Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Peninsula Birding > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Thursday, September 2 at 12:09 AM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Painted Redstart,©Barry Kent Mackay

1 Sep Coastside ["Dan Singer" ] 31 Aug golden eagles in Portola Valley ["Peter Metropulos" ] 31 Aug HMB by kayak in the fog [Barbara Kossy ] 29 Aug 8.29 Local Interest [Mark Eaton ] 30 Aug San Francisco County Pelagic Trip - Sunday September 5 - space available ["Leslie" ] 30 Aug Baird's Sandpiper - Pescadero - continues ["Leslie" ] 29 Aug Time to start cruising Gazos Creek etc - local songbird migration begins [] 28 Aug Baird's Sandpiper - Pescadero, continuing [Jennifer Rycenga ] 28 Aug Pigeon Point-- Elegant Terns 8/28 ["mark" ] 26 Aug Lost field guide ["Susan E. Hons" ] 26 Aug MacGillivray's Warbler at Redwood Shores office [Mike Aicardi ] 26 Aug Pilarcitos Creek mouth, August 26 [Al Eisner ] 26 Aug SB Mt. Park-Crocker Gate Feeder-GHO juveniles ["sfrosegrower" ] 25 Aug RE: Stilt at Pilarcitos Creek mouth ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 25 Aug Semipalmated Sandpiper, Harlequin Duck ["D Weber" ] 25 Aug Stilt at Pilarcitos Creek mouth [Janet L Leonard ] 24 Aug Semipalmated Sandpipers Re: another HMB report [Joseph Morlan ] 25 Aug Kris Olson belated greetings ["Leslie" ] 24 Aug another HMB report ["Dan Singer" ] 24 Aug HMB by kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 24 Aug RE: belated HMB report ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 24 Aug belated HMB report ["Dan Singer" ] 24 Aug Mori Point, Monday 8/23/10 ["Laurie" ] 23 Aug Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st ["sfrosegrower" ] 22 Aug Coastside notes ( Sunday ) [] 22 Aug Coyote Point [Matthew Dodder ] 22 Aug Pilarcitos Creek mouth birds ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 22 Aug Kris' bird [Pixie couch ] 21 Aug nearby bird highlights [Karen DeMello ] 22 Aug Menlo Park [Rich Ferrick ] 21 Aug Bayside observations on Saturday [] 21 Aug Marina Lagoon- Kris's Birthday [Virginia Marshall ] 22 Aug Clapper Rail @ Millbrae Avenue 8/21/10 ["George Chrisman" ] 21 Aug Pectoral Sandpiper etc., Pescadero Marsh 8/21/2010 [] 21 Aug Half Moon Bay birds ["Alvaro Jaramillo" ] 20 Aug Eurasian Collared-Dove fledgling at Redwood Shores office [Mike Aicardi ] 20 Aug elegant terns [Allan Wofchuck ] 20 Aug Great Blue Heron young ["lduerson AT sbcglobal.net" ] 19 Aug Fw: [MBB] Rancho Los Osos & AƱo Nuevo Birds etc [jennifer rycenga ] 19 Aug White-winged Scoters [Joseph Morlan ] 18 Aug Elegant terns at Pillar t. ["James Barnes" ] 18 Aug Half Moon Bay by Kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 17 Aug FW: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st ["Leonie Batkin" ] 17 Aug Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st ["Leonie Batkin" ] 17 Aug Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st ["Leonie Batkin" ] 16 Aug Re: Coast birding 8/15 [Chuq Von Rospach ] 16 Aug Burlingame Osprey returns ["George Chrisman" ] 15 Aug Coast birding 8/15 [Chuq Von Rospach ] 15 Aug Baird's Sandpiper and other notes [] 14 Aug Common Tern [Al Eisner ] 13 Aug Pillar Pt. Harbor by kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 13 Aug Pigeon pt. Oops [Dominik Mosur ] 13 Aug Pigeon pt. 8/13/10 [Dominik Mosur ] 13 Aug juvenile Wandering Tattler ["pauldonahue9" ] 9 Aug Ano Nuevo Birds [Robert Dell'Immagine ] 09 Aug Skyline Ridge Merlin 8/8/10 ["George Chrisman" ] 8 Aug Radio Road Lesser Yellowlegs, pic [Tom Grey ] 8 Aug Green Heron [Matthew Dodder ] 8 Aug Coyote Point and Radio Road [Matthew Dodder ] 7 Aug Wandering Tattler at Pigeon Point [Robert Dell'Immagine ] 6 Aug Shrike, San Gregorio 8/6/2010 [] 6 Aug Recent sightings ( August 1-6 ) [] 6 Aug San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory California Fall Challenge ["Leonie Batkin" ] 5 Aug Wandering Tattlers at Pillar Point [Jennifer Rycenga ] 4 Aug Lawrence's Goldfinch at Los Trancos (& Monte Bello) ["Garth Harwood" ] 3 Aug More Violet-green Swallow staging 8/2-3/2010 ["Garth Harwood" ] 2 Aug Pacifica [Donald Pendleton ] 2 Aug Radio Road [Donald Pendleton ] 2 Aug July 31 Half Moon Bay: Trip Report ["Leonie Batkin" ] 31 Jul Grosbeaks, pigeons, and jays, oh my! [Jane Tatchell ] 29 Jul Coast and bay sides [] 29 Jul Re: Wilson's Phalaropes (etc.) [Dominik Mosur ] 29 Jul Osprey at Long Ridge OSP San Mateo County [Georgia Stigall ] 28 Jul Wilson's Phalaropes (etc.) [Al Eisner ] 28 Jul Pillar Pt by Kayak [Barbara Kossy ] 27 Jul Foster City beach, pics [Tom Grey ] Subject: Coastside From: "Dan Singer" <dsg2 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 21:59:38 -0700 Hi all, I checked a few coastside spots this morning and early afternoon. In Half Moon Bay at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek there was a smattering of Leasts, Westerns, Red-necked Phalaropes, three Marbled Godwits, four Long-billed Curlews, four Marbled Murrelets, a young Pigeon Guillemot, five Tri-colored Blackbirds and a Jaramillo. Farther south, a Red Phalarope in basic plumage was at the mouth of Tunitas Creek, along with a juv. Red-necked Phalarope, nine Westerns and two Leasts. Reds typically show up along shore when winds drive them towards the coast, so it was a bit of surprise to find one today given the relatively calm conditions lately. Mid-day I spent some time at the north pond at Pescadero Marsh looking through the shorebirds. Diversity was limited but there were good numbers of Semipalmated Plovers, Least and Western Sandpipers, as well as three juv. Short-billed Dowitchers. While viewing from the shoulder along Hwy. 1 (not recommended) I thought I saw the Baird's Sandpiper foraging along the east side of the pond/mudflat. Its size and long-winged appearance in direct comparison to Least Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover made me pretty comfortable with the ID given the viewing distance, but after I walked the trail to the NE corner of the pond for a better look I couldn't relocate the bird. So, who knows, but perhaps the bird is still present. Cheers, Dan Singer Pacifica [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: golden eagles in Portola Valley From: "Peter Metropulos" <pjmetrop AT pacbell.net> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:36:20 -0700 Greetings all ! I've been seeing Golden Eagles regularly for the past month in Portola Valley, usually solitary individuals. Then, last Thursday, August 26, while performing landscape maintenance chores at Gabarda Way, in the Ladera neighborhood of P.V., I was treated to the sight of a trio of these magnificent birds. Putting down my pruning shears and running to grab my binoculars, I glanced up to enjoy the sight of two screaming young and one adult GOLDEN EAGLES circling above. The previous week, my friend and fellow nature-lover, Efren Alvarez, reported FOUR Golden Eagles flying together, evidently a pair of adults attending two juveniles, up at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. Mindego Hill , currently included in Russian Ridge O.S.P, has been a known eagle nesting site since at least the 1930's. I suspect this location is the source of the birds mentioned above. Evidently our local nesting pair had success this breeding season !!! And while on the subject of raptors...... I saw my first MERLIN of the season last Thursday, Aug.26. It was chasing a flock of House Finches through the neighborhood at Hiller Avenue in the eastern lowlands of Belmont. Peter J. Metropulos [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: HMB by kayak in the fog From: Barbara Kossy <bkossy AT coastside.net> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:57:56 -0700 I paddled out into a foggy harbor this morning at about 9:15 AM. Elegant terns circled overhead, more heard than seen. Right at the mouth of the harbor sat the lone adult Common Murre. It's been there a few days, so I suspect it's not well. However I did get a good look at it, noticing the bill shape. A couple of Black Turnstones hopped around on the rocks. I turned right, towards Mavericks so I could follow the breakwater in the thick fog. An adult and young Common Murre were near the harbor mouth. A few Pelagic Cormorants flew here and there, landing in the calm silver water. I paddled around the cove, seeing only a pair of stand up paddlers. Later, some Double Crested Cormants flew low overhead and I could hear the rhythmic whoosh of their wing feathers, and a quiet quack. I returned to the harbor mouth and headed south toward Miramar, or that's what I thought I was doing. It was kinda hard to tell. I didn't see much of anything, making it, oddly, a bit boring, but fog can do that. I oriented myself my the foghorn (handy, that) made lame attempt to use my compass, and headed back via the southern outer breakwater. That's were I saw single Red-necked Phalarope, pecking at the water's surface. I stopped to look at it for a while. Fun to see it rotate left and right as it fed, with one eye on me. A pair of basic plumage Common Loons preened at the mouth of the harbor. I headed back the the HMB Yacht Club ramp. Chatted with some fisherman in a small motor boat who asked where the harbor entrance was, and who also decided not to go out, since it was their first time in the harbor. Smart move. Turns out my route wasn't as direct as I thought, and I drifted a bit to the east. A pair of harbor seals stopped their cavorting, spy hopping to determine if I was fair or foul, as I paddled by. A Willet pecked at the shore, and I landed. Barbara Moss Beach Subject: 8.29 Local Interest From: Mark Eaton <marksffo AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:31:18 -0700 San Pedro Creek Northern Pintail Pilarcitos Creek Marbled Murrelet 2 Brant 4 Red-necked Phalarope 4 Western Sandpiper 8 Least Sandpiper 2 Killdeer 4 Semipalmated Plover 2-3 Not generated by eBird, Mark --- Mark Eaton mark AT markeaton.org Subject: San Francisco County Pelagic Trip - Sunday September 5 - space available From: "Leslie" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:14:41 -0000 Hi All, I am posting this message on behalf of Hugh Cotter, San Francisco. Some San Francisco birders have organized a number of San Francisco County Pelagic Trips. The August 22 trip was cancelled due to high seas and has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 5. Because of the cancellation, there are now some spaces available. The boat will be the New Captain Pete, captained by Dennis Baxter. (http://www.newcaptainpete.com) (This was the boat on when the White-chinned Petrel was seen.) The cost will be $100 per persom. Costs are NOT refundable unless cancelled by the Captain due to weather or we cannot fill the boat. The trip will be for up to 10 hours, with the intent of getting to the Continental Shelf and beyond within SF County Waters. We hope to try and get to spots like the Gumdrop and Pioneer Canyon if possible but this will all be dependent on weather, Captain etc. We will likely be leaving at 7:00AM and getting back by 5:00 PM. This will be confirmed with the captain. The intent will be to spend as much time as possible within SF County Waters and not likely will NOT