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Vain attempt for Long-tailed Duck in Carquinez Strait
rosita94598
This afternoon I was joined by Gary and Eugenia Larson in an attempt to re-find the Long-tailed Duck first seen on the MDAS rarity chase of January 2. Rather than looking down on the Strait from the old Crockett-Martinez Scenic Road, we walked along the Strait from Martinez Regional Shoreline. We crossed the railroad tracks at the foot of Berrellesa Street near downtown Martinez, then turned left immediately onto Embarcadero. After parking near the Sportsman's Club, we first walked out along the trail to view the river and strait from the corner by the sailing ship wreck. There were between 250 and 300 Surf Scoters seen from here. We then walked along the Pickleweed Trail (on map), which leads west to parallel the railroad tracks. We actually walked as far as the distant oil pier.
No Long-tailed Duck was seen. We did find a number of scattered Scaups, only a handful of distant Buffleheads, 10-15 female Common Goldeneyes and only one male Common goldeneye. There were also some very distant Western/Clarks Grebes and we were very pleased with a shoreside Spotted Sandpiper. When we started walking the tide was very high, but by the time we returned, much of the sailing ship wreck was exposed. This is probably not the best thing to do for most, as we did walk along the railroad tracks of the Union Pacific for a long way. We were lucky that there was no heavy rail traffic this afternoon. Hugh B. Harvey Walnut Creek |
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Test
AnnM <annmcg@...>
Please ignore this message. I am write directions to the other EBB Sightings list and I want to be sure I've tried all of this so I can explain to others. This will be the official EBB Sightings List Serve beginning 3/20/2010.
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Test
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test for group
Idell Weydemeyer
hello to others. My earlier test did not go to this group but only to our original group. I am now trying again to post to this new group.
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Re: test for group
judisierra
With Yahoo Groups there can be a delay of a day after signing up before messeges start to arrive.
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--- On Tue, 3/9/10, elsob877 <iwgarden@...> wrote:
From: elsob877 <iwgarden@...> |
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FW: Special treat
Steve Taylor
Resending.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Susan and Steve Taylor [mailto:s-taylor@...] Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:38 PM To: 'sightings@...' Subject: Special treat In addition to the usual birds I see at my backyard feeder which is mostly made up of: Finches Doves CA Towhee White Crowned Sparrow Junco's Lesser & American Goldfinches Robins (on the lawn) Western Scrub Jay Oak Titmouse Today I got a rare treat - A Slate Colored Junco. A bird which looked exactly like the picture on page 361 of Paul Sterry & Brian Small's Birds of Western North America Hopefully it will return again in the next few days. I guess it liked the thistle I recently added to the feeder. Steve San Ramon |
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Re: FW: Special treat
Idell Weydemeyer
Thank you--another message on our new group!
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Idell -----Original Message-----
From: EBB_Sightings@... [mailto:EBB_Sightings@...] On Behalf Of Susan and Steve Taylor Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 10:11 PM To: EBB Sigtings Subject: [EBB_Sightings] FW: Special treat Resending. -----Original Message----- From: Susan and Steve Taylor [mailto:s-taylor@...] Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:38 PM To: 'sightings@...' Subject: Special treat In addition to the usual birds I see at my backyard feeder which is mostly made up of: Finches Doves CA Towhee White Crowned Sparrow Junco's Lesser & American Goldfinches Robins (on the lawn) Western Scrub Jay Oak Titmouse Today I got a rare treat - A Slate Colored Junco. A bird which looked exactly like the picture on page 361 of Paul Sterry & Brian Small's Birds of Western North America Hopefully it will return again in the next few days. I guess it liked the thistle I recently added to the feeder. Steve San Ramon ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links |
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Coyote Hills/Fremont 3/10/10
Dominik Mosur
Tried for the Black Rail again at Coyote Hills this morning from 6:20-7:30 a.m., without success. Compared to my last attempt there were much fewer Virginia Rails calling as well.
