I think this may be a Franklin's Gull. The back appears too dark grey for Bonaparte's (or Black-headed). It's very hard to make anything out of the face pattern, but from what little I can see, it doe

Has there been any research on the impacts of cloud seeding on migratory birds? Silver iodide cloud seeding has been done in the U.S. West for decades, but has increased in 2020-21 due to extreme drou

Sadly, it looks like the East Bay’s flagship shorebirding destination is no more. On my first targeted shorebird outing of the season this evening, I found Frank’s Dump at Hayward Shoreline to be most

Maybe the birds still used the site in past dry years, but not anymore. Today they definitely were not roosting there. The only shorebirds in the entire Dump were a few Snowy and Semi Plovers. I guess

Thanks Aaron, that's good to know. It never occurred to me that it might be a Snowy Plover thing. The next question is: Will Frank's Dump being dry actually cause population losses for the migrant sho

Sorry, that was a little rash. Come to think of it, I would say that the water should be let back in after plover season. If not sooner. The fact that migrant shorebirds in huge numbers used this loca

Thanks for the info. It is most unfortunate that the structure was vandalized and that the nests failed. But if the nests have all failed, can’t the water be let in again for the rest of the summer/fa

2021 will go down as a woeful year in the history of East Bay birding. The loss of Frank's Dump as a shorebird roosting site is causing knock-on effects all up and down the East Bay shoreline, with sh

It effects mudflats far away because the shorebirds that used to forage on those mudflats returned to roost at Frank's Dump with every high tide. These birds can fly very fast and commute long distanc

Already posted to eBird, but this afternoon I was happy to find a big flock of 200+ peeps at Alameda South Shore (south of Elsie Roemer bird sanctuary), an area that’d been almost empty of shorebirds

Here's an eBird checklist with (bad but distinctive) photos of today's Alameda Red-necked Stint: https://ebird.org/checklist/S91801142. I'm guessing some people might be trying for this bird tomorrow.

Hey East Bay friends! As is abundantly obvious on any trip to our shorelines, it's peak shorebird season right now! That means rarities mixed in with the big flocks, but it also means some subtle iden

FYI everyone... I saw the photos and can second Ethan's ID. The bird is a classic 2nd-winter Slaty-backed Gull. GREAT FIND, Ethan!! Noah Arthur (Oakland) 510-967-2179 semirelicta@...