Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FFflV21154 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:41:48 -0700 Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.1 #46498) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:41:44 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:41:43 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Cc: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Subject: [SBB] - Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Folks: This morning, 8/15/2002, an adult BROWN PELICAN was on the catwalk on Salt Pond A2W. Piscivores were concentrated on the North Pond of the Palo Alto FCB and the eastern edge of Salt Pond A2W. I estimated SNOWY EGRETS in the North Pond and counted 65 in A2W. An ad. GREEN HERON was at Shoreline Lake. Four GREEN-WINGED TEAL on the Stevens Creek Tidal Marsh may be birds that summered nearby instead of arriving fall birds. There BLACK SKIMMERS were foraging on the North Pond of the FCB. Bill Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FFrsV21441 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:53:54 -0700 Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.1 #46498) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:53:52 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 08:52:40 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Cc: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Subject: [SBB] + Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: That should be: I estimated 70 SNOWY EGRETS in the North Pond and counted 65 on A2W. Received: from smtp.slac.stanford.edu (smtp.slac.stanford.edu [134.79.18.80]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FHuOV24046 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:24 -0700 Received: from CONVERSION-DAEMON.smtp.slac.stanford.edu by smtp.slac.stanford.edu (PMDF V6.1-1 #37665) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:24 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtpserv1.slac.stanford.edu (smtpserv1.slac.stanford.edu [134.79.18.81]) by smtp.slac.stanford.edu (PMDF V6.1-1 #37665) with ESMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:24 -0700 (PDT) Received: from SLACVX.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU ([134.79.144.12]) by smtpserv1.slac.stanford.edu (PMDF V6.1 #37665) with ESMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:24 -0700 (PDT) Received: from SLACVX.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU by SLACVX.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU (PMDF V5.2-32 #37499) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:15 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 10:56:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Al Eisner <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> X-VMS-To: IN%"[[email protected]]" MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Subject: [SBB] Sunnyvale WPCP Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Walking out toward the ponds at the Sunnyvale WPCP this morning, I saw two Green Herons; there were about 20 American White Pelicans feeding in the first transverse channel. (Later in the morning a nice squadron of about 50 flew over low.) I saw about 130 Violet-Green Swallows; I also picked out a couple of Trees (with Barns). There were very few Terns about - is this typical of mornings? (I assume they come into the levees when they are mainly done feeding.) The biggest surprise was the absence of the Phalarope flock. I saw only a few Red-Necked, which were with or near the shorebirds at the northeast corner of the west pond. One Wilson's Phalarope was also there, as was a single moutling adult Black-Bellied Plover. I didn't find any Ruddy Turnstone with the shorebird flock (nor any Snowy Plover, Sanderling, etc.). What I found instead was an adult Pectoral Sandpiper. I initially picked out this bird (by its size) among the shorebirds on the mud at about 8:45 -- it was mainly resting and occa- sionally preening, not feeding at all. While my view from the east levee was enough to have confidence in the ID, at 8:55 it very conveniently flew toward me and landed on the opposite (west) levee, where it posed for about two minutes, giving me views of additional fieatures such as leg and bill color and plumage details. It then moved down out of sight on the far side of that levee. I didn't see it again. (A half hour later a truck came by on that levee, but if the bird was still there it didn't flush out to the mud.) The Pectoral Sandpiper was substantially larger than adjoining peeps and Semipalmated Plovers. On the levee it appeared close in size to a nearby Killdeer. The bill was proportionately short, with only a slight downturn. It was largely dark gray, but from the side (not from the top) the basal half was paler, with a yellowish tint. The legs were longer than a peep's, and a clear (but not bright) straw yellow in color. The wing tips did not extend noticeably past the end of the tail. The crown was streaked, with some rufous color; I saw no rufous anywhere else on the bird. The upperparts were somewhat worn, but most feathers showed buffy edging. (I think the inner color was brownish.) The facial pattern (darker through eye, paler on supercilium) was not very prominent. The breast was heavily dark-streaked, with a neat lower cutoff, on a whitish (not buffy) base; the belly was white. Bob and Frank were heading out as I was leaving. Presumably they will report yet another different interesting bird.... Al Eisner Received: from concord.eddata.com (concord.eddata.com [216.2.25.194]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FIEHV24368 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 11:14:17 -0700 Received: by CONCORD with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) id ; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 11:14:57 -0700 Message-ID: <731A6F12A87AD2118E8B006097098F9A5ABCFD@CONCORD> From: Mark Paxton <[[email protected]]> To: "South-Bay-Birds (E-mail)" <[[email protected]]> Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 11:14:51 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Subject: [SBB] WNV question Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Hello all, A friend just asked me about what thoughts birders have regarding the (impending?) arrival of West Nile Virus in California. This birder has had absolutely no thoughts about it. Are any of you aware of anything authoritative, or if there are any informed guesses about its rate of spread, etc.? Thanks in advance, Mark Paxton, San Benito County Received: from mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (mta5.snfc21.pbi.net [206.13.28.241]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FJJAV25554 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 12:19:10 -0700 Received: from dick ([66.120.77.174]) by mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.1 (built May 7 2001)) with SMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 12:19:10 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 12:25:18 -0700 From: Richard Carlson <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] WNV question To: Mark Paxton <[[email protected]]>, "South-Bay-Birds (E-mail)" <[[email protected]]> Message-id: <021e01c24491$7dec9ac0$[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit References: <731A6F12A87AD2118E8B006097098F9A5ABCFD@CONCORD> Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: It will probably take longer to spread west to California. The apparent primary reservoir, Corvids, are north south migrants in the East, but they don't share habitat with western migrants. The virus easily moved from the East to the Midwest wherever migrant birds congregated, and infected mosquitoes move enough to also spread the virus. There are four possible mechanisms for the WNV coming here: 1. East-West bird migrants (Marbled Godwits for example) getting infected in the Midwest and then coming here. This will be slow: the birds have to be healthy to fly long distances and there's not much evidence of shorebirds getting infected. 2. Western migrants getting infected from eastern migrants in Central America. This will ultimately happen, but the virus hasn't hit Central America yet. Infected birds are mostly too weak to fly far, so it will take a long time for the virus to move south and then move back up to the West. 3. Infected mosquitoes moving West. This will be a pretty slow process across the mostly dry Great Plains and deserts. 4. Western migrants getting infected from eastern migrants in Alaska and Canada. This too will, happen, but the infected birds don't appear to be able to fly all the way to Alaska any more than they can fly all the way to Central America. Once it hits California, things should still be slow. Our Corvids are mostly non-migratory. However, when the virus finally hits major metropolitan areas with large populations of immune compromised individuals, like SF, its going to be bad. Expect a panic insecticide spraying. Richard C. Carlson Full Time Birder, Biker & Rotary Bureaucrat Part-time Economist Palo Alto & Lake Tahoe, CA [[email protected]] 650-949-9590 Received: from imo-m06.mx.aol.com (imo-m06.mx.aol.com [64.12.136.161]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FKDZV26370 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 13:13:35 -0700 Received: from [[email protected]] by imo-m06.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v33.5.) id t.189.c7e8881 (17079) for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 16:13:21 -0400 (EDT) From: [[email protected]] Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 16:13:21 EDT To: [[email protected]] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Mailer: AOL 7.0 for Windows US sub 10509 X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 0.98b X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain Subject: [SBB] Baird's & Pectoral Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plover Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: All, This morning Frank Vanslager and I first went to Crittenden Marsh where we found two BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. The BASA were too far away to age but I assume that they were the juveniles previously reported. They were busy feeding, quickly moving here and there catching insects, approximately 200 feet south of the available water and only occasionally came near either LEAST SANDPIPERS or SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS in the vicinity. We were unable to locate Least Terns in the area and only saw a couple FORSTER'S TERNS. A Gull feeding frenzy was in process on Salt Pond A2E (I assume up-welling Brine Shrimp as the birds fed while swimming). A single BROWN PELICAN joined in the festivities. We then went to the Sunnyvale Water Treatment Facility where we saw birder plumaged Al Eisner, he told us that there were no Ruddy Turnstones (our target bird) :-( but that he had found a PECTORAL SANDPIPER that had disappeared somewhere in the northeast corner of the larger pond. Later