I did see my first BARN SWALLOWS of the year flying over the Quarry parking lot along with a couple of CLIFFs and many Tree Swallows. In the fields behind Nobel Drive I scoped through several THOUSAND gulls hoping to turn up something good. Mostly Herring and California present with some Glaucous-winged, Ring-billed and a couple of Westerns in the mix. No sign of the Ferrug so I settled for a Loggerhead Shrike and (4) LONG-BILLED CURLEWS. Also, there was a couple of Virginia Rails calling in the marsh north of the entrance to the Fremont dump, at the end of Auto Mall Parkway. Good birding, Dominik Mosur San Francisco |
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Albany Bulb Hummers
Did a quick and very informal survey for male hummingbirds at the Albany Bulb today, from the trailhead out to the "castle" on the upper trail, 10:30 am to 11:45. Didn't count on the way back. Only counted birds that seemed to be "on territory" and not close than 100 yards to another male of the same species. Total of 5 Allen's Hummingbirds and 4 Anna's. Only unexpected passerine was a singing Fox Sparrow. Good walk, if you don't mind lots of dogs and some friendly "urban campers". Stay on the main trail, btw.
Cheers, Len Blumin |
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Re: Albany Bulb Hummers
Peter Rauch
Len,
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Why the comment about "Stay on the mail trail" ? Is this regarding following your informal survey protocol, or is there some other reason(s) for the recommendation to remain only on the main trail ? Peter At 13:54 10/03/10, you wrote:
Did a quick and very informal survey for male hummingbirds at the Albany Bulb today, from the trailhead out to the "castle" on the upper trail, 10:30 am to 11:45. Didn't count on the way back. Only counted birds that seemed to be "on territory" and not close than 100 yards to another male of the same species. Total of 5 Allen's Hummingbirds and 4 Anna's. Only unexpected passerine was a singing Fox Sparrow. Good walk, if you don't mind lots of dogs and some friendly "urban campers". Stay on the main trail, btw. |
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Photos on EBB Yahoo website
Pleased to see EBB migrated to Yahoo. I'm wondering about the EBB policy, if any, regarding posting of photos on EBB.
Sometimes we capture a bird of interest that others might enjoy. One way to post on YahooGroups sites is to attach a web-sized JPEG to the initial posting. These photos can be viewed and/or downloaded by those receiving individual emails from EBB, but these photos will not be archived on the EBB site unless a companion Google site has been set up. A second way to post photos is to navigate to the EBB site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EBB_Sightings/), then click on "Photos" in the box on the left, then "Create Album", "Add Photos", etc. You will be uploading photos to the album you have created. For example, I just created an album titled "Albany Bulb Hummers", and uploaded 3 photos as a test. A third method to include a photo is the more traditional method, i.e. for the photographer to upload the image to his/her own photo website and provide a link in the posting. This generally works well, especially if hotlinks are permitted (I believe the old EBB Sightings did not permit HTML or hotlinks, but not sure). Cheers, Len Blumin |
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Re: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting
rfs_berkeley
This is really interesting and would appear to be extremely early.
In Birds of North America, Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting dates are reported as follows: "Egg dates for California March 12 - June 7. Height of season April 7 - June 1." " In California at Tilden Park, Contra Costa Co., mean date of first egg for P.r.barlowi over a 22 year period (n=430) March 25 +- 9 days." -Rusty Scalf _____ To: sightings@... Subject: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting I installed a nestcam box on Jan 1 under the eaves of my house. Chestnut-backed Chickadees started checking it out on Jan 13, and nest construction started Feb 25. I put wood chips in the box, which were quickly cleaned out on 2/25, then redwood bark shreds were brought in, and a circular shape was constructed. I first saw 2 birds at once in the box on Feb 27. It was slow going until today, March 8, with construction full speed ahead. With the camera I am watching and hearing them on TV. Other materials include feathers and dog hair. I will post progress. Also, on my bike ride today Orange-crowned Warblers were singing along Redwood Road, south of Pinehurst Road, the first ones I've heard this Spring. I have not yet detected an Allen's Hummingbird in my yard. They are usually here in late January or early February. There was a Rufous Hummingbird yesterday at my feeder. Where's the Allen's? There was a Yellow-rumped Warbler in my yard on Jan 2, the first in my yard, I've been here in the Oakland hills for 19 years. That was yard species #92. Johan Langewis Oakland, near Skyline and Shepherd Canyon |
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Coyote Hills - Sunday PM
Cal Walters
Sorry for the late post, but managed to track down the Blue-Gray
Gnatcatchers on Sunday starting at about 2:30 - finally found them at 4:00. I had been directed to the area at the end of the quarry parking lot and towards the small marsh on the right of the trail. After an hour, I decided to follow some lovely Northern Flickers on the hill side above the small picnic gazebos. After following them up and over the hill for some photos, I was making my way back down when I finally heard the calls of the gnatcatchers. They were in the company of the sparrows - including the partially leucistic one. For those searching them out I found them at lot level between the first and second gazebos where the brush on the hill reaches the furthest towards the parking lot. Good Birding. Cal Walters calw@... |
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Re: Photos on EBB Yahoo website
Glen Tepke
I would support allowing photo attachments on the EBB list (the first method in Len's post), but most birding lists do not allow attachments, and rely on the second and third methods for sharing photos. I think the main reason most birding lists do not allow attachments is fear that attachments will transmit viruses. However, jpeg, the normal file format for photos on the internet, is not a virus-friendly format - as far as I know, no viruses have been created that can be transmitted by jpegs. Len and I belong to another Yahoo group, Birds-pix, an international list for sharing bird photos, which allows attachments. I have received several, sometimes dozens, of attached photos in my email box every day for the last eight years and have never had a virus come through via Birds-pix.
