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Many came, almost all left disappointed
Richard Bradus
Quite the scene at El Polin this morning through early afternoon. Despite many observers combing the area for hours, only a couple of our younger colleagues got a view of the Philadelphia Vireo, and that only via a (not recommended) jaunt up the Tennessee creek watershed (off trail). Be aware that there is a potentially confusing Warbling Vireo in the area that shows more than the usual yellow underparts and a somewhat bold facial pattern, but it is NOT the Philly, which is quite yellow and has the characteristic black line extending though the eye across the lores. Also, there were a couple of reports of a supposed Red-naped Sapsucker yesterday, but the bird I saw well yesterday and that many observers saw this morning was a pretty typical Red-breasted Sapsucker - I don't know what may have caused the confusion. There were some consolations for the crowd, despite the secretive Philly, including a rather vocal House Wren, a couple of late remaining Swainson's Thrush and a continuing raptor show including two species each of falcons, buteos and accipiters (including a sharpie that again made a couple of quick hunting passes through the restored willow/underbrush habitat). And - whew - reasonable temperature! Wishing whomever wants to give it a go better luck than I have had. Richard Bradus San Francisco
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Philadelphia Vireo Continues at El Polin
Near the spring - bird found yesterday by Ivan
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f. RB Grosbeak on Corona Hill 9/29/20
Currently in trees at edge of parking lot/end of Museum way. 7:59 a.m.
Dominik Mosur
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Warbling vireos by the Lily pond
Loretta
Hey Folks, If you're itching to see some Warbling vireos, check the Lily pond area. This morning, I had at least 6 Warbling vireos in the high trees north of the pond (corner of JFK). They were engaged in feeding - chasing behavior. Very active, very cute. Then I had another 4 south of the pond, on the AIDS Memorial grove side, then they flew over to the Lily Pond side and out of sight. Good migration! Loretta
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Re: Unusual Sapsuckers
Joachim Gonzalez
A pair of unseasonal Caspian Terns were the only other rarities of the morning. Good Birding, Joachim Gonzalez
On Mon, Sep 28, 2020 at 5:16 PM Brian Fitch <fogeggs@...> wrote:
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Unusual Sapsuckers
Brian Fitch
Another theme day, with 2 unidentified birds as the focus. The first was a northbound flyby at Battery Godfrey, a juvenile sapsucker with white wing patches and mostly beige body color, seen only as it flew away from the group. If it had a white rump, I was unable to see it. The beigeness implies Yellow-bellied, but the view was inadequate to rule out Red-naped. The second bird was seen by many at El Polin, and was close in appearance to an adult male Red-naped, except that some red feathering was on the breast, and there was more red on the head than the guides show. It stayed tucked into a tree such that no one got photos. The battery was a letdown, as the forecasted wind never materialized in any notable way. Over a thousand Vaux's Swifts fluttering through in very diffuse flocks were the other highlight. Brian Fitch
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Grasshopper Sparrow Pier 94
Grasshopper Sparrow seen in same location as one seen 9/15. Just a bit south of the entrance.
Kevin Liberg San Francisco
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Philly? Nope.
Richard Bradus
Hi all Well, it was a nice (hot) walk anyway. Mid-late morning at El Polin, multiple birders/photographers passing through, but no sign of the previously reported Philadelphia Vireo - actually no vireos at all. The birds were smarter than us, mostly hiding out in the dense cover and out of the sun. Good numbers of Flickers, new winter arrivals (Fox and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Hermit Thrush) and a Red-breasted Sapsucker as well as some migrating hawks. And I had another couple of close raptor encounters. An adult (!) Sharp-shinned Hawk flushed by a couple of walkers near the south end of the El Polin loop flew into the small trees but soon reappeared and flew back across, providing me two nice close up views during flight at eye level. Then, on the way back an immature Red-shouldered Hawk put on a nice show for me and another walker near Paul Goode Field, perching on the equipment box at the edge of the field and then in a tree along the trail. Nice! Keep the cheesesteak on hold. I'm headed out for some good San Francisco coffee. Stay cool (if you can) and safe. Richard Bradus San Francisco
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Bernal Heights Hill
Donna Hayes
I took a pre-Yom Kippur services walk.