as we approached the corner of the pond the first bird we saw was a female Pectoral Sandpiper on the eastern edge of the "algae mat" (it was the bird closest to us). Shortly thereafter the PESA disappeared as we were looking for other "goodies." However, in two subsequent sightings we saw the PESA fly from the western edge of the inside dike (west of the channel) in the far northeastern corner of the larger pond (near a large metal pipe). A bit more searching and a faded (bleached out) breeding plumaged BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER was located just north of the reeds on the northern edge of the "mat." Initially this bird caused some excitement as it's overall coloring was a golden-brown (very much the color of nearby Least Sandpipers) with a white area running between the brownish back and the black on the chest and belly (that with whitish undertail coverts and a good sized bill suggested Pacific Golden-Plover). Fortunately as we got closer the bird raised it's wings giving us a nice view of it's black axillaries. It's clear to me that the black areas on the upperparts of this bird were well bleached as this bird had no gray on it's back, only a fairly light brown and white. Take care, Bob Reiling, 1:11 PM, 8/15/02 Received: from rwcrmhc51.attbi.com (rwcrmhc51.attbi.com [204.127.198.38]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FKPaV26621 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 13:25:36 -0700 Received: from computer.attbi.com ([12.240.80.104]) by rwcrmhc51.attbi.com (InterMail vM.4.01.03.27 201-229-121-127-20010626) with ESMTP id <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 20:25:31 +0000 Message-Id: <[[email protected]].> X-Sender: [[email protected]]. X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 13:26:33 -0700 To: Richard Carlson <[[email protected]]>, Mark Paxton <[[email protected]]>, <[[email protected]]> From: Alvaro Jaramillo <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] WNV question In-Reply-To: <021e01c24491$7dec9ac0$[[email protected]]> References: <731A6F12A87AD2118E8B006097098F9A5ABCFD@CONCORD> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: At 12:25 PM 8/15/2002 -0700, Richard Carlson wrote: >However, when the virus finally hits major metropolitan areas with large >populations of immune compromised individuals, like SF, its going to be bad. >Expect a panic insecticide spraying. I hope this panic spraying does not occur. The negative effects may outweigh the benefits, I wonder if this can be assessed in any way. In any case, there are at least two other forms of encephalitis carried by mosquitos. At this point in time they cause more deaths than West Nile Virus in the US, but you hardly hear about them. My guess is that the first contact with the virus is the worst for potential human and avian casualties, and then the damage will decrease. Having said that, there are many unknowns regarding West Nile Virus. What is clear to me is that this disease is getting so much press that it is causing an over-reaction from the general public. Its a danger, but not as high a danger to people as a lot of other stuff that is out there. Being here in fogland, where it is cold and gloomy in the summer, I never see a mosquito at all. My guess is that mosquito numbers are pretty small in San Francisco as well. San Jose may be more of a problem, where mosquitos are much more common. Nowhere in the Bay Area are mosquitos as abundant as in Louisiana though. Also, there are specific mosquito species that carry the virus, I don't know their distribution and whether they are here or not. My guess is that knowledge on what mosquitos do or can carry the virus is still evolving. regards Al Alvaro Jaramillo Biologist San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 Alviso, CA 95002 (408)-946-6548 http://www.sfbbo.org/ [[email protected]] Received: from mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (mta5.snfc21.pbi.net [206.13.28.241]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7FM4SV28215 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:04:28 -0700 Received: from dick ([66.120.77.174]) by mta5.snfc21.pbi.net (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.1 (built May 7 2001)) with SMTP id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:04:28 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:10:35 -0700 From: Richard Carlson <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] WNV question To: Alvaro Jaramillo <[[email protected]]>, Mark Paxton <[[email protected]]>, [[email protected]] Message-id: <031701c244a8$94c491a0$[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit References: <731A6F12A87AD2118E8B006097098F9A5ABCFD@CONCORD> <[[email protected]]> Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Alvaro: You're right, the WNV thing is probably overblown, but I still fear a panic spraying reaction when the virus finally hits California and produces significant numbers of early deaths in the first wave of infection. Richard C. Carlson Full Time Birder, Biker & Rotary Bureaucrat Part-time Economist Palo Alto & Lake Tahoe, CA [[email protected]] 650-949-9590 Received: from mms1.broadcom.com (mms1.broadcom.com [63.70.210.58]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id g7FMZPV28635 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:35:25 -0700 Received: from 63.70.210.1 by mms1.broadcom.com with ESMTP (Broadcom MMS-1 SMTP Relay (MMS v4.7);); Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:34:52 -0700 X-Server-Uuid: 