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Coyote Hills (10/24) - Palm Warbler, Northern Flicker (variations)
Early this (10/24) afternoon (1:10PM) I found a Palm Warbler (pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryting/8120442644/in/photostream) foraging on the ground on Quail Trail (the trail between the Nectar Garden and Hoot Hollow) around the outhouse area. I observed the bird for a good 10 minutes then the bird flew down to the Garden area and I coundn't re-find it.
There were also Northern Flickers with different variations feeding termites on the ground in Hoot Hollow area. I had a male Yellow-shafted, 2 feamle Red-shafted females, 2 female Red X Yellow-shafted females, and 1 Red X Yellow-shafted male in the picnic area at the same time. Here is the post with all 4 variations (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryting/8120442572/in/photostream). Yesterday (10/23) afternoon there were also quite a lot of Yellow-rumped Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet feeding termites in Hoot Hollow area. Here is a picture of the male kinglet showing off his brilliant buby crown (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryting/8117291253/). Happy Birding. Jerry Ting Fremont
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Western Tanager & Northern Pygmy-Owl
Jeff Acuff
Yesterday, mid-day, a female (perhaps a juvenile male) western tanager visited my backyard birdbath in unincorporated Lafayette.
Today, just after 2pm, I heard a Northern Pygmy-Owl's evenly spaced toots. The tooting lasted about 10 minutes. Before it stopped, I tried to track down the location. It seemed to be coming from a heavily wooded riparian drainage area between the backs of residences on Brookwood Drive on one side and Jordon Place on the other. Good Birding, Jeff Acuff [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Western Tanager & Northern Pygmy-Owl
Jeff Acuff
Yesterday, mid-day, a female (perhaps a juvenile male) western tanager visited my backyard birdbath in unincorporated Lafayette.
Today, just after 2pm, I heard a Northern Pygmy-Owl's evenly spaced toots. The tooting lasted about 10 minutes. Before it stopped, I tried to track down the location. It seemed to be coming from a heavily wooded riparian drainage area between the backs of residences on Brookwood Drive on one side and Jordon Place on the other. Good Birding, Jeff Acuff [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Re: Coyote hills stuff
Alan Howe
I was in Hoot Hollow yesterday & saw @ least 4 or 5 flickers, all in or near the tallest tree(s)--mostly red-shafted, but at least 1 yellow. (Lots of winged ants in the air & shed wings on the ground in the hollow, too.)
Saw or heard about 32 species. It was nice to see FOS of some of my favorite waterfowl, including northern pintail, northern shoveler & green-winged teal. There were just a few of each--no flocks yet. Alan Howe North Oakland On Oct 23, 2012, at 1:59 PM, Dave Weber <dwbirdster@sbcglobal.net> wrote: Quick stop at Coyote Hills before work today got one Golden-crowned Kinglet in front of visitors center in the big oak and a flying-away Northern Flicker with yellow shafts in Hoot Hollow. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
Todd Easterla
I can do the math off the top of my head (millions of people have millions
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of outdoor cats not to mention the more feral population) and know that cats are one of the many combined detrimental things to song birds in North America. They are not even a natural predator here, so yes they must be having a noticeable impact on the many bird populations, not to mention wind turbines, towers, windows, fast moving vehicles, airplanes, chemicals, Large oil spills, pesticides and probably many other man-made influences and disasters against birds. That is just in our Country.... I can only imagine what goes on in a third world country. I hate to even tell this story, but I was at a friend's house that used to have an outdoor cat while having a BBQ at his residence his cat brought up three different birds (Scrub Jay, American Goldfinch(2)) that it had caught in only about two hours. He no longer has that cat outdoors after I showed him the birds the cat had laid at my feet during that two hours. There is a place in Sacramento County at the end of Sherman Island Road where there are about 15 feral cats at a bird sanctuary and people come and feed the cats daily. A very sad sight to say the least when there are bird feathers strewn about the cat city. There used to be quail there NOT ANY MORE! Once at Point Reyes, Nunez Ranch to be exact, I saw one of the outdoor cats here carrying off a Prothonotary Warbler and it made my heart skip a beat. I'm sure Mr. Stallcup has seen his share of this kind of thing out there over the years. And we worry about playing tapes and recordings which is a lot like pishing and spushing. Give me a break! Oh, by the way I like neutered indoor cats and no need for anyone to reply to this self-venting e-mail. Todd Easterla Rancho Catdova, Ca
-----Original Message-----
From: EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com [mailto:EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jaan Lepson Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 10:51 AM To: bird sightings East Bay Subject: Re: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy Technically, the Stephen's Island Wren was not wiped out by feral cats. It was wiped out by Tiddles, a single pet cat belonging to the lighthouse keeper. At least that is the story. And that was the final extinction; I believe there is fossil evidence for it on the new Zealand mainland, where it had earlier been extirpated by various alien predators. I believe there was a recent study using cat cams that suggested that domestic cats are responsible for killing upwards of 100 million birds a year in the U.S. Anyone else familiar with this and do I have the numbers correct? Jaan Lepson Livermore On Oct 23, 2012, at 10:40, Joseph Morlan wrote: On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:56:14 -0700, "Alvaro Jaramillo"ecosystems. ============================= Jaan Lepson University of California Space Sciences Laboratory 7 Gauss Way Berkeley, CA 94720-7451 ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe go to: EBB_Sightings-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com To contact the list Administrator go to: EBB_Sightings-owner@yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links
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thrushberries
Mark Rauzon
What Alan Kaplan described in Tilden, I saw in Dimond Park, Oakland today; thrushes going after Madrone berries. Sometimes the simple commonplace magic of nature is overwhelming, as seen here in a robin plucking a madrone berry from the Friends of Sausal Creek's demonstration garden. Also heard an Orange-crowned Warbler singing a different fragment of song than it's buzzy trill of spring.
