From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Fri Nov 29 22:45:04 2002 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id gAU6hF7t005239 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:43:16 -0800 (PST) Received: from harrier.mail.pas.earthlink.net (harrier.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.12]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id gAU6gdZS005205 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:42:39 -0800 (PST) Received: from user-2ivfka0.dialup.mindspring.com ([165.247.209.64] helo=kirstennt) by harrier.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 18I1Kl-0002rK-00 for [[email protected]]; Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:42:37 -0800 From: "Kirsten R. Holmquist" <[[email protected]]> To: "South Bay Birds" <[[email protected]]> Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:43:29 -0800 Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0010_01C297F8.BD0462A0" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: <[[email protected]]> X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1b4+ Subject: [SBB] American Bittern X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b4+ Precedence: list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C297F8.BD0462A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I walked around the Palo Alto Baylands today. The best bird of the day was in the Coast Casey Forebay, in the reeds bordering Shoreline Lake near the bridge over the "creek" outlet. I found an AMERICAN BITTERN doing the sky-pointing thing but standing in front of the reeds. I got within 40 feet of it and it just hung around and let me scope it for a good 10-15 minutes. I left before it did. I checked out Skimmer Island as well: 13 BLACK SKIMMERS were hanging out there. In the grass adjacent to the trail was a small gull (maybe half again as big as a robin). It didn't look well. It was limping, panting now and then, and didn't move much even as people walked within a few feet of it. It looked like a first winter MEW GULL to me but very pale. The beak was a very pale pink near the base with a black tip. The head was only lightly speckled. The back was light grey with the wings underneath speckled a light brown. The tips of the primaries were a dark brown. The legs were a greyish color. I next went to Ponds A & B in the Flood Control Basin where I missed out on Blue-Winged Teal. In amongst the numerous NORTHERN SHOVELERS were a handful of GREEN-WINGED TEAL. One of the latter appeared to be of the Eurasian variety, no hash mark on the side of the chest and golden highlights around the green on his head and from green to beak. A few NORTHERN PINTAILS and AMERICAN WIGEON were also token representatives. I stopped next at Byxbee Park. A pale LONG-BILLED CURLEW was one of my first finds there. I also saw what appeared to be a Dowitcher with a distinctly reddish cast right across from the bathrooms, perhaps in an odd molt state???? Seems the wrong time of year to be molting out of / into breeding plumage??? Very strange. Several COMMON GOLDENEYE were foraging in Mayfield Slough. A nice, yellow SAVANNAH SPARROW stopped on top of a bush for me. WILLETS, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, DUNLIN, and MARBLED GODWITS were all working the mudflats by the concrete bridge. When I stopped at the Nature Center, I was greeted at the parking lot by an adult, male COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. Nice greeting. In the flats, were dozens of GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a lone WHIMBREL. A WHITE-TAILED KITE on one tower, a RED-TAILED HAWK on another, and a NORTHERN HARRIER skimming along the marsh pretty much tells my raptor tale for the day. A flock of BUSHTITS sent me on my way. I like the way they say hello and good-bye there. :-) Best Regards, Kirsten R. Holmquist [[email protected]] ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C297F8.BD0462A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]] ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C297F8.BD0462A0--