[SBB] Ed Levin Park

[Dean Manley <[[email protected]]>]

Hi all,

I stopped by Ed Levin mid afternoon today and birded around the Elm Group
Area  (right turn just past the entrance kiosk).  Best bird for me was a
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER.  Also a GREAT HORNED OWL, BARN OWL, COOPER'S HAWK
with prey,  ACORN WOODPECKER, NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER, HERMIT THRUSH,
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.  There were 4 (1 male and
3 females) NORTHERN FLICKERs perched together.  Looks like he's rounding up
a harem.

The Red-breasted Sapsucker was hard to see, except twice when it popped out
briefly, in a red flowering eucalyptus (the one with the section of dead
leaves) along the golf course fence.  Take the paved path from the rest
room side of the parking lot toward the golf course and then make the right
turn.  The tree will be on the left a way down the path. The Great Horned
Owl was perched near the top of a tall pine to the left as you face the euc.

I was at Alum Rock Park earlier.  No owls or dippers seen.  However, back
in the upper parking lot I had an interesting experience.  A STELLER'S JAY
was trying to get into a ziplock bag that contained some bread crust
sections.  I walked over and picked up the bag.  The jay moved to a schrub
and was just below my eye level and about 10 feet away.  He was very
attentive to what I was doing with the bag and made me think I could lose a
finger if I wasn't careful.  I shook out the crust and took one step back
when the jay blasted me with his best Red-tailed Hawk imitation and dove to
the deck.  The jay picked  up the two largest crust and dissapeared,
leaving the rest to others. This Steller's Jay seems to have selected a
raptor call from its mimicry repertoire as the best call to intimidate me
with while he went for his food.  Pretty darn smart I'd say or was it just
random?  First actual application of sound mimicry by a bird that I've seen
and heard.

Dean Manley




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