visit the Farallons. If you are interested in this trip, please email Hugh Cotter at htcotter AT comcast.net and he will send you the full details. If there are any additional questions feel free to email Hugh directly. Sincerely, Leslie Flint San Mateo Subject: Baird's Sandpiper - Pescadero - continues From: "Leslie" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:15:06 -0000 After much searching today, I located the previously reported Baird's sandpiper about 2:00 at the south end of the north pond at Pescadero Marsh. The rising tide moved all the peeps from the east side to the west side of the pond so it was easier to locate. There were also about 6 red-necked phalaropes; a good number of semipalmated plovers, some least sandpipers and a few western sandpipers. Leslie Flint San Mateo Subject: Time to start cruising Gazos Creek etc - local songbird migration begins From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:42:20 -0700 (PDT) Hi All, Among other stops this morning 8/29/2010, I checked on the status of songbird migration at Gazos Creek. Townsend's Warblers have arrived with at least 4 observed in mixed flocks which also included many CB Chickadees and Wilson's Warblers, and a few Yellow Warblers too. Singleton Warbling Vireo and Pacific-slope Flycatcher were also observed. In the fennel patch beside the entryway to Gazos Beach, there were only a few birds, of which likely migrants included one, juvenile Common Yellowthroat and one, juvenile Lazuli Bunting (the latter provided a pretty good ID workout.) As noted by Mark yesterday, a single juvenile Baird's Sandpiper was the highlight of my Saturday birding at Pescadero Marsh (8/28/2010). Other birds worth a mention included 2 Red-necked Phalaropes on the creek, 18 Semipalmated Plovers, and 13 Northern Shovelers. Five Virginia Rails were the highlight of a walk to the very end of the southernmost trail through the marsh, which has like the other trails been fully cleared for the first time in years. Three rails were visible at one time from the metal bridge where this trail first enters the marsh proper, at about 9AM. Today at 8:45AM I checked the lagoon at the marsh, scoping form the parking lot, and saw that there were about 200 small shorebirds at the water's edge including a site-high count for me of 37 Semipalmated Plovers, the rest being a mix of about 80% Least to 20% Western Sandpipers. I did not spot the Baird's Sandpiper, but it had a lot of muddy marshland to choose from at low tide. --Garth Harwood Pescadero Subject: Baird's Sandpiper - Pescadero, continuing From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:00:21 -0700 The BAIRD'S SANDPIPER that Garth Harwood and Mark Kudrav saw earlier today, was still present at 5:00 pm today. It was in the North Pond, on the far east side of the pond, roughly in the middle from north to south. Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide Subject: Pigeon Point-- Elegant Terns 8/28 From: "mark" <mkudrav AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:06:06 -0000 Greetings, I had a great morning birding today. A nice homecomming after travelling all summer. Pigeon Point (830-9:30)was fairly uninspiring today at first glance. It wasn't until I squinted hard through my scope that I noticed a large number of terns flying low along the water on their way north near the horizon. Luckily, I got a decent look when a PARASITIC JAEGER chased about 15 closer to the point. That at least gave me a relative size for the terns. Two more flew even closer finally giving me a satisfying look. ELEGANT TERNS. Because they were so far out, I am only guessing that they were all Elegant Terns. I feel certain about the 17 or so that I saw closer, but there were hundreds of others going by very far out. I was at the point for an hour and saw probably 200 in a constant stream. There numbers didn't seem to be picking up or slow as I left. I ran into Garth Harwood at the Pescadero Marsh who tipped me off about a juv. BAIRD'S SANDPIPER along the estuary. With the Baird's there were about 20 Western and 45 Least Sandpipers, and 15 or so Semipalmated Plovers. Have a great weekend, Mark Kudrav Subject: Lost field guide From: "Susan E. Hons" <susieturtlewings AT mac.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:07:54 -0700 If anyone has found a Sibley's field guide, I am missing my well-used and well-loved copy. Birded Coyote Point & Radio Road on Monday. My name is on the face page. Thanks, Susie Hons (650)591-4181 Subject: MacGillivray's Warbler at Redwood Shores office From: Mike Aicardi <vulpix7_94401 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:58:24 -0700 (PDT) Yesterday I spotted a female MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER foraging on the ground, near the pines outside my office windows at roughly 4:00pm.  This is the first appearance I have seen at this location in the three years I have worked here. 240A Twin Dolphin Dr. is the location.  Here's the map link again: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=103335782393138108733.0004609d61a3c7eb8d60a&ll=37.522486,-122.262179&spn=0.001898,0.003449&z=18&iwloc=0004609d653eb4e878adf -Mike [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pilarcitos Creek mouth, August 26 From: Al Eisner <eisner AT SLAC.Stanford.EDU> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:57:43 -0700 (PDT) This morning at Pilarcitos Creek mouth (Half Moon Bay) there was one juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper along with about 15 juvenile Western Sandpipers. Looking at Joe Morlan's photographs I would say that the Semi. was probably the duller of the two previously seen, although the low overcast (and mist) made it difficult to be sure. The only other shorebirds were the continuing Black-necked Stilt, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, and some Killdeer. Also, the 4 Brant were still here. I didn't see any terns (although I heard a couple of Elegant go by in the offshore fog) or notable gulls. Al Eisner Subject: SB Mt. Park-Crocker Gate Feeder-GHO juveniles From: "sfrosegrower" <leewaysf AT pacbell.net> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:38:19 -0000 Last night around 3:15 am, the two GHO juveniles in SB park across Crocker street from my backyard paid a very noisy visit to the spruce tree outside my fence. We have been hearing them for weeks, but the begging calls now sounded like they were right at our 2nd floor bedroom window, and I heard bill clacking, so I had to take a look. It was heavy fog, but as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw reflections from the street light off one of the owls' wings while it was flying back and forth between my neighbor's and my small yards. The other owl stayed perched, always returning the begging calls. The more active owl then perched on a limb near the street lamp and was testing its wings. This went on for several minutes, all the time he looked like he was focusing on our roofs or our windows. When they left, they still remained close, one whinnying and sounded more agitated than the other. I was expected some down, but from what I could see, they looked fully feathered and quite magnificent. lee rudin Subject: RE: Stilt at Pilarcitos Creek mouth From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:14:53 -0700 Thanks Janet I don't think I had ever seen a stilt right in Half Moon Bay, so I shot out there to see it. I did not find the Baird's, but there were two Semipalmated Sandpipers in about 50 Westerns, and 5 Leasts. One Long-billed Curlew flew over and I did see a Glaucous-winged Gull adult. The gull was reported by Dan Singer a few days ago, certainly a first of fall arrival. Al Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com _____ From: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Janet L Leonard Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 12:47 PM To: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [pen-bird] Stilt at Pilarcitos Creek mouth Hello- Was able to spend a few minutes (15-20) at the pond at the Pilarcitos Creek mouth today. Saw the Baird's Sandpiper and a Black-necked Stilt along with a lot of Western Sandpipers, a fw Killdeer, a Balck-bellied plover, the Black Brant and a lot of gulls. Wasn't able to pick out any Semipalmated Sandpipers but that doesn't mean they aren't still there. -- Janet L. Leonard [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Harlequin Duck From: "D Weber" <dwbirdster AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:42:57 -0700 Hi Birders- I stopped at the pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek at Venice State Beach this morning. No Baird's seen, though I see that it was reported. The Black-necked Stilt mentioned was also there. One Semipalmated Sandpiper remained near the north end of the pond. It was probably the duller one mentioned by Al Jaramillo. A dozen Snowy Plovers were hunkered down in the sand at the top of the beach. Later at Coyote Point I finally saw the Harlequin Duck not too far out. Dave Weber, Milpitas Subject: Stilt at Pilarcitos Creek mouth From: Janet L Leonard <leonard.janetl AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:47:15 -0700 Hello- Was able to spend a few minutes (15-20) at the pond at the Pilarcitos Creek mouth today. Saw the Baird's Sandpiper and a Black-necked Stilt along with a lot of Western Sandpipers, a fw Killdeer, a Balck-bellied plover, the Black Brant and a lot of gulls. Wasn't able to pick out any Semipalmated Sandpipers but that doesn't mean they aren't still there. -- Janet L. Leonard [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Semipalmated Sandpipers Re: another HMB report From: Joseph Morlan <jmorlan AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:32:36 -0700 On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:06:31 -0700, "Dan Singer" wrote: >A talented birding friend who wishes to remain anonymous called me earlier >in the day to let me know that he had a Baird's Sandpiper at the pond at the >mouth of Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay around mid-day today. He also had >at least one of the Semipalmated Sandpipers. The Baird's was frequenting the >small inland. Robbie Fischer and I spent the late afternoon here. I heard a rolling call overhead which reminded me of Baird's and saw the bird flying off north towards the ocean. Unfortunately I did not see the bird well enough to be positive of the ID, but it might be the same bird reported here by others. Photos of two different juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS are here: http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/newgallery.htm The four BRANT were still present at the mouth of the creek. Also when I visited this site on 19 August, there was a LONG-TAILED WEASEL along the bike trail out to the pond. A local resident said she sees it regularly while walking her dog. Enjoy! -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu SF Birding Classes start Sep 14 http://fog.ccsf.edu/jmorlan/ California Bird Records Committee http://www.californiabirds.org/ Western Field Ornithologists http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/ Subject: Kris Olson belated greetings From: "Leslie" <lflint AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:59:34 -0000 Hi all, Tonight I got home about 8:30 to a very hot condo in Harbortown so I grabbed a drink and cheese and crackers and went to sit on my deck facing west to watch the orange glow of the sunset and its reflection in Marina Lagoon. As I sat there enjoying the relative coolness, a barn owl flew by silhouetted against the orange sky -- only the 2nd I have ever seen in 20 years of living here. A belated Happy Birthday, Kris Olson! Leslie Flint San Mateo Subject: another HMB report From: "Dan Singer" <dsg2 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:06:31 -0700 A talented birding friend who wishes to remain anonymous called me earlier in the day to let me know that he had a Baird's Sandpiper at the pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay around mid-day today. He also had at least one of the Semipalmated Sandpipers. The Baird's was frequenting the small inland. Dan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: HMB by kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bkossy AT coastside.