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Mississippi Kite
Peter Pyle
Just got a photo of a MIKI by Max Lara, taken at about 11:30 while looking for the ibis. Not sure where yet but near Lake Merced, I believe. Peter
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Re: Ibis circling over Concrete Bridge
Brian Fitch
A northeast vector will take them diagonally across the entire city. So if you can, look up and track these beauties and let the rest of us know about it pronto. This is the best possible use of cell phones in my opinion. Brian Fitch
On Sat, May 16, 2020 at 10:28 AM Peter Pyle <ppyle@...> wrote: Lake Merced. about 31, but just flew NE
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Ibis circling over Concrete Bridge
Peter Pyle
Lake Merced. about 31, but just flew NE
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Ibis flock, 5/16/20 — typo — White-faced Ibis
Paul Saraceni
Typo — White-faced Ibis of course.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Apologies.
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Glossy Ibis flock, 5/16/20
Paul Saraceni
At 7:50 am a flock of ~30 Glossy Ibis flew south past seawatch over the ocean then turned inland and flew east just north of Ft Funston towards Lake Merced. Keep your eyes open for these. Will get accurate count later from my photos.
Paul Saraceni San Francisco
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Check the beaches Sunday and Monday
David Assmann
From Birdcast:
17-19 May 2020 may provide opportunities to experience an interesting, and rare, shorebird event to the Pacific Coast of North America. An approaching strong storm system well timed to coincide with movements of oceanic spring shorebird migrants in the eastern Pacific could entrain and displace an array of unusual (i.e. Asian and Alaskan) shorebirds to unintended stopover locations. Although the predicted condition is perhaps not the epic and anomalous scenario of 1998 (see Mlodinow et al. 1999), in which the Southern Oscillation Index and the Western Pacific Oscillation Index were in anomalously high positions and spawned arrivals of some rare vagrant species, Team BirdCast wants to highlight the possibility for those that can observe shorebirds and their habitats safely in the coming days. Entrained and displaced birds may begin to appear in appropriate habitat, especially along immediate coast on beaches, on Sunday and Monday, 17-18 May 2020. More information at https://birdcast.info/scientific-discussion/migration-alert-pacific-weather-17-18-may-and-shorebirds-comes-a-time-when-youre-drifting/
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Re: Northern Parula - Lily Pond
Whitney Grover
Still here! Just sang again for a few minutes at around 15:45. Now quiet.
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Re: Northern Parula - Lily Pond
TELL IT TO STAY PUT
On Fri, May 15, 2020 at 1:17 PM Dario Taraborelli <dario.taraborelli@...> wrote:
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Re: Northern Parula - Lily Pond
Still singing at lily pond at 1:15
On May 15, 2020, at 11:41, Richard Bradus via groups.io <grizzledjay@...> wrote:
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Re: Northern Parula - Lily Pond
Richard Bradus
Thanks Brian! The Parula was singing quite a bit when I arrived at 9:30 from trees on the hill above the south of the lake, then while foraging in the acacias above the west side, occasionally into the oaks and coming closer to the mob at the south side again (in the company of Juan Garcia, Brian Fitch, and others), but only afforded us brief glimpses. It was seen in association with a Wilson's (along with an additional pair of Wilson's) and there were a number of other singers including Warbling Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Pac-slope Flycatcher and Black-headed Grosbeak. It flew off to the north for a short time but returned singing and eventually, along with Max Benningfield, was able to follow it to the acacias where we got short but nice views as it foraged and sang from the lower reaches of the tree. Nice! As Brian has noted, the Lily Pond is closed and there is construction going on, so the best way to approach is from the hill above the east side of the Rhody Dell or from some trails of use off Pelosi Dr. coming from the AIDS Memorial Grove. Richard Bradus San Francisco
On Friday, May 15, 2020, 9:50:44 AM PDT, Brian Turner <brianturner6@...> wrote:
Parula still singing loudly as of 9:30. Because the Lily Pond trail remains closed to pedestrian traffic I'd advise observing this bird atop the hill at east end of the Rhodedendon Dell. Good birding, Brian Turner On Fri, May 15, 2020, 7:05 AM Joachim Gonzalez <gonzalexgaming21@...> wrote:
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SF’s only Cliff swallow nest and migrants Presidio today
Josiah Clark
Not sure about anyone else but I’ve been quite disoriented by the weather recently. Maybe the birds have too, certainly it’s the most spring vagrants SF has seen in a decade or more.