Northeast bushes up on the hill had a mixed flock of house finches, lesser goldfinches, golden-crowned sparrows. Single meadowlark flew along the ridge on the northwest side. Two coyotes lounged along the northeast hilltop. Autumn indeed. Good birding. Donna Hayes
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HHP, Pier 94, Ft. Mason reports
Eddie Bartley
9/26
Heron's Head: we had a single NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW flying south over the India Basin cove, eBird listed as rare. First Avocet we've seen there in a while. Lake Merced Concrete bridge: maybe a lil early-ish Eared Grebes, late-ish 6 Red-necked Phalaropes. Otherwise usual suspects. 9/27: in between chores, got out for two 2 hour sessions. BIG flight and changeups. Ft. Mason: The battery was slow, but a lot of action west edge of the community garden. Gang of American Pipits loosely associating with Meadow Larks, repeatedly flushed by dogs in the meadow. Possible Palm Warbler mixed in at one point but the mixed group was skittish. Along fence line west of garden and in the native (lupine patch), Wood Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, 8 sparrow sp. including Golden-crowns, Chipping and Lincoln's, 5 Warblers species. Lot's of acrobatic flycatching. Say's Phoebes were seemingly everywhere. At one point a flock of about 60 monotypic sparrows flew west to east above tree level, guessing them to be Gold-crowns. Pier 94: First of season for us American Pipits, Meadow Larks, Yellow-rumped Warblers. An adult Peregrine has been hunting the southern shoreline, we've seen it regularly last few weeks at Pier 94. As leaving about 6PM we could see a large skein of Geese near the East Bay shoreline but too hazy to get them to species. 9/28: BARN OWL called twice at 1:20 AM this morning. Warm night, many open windows, north slope Potrero Hill. How many times do we not hear them? Eddie Bartley
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Philadelphia Vireo el polin Presidio
Josiah Clark
Passing along a secondhand report from Ivan Samuels just now about in Philadelphia vireo at El Polin spring. That’s all I know.
Josiah Clark | Habitat Potential | Consulting Ecologist | 415.317.3978 License #1043929
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Ft. Funston -- Williamson's Sapsucker, Geese et al. -- 9/27/20
Paul Saraceni
This morning into early afternoon I did a sky- and sea-watch @ Ft. Funston, during mostly light E winds.
As noted by numerous other observers throughout SF and the Bay Area, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were on the move. I observed multiple flocks throughout the morning coming in from high over the ocean and mostly heading due E or NE over SF, totaling around 360 individual birds. I also observed 1 flock of 17 CACKLING GEESE doing the same.
There was a decent movement of regular western migrants, including fly-by Am. Pipits (11), Purple Finches (42 -- precise count of multiple small groups), warblers (including 16 Yel.-rumped and 3 B.-t. Gray), and Savannah Sparrows (6), and singles of a variety of species such as Hermit Thrush, Red-br. Nuthatch, Ruby-cr. Kinglet, and W. Meadowlark.
The highlight of the watch was a female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER that flew past me just after 12:30 PM at eye-level heading S.
Earlier in the morning I heard a SUMMER TANAGER calling from an adjacent cypress grove along the bluff, giving repeated "kit-ti-tuk-tuk" calls for about a minute.
Sea-watch highlights included: a dark-morph juv. LONG-TAILED JAEGER scoped as it rested on smooth water near 2 ad. PARASITIC JAEGERS, before the Parasitics headed S together and, shortly after, the Long-tailed headed N; a late-ish CASPIAN TERN flying N along the bluff; and a flock of 7 NORTHERN SHOVELERS flying S low over the ocean. A Peregrine Falcon flew in from high over the ocean heading E, carrying a bird in its talons.
Non-avian highlights:
***
Later in the afternoon around 2 PM I was at the Lawton entrance to Ocean Beach when another big flock (~120) of Greater White-fronted Geese came in from high over the ocean and headed N/NW over the shoreline. That flock included a single SNOW GOOSE.