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:33:55 -0700 I launched from the HMB Yacht Club ramp at about 8:30 AM into SUNNY skies, light light breezes and a low swell of maybe five feet at the most on the bay. I immediately noticed the Elegant Terns in the air, and diving. It was good to have them back. On the water of the bay noticed 3 Brown Pelican flying out to do a bit of fishing and each had a young Heerman's Gull following close by. One BP, when he surfaced with a fish, had 5 gulls surrounding him. I admired the technique of keeping the bill tightly closed and slowly pulling it out of the water, fish safely sealed inside. Then swallow. BPs on this list take note, the gulls didn't get a taste. Out past the red buoy (No. 2) is where I heard the Common Murre adults and chicks. Again, heard before seen. As I paddled east I could see more pair on the water and got a few well-lit close looks. A small swell was carrying me SE when a pair of big Pacific White-sided Dolphin (I think) leapt out of swell, giving me a start. They headed on their way and I noticed more Murre pairs. And I could hear even more to the south. I saw about 12 pair. A few Western Grebes were fishing in a small group of 8, their white necks gleaming in the SUN. I looked around for Sooty Shearwaters. None seen. Mammals seen, in addition to the dolphins, included Harbor Seals, Calif. Sea Lions, and a pair of Harbor Porpoise. I saw a couple mini feeding frenzies. About 20 birds, pelicans, gulls, cormorants, W. grebes. Just n. of the harbor mouth I saw two flocks of about 12 each of DC Cormorants heading north. One loon flying south. A nice day to be out there. Barbara Moss Beach Subject: RE: belated HMB report From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:11:57 -0700 Folks This morning between 7 and 8:30 there were still two Semipalmated Sandpipers there, the number of Westerns has grown to 40 or so. Also: Least Sand -1 Gr. Yellowlegs - 1 Semi Plover -1 Killdeers - 12 Long-billed Curlew-1 Marbled Godwit - 3 Northern Pintail -1 Mallard -1 Brant - 4 Many gulls, nothing unusual. Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats in the adjacent vegetation. A tad farther south, south of Kelly Ave, 7 Common Mergansers flew right over the coastal trail. POND - at mouth of Pilarcitos Creek. Access from parking at Venice Beach or Kelly Beach. Easiest access though, and requiring no parking fees is to park at the end of Wave Avenue (see link below), and walk towards beach and look for pond. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q &source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Wave+Avenue,+Half+Moon+Bay,+CA&sll=37.463552,-1 22.428586&sspn=0.117179,0.338173&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wave+Ave,+Half+Moon+Bay,+ San+Mateo,+California+94019&t=h&z=16 Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com _____ From: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan Singer Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 6:56 AM To: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [pen-bird] belated HMB report Hi all, The two juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers reported Sunday by Alvaro continued yesterday (23 July) morning at the pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay. Dan Singer Pacifica [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: belated HMB report From: "Dan Singer" <dsg2 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:56:17 -0700 Hi all, The two juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers reported Sunday by Alvaro continued yesterday (23 July) morning at the pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay. Dan Singer Pacifica [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Mori Point, Monday 8/23/10 From: "Laurie" <fair80 AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:03:21 -0000 Finally, a beautiful summer day, hot and sunny on the coast. Mori Point was very active. We arrived at 8:45 am and stayed for just over 4 hours. On the way out, on Upper Mori Trail, we observed a first fall male Hermit Warbler in a conifer. There was a Great Blue Heron in the pond southwest of the board walk, and two ducks which proved to be young Northern Pintails. A Solitary Sandpiper flew in, looking like some kind of huge swallow, and landed on the available shore. It stayed for about 5 minutes, until spooked by a move by the heron. It flew high over Mori Point, going south. At Horse Stable Ponds, we had a family of Pied-billed Grebes, one adult and 4 juvs. One juv was sticking close to mom (or dad), begging constantly, occasionally attacking its siblings. Parent, preening, would give it feathers (or parasites?) which it ate. At Laguna Salada, we had another family, slightly older. While we sat on low tree branches, we saw five sandpipers fly in, four young Westerns, and one young Least. A female Belted Kingfisher dove into the lake and landed nearby, rattling loudly. We had seven species new to us at this location. In the pond at the junction of Pollywog Trail and Fairway Blvd, we had a dozen Red-legged Frogs. In Sharp Park Creek, where it comes out from under the chain link fence, we had 5 more. Laurie Graham & Jeff Fairclough SSF Number of species: 44 Mallard 1 Northern Pintail 2 Surf Scoter 2 Ruddy Duck 2 Red-throated Loon 2 Pied-billed Grebe 9 Western Grebe 40 Clark's Grebe 14 Western/Clark's Grebe 40 Brown Pelican 38 Brandt's Cormorant 55 Double-crested Cormorant 4 Pelagic Cormorant 3 Great Blue Heron 2 Snowy Egret 2 American Coot 6 Black Oystercatcher 4 Solitary Sandpiper 1 Black Turnstone 13 Surfbird 1 Western Sandpiper 4 Least Sandpiper 1 Heermann's Gull 11 Western Gull 25 Pigeon Guillemot 3 Rock Pigeon 16 Mourning Dove 4 Anna's Hummingbird 2 Belted Kingfisher 1 Black Phoebe 10 Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 7 Common Raven 24 Barn Swallow 26 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2 Bushtit 6 Bewick's Wren 2 Wrentit 3 Hermit Warbler 1 first fall male Common Yellowthroat 2 Spotted Towhee 1 California Towhee 13 Song Sparrow 11 White-crowned Sparrow (Nuttall's) 33 House Finch 12 American Goldfinch 3 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/california/) Subject: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st From: "sfrosegrower" <leewaysf AT pacbell.net> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:18:57 -0000 I had a juvenile M BH Grosbeak at my feeder on Kris's Bday. Kris was one of the penn-birders who responded to my first post/pic 2 years ago wondering if I had an immature RB or BH Grosbeak in my backyard. Kris drove out to my house and stayed a couple of hours to see the RBG. She was so friendly and always sent a kind reply when I posted. Her posts increased my interest beyond the feeder birds, and I thank Kris for that gift. lee Rudin Subject: Coastside notes ( Sunday ) From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:01:48 EDT This morning, Leonie Batkin and I headed out to the coast. One of the locations we wanted to stop off at was the shorebird habitat at Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay described by Alvaro yesterday in his posting to penbirds. We arrived around 9:30 and was surprise to see Pilarcitos Creek had back up forming a pond. We looked down at the first peeps we observed, ( 1 ) juvenile Western Sandpiper and the other near by a dull colored juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. This individual showed a short bill with a blunt tip. There were about ( 20 ) juvenile Western Sandpipers and a juvenile Least Sandpiper. There were peeps at the far corner of the pond, but we did not take a scope with us. ( 4 ) Oversummering worn Brant were resting on the edge of the pond. We decided to do a seawatch from Moss Beach. We scope the ocean for about one hour. I had done a seawatch on August 18 and on that day there were no Elegant Terns or Parasitic Jaegers. Today was quite a different scene with many Elegant Terns over the ocean from near shore to the horizon. ( 5 ) PARASITIC JAEGERS were observed. Leonie pick out ( 3 ) Parasitic Jaegers harassing a single Elegant Tern. The Parasitic Jaegers are the first we have observed this fall. Flying north were ( 9 ) Sooty Shearwaters and a Rhinoceros Auklet. August 18 seawatch from Moss Beach New arrivals were ( 3 ) breeding plumaged Red-throated Loons flying by. A surprise was a fly by Pacific Loon in breeding plumage. The Pacific Loon could be an early migrant. The arrival of Surf Scoters with small groups passing by with a total of ( 32 ). A juvenile Wandering Tattler flew south above the bluff. ( 29 ) Pigeon Guillemots made up of adults and juveniles were flying north. Many at this time of the year are departing the breeding grounds and headed north to the wintering grounds. Ron Thorn and Leonie Batkin Subject: Coyote Point From: Matthew Dodder <mdodder AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:32:14 -0700 All, I watched the sandbar at Coyote Point today from about 9 to 11. Many more ELEGANT TERNS have arrived since last weekend. I counted at least 20 BLACK TURNSTONES, two WANDERING TATTLERS, one OYSTERCATCHER along with several WHIMBREL, SEMPALMATED and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. The male HARLEQUIN DUCK also made an appearance, coming quite close to the sandbar at about 11:00. . . . Matthew Dodder Mountain View, CA http://www.birdguy.net http://www.zazzle.com/mdodder [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pilarcitos Creek mouth birds From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:17:56 -0700 Folks Today at the pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek in Half Moon Bay there were some goodies. Two Semipalmated Sandpipers were in with the 20 or so Westerns, and single Least. One juvenile Semi was very dull and greyish, the other one rather bright. This latter bird I was trying to turn into a stint in the field but alas the photos show it to be a Semipalmated. A real surprise there was a juvenile Mew Gull, the earliest I have ever seen one in the state! Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Kris' bird From: Pixie couch <pixiec AT mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:01:56 -0700 My contribution to Kris' birthday birding is a female hooded oriole who, pretending to be a humming bird, drank from the morning glory flowers covering a plum tree in my yard in Menlo Park. Pixie Couch Subject: nearby bird highlights From: Karen DeMello <karen.demello AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:34:18 -0700 Hello pen-birders, This may be out of San Mateo County since it was near Skyline Blvd & Page Mill Rd/Alpine Rd. However I too was thinking about Kris today, and we had better-than-usual bird experiences this evening for our midpen bat walk. As we gathered in the Russian Ridge parking lot an OSPREY flew over! Wow!!! We then went under Alpine Road through the tunnel to Skyline Ridge where we saw Red-Shouldered Hawk, Acorn Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, Band-tailed Pigeon, House Finch, Black Phoebe, California Quail & more on a short walk. The grand finale was watching the bats from the Daniels Nature Center at Alpine Pond when a GREAT HORNED OWL flew in the twilight sky beyond the pond and perched on an oak in the distance. A beautiful evening, to be sure. Karen DeMello Mountain View [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Menlo Park From: Rich Ferrick <richferrick AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 04:43:08 +0000 (UTC) Hi Pen Birders: Went out this morning, with binoculars in hand, and ran a loop that included Flood Park, Kelly Park and Bayfront Park on Kris' birthday. A Black-headed Grosbeak was a nice surprise in the neighborhood, not often detected here.Ā Joined by the other regulars, including a California Thrasher family. There was a Eurasian Collared Dove near Kelly Park. Bayfront Park held a few Green-winged Teal and a Ruddy Duck, along with the Mallards. A Spotted Sandpiper was also in the slough nearĀ the entrance. 43 species overĀ the couple of hours I was out and about. Rich [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bayside observations on Saturday From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:24:22 EDT Today, Leonie and myself met up with Michael Scott at Coyote Point. We reminisce of the times we spent with Kris Olson. Coyote Point was one of her favorite places to bird. A male Surf Scoter flying in from the north over San Francisco Bay was the first arrival notice on the bayside. As we walk up to the salt marsh, a juvenile Wandering Tattler was observed flying to the south. Gaining elevation, the Wandering Tattler headed towards East Third Avenue in San Mateo. We later found ( 2 ) more juvenile Wandering Tattlers on the shoreline near the boat channel. ( 70 ) adult Black Turnstones roosting on the shoreline as the tide came in was an unexpected number for this time of the year and is more expected during the winter months. A migrant juvenile Cooper's Hawk passed over Coyote Point scaring a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons out of the Eucalyptus Trees. A juvenile Western Kingbird flew in from the Sweet Fennel scattered along the trail north of the yacht club and continue south until well out of sight. Small numbers of Western Kingbirds pass through along the bayside in the fall compared to in the spring when the species is quite common. ( 6 ) Migrant Savannah Sparrows were along the trail next to the salt marsh. Some of the Savannah Sparrows were departing the area and flying south. We enjoyed the morning at Coyote Point feeling Kris's presence with us. Later in the afternoon, Leonie and myself headed over to the waterbird ponds at Radio Road in Redwood Shores. A juvenile Green Heron near the cattails on the west side of the wastewater treatment plant is the first I can recall seen on the waterbird pond. The first Elegant Terns we have seen this season at Radio Road were an adult and a juvenile. The number of Black Skimmers increase with ( 6 ) adults. More Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal have arrived. We stopped of at the Ravenswood Trail in Menlo Park. New arrivals were ( 8 ) adult Red-necked Phalaropes foraging on the small ponds on the mudflats, as the tide went out. Happy Birthday dear friend Kris from Ron Thorn, Leonie Batkin and Michael Scott. Subject: Marina Lagoon- Kris's Birthday From: Virginia Marshall <ginnybirder AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:46:40 -0700 (PDT) I had to work today, but I went out early and birded Lakeshore Park and Marina Lagoon in San Mateo before work.  There were Nuttall's Woodpeckers and Oak Titmice in the willows on Marina Court.  The numbers of Crows and Canada Geese have risen dramatically recently, but the geese didn't have any interesting friends.  Mallards are still the only ducks in the lagoon but one Coot and one Pied -billed Grebe were new for the season.  Several juvenile Black Crowned Night-Herons were flying back to their night roosts and one adult was still fishing.  I only saw one Forster's Tern.  A few weeks ago I would have seen 20.  There were a few Ring-billed Gulls and one California Gull on the beach.  A Spotted Sandpiper was on the rocks near the beach.  Other birds seen or heard include: House Finch, Cal Towhee, Starling, Double Crested Cormorant and Black Phoebe. We miss you Kris. Ginny [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Clapper Rail @ Millbrae Avenue 8/21/10 From: "George Chrisman" <geodani55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:34:03 -0000 I stopped at the Bay Trail parking area along the Bay near the east end of Millbrae Avenue around 2:30 PM to catch the receding tide. There were almost 300 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, along with lesser numbers of the expected shorebirds. While scoping the mudflats, I spotted a CLAPPER RAIL preening at the edge of one of the salicornia islands near the SFO runway. It remained in the open for a few minutes prior to walking across the mudflat to another area of the marsh closer to the runway before disappearing into the vegetation. This is the first rail I have seen in this area along hotel row in Burlingame in about 30 years. There were also about 70 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS roosting on the ground on a sand bar at the very south end of the runway that projects out into the Bay closest to Coyote Point. I do not recall ever seeing such a large gathering of cormorants on the ground in this area. Happy Birthday Kris. George Chrisman Burlingame, CA Subject: Pectoral Sandpiper etc., Pescadero Marsh 8/21/2010 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:18:19 -0700 (PDT) Hello All, I spent 4 drizzly hours in and around Pescadero Marsh this morning 8/21/2010, canvassing it as thoroughly as I could. When I arrived at the lagoon at 8:30 there were several hundred peeps (I estimated 380) at the lagoon, almost all of them Western Sandpipers, but they cleared off pretty soon - perhaps to the exposed mud on the North Pond, where I hadn't found much at 7:30. There were 5 Semipalmated Plovers hanging around with them too, and a couple of Greater Yellowlegs nearby. Eleven Common Mergansers were present at the very back of the lagoon, around the first bend. A dark Merlin swept through at one point as well, but showed no interest in the shorebirds. I then walked back along Pescadero Creek to the end of that trail (that, and all other trails at the marsh have recently been very well cleared of brush - I saw a crew of 20 or so Dept of Corrections workers here midweek). At the defunct set of valves and culverts about 1/4 mile back, an adult Green Heron and an adult + juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron all spooked from hiding along the dike. (The 3 more common heron & egret species were present in the vicinity too - must be some fish around.) A lingering Swainson's Thrush called from hiding in the willows at the base of the hill. I then moved over to the trail which enters the marsh from Pescadero Rd near Hwy 1. One Red-necked Phalarope, nearing basic plumage, was in the small freshwater pond visible from Pescadero Rd, with several dozen peeps. I carefully scanned the shorebirds in the slough adjacent to the dike that trail follows, finding nothing new, but 2 hidden Virginia Rails exchanged calls after a while. Then at 11:15, as if to provide a fitting capstone to the morning's effort, a larger shorebird with markings similar to the nearby Least Sandpipers flew past me up the slough and landed within scoping range - but, it promptly entered the vegetation at the edge of a mud bar, and I had to wait for many minutes for it to re-emerge. I was thinking Baird's Sandpiper as that species has been popping up for people lately, but when I finally got a good look at the bird it clearly had yellowish legs and a pale base to its bill, and it dawned on me that it was a Pectoral Sandpiper - my first on the coastside. It was still there when I left at 11:30. Happy birthday, Kris! Garth Harwood Pescadero Subject: Half Moon Bay birds From: "Alvaro Jaramillo" <chucao AT coastside.net> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:23:54 -0700 Folks I was away and returned last Monday to Half Moon Bay. The pond at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek which had been full of gulls when I left is still nicely stocked with gulls, but now shorebirds as well. The first juvenile Western Gulls where there on Tuesday, and returning Snowy Plovers (24 - just south of the pond on the beach). Today during a morning run it was pretty good there - Elegant Terns (45) Snowy Plover (18) Western Sandpiper (30) Least Sandpiper (2) But south on the beach two larger shorebirds flew by close, adult Red Knots! One with plenty of red on the belly. Farther south, almost to Poplar a larger peep flew off (it was all by itself, well away from all other shorebirds) and gave a distinctive rolling call - Baird's Sandpiper! The bird flew south and then came back north right over my head and I could confirm size, and the breast pattern as the Pectoral Sandpiper can have a similar call. Right offshore was a breeding adult Red-throated Loon, and that surprised me. I have not seen such a well marked one for a while and it made me consider if it could be a migrant at this date? That pond is well worth looking at now that the shorebirds are stopping by! Also on Tuesday migrant Wilson's and Yellow warblers in my backyard along with a young Bullock's Oriole. No other backyard migrants since then curiously. Good birding, Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Eurasian Collared-Dove fledgling at Redwood Shores office From: Mike Aicardi <vulpix7_94401 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:42:26 -0700 (PDT) This afternoon I spotted a Eurasian Collared-Dove fledgling accompanied by it's parents in the parking lot outside of my office.  The three were in a White Alder.  The fledgling was being fed by an Adult.  I had noticed two adult Eurasian Collared-Doves collecting nesting material in front of our office about a month ago.  I am fairly confident that they built a nest in one of the adjacent Pines nearby the White Alder.  