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A significant drawback to attaching photos is that Yahoo does not archive attachments, so EBB subscribers who view posts on the Yahoo website rather than receiving individual emails in their mailbox will not be able to see the photos. One drawback to using the photo folders on the group's Yahoo home page (Len's second method) is that Yahoo limits the size of photos that can be uploaded, so if you upload a large, high-resolution photo, Yahoo will compress it and reduce the quality, which is pretty aggravating if you value high-quality photos. A drawback to using links to photos on another website (Len's third method) is that it requires a website where you can post your photos, which casual bird photographers may not have. But most of the popular photo-sharing sites like Pbase and Flickr offer free accounts with limited functionality, so this drawback can be overcome with a little effort. Glen Tepke Oakland www.pbase.com/gtepke ----- Original Message -----
From: "Len" <Len.blumin@...> To: "EBB Sightings" <EBB_Sightings@...> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 3:32:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [EBB_Sightings] Photos on EBB Yahoo website Pleased to see EBB migrated to Yahoo. I'm wondering about the EBB policy, if any, regarding posting of photos on EBB. Sometimes we capture a bird of interest that others might enjoy. One way to post on YahooGroups sites is to attach a web-sized JPEG to the initial posting. These photos can be viewed and/or downloaded by those receiving individual emails from EBB, but these photos will not be archived on the EBB site unless a companion Google site has been set up. A second way to post photos is to navigate to the EBB site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EBB_Sightings/), then click on "Photos" in the box on the left, then "Create Album", "Add Photos", etc. You will be uploading photos to the album you have created. For example, I just created an album titled "Albany Bulb Hummers", and uploaded 3 photos as a test. A third method to include a photo is the more traditional method, i.e. for the photographer to upload the image to his/her own photo website and provide a link in the posting. This generally works well, especially if hotlinks are permitted (I believe the old EBB Sightings did not permit HTML or hotlinks, but not sure). Cheers, Len Blumin |
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Re: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting
Phila Rogers <philajane6@...>
Maybe it's one of those years as this morning I caught sight of a chickadee exiting one of my nesting boxes. Also a cal towhee was doing the 'come hither' display on my deck.
