Devote 15+ minutes to the good of science and sign up to participate in the FeederWatch portion of the Oakland Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 17! If you have a bird feeder or an area by your home that birds frequent such as trees or other plants, and can spare at least 15 minutes (longer is even better), help us count the birds that are within our count circle. The Oakland count circle stretches from El Cerrito to San Leandro and from the Bay to Moraga. Virtually every year there's a bird species that a feeder watcher spies that eludes the rest of the volunteers tramping over hill and dale on the Christmas Bird Count. And even if you don't see a relative rarity, it's important to get as much coverage as possible of the birds that are here, including in residential areas. Scientists regularly use the data provided to eBird by "community scientists" (i.e., regular folk like you and me that enjoy looking at our feathered friends). Plus, for feeder watchers participating in the Oakland Christmas Count, if you're uncomfortable using eBird, we'll put the data in for you! Registration is open through this Sunday, December 3 at https://
Today there was a male yellow bellied sapsucker at queen of heaven cemetery in unincorporated Lafayette.
Location was high in a mature oak at the edge of the cemetery property along Reliez Valley Road south of Ariey Lane and adjacent to a secondary gated drive lane into the cemetery. Oak trunk is adjacent to the white sign that reads “Diocese of Oakland Youth Retreat Center”.
Jeff Acuff.
Lafayette.
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Good Birding,
Jeff Acuff. Lafayette
Today at lunch I found a myiachus flycatcher I knew was not a ash-throated by size but what was it? I figured it was either Arizona or Mexico specificalty and would need photo evidence to confirm. After I left it was photographed and tentatively confirmed as a dusky-capped. The size difference really stood out to me - kind-of like a orchard oriole is smaller than Bullocks/Baltimore and it was a small bill unlike a larger great-crested. Note some are still debating photo id but the size really stood put to me as not an ashy and that is not apparent in photos - but also can be misleading.
Hopefully it will stick as Middle Harbor is a green oasis (hint - vagrants) in an ocean of concrete and steel of the port of Oakland.
For those who go there is a Ross Goose west of the observation tower at middle harbor and I believe a long tailed duck is sticking at Port View park a mile away.
As this is an Oakland location security for people with cameras should be considered. I recommend birders with cameras find the park security in their pick-ip and ask them to park their vehicle next to the entrance where the birders will be.
Good Luck and I hope its around tomorrow.
Jim Chiropolos
Orinda
All,
Jim Chiropolos found a Myiarchus flycatcher on the lunch hour at Middle Harbor near the port of Oakland that he thought looked good for Dusky-capped.
At the moment nine of us are on the bird - definitely Dusky-capped Flycatcher. Near the first roundabout and main parking area, mostly on the barbed wire separating the poplars from the truck yard in the port, occasionally over by the bathrooms.
Great find!
Aaron Maizlish
San Francisco
For the last 40 years, I park in my office parking lot (by Chevys restaurant)and scan the bay north before going to work. Today - and this week, I am looking at the biggest scaup flock I have ever seen here. I am estimating 6,500 plus scaup. I would guess most of the scaup are greater, but would need a spotting scope to verify.
Most years, the big scaup flock here is on the Emeryville fire station/toll bridge side of Powell street. Last year, the big east bay scaup flock was in the arrowhead marsh area as the big flock area is dynamic seems moves every year (based on food). I was not at the office last week, and almost no scaup were using the Emeryville area 10 days ago.
Some interesting dynamics of the scaup flock. By Chevys, the scaup flock is usually mostly greater scaup and the lessor scaup are typically a minority. The lessor Scaup prefer the shallow water level which is exposed as mudflat in king tides. The area north of Chevys usually has the most diving ducks during big storms, as the storms rotate in from the south and its likely less energy consuming for the ducks to stay in place on the morth side of Powell with the the strong south winds being partially blocked by the land my office block occupies.
Who knows, maybe there is something rare in the huge raft (many years I will find a redhead of canvasback hidden) but today it seems to all scalp (with a couple of Buffleheads/Ruddy and scoter thrown in).
It is certainly a spectacular sight to see so many scaup at once - a wow moment.
Jim Chiropolos
Emeryville today
Having spent quite a bit of time in the Altamont Hills region since fall of 2019, I would say the following: the grass was tallest and most lush in fall 2019-winter 2020. By summer and fall of 2021 and 2022 it was extremely overgrazed and barren. To the point where cows were dying at a higher rate than normal, ranchers had to put out supplemental feed much more frequently, etc. Currently, the grass is considerably taller than it was the last two years at this date. Hopefully if there is another wet winter this winter, it will recover to 2019-2020 levels. It’s important to realize that there are seasonal trends in grass height/color which can make it harder to gauge the long term trends. But overall I would say that the rains last winter helped immensely and currently things are significantly better off than they were last year or the year before at this date.
Today, I birded and biked Patterson Pass , the east bays amazing grasslands. The weekend is the best place to bird here as I had multiple 20 minute periods of no cars, unlike weekdays when this is a danger high intensity transit corridor. I was wondering about raptor numbers after last years rains. Raptor number's were down and there was no green grass. I have been birding and biking the pass the last 10 years and am always interested in whats around.
I only saw 2 loggerhead shrikes-probably an all time low count. I had two mountain bluebirds at the pass (and 2 at Cedar Mountain Winery (best to see early at the winery) - this is another species that is now hard to find. When I started biking the pass, I had typically counts of 50 to 100 mountain bluebirds and they were always present- the last several years they have become rare and hard to find. A ferruginous hawk soared over the pass. This is another species that was uncommon 10 years ago- now they are a special sighting - I feel lucky to see one. One flock of trikes (tri-colored blackbirds)was by the train overpass near the power facility) their typical location here.
The rarest bird seen was a vesper sparrow with a mixed sparrow flock perched on a fence about 1/2 mile west of the train track overpass. It flew into grassland behind a fence and I did not see it again.
One prarie falcon was patrolling the area - this is an uncommon and not unexpected bird in the area.
Good Birding
Jim Chiropolos
Orinda
Today, I birded and biked Patterson Pass , the east bays amazing grasslands. The weekend is the best place to bird here as I had multiple 20 minute periods of no cars, unlike weekdays when this is a danger high intensity transit corridor. I was wondering about raptor numbers after last years rains. Raptor number's were down and there was no green grass. I have been birding and biking the pass the last 10 years and am always interested in whats around.
I only saw 2 loggerhead shrikes-probably an all time low count. I had two mountain bluebirds at the pass (and 2 at Cedar Mountain Winery (best to see early at the winery) - this is another species that is now hard to find. When I started biking the pass, I had typically counts of 50 to 100 mountain bluebirds and they were always present- the last several years they have become rare and hard to find. A ferruginous hawk soared over the pass. This is another species that was uncommon 10 years ago- now they are a special sighting - I feel lucky to see one. One flock of trikes (tri-colored blackbirds)was by the train overpass near the power facility) their typical location here.
The rarest bird seen was a vesper sparrow with a mixed sparrow flock perched on a fence about 1/2 mile west of the train track overpass. It flew into grassland behind a fence and I did not see it again.
One prarie falcon was patrolling the area - this is an uncommon and not unexpected bird in the area.
Good Birding
Jim Chiropolos
Orinda
Yesterday afternoon a Bald Eagle came flying over the beach at Crab Cove in Alameda causing a panic amongst the geese and shorebirds. EBRPD Naturalist, Michael Charnofsky happened to be present and said he expected that it was one of the eagles that nested at the golf course in Bay Farm last year, the male. Apparently the female has not been seen in some time, but the male has been making appearances lately.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192083136
Eric Barker
Alameda