I was very surprised to see a lone Cliff Swallow enter a nest under the eaves along the buildings on the west side of Ft Scott. This is what Aaron Maizlish suspected a month ago. I have visited this spot several times since then and not seen a single cliff swallow there or anywhere in sf since then. As far as we know this is the only breeding Cliff swallow in all of San Francisco, after the lake Merced colony failed to return. Also a Pacific-slope flycatcher remains on territory nearby. Elsewhere in the presidio while “trolling the dawn” by bicycle there was a a smattering of migrants about. Several singing Western Tanagers, warbling vireos, swainsons thrush and at least 5 Yellow warblers including one in street trees on lake st. Just hours after my last post last week, I had my first ever Bonaparte’s Gull (non-breeding) at Mountain Lake Park. Very cool to watch it successfully hunt and subsequently chow down on stickleback and crayfish before it disappeared...presumably it flew into the wild blue yonder.
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Re: Northern Parula - Lily Pond
Brian Turner <brianturner6@...>
Parula still singing loudly as of 9:30. Because the Lily Pond trail remains closed to pedestrian traffic I'd advise observing this bird atop the hill at east end of the Rhodedendon Dell. Good birding, Brian Turner
On Fri, May 15, 2020, 7:05 AM Joachim Gonzalez <gonzalexgaming21@...> wrote:
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Northern Parula - Lily Pond
Joachim Gonzalez
Currently singing on the south end of the Pond where the cut up dead branches are. Good Birding, Joachim Gonzalez
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Crissy Laughing Gull/ misc sightings
H Cotter
During an evening walk at Crissy tonight, May 14,the Laughing Gull was present on the middle island. There was also a continuing Mew Gull and a Boneparts Gull. Last night at Crissy there was a “spotted” Spotted Sandpiper. During a sea watch last Saturday from the south end of Ocean Beach I had two flocks of Brant going north, two flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes and a single Gadwall offshore. Hugh
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Red eyed Vireo @ Oak Woodlands trail near 6th Avenue skating area
Ken Moy
Up the trail that begins off JFK Dr just East of skating area. Just after the trail levels off. Foraging in large tree that overhangs the trail and I'm bushes to the South of the trail. Singing often. Spotted at 9:20 Ken Moy
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Rose Breasted Grosbeaks continue at El Polin Springs
David Assmann
Two of the ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS continued this morning at El Polin Springs.
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Re: Great-tailed Grackles moving around
Alvaro Jaramillo
Aaron Western Great-tailed Grackles usually require marsh, wetland or a pond to nest. I am sure that having put that down in a statement, I will get a ton of comments on this not being the case. So I guess I should mention, that in my experience they are usually close to water. This is different from the more widespread Great-tailed Grackle farther east in Texas etc., they do not require water. Project #12 on my taxonomic projects, ok, maybe not that far down but it is complex and scary so I am delaying, is to work up a paper that proposes to split the Great-tailed Grackle into two species. The western and eastern birds are quite different in many respects. Who knows, if the stay at home order keeps on going I may get more of these projects done! If they are looking to nest nearby, it will likely be a pond or creek. It can be quite urbanized, but usually they need some larger trees adjacent to the water, or thick aquatic vegetation. In some respects the western birds are more like a Boat-tailed Grackle than the “real” Great-tailed Grackle. Grackles are often accused of being voracious nest predators, but it does not seem to be the case. If it was, there would be no birds in Austin, TX! Birds of the World (ex BNA) states the following “No evidence of eggshells in diet; thus similar to Common Grackle in that its reputation as a nest robber may be exaggerated.” Diet is mainly of arthropods in the breeding season, it switches to more granivorous in non-breeding, and males tend to be more granivorous than females. I don’t think we have to worry too much about grackles ruining the neighborhood. I bet jays are more adept at predating nests than grackles. The “Western” Great-tailed Grackle’s distribution is quite a bit more restricted than the “Eastern” bird. In Mexico, the “Western” forms are restricted to the NW of the country. The rest of Mexico, and the populations that continue south to South America are more closely allied to the “Eastern” GT Grackle. Really they are not eastern and western from a global perspective, but if you look at the US, that is how it appears.
