[SBB] Ravenswood OSP observations

[Kay Partelow <[[email protected]]>]

>Yesterday morning, July 4, Debbi Brusco, Karen DeMello and I explored 
>Ravenswood Open Space Preserve (Bay Road) and found a few items of 
>interest.  Most spectacular was a stunning BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (complete 
>with black belly!) perusing the mudflat with three of its "gray" 
>counterparts, MARBLED GODWITS, LONG-BILLED CURLEWS and LEAST SANDPIPERS 
>that increased in number the longer we watched.  An adult COOPER'S HAWK at 
>Cooley Landing was enjoying a lunch of fresh HOUSE FINCH in the shade of a 
>pepper tree.  Also at Cooley Landing, a lone BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was 
>trying to ignore our scope and binocs while dozing in a tree, perched on 
>one foot with a half-open red eye.  Nice side-by-side looks at a 
>RING-BILLED GULL and CALIFORNIA GULL made it easy to compare the mantle 
>color and bills of the two species.  A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was mocking 
>the sound of begging young EUROPEAN STARLINGS, and fooled us with an 
>expert Black Phoebe imitation.  We also enjoyed the AMERICAN AVOCETS 
>sporting their salmon-orange head/neck plumage with the scenic backdrop of 
>the bay.
>
>Finally, we were entertained by a group of 8 raucous COMMON RAVENS that 
>took over the top of a power tower.  (Looking for their "woods"?)   After 
>picking through (owl?) pellets, we decided that this is a preserve that we 
>will be visiting regularly.
>
>Enjoy!
>
>Kay Partelow
>Palo Alto


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