1e1caf3a-b686-11d4-a6a3-00508bfc9ae5 Received: from mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com (mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com [10.20.128.21]) by mon-irva-11.broadcom.com (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id PAA23938 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:35: 18 -0700 (PDT) Received: from pc2kmikem (dhcpe1-sjcw-254 [10.20.64.254]) by mail-sjcw-1.sw.broadcom.com (8.9.1/8.8.8/MS01) with SMTP id PAA03485 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:35:18 -0700 ( PDT) From: "Mike Mammoser" <[[email protected]]> To: SBB <[[email protected]]> Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:35:05 -0700 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-WSS-ID: 1142F306453557-01-01 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: [SBB] : Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: I did some lunchtime birding today, 15 Aug 02, with a first stop at Calabazas Marsh. Though the north pond still looks good for shorebirds and a couple hundred DOWITCHERS were present, nothing unusual was found. Then I returned to the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds, ostensibly to look for terns (there has to be an Elegant Tern somewhere in the south bay). A handful of FORSTER'S TERNS were on the levee with a single CASPIAN. About a thousand RED-NECKED PHALAROPES had gathered on the East Pond, no doubt having waited for Al to leave first. At the algae mat, Roland Kenner and Pat Kenny had the PECTORAL SANDPIPER staked out for me. It seemed to prefer the edge of the levee to the algae mat. Mike Mammoser Received: from hotmail.com (f25.law3.hotmail.com [209.185.241.25]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7G5jpV01811 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 22:45:51 -0700 Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 15 Aug 2002 22:45:47 -0700 Received: from 216.101.186.14 by lw3fd.law3.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Fri, 16 Aug 2002 05:45:46 GMT X-Originating-IP: [216.101.186.14] From: "mary keitelman" <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 05:45:46 +0000 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 16 Aug 2002 05:45:47.0044 (UTC) FILETIME=[2B5D6E40:01C244E8] Subject: [SBB] rescue of Red Shouldered Hawk on the slow lane of Highway 1 in Pacifica today? Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: hi all, this may not be the usual type of posting for the list, but am wondering if anyone can help me find this out: I stopped on Highway 1 in Pacifica today at around 9 a.m. for a red shouldered Hawk on the road -- it looked conscious and perhaps somewhat ok. by the time I reversed direction on the highway, two men were there, and one picked up the hawk while I redirected traffic. I checked the peninsula and palo alto human societies -- but no word on the hawk. Has anyone heard of this or is someone on the list one of those two people who picked up the bird who could update me on whether the hawk made it and if so how it's doing and the prognosis? thanks in advance, Mary Keitelman [[email protected]] _________________________________________________________________ Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com Received: from mtiwmhc21.worldnet.att.net (mtiwmhc24.worldnet.att.net [204.127.131.49]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g7G7rEV03440 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 16 Aug 2002 00:53:15 -0700 Received: from acer ([12.81.7.115]) by mtiwmhc21.worldnet.att.net (InterMail vM.4.01.03.27 201-229-121-127-20010626) with SMTP id <20020816075307.KRZI23721.mtiwmhc21.worldnet.att.net@acer> for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 16 Aug 2002 07:53:07 +0000 Message-ID: <002101c244fa$14e28ee0$7307510c@acer> From: "John Mariani" <[[email protected]]> To: "South-bay-birds" <[[email protected]]> Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 00:53:56 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700 Subject: [SBB] Almaden Lake & Calero Reservoir,Thurday Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Howdy South-bay-birders, Stopped at Almaden Lake Park on Thursday afternoon. A very worn ragged looking male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was feeding on the gravel bars at the creek inflow. There was also an alternate plumage (spotty) SPOTTED SANDPIPER and a female COMMON MERGANSERon the gravel bars. I watched a PIED-BILLED GREBE passing fresh sushi to its baby in the stream below the footbridge. A bit farther upstream, by the park gate, I saw NUTMEG MANNIKINS and heard a WESTERN TANAGER calling. At Calero Reservoir the water level is still pretty high (not good for shorebirds). At the east end there were more ducks than on my last visit, including at least 1 CINNAMON TEAL and bunches of MALLARDS. The only shorebirds I saw there were 5 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS, and the usual KILLDEER. In the flooded vegetation at Bailey Cove I briefly heard what may have been a Sora call--no confirmation. There were lots of egrets and herons feeding there (the waters there are bullfrog city) and at least 8 WHITE-TAILED KITES were in view at one point. I also saw an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, 2 flocks of WILD TURKEYS, and a group of WILD BOAR between the east end of the reservoir and the park office. A GOLDEN EAGLE was perched atop a pole along McKean Rd. near the boat launch parking area-- John Mariani [[email protected]] www.birdswest.com