[SBB] Brown Booby Continues in Alviso (last seen on levee btwn ponds A10/A11)

[Craig Cummings <[[email protected]]>]

OK, so I wasn't the last to try to see this bird. I ventured out this 
morning with Mary Ann Allen. It was her birthday, so I knew luck would 
be on our side.

And were we gifted! Just before 10:00am, in not finding the bird on the 
levee between ponds A11/A12, I started scanning the A10/A11 levee (from 
the A11/A12 pond split). I was really hoping not to have to slog further 
north again (more details below). I thought I had found the bird on the 
A11/A12 levee and offered my scope for Mary to take a look. She didn't 
see it in my scope, but picked up her bins again and immediately pointed 
out an approaching bird that was skimming low over the water. It was the 
Brown Booby, gliding just feet above the water to within a 100 yards or 
so of us. Whereas I was expecting plunging dives from higher altitudes, 
instead it would dive at shallow, near-horizontal angles into swarms of 
bait fish. It gave us a real show for some 25 or more minutes. It then 
made its way to the A11/A12 levee where we left it to preen.

Note that this my fourth chase, the other chases ending in misery and no 
Brown Booby seen. Saturday was the worst where I forgot how slippery and 
treacherous bay mud and levees were. My previous chases were after work 
or in the evening. I'm now convinced that this is a morning/early 
afternoon bird and I don't know where it disappears in the evening. BTW, 
should there be anyone out there that still hasn't seen the bird or 
would like to try, the levees are again dry enough for foot or (better) 
bicycle.

Bird early, bird often,


Craig Cummings
Redwood City

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