From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 01 02:11:54 1997 Subject: Black Skimmers All, Labor Day morning from 8:15 to 8:30 I got good looks at four BLACK SKIMMERS at the Charleston Slough. They were on several small islands just in front of the wooden bench that sits at the sweeping left-hand turn about 3/4 mile up the trail between the Slough and Adobe Creek. They shared the iselets with about twenty Avocets, a Mallard, and one other bird with it's head buried in it's feathers. What I could see was it had short legs, two darker wing bands on a mottled grey body, and a crown darker than it's neck and sides. When it finally pulled it's head out of it's feathers, it turned out to be an immature BLACK SKIMMER, with a pronouced lower mandible, markings roughly matching the NGS field guide, and very long tapered wings when it stretched out. The adults were sitting in pairs, each duo taking off and returning one during the time I watched. The immature sat separately on a different islet and didn't leave the ground. How often do immatures show up here? Dick Strubbe - Quality Assurance Hernandez Engineering, Inc. NASA - Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 01 13:31:13 1997 Subject: EAKI in Big Sur Hi Birders - This morning around 8:30 AM on 9/1, Craig Hohenberger, Rick Fournier and I were birding Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur and saw an immature EASTERN KINGBIRD on the fenceline west of the lone cypress tree on the mesa at the north end of the park. The bird showed some brown on the back and wings. In addition to this bird we saw a NASHVILLE WARBLER in the fennel just behind the Cooper Cabin and an immature GRASSHOPPER SPARROW in the fennel right next to Highway 1 on the trail down to the Cooper Cabin. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was seen soaring high above the hillsides just east of Highway 1. Scoping from the point above the Big Sur River mouth, the ocean was quiet and little migration was visible. Later, at the Salinas River mouth, at least 3 JAEGERS, most probably PARASITICS, were seen chasing gulls. Steve Rovell [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 01 13:31:13 1997 Subject: EAKI in Big Sur Hi Birders - This morning around 8:30 AM on 9/1, Craig Hohenberger, Rick Fournier and I were birding Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur and saw an immature EASTERN KINGBIRD on the fenceline west of the lone cypress tree on the mesa at the north end of the park. The bird showed some brown on the back and wings. In addition to this bird we saw a NASHVILLE WARBLER in the fennel just behind the Cooper Cabin and an immature GRASSHOPPER SPARROW in the fennel right next to Highway 1 on the trail down to the Cooper Cabin. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was seen soaring high above the hillsides just east of Highway 1. Scoping from the point above the Big Sur River mouth, the ocean was quiet and little migration was visible. Later, at the Salinas River mouth, at least 3 JAEGERS, most probably PARASITICS, were seen chasing gulls. Steve Rovell [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 08:54:16 1997 Subject: More Black Skimmers There were 9 BLACK SKIMMERS, 8 adults and 1 juvenile, in the usual place just opposite the second bench on the levee at Charleston Slough at nine o'clock this morning 9/2/97. Rosalie Lefkowitz ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 09:22:07 1997 Subject: Continuing Stilt Sandpiper On Monday Sept. 1, the juvenile Stilt Sandpiper was at the pond along Spreckles near State St. (Alviso) at least from 3:30 to 4:10 PM. It was with a flock of up to 45 Yellowlegs (among which I spotted only 4 or 5 Lesser, but some birds were too concealed to tell). It was actively feeding for the first 20 minutes, then resting near some vegetation. Also here were good numbers of Least Sandpipers, 3 Red-Necked Phalaropes, and several other species - but only about 3 Dowitchers. Earlier, at about 2:30, the flock had not been there at all, and there were few shorebirds of any sort. I therefore went on to CCRS, but found the shorebird numbers there (apart from Avocets) also unusually low - only about 100 Dowitchers, for example; and no sign of Pectoral, Stilt Sandpiper, etc. (Note that this time was fairly close to high tide, so the numbers were a surprise.) But the return visit to Spreckles paid off.... A check of the old Palo Alto Yacht Basin on the outgoing tide at about 4:30 was also disappointing: only a handful of shorebirds other than Western and Least Sandpipers, despite pretty good habitat. (There were no exposed flats at the mouth yet.) Al Eisner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 12:21:00 1997 Subject: migration Hi Everyone-- On Sunday, 31 August, a dull-plumaged WESTERN TANAGER visited the trees outside my bedroom window in Mountain View. It called off and on for several minutes and showed itself briefly before flying off. Mark Miller ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 15:47:12 1997 Subject: Pectoral Sandpiper This afternoon, Tuesday, Sept. 2, at about 2:30, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER made a short stop in the pond across the dirt road from the CCRS pond. It was smaller than the Dowitchers, had a shortish black bill, a nondistinct supercilium, The breast was heavily streaked and it ended abruptly with the underparts being clean white. The legs were light, in the light I couldn't tell the color. It only stayed for about a minute. While I was readjusting my scope it disappeared. Also present in the shorebird pond were 9 Semipalmated Plovers and the Lesser Yellowlegs outnumbered the Greater Yellowlegs about 10 to 2. Made a try for the Bobolink this morning. Walked the levee from 101 to Montague Expressway. No Bobolink. Did see a small flock of 7 COMMON MERGANSERS, about 8-10 WESTERN WOOD_PEWEES, and a female BULLOCK"S ORIOLE. Kathy Parker ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 16:10:30 1997 Subject: Pectoral Sandpiper On Sunday morning 8/31/97, Rosalie and I saw a Pectoral Sandpiper in the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin. It was at the west edge of the northeast pond, just past the intersection of the two main paths, feeding with Least Sandpipers. Earlier, we had seen in immature GREEN HERON at Emily Renzel. Phyllis ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 02 19:35:35 1997 Subject: SBBU Home Page Ted Chandik's Trips will now be a regular feature of SBBU. To start off, his June 28-30,1997 Trip to Yosemite and Mono Lake is now listed on SBBU. I will return on Sept. 14, so other features of SBBU will be updated after that. Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 03 12:39:04 1997 Subject: birds On Friday, 29 Aug 97, I helped on a census of some private property = near Alviso, where I saw a couple each of BAIRD'S and PECTORAL = SANDPIPERS. After this, Nick Lethaby and I drove off to San Diego = to try for the Belcher's Gull. On Saturday, 30 Aug 97, Nick and I spent the entire day at the Tijuana = River mouth waiting for this gull to show (which it never did). We did = get the REDDISH EGRET, which has been here for some time, and was = performing its "drunken sailor" routine. We also got good views of = LARGE-BILLED SPARROW, which may be a future split from the = Savannah Sparrow complex, and were able to compare it directly with = the Belding's race (one of lightest against one of the darkest). Seven = species of terns were in this area as well, providing excellent = comparisons between ELEGANT and ROYAL. On Sunday, 31 Aug 97, we spent a few hours in the morning still = hoping for the gull, but only getting some decent views of BLACK- VENTED SHEARWATERS close in to shore as a reward. After arriving back in the Bay Area in late afternoon, we checked the = CCRS waterbird pond, finding the adult STILT SANDPIPER. On Monday, 1 Sep 97, I started the day at the Guadalupe River, where = an immature PEREGRINE FALCON was perched on a power tower = right at Trimble. I walked up the levee as far as the Viking Truck yard. = At the point where the telephone poles start, a BOBOLINK flew up out = of the yard and landed on the telephone pole, constantly giving its = "wink" call note. This bird was slightly smaller than a STARLING, one = of which was present right next to it for comparison. It had a short, = conical bill that was a pale neutral color. The forehead was flat, giving = much the same impression as a Grasshopper Sparrow. I could see the = dark lateral crown stripe, but the angle from which I was looking didn't = allow me to see the median crown stripe. There was a dark line = extending back from the eye towards the nape, with a slight downward = hook at the end. Otherwise, the face, including the supercilium, was a = uniform buffy brown. This color extended throughout the underparts, to = the undertail coverts, and was interrupted only by some dusky streaking = on the flanks. The upperparts feathering was a dark brown with thin = pale edging. This was true as well of the scapulars and the visible wing = coverts. The tail was relatively short, brownish, and had a ragged- looking end, like the feathers were of many different lengths. After = about 30 seconds, the bird flew off towards the south along the river. I = watched it until it was out of sight, and assume that it got as far as = Trimble or further. Two calling RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS were = here as well, one of them being an immature. I also worked the east side of the river, where I had an adult female = OSPREY fly by with a fish. It headed downstream. Also on this side I = found 3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS. Other migrants of interest = included an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, ASH-THROATED = FLYCATCHER, 3 WESTERN FLYCATCHERS, 3 WARBLING = VIREOS, a WESTERN TANAGER, and an ORANGE-CROWNED = WARBLER. I then went to Calabazas Marsh and checked the slough, where all I had = was a HARBOR SEAL moving in with the tide. Along the creek I had = another ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, 3 VIRGINIA RAILS, and = a SORA. I walked around the smaller of the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds, which still = had about 500 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. There were 3 = CLAPPER RAILS calling from the marsh edging the slough. I stopped at the Palo Alto Baylands and worked the trees around the = WPCP. Here I had another WILLOW FLYCATCHER, an imm/fem = LAZULI BUNTING, a WESTERN FLYCATCHER, 4 YELLOW = WARBLERS, and an immature SELASPHORUS HUMMINGBIRD. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 03 16:27:27 1997 Subject: SCVAS field trips for Sept 6-7 Hi South Bay Birders, We've just talked to the printer and determined that most people won't be getting their Avocets in time for the weekend, so this message will have to serve as an official announcement of this weekend's trip schedule. (We're implementing several technical changes in the production and mailing of the Avocet, which are probably responsible for most of the delay in delivery this time around, but delivery should improve from here on out.) Sat., Sept. 6, 8:30 AM: Half day at Coyote Hills Regional Park. Leader: Frank Vanslager, (408) 257-3647. Sun., Sept. 7, 8:30 AM: Half day. Bird banding at Coyote Creek Riparian Station. Leader: Chris Otahal, (408) 262-9204. Further details can be obtained by calling the trip leaders. An advance copy of the full September trip list can be picked up at the SCVAS office (or I can fax it to you if you have access to one). Office telephone is (408) 252-3747. --Garth Harwood ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 03 20:44:54 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at CCRS This afternoon at CCRS, I have found a bird I believe to be an adult White-rumped Sandpiper transitioning to basic plumage. It was feeding in the saltmarsh/mudflat area immediately N. of the shorebird pond. The bird was first found at around 4.45 pm and watched until almost 6.00 pm. At that time a Prairie Falcon arrived and flushed all the birds, catching a small shorebird. I could not refind the bird after this. Most likely it flew off somewhere else. Hopefully it wasn't the one the Prairie Falcon caught! Initially, I noticed a distinctly gray-brown calidrid that was clearly larger than a Western or Least. My initial reaction was that the bird was going to be a Dunlin. However, almost immediately I noticed the bird had a very long primary projection. This alerted me to the possibility of a White-rumped Sandpiper. Although initial views were somewhat frustrating due to distance, mediocre light, and obstruction by saltmarsh vegetation, persistence paid off and I eventually enjoyed good views as close as 30 yards away in good light in a 30x Kowa telescope. The bird was seen in flight twice through 10x binoculars. The following notes were made: Size and structure: These were generally similar to a Baird's Sandpiper. The wings were very long, projecting well beyond the tip of the tail. The bill was medium-short in length and slightly decurved. The legs were relatively short, as typical for a calidrid. The bird was seen in direct comparison to Least and Western Sandpipers and was clearly larger. It was much smaller than Long-billed Dowitcher with which it also fed for a time. Bare parts: The bill appeared to be all black. The pale base of the bill was looked for and not seen. THe legs always appeared to be black. It should be emphasized that the bill and legs must have been frequently mud covered, but I even saw the bird feeding in shallow water at one stage and feel confident my observations are accurate. Plumage: The bird was clearly an adult, lacking the bright feather edges typical of juvenile calidrids. The upperparts, head, and the breast were a largely uniform gray-brown. A few scattered dark feathers could be seen on the upperparts, primarily in the lower scapulars. Some of the feathers in the area of the lower mantle and upper scapulars appeared to have very dull rufous-brown edges. The primaries were black. When carefully studied, it was sometimes possible to see white on the rump between the folded wing-tips. The white could be seen regardless of which side the bird was viewed from and was clearly not theresult of a misplaced wing feather. The flight the bird showed a dark tail and a white rump. The white band on the rump was about as broad as the dark tail. On both occasions I saw the bird in flight, I did get the impression of a pencil-thin dark marking in the middle of the rump, although this was not the obvious dark bar shown by the accompanying Leasts and Westerns and may have been an illusion. I did not really look at the wing-bar but it was not especially conspicuous. The chin/throat and supercilium were paler than the rest of the head, but not strikingly so. The breast was a uniform gray-brown and not conspicuously streaked. However, at the base of breast, where it met the white belly, there was a band of small dark spots. IN addition a few very fine dark streaks started where ther breast met the belly and continued on to the flanks. These were only visible for certain at very close range (30m). The rest of the underparts were white. Discussion: Size/structure easily eliminates all other calidrids except Baird's. Baird's can be eliminated by the following: 1/ It is always brown and does not show distinct gray tones, even in winter. 2/ It does not show fine streaks on the flanks in winter 3/ It shows a very broad dark bar on the center of the rump 4/ It would not show any hint of rufous in the mantle/scapulars. Of course, the process of elimination should also be applied to White-rumped Sandpiper. Two potential negatives are the lack of a pale base to the lower mandible and impression of fine dark marking on the rump. The limited experience (c.20 birds) I have with White-rumped Sandpipers suggests that the yellow base to the lower mandible is sometimes extremely difficult to see and apparently absent. I find the impression of dark rump markings much more troubling, even though the bird was clearly much whiter-rumped than the peeps with it. One source (Paulson) states that some breeding plumaged birds can show scattered dark spots in the rump, so this may be the explanation. Shorebirds has an uncaptioned illustration that shows a White-rumped Sandpiper with a narrow line penetrating the center of the white rump band. However, there are so many errors in that book that this could be simply due to inaccurate illustration. Time to check some specimens! _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 06:40:45 1997 Subject: RE: White-rumped Sandpiper at CCRS >By the way, if you and I are referring to the same flooded area that Al >Jaramello referred to recently, then this area is WEST of the CCRS >Waterbird Pond and SOUTH of the BFI Recycle Center (Dixon Landing Road >is to the NORTH, and I-880 is to the EAST). > As pointed out by Mike, the saltmarsh/mudflat area is to the west. It's immediately across the road from the pond. The bird fed both with peeps and dowitchers and could often be difficult to find because of the vegetation. _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 09:21:09 1997 Subject: STILT SANDPIPER All, This morning the basic adult STILT SANDPIPER was still at the CCRS waterbird pond, roosting with a big flock of dowitchers. No sign of the White-rumped Sandpiper reported by Nick yesterday evening, but the tide was probably not optimum. Mike Rogers 9/4/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 09:27:57 1997 Subject: PEFA in PA An out-of-town birder told me he heard a female Peregrine in downtown Palo Alto last weekend. She flew in with prey, landed near the top of the tallest building on University near Webster (10 stories I think?) and went toward the back of the ledge out of sight. We thought it odd that she'd be calling, as if coming to a nest, at this time of year. Is this the Baylands bird? Best, Janet Hanson SFBBO ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 10:26:37 1997 Subject: skimmers Hello All As of yesterday evening at 7:15PM, there were still a total of 8 Black Skimmers at the usual spot near the second bench at Charleston Slough in Mt. View. Alan ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 13:05:52 1997 Subject: WRSA All, Today at noon Mike Mammoser relocated the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER in the same pond were Nick Lethaby first found the bird yesterday (the pond west of the CCRS waterbird pond and south of the BFI recycling plant). Six birders watched the bird while I was there, and the bird was still present at 1:35 when I left. Also the STILT SANDPIPER and a juv PECTORAL SANDPIPER there. Good luck! Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 13:48:50 1997 Subject: WRSA and STSA Hi Everyone-- >From 12:30 to 1:30 PM today, Mike Rogers and Al Jaramillo kindly showed me a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER and a STILT SANDPIPER in the mudflats west of the CCRS waterbird pond. Easiest parking seems to be along the paved road past the waterbird pond at the last curve before the BFI gate. The White-rumped looks rather tattered, with many worn alternate feathers (dark gray with pale buff edges) and several missing feathers in the wing coverts; dark, fairly crisp streaking on the flanks visible just below the folded wing; a few dark chevrons on an otherwise clean white rump; white underwings; and mottled gray chest and back. Legs are long and dark, with deep red tones visible in strong light. The primaries are long as in Baird's, which gives the bird a "stretched" look. The bill is thick at the base, tapering a bit but not drooping, and somewhat blunt-tipped. The Stilt Sandpiper looked like your basic adult, like an emaciated dowitcher with greenish legs and thinner bill. Mike and Al will no doubt have more to say about these birds, but I wanted to let folks know that they are still around. Mark ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 15:58:31 1997 Subject: AMRE at CCRS All, Forgot to add that a hatching year male AMERICAN REDSTART was banded at CCRS today (north net lanes). Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 16:34:30 1997 Subject: Re: WRSA Has anyone got photos yet? _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 16:34:33 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper The bird was relocated on the flat just west of the CCRS pond about 4, and various folks (Al Jaramillo, Steve Rottenborn, Mike Feighner, Al Eisner, Scott Terrill) were still watching it when i had to leave just before 5. There was also a male RUFF and several PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 17:36:21 1997 Subject: RE: WRSA Nick: So far of all the birders there viewing the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, no one had a camera along. There were two RUFFs, and I hear from Al Jaramillo that there was a WHITE-FACED IBIS there this morning. Mike Feighner, [[email protected]] ---------- From: Nick Lethaby Sent: Thursday, September 4, 1997 5:34 PM To: [[email protected]]; [[email protected]] Subject: Re: WRSA Has anyone got photos yet? _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ======================================================================== == This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 18:06:14 1997 Subject: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at CCRS in Santa Clara County All: Late yesterday afternoon (9/3/97) Nick Lethaby of Milpitas discovered a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER ( FIRST record for Santa Clara County) in the flooded area west of the CCRS Waterbird Pond and south of the BFI Recycle Center in Alviso near Dixon Landing Road and I-880. The bird was still present throughout this afternoon (9/4/97) and early evening and was seen by Scott Terrill, Steve Rottenborn, Al Eiser, Al Jaramillo, Dave Johnston, Mike Rogers, Mike Mammoser, Mike Feighner, Tom Grey, Bob Reiling.....hope I didn't forget anybody.... The ponds are within Coyote Creek Riparian Station property and access is to CCRS-membership only. To gain access, become a member. Call (408) 262-9204 for more information. The main noticeable feature were the bird's wings that extended beyond the bird's tail while it was standing. A couple of times the bird stretched its wings exposing its white rump. A more detailed description will follow shortly for submission. On at least two occasions the bird called while it was in flight which to me sounded more like a high-pitched snap sound. Some may disagree with my description of the bird's call note. There were also several PECTORAL SANDPIPERs and two RUFFs present. Earlier in the day Al Jaramillo says a WHITE-FACED IBIS was present. Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]], 9/4/97, 7:01PM From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 18:06:14 1997 Subject: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at CCRS in Santa Clara County All: Late yesterday afternoon (9/3/97) Nick Lethaby of Milpitas discovered a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER ( FIRST record for Santa Clara County) in the flooded area west of the CCRS Waterbird Pond and south of the BFI Recycle Center in Alviso near Dixon Landing Road and I-880. The bird was still present throughout this afternoon (9/4/97) and early evening and was seen by Scott Terrill, Steve Rottenborn, Al Eiser, Al Jaramillo, Dave Johnston, Mike Rogers, Mike Mammoser, Mike Feighner, Tom Grey, Bob Reiling.....hope I didn't forget anybody.... The ponds are within Coyote Creek Riparian Station property and access is to CCRS-membership only. To gain access, become a member. Call (408) 262-9204 for more information. The main noticeable feature were the bird's wings that extended beyond the bird's tail while it was standing. A couple of times the bird stretched its wings exposing its white rump. A more detailed description will follow shortly for submission. On at least two occasions the bird called while it was in flight which to me sounded more like a high-pitched snap sound. Some may disagree with my description of the bird's call note. There were also several PECTORAL SANDPIPERs and two RUFFs present. Earlier in the day Al Jaramillo says a WHITE-FACED IBIS was present. Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]], 9/4/97, 7:01PM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 04 20:48:15 1997 Subject: White-rump Sandpiper This evening, Thursday, Mark Miller, Al Eisner and I spent an hour fromm 6:30 to 7:30 watching the WHITE_RUMPED SANDPIPER feeding in the pond across the street from the CCRS Waterbird Pond. Also there were at least 5, maybe more, PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. At 7:30, almost all of the small sandpipers, including the White-rumped flew off to the west. Kathy Parker ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 06:42:46 1997 Subject: over 80 CANADA GEESE heading East along Highway 237 All: This morning I observed a repeat performance of 80+ CANADA GEESE flying due east along Highway 237 at about 6:30 this morning. The birds were coming out of the Calabasas Ponds. I observe the same yesterday morning. Mike Feighner, [[email protected]], 7:37 AM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 08:52:17 1997 Subject: Shorebirds Galore Birders, I am stuck at home today so I have no idea if the White-rumped Sandpiper is around or not. I put up a temporary notice board outside the green trailer, actually on the porch between the green and grey trailer where you can write down any new observations. Yesterday was an awsome day for birds in general. As most of you know the following birds were at CCRS: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER - adult RUFF - juvenile male. Mike Feighner mentioned a second one, was the sex determined for this bird? STILT SANDPIPER - adult PECTORAL SANDPIPER - many around, adults and juveniles LESSER YELLOWLEGS - 30 or more on the pond the White -rumped is in. These are big numbers for CCRS. A winter adult WHITE-FACED IBIS was present in the mid afternoon. I know, its not a shorebird. As some of you may have heard there are also other unusual birds in a private area in the county where birders have no access. I am sorry about this, I wish it did't have to be this way. In any case, at this place there has been a juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. There are also good numbers of BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS at this site. The BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER dissapears for periods of time, it is unknown where it goes to. If I find out where its secondary site is and as long as it is accessible by the public I will get the word out about it. Last Monday I also was lucky enough to see two BLACK TURNSTONES flying south right over the waterbird pond. They did not stop. Finally, the landbirds have been going strong at CCRS. We banded an immature male (born this summer) AMERICAN REDSTART yesterday as well as two WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and an adult ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. There were lots of birds banded yesterday, mainly YELLOW WARBLERS and 'WESTERN' FLYCATCHERS. One odd thing we have noted this year is that more of the birds are showing big reserves of fat than what we feel is usual. After the season is over we may be able to confirm if this is the case or not. Al. Alvaro Jaramillo Half Moon Bay, California [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 09:04:45 1997 Subject: CCRS banding program starting time tomorrow? My brother, a birder worthy of this group, is flying in from LA tonight. I thought it would be fun for him and me to visit CCRS and participate in banding tomorrow morning. During the Spring I know they start before sun-up. Can anyone tell me when they will be starting tomorrow? Earlier e-mail indicated 8:30AM, but that seems too late. Any help would be appreciated, Ken Schmahl [[email protected]], [[email protected]], (408)954-3508 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 09:45:47 1997 Subject: CCRS Landbirds I visited CCRS today to check out the landbird migrants. I did check the shorebird pond briefly and none of the good shorebirds were around (other birders were looking). Migrant passerines included: Western Kingbird, 1 imm (had obvious wingbars) Willow Flycatcher, 6 (proabably 1-2 more) - County bird for me! Western Flycatcher, 3 (others heard) Warbling Vireo, 3 Yellow Warbler, 4+ (others heard) Orange-crowned Warbler, 1 Wilson's Warbler, 1 _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 09:57:39 1997 Subject: composite list SEPTEMBER 5 1997 SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST UPDATE The main highlight this month is the first county record of WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, seen by many after being located by Nick Lethaby. Another somewhat belated highlight is the first breeding record of BELL'S VIREO in decades. Steve Rottenborn found this nesting pair on private property on May 13 - unfortunately the landowner prohibited general birder access. Shorebirds we still need for the composite year list include Wandering Tattler, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and Red Phalarope. Mike P.S. Some advice from Kendric: [To make the columns line up, please copy this list to a word processor, and change the font to a monospaced font (Monoco, Courier, etc.), and set the right hand margin to 7.5 inches.] ________________________________________________________________________ Recent progress of the composite list: 268: 8/ 7/97 AMERICAN REDSTART 267: observer retracted Elegant Tern 268: 8/17/97 BLACK TURNSTONE 269: 8/20/97 STILT SANDPIPER 270: 8/29/97 COMMON MURRE 271: 5/13/97 BELL'S VIREO 272: 9/ 1/97 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 273: 9/ 1/97 BOBOLINK 274: 9/ 3/97 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (FIRST COUNTY RECORD, SUBJECT TO CBRC REVIEW) 275: 9/ 4/97 WHITE-FACED IBIS Please send any additions, corrections, or comments to Mike Rogers, [[email protected]]. SANTA CLARA COUNTY YEAR LIST - 1997 RWR AME WGB MMR MJM KLP MLF SCR CKS COMP SOURCE 376 255 257 227 247 242 180 275 % OF COMPOSITE FOR 1997 % OF 376 1988 TOTALS 136 1989 TOTALS 183 1990 TOTALS 199 1991 TOTALS 214 209 1992 TOTALS 216 234 234 215 278 1993 TOTALS 228 254 250 235 279 295 1994 TOTALS 204 240 245 271 265 194 291 303 1995 TOTALS 201 220 170 257 242 165 262 185 293 1996 TOTALS 203 219 258 253 218 251 195 295 Red-throated Loon 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/14 1/ 1 MMR Pacific Loon 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 m.ob. Common Loon 1/ 8 1/ 9 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/14 1/11 1/ 3 MLF Pied-billed Grebe 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Horned Grebe 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 m.ob. Red-necked Grebe Eared Grebe 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Western Grebe 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 2 1/10 1/ 1 2/ 1 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Clark's Grebe 1/ 9 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 SCR Northern Fulmar Sooty Shearwater Ashy Storm-Petrel Brown Booby American White Pelican 1/23 4/26 1/ 1 1/27 1/ 1 7/13 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Brown Pelican 1/ 1 6/15 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Double-crested Cormorant 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Brandt's Cormorant Pelagic Cormorant Magnificent Frigatebird American Bittern 3/13 3/ 8 3/19 3/13 4/ 3 1/10 NLe Least Bittern Great Blue Heron 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 m.ob. Great Egret 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Snowy Egret 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Little Blue Heron 6/ 9 6/15 7/29 6/ 7 6/ 7 MLF,AME Cattle Egret 1/ 8 1/18 1/23 1/ 4 1/14 2/20 1/ 4 MLF Green Heron 1/ 8 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 3/23 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Black-crowned Night-Heron 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 m.ob. White-faced Ibis 9/ 5 9/ 4 AJa Fulvous Whistling-Duck Tundra Swan Greater White-fronted Goose 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/11 1/ 9 1/14 1/ 8 1/ 8 m.ob. Snow Goose 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/ 7 1/ 7 KLP Ross' Goose 1/ 2 1/ 8 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/14 1/ 2 MMR,KLP Brant Canada Goose 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 m.ob. Wood Duck 1/ 5 1/ 3 1/11 1/11 5/11 2/ 1 1/ 3 MJM,WGB Green-winged Teal 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Mallard 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Northern Pintail 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Garganey Blue-winged Teal 1/ 9 1/18 1/ 9 1/ 9 1/ 1 2/ 9 1/ 1 SCR Cinnamon Teal 1/ 8 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 2/ 9 1/ 1 SCR Northern Shoveler 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Gadwall 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Eurasian Wigeon 1/13 1/19 1/14 1/27 1/11 1/ 4 DMu American Wigeon 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Canvasback 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Redhead 1/ 9 1/ 5 1/ 9 1/ 9 2/ 6 2/ 9 1/ 4 DMu Ring-necked Duck 1/ 5 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Tufted Duck 1/13 1/18 2/ 2 1/24 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Greater Scaup 1/10 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Lesser Scaup 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Oldsquaw 2/13 2/14 2/13 2/13 2/15 2/13 LCh Black Scoter Surf Scoter 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 2/ 9 1/ 1 m.ob. White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Barrow's Goldeneye 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Bufflehead 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Hooded Merganser 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 KLP Common Merganser 1/ 3 3/ 1 1/ 6 1/11 1/ 1 2/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Red-breasted Merganser 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Ruddy Duck 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Turkey Vulture 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,KLP California Condor Osprey 4/ 3 3/ 1 2/ 8 3/ 3 1/10 1/10 SCR White-tailed Kite 1/ 5 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Bald Eagle 1/13 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Northern Harrier 1/ 6 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Sharp-shinned Hawk 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/11 1/17 1/12 3/ 9 1/ 1 MMR Cooper's Hawk 1/10 2/12 1/ 7 1/ 4 1/12 2/16 1/ 3 WGB Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/30 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Broad-winged Hawk Swainson's Hawk 2/ 8 2/ 8 MJM Red-tailed Hawk 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 m.ob. Ferruginous Hawk 1/13 1/ 3 1/14 1/19 1/ 3 MJM Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/14 1/19 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 SCR American Kestrel 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 m.ob. Merlin 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 4 1/ 1 MMR Peregrine Falcon 1/ 5 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR Prairie Falcon 1/23 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Ring-necked Pheasant 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/23 1/ 4 1/14 1/ 1 MMR Wild Turkey 3/ 5 3/ 9 4/ 5 7/20 3/ 9 1/26 LCh et al. California Quail 1/ 3 1/ 3 3/20 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 SCR Mountain Quail 5/ 7 5/ 4 5/13 3/21 1/12 LAY Yellow Rail Black Rail 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/ 9 1/ 9 2/ 8 1/ 8 m.ob. Clapper Rail 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 SCR Virginia Rail 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 7 1/ 4 1/14 1/ 1 MMR Sora 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/ 7 1/ 6 1/10 1/ 6 MLF Common Moorhen 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 m.ob. American Coot 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover 1/14 1/19 1/ 2 1/19 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Pacific Golden-Plover 7/30 8/ 4 7/27 DNo,JAb American Golden-Plover 7/27 PJM Golden-Plover sp 7/24 Snowy Plover 5/12 4/ 6 8/13 4/ 6 MJM Semipalmated Plover 1/14 4/12 1/ 2 7/21 1/ 1 7/21 1/ 1 SCR Killdeer 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 7 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Mountain Plover Black Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. American Avocet 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Greater Yellowlegs 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Lesser Yellowlegs 7/ 7 3/ 8 1/ 2 1/17 3/26 1/26 1/ 2 KLP Solitary Sandpiper 4/27 4/21 4/21 SCR Willet 1/ 8 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Wandering Tattler Spotted Sandpiper 4/23 3/ 9 5/ 8 5/13 1/10 1/ 3 AV Whimbrel 3/16 2/23 3/19 7/ 8 1/21 7/21 1/21 SCR Long-billed Curlew 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Hudsonian Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit Marbled Godwit 1/14 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/19 1/ 1 3/29 1/ 1 SCR Ruddy Turnstone 7/24 7/21 4/17 4/17 SCR Black Turnstone 8/17 8/17 MJM Red Knot 4/26 4/30 4/26 MJM Sanderling 1/14 8/17 1/ 7 1/17 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Semipalmated Sandpiper 5/12 7/ 6 8/13 7/ 8 7/ 6 5/12 MMR Western Sandpiper 1/13 1/19 1/ 2 1/17 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR Least Sandpiper 1/13 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR White-rumped Sandpiper 9/ 4 9/ 4 9/ 4 9/ 4 9/ 4 9/ 3 NLe Baird's Sandpiper 8/12 8/16 8/13 8/13 8/12 4/13 AJa Pectoral Sandpiper 9/ 2 8/29 9/ 2 8/31 9/ 2 7/30 AJa Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Dunlin 1/13 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR Curlew Sandpiper 7/23 7/25 7/24 7/24 4/17 4/17 SCR Stilt Sandpiper 8/27 8/24 8/22 8/24 8/28 8/20 NLe Buff-breasted Sandpiper 9/ 2 9/ 1 9/ 1 AJa Ruff 9/ 4 9/ 4 6/29 6/29 SCR Short-billed Dowitcher 3/16 3/23 1/ 2 3/22 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR Long-billed Dowitcher 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 3 1/ 1 2/ 9 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Common Snipe 1/ 8 3/ 2 3/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Wilson's Phalarope 6/25 6/15 7/29 6/17 5/10 9/ 4 4/22 AJa Red-necked Phalarope 4/ 1 7/ 4 7/29 7/28 4/20 9/ 4 4/ 1 MMR Red Phalarope Pomarine Jaeger Parasitic Jaeger Long-tailed Jaeger Laughing Gull Franklin's Gull 4/13 MDa,LDa Little Gull Black-headed Gull Bonaparte's Gull 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/16 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Heermann's Gull Mew Gull 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 m.ob. Ring-billed Gull 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. California Gull 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 3/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Herring Gull 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 m.ob. Thayer's Gull 1/ 1 1/11 1/11 1/10 1/ 1 3/ 1 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Lesser Black-backed Gull 1/ 1 1/14 1/ 1 MMR Western Gull 1/14 1/ 5 1/23 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR Glaucous-winged Gull 1/ 6 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Glaucous Gull 2/10 1/11 3/ 5 1/17 1/11 m.ob. Black-legged Kittiwake Sabine's Gull Caspian Tern 3/ 6 4/26 8/30 4/ 5 3/ 6 7/13 3/ 6 SCR,MMR Elegant Tern Common Tern Arctic Tern Forster's Tern 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 7 1/10 1/ 1 3/29 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Least Tern 7/21 7/ 6 7/29 7/21 7/24 7/21 7/ 6 MJM,PJM Black Tern Black Skimmer 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 9 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Common Murre 8/29 8/29 8/29 8/29 MLF Ancient Murrelet Cassin's Auklet Rock Dove 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Band-tailed Pigeon 1/ 3 1/ 3 3/ 3 3/ 8 2/13 5/11 1/ 3 MMR,MJM White-winged Dove Mourning Dove 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Yellow-billed Cuckoo Greater Roadrunner 5/17 5/17 1/ 3 WGB Barn Owl 3/16 2/23 1/ 7 1/ 6 1/ 6 6/ 7 1/ 4 RWR,FVS Flammulated Owl Western Screech-Owl 2/15 1/19 3/21 7/20 1/19 MJM Great Horned Owl 2/15 1/19 1/ 7 2/23 1/ 3 WGB Northern Pygmy-Owl 2/15 1/19 3/ 8 1/19 MJM Burrowing Owl 1/ 1 1/18 1/ 9 1/10 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Long-eared Owl 1/ 6 5/11 1/ 3 GBi Short-eared Owl 1/ 9 3/ 8 1/ 9 1/19 1/ 8 SSt Northern Saw-whet Owl 2/15 1/19 1/ 1 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Lesser Nighthawk Common Nighthawk 6/12 SBT Nighthawk sp. 7/18 Common Poorwill 5/ 7 4/27 3/21 3/21 MLF Black Swift 5/24 5/24 MJM Chimney Swift Vaux's Swift 4/17 4/27 4/ 8 5/10 6/23 7/16 4/ 8 KLP White-throated Swift 1/ 5 1/11 1/ 4 1/ 4 1/ 6 2/16 1/ 3 MtHamCBC Black-chinned Hummingbird 4/22 4/12 8/11 4/ 3 5/14 4/ 3 NLe Anna's Hummingbird 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Costa's Hummingbird 7/18 7/19 7/18 7/18 DCr Calliope Hummingbird 5/ 6 5/ 6 SCR Broad-tailed Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird 3/15 3/29 4/ 1 4/ 3 2/22 TGr Allen's Hummingbird 1/13 2/15 1/23 1/21 3/23 2/16 1/13 MMR Belted Kingfisher 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 2/13 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Lewis' Woodpecker 1/ 3 1/ 3 3/ 1 5/17 1/ 3 m.ob. Acorn Woodpecker 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 SCR Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1/ 5 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Red-naped Sapsucker Red-breasted Sapsucker 1/ 3 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 3/22 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Williamson's Sapsucker Nuttall's Woodpecker 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 m.ob. Downy Woodpecker 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 4 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Hairy Woodpecker 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 4 1/ 1 2/23 2/15 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Northern Flicker 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 m.ob. Pileated Woodpecker 5/31 m.ob. Olive-sided Flycatcher 5/ 6 5/ 3 5/ 6 5/ 4 5/ 8 4/20 4/17 JMa Western Wood-Pewee 4/17 4/19 5/ 6 5/ 4 4/20 4/20 4/16 JMa,AV Willow Flycatcher 8/30 9/ 1 9/ 1 8/31 5/27 5/18 LCh Least Flycatcher Hammond's Flycatcher 4/12 4/25 4/12 MMR Dusky Flycatcher Gray Flycatcher 5/ 6 5/ 6 SCR Pacific-slope Flycatcher 3/29 2/17 4/ 2 3/ 5 3/23 3/30 2/17 MJM Black Phoebe 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Eastern Phoebe 3/ 2 3/ 2 3/ 5 3/ 3 3/ 2 MJM,MMR Say's Phoebe 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Ash-throated Flycatcher 3/16 4/ 5 5/ 6 4/30 4/ 8 2/ 5 1/23 MNi,CNa Tropical Kingbird Cassin's Kingbird 4/13 4/13 4/17 5/ 4 5/ 2 4/13 MMR,MJM Western Kingbird 4/ 3 4/13 4/17 4/ 5 4/ 3 4/ 5 3/30 NLe,LAY Eastern Kingbird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Horned Lark 1/10 1/19 1/29 1/ 4 5/13 1/ 4 MLF Purple Martin 5/ 6 5/ 3 5/ 7 5/10 4/20 3/23 FVs Tree Swallow 2/28 2/23 3/ 5 2/28 3/ 2 1/ 3 WGB Violet-green Swallow 2/28 2/23 5/ 6 3/ 6 1/ 1 3/ 9 1/ 1 SCR Nor. Rough-winged Swallow 2/27 3/ 9 3/ 5 3/ 5 3/13 3/22 2/27 MMR Bank Swallow 7/ 6 4/?? LTe Cliff Swallow 3/ 6 3/ 8 3/19 2/28 3/ 2 3/22 2/28 MLF Barn Swallow 3/12 2/28 3/ 5 3/10 3/ 2 3/23 2/24 AJa Steller's Jay 1/ 3 1/19 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 m.ob. Western Scrub-Jay 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 m.ob. Clark's Nutcracker Black-billed Magpie Yellow-billed Magpie 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 SCR American Crow 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Common Raven 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 2 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 SCR Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Oak Titmouse 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Bushtit 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Red-breasted Nuthatch 1/10 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 SCR,KLP White-breasted Nuthatch 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/ 4 1/ 1 2/15 1/ 1 SCR Pygmy Nuthatch 2/17 2/16 1/ 1 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Brown Creeper 1/ 3 1/19 3/20 1/ 1 1/10 1/ 3 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Rock Wren 1/10 1/ 3 1/29 1/ 4 5/13 1/ 3 MJM Canyon Wren 1/10 2/ 9 3/20 1/19 1/ 1 3/22 1/ 1 SCR Bewick's Wren 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 2/ 5 1/ 1 m.ob. House Wren 3/15 3/16 3/20 3/15 1/ 1 3/22 1/ 1 SCR Winter Wren 2/17 1/19 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Marsh Wren 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 7 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 9 1/ 1 SCR,MMR American Dipper 3/ 2 3/ 1 3/19 3/ 4 1/30 CFi Golden-crowned Kinglet 1/ 3 2/15 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 2/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,KLP Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 m.ob. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3/29 3/23 5/ 6 3/29 4/13 5/11 1/17 AJa Western Bluebird 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 2/15 1/ 1 SCR Mountain Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire 1/ 3 GCh,HGe Swainson's Thrush 5/ 1 5/ 4 4/17 5/10 5/ 8 4/17 KLP Hermit Thrush 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 2 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 m.ob. American Robin 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Varied Thrush 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/ 1 1/ 1 2/15 1/ 1 m.ob. Wrentit 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/23 1/ 1 1/ 1 2/15 1/ 1 m.ob. Northern Mockingbird 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Sage Thrasher Brown Thrasher California Thrasher 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/14 1/ 4 1/ 1 2/15 1/ 1 SCR Red-throated Pipit American Pipit 1/ 5 1/ 3 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/11 1/ 1 SCR Bohemian Waxwing Cedar Waxwing 1/ 3 2/17 1/23 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR Phainopepla 6/10 5/18 5/31 5/17 1/ 3 DSc Northern Shrike Loggerhead Shrike 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 9 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,MMR European Starling 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Bell's Vireo 5/14 5/13 5/13 5/13 SCR Blue-headed Vireo Cassin's Vireo 3/16 4/ 6 5/13 5/ 4 4/12 1/ 6 KNe Plumbeous Vireo Hutton's Vireo 2/15 2/16 3/ 1 4/ 8 1/19 1/ 1 JMa Warbling Vireo 3/29 3/15 5/ 6 3/22 4/ 8 4/ 6 3/12 AME Red-eyed Vireo Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler 2/12 1/25 5/ 6 3/ 8 1/ 1 4/ 6 1/ 1 SCR Nashville Warbler 4/24 4/ 5 5/ 4 5/12 4/ 5 MJM Virginia's Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler 1/ 8 4/12 5/ 6 4/ 5 1/12 1/ 8 MMR Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Black-throated Gray Warbler 4/12 3/30 5/13 4/ 5 5/17 3/30 MJM Townsend's Warbler 1/ 5 1/19 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/10 1/11 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Hermit Warbler 3/15 4/25 1/ 4 3/15 2/ 7 1/ 3 1/ 3 CKS Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler 1/ 5 1/11 1/ 4 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 3 MLF,CKS Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart 8/ 8 8/16 8/11 8/12 8/ 7 8/ 7 SCR Prothonotary Warbler Worm-eating Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Kentucky Warbler Connecticut Warbler MacGillivray's Warbler 5/11 5/11 5/11 MMR,MJM Common Yellowthroat 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 6 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Hooded Warbler 1/ 6 1/11 1/11 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Wilson's Warbler 3/16 3/23 8/11 3/29 4/ 3 4/ 6 3/16 MMR,TJo Yellow-breasted Chat 5/10 5/18 5/18 5/13 4/13 DLS Summer Tanager 1/16 3/ 2 1/14 2/23 1/24 1/14 KLP Scarlet Tanager Western Tanager 4/24 4/25 5/ 6 5/ 7 5/ 8 9/ 3 4/20 AV Rose-breasted Grosbeak Black-headed Grosbeak 4/ 3 4/ 5 4/17 3/21 4/ 3 1/ 8 RCO Blue Grosbeak 4/20 4/22 5/ 5 4/30 5/ 6 4/27 4/20 MMR Lazuli Bunting 4/13 4/13 5/ 5 4/30 4/20 4/27 1/19 MMi Indigo Bunting Dickcissel Green-tailed Towhee Spotted Towhee 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 SCR California Towhee 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 2 1/ 1 m.ob. Rufous-crowned Sparrow 4/10 2/ 9 3/20 3/22 5/ 6 4/27 1/ 3 MtHamCBC American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow 4/12 4/13 5/13 5/11 5/17 4/12 MMR Clay-colored Sparrow Brewer's Sparrow Black-chinned Sparrow 5/ 6 5/10 5/10 5/17 5/ 6 MMR Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow 1/10 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/19 5/13 1/ 3 MJM Black-throated Sparrow Sage Sparrow 1/ 3 4/19 5/17 5/17 1/ 3 m.ob. Lark Bunting Savannah Sparrow 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 SCR Grasshopper Sparrow 4/10 4/20 4/16 5/ 4 4/13 4/10 MMR Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1/ 8 1/ 8 1/ 9 1/ 9 2/ 9 1/ 8 m.ob. Fox Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/11 1/11 1/ 1 1/ 8 1/ 1 m.ob. Song Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Lincoln's Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 9 1/11 1/ 1 2/ 5 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow 4/17 1/16 1/ 6 KNe Golden-crowned Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. White-crowned Sparrow 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Harris' Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Lapland Longspur Chestnut-collared Longspur Bobolink 9/ 1 9/ 1 MJM Red-winged Blackbird 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/26 1/ 1 m.ob. Tricolored Blackbird 1/ 2 2/22 1/ 2 1/28 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR Western Meadowlark 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. Yellow-headed Blackbird 4/13 4/13 5/ 7 5/ 4 4/11 4/11 SCR Brewer's Blackbird 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 MMR,SCR Great-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird 1/ 1 2/20 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 5/ 8 1/ 1 m.ob. Hooded Oriole 3/27 3/29 4/16 3/27 4/10 4/ 5 3/19 PLN Baltimore Oriole Bullock's Oriole 3/15 3/15 3/20 2/23 3/26 4/20 2/23 MLF Scott's Oriole Purple Finch 1/16 1/ 3 1/29 1/ 1 2/13 3/22 1/ 1 MLF,JMa Cassin's Finch 4/12 4/ 5 3/ 2 SBT House Finch 1/ 1 1/ 5 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 1 1/ 1 m.ob. Red Crossbill 4/10 3/ 8 3/27 1/ 1 2/16 1/ 1 SCR Pine Siskin 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/15 1/ 1 1/ 1 2/16 1/ 1 m.ob. Lesser Goldfinch 1/ 3 1/ 3 1/ 7 1/11 1/ 1 1/19 1/ 1 SCR Lawrence's Goldfinch 4/ 3 4/13 4/ 5 4/ 3 1/ 3 WGB American Goldfinch 1/ 1 2/17 1/ 2 1/ 4 1/ 1 1/ 6 1/ 1 SCR,MMR Evening Grosbeak 1/ 1 1/ 1 SCR House Sparrow 1/ 1 1/18 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 1/ 3 1/ 1 m.ob. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 10:44:22 1997 Subject: CCRS banding. >At 10:04 AM 9/5/97 -0700, you wrote: >>My brother, a birder worthy of this group, is flying in from LA tonight. >>I thought it would be fun for him and me to visit CCRS and participate >>in banding tomorrow morning. >> >>During the Spring I know they start before sun-up. Can anyone tell >>me when they will be starting tomorrow? Earlier e-mail indicated >>8:30AM, but that seems too late. >> >>Any help would be appreciated, >>Ken Schmahl >>[[email protected]], [[email protected]], (408)954-3508 Ken, As you are aware most of our banding is conducted by volunteers and we welcome more. However, our banders do get trained hands-on and through an introductory presentation. The next new bander class is coming up in late October. In order to band at CCRS you need to go through this process. If you do want to visit our banding site, it is best if you phone ahead and set something up with Diane at CCRS (408-262-9204). I don't know who is banding tomorrow, some of our banders really become nervous when visitors are around and I would not like to send visitors over without them being prepared. Other banders love visitors. My advice would be to check in at the trailers tomorrow morning and talk to Diane or myself (I should be there tomorrow) and we could give you a quick tour. By the way, if I am not at the trailers I will be in with all tbe birders looking for the White-rumped Sandpiper. Al (Biologist at CCRS) Alvaro Jaramillo Half Moon Bay, California [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 12:57:17 1997 Subject: WHITE-FACED IBIS, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, STILT SANDPIPER, PRAIRI E FALCON at CCRS All: Many out-of-county birders were at the CCRS this noon. I was just focusing on the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER when a PRAIRIE-FALCON swooped over the flooded field scaring up all the shorebirds. I never dikd get a beeter look. The fallcon continued northbound over the BFI Recycle Center. Nick Lethaby was asking about anyone getting photos. As I was leaving, Alan Walther was just arriving with his camera...hope he sees the sandpiper. Also present were the STILT SANDPIPER and WHITE-FACED IBIS. No sign of the RUFFs. I have been informed that those who were looking for the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER this morning at dawn did not see the bird....seems like around noon or afternoon is best. Mike Feighner, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 13:28:32 1997 Subject: CCRS this morning All: Maria and I were at the CCRS pond from about 7:15 to 9:30 this morning. In the marsh/field west of the pond, we saw a juvenile male Ruff, several Pectoral Sandpipers, but no White-Rumped Sandpiper. And no Stilt Sandpiper. Mike Rogers came by, and showed us a White-Faced Ibis a ways down the channel that runs through the field. John Meyer ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 05 20:22:51 1997 Subject: White-rumped Sandpiper at Coyote Creek Riparian Station White-rumped Sandpiper Coyote Creek Riparian Station Alviso, Santa Clara County, California Fri 09-05-1997 Joseph Morlan This morning I decided to try for the White-rumped Sandpiper which had been found the evening 3 Sept. 97 by Nick Lethaby and seen by several observers during most of the day yesterday. I arrived about 10:30am and met Steve Glover, Kevin Hintsa and Ron Lindeman who were also looking for the bird. After scoping the pond directly west of the waterbird pond at the north end of the Riparian Station property for about a half hour, Kevin Hintsa spotted an appropriately shaped bird some distance away in the pond. Eventually it flew a short distance revealing a mostly white rump. Another group of birders arrived including Jean Marie Spoelman, Anna Wilcox and numerous others who I didn't recognize. We pointed the bird out to them, but the combination of heat waves and distance conspired to make viewing less than ideal. I noticed Luke Cole was situated on a levee between the sewer ponds to the south and the bird and he appeared to be taking notes although he did not have a spotting scope. Luke eventually came by and advised that much better views could be had from that levee which could be reached fairly easily from the far side of the pond the White-rumped was in. Several of us went there where we were joined by Jack Cole and Ed Frost. There we had excellent close views of the White-rumped Sandpiper in perfect light through scopes. The bird could be seen easily and was easy to refind each time the flocks flew when disturbed by a passing Northern Harrier. The following description is based on notes written while watching the bird, discussion with other birders at the time and on memory: A large "peep" mostly grayish or grayish-brown in color, decidedly larger than nearby Western and Least sandpipers, approaching the size of nearby Pectoral Sandpipers although direct comparison was not available. The most striking features were the combination of very long primaries extending beyond the tail, and a solid gray breast band strongly demarcated from the white underparts. Closer inspection revealed the following: The bill was dark with a hint of olive-green at the very base visible only in very strong light. The culmen was straight but the lower mandible curved downward slightly. The head was essentially gray with an obvious pale-gray supercilium and a faint pale-gray crescent under the dark eye. The gray breast had fine streaks throughout, these streaks extended along the sides and flanks, marking the otherwise white underparts. The back was a somewhat paler gray than the rest of the upperparts. The scapulars and wing-coverts were gray-brown (browner on the greater coverts) with a mixture of wedge-shaped black feathers edged in gray. The tertials were gray with very narrow pale rusty-brown fringes. The primaries were also gray-brown in color, not black as on most shorebirds. The primaries showed a substantial projection beyond the tertials extending beyond the tail. When the bird preened it was possible to get fairly good views of the rump and uppertail coverts. I judged the rump proper to be gray, but the uppertail coverts were conspicuously white forming a square patch when seen in flight. This patch was barred extensively with black laterally and distally. In flight the darker rump projected slightly into the top of the white uppertail coverts coming to a shallow point. I looked for dark extending down the middle of the rump, but could not detect any. The rectrices were gray with very narrow white fringes at the tips and brownish lateral edges. They were blunt-tipped, not pointed. Legs were black and it was possible to see that there was no webbing between the toes. Rear toe present and slightly elevated. In flight, the bird showed no obvious wing stripe, but the underwings were clearly whitish when the bird raised its wings on one occasion. The bird was still there when we left. We met Clyde Morris, Joelle Buffa and Mike Feigner who were heading out to see it. Later Mike told me that a Prairie Falcon flushed all the birds before he got a chance to see it this time. Later I met Allan Walther and John Mariani who were going out to look for it. Allan intended to attempt photographs. Other interesting birds seen at the waterbird ponds today include a White-faced Ibis, a Stilt Sandpiper, about 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and at least 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. DISCUSSION Based on the extensively gray breast, I judge this bird to be an adult in basic (winter) plumage or possibly molting into basic plumage. I have seen this species only once before in California, at the Carmel River in June of 1978. This is an extremely rare bird in California with 12 previously accepted records. The following is from the California Bird Records Committee Master List: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (20,12,8,0) Accepted 1. 7 Jun 69 NESS RIV 17-1985-10 (#SDNHM) 2. 16 Jun 76 Salton Sea NWR IMP 70-1976-3 (ph.) 3. 2-7 Jun 78 Carmel R. mouth MTY 89-1977-5 (ph.) 4. 11 Jun 78 Pt. Reyes (Kehoe beach) MRN 95-1978-5 5. 15-22 Aug 80 Edwards AFB, Lancaster LA 202-1980-7 (ph.) 6. 6 Jun 81 Warm Springs, Mono L. MNO 47-1981-7 7. 30 May 85 NESS RIV 112-1985-10 8. 14-16 Sep 85 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 136-1985-10 (ph.) also 18 Sep 85 Salinas R. mouth MTY 181-1986-10 9. 17 May 86 Stockton SJ 341-1986-12 10. 11-12 Jun 88 Santa Clara R. mouth VEN 149-1988-13 (ph.) 11. 9-13 Sep 90 San Joaquin Marsh ORA 131-1990-16 (ph.) 12. 30-31 May 92 6 km W of Niland IMP 137-1992-18 (ph.) Rejected, identification not established 27 Nov 77 Corte Madera MRN 4-1978-4 6 Nov 80 Salinas R. mouth MTY 164-1986-12 18 Sep 84 Wilbur KIN 286-1986-12 2 Oct 86 Salinas sewer ponds MTY 386-1986-12 15 Aug 87 Vallejo SOL 371-1987-13 13 Aug 88 SESS IMP 67-1989-13 30 Aug 90 (2) Tijuana R. valley SD 128-1990-16 20 Sep 94 Bodega Bay SON 160-1994-20 -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 415-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 06 05:26:34 1997 Subject: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER & RUFF at CCRS Hello All: The adult WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was at the waterbird pond at 6:20pm on Friday 9/5. I saw the bird for about twoi minutes through a 25x scope from about 100 yards. It was feeding actively with a mixed flock of about 30 other peeeps. After a couple of minutes the flock took off in flight with about 20 birds heading towards the s.e. corner of the waterbird pond, and the others flying to the mudflats directly to the west of the waterbird pond. I also had a juvenile male RUFF flying from south to north on the east side of the waterbird pond around 6pm. The bird may have gone into the heavy vegetation along that side of the pond. From my viewing point I could not see where the bird landed. Doug Shaw Santa Rosa, CA [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 06 05:26:34 1997 Subject: WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER & RUFF at CCRS Hello All: The adult WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was at the waterbird pond at 6:20pm on Friday 9/5. I saw the bird for about twoi minutes through a 25x scope from about 100 yards. It was feeding actively with a mixed flock of about 30 other peeeps. After a couple of minutes the flock took off in flight with about 20 birds heading towards the s.e. corner of the waterbird pond, and the others flying to the mudflats directly to the west of the waterbird pond. I also had a juvenile male RUFF flying from south to north on the east side of the waterbird pond around 6pm. The bird may have gone into the heavy vegetation along that side of the pond. From my viewing point I could not see where the bird landed. Doug Shaw Santa Rosa, CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 06 12:16:58 1997 Subject: recent birding All: On 4 Sep., I saw a PRAIRIE FALCON near the San Jose airport, and while conducting some vegetation surveys along the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose (near the arena), I saw three female/imm. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS. Later that afternoon, I joined the throng at CCRS and saw the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (excellent find, Nick!), 6-8 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 2 juvenile RUFFS. Al Jaramillo pointed out the first RUFF, which he and others had earlier identified as a male and which to me looked clearly larger than adjacent Lesser Yellowlegs, in the marsh on the west side of the waterbird pond. This bird apparently disappeared, but later Scott Terrill, Al Eisner, Mike Feighner, Bob Reiling and I saw a RUFF in the same marsh that was obviously shorter than the same Lesser Yellowlegs to which the first Ruff had been compared. At first I was not prepared to believe that one Ruff had disappeared and a second had appeared in its place; the two birds were indistinguishable in terms of plumage, although I didn't scrutinize the plumage of the first bird very well. However, after consideration of the clear size difference between the two birds, I'm sure that both a male and a female RUFF (both juveniles) were present. On 5 Sep., I conducted some Burrowing Owl surveys at Cerro Plata, which comprises the majority of the dry barren hills between Yerba Buena Road and Hellyer Ave. in south San Jose. The highlight was a GREATER ROADRUNNER on the ridgeline just above the Hellyer Ave./Hwy. 101 junction, a location where I saw a roadunner several years ago. A very small patch of willows held 6 YELLOW WARBLERS, 4 WESTERN FLYCATCHERS, and a BARN OWL, and a small cattail-lined pond had 2 imm. COMMON MOORHENS. Other birds here included 3 RUFOUS-CROWNED and 7 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, 8 ROCK WRENS, and 2 imm./female SELASPHORUS hummingbirds. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 07 14:40:42 1997 Subject: Hooded Merganser All, Today (9/7), Frank Vanslager and I saw a first fall male Hooded Merganser in the creek on the southern edge of the northern most, large pond in Los Gatos Creek Park. The bird was associating with a small flock of Gadwalls. We also had a Yellow Warbler in the Fennel on the Southern edge of the largest pond on the East side of the creek. Lots of Green Herons (4-5), 3-4 Caspian Terns and a pair of Vaux's Swifts. Take care, Bob Reiling, 2:15 PM, 9/7/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 07 17:05:57 1997 Subject: CCRS Today The shorebird pond held 45 Greater Yellowlegs, 26 Lesser Yellowlegs, and single Baird's and Pectoral Sandpipers. There were only 6 or so dowitchers there! _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 07 17:46:15 1997 Subject: Canada Warbler at Big Sur Hi Birders - Just a short note to let you all know of the CANADA WARBLER that was seen today, 9/7, at Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur. It is likely a female, and it was hanging out near the bend in the river near the main parking lot. Look for it at mid-level, although it was seen both high and low. The male banded NORTHERN PARULA was also seen in the same vicinity. The last either was seen was around 12:30 pm. Steve Rovell [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 07 17:46:15 1997 Subject: Canada Warbler at Big Sur Hi Birders - Just a short note to let you all know of the CANADA WARBLER that was seen today, 9/7, at Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur. It is likely a female, and it was hanging out near the bend in the river near the main parking lot. Look for it at mid-level, although it was seen both high and low. The male banded NORTHERN PARULA was also seen in the same vicinity. The last either was seen was around 12:30 pm. Steve Rovell [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 08 06:22:16 1997 Subject: Question on Rock Doves All, Do Rock Doves Migrate? At Coyote Hills Regional Park on Sat. (SCVAS Field Trip) we had a flock of 200+ Rock Doves feeding in a picked field (corn?) with a flock of Canada Geese. This seems like an unusual concentration for non-migrating birds? Take care, Bob Reiling, 7:21 AM, 9/8/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 08 08:04:05 1997 Subject: RODOs All: Migration, dispersal, and local movement all become rather imprecise terms in dealing with sedentary or local populations which I believe includes ROCK DOVE. Having said that, however, I have received a number of observations over the years of Rock Dove flocks that are clearly engaged in substantial local movements. The notebooks are at home, but the one that comes to mind is a fairly large flock (<100) flying over Mt. Stakes in the Diablo Range that Clark Blake noted a number of years ago. This is an area where they are not found either breeding or in the winter time. This suggests that within our local flocks there is the capacity to fly at least over the Diablo Range for some unknown purpose. This also points out the value of observer comments on even the most common of species in unusual circumstances. Bill ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 08 08:59:13 1997 Subject: Guadalupe River All, I joined Mike Mammoser yesterday morning for three hours to cover the Guadalupe River between Trimble and Montague (west side) and back (east side). Things were pretty quiet, with no large numbers of migrants and nothing too unusual. More interesting birds included 2-3 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, 1 probable BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, 1 SELASPHORUS HUMMINGBIRD SP., 2 BELTED KINGFISHERS, 1 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 7 "WESTERN" FLYCATCHERS (including at least a few PACIFIC-SLOPE), 1-2 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, 5 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 probable MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (uncooperative), several COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 1 WILSON'S WARBLER, 2-3 WESTERN TANAGERS, 1 heard-only GROSBEAK SP., two BUNTING SP., and FLedgling CALIFORNIA TOWHEES. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 08 19:18:10 1997 Subject: Re: RODOs All Most of the time I see large flocks of Rock Doves in what appears to be fast and straight flight I have assumed that these were racing pigeons. You often see these flocks in areas where local Rock Doves are not to be found. In addition, the variety of colours and amounts of white or largely white birds in these racing pigeon flocks is higher than in an average flock of standard Rock Doves. Pigeon Racing is still widely practiced, so I wouldn't be surprised if that is what these birds are. Al. Alvaro Jaramillo Half Moon Bay, California [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 09 17:16:01 1997 Subject: Rails Stephen C. Rottenborn wrote: > > All: > > On 4 Sep., I saw a PRAIRIE FALCON near the San Jose airport, > and while conducting some vegetation surveys along the > Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose (near the arena), I > saw three female/imm. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS. Later > that afternoon, I joined the throng at CCRS and saw the > WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (excellent find, Nick!), 6-8 > PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 2 juvenile RUFFS. Al Jaramillo > pointed out the first RUFF, which he and others had > earlier identified as a male and which to me looked clearly > larger than adjacent Lesser Yellowlegs, in the marsh on the > west side of the waterbird pond. This bird apparently > disappeared, but later Scott Terrill, Al Eisner, Mike > Feighner, Bob Reiling and I saw a RUFF in the same marsh > that was obviously shorter than the same Lesser Yellowlegs > to which the first Ruff had been compared. At first I > was not prepared to believe that one Ruff had disappeared > and a second had appeared in its place; the two birds > were indistinguishable in terms of plumage, although I > didn't scrutinize the plumage of the first bird very well. > However, after consideration of the clear size difference > between the two birds, I'm sure that both a male and a > female RUFF (both juveniles) were present. > All: on Mon, Sept 8, I saw both SORA and Virginia rails out in the open early in the morning at Mountain View Forebay. RCC ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 09 17:19:11 1997 Subject: Rauls All: At dawn on Mon, Sept 8, both Sora and Virginia rails were seen out in the open at Mountain View Forebay. Dick ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 10 09:41:34 1997 Subject: Palo Alto Wastewater Plant, etc. A morning visit to the Palo Alto Wastewater Plant area, i.e., past the end of Embarcadero Way, didn't turn up anything unusual. There were at least a dozen warblers, including at least 7 Yellow's, plus Orange-Crowned and Common Yellowthroat. A flock of about 2 dozen or so (migrant?) Violet-Green Swallows included 3 or 4 Vaux's Swifts. And the blackbirds at the Plant included Tricolored. At the residence and fennel area of the Baylands there were at least another 6 Yellow Warblers. Yellow Warbler flocks have been regular in both locations; hopefully they will attract something more unusual. (Of interest from a visit late last week - Thursday or Friday - was a Cooper's Hawk in a eucalyptus next to the fennel patch.) Al Eisner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 10 09:54:49 1997 Subject: Mountain View Feeding Frenzy, REBI, VIRA, BLSK All; The Mountain View Feeding Frenzy late of Crittenden Marsh has Moved to Charleston Slough. There were hundreds of egrets, Pelicans, and shorebirds chowing down there this morning. There also were 13 Black Skimmers, a lovely Virginia Rail in the Forebay and the Red Bishop continues to hang around the creek by the utility yard. RCC ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 10 18:14:33 1997 Subject: Re: Mountain View Feeding Frenzy, REBI, VIRA, BLSK At 10:54 AM 9/10/97 -0700, RC Carlson wrote: >All; > The Mountain View Feeding Frenzy late of Crittenden Marsh has >Moved to Charleston Slough. There were hundreds of egrets, Pelicans, >and shorebirds chowing down there this morning. There also were 13 >Black Skimmers, How many of these skimmers are juveniles? I heard one (of 9) was, suggesting local breeding. I wonder how many pairs bred this year? _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 10 19:04:06 1997 Subject: Least Flycatcher at CCRS Birders Today there was a Least Flycatcher banded at CCRS. Unfortunately I was not there to see it, I should have come in earlier. The measurements fit Least Flycatcher but no photos were taken. I did not get a chance to go out and look for it, however Nick Lethaby was around in the morning and did not find it while birding the area. The bird was netted in the taller vegetation near the trailors (net TRAN K). It may be easiest to find, if it is still there, early in the morning. Al Alvaro Jaramillo Half Moon Bay, California [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 11 09:20:47 1997 All, A quick check of CCRS this morning failed to turn up a Least Flycatcher, but there were some migrants about. I had 15+ PACIFIC-SLOPE/WESTERN FLYCATCHERS (most unbanded), 5+ YELLOW WARBLERS (1 banded), 2 WARBLING VIREOS (both unbanded), 1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH (they banded 7 two days ago) and 4 VAUX'S SWIFTS with a small flock of 7+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. The basic adult STILT SANDPIPER was still at the waterbird pond in the northeast corner and 49 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES flew in while I was there. Still at least 8 LESSER YELLOWLEGS around too. Mike Rogers 9/11/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 11 10:06:29 1997 Subject: Re:Black Skimmers Dear Nick, To the best of our knowledge, the only breeding attempt this year by Black Skimmers was at Hayward Shoreline and this attempt failed. There were other birds in the area which may have bred elsewhere. However, we did survey all our tern nesting sites this year and did not detect any other Black Skimmer nests. It is equally likely that the juvenile is from breeding colonies in southern California or elsewhere which are following their regular fall northward movement. Many of the birds produced at the southern California breeding colonies have colored plastic bands with an alpha-numeric code engraved on them. If anyone should site a banded bird please report the color and if possible the number to our office or send it out to the listserv and I will pass the information on to Charlie Collins. Earlier this year a number was read off of one of the birds in Charleston Slough and it was a bird banded as a chick at Newport Back Bay. Additionally, one of the birds which was attempting to breed at Hay ward had a white band and was likely one of the chicks that was banded locally by SFBBO. Cheers, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (408) 946-6548 P.O. Box 247 (408) 946-9279 fax 1290 Hope St. [[email protected]] Alviso, CA 95002 "While in my own estimation my chief profession is ignorance, yet I sign my passport applications and my jury evasions as Ornithologist." - William Beebe ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 11 12:27:08 1997 Subject: A Willow not the Least All, Today at about 11:30 AM I had a Willow Flycatcher in a dead tree 100 ft North of the Eucalyptus tree North of the CCRS trailers. I had seen all but the head of the WIFL in a tree next to the dead tree about 1.5 hours earlier. In both cases I could not refind the bird after it flew from the tree in which I found it. The ad Stilt Sandpiper was still with the Dowitchers in the CCRS Pond at 12:15 PM. Take care, Bob Reiling, 1:30 PM, 9/11/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 11 14:29:23 1997 Subject: CCRS on 9/11/97 All: Earlier in the day I ran into both Mike Rogers and Bob Reiling today at the CCRS. So, I will not duplicate here although I did view the SWAINSON's THRUSH Mike Rogers found. I did see two VAUX's SWIFTs north of the trailers among the VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWs. Along the lower levee road south of the trailers near net TRAN K I did find a juvenile or adult female WESTERN TANAGER. I did run into Diane who had banded a "WESTERN" FLYCATCHER, a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, and a ANNA's HUMMINGBIRD near the place where the road runs in close to the creek north of the trailers. On the way to the CCRS I did see the flock of 80+ CANADA GEESE on the field north-west of Highway 237 and Zanker Road. Mike Feighner, Livermore, [[email protected]], 9/11/97, 3:24 PM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 12 06:50:20 1997 Subject: Vaux's Swifts On Sept 10 at sunset 150+ VAUX'S SWIFTS were seen over the Coleman Ponds in Almaden Valley (no general public access). The swifts appeared to be coming in from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south, crossing over Almaden Valley, and then congregating in a great swarm above the ponds. Violet-green Swallows were also in the mix, but were outnumbered by the VASW. Algae mats form on these ponds attracting VASW and swallows throughout the summer months and numbers of 6-12 VASW are common during this period; however, I have never before seen such a large concentration of VASW. Ann Verdi ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Fri Sep 12 18:18:53 1997 Subject: CCRS today I saw 42 Lesser Yellowlegs and 12 Pectorals. 2 days ago, I had a juv. Semi-palmated Sandpiper. _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 13 16:08:07 1997 Subject: Peregrine at Elwell Ct. again This morning, Sept. 13th, there was an adult Peregrine Falcon perched atop the transmission tower at Elwell Court. This is the first time I've seen one there since late last winter. Does anyone know if the male Northern Red Bishop participates in brooding and feeding young? The one on Adobe Creek hasn't been singing or displaying for the last couple of weeks, but pops only briefly from the same patch of reeds and quickly disappears again. Just curious. Phyllis Browning ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 14 15:05:21 1997 Subject: White-crowned Sparrows back At Emily Renzel today, Rosalie and I had eleven White-crowned Sparrows, all immatures. Unlike the No. Red Bishop at Adobe Creek, the one at Matadero Creek is still singing vigorously. And there were over 80 Violet-green Swallows massed on the IT&T wires. Phyllis ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 14 20:49:47 1997 Subject: MERLIE the MERLIN is Back! I spotted Merlie the Merlin today on his tree (9/14/97). This is the earliest that I have seen him return in the last SIX years. Is this another El Nino effect? He may have arrived even earlier, but I was out of town last week. See Merlie's page on: South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ Kendric ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 06:43:28 1997 Subject: WANDERLING TATTLER and 14 BLACK SKIMMERS All: Last night Peter Metropolus reported to the Northern California Birdbox that he found a WANDERING TATTLER and two PRAIRIE FALCONs at the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds. Peter was not specific on the exact location. He also reported a total of 14 BLACK SKIMMERS at Charleston Sough, 12 of which were adults and 2 were juveniles. For those of you who are interested in escapees the flock of six MASKED LOVEBIRDS (native to Tanzania) I found in my neighborhood in Livermore, on July 9th grew now to ten birds this past Friday, September 12th. The birds seem to frequent the roof of the house at 830 Turino Street and the roof of the house at 582 Firenza Street. Nearest cross-streets are E. Jack London and Murrieta Blvd. Best times are at about 9 AM and 6 PM or so. Mike Feighner, Livermore, [[email protected]], 7:38 AM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 11:24:38 1997 Subject: Bay Area Birding Calendar Larry Tunstall has updated his Bay Area Birding Calendar for September 15-19 for SBBU. Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 11:32:05 1997 Subject: SABINE's GULL at Mono Lake I joined the Marin Audobon Society's trip to Mono Lake this weekend. On Saturday (9/15), two birders reported 2 adult and 1 juvenile SABINE's GULL at Navy Beach at Mono Lake. On Sunday (9/16) we found a juvenile SABINE's GULL but did not see any adults. There are a few records of SABINE's GULL at Mono Lake, but apparently none in the recent past. Other highlights: A MACGILLIVRAY's WARBLER and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Lundy Canyon. I found several GREEN-TAILED TOWHEEs along West Portal Rd. south of Mono Lake. A large flock of PINYON JAYs flew across the dirt road to Navy Beach, near south Tufa. The birds were streaming across in singles and in small groups and this went on for over a minute. They then formed a large flock (~200) and flew south-east. Also CASSIN's FINCHES in the area. No Rosy Finches at the Warren Fork of Lee Vining Canyon. A TOWNSEND's SOLITAIRE at Siesta Lake on Rt. 120. Question: Would FLAMMULATED OWLs be calling at this time of the year? I thought I heard one at the Berkeley Camp pulloff along Rt. 120, a few miles west of the Big Oak Flat Entrance. Pine forest, part of Stanislaus Natl. Forest. At around 7:40PM. Vivek Tiwari [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 11:32:05 1997 Subject: SABINE's GULL at Mono Lake I joined the Marin Audobon Society's trip to Mono Lake this weekend. On Saturday (9/15), two birders reported 2 adult and 1 juvenile SABINE's GULL at Navy Beach at Mono Lake. On Sunday (9/16) we found a juvenile SABINE's GULL but did not see any adults. There are a few records of SABINE's GULL at Mono Lake, but apparently none in the recent past. Other highlights: A MACGILLIVRAY's WARBLER and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Lundy Canyon. I found several GREEN-TAILED TOWHEEs along West Portal Rd. south of Mono Lake. A large flock of PINYON JAYs flew across the dirt road to Navy Beach, near south Tufa. The birds were streaming across in singles and in small groups and this went on for over a minute. They then formed a large flock (~200) and flew south-east. Also CASSIN's FINCHES in the area. No Rosy Finches at the Warren Fork of Lee Vining Canyon. A TOWNSEND's SOLITAIRE at Siesta Lake on Rt. 120. Question: Would FLAMMULATED OWLs be calling at this time of the year? I thought I heard one at the Berkeley Camp pulloff along Rt. 120, a few miles west of the Big Oak Flat Entrance. Pine forest, part of Stanislaus Natl. Forest. At around 7:40PM. Vivek Tiwari [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 12:54:13 1997 Subject: birds On Saturday, 13 Sep 97, I joined Janet Hanson for a big day in Santa = Clara County. We started out at Montebello, where our first bird was = the reliable VIRGINIA RAIL at the sag pond. Before light we heard = from GREAT HORNED, WESTERN SCREECH, and NORTHERN = PYGMY OWLS. At dawn we moved up the trail to Black Mountain = and were able to hear COMMON POORWILL calling. The chaparral = fields along this trail produced a single GOLDEN-CROWNED = SPARROW; the only one of the day. A female WESTERN TANAGER = was quite cooperative. Back at the base of Black Mountain, a small = flock of birds included a few TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS. Coming back down into the valley, we next stopped at Arastradero = Preserve. Here we had both COOPER'S and SHARP-SHINNED = HAWK, battling in the sky above us. Also, a pair of WHITE-TAILED = KITES was in evidence. A handful of WHITE-CROWNED = SPARROWS was in the coyote bushes. A quick stop at the Stanford Arboretum gave us a BLACK-HEADED = GROSBEAK in the oaks, while a BARN OWL was roosting in a palm = tree next to the mausoleum. At Charleston Slough we picked up a number of ducks and shorebirds. = Both VIRGINIA RAILS and SORAS were in the forebay. We were = only able to find 6 or 7 BLACK SKIMMERS. = At the Palo Alto Baylands, a check of the fennel patch produced a few = YELLOW WARBLERS, some COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and = the first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER I have seen this season. The = mudflats at the yacht harbor didn't produce the hoped-for Whimbrel, = but we did get SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and a single = CLAPPER RAIL. The Palo Alto WPCP trees just gave us more = YELLOW WARBLERS. We then moved on to Calabazas Marsh, where we found CASPIAN = TERN and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. The middle pond here was fairly = desolate. In Alviso, the pond just south of Spreckles and Grand had 3 = PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and an equal number of WILSON'S = PHALAROPES. The pond at Spreckles and State had a juvenile STILT = SANDPIPER. The Arzino Ranch had a CATTLE EGRET riding on the = back of a horse. Our second try along Disk Dr. got us a BURROWING = OWL. At CCRS, the waterbird pond had little activity, with only a few = shorebirds present. The area along the crek was fairly quiet as well, = producing only a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and a WESTERN = FLYCATCHER. We finished with a quick stop at the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds, where = we picked up a BONAPARTE'S GULL. Our last species of the day = was AMERICAN ROBIN, which we saw on a lawn along Page Mill = while heading back to my car at the park-and-ride. We finished with a = modest 115 species on the day. = On Sunday morning, 14 Sep 97, I headed back to the Sunnyvale = Sewage Ponds and checked the fennel patch. It was crawling with = warblers and stuff. I had at least 25 YELLOW WARBLERS, 10 = ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 7 COMMON = YELLOWTHROATS, a WILSON'S WARBLER, and a bunting = species. At least 7 VAUX'S SWIFTS were foraging overhead with the = swallows. I moved on to Crittenden Marsh, which is drying up rapidly. The only = water left is along the northern edge. A small flock of roosting LONG- BILLED CURLEWS and MARBLED GODWITS had 2 = WHIMBRELS as well. = A check of the riparian at the end of L'Avenida Ave produced a few = YELLOW WARBLERS, a WESTERN FLYCATCHER, a GREEN = HERON, and an immature SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 14:11:04 1997 Subject: Re: birds >At Charleston Slough we picked up a number of ducks and shorebirds. Both VIRGINIA RAILS and SORAS were in the forebay. Where is the forebay are you seeing these? RC Carlson to me to check the NE side where the mud was by the cattails/rushes, but I could not find any exposed mud here. I found a little mud on the side (E or SE?) closest to Shoreline Lake. I found one Sora here. >We were only able to find 6 or 7 BLACK SKIMMERS. >At the Palo Alto Baylands, a check of the fennel patch produced a few YELLOW WARBLERS, >some COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and the first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER I have seen this season. >The mudflats at the yacht harbor didn't produce the hoped-for Whimbrel, There are several at Charleston Slough, roosting with the skimmers! but we did get SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and a single CLAPPER RAIL. The Palo Alto WPCP trees just gave us more YELLOW WARBLERS. > >We then moved on to Calabazas Marsh, where we found CASPIAN TERN and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. The middle pond here was fairly desolate. > >In Alviso, the pond just south of Spreckles and Grand had 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and an >equal number of WILSON'S PHALAROPES. The pond at Spreckles and State had a juvenile >STILT SANDPIPER. This is surely a new bird. _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 15:50:35 1997 Subject: RNPH I forgot to mention that on Saturday, 13 Sep 97, Janet and I found about 250= 0 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at the Sunnyvale Sewage Ponds. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 15 17:01:06 1997 Subject: More Banded BLSK Dear South-bay-birders, A report of a color banded Black Skimmer came in through the Birdwest's Northern California RBA. It was sighted on Sept. 11th at Princeton Harbor by Dennis Wolff. The bird had a yellow color band with A60 engraved in it and part of the metal USFWS band was read as well. This was passed on to Mike Taylor, abiologist at Cal. State Long Beach who is studying Black Skimmers. We were able to find out that this bird was banded as a chick in 1993 at Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve in Orange County. The bird was sighted later that year, on October 13, 1993 at Santa Barbara, and again four years later at Princeton Harbor. Please report any sighting of color banded Black Skimmers to our office. Additionally, CSULB biologists have banded between 1800 & 2600 Elegant Terns at Bolsa Chica in each of the past few years. While they are not color banded, the metal bands can be read with a little patience. He would greatly appreciate any band numbers read from the birds that move into our area in the late-summer/fall. Good Birding, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (408) 946-6548 P.O. Box 247 (408) 946-9279 fax 1290 Hope St. [[email protected]] Alviso, CA 95002 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 00:21:26 1997 Subject: Mist nets and predation Howdy birders, while walking by the banding nets along the Big Sur River this weekend I was asked whether predators ever harmed birds caught in the mist nets. I've never heard of predators attacking netted birds, so I am passing on the question. Maybe there is someone at CCRS or BSOL who could provide an answer--what percentage (if any) of the birds that become entangled in the nets fall victim to predation before banders come to liberate them? I would also be curious to know (if anyone out there has the info.) what percentage of netted birds die during the banding process. The numbers are probably very minimal, and I wouldn't be surprised if statistics on this aren't readily available. I'm not an animal rights advocate with a new crusade in mind, just curious-- John Mariani [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 06:28:27 1997 Subject: Re: Mist nets and predation Birders, When I lived in Michigan, I did a lot of banding at a local nature center. We had occasional problems with predation. The worst were feral cats that would sometimes be dropped off at the nature center (I have zero clue why people think that dropping a cat at a nature center is an appropriate thing to do). When this happened, we could tell because it would just kill all the birds in the net that it could reach. The only solution that we found was to kill the cat. We also had in rare instances a long-tailed weasel that would kill a bird or two. To solve that, we just live trapped the weasel and relocated it. Of course, we would occasionally lose a bird to a hawk of some kind, mostly Cooper's. In 15 years of banding, we probably had to deal with half a dozen cats, and maybe 2 or 3 weasels. Dave -- David Powell Half Moon Bay, CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 13:25:22 1997 Subject: Reported Yellow Rails Hi South-Bay-Birders, A message just came in on the Bird Box a few minutes ago reporting Yellow Rail(s) in Fremont. I did not recognize the observer's name and am unsure of the spelling. Anyone interested in hearing the report first-hand and checking it out should call the Bird Box at (415) 681-7422. Jennifer Matkin ------------------------- Jennifer Matkin San Francisco, CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 16:45:04 1997 Subject: Re: Mist nets and predation Regarding John Mariani's question on mist net predation, I have a little knowledge on the subject, but not much. This information comes from the Big Sur Ornithology Lab. If you want more information, call Jim Booker at the lab at (408) 624-1202. Although I have never personally seen any mist-netted bird casualties, I have certainly heard of them. At BSOL, the biggest predator problem is bobcats. I don't know what the casualty rate is, but I do know the problem exists. Since BSOL is in a state park, it is illegal to remove the bobcats. I haven't heard of any feral cat problems either (Andrew Molera State Park isn't what you would call urban or suburban). Since removing the bobcats is illegal, the folks down there have discussed several ideas on how to avoid the mist-net predation problem. The first and most obvious solution is to check the nets more frequently. One interesting idea was to get someone's dog (they were thinking about using my Gaia) to urinate around all the nets as a kind of repellant. I don't know if either of these ideas has been implemented. Regarding casualties in the hand, there are very few, and records are kept, and I'm sure that BSOL can calculate the percentages. One last note, when a birder spends any length of time around a mist net, s/he skews the data just by being there. A bird is less likely to fly into the net when you are there. Walking by the net is OK as long as you don't "hang out" by the net. I'm sure that BSOL would even say, "Just stay away from the nets altogether." Hope this is helpful. Steve Rovell [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 16:58:15 1997 Subject: British birder requests local contacts All, I have been requested to pass this invitation along to you. Any takers? (Reply to address below). --Garth Harwood, SCVAS Chapter Manager To all south bay birders, I am interested in finding a member of the SCVAS who would be amenable to showing a British bird watcher some of the local birding areas and interesting species. My British friend will be visiting in October 1997. Specifically, Oct. 20, 22, 23, 24 would be good days for him to accompany a fellow bird watcher. He will be staying near downtown Palo Alto. Please contact Jude at 415 954-7027 and leave a message if you are interested Or you can e-mail Jude McLaughlin at e-mail [[email protected]]. Matthew is a keen bird watcher in Britain. He is currently the Scientific and Surveys Officer for the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS), and will be organizing all surveys for the society over the next 5 years. Matthew has coordinated two Rookery surveys in the past and compiled the results for publication in a national journal. Matthew was a contributing author for the SOS publication "The Birds of Sussex", which came out last year. In addition, Matthew has also been involved in conservation projects in Britain, managing Dawcombe, a chalk downland nature reserve, from 1986-1993. Thanks, Jude McLaughlin ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 18:30:38 1997 Subject: California Fall Challenge Update 9/16 Dear South-bay-birders, The California Fall Challenge has begun, we are beginning to get the reports from last weekend. Two teams have reported in so far. Mike Mammoser & Janet Hanson competed in Santa Clara County on Sept. 13th, they saw 115 species or 46.2% of the "normally occurring" species in the county and one rarity (complete report below). Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman did their big day in Contra Costa County on Sept.12th and saw 143 species or 56.97% of the "normally occurring" species in the county. They picked up four "official rarities", Oldsquaw, Swainson's Hawk, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. In the coming days teams will be competing in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Kings, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, Marin, Glenn, Shasta, Lassen, Trinity, and Modoc counties. The most intense competition appears to be in Santa Clara county where three teams are signed up. Prizes for seeing the highest percentage of the county list, the most rare species, and the most funds raised include: a Leica spotting scope; Swift binoculars donated by Swift, Local Birds and Redwood Trading Post; a Cheeseman's Ecology/Birding Safaris' Monterey Boat Trip; and a 50% off Gift Certificate from Brunton. I would like to invite you to join this event for a fun day of birding to support the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's research, volunteer and education programs. This event runs through midnight September 26th. The results will be announced at our annual meeting on September 27th. We request a registration donation of $25 for the first county and $10 for each additional county. Please contact our office immediately to register. Registration will be accepted through Sept. 22nd. If you cannot do a big day, but wish to donate to a team which is already competing, we would certainly welcome your donation. Just specify which team by the counties listed above. For donations above $25 ($15 for students and seniors) you will receive a one-year membership with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, you will receive our quarterly newsletter, The Stilt. In this year's fall issue, stories from the Fall Challenge and a compete report for each county will be featured. You will also receive announcements and discounts on our field trips. In addition, if you sign up to do a big day you will also receive a SFBBO California Fall Challenge T-shirt. To sign-up, respond by e-mail with: 1) your name, address & phone number 2) which county you wish to compete in or donate to 3) your T-shirt size As time is getting short, to be considered for prizes, we must receive your registration donation and big day report by 10am Saturday, Sept. 27th. Please mail your check to: SFBBO P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 Please see our "Official Rules" for complete rules and information about the competition. If you have any questions, feel free to call our office 9 - 5 Mon-Fri (408) 946 6548. Good Birding, Tom *********************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 16 18:32:46 1997 Subject: California Fall Challenge Update 9/16 Dear South-bay-birders, The California Fall Challenge has begun, we are beginning to get the reports from last weekend. Two teams have reported in so far. Mike Mammoser & Janet Hanson competed in Santa Clara County on Sept. 13th, they saw 115 species or 46.2% of the "normally occurring" species in the county and one rarity (complete report below). Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman did their big day in Contra Costa County on Sept.12th and saw 143 species or 56.97% of the "normally occurring" species in the county. They picked up four "official rarities", Oldsquaw, Swainson's Hawk, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. In the coming days teams will be competing in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Kings, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, Marin, Glenn, Shasta, Lassen, Trinity, and Modoc counties. The most intense competition appears to be in Santa Clara county where three teams are signed up. Prizes for seeing the highest percentage of the county list, the most rare species, and the most funds raised include: a Leica spotting scope; Swift binoculars donated by Swift, Local Birds and Redwood Trading Post; a Cheeseman's Ecology/Birding Safaris' Monterey Boat Trip; and a 50% off Gift Certificate from Brunton. I would like to invite you to join this event for a fun day of birding to support the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's research, volunteer and education programs. This event runs through midnight September 26th. The results will be announced at our annual meeting on September 27th. We request a registration donation of $25 for the first county and $10 for each additional county. Please contact our office immediately to register. Registration will be accepted through Sept. 22nd. If you cannot do a big day, but wish to donate to a team which is already competing, we would certainly welcome your donation. Just specify which team by the counties listed above. For donations above $25 ($15 for students and seniors) you will receive a one-year membership with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, you will receive our quarterly newsletter, The Stilt. In this year's fall issue, stories from the Fall Challenge and a compete report for each county will be featured. You will also receive announcements and discounts on our field trips. In addition, if you sign up to do a big day you will also receive a SFBBO California Fall Challenge T-shirt. To sign-up, respond by e-mail with: 1) your name, address & phone number 2) which county you wish to compete in or donate to 3) your T-shirt size As time is getting short, to be considered for prizes, we must receive your registration donation and big day report by 10am Saturday, Sept. 27th. Please mail your check to: SFBBO P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 Please see our "Official Rules" for complete rules and information about the competition. If you have any questions, feel free to call our office 9 - 5 Mon-Fri (408) 946 6548. Good Birding, Tom *********************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 17 05:48:36 1997 Subject: YELLOW RAIL(s) in Fremont, Alameda County Calbirders, South-Bay-Birders, East-Bay-Birders: Yesterday afternoon Jennifer Matkin posted information immediately about a call that has just come in to the bird box from Alice Hoak, (510) 657-0475, of the Fremont Area who reported two YELLOW RAILs she had seen on Friday September 12th and heard on Monday, September 15th in the San Francisco Bay NWR in Fremont along Coyote Creek. The message came at a most-opportune time as I was just leaving from work to drive home, and this was on the way home. Precise directions will follow at the bottom. I arrived at around 3:30 PM when the tide was still rather high. Along the levee trail which skirts Coyote Creek on the Alameda County side of the creek I found numerous LEAST SANDPIPERs, AMERICAN AVOCETs, BLACK-NECKED STILTs, LONG-BILLED CURLEWs, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs, MARBLED GODWITS, one WHIMBREL, and others. I continued along the trail and crossed the foot bridge across the creek....I believe that once you cross the creek here you will now be in Santa Clara County. On this side of the creek I heard only several VIRGINIA RAILs. At this time (4:40 PM) I was attracted to the fire in the hills above Milpitas which consumed several acres was fortunately out within 30 minutes. I now headed back along the same route. By now the tide has receded exposing the mud flats around the reeds along the edges of the creek. Now I heard even more and more rails but still only SORAs and VIRGINIA RAILs. At about mid-way along the levee trail (by mid-way I mean mid-way along the industrial park which boarders along the east side of the trail) I came across an isolated clump of reeds at the creek-side of the trail at about 5:30 PM. Here I came across a rather small rail that ventured in and out of the reeds during a 2-to-3 minute time period. Most striking about this bird was the obvious widely spaced light streaking along the bird's back that extended in the direction from the base of the bird' nape to the wing tips. I also noted bird's short thick greenish-gray bill. The bird had a darker patch of feathering between the bird's eyes and bill. Overall the bird's feathering coloration was dark causing me to assume that this was a juvenile bird. At no time did the bird call nor did it fly. So, I was not able to observe any white feathering in the wings. More will follow in a report for submission to David Blue as we will be reminded that this is indeed a review specie. It seems probable that a YELLOW RAIL could be found on either side of the creek, that is on either side of the ALAMEDA/SANTA CLARA COUNTY LINE. I called Art Edwards of Livermore who knows Alice Hoak since 1972 when he joined Olohne Audubon (Alameda County). Directions: DeLorme Northern Californa, p. 115, A6 Thomas Guide, Alameda County, 1994 edition, p. 112, C4 Thomas Guide, Santa Clara County, 1988 edition, p. 39, C5 >From I-880 from the south exit at Gateway Blvd and drive west to Fremont Blvd. From I-880 from the north exit at Cushing Road to the west to Fremont Blvd. In either case drive south of Fremont Blvd. to its end at the south. Park in the small lot at then end on the right and walk the levee trail that skirts Coyote Creek to the west and later bends to the north. The isolated clump of reeds was on the creek-side of the trail about mid-way between the south-end and the north-end of the industrial park that boarders on the east . There is a sign at the refuge that states this is a day-use-only area (for those who would think of searching at night) Good luck and good birding Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]], 9/17/97, 6:43 AM From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 17 05:48:36 1997 Subject: YELLOW RAIL(s) in Fremont, Alameda County Calbirders, South-Bay-Birders, East-Bay-Birders: Yesterday afternoon Jennifer Matkin posted information immediately about a call that has just come in to the bird box from Alice Hoak, (510) 657-0475, of the Fremont Area who reported two YELLOW RAILs she had seen on Friday September 12th and heard on Monday, September 15th in the San Francisco Bay NWR in Fremont along Coyote Creek. The message came at a most-opportune time as I was just leaving from work to drive home, and this was on the way home. Precise directions will follow at the bottom. I arrived at around 3:30 PM when the tide was still rather high. Along the levee trail which skirts Coyote Creek on the Alameda County side of the creek I found numerous LEAST SANDPIPERs, AMERICAN AVOCETs, BLACK-NECKED STILTs, LONG-BILLED CURLEWs, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERs, MARBLED GODWITS, one WHIMBREL, and others. I continued along the trail and crossed the foot bridge across the creek....I believe that once you cross the creek here you will now be in Santa Clara County. On this side of the creek I heard only several VIRGINIA RAILs. At this time (4:40 PM) I was attracted to the fire in the hills above Milpitas which consumed several acres was fortunately out within 30 minutes. I now headed back along the same route. By now the tide has receded exposing the mud flats around the reeds along the edges of the creek. Now I heard even more and more rails but still only SORAs and VIRGINIA RAILs. At about mid-way along the levee trail (by mid-way I mean mid-way along the industrial park which boarders along the east side of the trail) I came across an isolated clump of reeds at the creek-side of the trail at about 5:30 PM. Here I came across a rather small rail that ventured in and out of the reeds during a 2-to-3 minute time period. Most striking about this bird was the obvious widely spaced light streaking along the bird's back that extended in the direction from the base of the bird' nape to the wing tips. I also noted bird's short thick greenish-gray bill. The bird had a darker patch of feathering between the bird's eyes and bill. Overall the bird's feathering coloration was dark causing me to assume that this was a juvenile bird. At no time did the bird call nor did it fly. So, I was not able to observe any white feathering in the wings. More will follow in a report for submission to David Blue as we will be reminded that this is indeed a review specie. It seems probable that a YELLOW RAIL could be found on either side of the creek, that is on either side of the ALAMEDA/SANTA CLARA COUNTY LINE. I called Art Edwards of Livermore who knows Alice Hoak since 1972 when he joined Olohne Audubon (Alameda County). Directions: DeLorme Northern Californa, p. 115, A6 Thomas Guide, Alameda County, 1994 edition, p. 112, C4 Thomas Guide, Santa Clara County, 1988 edition, p. 39, C5 >From I-880 from the south exit at Gateway Blvd and drive west to Fremont Blvd. From I-880 from the north exit at Cushing Road to the west to Fremont Blvd. In either case drive south of Fremont Blvd. to its end at the south. Park in the small lot at then end on the right and walk the levee trail that skirts Coyote Creek to the west and later bends to the north. The isolated clump of reeds was on the creek-side of the trail about mid-way between the south-end and the north-end of the industrial park that boarders on the east . There is a sign at the refuge that states this is a day-use-only area (for those who would think of searching at night) Good luck and good birding Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]], 9/17/97, 6:43 AM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 17 09:04:45 1997 Subject: mist nets and predation RE: John Mariani's questions The only mammalian predation that I have seen was a single cat that destroyed one mist net. I don't know what happened to the cat, but assume that it was feral since it was on the Nature Conservancy land at Lanphere Dunes in coastal Humboldt County. I have had numerous birds die in mistnets from stress or wounds related to Sharp-shinned Hawk attacks (usually catch the hawks in the net too!) and forest-falcon attacks in amazonian Peru. As far as deaths unrelated to these attacks, I have had only three birds die in mistnets and none die while banding. I have banded well over 4,000 individuals so the mortality rate is very low. However, this rate depends on the training that one receives (CJ Ralph trained me--one of the best and very, very strict), and the number of banders/number of birds captured. I have heard of acceptable rates ranging from %1.0 to %0.1. A simple few rules are 1. never let birds get wet, if it rains or drizzles, then pull the nets down! 2. never let birds get exposed to the sun, so always keep nets out of the direct sunlight and if the sun position changes, pull the nets down that are newly exposed to the sun! 3. keep a warm box in the banding station for stressed birds 4. check the nets every 1/2 hour to 1 hour and 5. band and take data on the birds as quickly as possible. -- John Sterling Wildlife Biologist Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center National Zoological Park Washington, DC 20008 202-673-4908 FAX 202-673-4916 [[email protected]] http://www.si.edu/smbc/smbchome.htm ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 17 11:16:52 1997 Subject: Bay Birding Calendar & SFBBO Larry Tunstall has updated his Bay Area Birding Calendar for September 20-26. Also included on SBBU are the Fall trips scheduled by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 17 21:13:42 1997 Subject: Ruff at Alviso I 'found' this bird at dusk on the way back from the airport (I have been in San Diego) only to later discover Steve beat me to the punch (as usual!). _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 18 07:02:14 1997 Subject: YELOW RAIL discussion All: I cannot speak for Alice Hoch (who by the way was the lady who found the Purple Gallinule some years back in Fremont) since I was not present at the time, but after careful consideration after viewing photographs and not the poor illustrations found in the guides that I did not see a YELLOW RAIL. I was out at the same spot again yesterday with the small flock of hopeful birders, and the bird I saw the day before was not around. Numerous birders searched the area from dawn to dusk without success. It was brought to my attention that SORAs may nest late, and small rails seen in mid-September may actually be recently fledged SORAs. The streaking on my bird was long and unbroken like in the National Geographic which is wrong, and the illustrated SORAs in the National Geographic are poorly illustrated as well. The photograph in the Stoke's guide of an adult YELLOW RAIL shows _broken_uneven _streaking. I talked with several people in the mean-time and continued my research. There have been previous records for YELLOLW RAIL in California, some accepted, and some not. One person who called me at home questioned the habitat along Coyote Creek. Comments? In these discussions it was asked if SORAs may extend their nesting season so that a small rail in mid-September could be a recently fledged SORA. Also, it was mentioned that the original Petersen recording of a YELLOW RAIL includes one of the calls of a VIRGINIA RAIL. Is this correct? Anyway, for those who wish to investigate, the distance in walking from the parking area I described in yesterday's post is 1.3 miles. A building across from the spot where I was is near a building with the number 47451. This is the same area described originally. The originally described isolated island of/clump of reeds is the 2nd one counting from the north. The area where my small rail was about 125 feet north of this clump. Mike Feighner, Livermore, [[email protected]], 9/18/97, 7:56 AM ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 18 07:02:14 1997 Subject: YELOW RAIL discussion All: I cannot speak for Alice Hoch (who by the way was the lady who found the Purple Gallinule some years back in Fremont) since I was not present at the time, but after careful consideration after viewing photographs and not the poor illustrations found in the guides that I did not see a YELLOW RAIL. I was out at the same spot again yesterday with the small flock of hopeful birders, and the bird I saw the day before was not around. Numerous birders searched the area from dawn to dusk without success. It was brought to my attention that SORAs may nest late, and small rails seen in mid-September may actually be recently fledged SORAs. The streaking on my bird was long and unbroken like in the National Geographic which is wrong, and the illustrated SORAs in the National Geographic are poorly illustrated as well. The photograph in the Stoke's guide of an adult YELLOW RAIL shows _broken_uneven _streaking. I talked with several people in the mean-time and continued my research. There have been previous records for YELLOLW RAIL in California, some accepted, and some not. One person who called me at home questioned the habitat along Coyote Creek. Comments? In these discussions it was asked if SORAs may extend their nesting season so that a small rail in mid-September could be a recently fledged SORA. Also, it was mentioned that the original Petersen recording of a YELLOW RAIL includes one of the calls of a VIRGINIA RAIL. Is this correct? Anyway, for those who wish to investigate, the distance in walking from the parking area I described in yesterday's post is 1.3 miles. A building across from the spot where I was is near a building with the number 47451. This is the same area described originally. The originally described isolated island of/clump of reeds is the 2nd one counting from the north. The area where my small rail was about 125 feet north of this clump. Mike Feighner, Livermore, [[email protected]], 9/18/97, 7:56 AM From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 18 08:07:12 1997 Subject: Santa Clara Co. Bird List Mike Rogers has updated his Santa Clara County List as of Sept. 5. 267: 8/ 7/97 AMERICAN REDSTART 268: 8/17/97 BLACK TURNSTONE 269: 8/20/97 STILT SANDPIPER 270: 8/29/97 COMMON MURRE 271: 5/13/97 BELL'S VIREO 272: 9/ 1/97 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 273: 9/ 1/97 BOBOLINK 274: 9/ 3/97 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (FIRST COUNTY RECORD, SUBJECT TO CBRC REVIEW) 275: 9/ 4/97 WHITE-FACED IBIS Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 22 08:04:00 1997 Subject: OSPREY All, On 9/18 an (the) OSPREY was hunting the Guadalupe River along the SJ Airport at 1:15pm. During a trip to Hawk Hill on Sat the first BROADWING of the year was seen. Cheers Nick ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 22 08:16:44 1997 Subject: BirdWatch with the Stokes KQED Channel 9 (Saturdays) BIRDWATCH WITH DON AND LILLIAN STOKES #101 10/04/97 6:00 AM ST length - 0:26:46 BIRDWATCH WITH DON AND LILLIAN STOKES #102 10/11/97 6:00 AM ST length - 0:26:46 BIRDWATCH WITH DON AND LILLIAN STOKES #103 10/18/97 6:00 AM ST length - 0:26:46 BIRDWATCH WITH DON AND LILLIAN STOKES #104 10/25/97 6:00 AM ST length - 0:26:46 To search for future programs (I beleive there are 10-12 in the series): http://www.kqed.org/TV/search.html In case Channel 9 is not the best for you, you can look up other PBS stations at http://www.pbs.org/ Kendric ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 22 09:27:41 1997 Subject: Alameda County Sept 21 On Sunday Sept. 21, 1997 Ed Pandolfino and I did our big day for SFBBO's Fall Challenge. We started one mile up Welch Creek Rd at 4am and were greeted by a WESTERN SCREECH OWL as we got out of the truck, we also heard NORTHERN PYGMY OWL at this site. Two miles up this road we heard a FLAMMULATED OWL. All these owls were easily heard from the road, without the use of any tapes, its a great spot to visit. We moved on to Coyote Hills and heard SORA and VIRGINIA RAIL and saw a GREAT HORNED OWL at the marsh and a SAY'S PHOEBE on the nearby ridge. At the visitor's center we saw CALIFORNIA THRASHER, WARBLING VIREO, GOLDEN-CROWNED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. >From here we went to Hayward Shorline and walked the trail from the visitor's center to the upper parking lot. This was very productive. We were surprised by a CATTLE EGRET foraging in the pickleweed near several SNOWY EGRETs near the visitor's center. Other highlights at this location include: CLARK'S GREBE, GREEN-WINGED and CINNAMON TEAL, SURF SCOTER, WHITE-TAILED KITE, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK TURNSTONE, RED KNOT, and RED-NECKED PHALEROPE. We then went to Sunol-Ohlone Regional Park, we got there late in the morning and there was little activity. However, we did see GOLDEN EAGLE, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. At Del Valle Regional Park we observed LARK SPARROW,and HUTTON'S VIREO. At Miles Rd. we missed the Phainopepla, but did pick up WESTERN BLUEBIRD. Next we visited Redwood Road, this produced WRENTIT and CEDAR WAXWING. >From here it was back to the bay to fill in some gaps in our list, we saw both HORNED AND EARED GREBE at Dumbarton Bridge, and SNOWY PLOVER along Marshland Rd. In the Ad fields along Paseo Padre we observed TRI-COLORED BLACKBIRD. We ended the day at Coyote Creek hearing VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, and CLAPPER RAIL. We ended the day with 125 species and had a lot of fun doing it. Good birding, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (408) 946-6548 P.O. Box 247 (408) 946-9279 fax 1290 Hope St. [[email protected]] Alviso, CA 95002 "While in my own estimation my chief profession is ignorance, yet I sign my passport applications and my jury evasions as Ornithologist." - William Beebe ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 22 10:02:48 1997 Subject: early AMPI All, After running my second of three legs for the 196.6 mile 12-man relay race from Calistoga (Napa County) to Santa Cruz I had the first AMERICAN PIPIT I've noted this Fall near Crystal Springs Reservoir near the highway 92/interstate 280 interchange. ....and we did make Santa Cruz in just over 30 hours :). (date for the AMPI was 9/20/97). Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 23 08:57:59 1997 Subject: Bay Area Calendar 9/27-10/3 Larry Tunstall has updated his Bay Area Birding Calendar for September 27 - October 3. Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 23 13:18:03 1997 Subject: OVENBIRD All, I just heard via Steve Rottenborn that Chris Otahol reported that an OVENBIRD was banded at CCRS this morning. It was banded in the "southern" net net lanes - don't know the number. This should be a good weekend for migrants! Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 23 13:19:11 1997 Subject: Chimney Swift, AGPL, REKN All: Sorry that it's taken so long to post this message, but I've only gotten back onto the Internet in the past few days. Please note that my new address is [[email protected]]. If this message does not come through clearly (e.g., if the line breaks don't work or if anything is garbled), please let me know, as I'm using a new editor. On the evening of 17 Sep., I had my first MERLIN of the fall (probably an imm. male) near our apartment in Santa Clara. On 19 Sep., I had 2 imm. female BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS at our apartment. Later that morning, Scott Terrill, David Plumpton, and I visited the EEC in Alviso. We had birded the vegetation at "the corner" where the EEC entrance road first meets Artesian Slough, and Scott was driving the car a bit farther down the road when he saw a large Chaetura, apparently a CHIMNEY SWIFT, chasing a VAUX'S SWIFT over the slough. I didn't see the bird, and Scott saw it for only a second or two, so he let it go. Three or four minutes later, I saw a CHIMNEY SWIFT flying directly toward me and I got David on it right away. This bird was on the north side of Artesian Slough originally but flew directly toward us and eventually flew just 10 m over our heads (I switched from binoculars to watching it with the naked eye at that point). The bird flew in an arc to the south side of the EEC road than back to the north side and back across Artesian Slough. At this point (maybe 20 seconds after the original sighting), I yelled for Scott (who was nearly 100 m down the road) to get on the bird. The Chimney Swift then began chasing a Vaux's, allowing for an excellent comparison of size. I watched the Chimney chase the Vaux's for approximately 10 more seconds, during which time they flew higher and higher and joined a group of 5+ Vaux's and many Violet-Green Swallows. When the birds disappeared behind a small tree, I moved to relocate the birds and to see if Scott and gotten on the bird, but because the flock had been bolstered by even more swifts and swallows and was rapidly moving away to the northeast, I was not able to refind the bird. Scott never saw the Chimney Swift after initially spotting it low over Artesian Slough. The Chimney Swift (second Santa Clara County record, both found by Scott!) was associated with a flock if 15+ VAUX'S SWIFTS, 70+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, and 20 BARN SWALLOWS. These birds were earlier over our office near the Alviso marina, and later over the residential area near Spreckles Road before crossing over the EEC area and Artesian Slough and heading NE toward the landfills and the WPCP. If the Chimney Swift hangs around, the best way to find it would be to locate this flock. The Chimney Swift (CHSW) was obviously larger than the Vaux's (VASW), with noticeably longer wings. Although these differences may be slight in terms of measurements, they were quite noticeable, and because I had been studying the shape, size, and flight style of the smaller VASW just before this sighting, my first impression upon initially seeing the CHSW was that of the larger Black Swift. The CHSW flew with several long glides, more gliding than any of the VASW were engaging in. When the CHSW flapped, the wingbeats were slower, less fluttery, and less stiff-winged than those of the VASW; the wings seemed very stiff and unbending on the VASW, whereas I could see that the wings of the CHSW bent slightly while being flapped up and down. The wings were longer than those of the VASW, seeming 1/4-1/3 longer in the direct comparison when the CHSW was chasing the VASW. The overall size of the CHSW was greater than that of the VASW, and the tail seemed slightly but noticeably longer as well. Also at the EEC was a juv. SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER on the mud flats at Artesian Slough (found by Scott) with 300+ LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS. My first GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW of the fall, 15 YELLOW WARBLERS, 1 BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, and 3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS were also here. A RINGED TURTLE DOVE was on the fence along the Zanker Road ramp onto eastbound Hwy. 237 in Alviso, an adult GOLDEN EAGLE was nearby along Zanker Rd., and a PRAIRIE FALCON was on a pole at Arzino Ranch. While at the EEC, we ran into a birder who said that he had seen a Yellow Rail at the spot where the species had been reported in Fremont. We were skeptical until he said that Joe Morlan had confirmed a Yellow Rail at that spot (although because Joe never reported seeing one, I assume that birder was in error). In any case, we followed this birder's directions to Fremont, even though they were different from those that were previously left on the tape. We found the spot where he reportedly saw the rail but saw nothing and heard no rails other than Soras. Because this birder claimed to have seen a Yellow Rail in a spot entirely different from the original location, he either misidentified a Sora or there are Yellow Rails all over that slough (which is, contrary to previous reports, miles from Coyote Creek and Santa Clara County). I'm glad that hoopla finally died down. On 20 Sep., Mike Mammoser and I checked some bayside "migrant traps", finding lots of migrants but nothing rare. The fennel patch at the Sunnyvale WPCP had 50+ YELLOW, 15 ORANGE-CROWNED, and 5 AUDUBON'S WARBLERS, 1 WARBLING VIREO, 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 2 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, and my first LINCOLN'S SPARROWS (4) of the fall. The Palo Alto WPCP had 25 YELLOW, 3 ORANGE-CROWNED, and 8 AUDUBON'S WARBLERS, 4 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, my first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET of the fall, 2 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS (plus 1 grosbeak probably of this species), and 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER. The fennel patch at the Palo Alto Baylands had 1 ORANGE-CROWNED, 14 YELLOW, and 7 AUDUBON'S WARBLERS and 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER. A brief check of the fennel at the Sunnyvale WPCP on 22 Sep. by Scott Terrill and I produced numbers very similar to those from 20 Sep. (without the Warbling Vireo). Today (23 Sep.), I checked the impoundment north of Bay Road at the Ravenswood OSP in East Palo Alto; because the tide was high, there were nearly 12000 shorebirds (counted fairly carefully) roosting or foraging in the pond. Among the shorebirds were 1 juv. AMERICAN GOLDEN- PLOVER, a surprising count of 364 RED KNOTS, and 1040 LEAST SANDPIPERS (I don't think I've ever seen such a high concentration of Least Sandpipers). WESTERN SANDPIPERS numbered 6350, but the low number of 29 DUNLIN probably indicates that this species has not yet arrived in numbers. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 24 06:56:15 1997 Subject: CCRS on 9/23/97 in the afternoon All: >From about 3:30 to 4:30 yesterday afternoon I check out the area around the southern nets at the CCRS hoping the OVENBIRD may still have been around. No luck in that area, but I did find the following as firsts for the season in Santa Clara County for me: 1) FOX SPARROW (2) 2) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (1) 3) WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (about 12) Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 24 08:03:28 1997 Subject: additional birds at CCRS on 9/23/97 All: In my earlier message I neglected to include the two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERs and the one BEWICK's WREN both of which I saw yesterday afternoon at the CCRS in the south-net area. In spite of the heat there was much activity among the CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEEs and BUSHTITs, but the two ORANGE-CROWNEDs were the only warblers. Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 24 08:17:44 1997 Subject: Palo Alto fennel All, A quick check of the Palo Alto Baylands fennel patch yesterday evening produced 16+ AUDUBON'S YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 11 YELLOW WARBLERS (7 of these in the nearby eucalyptus), 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, ~10 WHITE- CROWNED SPARROWS, and 8+ lingering BARN SWALLOWS. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 24 17:06:22 1997 Subject: Fall Challenge Update 9/24 Dear South-bay-birders, We have received most of the reports from the competitors who went out last weekend. Many reports come in by county. If anyone would like a more precise location for any of those birds please call me (number below) and I can contact the observer for you. We are still awaiting reports for Marin, Modoc, Santa Cruz, and Kings Counties. At this point in our competition, Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman who birded Contra Costa County, are still leading the competition for the Leica Scope with 143 species or 57% of the 'normally occurring' species in the county. They are also leading with 4 rarities seen. Kathy Ellsworth and Dan Guthrie have seen the greatest number of species at 154. >From Pomona Valley Audubon Society, Kathy Ellsworth and Dan Guthrie saw 154 species in Los Angeles County on 20 September 1997. Their highlights include: Golden Eagle, Virginia Rail, Sora, Snowy Plover, Baird's Sandpiper, Wilson's and Red Necked phalerope, White-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, California Gnatcatcher, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Summer Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, Lark Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Purple Finch, Lawrence's Goldfinch. Jim Reyes, Randy Little and Janet Little of Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society saw 85 species in Santa Clara County on 20 September. Their highlights include Clapper Rail, Wilson's and Red Necked phalerope, Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed Magpie, Hutton's Vireo, MacGillivray's Warbler, and a late Bullock's Oriole. >From Ohlone Audubon Society Phil & Pat Gordon and David & Denise Hamilton saw 117 species on 15 September in Alameda County. Their highlights included an incredible view of a Peregrine Falcon stooping on a flock of Black-necked Stilts which remained grounded as the Peregrine made multiple passes! Also in Alameda County, Ed Pandolfino and I saw 125 species on 21 Sept. Highlights included Western Screech Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl and a probable (I'm still checking the tapes and descriptions of LEOW) Flammulated Owl at Welch Creek Rd. At Coyote Hills we saw an early Say's Phoebe, Warbling Vireo, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow. At Hayward Shorline we observed a Cattle Egret, Ruddy Turnstone and Black Turnstone. At Sunol-Ohlone Regional Park we found Golden Eagle, White-throated Swift, Yellow-billed Magpie, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Returning to the bay, we found Horned and Eared grebe and Snowy Plover at Dumbarton. Along Paseo Padre we observed Tri-colored Blackbird. We ended the day at Coyote Creek hearing Virginia Rail, Sora and Clapper Rail. Bob and Carol Yutzy birded Shasta County on 20 September and saw American Bittern, Ferruginous Hawk, Western Screech Owl, an early Say's Phoebe, late Vesper Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrow Lou and Jean Young visited both Shasta and Lassen Counties in a 48 hour marathon on Sept 20-21. Their highlight was 3 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks at Honey Lake southeast of Susanville. Other good finds included a Ferruginous Hawk in Lassen County and a Snow Goose in Shasta County. In Trinity County Gjon Hazard and John Sterling saw 92 species on 20 Sept. Their highlights included Black-crowned Night Heron (a probable 2nd or 3rd county record). Red-shouldered Hawk, an unusual 19 Say's Phoebes, Cinnamon Teal, good numbers of Willow Flycatchers. The day before they had Northern Shoveler and Red-necked Phalerope. We are still awaiting reports for Marin, Modoc, Santa Cruz, and Kings Counties. At this point in our competition, Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman who birded Contra Costa County, are still leading with 143 species or 57% of the 'normally occurring' species in the county. They are also leading with 4 rarities seen. While we are no longer accepting new registration if you are interested in competing in next year's competition contact us at the address below. Additionally, we are having our annual meeting/open house this Saturday (Sept 27th) at our office in Alviso, California. Anyone is welcome to attend. Please contact us for more information and directions. Good Birding, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] "While in my own estimation my chief profession is ignorance, yet I sign my passport applications and my jury evasions as Ornithologist." - William Beebe ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Wed Sep 24 17:08:57 1997 Subject: SFBBO Events Dear Fellow Birders, For the first time in several years the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is going to sponsor a series of field trips this fall and winter. Below you will find brief descriptions of the fall trips. To register contact our office by e-mail at my address or [[email protected]] or at the mailing address listed below. These trips will each have two leaders and will be limited to 20 participants, a maximum of 10 in each group. The groups will be divided by so that hard-core birders can chase the specialties and rarities of the area. The other group will enjoy the avifauna of the area at a more leasurely pace, learning learning more about identification and natural history of the areas avifauna and visiting other cultural and scenic landmarks. We will meet up for meals and share adventures. These trips are fundraisers for the SFBBO's research and volunteer programs and we do request a $35 donation for members and a $50 donation for non-members. California's Northcoast: October 17-19, 1997 Leaders: Tom Ryan and Gjon Hazard Donation: $35 members/$50 non-members We will visit both Humboldt and Del Norte counties at a prime time for fall migrants and early wintering birds. We will spend Saturday in the Arcata area birding. We will visit the Arcata Marsh Project, a unique water reclaimation project which has become famous as a birding hot-spot. We will search the Samoa Penninsula for vagrant warblers and other rarities. In the afternoon, we will drive up Highway 101 to Crecent City, birding at many of the small coves and redwood groves along the way. On Sunday we will bird Point St. George, looking for seabirds and rocky intertidal species. For more information and registration materials please contact SFBBO at (408) 946 6548 or [[email protected]]. Klamath NWR & Tule Lake: November 7-9, 1997 Leaders: Tom Ryan and Gjon Hazard Donation: $35 members/$50 non-members Come help us explore the interior of California's far north. Waterfowl and raptors may distract us from the rugged beauty of this area of wetlands and farmland on the edge of the Great Basin -- but we dont expect too many complaints... We will meet Saturday morning in the shadow of Mount Shasta in the small town of Weed. From there we will caravan to Butte Valley looking for birds of prey and anything else that way may find along the way. We will spend the afternoon at Lower Klamath NWR looking for waterfowl and lingering shorebirds. Sunday we will search Tule Lake and surrounding environs for more waterfowl and other birds, including the Bald Eagles that winter there and the thousands of Snow Geese which can be found here at this time of year. Tule Lake, though not that distant from Lower Klamath, frequently hosts a different assortment of birds. We hope to see such specialties as Ross' Goose, Oldsquaw, Lapland Longspur, Red-throated Pipit, Northern Shrike, and even late warbles, vireos, shorebirds and occasional wayward eastern species. For more information and registration materials please contact SFBBO at (408) 946 6548 or [[email protected]]. Thanks you & Good Birding, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] "While in my own estimation my chief profession is ignorance, yet I sign my passport applications and my jury evasions as Ornithologist." - William Beebe ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 06:09:35 1997 Subject: Arastradero etc. This is very belated, but last Sat I briefly cruised Arastradero and had a myiarchus flycatcher in the vegetation on the west side of the creek not far north of the lake. It didn't call while I was watching it. I assumed it was a lingering summer resident Ash-throated Flycatcher, but when I got back and checked I saw that the date (9/20) seems late for that. We went down to Moss Landing for Sat nt to visit friends, and I walked the Carmel River bed Sun am - ran into Bill Hill and Steve Rovell who showed me the new pond south of the river, where all three of us saw a Vesper Sparrow, v unusual for the coast. No luck on the Magnolia Warbler or Northern Waterthrush reported there. I had a nice little flock in the river, with no rarities but Yellow, Orange-crowned, Townsend's, and Wilson's Warblers, and Warbling Vireos. Also had a Fox Sparrow. Had my first local one of the latter also last weekend in Frenchman's Meadow, along with a first White-crowned Sparrow. -- Tom Grey Stanford CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 10:09:19 1997 Subject: Correction Just a quick correction to yesterday's posting for SFBBO's Fall Challenge update. Unfortunately, John Sterling was in Washington and not Trinity County. John Hunter was Gjon's partner for the Trinity County big day. My apologies to both. Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 10:09:19 1997 Subject: Correction Just a quick correction to yesterday's posting for SFBBO's Fall Challenge update. Unfortunately, John Sterling was in Washington and not Trinity County. John Hunter was Gjon's partner for the Trinity County big day. My apologies to both. Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 10:10:51 1997 Subject: Correction Just a quick correction to yesterday's posting for SFBBO's Fall Challenge update. Unfortunately, John Sterling was in Washington and not Trinity County. John Hunter was Gjon's partner for the Trinity County big day. My apologies to both. Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 10:10:51 1997 Subject: Correction Just a quick correction to yesterday's posting for SFBBO's Fall Challenge update. Unfortunately, John Sterling was in Washington and not Trinity County. John Hunter was Gjon's partner for the Trinity County big day. My apologies to both. Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 12:13:26 1997 Subject: Tern talk: 9/27 at SFBBO Hi all: This Saturday, September 27, is San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's Annual Meeting with a great speaker on terns, with a world-wide perspective. Location: here in Alviso. Agenda as follows: 4:00 pm California Fall Challenge: results and awards 5:15 pm Barbecue: bring a side dish or dessert to share, we supply the barbecued chicken and beverages. 6:00 pm Membership meeting, including research reports and volunteer awards 7:00 pm Special Guest Speaker: Adrian del Nevo, Ph.D. Former research director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and current SFBBO scientific advisor. His topic: "One good tern deserves another: the conservation of terns." RSVP if possible 408/946-6548 but not essential. Come on over anyway, it's fine with us. Give a ring if you need directions. Best, Janet Hanson SFBBO ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 15:13:10 1997 All, After hearing about Steve's large number of Red Knots in nearby San Mateo County, I decided to check the Palo Alto Baylands yesterday 9/24/97 over a late lunch (receding tide) for Knots. The tide conditions were excellent, because the "low tide" was actually a quite high 2.9 feet, meaning that just the nearest 50 yards or so of bay mud became exposed, with the tide stopping here for several hours of potential nearshore viewing. The old yacht harbor failed to produce any surprises and scoping from the end of the boardwalk behind the interpretive center revealed nothing in close. However, 60+ RED KNOTS were visible along the southeast edge of the mud up at the San Francisquito Creek Delta (could have easily been twice this many, but at over a half mile away even a KOWA TSN-4 at 50x is limited). Despite extensive searching, I could find none closer by in Santa Clara County, so I decided to watch and wait for something to flush the birds. That something proved to be a NORTHERN HARRIER, which got so many birds up that I couldn't track any Knots. Once everything landed again I continued watching and finally had a single RED KNOT fly towards me into Santa Clara County and begin foraging. Surprisingly, it flew back a few minutes later - our mud must just not be as apetizing. Other birds here included many CLAPPER RAILS (4 seen and many more heard), 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS with 3 GREATER YELLOWLEGS in the pool north of the interpretive center, and ROCK DOVE nests with young. Yesterday evening 9/24/97 I decided to see whether the Vaux's Swift flock reported by Ann Verdi over the Coleman Road Ponds was still around, hoping that perhaps a Chimney Swift might be hanging with that flock as well. There was no flock, but I did have 2-3 very mangy molting juvenile TREE SWALLOWS foraging in the general area of the third pond west of Meridian and single VAUX'S SWIFTS flew by on three occasions (all the same bird?). Other birds here included precocial young PIED-BILLED GREBES, ~30 AMERICAN WIGEON, 1 imm SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 1 to 2 COOPER'S HAWKS, 1 RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS, many YELLOW WARBLERS and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS with a single GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW among them, and an escaped BUDGERIGAR (light blue with yellowish head). On the way home I quickly checked Los Gatos Creek from the end of Oka Lane. In Los Gatos Creek just opposite the dike separating the more southerly 2 of the 3 ponds west of the creek was the eclipse male HOODED MERGANSER first reported to the Bird Box by Frank Jestrab on 7/23/97 and refound by Bob Reiling and Frank Vanslager on 9/7/97. This bird is a very good match to the eclipse male depicted in 142b of Madge and Burn's "Waterfowl", with yellow iris, black bill, and deep chocolate head. Since the eye is already yellow and the bird was present on 7/23/97, it seems unlikely that this is a first-fall bird as reported previously. Also at the Oka Ponds were 2 GREEN HERONS and 5 AMERICAN WIGEON. Early this morning 9/25/97, I checked the Palo Alto Baylands fennel patch. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS have taken over, but there were still numerous YELLOW WARBLERS and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. Also had 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS among many WCSP and 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS. Two WHIMBRELS were in the old yacht harbor before it covered completely. Overhead were 25+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and 3 BARN SWALLOWS. Nearby at the ITT fields behind the Emily Renzel wetlands 490+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were perched on the wires between the tall towers. Despite careful scoping from nearby I could find nothing among them other than a few HOUSE FINCHES. The fields here had another LINCOLN'S SPARROW and two SAY'S PHOEBEs continually chasing each other. In order to get a better count of the number of Red Knots using the San Francisquito Creek Delta, I again timed my lunch break for the receding tide and this time scoped from the mouth of San Francisquito Creek. There were 235+ RED KNOTS all over the delta, although counting was made difficult by harassment from an adult PEREGRINE FALCON and an adult male (darkish columbarius) MERLIN (both in both counties). A single RED KNOT was hanging out with other large shorebirds towards the observation platform south of where the outfall channel dumps into the bay in Santa Clara County, but all the birds on the delta mudflats knew exactly where the county line was and stayed at least 50 yards away from it :(. (For those who have not surveyed this area for the county boundary, almost all visible mud is in San Mateo County except for the nearshore mud inside a line to about Sand Point.) Other shorebirds of interest included at least one DUNLIN (San Mateo County) and a WHIMBREL (Santa Clara County). Also heard both VIRGINIA and SORA RAILS from the marshes along the outfall channel and had the LESSER YELLOWLEGS still near the interpretive center. For those who are interested in birding the San Francisquito Creek Delta the "low" tides over the next few days are lower than yesterday and today and more of the bay mud will be exposed, allowing the birds to be pretty far away if you don't time it right. To catch the receding tide you should be at the San Francisquito Creek mouth about 3:00pm tomorrow or 3:30 pm Saturday. Good luck! Mike Rogers 9/24/97 and 9/25/97 ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Thu Sep 25 23:24:43 1997 Subject: SURFBIRD All: Yesterday (25 Sep.), I had a SURFBIRD and 472 RED KNOTS at Ravenswood OSP in East Palo Alto at high tide. Even though this pond is only 1/2-mile from the Santa Clara County line, Surfbird has never been recorded in Santa Clara County! Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sat Sep 27 12:21:52 1997 Subject: LG-LA RINCONADA PARK This morning (9/27) watched a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER for several minutes on my daily jogging route which takes me through La Rinconada Park in Los Gatos (corner Wedgewood and Granada). Last Sunday on the Audubon walk Bob Reiling found a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER for us to view at the same park. Gloria LeBlanc ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 28 13:45:28 1997 Subject: Black-throated Green Warbler at CCRS Birders. The volume of birds migrating through CCRS this last week has been phenomenal. Today was the heaviest yet. The banders (even with 5 working) had to close down a few nets in order to keep up! I should point out that there has been very little active birding at CCRS in the last week or so, and we have surely missed out on some good birds. Unfortunately, I rarely have the time to just go out and bird the area. Thanks go out to the core group of birders who have been birding CCRS this fall. I should also point out that the way our nets are set up (most of them are only 2m off the ground) we are actually quite unlikely to catch some of the more arboreal vagrant warblers. This is why our vagrant list is skewed toward the ground loving species. Birds of interest banded this week, after the Ovenbird date include a Poorwill today, and Nashville Warbler and Chipping Sparrow. Today while conducting a point count survey I noticed an Empidonax flycatcher flit up to a branch. I had a look at this bird to ID it but as I did so a bright warbler about 5 meters behind it commanded my attention. I had a quick look at the bird which looked like a Black-throated Green Warbler. I stopped my count and went over to the spot and relocated the bird. This warbler had a bright green crown and back which were unstreaked. The face was bright yellow with a pale green mask, showing a yellow half moon shaped patch below the eye. The chin, and throat were black forming a large black throat patch which actually extended on to the flanks at least to the position immediately below the lower wingbar. The black broke up into black streaks on the flanks. The underparts, posterior to the black throat patch, were white except for a small splash of yellow roughly where the thighs met the body of the bird. The wings were dark with olive green edges to the flight feathers and two bright white wingbars. The tail was blackish with large white tail spots. The exact configuration of the tail spots was not noticed. The bill and legs were black, the eye appeared black in the field. The bird called several times, giving a sharp chip note similar to that of a Townsend's Warbler. Once I was looking at the bird closely I second guessed myself due to the dull green mask, basically a dull version of the mask that is seen on a Townsend's Warbler, including the yellow half moon beneath the eye. I had not seen a fall Black-throated GReen Warbler for years, so I did not recall if they showed this face pattern or had more of a plain face. Getting back to the trailers I had a chance to try out my new copy of Dunn and Garrett's warblers guide to confirm that it was indeed a Black-throated Green Warbler. This species does show a dull mask, similar in configuration to that of a Townsend's. On the other hand, the extent of the black throat patch was much greater than a Townsend's should ever show. In addition, a Townsends with this much black on the throat should also show a fully black face patch. Using the information given in the book, this bird was a male, likely an adult male. I left CCRS around noon and it had not been refound up to that point. Mike Mammoser and I had a good go looking for it, unfortunately to no avail. This warbler is another addition to the CCRS list. Let's hope that it is still around and that it falls into a net. Finally, Nick Lethaby showed me a juv female Ruff at the waterbird pond yesterday. It was not present today. Good birding. Al. Alvaro Jaramillo Half Moon Bay, California [[email protected]] Helm guide to the New World Blackbirds, Birding in Chile and more, at: http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Sun Sep 28 18:12:16 1997 Subject: Re: Black-throated Green Warbler at CCRS Al: Where at CCRS was this? Thanks, Nick _____________________________________________________________ Nick Lethaby Pronghorn Consulting [[email protected]] 1112 N. Abbott Avenue Tel: (408) 941 0223 Milpitas, CA 95035 U.S.A. ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 00:04:12 1997 Subject: Central San Mateo Coast to Highlights from a 9/28/97 field trip visiting the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Princeton Harbor, and Phipps Ranch (Pescadero): - 2 RED-THROATED LOONS, one showing lots of red throat feathering and black and white nape striping at Princeton Harbor - approx. 