I took a biking / birding tour along the Alameda County shoreline, starting at San Leandro Bay around 11 am and ending at Eden Landing Ecological Preserve about 4:30. Most noteworthy observation was the complete lack of Forster's Terns. I saw zero.

The next most noteworthy observation was that the water is back at Frank's Dump (Hayward Regional Shoreline) and so are the shorebirds. I was there about an hour before high tide. There were about 2500 peeps and another 400 each of Marbled Godwits, Willets, and Black-bellied Plovers. Bonus birds were about 20 Red Knots, 4 Ruddy Turnstones, and a Black Turnstone. Also the obligatory Peregrine Falcon stirring the pot.

Third most interesting observation was the sheer number of shorebirds roosting at high tide at Eden's Landing. I estimated 5000 peeps and another 1000 large shorebirds. I counted 100 Semipalmated Plovers on the snowy plover nest sight along with the peeps.

Other treats include a number of Least Terns at the Hayward tern colony and at Eden Landing, a Surfbird at the shorebirds roost at Oro Loma Marsh.

Bird on,

Bruce Mast

Oakland