This was the first brood I have had the privilege to observe at this location.  I have marked the locations on the map below. 240A Twin Dolphin Dr. is the location.  Here's a map with precise location: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103335782393138108733.0004609d5de3d4d16c06b&ll=37.521774,-122.261586&spn=0.000949,0.001725&t=h&z=19 -Mike [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: elegant terns From: Allan Wofchuck <ajmtwof AT pacbell.net> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:00:18 -0700 (PDT) Today today i saw about 30 elegant terns on the Jetty near the boat launch in  Princeton harbor Allan Wofchuck ajmtwof AT pacbell.net redwood city,calif [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Great Blue Heron young From: "lduerson AT sbcglobal.net" <lduerson@sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:53:27 -0000 This morning at 9:30 I was biking around Redwood Shores and watched two young Great Blue Herons trying to learn to fly. These two young birds were under the high power lines just south of the dog park. Walk up onto the levee and look directly under the tower. They were guarded by an adult which watched me and the antics of the two young. It was fun to watch them clumsily flap and exercise their wings as they lunged forward, stumbling and crashing into one another. Other notes: More Shovelers are starting to arrive in Belmont slough. Lots of mallards were feeding in the sloughs with the drakes starting to come out of eclipse plumage. Lots of bat rays could be seen swimming up the sloughs following the high tide in. It appears that the spraying of the invasive spartina cordgrass is in full swing with lots of the grass coated with the blue herbicide they use. Last week there was a helicopter skimming the grass on Bair Island, and it appeared to be spraying. Lets hope that they are successful in controlling this invasive species. Check the Tideline Magazine (2005 article) on the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge Website for more information about this invasive specie and its effect on the bay. Alan Duerson San Carlos Subject: Fw: [MBB] Rancho Los Osos & AƱo Nuevo Birds etc From: jennifer rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:42:30 -0700 (GMT-07:00) FYI re. Black Swift still at Ano Nuevo Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA -----Forwarded Message----- >From: Pete Sole >Sent: Aug 19, 2010 7:12 PM >To: mbb AT biology.ucsc.edu >Subject: [MBB] Rancho Los Osos & AƱo Nuevo Birds etc > >Hi, > >Birding Rancho Los Osos State Park and AƱo Nuevo State Preserve produced >a nice mix of birds and other animals today Aug. 19, 2010. > >At Los Osos highlights included: > 1 Western Wood-Pewee > 1 Nuttall's Woodpecker > 1 Hairy Woodpecker > 3+ Red Shafted Flickers > 3+ Wilson's Warblers > 3 Winter Wrens > >Other birds/usual suspects at Los Osos included > 12+ Song Sparrows (seemed to be everywhere) > 20+ Bushtits in multiple flocks > 20+ Chestnut sided Chickadees > 12+ Dark Eyed Juncos (seemed to be everywhere) > 4+ Cal Towee > 4+ Spotted Towee > 6+ Wrentits (they seemed to be every where) > 2+ Bewick's Wrens (more were calling) > 1 American Goldfinch > 1 Turkey Vulture > 2+ Black Phoebe > 1 juvi? Hermit or Swainson's Thrush (bird got away before I could >conclusively ID) > 2+ Anna's Hummingbirds > >Out on the ocean > 3+ Pigeon Guillemot > 3+ Common Murre > 1 Western Grebe > 6+ Undetermined Western or Clark's Grebes > 3+ Common Loons > 1 Whimbrel on the beach > >At AƱo Nuevo highlights included: > 1 Black Swift, seemed very large to me so it fits, no white whatsoever > 3+ Savannah Sparrows > 2 Mute Swans (yup, they are still there in the pond) > (not winged, but various numbers and types of pinnipeds) > >Other birds/usual suspects at AƱo Nuevo included: > 3+ Black Oyster Catchers > More Clark/Western Grebes > 6+ Black Turnstones > 2+ Whimbrel > 2+ Willets > Lesser Goldfinches > Song Sparrows > Turkey Vulture > >Note that there were multiple flocks of gulls at both locations but I >did not put any effort into ID. > >Finally, the real highlight of the show was at Los Osos where I saw a >mama, I presume, Bobcat with 2 smaller Bobcats in tow. > >The day ended at Swanton Berry farms where as I pulled out, I saw a huge >whale blow followed by a fluke. As Nancy says ... "And we live here!" > >Good birding and great outdoors, > >Pete Sole >Soquel, CA >_______________________________________________ >mbb mailing list >mbb AT lists.pbsci.ucsc.edu >http://lists.pbsci.ucsc.edu/mailman/listinfo/mbb Subject: White-winged Scoters From: Joseph Morlan <jmorlan AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:49:46 -0700 Today there were three White-winged Scoters at the mouth of Pescadero Creek. Could these be the same as the three birds seen at Pigeon Point earlier in the season? Four Brant were at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek. -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu SF Birding Classes start Sep 14 http://fog.ccsf.edu/jmorlan/ California Bird Records Committee http://www.californiabirds.org/ Western Field Ornithologists http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/ Subject: Elegant terns at Pillar t. From: "James Barnes" <james AT barnesdawn.net> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:56:05 -0700 On Monday afternoon around 5:30 pm, a flock of Elegant terns came in and began fishing the harbor between the old pier and the point trail. When I first walked down they were not there; just a couple of Caspians. I left around 6 and they were still at it. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Half Moon Bay by Kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bkossy AT coastside.net> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:55:56 -0700 Paddled out through the Pillar Pt. Harbor and then into Half Moon Bay. I was out from around 9:45 AM to 11:45 AM. In the harbor saw two lone male Surf Scoters. Outside the mouth of the harbor were two basic plumage Common Loons. A few Caspian Terns flew overhead. A formation of about 10 Brown Pelicans also flew overhead. A cormorant here or there. Out near the Mavericks Buoy (calm calm conditions) was a Western-type Grebe Between the Mav Buoy and the Green Buoy to the south was a young Sea Otter. First I've seen in a long while. Probably a young male. Three or four Pigeon Guillemot flew low over the water. Between that near green buoy and the harbor mouth I found about 10 pair of Common Grebe dads and chicks. I first found them by listening for them. Their calls carried easily in the relatively calm air. Harassing them mildly, were a few immature Heerman's Gulls. Back in the harbor, still no Elegant Terns. Also not spotted: Sooty Shearwaters. It was nice out there. I even forgot about the sharks. Barbara Moss Beach Subject: FW: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st From: "Leonie Batkin" <lbatkin AT stanford.edu> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:57:04 -0700 -----Original Message----- From: Leonie Batkin Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 8:52 PM To: peninsula-birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st Dear Peninsula Birders, This Saturday, August 21st, would have been Kris Olson's birthday. We would like to ask that we all join together in honor of her birthday and get out somewhere in San Mateo County and send in a report of the birds you experienced. Kris was always enthisiastic about every experience. Let us all continue that legacy. Thank you to all her friends far and wide. Please encourage all birders no matter what county or country to participate in the honor of celebrating Kris's birthday in San Mateo County. Get out and bird in her honor, Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin Subject: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st From: "Leonie Batkin" <lbatkin AT stanford.edu> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:51:50 -0700 Dear Peninsula Birders, This Saturday, August 21st, would have been Kris Olson's birthday. We would like to ask that we all join together in honor of her birthday and get out somewhere in San Mateo County and send in a report of the birds you experienced. Kris was always enthisiastic about every experience. Let us all continue that legacy. Thank you to all her friends far and wide. Please encourage all birders no matter what county or country to participate in the honor of celebrating Kris's birthday in San Mateo County. Get out and bird in her honor, Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin Subject: Kris Olson's Birthday August 21st From: "Leonie Batkin" <lbatkin AT stanford.edu> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:34:01 -0700 Dear Peninsula Birders, This Saturday, August 21st, would have been Kris Olson's birthday. We would like to ask that we all join together in honor of her birthday and get out somewhere in San Mateo County and send in a report of the birds you experienced. Kris was always enthisiastic about every experience. Let us all continue that legacy. Thank you to all her friends far and wide, Ron Thorn Leonie Batkin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Coast birding 8/15 From: Chuq Von Rospach <chuqvr AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:30:36 -0700 > I did have a mystery bird, WAY WAY out. This is a 2X magnification of > a photo, and I'm just not sure what it is (I'm thinking Murrelet?). It > was well out beyond the rocks. Anyone want to help with the ID? > > http://www.chuqui.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bird1.jpg Thanks, all. The feedback was unanimous that it was a pigeon guilllemot. Which it is, but for some reason, that bird in that photo simply didn't look like one to me. Honestly, it still doesn't. and I can't really explain why not. It just doesn't. Which is why it's a good idea to be willing to say "I don't know" and ask for help rather than force an ID on something when you're not sure.... Appreciate the feedback! -- Chuq Von Rospach - http://www.chuqui.com (chuqvr AT gmail.com; chuqui AT me.com; Twitter: AT chuq) Subject: Burlingame Osprey returns From: "George Chrisman" <geodani55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:29:31 -0000 This morning 8/16/10, there was an Osprey perched on the power lines above Sanchez Creek Lagoon in Burlingame. This is at least the 5th year in a row that there has been an Osprey at this location. This is the earliest arrival I have had here. In prior years it has arrived in September or October and usually can be seen daily until the beginning of February when it disappears for the spring and summer. It can be seen from Highway 101 just south of the Anza Road offramp. There is a walking trail along the opposite shore, closer to the airport parking and offices. This bird is a regular for the Crystal Springs Christmas Count. Good Birding, George Chrisman Burlingame, CA Subject: Coast birding 8/15 From: Chuq Von Rospach <chuqvr AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:33:25 -0700 Laurie and I had brunch with friends on the coast today, and after took some time to explore a bit. we started at Fitzgerald, which was really quiet (and seriously high