From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Thu Oct 30 15:23:37 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h9UNJ06X000571 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:19:00 -0800 (PST) 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 h9UNHWMU000507 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:17:37 -0800 (PST) Received: from rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/NAS-6n) with ESMTP id h9UNHULF046129 for <[[email protected]]>; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:17:30 -0800 (PST) Received: (from mrogers@localhost) by rtjones.nas.nasa.gov (SGI-8.12.5/8.12.5/Submit) id h9UNHUYx046742 for [[email protected]]; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:17:30 -0800 (PST) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:17:30 -0800 (PST) From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" <[[email protected]]> Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> To: [[email protected]] Subject: [SBB] Alviso salt ponds 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, Mike Mammoser and I made a circuit around the Alviso Salt Ponds north of the Marina this morning 10/30/03. As usual, most of the birds were on ponds A9 and A10. Among the hundreds of GREATER SCAUP on pond A10 were 43+ REDHEAD (2/3 males), 18 BUFFLEHEAD, 3 male CANVASBACKS, and a few LESSER SCAUP. Two sightings of an adult BROWN PELICAN may have pertained to the same bird. An adult PEREGRINE FALCON was perched on the A9/A10 dike. Over on pond A9, Mike managed to find an adult male EURASIAN WIGEON among the numerous AMERICAN WIGEON. Other ducks here included 24 BUFFLEHEAD and 10 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. HERRING GULL numbers are way up - and WESTERN GULL numbers have dropped back to their normal winter levels after the influx last month. DUNLIN numbers are also way up now. The biggest surprise came on northwest pond A14, where among EARED GREBES and 2 more BUFFLEHEAD were 7 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. The identification of this species this late in the season is notably more difficult than earlier in the fall, as many are now in complete basic plumage (seldom seen in the county), looking very like basic-plumaged Red Phalaropes. Some of today's birds still retained remnants of juvenile plumage; none had any yellow at the base of the bill as is typically shown by Red Phalaropes. Another PHALAROPE in the impoundment north of the Marina flew off before we could get the scopes out to identify it. The "winter" illustration in the 3rd edition of the NGS guide is very misleading, as the prominent white edges and scalloped effect are not this obvious. Sibley's depiction is much better, although some of today's birds were even plainer-backed than his "Adult nonbreeding", looking most like the second bird in the second row (between and below 157e and 157d) of Plate 63 of Hayman, Marchant, & Prater's Shorebirds. 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]]