Paul Saraceni
San Francisco
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Battery Godfrey Flight
Brian Fitch
The flight of geese today has already been noted around the Bay Area, and they were well represented at the battery as well. Multiple flocks of both Greater White-fronted and Cackling were seen in every direction, including audible groups directly over us, and one flock of roughly 300 White-fronteds that stayed in Marin airspace as they flew east. Other highlights were few, but included 2 Osprey, a White-tailed Kite, 3 Broad-winged Hawks, all spotted by Joachim or Max, Vaux's Swifts, American Pipits, 7 regular western warbler species, and yet another Clay-colored Sparrow. Brian Fitch
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Northern Harrier near Mount Davidson
Nico Stuurman
Flew by our house just south of Mount D. Headed north. 3.55 pm.
Nico -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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White fronted geese.
Josiah Clark
Just had about 80 white fronted geese fly over my house headed east.
Josiah Clark | Habitat Potential | Consulting Ecologist | 415.317.3978 License #1043929
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Black and White and Palm Warblers continue at Fort Mason
Both seen near entrance - also a Warbler with wingbars, yellow belly and brownish green back near steps leading down to Aquatic Park.
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Presidio roundup report
Josiah Clark
Six of us split up by bicycle in the Presidio getting good coverage, tallying 92 species but found no real rarities.
Some birds of note included: Fly over Swainsons hawk, chipping sparrow-cemetery acorn woodpecker -Julius khan Fos Hermit thrush-main post American pipits- Crissy field 20 cackling geese- Lobos valley overlook There was pretty clearly a big exitus of migrants and vagrants a couple nights ago with all the wind. The same wave that brought the big sparrow numbers also seemed to clear out many of the summer migrants Many fewer pacific slope flycatchers, tanagers and Wilsons warbler for example and none of the vagrants from the previous week remained. It seems to me the migration started in earnest a little earlier this year and is a bit further along than round-ups previous years. As we often find this time of year lots of the big numbers of yellow warblers were concentrated in the red flowering “Ironwood Eucalyptus” and canary Island Christmas trees. There were 20 or so at the cemetery, with several coming down onto lawn and tombstones at times. Participants in our squad: Ivan Samuels, Cedric Duhalde, Auggie Kramer, Mike Coroza and Jaime Chaves Josiah Clark | Habitat Potential | Consulting Ecologist | 415.317.3978 License #1043929
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Lake Merced
Kevin McKereghan
I poked around the Concrete Bridge, Vista Grande Canal and the Boathouse this morning. Like many other places it wasn’t exactly hopping, but not without its moments. Highlights:
7 Red-necked Phalaropes 2 Green Herons 1 Nashville Warbler 2 Pac-slope Flycatchers 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (FOS for me) all the usual suspects were represented. Kevin McKereghan theman@... "I love to doubt as well as know" -Dante Aligheri check my availability: https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=d3JlbmJhYmJsZXJAZ21haWwuY29t
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Fort Funston, 9/26/20
Paul Saraceni
This morning during the round-up I covered Ft. Funston, walking about 4 miles and checking numerous groves and other spots. There was minimal presence of regular western migrants (e.g., single "Western" Flycatcher, House Wren, Yellow & Yel.-rumped Warblers, 5 Townsend's Warblers) -- much less than noted by others elsewhere in SF.
Some observations of local interest, landbird-wise:
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird sp. 1
Say's Phoebe 4
Willow Flycatcher 1
Barn Swallow 1 (flying N over bluff)
Bewick's Wren 8 (multiple locations; Ft. F. is definitely an SF-stronghold for this species)
Am. Pipit 9 (8 calling-flyovers + 1 on the ground)
Spotted Towhee 3 (2 + 1 seen at different locations)
Sparrows: single Lincoln's, Fox, Golden-crowned
I sea-watched from a bluff for about an hour after the marine layer moved way out, and had some early and unusual waterfowl, all flying N over the ocean:
Gadwall 2 (flying together)
Greater Scaup 1 m.
LONG-TAILED DUCK 1 f. (flying solo; observed well, just out from the surf)
Paul Saraceni
San Francisco
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Pier 94 Rock Sandpiper not.
bitanangan
Hi Birders,
After much appreciated peer reviews of my photos, I must concede that I saw a grey Least Sandpiper with a prominent eye-ring at Pier 94 earlier today. Photos, for the moment, are posted as Calidris spcs. on ebird. Russ Bright SF
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