tide). the ravine was empty and the highlight bird was the Heerman's gull that's figured out picnics and wanders the beach. I had a chance to have a quick talk with one of the rangers who let me know she'd seen both a wandering tattler and surfbirds on the rocks N of the entry area but when I checked, they weren't to be seen. She confirmed that the Townsend's Warblers haven't arrived, but we're both looking forward to that. Nothing worth filing on ebird. she did note there was a dead Stellar's Sea Lion that had washed up (then she had to go shag a couple of people who went to visit the seals...) Afterwards, since Laurie had never visited Gazos creek, we went down to that area and stopped at the cloverdale junction. It was early afternoon and the sun had broken out and rather breezy, so it was pretty quiet. the only birds of note were two wrentits that we teased out of the bushes next to the gate leading to the bridge over the creek at the overlook. even nicer, wrentit is a lifer (my tenth this year). On the way down to Gazos a bit N of Pigeon Point we suddenly had a flurry of pigeons flying around. I looked and found a falcon flying across the street from the rapidly dispersing pigeon flock. I got a good view of it in silhouette and came home and confirmed it to be a peregrine, which is what I thought it was from the relative size and shape. It missed. After Gazos we went back up to pigeon point and explored. the guilllemots were in good form, and there was a sea otter sleeping in the cove to the S of the lighthouse, along with good numbers of seals. Not a lot of birds, but some interesting ones. I found single birds of both pacific and red-throated loon out in the water S of the lighthouse. A possible common murre, but with just binocs i couldn't be sure (and the photos I took didn't help). A brown lump on a rock on the S side of the point turned out to be a sleeping surfbird. Laurie found another. Photos of the lumps confirmed they were surfbirds, and showed eight more that neither of us could see with binocs, for a total of ten. I did have a mystery bird, WAY WAY out. This is a 2X magnification of a photo, and I'm just not sure what it is (I'm thinking Murrelet?). It was well out beyond the rocks. Anyone want to help with the ID? http://www.chuqui.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bird1.jpg thanks! chuq Location: Gazos Creek Rd. at Cloverdale Rd. Observation date: 8/15/10 Number of species: 3 Turkey Vulture 2 Wrentit 2 Song Sparrow 1 Location: Pigeon Pt. Observation date: 8/15/10 Number of species: 13 Red-throated Loon 1 Pacific Loon 1 Brown Pelican 2 Brandt's Cormorant 2 Double-crested Cormorant X Pelagic Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Surfbird 10 California Gull X Pigeon Guillemot 25 Song Sparrow 1 Red-winged Blackbird X Brewer's Blackbird X -- Chuq Von Rospach - http://www.chuqui.com (chuqvr AT gmail.com; chuqui AT me.com; Twitter: AT chuq) Subject: Baird's Sandpiper and other notes From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:12:35 EDT This morning, Leonie Batkin and myself stopped off at Pescadero Marsh hoping there would be more shorebirds arrivals, as few were present last weekend. There were new arrivals with ( 40- 50 ) juvenile Western Sandpipers, ( 15-20 ) juvenile Least Sandpipers and ( 10 ) Semipalmated Plovers made up of adults and the first juveniles this fall. A juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was foraging on the mudflats with the above species at the north pond along Highway 1. The visibility at Pigeon Point was crystal clear. Birds over the ocean were way out at the horizon. There were about ( 20 ) Sooty Shearwaters. ( 3 ) Male Surf Scoters flew by together and are the first arrivals for the fall. Along Highway 92 east of Half Moon Bay, a juvenile male Sharp-shinned Hawk flew overhead and is the first of the juveniles seen this fall. I have been trying to make it a daily ritual in stopping at the waterbird ponds along Radio Road in Redwood Shores. New arrivals today were ( 2 ) juvenile Greater Yellowlegs. A juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs was on the long island among the many roosting shorebirds. The single adult Black Skimmer that has been present was join by a second adult. August 10 Elegant Tern reached a number of ( 14 ) at Coyote Point. August 12 The first arrival of a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher was at Radio Road. It was a late arrival for a juvenile, as the first juveniles usually appear by the time the month of July is over with. August 13 The first arrival of Green-winged Teal were at Radio Road, where ( 6 ) were present. August 14 We did a survey of birds at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in Portola Valley. A pair of Ring-necked Ducks on Searsville Lake were an early arrival. The adult Osprey seen off and on since spring stopped for a visit before departing. A female/immature American Kestrel was a new arrival. ( 3 ) Hatch-year Vaux's Swifts were with ( 50-60 ) Violet-green Swallows over the lake. Getting on the late side was a fledgling Warbling Vireo being fed. Although, there were Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Wilson's Warblers, the only obvious migrant was a Yellow Warbler. The other ( 3 ) species breed at the preserve, but not Yellow Warbler. At Radio Road, a Wilson's Phalarope was present. An adult hybrid Gluacous-winged x Western Gull could have been a fall arrival. Ron Thorn and Leonie Batkin Subject: Common Tern From: Al Eisner <eisner AT SLAC.Stanford.EDU> Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:18:37 -0700 (PDT) At Coyote Point this morning (August 14) I had what appeared to be a second-summer Common Tern. I gather that the plumage at this age is somewhat variable, so I'm including a bit of a description, and I would be interested in feeedback, especially if there's anything inconsistent with that ID. The bird was with a few dozen Forster's Terns at the edge of the Bay east of the marina. The black cap did not extend to the bill, but cut off, fairly evenly on both the upper face and crown, just in front of the eye, with white forward of that line. The overcast conditions made it easy to determine that the crown (behind that division) was solid black, with none of the pale mottling that a molting adult Forster's Tern acquires. (There were many Forster's in that plumage.) The bill was mostly oragne-red, and shorter than that of the nearby Forster's adults. The legs were probably also shorter, although I can't absolutely rule out the bird standing in a depression. I didn't pick up any hint of a carpal bar, but I'm not sure this plumage would need to show one. Before I could move to a closer location, the bird took off by itself (the other Terns remaining on the ground) and flew over the marina, where I lost it. I didn't have a good angle on the bird in flight, but I had the impression the upperwings were pale gray (not white, and I didn't notice any dark regions, although I'm not sure I would have). I stayed another 30 to 40 minutes, but it didn't return. A bit later, 2 Elegant Terns came in to the same area. I also checked behind the museum, where I found only resident species, but there were many birds (dominated by a large number of Mourning Doves) feeding on the ground, so perhaps conditions there are attractive for ground-feeders. On my way home I made a brief stop at the Radio Road ponds in Redwood Shores: one American White Pelican and one Black Skimmer were the only birds of note. Al Eisner Subject: Pillar Pt. Harbor by kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bkossy AT coastside.net> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:51:12 -0700 Kayaked the harbor this morning. Highlights included: Dozens of Black Turnstones. Birds were on every breakwater. 1 Ruddy Turnstone 4 Black-crowned Night Herons roosting in the cypress trees on the Mavericks trail 1 Great Blue Heron in the same trees Approx. 40 DC Cormorants on the inner BW (breakwater) 2 Brants Cormorants on the inner BW a group of about 30 hatch year W. Gulls swimming together, west of the small boat ramp Another 30 of varying ages on the inner BW Zero terns of any kind 3 males Surf Scoters, not associating with each other 2 basic plumage Pacific Loons, preening 4 Black Oystercatchers on the inner BW 1 California Gull on a breakwater 10 Heerman's gulls here and there 50 Brown Pelicans, mostly on the breakwater, not diving. Subject: Pigeon pt. Oops From: Dominik Mosur <polskatata AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:12:52 -0700 (PDT) Meant to add basic PACIFIC LOON on the water. Sorry, fat fingers small keyboard. Dominik Mosur San Francisco Sent from my iPhone Subject: Pigeon pt. 8/13/10 From: Dominik Mosur <polskatata AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:10:25 -0700 (PDT) Scoped the water north of Pigeon Pt. around 4 p.m. The waves were flat and I was able to see (6) MARBLED Murrelets in close. There was also a basic plumage Sent from my iPhone Subject: juvenile Wandering Tattler From: "pauldonahue9" <charadrius1 AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:41:08 -0000 Thursday afternoon I saw my first juvenile Wandering Tattler of the season. It was with 3 other individuals along the shore of Rockaway Headland in Pacifica. Paul Donahue Subject: Ano Nuevo Birds From: Robert Dell'Immagine <rdellimmagine AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 07:54:31 -0700 Saturday morning I did the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society trip to Ano Nuevo. Sorry for the delay, but I thought someone would report the sightings. Since not, I'll do it now. Bob Reiling led an excellent trip -- well done!! There were lots of other experienced people as well. On walk from parking lot to staging area and back: wrentit (several, also heard) orange-crowned warbler (one in brush) wilson's warbler (one by bathrooms at staging area) bank swallow (flying over pond; also in field near staging area; good views) cliff swallow barn swallow northern rough-winged swallow (reported by others; not seen by me) violet-green swallow (reported by others; not seen by me) bewick's wren chestnut-backed chickadee northern flicker american goldfinch white-crowned sparrow common yellowthroat (female at pond and male near far end facing west) white-tailed kite (one far away in scope) turkey vulture At south-facing coast near staging area: caspian tern (one flying over ocean) pigeon guillemot (several) black turnstone (6 or so on rocks) marbled murrelet (several, seen through scopes pretty far out) pelagic cormorant (many, some on nests) brandt's cormorant (many, on rocks) -- one brandt's and one pelagic flew by next to each other for a good comparison: very sporting of them heermann's gulls (a few) brown pelican Far end facing west: - black oystercatchers (on rocks at shore both north and south of viewing area) - elephant seals (here for 4-6 weeks for molting season) - california sealions (on island) - steller's sealions (on island) Robert Dell'Immagine Menlo Park Subject: Skyline Ridge Merlin 8/8/10 From: "George Chrisman" <geodani55 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:14:45 -0000 Today I hikes around Horseshoe Lake at Skyline Ridge OSP from 11:30- 2:00 PM. It was only 56 degrees, but the fog cleared shortly after noontime. Best birds were a juvenile GREEN HERON fishing along the shoreline of Horseshoe Lake, along with at least 3 juvenile AMERICAN COOTS with their parents. On the hill above the lake, there was a juvenile HERMIT THRUSH feeding along the ground under the coyote bush with a single adult WILSON'S WARBLER feeding above it. When I returned to the eqestrian parking lot, there was a raptor perched on a power pole across Skyline Blvd. It was a female or juvenile MERLIN. I had good looks in the scope at its black and white banded tail, streaked breast, and weak moustache. A crude photo can be seen here for the record http://www.flickr.com/photos/12329229 AT N03/4874618466/ Other interesting sightings today included 4 WILD TURKEYS along Portola State Park Road and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER near the vineyard. The female AMERICAN KESTREL was at its usual perch along the power lines on Alpine Road as described by David Sudjjian in previous posts. Good Birding, George Chrisman Burlingame, CA Subject: Radio Road Lesser Yellowlegs, pic From: Tom Grey <tgrey AT law.stanford.edu> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 18:24:48 -0700 A single molting LESSER YELLOWLEGS was on the first long island at Radio Road this morning. Picture at http://www.pbase.com/tgrey/latest . -- Tom Grey www.pbase.com/tgrey tgreybirds.