My birding has consisted of birding my local patches recently and I have found it very rewarding. I have been walking the same routes from the house consecutive days and March/April is a really cool s

It was grey and a little rainy yesterday afternoon but we ventured out for some car birding. We saw 4 Swainson's Hawks at Bethel Is. hanging out in pairs. One pair copulated and they are in the proces

Live oak habitats is almost a neglected habitat for birding, because it is so frustrating to see birds well in live oak habitat. Today I walked a loop from my home up Lomas Contades, Vollmer Peak, Sea

This morning in Wildcat Canyon Park luck struck as I did a random pish in a promising looking habitat at the top of Mezue Trail and a male MacGillivray’s Warbler popped up from below the trail. It con

Regarding the earlier posts about Selas. hummers in Pleasant Hill and Alamo, we currently have at least 5 in our yard in San Ramon and they've been hanging around for a few days. In past years, we onl

Hi EBB, I went for a wet afternoon bird in Garin regional today. Was there from around 14:00-17:30, it drizzled basically the whole trip. Started by walking north along Dry Creek, then went up High Ri

We were thrilled to see a pair of Bluebirds checking out the bird house we have had on our back deck for years! They landed on the fence nearby the bird house and took quite a long, 10 minute look at

I acknowledge and respect Bev's frustration. Yes, the EBMUD trails are open, but access is limited. Yes, this is one more reflection of the greatly unequal and inequitable resource distribution is in

With the discussion of closed parking lots at park trails, I thought I'd add this. The very large parking lot at Diablo Foothills/Castle Rock park is open. They call this the Orchard parking lot. It's

I suspect this is part of the latest round of "sheltering in place" restrictions closing playgrounds, dog parks, basketball courts, golf courses, etc. to avoid people being too close together. It is p

I know many of you frequent the Valle Vista parking lot in Moraga (which leads to many fine birding habitats along the Kings Loop and other trails). Yesterday I went there to bird and hike, and I foun

I was watching our backyard birds today and I watched a scrub jay land next to some shelled sunflower seeds on the ground. The jay proceeded to pick up and hold (without eating) 6 sunflower seeds befo

I have been birding a bit while on essential outings recently. Here are some notes, reverse chronologically: But, first, a word of caution! Cassin's Vireos start to trickle back into the Diablo Range

Not sure how to get to the unusual sighting section of this group-- so I will report here. A gorgeous hooded oriole flittered around in a huge bottle bush my garden in El Sobrante most of the day yest

Hi Everyone- I decided to send this bird conservation message via Sightings, as EBB-Discussion is no more. Thanks for your patience! While we are at home sheltering in place, there's something importa

Amazing day yesterday (4/2) with a group of at least 3 Myrtle’s Yellow-rumped Warblers at Jewel Lake, Tilden Park in Berkeley on Wildcat Trail right below bridge in a lakeside thicket of alders and wi

The Ring-necked Duck numbers went back up to about 20 today and they were joined by a single female Bufflehead. The female Common Goldeneye continued in the concrete pond. Tracy Farrington and I were

We had good views yesterday of a Red-breasted nuthatch in the oaks south of the Viking road bridge over Grayson creek in Pleasant Hill. (They seem to be more abundant this year, I guess.) See ebird li

Though I did not see it, I was assured by another park regular that the Tropical Kingbird continued this morning near the rose garden. I stopped twice to look for it near the not so flowering crab app

The Contra Costa County Health Department announced that the Shelter In Place order has been extended through May 3. Mt. Diablo Audubon Society has cancelled all remaining field trips through that tim