From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Wed Jul 30 11:09:32 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h6UI7TFf028180 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:07:30 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (rtjones.nas.nasa.gov [129.99.19.30]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h6UI5gkK028138 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:05:46 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.9.3p2/8.9.3/NAS 8.9.3-5n) id LAA05050 for [[email protected]]; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:05:39 -0700 (PDT) Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:05:39 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] Alviso Salt Ponds - BASA X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2+ Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , 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]] All, Today 7/30/03, Mike Mammoser and I surveyed Alviso Salt Ponds A9 through A15 for Snowy Plovers, again finding none (we did see 67 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, all but one on Coyote Slough). The highlight of our morning was a cooperative adult BAIRD'S SANDPIPER with 3 LEAST SANDPIPERS at the base of the dike along the northern edge of Salt Pond A15. Also impressive were the number of LEAST TERNS. We heard them continually over Salt Ponds A9, A10, and western A11. A large flock was roosting at the junction of the dikes separating A9, A10, A11, and A14. The most we could count on the ground was 66, but once when they all got up in the air it was clear that the actual numbers were quite a bit higher than this. Surprising was a female-plumaged RED-BREASTED MERGANSER on the A10/A11 dike. Given the date, this bird likely oversummered and given that it was out of the water it may not be completely healthy. Fairly contrasty black and white wing markings suggest that this bird may actually be a first-summer or eclipse male. Breeding activity included a begging fledgling BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD along Alviso Slough. We saw a MARSH WREN carrying food for young out there and saw a SONG SPARROW drop a fecal sac, but could not determine which species was hosting the cowbird. Another young juvenile (still with yellow gape flanges) BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD was foraging on the dike north of A9, pestering BARN and CLIFF SWALLOWS, which were not sympathetic. The DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT colony on the A9/A10 dike still has active nests (and young being fed outside the nests) and a few precocial young CALIFORNIA GULLS were present as well. Other birds of note included 7 EARED GREBES on A13, 34+ BROWN PELICANS on A9 and the surrounding dikes, 3 WILSON'S PHALAROPES on eastern A13, 1 worn molting first-summer BONAPARTE'S GULL on southern A12, and 2 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS (one a juvenile) out along Coyote Slough. Mike Rogers _______________________________________________ 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]]