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Green Heron From: Matthew Dodder <mdodder AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 15:46:57 -0700 All, Forgot to mention a GREEN HERON crossed Redwood Shores Parkway, just south of Electronic Arts Parkway. We saw it as we were making our way to Radio Road, and It was flying east, just inches over the traffic, probably toward the Nob Hill ponds. . . . Matthew Dodder Mountain View, CA http://www.birdguy.net http://www.zazzle.com/mdodder [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Coyote Point and Radio Road From: Matthew Dodder <mdodder AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 14:13:38 -0700 All, Kaz Hayashi and I visited Coyote Point marina this morning, hoping to find Elegant Terns. After waiting for some time, three ELEGANT TERNS finally flew into the Tern roost. Also present were two BLACK SKIMMERS, small numbers of WHIMBREL, BLACK TURNSTONES and one BLACK OYSTERCATCHER. Many other expected Shorebirds were there such as Willets, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Marbled Godwits, Least and Western Sandpipers. At the Radio Road ponds we found three WILSON'S PHALAROPES. . . . Matthew Dodder Mountain View, CA http://www.birdguy.net http://www.zazzle.com/mdodder [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wandering Tattler at Pigeon Point From: Robert Dell'Immagine <rdellimmagine AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 15:27:39 -0700 Following up on Jennifer's post yesterday, I saw a single Wandering Tattler at Pigeon Point at 1pm today. It caught a small fish and ate it on the rocks below the farthest viewing deck past the lighthouse. Robert Dell'Immmagine Menlo Park Subject: Shrike, San Gregorio 8/6/2010 From: flycatcher AT southcoast.net Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 19:35:54 -0700 (PDT) Hello All, A Loggerhead Shrike was on the electrical wires adjacent to Hwy 84, just under 1/2 mile east of San Gregorio this evening at about 7PM. Garth Harwood Pescadero Subject: Recent sightings ( August 1-6 ) From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 17:47:55 EDT Here are some recent sightings from August 1-6. August 1, the first juvenile Greater Yellowlegs of the fall was with adults at Radio Road in Redwood Shores. August 2, the male Harlequin Duck was sighted resting on a concrete block east of the Coyote Point Marina. The long staying Harlequin Duck is starting it's eighth year at Coyote Point. ( 4 ) Juvenile Western Sandpipers were the first of the season. The juveniles were the latest arrival I have ever noted. My earliest arrival dates for juvenile Western Sandpiper have all been in the last week of July. A juvenile Least Sandpiper was my first arrival of this age. An adult Glaucous-winged Gull could be an early arrival. I do have records of adults showing up in the month of August. August 3, the first Northern Shovelers arrive in Redwood Shores. The Northern Shovelers were all males, as expected with the first arrivals. August 4, a couple of passerines moving through at Nob Hill pond in Redwood Shores were a juvenile Ash-throated Flycatcher and an adult male Common Yellowthroat. There are still Hooded Orioles present with an earlier brood and one just out of the nest. ( 25 ) American White Pelicans were present and were all juveniles at Redwood Shores. It has been a very productive year for juveniles. The first dispersant juvenile American Coot was at Radio Road. A Great Horned Owl was flying at dusk near Whipple Avenue, a couple of blocks west of El Camino Real in Redwood City. This area is block 6545 in the San Mateo County Breeding Bird Atlas, where there are no records during the breeding season. August 5, a begging juvenile Elegant Tern at Coyote Point was the first of this age I have seen this fall. ( 25 ) Brown-headed Cowbirds were moving through Coyote Point. Radio Road in Redwood Shores had among Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows, a Rough-winged Swallow and ( 3 ) Tree Swallows. Tree Swallows are uncommon fall migrants on the bayside in San Mateo County. August 6, while I was at Radio Road, shorebirds panic and were in flight. I looked around for a raptor and adult Osprey was circling over the waterbird ponds and preceded to the northwest. Ron Thorn and Leonie Batkin Subject: San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory California Fall Challenge From: "Leonie Batkin" <lbatkin AT stanford.edu> Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 12:44:25 -0700 Dear Fellow San Mateo County Birders, Today the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory announced its 2010 California Fall Challenge which starts September 10th. This is wonderful opportunity for everyone to show support of this great organization and its science projects. There are many ways to participate this year including one of my personal favorites among the Guided Trips the Pelagic Pirates with Alvaro Jaramillo and Chris Benesh which will depart from Half Moon Bay on Saturday, September 11th. You may recall that a Short-tailed Albatross was seen on this trip last year. There are many other great trips open for registration that provide opportunities to visit our neighbor counties in the Bay Area! Perhaps you would like to take on a Bird-a-thon challenge with a Big Day in San Mateo County and enter the Mewaldt Cup. This year for the first time there is a new category the Stilt Cup designed for high school students. If you are a photographer you can enter the Click Off! The Annual Meeting on October 17th at Hidden Villa will include an awesome Silent Auction and presentation of fundraising and bird-a-thon prizes. Please see details for the California Fall Challenge on the SFBBO website at http://www.sfbbo.org/ Let's show our support of SFBBO and sign up to help bolster bird science in the San Francisco Bay Area, Leonie Batkin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wandering Tattlers at Pillar Point From: Jennifer Rycenga <gyrrlfalcon AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 10:32:00 -0700 Yesterday, around 5:00 pm, I was birding with some out-of-town guests at Pillar Point. There were two WANDERING TATTLERS along the breakwater, as well as many BLACK TURNSTONES, a few WHIMBREL, a molting BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and large flocks of SANDERLINGS. As we were leaving, a PEREGRINE FALCON flew overhead. Good birding. Jennifer Rycenga Half Moon Bay, CA visit http://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/ The San Mateo County Birding Guide Subject: Lawrence's Goldfinch at Los Trancos (& Monte Bello) From: "Garth Harwood" <gharwood AT hiddenvilla.org> Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:04:54 -0700 Hi All, A female Lawrence's Goldfinch was ground-feeding and wire-perching with a small group of Lessers in the vicinity of the top of the White Oak Trail at Monte Bello Preserve this AM 8/4/2010. Astute observers will note that this spot is in Santa Clara County by a few yards. Given the extreme proximity of the county line I hung out with the flock for a good while and sure enough, she crossed over into Los Trancos OSP and San Mateo County after a while. Eventually however, she did return to a point close to the original location and was last seen there sitting on top of a coyote bush inside Gate MB04 at about 9:30AM. She is very drab and could easily be mistaken for a faded Lesser except at close range. I was thankful for her merry tinkling calls which she gave often, allowing a close approach and proper inspection. --Garth Harwood Pescadero [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: More Violet-green Swallow staging 8/2-3/2010 From: "Garth Harwood" <gharwood AT hiddenvilla.org> Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 17:11:32 -0700 Hi All, The massing of Violet-green Swallows along Skyline seems to be peaking. Last evening there were about 700 VGSW on the wires adjacent to the lone residence about 3 miles west of Skyline Blvd on Alpine Rd, and this morning 8/3/2010 at 7:30, that number had climbed to an impressive 1,500+. I detected no other species mixed into this flock, but in the past these staging events have been known to include the odd Purple Martin and there are sometimes swifts zipping about when the swallows are airborne. Garth Harwood Pescadero [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pacifica From: Donald Pendleton <pen55ton AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 13:55:51 -0700 (PDT) This afternoon there were about 60 elegant and 40 caspian terns on the beach adjacent to the sharp Park golf course, south of the Pacifica pier. Also, there was an solitary immature marbled murelett swimming in the surf, same beach.  Don Pendleton East Palo Alto  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Radio Road From: Donald Pendleton <pen55ton AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 13:51:43 -0700 (PDT) This morning there was a solitary wilson's phalarope in the large pond between the dog park and the sewage treatment facilities.  