeding on the ground, in the large area with the stumps, fairly close to the road, associating with the Dark-eyed Junco flock. We were there for almost an hour before we finally saw it at around 4:45. The light at this hour is excellent for looking from the road. Fourth time the charm for me. Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide ------------------------------------ Subject: Estern phoebe -yes(photos), grosbeak-no From: sonny mencher <soccerquiz AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:32:54 -0800 (PST) Finally got to see the Eastern Phoebe at about 11:00-11:20 this morning. Bird was on the fence along right side of driveway at 1650 Stage. Ranged from close to red gate to about 2/3 way before driveway turns right (pretty much where Leslie described it a few days ago)   Posted 2 photos in the photo section in my album   Also had small flock of Pine Siskins and, from road, saw a Bewicks Wren building nest in small bare tree at north end of 1650's driveway just before it turns to head to house   No luck with the Grosbeak   Sonny [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Subject: corrections to previous post. From: "D Weber" <dwbirdster AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:51:15 -0800 Whoops. The previous report is for today Jan 13, not 14. And Radio Rd is in Redwood Shores, not City. Dave Weber ------------------------------------