I need Great-tailed Grackle for my yard list by the way! I have seen one go by at the end of the street, but not over the house. A point of pain for me. Alvaro
From: SFBirds@groups.io <SFBirds@groups.io> On Behalf Of Aaron Maizlish
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 11:08 AM To: SFBirds <sfbirds@groups.io> Subject: [SFBirds] Great-tailed Grackles moving around
Twice this morning a pair of Great-tailed Grackles have flown right by my home office window while I was on a conference call. This is near Mission x Cesar Chavez in a part of the city that has little to no suitable habitat for a Grackle colony. I can’t say that I’m particularly excited to see them here. I noted that there have been a few other sightings of Grackles in the city this month, away from their only known breeding colony at Lake Merced.
So my question is what are they doing? Are they just migrating through, like everything else right now? Are they scouting new territories as they continuing their march northward? Or is this an indication of an effort to form a breeding colony effort in some industrial part of the city? Grackles are particularly hard on native songbird nests, so while their expansion in the city may be inevitable, in the short term this might not be good on the few sturdy birds that breed in our city parks and street trees. By the way, though I don’t have any yard I do have a nice view of the neighborhood parklet and the Mission district skyline. The birds that I see nesting here, within 100 yards of my window are Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, American Robin, Anna’s Hummingbird, House Sparrow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Mourning Dove and Hooded Oriole.
Good grackling,
Aaron Maizlish San Francisco
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Great-tailed Grackles moving around
Aaron Maizlish
Twice this morning a pair of Great-tailed Grackles have flown right by my home office window while I was on a conference call. This is near Mission x Cesar Chavez in a part of the city that has little to no suitable habitat for a Grackle colony. I can’t say that I’m particularly excited to see them here. I noted that there have been a few other sightings of Grackles in the city this month, away from their only known breeding colony at Lake Merced.
So my question is what are they doing? Are they just migrating through, like everything else right now? Are they scouting new territories as they continuing their march northward? Or is this an indication of an effort to form a breeding colony effort in some industrial part of the city? Grackles are particularly hard on native songbird nests, so while their expansion in the city may be inevitable, in the short term this might not be good on the few sturdy birds that breed in our city parks and street trees. By the way, though I don’t have any yard I do have a nice view of the neighborhood parklet and the Mission district skyline. The birds that I see nesting here, within 100 yards of my window are Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, American Robin, Anna’s Hummingbird, House Sparrow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Mourning Dove and Hooded Oriole. Good grackling, Aaron Maizlish San Francisco
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Re: [pen-bird] Apparent Kentucky Warbler in Pacifica
Peter Pyle
Here’s another paper on the 1992 invasion. Interestingly, Patten et al. Linked it to anomalous El Nino conditions. I believe the idea was that more SE winds occurred over the Gulf of Mexico during ENSO but they stressed that this should only be considered a hypothesis. We are decidedly not experiencing ENSO now, more toward neutral with local conditions (at least) more La-Nina like. So if these records continue it could cause a search for other factors. Peter
On May 13, 2020, at 07:30, Dan Singer <dsg2@...> wrote:
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Re: [pen-bird] Apparent Kentucky Warbler in Pacifica
Dan Singer
Hi Birders, As John mentioned, the spring of 1992 was indeed one to remember. For the many of you who were not birding then, here’s a brief summary from the California Bird Records Committee 18th annual report: Thanks to the efforts of Joe Morlan, information like this can now be easily gleaned from the CBRC website using the search function. Dan Singer Marin County
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