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So in spite of the thermometer reading 37 degrees this morning, spring has started its head-long rush. Phila Rogers --- On Wed, 3/10/10, Rusty Scalf <rscalf@...> wrote:
From: Rusty Scalf <rscalf@...> Subject: [EBB_Sightings] RE: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting To: EBB_Sightings@... Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 3:44 PM This is really interesting and would appear to be extremely early. In Birds of North America, Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting dates are reported as follows: "Egg dates for California March 12 - June 7. Height of season April 7 - June 1." " In California at Tilden Park, Contra Costa Co., mean date of first egg for P.r.barlowi over a 22 year period (n=430) March 25 +- 9 days." -Rusty Scalf _____ To: sightings@diabloaud ubon.com Subject: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting I installed a nestcam box on Jan 1 under the eaves of my house. Chestnut-backed Chickadees started checking it out on Jan 13, and nest construction started Feb 25. I put wood chips in the box, which were quickly cleaned out on 2/25, then redwood bark shreds were brought in, and a circular shape was constructed. I first saw 2 birds at once in the box on Feb 27. It was slow going until today, March 8, with construction full speed ahead. With the camera I am watching and hearing them on TV. Other materials include feathers and dog hair. I will post progress. Also, on my bike ride today Orange-crowned Warblers were singing along Redwood Road, south of Pinehurst Road, the first ones I've heard this Spring. I have not yet detected an Allen's Hummingbird in my yard. They are usually here in late January or early February. There was a Rufous Hummingbird yesterday at my feeder. Where's the Allen's? There was a Yellow-rumped Warbler in my yard on Jan 2, the first in my yard, I've been here in the Oakland hills for 19 years. That was yard species #92. Johan Langewis Oakland, near Skyline and Shepherd Canyon [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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Re: Photos on EBB Yahoo website
Note:
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This reply is by the default reply to all, rather than the expected reply to individual user as we are used to where we can substitute the individual addre4ss with the group address when it is of interest to the group. I had contacted the EBB administrator about this and other matters and am awaiting a response: Earlier test passed, but it let me know one thing: default is reply to all. As co-moderator to North Bay Birds, I see that could be problematic. Only, the Sacramento Group allows that. Current plans for EBB is to leave it unmoderated. In a short time we will start getting those emails from that Motorcycle Dating Club on EBB. I don't think we would want that. Attachments are allowed on EBB, not on NBB, CALBIRDS, SBB, pen-bird and all the others except for NWCALBIRD and Sacramento Birds. Currently, my default is set to traditional plain text, but if someone sends HTML or an attachment, the message I receive will have all that commercial junk added at the end in an HTML post. All I care about at the bottom is how do I subscribe or unsubscribe, where I can post my photos, and how I can contact the administrator of the list. Yet, sooner or later someone will try to attach a file and ask about it or even post to the entire group about unsubscribing. The same went for the current EBB, where Plain Text was the requirement, yet two or three individuals would ignore that daily, and those messages would be hand-delivered to the list two or three days after the posting. Thus, moving to Yahoo groups is an improvement. Attachments can be huge and cumbersome. To avoid blacklisting of our group by major IPS's, the alternative of either using the Yahoo online photo album service or using another like Pbase or Flickr (I always think of birding when I see that word!) as Glen has suggested would be better in my opinion. It's not an easy task, but I foresee these problems for EBB in the near future, -- Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA (Alameda County) -----Original Message----- |
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Re: Photos on EBB Yahoo website
Kay Loughman
All,
I truly hope the new EBB list on Yahoo does NOT allow attachments. Attachments swell considerably the size of a post, meaning it takes longer to download, and takes a lot more storage space. EBB is a huge group. If even ten people a day wanted to attach pictures to their posts, I think the site would get bogged down instantly. I do agree with Glen that the photo folders in Yahoo are a way to make your proudest moment into an embarrassment. The reduced quality is disappointing for both photographer and viewer. But EBB is supposed to be about reporting *sightings* of interest, and not specifically about showing off one's photographic skills. I'm happy to go to a website to see a picture - if I am interested. It's easy to set up an account with Flickr and the like, so those who don't yet have an account and want to be able to share their bird pictures with others can do so. Kay Loughman in the hills on the Berkeley/Oakland border www.nhwildlife.net |
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Re: [EBB Sightings] Chestnut-backed Chickadee nesting
judisierra
I had a Chickadee inspecting my box a month ago. Although calling away, it couldn't convince it's perching nearby partner to come in and take a look.
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A Titmouse went in and out several times yesterday, spending several minutes in each time. Then it started perching and singing in several nearby spots but couldn't attract a girlfriend. Judi Sierra- Oakland --- On Wed, 3/10/10, Phila Rogers <philajane6@...> wrote:
From: Phila Rogers <philajane6@...> |
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Re: Coyote Hills - Sunday PM
Stephanie Floyd <scfloyd2000@...>
The blue-gray gnatcatchers move around! This morning they were out in the open in the bushes at the far end of the Quarry lot, at the beginning of the trail that leads up the hill. Best way to find them is to listen for them vocalizing as they move along. I also saw my first orange-crowned warbler of the spring this morning, in the oak tree over the tule hut next to the Visitor Center.
