[SBB] Along Dumbarton Bridge approach: shorebirds and others

On a warm Saturday morning, between 10 am and noon, Karen DeMello, Kay Partelow and I birded west of the Dumbarton Bridge. Long distance views were difficult due to the early heat haze. We were mostly checking burrowing owl habitat (very few ground squirrels and vegetation still high) but enjoying anything else we happened upon. Along the trail that heads south from the bridge-end parking lot we saw a Western Sandpiper in alternate plumage, as well as a few Willets and Black-necked Stilts. On the N. side we saw another Western, and a single stilt chick swimming in the water (so small it was barely visible), while the parents yowled frantically around us. There were ~10 white pelicans on pond R1 or R2 (I am not sure of correct pond number).

Walking along the trail that runs outside Sun’s campus, several Common Yellowthroats were calling from the marshes, and one perched in the open, giving us excellent views. There was also a Monarch butterfly, and elsewhere a swallowtail butterfly sp. fluttered around.

Other “usual suspects” were seen, such as avocets, song sparrows, red-tailed hawks, jackrabbits, and the Menlo Park Fire Dept.

Chris MacIntosh

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