From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Thu Jun 26 12:19:48 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h5QJFAGM000251 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:15:11 -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 h5QJDH8b000182 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:13:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.9.3p2/8.9.3/NAS 8.9.3-5n) id MAA98738 for [[email protected]]; Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:13:12 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:13:12 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] shorebirds returning 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, This morning 6/26/03, Mike Mammoser and I surveyed the salt ponds north of the Alviso Marina for Snowy Plovers. Once again we found no plovers (other than KILLDEER) in this area. There were, however, the beginnings of fall shorebird migration on Coyote Slough north of Salt Pond A9. Over a hundred BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and similar numbers of WILLETS were foraging there as the tide came in. Also lots of LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, several MARBLED GODWITS, and a few DOWITCHERS. Much more surprising were 5 RED KNOTS (2 faded alternate plumage, 3 basic-like), 2 DUNLIN (1 alternate-plumaged bird capable of strong flight but with an injured leg and 1 basic bird), and 19+ LEAST SANDPIPERS. These birds were on the near side of the mud bar in the middle of the slough in Santa Clara County. Our first returning LEAST SANDPIPERS often arrive about now, but I believe the RED KNOTS may be the first June record for the county. Scoping the birds on the A9/A10 dike turned up 72+ DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT nests, a few with hungry youngsters, and many CALIFORNIA GULL nests. Surprisingly we had only about 20 precocial young CALIFORNIA GULLS, suggesting that either this colony is behind our other south bay colonies or mortality is higher. Numbers of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS are on the increase, with at least a couple hundred birds in the vicinity of these outer salt ponds. Grebes included 8 PIED-BILLED, 6 alternate-plumaged EARED, and 1 CLARK'S. Other birds of interest were a BLACK SKIMMER flying east over southern Salt Pond A15, a pair of NORTHERN HARRIERS with three recently fledged young in Triangle Marsh, and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS at southwest pond A12 (a juvenile) and the northern edge of pond A9, which seem likely to be post-breeding dispersants given the lack of breeding habitat nearby. 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]]