Don Pendleton East Palo Alto [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: July 31 Half Moon Bay: Trip Report From: "Leonie Batkin" <lbatkin AT stanford.edu> Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 10:06:09 -0700 Dear Peninsula Birders, Following is a report posted to Calbirds from Debi Shearwater regarding the fabulous pelagic trip out of Half Moon Bay last Saturday. We were fortunate to be a part of this adventure and the outing exceeded our expectations. Thanks to Debi and her fine staff of leaders which included Peter Pyle, Matt Brady and Wes Fritz the experience was one we will never forget. The thrill of seeing and studying so many Long-tailed Jaegers we talked about all weekend and are sure to be talking about for a long time. Seeing the whales, dolphins and other marine life gave us and others on board great pleasure. Shearwater Journeys has other departures from Half Moon Bay and we would encourage all birders in the County to get out and experience the birds and marine mammals that are in our off shore waters. It is an adventure not to be missed. Leonie Batkin Ron Thorn -----Original Message----- From: CALBIRDS AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:CALBIRDS AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Debra Shearwater Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2010 5:58 PM To: Debi Shearwater Subject: [CALBIRDS] July 31 Half Moon Bay: Trip Report Howdy, Seabirders, The full trip report for Shearwater Journeys' first pelagic trip of the fall season, July 31 departing from Half Moon Bay, can be found at: http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com/2010/08/trip-report-july-31-2010- half-moon-bay.html Highlights included: 4 COOK'S PETRELS, 2 LAYSAN ALBATROSSES; 50 ASHY STORM-PETRELS; 2 SOUTH POLAR SKUAS; 45 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; 15 SABINE'S GULLS and 14 ARCTIC TERNS. All of these species, including the Cook's Petrels were found in both SAN MATEO and SAN FRANCISCO COUNTIES! A MARBLED MURRELET and TUFTED PUFFIN were seen in San Mateo County, along with many other species for both counties. Marine mammal highlights included lunge-feeding BLUE and HUMPBACK WHALES. Our next trip, with space available is Friday, August 6, departing from Monterey. The Farallon Islands trip on August 8th is sold out. The next trips with possibilities for finding Cook's Petrels are: August 11 from Bodega Bay (only 2 spaces open), and August 13 & 15 departing from Fort Bragg; September 11th albacore trip departing from Monterey; and September 13, 17 and 18 departing from Half Moon Bay. In addition, the Fort Bragg trips have at least a 50/50 chance of finding Hawaiian Petrel. The September 9 and 10 trips departing from Monterey have spaces available. Many thanks to all of the participants and leaders. Special thanks to Wes for the excellent chumming- one Laysan Albatross followed our boat for over four hours! Great for the photographers on board! Happy trails, Debi Shearwater Debra Shearwater Shearwater Journeys, Inc. PO Box 190 Hollister, CA 95024 831.637.8527 debi AT shearwaterjourneys.com www.shearwaterjourneys.com www.shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com Subject: Grosbeaks, pigeons, and jays, oh my! From: Jane Tatchell <Jane AT matrixlink.com> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:05:10 -0700 One immature male black-headed grosbeak staring witlessly around from the top of our bird-feeder stand was a good sighting for our yard in unincorporated Redwood City/Atherton border, back on the 23rd. We only get around one sighting each year, so I guess that was it. Today has brought two new yard birds to the same perch - in the morning a Steller's Jay, to the consternation of the resident Western Scrub-Jays, and just now, not one but two Band-Tailed Pigeons. Wow, they are big when one's used to seeing only Mourning Doves! When it flew down to amble round the yard and sample what was on offer, another one appeared from behind the apple tree. They both wandered within about a yard of Peter and me, standing at the kitchen door, staring in amazement. Killer views! And boy, when they both decided to fly up and land on the feeder stand, it certainly wobbled - as I said before, they're big! Hmm, what next? Can I whistle up another woodland bird? Calling all Goshawks! -- Jane Tatchell Subject: Coast and bay sides From: Tronthorn AT aol.com Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:16:32 EDT This morning, I venture out to the coast and late morning on the bay side. Stopping just south of Tunitas Creek along Highway 1, I scoped to the bluffs along the beach on the north side of Tunitas Creek. There were ( 7 ) Pelagic Cormorant nestsites with young. A high number of ( 75 ) Pigeon Guillemots were on the large rock or nearby in the water. Seawatching at Pigeon Point, there were many shearwaters flying north. The light was dim at the time, I could only identify ( 43 ) Pink-footed Shearwaters and ( 140 ) Sooty Shearwaters. The highlight was a BLUE WHALE! I have not seen a Blue Whale from Pigeon Point in many years. I have read that Krill is very close to shore and Blue Whales are being seen in other counties. An American Kestrel flying over the fields at Pigeon Point was a dispersant. At Pescadero Marsh, no peeps and only ( 2 ) alternate plumaged Long-billed Dowitchers. Scanning the ocean from just south of Pescadero Creek, it was obvious there were large feeding frenzies near the horizon. Gulls were spread out over the ocean moving north. In a one hour period, ( 4,000 ) gulls past by. Most were Heerman's Gulls and California Gulls. A cloud of ( 540 ) gulls lifted off the ocean near the horizon and headed north. ( 8,000 ) Sooty Shearwaters joined in the feeding frenzy. A Cassin's Auklet flew south and a Rhinoceros Auklet flew north. Both auklet species were close to shore .( 2 ) Nonbreeding Common Loons were on the water. A Pacific Loon flying north appeared to be a second-cycle. ( 2 ) Breeding plumaged Red-throated Loons flying south together would be very early migrants, if not summering. The earliest fall arrival I have for breeding plumaged Red-throated Loons is August 15. ( 110 ) Surf Scoters at the mouth of Pescadero Creek is a large number for this summering species at one location. The first juvenile Pigeon Guillemots are dispersing north to the wintering grounds. On the bay side, I stopped at Radio Road. There were ( 6 ) juvenile Wilson's Phalaropes. At least ( 5 ) of the juveniles were new arrivals today. Yesterday, after Al departed, there was an additional molting male bringing the total of ( 5 ) Wilson's Phalaropes yesterday. Ron Thorn Subject: Re: Wilson's Phalaropes (etc.) From: Dominik Mosur <polskatata AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:25:46 -0700 (PDT) (5) WILSON'S phalaropes continued on the main pond at Radio Rd. this afternoon 7/29/10. Dominik Mosur San Francisco Sent from my iPhone On Jul 28, 2010, at 4:30 PM, Al Eisner wrote: This afternoon there were 4 Wilson's Phalaropes at the Radio Road ponds: 1 winter-plumaged bird, 2 moulting adults, and one apparent juvenile. I didn't find anything else of note among the high-tide hordes of Willets and Godwits -- but Ron arrived just before I left, so maybe he found something more. There are several fresh Mallard broods. On Sunday (July 25) I walked around the Alpine Lake area at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Perhaps of note was a juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler. (They do breed along Skyline, but I'm not sure how close.) The only other warbler I found was a singing Wilson's. (I didn't run into Black-throated Grays, which I think do breed here.) A Nuttall's Woodpecker reminded me that I have probably seen the species in this OSP previously. Al Eisner ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links Subject: Osprey at Long Ridge OSP San Mateo County From: Georgia Stigall <georgiastigall AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:20:30 -0700 (PDT) At 9:15am today (7/29) an osprey flew from the direction of Alpine Pond & Horseshoe Lake (Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve) up Devil's Canyon/Long Ridge OSP (perhaps heading towards Jikoji Pond on Long Ridge OSP.) Georgia ----------------------------------------- Georgia Stigall Santa Cruz Mountains/San Mateo County www.georgiastigall.com ph: 650-941-1068(land line w/voicemail) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wilson's Phalaropes (etc.) From: Al Eisner <eisner AT SLAC.Stanford.EDU> Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:30:27 -0700 (PDT) This afternoon there were 4 Wilson's Phalaropes at the Radio Road ponds: 1 winter-plumaged bird, 2 moulting adults, and one apparent juvenile. I didn't find anything else of note among the high-tide hordes of Willets and Godwits -- but Ron arrived just before I left, so maybe he found something more. There are several fresh Mallard broods. On Sunday (July 25) I walked around the Alpine Lake area at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Perhaps of note was a juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler. (They do breed along Skyline, but I'm not sure how close.) The only other warbler I found was a singing Wilson's. (I didn't run into Black-throated Grays, which I think do breed here.) A Nuttall's Woodpecker reminded me that I have probably seen the species in this OSP previously. Al Eisner Subject: Pillar Pt by Kayak From: Barbara Kossy <bkossy AT coastside.net> Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:39:54 -0700 Paddling between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM in the harbor and beyond. I was looking at the Heerman's Gulls (about 20) on the very end of the western breakwater, right at the fog horn, when a Hummingbird sped by heading east. It may have been perched on the breakwater. I couldn't ID it since it was fast, and backlit. Few birds were on the water outside the harbor. 1 Western Grebe 6 Adult Common Murre. I didn't see or hear any chicks Brown Pelicans, Caspian Terns, Heerman's Gulls, and Western Gull flew by every so often. 2 Harbor Porpoise 1 young Sea Lion on the Red Buoy The young Western Gulls on the inner breakwater are still fun to watch. One pair of very spotty chicks. The others are much older, still squeaking for food and some are testing out the water. A few Elegant Terns flew over. Looked over at the favorite E. Tern roosting spot, but it seemed empty, so I didn't paddle over. 1 Black Turnstone on the n. breakwater. Barbara Moss Beach Subject: Foster City beach, pics From: Tom Grey <tgrey AT law.stanford.edu> Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:28:27 -0700 Shorebird migration is tricky for photography -- you want low sun at your back a couple hours after high tide, few people and no dogs. Oh yeah, and actual birds have to show up, and let you sneak up close enough for photography. I thought the conditions might be fulfilled by Shell Beach (along Beach Front Ave.) yesterday late afternoon, so I headed there on the spur of the moment. All was good except for the birds part. But I eventually did find a few Forster's Terns and Califormia Gulls hanging out near the water's edge, and got myself settled down up the beach as near as they'd let me approach, which wasn't all that near. Eventually, 3 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS showed up, two of them still in partial alternate plumage; also one MARBLED GODWIT in alternate. It was a beautiful scene, and despite the scarcity of birds I enjoyed myself watching my little flock and clicking away for an hour or so. One adult flew in and fed two juvenile Forster's, but I missed getting a photo of that. Pics at http://www.pbase.com/tgrey/latest . -- Tom Grey www.pbase.com/tgrey tgreybirds.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]