1,000 ELEGANT TERNS on the jetty opposite the fueling dock. - 1,000's of BROWN PELICANS at Princeton Harbor, El Ninyo effect? - one winter plumage SPOTTED SANDPIPER at Prince Harbor Among the few other migrants, we had a LINCOLN'S SPARROW and a FOX SPARROW in the riparian area at the Marine Reserve. Small groups of SANDERLING were at the Reserve and at Princeton Harbor. One or two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET were in the willows by the Princeton Inn. There was a dead RED-THROATED LOON in the water and a BELTED KINGFISHER (BEKI) carcass (raptor-killed?) on shore. Two BEKIs were active in the area. We just missed the Yellow-green Vireo at Phipps Ranch. Dave Weber found the bird and led us to the area, but it had disappeared. The only warblers seen were YELLOW, WILSON'S, and TOWNSEND'S. Several HUTTON'S VIREO were along the creek at Phipps Ranch. Bird activity was low and sparse. Aside from the crowded jetties, there were very few birds on the water at Princeton Harbor. The air temperature was very high along the coast, as was the surf. I imagine that the water temps were high, too. Les ============================================== Les Chibana, Mountain View, CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 04:58:04 1997 Subject: Tunitas Creek Hi, Has anybody successfully figured out how to reach the mouth of Tunitas Creek to look for the white-rumped Whimbrel which has been reported on the Birdbox? The first message said to park along hwy 1 up the hill south of the bridge and take the trail down to the beach. I found a large pull-out near a call box and located a path down the cliffs which passed two small "no trespassing" signs. Going straight the trail seemed to dead-end at a culvert. Following a narrower trail to the right through some poison oak led to a smaller culvert below which was a steep muddy cut which may have gone down to the beach, but I wasn't optimistic about getting back up. I tried several other roads and trails to the south with no luck. An enclave with driveway just north of the pullout is gated and posted. So I went away without reaching the spot. I tried scoping the Whimbrels from above without success. I'm willing to try again if somebody could give me better directions on reaching the creek mouth where the bird has been seen. Thanks in advance. -- Joseph Morlan 380 Talbot Ave. #206 [[email protected]] Pacifica, CA 94044-2639 [[email protected]] 650-359-2068 1997 Fall Birding Classes: http://www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Continuing_Education/index.html#orni ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 09:23:26 1997 Subject: Lark Sparrow Palo Alto's Baylands Fennel Patch had a Lark Sparrow and a Lincoln's sparrow this morning, along with the usual horde of Yellow Rumped, Yellow and Yellowthroat warblers RCC ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 09:54:07 1997 Subject: AMRE,BRSP All, On Sunday morning 9/28/97 I had 2.5 hours to bird in the county, so I decided to check the Guadalupe River between Trimble and Montague. I started heading up the west bank from Trimble at about 7:00am and made it back to the car after coming back down the east side at about 9:30am. The west side of the river was dead (because of being in the shade?) until I finally found a flock of birds just about 1/4 mile south of Montague below where the (Austrian?) Pines are planted behind the residential area. I put two branches on the creek side of the dike at the path that leads to the creek here. Here I came across a few ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS with BUSHTITS, so I stopped and waited. Soon I was rewarded with an adult male AMERICAN REDSTART (about 8:00am) foraging its way south along the river. A half hour later it flew back in for a few more minutes, so it may be hanging around. During my 40-minute stop here I tallied 1 female/imm SELASPHORUS HUMMINGBIRD (getting pretty late for these, but this area has had good numbers this fall), 1 NORTHERN FLICKER (had another one earlier), 1 HERMIT THRUSH, 1 AMERICAN PIPIT overhead, 1 WARBLING VIREO, 4+ ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 4+ YELLOW WARBLERS (only 1 before this), 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (7 earlier), the AMERICAN REDSTART, and 2 WILSON'S WARBLERS. Also heard a bird that I could not identify, with a call sounding like a cross between a Hutton's Vireo and a Say's Phoebe?? Returning along the east side of the river added several COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (had smaller numbers of these birds on the west side too). Also many hummingbirds around the cottonwoods south of Montague with a single WESTERN FLYCATCHER. Just south of the lone eucalyptus I had a WARBLING VIREO and a HERMIT THRUSH, which may have been the same birds as seen from the other side of the creek. I had been stopping every 70 yards or so to pish up sparrows (mostly ZONOTRICHIA, but getting 2 to 3 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS at every stop), when I pished up two smaller, plain sparrows with long notched tails - clearly Spizella. One of the birds flew to the top of a Coyote bush on the embankment east of the lower road and revealed itself to be a BREWER'S SPARROW, complete with a fairly broad white eyering, pale lores, and lacking the warm colors and median crown stripe of a Clay-colored Sparrow. It still retained some short streaks at the sides of the breast from its juvenal plumage. I did not get great looks at the other bird, but it also appeared to be a Brewer's Sparrow, although the eyering was not as obvious on this bird. Both eventually disappeared in the willows along the edge of the river. The spot where I had these birds is opposite the tall willows growing on the west side of the river, about 1/3 - 1/2 mile south of Montague Expressway. The rest of the walk south produced a single female-plumaged LAZULI BUNTING a two more YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Most of the action along this portion of river seems to be up near the Montague end! Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 10:11:26 1997 Subject: Calbird? Does anyone know what is happening with Calbird? Luke Cole San Francisco, CA [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 12:47:23 1997 Subject: Fall Challenge Results 1997 Dear Fellow Birders, The remainder of the teams have submitted their reports for Santa Barbara County, San Mateo County, and Kings County. Most remarkable are sightings of YELLOW-GREEN VIREO at Phipps Ranch in San Mateo County and a SABINE'S GULL in agricultural fields in southeast Kings County. Below are the complete results of the competition including the winners of the Leica spotting scope. Highest Pecentage of the County List The overall winner this year is the team from Sequoia Audubon Society, the "Rowdy Stone-Terners" composed of Peter Metropulos, Francis Toldi, Barry Sauppe and Bert Mckee. They observed 158 species in San Mateo County or 57.25% of the normally occurring county list. Steve Glover & Ron Lindeman were a close second in Contra Costa County with 142 species or 56.57% or their county list. Gjon Hazard & John Hunter (Trinity Co.) tied for third with Ed Pandolfino & I (Alameda Co.) with 50.0% of the 'normally occurring species in the county seen. The Rowdy Stone-Terners will receive a Leica Spotting Scope donated by Leica, the book Fortress Alcatraz donated by Peg Woodin, and the book Decorating Eden donated by Local Birds. Best Bird several notable birds were seen during this event in Shasta Co. Carol & Bob Yutzy observed the earliest county record of a Ferruginous Hawk. Lou & Jean Young spotted 3 Fulvous Whistling Ducks which has also raised a few eyebrows. Janet Hanson & Mike Mammoser observed a Stilt Sandpiper in SCLA Co. Ed and I heard a Flammulated Owl in Alameda Co. Gjon Hazard & John Hunter observed a BCNH which is either the 2nd or 3rd record for Trinity Co. In King's county Canyon Wren and Brewer's Sparrow were excellent observations for this habitat by Rob Hanson. Also in Kings Co. a Sabine's Gull and a Grasshopper Sparrow were seen by Luke Cole. The winner however is the first county record, and a California Rare Birds Committee Review Species, was a YELLOW-GREEN VIREO observed by Sequoia Audubon's own Rowdy Stone-terners, composed of Francis Toldi, Peter Metropulos, Barry Sauppe, and Bert McKee. Most Rarities Two teams tied for first place with three rarities. The winner of the tie-breaker with 142 spp. seen was Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman who observed Northern Waterthrush, Black & White Warbler and Swainson's Hawk. They will receive a Cheeseman Ecology/Birding Safaris trip to Monterey Bay and a National Audubon Society CD ROM for NA Birds donated by Wildbirds Center in Los Gatos. However, for his solo effort resulting in a Sabine's Gull, Grasshopper Sparrow, and a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Kings Co. Luke Cole will receive a SFBBO Field Trip Gift Certificate for either the Northcoast or Klamath/Tule Lake trip. Most Species Seen The runners-up, Dan Guthrie & Kathi Ellsworth observed 154 species in Los Angeles Co. However, the winners, were again Sequoia Audubon's own Rowdy Stone-terners, composed of Francis Toldi, Peter Metropulos, Barry Sauppe, and Bert McKee with 158 species. They will receive the 50% off coupon for anything in the Brunton Catelog, donated by Brunton, the video: Birds of Costa Rica donated by Sequoia Audubon Society, Fortress Alcatraz donated by Peg Woodin, and a Painting of the Mallards also donated by Peg Woodin. Most Funds Raised For the most funds raised, the competition was tight between the two SFBBO teams. Ed Pandolfino, Adrian Del Nevo and I won this competition with $1835 raised, barely edging Janet Hanson and Mike Mammoser and their $1791. In total nearly $8000 was raised for next year's research and volunteer programs. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts in raising this total. Our team won two pairs of Swift Binoculars donated by Swift and Local Birds & the Redwood Trading post and a mounted photo of a Caspian Tern donated by Peg Woodin. As we are employees and board members we naturally cannot keep these prizes ourselves and they will be donated to SFBBO. The binoculars will be a great help for our volunteers for next year's field season, and we are arguing over where to put the Caspian photo in the office. We will be publishing a special Fall issue of our newsletter 'The Stilt' with the complete lists of birds observed in each county. If you are interested in joining and receiving this issue please contact us. Everyone who participated enjoyed this event and we will definitely be sponsoring it again next year. If you are interested in receiving information next year or joining our organization, please contact us at [[email protected]] or call us at (408) 946 6548. Cheers, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 12:47:23 1997 Subject: Fall Challenge Results 1997 Dear Fellow Birders, The remainder of the teams have submitted their reports for Santa Barbara County, San Mateo County, and Kings County. Most remarkable are sightings of YELLOW-GREEN VIREO at Phipps Ranch in San Mateo County and a SABINE'S GULL in agricultural fields in southeast Kings County. Below are the complete results of the competition including the winners of the Leica spotting scope. Highest Pecentage of the County List The overall winner this year is the team from Sequoia Audubon Society, the "Rowdy Stone-Terners" composed of Peter Metropulos, Francis Toldi, Barry Sauppe and Bert Mckee. They observed 158 species in San Mateo County or 57.25% of the normally occurring county list. Steve Glover & Ron Lindeman were a close second in Contra Costa County with 142 species or 56.57% or their county list. Gjon Hazard & John Hunter (Trinity Co.) tied for third with Ed Pandolfino & I (Alameda Co.) with 50.0% of the 'normally occurring species in the county seen. The Rowdy Stone-Terners will receive a Leica Spotting Scope donated by Leica, the book Fortress Alcatraz donated by Peg Woodin, and the book Decorating Eden donated by Local Birds. Best Bird several notable birds were seen during this event in Shasta Co. Carol & Bob Yutzy observed the earliest county record of a Ferruginous Hawk. Lou & Jean Young spotted 3 Fulvous Whistling Ducks which has also raised a few eyebrows. Janet Hanson & Mike Mammoser observed a Stilt Sandpiper in SCLA Co. Ed and I heard a Flammulated Owl in Alameda Co. Gjon Hazard & John Hunter observed a BCNH which is either the 2nd or 3rd record for Trinity Co. In King's county Canyon Wren and Brewer's Sparrow were excellent observations for this habitat by Rob Hanson. Also in Kings Co. a Sabine's Gull and a Grasshopper Sparrow were seen by Luke Cole. The winner however is the first county record, and a California Rare Birds Committee Review Species, was a YELLOW-GREEN VIREO observed by Sequoia Audubon's own Rowdy Stone-terners, composed of Francis Toldi, Peter Metropulos, Barry Sauppe, and Bert McKee. Most Rarities Two teams tied for first place with three rarities. The winner of the tie-breaker with 142 spp. seen was Steve Glover and Ron Lindeman who observed Northern Waterthrush, Black & White Warbler and Swainson's Hawk. They will receive a Cheeseman Ecology/Birding Safaris trip to Monterey Bay and a National Audubon Society CD ROM for NA Birds donated by Wildbirds Center in Los Gatos. However, for his solo effort resulting in a Sabine's Gull, Grasshopper Sparrow, and a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Kings Co. Luke Cole will receive a SFBBO Field Trip Gift Certificate for either the Northcoast or Klamath/Tule Lake trip. Most Species Seen The runners-up, Dan Guthrie & Kathi Ellsworth observed 154 species in Los Angeles Co. However, the winners, were again Sequoia Audubon's own Rowdy Stone-terners, composed of Francis Toldi, Peter Metropulos, Barry Sauppe, and Bert McKee with 158 species. They will receive the 50% off coupon for anything in the Brunton Catelog, donated by Brunton, the video: Birds of Costa Rica donated by Sequoia Audubon Society, Fortress Alcatraz donated by Peg Woodin, and a Painting of the Mallards also donated by Peg Woodin. Most Funds Raised For the most funds raised, the competition was tight between the two SFBBO teams. Ed Pandolfino, Adrian Del Nevo and I won this competition with $1835 raised, barely edging Janet Hanson and Mike Mammoser and their $1791. In total nearly $8000 was raised for next year's research and volunteer programs. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts in raising this total. Our team won two pairs of Swift Binoculars donated by Swift and Local Birds & the Redwood Trading post and a mounted photo of a Caspian Tern donated by Peg Woodin. As we are employees and board members we naturally cannot keep these prizes ourselves and they will be donated to SFBBO. The binoculars will be a great help for our volunteers for next year's field season, and we are arguing over where to put the Caspian photo in the office. We will be publishing a special Fall issue of our newsletter 'The Stilt' with the complete lists of birds observed in each county. If you are interested in joining and receiving this issue please contact us. Everyone who participated enjoyed this event and we will definitely be sponsoring it again next year. If you are interested in receiving information next year or joining our organization, please contact us at [[email protected]] or call us at (408) 946 6548. Cheers, Tom ******************************************** Tom Ryan San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 1290 Hope St. Alviso, CA 95002 (408) 946-6548 (408) 946-9279 fax [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 13:49:29 1997 Subject: BKSW All, I made a lunchtime check of CCRS today, planning to spend some time looking for Al's Black-throated Green Warbler. Construction at the south entrance has blocked the dike, so I entered from Dixon Landing Road, finding 8 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 3+ LESSER YELLOWLEGS at the waterbird pond on the way in. A BARN SWALLOW flew over the dike on the way to the trailers and 4 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were in the dead tree along the creek below the trailers. Things were kind of quite in the heat, but I did manage 3 HERMIT THRUSHES (plus one other non-Hermit Thrush, probably Swainson's), 4 "WESTERN" FLYCATCHERS, 1 to 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and 7 YELLOW WARBLERS (among tons of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS). Al Eisner, also birding the creek, reported a similar assortment of birds. Back near the trailers it seemed that the number of swallows had increased, so I rechecked to find a worn juvenile TREE SWALLOW harassing the sitting VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS at the dead cottonwood. Following these chases I was amazed to see a smaller brown swallow over the eucalyptus north of the Mewaldt Oak - further observation confirmed it was indeed a BANK SWALLOW. I watched this bird foraging over the eucalyptus and flying down the creek towards the waterbird pond, where it picked up a second BANK SWALLOW! I headed up to the trailers and grabbed Chris Otahol and Irene Beardsley and we enjoyed a BANK SWALLOW hovering over the telephone pole right outside the trailer door and, later, a trio of three BANK SWALLOWS heading towards us from the eucalyptus! Also in this flock were 9+ BARN SWALLOWS and 6+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. Many of our Santa Clara County Bank Swallow records are from late September. This is apparently not simply because there are few swallows of any kind left so people notice them, because I have spent many years working these fall flocks from August on hoping for this species. (Al DeMartini tells me that there were still Bank Swallows in British Columbia on 9/14, so some are indeed late migrants.) Interesting stuff from the banding board included a BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD from 9/10, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER from 9/28, 31 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS in September, 37 HERMIT THRUSHES last weekend, 51 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES in September, a NASHVILLE WARBLER on 9/24, 7 MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS in September, a SPOTTED TOWHEE on 9/24, a CHIPPING SPARROW on 9/25, and yesterday's COMMON POORWILL. Mike Rogers ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 14:38:29 1997 Subject: Re: CCRS Just one addendum to Mike Roger's report: as I was leaving (while Mike was in the riparian area), I made a cursory check of the waterbird pond and came up with 12 Pectoral Sandpipers. Nice going on the Bank Swallows, Mike! Al Eisner ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Mon Sep 29 16:11:37 1997 Subject: AMERICAN REDSTART All: On Friday (26 Sep.), a quick check of the Sunnyvale WPCP turned up only 15 YELLOW WARBLERS and 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and the EEC in Alviso had only 5 YELLOW WARBLERS. Looks like the big push of Yellow Warblers is waning. On Saturday (27 Sep.), there were two CHIPPING SPARROWS along Lochinvar Rd. near our apartment; this species is actually fairly rare in migration on the Santa Clara Valley floor. Farther afield, a first-winter SABINE'S GULL in the Monterey Harbor was also a surprise. Today (29 Sep.), I stopped by the Guadalupe River just upstream from Montague Expwy. to check on some of the rarities Mike Rogers turned up there over the weekend. I was there for less than 30 minutes, so I only had time to cover a small reach of the river, but I refound Mike's adult male AMERICAN REDSTART on the east side of the river in the box elder immediately upstream from the lone eucalyptus about 1/4-mile above Montague. This bird was with a single WILSON'S WARBLER and a WARBLING VIREO. Otherwise, the riparian habitat had 5 ORANGE-CROWNED and 1 AUDUBON'S WARBLERS and my first HERMIT THRUSH of the fall. Steve Rottenborn ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 30 09:45:04 1997 Subject: birds On Saturday morning, 27 Sep 97, I started out at the Sunnyvale Sewage = Ponds, checking the fennel patch. The numbers of birds were down = from previous weeks, but I still had all the typical species; YELLOW, = YELLOW-RUMPED, and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, as = well as COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. A MERLIN flew overhead, = heading from the ponds towards the industrial area across the street. = The channel along the edge of the old landfill had both VIRGINIA = RAIL and SORA calling. A pair of SAY'S PHOEBES were working = the edge of the landfill. Moffet Channel, right near the sewage plant, = had a small flock of TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS. Later, 60+ = BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS flew into the bulrushes here. Back by = the parking lot, a basic-plumaged CHIPPING SPARROW was sitting = on the fence. A quick check of Calabazas Marsh turned up an immature BROWN = PELICAN in with the WHITES. VIRGINIA RAILS and a SORA were = calling from the edge of Calabzas Creek. At the Palo Alto Water Pollution Control Plant I found YELLOW = WARBLERS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, ORANGE- CROWNED WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, RUBY- CROWNED KINGLETS, and CHESTNUT-BACKED = CHICKADEES. On Sunday, 28 Sep 97, I went to CCRS to look for migrants along the = creek. I had a flock of about 30 AMERICAN PIPITS working the = Cilker farm field on the way in, but I couldn't find anything unusual in = with them. A check of the riparian area at the first crossover produced a = female, or immature male, McGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER being very = cooperative, and a couple of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. A = MERLIN flew by here, heading out over the sludge ponds. = I then went to the trailers and walked the trail south along the creek. I = soon met up with Al Jaramillo and found out that I missed his Black- throated Green Warbler by about 15 minutes. I essentially spent the = next 3 hours trying to refind this bird. Though I failed in this attempt, = there were quite good numbers of migrants here. I had YELLOW- RUMPED, WILSON'S, ORANGE-CROWNED, and YELLOW = WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, WESTERN = FLYCATCHERS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, HERMIT = THRUSHES, FOX SPARROWS, a WARBLING VIREO, a = WESTERN TANAGER, 2 HOUSE WRENS, and an immature = BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. A check of the waterbird = pond produced 28 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Mike Mammoser ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 30 13:06:58 1997 All, Just a reminder that KENN KAUFMAN will be speaking and signing books for a special SCVAS event at FOOTHILL JUNIOR COLLEGE ROOM F-12 this Friday evening, October 3rd, at 7:30 PM. Cost is $5 at the door for SCVAS members, $10 for nonmembers. The talk will focus on Mr. Kaufman's new book, Kingbird Highway, detailing his amazing Big Year of 1973, when, as a teenager, he traveled over 70,000 miles and observed more than 650 North American bird species ...all on a TOTAL budget of less than $1,000. Parking is closest in student lot E and costs $2...bring 8 quarters for their machines. To get to Foothill College, take the El Monte Rd. exit West from Hwy 280, then take the first Right into the campus. Copies of all 3 of Kenn's books (Kingbird Highway, Lives of North American Birds, and the Peterson Guide to Advanced Birding) will be on hand for purchase and signing. (They are already in our shop if you want to get a head start.) See you there! --Garth Harwood, SCVAS Chapter Manager ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]] From [[email protected]] Tue Sep 30 14:27:29 1997 Subject: Bay Area Birding Calendar on SBBU Larry Tunstall has updated his Bay Area Birding Calendar for October 4-10. Kendric South Bay Birders Unlimited (SBBU) http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/ ========================================================================== This message was posted through the Stanford campus mailing list server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message body of "unsubscribe south-bay-birds" to [[email protected]]