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Stephanie Floyd Fremont --- On Wed, 3/10/10, Calvin Walters <calw@...> wrote:
From: Calvin Walters <calw@...> Subject: [EBB_Sightings] Coyote Hills - Sunday PM To: "East Bay Birds" <EBB_Sightings@...> Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 4:18 PM Sorry for the late post, but managed to track down the Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers on Sunday starting at about 2:30 - finally found them at 4:00. I had been directed to the area at the end of the quarry parking lot and towards the small marsh on the right of the trail. After an hour, I decided to follow some lovely Northern Flickers on the hill side above the small picnic gazebos. After following them up and over the hill for some photos, I was making my way back down when I finally heard the calls of the gnatcatchers. They were in the company of the sparrows - including the partially leucistic one. For those searching them out I found them at lot level between the first and second gazebos where the brush on the hill reaches the furthest towards the parking lot. Good Birding. Cal Walters calw@... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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Re: Photos on EBB Yahoo website
Ken Wilson <kaeagles@...>
From a person who takes many photos, I believe it is easier to open a Flickr acct (or any other similar type acct) and paste a link into the post. This benefits all in that unnecessary file space isn't taken, the spread of viruses is non-existent, and allowing people to view your photo page allows them the opportunity to see all of your photos. This concept works well for most of the other boards and there really isn't any reason why it shouldn't work at EBB. Also consider that many who post at EBB also post at SBB and other boards that don't allow attachments.
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Ken Wilson Pleasanton --- On Wed, 3/10/10, Glen Tepke <g.tepke@...> wrote:
From: Glen Tepke <g.tepke@...> Subject: Re: [EBB_Sightings] Photos on EBB Yahoo website To: "EBB Sightings" <EBB_Sightings@...> Cc: "EBB Sightings" <EBB_Sightings@...> Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 4:25 PM I would support allowing photo attachments on the EBB list (the first method in Len's post), but most birding lists do not allow attachments, and rely on the second and third methods for sharing photos. I think the main reason most birding lists do not allow attachments is fear that attachments will transmit viruses. However, jpeg, the normal file format for photos on the internet, is not a virus-friendly format - as far as I know, no viruses have been created that can be transmitted by jpegs. Len and I belong to another Yahoo group, Birds-pix, an international list for sharing bird photos, which allows attachments. I have received several, sometimes dozens, of attached photos in my email box every day for the last eight years and have never had a virus come through via Birds-pix. A significant drawback to attaching photos is that Yahoo does not archive attachments, so EBB subscribers who view posts on the Yahoo website rather than receiving individual emails in their mailbox will not be able to see the photos. One drawback to using the photo folders on the group's Yahoo home page (Len's second method) is that Yahoo limits the size of photos that can be uploaded, so if you upload a large, high-resolution photo, Yahoo will compress it and reduce the quality, which is pretty aggravating if you value high-quality photos. A drawback to using links to photos on another website (Len's third method) is that it requires a website where you can post your photos, which casual bird photographers may not have. But most of the popular photo-sharing sites like Pbase and Flickr offer free accounts with limited functionality, so this drawback can be overcome with a little effort. Glen Tepke Oakland www.pbase.com/ gtepke ----- Original Message ----- From: "Len" <Len.blumin@gmail. com> To: "EBB Sightings" <EBB_Sightings@ yahoogroups. com> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 3:32:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [EBB_Sightings] Photos on EBB Yahoo website Pleased to see EBB migrated to Yahoo. I'm wondering about the EBB policy, if any, regarding posting of photos on EBB. Sometimes we capture a bird of interest that others might enjoy. One way to post on YahooGroups sites is to attach a web-sized JPEG to the initial posting. These photos can be viewed and/or downloaded by those receiving individual emails from EBB, but these photos will not be archived on the EBB site unless a companion Google site has been set up. A second way to post photos is to navigate to the EBB site (http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/EBB_ Sightings/), then click on "Photos" in the box on the left, then "Create Album", "Add Photos", etc. You will be uploading photos to the album you have created. For example, I just created an album titled "Albany Bulb Hummers", and uploaded 3 photos as a test. A third method to include a photo is the more traditional method, i.e. for the photographer to upload the image to his/her own photo website and provide a link in the posting. This generally works well, especially if hotlinks are permitted (I believe the old EBB Sightings did not permit HTML or hotlinks, but not sure). Cheers, Len Blumin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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