http://rauzon.zenfolio.com/p859914566/h488445ec#h488445ec enjoy! Mark Rauzon
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Tilden Nature Area, Tuesday AM, 10.23.12
Alan Kaplan <lnkpln@...>
Friends!
Naturalist James Wilson and I took a quick look at the Upper Pack Rat trail (just before its junction with the Lower Pack Rat trail, near the lake) after the rains of the last two days to look for Rain Beetles (Pleocoma behrensi) and found a few emergence holes, and a big flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding on Madrone berries, along with American Robins. Also included were Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Myrtle-type Yellow-rumped Warbler. Further along the trail we saw Fox Sparrows and they were singing! Not just calls but a beautiful, full-throated song (literally, I saw the throat in motion). James suggested they were singing out of happiness for the rain!. Best of Birds to you! Alan Kaplan
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Rock Wren in Pt. Richmond
tonybrake@sbcglobal.net
Today at about 6 PM I observed a ROCK WREN working along the rip-rap in the cove between the Ferry Point Fishing pier and the derelict dock and building to the east. I also saw a tan-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW along the Old Country Road trail in th ehills of Miller-Knox Regional Park. This appeared to be a different individual than I saw last week, as that one appeared to a first-winter bird.
Tony Brake Pt. Richmond, CA
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
Michael Park
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:51:06 -0000 From: moonshadow.sandy <moonshadow.sandy@yahoo.com> To: EastBayBotanist <dpbot@earthlink.net> EBB friends, Escaped and feral domestic housecars are not part of the "natural order of things." Outdoor cats in the United States kill more than one million birds every day, and about twice as many other small creatures. At the same time that cat numbers are on the rise, nearly one-third of the bird species in the U.S. are endangered, threatened, or in decline. Here is a series of great articles from Wildlife Professionals, for those who are interested: I'd strongly encourage people to learn more, and PLEASE keep your cats inside, where both the cats and the birds are safe. http://www.wildrescue.org/cat_package.pdf Articles include: - Cats as Carriers of Disease - The Trickle-down Effect: How Toxoplasmosis from cats kills Sea Otters - By Land and By Sea: The Wide-spread threat of feral cats on Hawaiian wildlife - An Issue with All-Too-Human Dimensions - It is people, not science, at the Heart of the cat debate. Credit for these articles to: WildRescuehttp://wildrescue.blogspot.com/ I should also state that I am a cat lover, and have 2 registered Birmans who NEVER are allowed outside. The average lifespan of a cat allowed out is only a very few years. Kept safely INdoors, many live to 15 or beyond. Sandy R, RN Walnut Creek --- In EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com, "EastBayBotanist" <dpbot@...> wrote:
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
shuckabone@...
I personal believe cats do cause an unnatural stress on birds which frequent feeders. So is it the feeders that are the root cause? I have a feral / roaming cat that stalks my feeders and I believe it kills one bird a day during the winter months. I’ve installed barricades in the places it likes to sit and wait on unsuspecting birds but it always seems to find an new spot. There are times when I’ve contemplated removing my feeders to eliminate the artificial concentration of birds.
