[SBB] Brown Booby, Parasitic Jaeger, etc.

[Al Eisner <[[email protected]]>]

    Today was the first chance I had to make the trek out the Alviso
Slough trail to look for the Brown Booby.  Despite windy conditions,
the walk (which I estimate to be close to 4 miles round trip) proved
worthwhile.

    I got to the base of the levee between salt ponds A10/A11 at 10:00.
Although I checked the levee and the ponds, I didn't find anything of
much note until 11:10, when the Brown Booby was spotted flying in,
providing a very nice view.  It landed atop the levee, just resting.
While viewing it there in my scope, a Pelagic Cormorant (which hadn't
been previously apparent) dropped into the field of view.  This Cormorant
was restless, and after a couple of minutes it dropped out of sight into
a crevice.  At about 11:25, Mammoser arrived (always a good sighting).

    After about five more minutes of watching the Booby, it took off low
over pond A10.  As it flew toward the far end, Mike noticed that a bird closely 
following it was a Jaeger!  We concluded that it was a young
Parasitic Jaeger (likely a juvenile, but I didn't see enough details).
It lacked the bulk and pot belly of a Pamarine, and only a few outer
primaries showed white shafts above.  It was overall a warmish brown color, 
with no contrasting gray area on the upperparts.  The Jaeger
settled onto the surface of the pond, where it was too distant to make
out much.  But Mike may have some detail to add.  For me, two county
birds in under a half hour definitely makes for a good day!

    A few minutes later, the Booby was back at A11, where for 15 minutes
we watched it in a low feeding flight, occasionally diving and catching
fish.  We last saw it at about 11:50.

    Other sightings:  3 (plus one probably) Clark's Grebe; about 45 Brown
Pelicans (probably more in the distance at the end of A10); and at least
one Caspian Tern (3 or 4 sightings).  The medium-sized Terns which were
close enough to identify were all Forster's.  (Manu more Terns were too
far for me; Mike said he saw a possible Common well out.)  There was no
sign of the previously-reported Loons.

 								Al Eisner

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