Steve Huckabone Livermore, CA Alameda County From: Bruce Mast Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 5:55 AM To: mikeshannon@comcast.net ; 'EastBayBotanist' Cc: 'EBB Sightings' Subject: RE: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy House cats preying on birds is not "the natural order of things". House cats are human-introduced disruptions to the natural order of things as surely as pollution and habitat loss. Bruce Mast Oakland -----Original Message----- From: mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of mailto:mikeshannon%40comcast.net Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 3:12 PM To: EastBayBotanist Cc: EBB Sightings Subject: Re: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy Hi Michael, It is sad to see one of our birds fall prey, but that is the natural order of things. Mike S. ----- Original Message ----- From: "EastBayBotanist" <mailto:dpbot%40earthlink.net> To: "EBB Sightings" <mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 12:42:21 PM Subject: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy This afternoon, over lunch I noticed a commotion outside my window. To my delight, I saw a flock of PINE SISKIN at my neighbor's feeder and in a nearby tree. They were busy chattering and feeding. And after some time, perhaps an hour, they fell silent perhaps sated and were mostly perched in the tree. Other resident or common birds at this spot were mostly finches -- HOUSE FINCH, LESSER GOLDFINCH -- but also CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Just a few minutes, I looked out again from my back porch and discovered a roving house cat or feral cat -- it's hard to tell the difference in some neighborhoods in Berkeley. It was walking down the step from the area where the feeders are located and it had a bird in its mouth. The fallen bird had a streaky breast. I certainly hoped it was not a siskin. It has been over 5 years since there last were any in this yard. The flock almost immediately departed the yard. I don't doubt the connection with the strike at the feeder by the loose cat. Michael Park Berkeley [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe go to: mailto:EBB_Sightings-unsubscribe%40yahoogroups.com To contact the list Administrator go to: mailto:EBB_Sightings-owner%40yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Brant and Whimbrel in Emeryville
Patricia Bacchetti
After Jim C posted about the 2 Brant near Powell St in Emeryville this afternoon, I was able to drive down and get my first look at these geese in Alameda County. Both Brant were near the shore just east of the Emeryville fire station on Powell ST, west of I80. Cal Waters and I were able to watch them feeding on the algae on the rocks before they drifted off to the east. This was around 2 PM, several hours after the high tide.
The mudflats near the freeway were teeming with shorebirds, so I took my scope down for a look. In addition to Willets, Marbled Godwits, Dunlin, Sanderlings, Western and Least Sandpipers, there were 3 Whimbrels in the general area. Northern Shovelors, American Wigeons, and grebes were also floating in the shallows. Good birding, Pat Bacchetti Oakland, CA
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American Bittern at Aquatic Park
John H. Maurer
Berkeley' Aquatic Park: in the reeds at the north end of the big lagoon, a little west of center.
This means we saw 5 herons at Aquatic Park today: Snowy Egret Great Egret Great Blue Heron Green Heron a n d ................................... American Bittern John
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Coyote hills stuff
Dave Weber
Quick stop at Coyote Hills before work today got one Golden-crowned Kinglet in front of visitors center in the big oak and a flying-away Northern Flicker with yellow shafts in Hoot Hollow.
Dave Weber, Milpitas by phone
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
Kay Loughman
Phila and all,
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Check out the American Bird Conservancy's long-running campaign "Cats Indoors" at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html Kay Loughman phila rogers wrote:
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It's a jungle out there
Phila Rogers
Dear Friends:
A biologist member of our sightings group, pointed out to me that though cats kill large amounts of birds, they alone (except in rare cases) are not responsible for species decline which is a complex matter with a number of factors. Still, I strongly support the idea of controlling house cat predation. I witnessed a more "natural" predation this morning when I saw a Shrub Jay delivering a series of jabs to a twitching form on my roof. When the jay saw me, he lifted a small songbird by the neck and flew off. I have seen jays kill feeding Lesser Goldfinches in the spring and attempted to rationalize the act as the jay's need to feed its young. This, I suppose, was the act of a jay defending its feeding territory (I have nearby feeders). Still, I would guess that jay and crow predation amounts to considerably less than cat kills. -- Phila Rogers
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Brant Emeryville
jchiropolos <jchiropolos@...>
Two brant are present in Emeryville about 50 yards south of the Emeryville Fire department building on Powell Street. I can see them from my office window, so I guess they count as an office bird!
Their camouflauge is amazing, I know exactly where they are looking down and they are very difficult to pick up from the "air", compared to from the ground. Cool! Jim
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
Jaan Lepson <lepson@...>
Technically, the Stephen's Island Wren was not wiped out by feral cats. It was wiped out by Tiddles, a single pet cat belonging to the lighthouse keeper. At least that is the story. And that was the final extinction; I believe there is fossil evidence for it on the new Zealand mainland, where it had earlier been extirpated by various alien predators.
I believe there was a recent study using cat cams that suggested that domestic cats are responsible for killing upwards of 100 million birds a year in the U.S. Anyone else familiar with this and do I have the numbers correct? Jaan Lepson Livermore On Oct 23, 2012, at 10:40, Joseph Morlan wrote: On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:56:14 -0700, "Alvaro Jaramillo"============================= Jaan Lepson University of California Space Sciences Laboratory 7 Gauss Way Berkeley, CA 94720-7451
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
Alvaro Jaramillo
Rusty and others
Mark Rauzon reminded me that in island environments, cats and other predators have definitely caused declines in nesting seabirds. With regard to the Tilden observation, my point is that cats are there and cats are killing birds, but do we know 100% that they are causing the decline of the quail? Were there no cats before 1987? Are there many more now? Is this documented? The issue is that it that one can correlate all sorts of stuff with a declining population, and if there is a logical thread we can hook on to then we assume the correlation explains the pattern (causation). You could easily have said that in 1987 there were very few birders at Tilden, and now there are a lot more, but none of us are going to suggest that increases in birders have caused declines in quail. That would be silly! It is possible that the argument that cats caused the decline in quails is equally silly, but since we know that cats kill quail, we reject that notion even if it is possible. It could be that disease, habitat degradation, sudden oak death, pollution, increase in turkeys.or who knows what else has a greater effect in the declines of these quail - we don't know. I do know that we need people to study this stuff, the science that has real benefits to urban birds and wildlife, and we as birders should be out there not only protecting science funding but asking for the answers we need to adequately manage our local wildlife. People don't want to fund these types of studies because they are not "sexy" but in the end they may be a great investment in research money. In the meantime, keep them cats from causing trouble! Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo alvaro@alvarosadventures.com www.alvarosadventures.com _____ From: EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com [mailto:EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rusty Scalf Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 10:14 AM To: EBB_Sightings@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy There is one ecological consideration here though. Wild predators such as Weasels must make a living entirely by successful predation within their territory. A lactating female is under great pressure and her territory must be large enough to sustain her family. Hence Weasel population density has a certain natural limit, beyond which the creatures simply cannot sustain themselves. Among free roaming cats, pets enjoy complete food supplementation and even feral cats are fed way more often than is appreciated. With cats, predator densities can be over the top; far higher than could be sustained in a natural predator/prey balanced ecosystem. I think that's why California Quail can continue in balance with Weasels and Coyotes but not with cats in the mix. When I first moved to the East Bay in 1987 I used to encounter California Quail all the time at Tilden Park. I haven't seen or heard one there on in years. Without a doubt a new equilibrium has been established at Tilden, one forced to accommodate this increased predation. But sadly, it's an equilibrium without quail. Rusty Scalf Phila<mailto:alvaro%40alvarosadventures.com> <mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com> <mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com> <mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com>]<mailto:EBB_Sightings%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: RE: [EBB_Sightings] 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:56:14 -0700, "Alvaro Jaramillo"
<chucao@coastside.net> wrote: There may be some local declines here and there exacerbatedThe Stephens Island Wren went extinct largely because of Feral Cats. Feral cats have been implicated in the decline and/or extinction of several other species of birds and animals, particularly on island ecosystems. The rise of cat colonies in the SF Bay Area have caused some significant local declines, such as the well-known example of California Quail in San Francisco. The late Louis Baptista had to abandon a project on nesting White-crowned Sparrows in Golden Gate Park after feral cats wiped out his study population. Additional information: http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html Some additional references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA "It turns out we're very good at not seeing things" - Jack Hitt
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Re: 10/22 -- Pine Siskins and a tragedy
rfs_berkeley
There is one ecological consideration here though.
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Wild predators such as Weasels must make a living entirely by successful predation within their territory. A lactating female is under great pressure and her territory must be large enough to sustain her family. Hence Weasel population density has a certain natural limit, beyond which the creatures simply cannot sustain themselves. Among free roaming cats, pets enjoy complete food supplementation and even feral cats are fed way more often than is appreciated. With cats, predator densities can be over the top; far higher than could be sustained in a natural predator/prey balanced ecosystem. I think that's why California Quail can continue in balance with Weasels and Coyotes but not with cats in the mix. When I first moved to the East Bay in 1987 I used to encounter California Quail all the time at Tilden Park. I haven't seen or heard one there on in years. Without a doubt a new equilibrium has been established at Tilden, one forced to accommodate this increased predation. But sadly, it's an equilibrium without quail. Rusty Scalf
Phila
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