|
White Slough Wildlife Area
I visited White Slough Wildlife Area yesterday afternoon for the first time this year. The dirt entry road was gated by the state Dept of Water Resources, which has jurisdiction over this area, last summer, so I parked at the N end of the frontage road next to the yellow gate and walked 1/2 mile west to the N end of Pond 9. This dirt road remains a disaster—deeply rutted and riddled with deep potholes, festooned along most of its length with an appalling amount of litter/garbage. I’ve attached some photos. I only birded the N end of the first pond (Pond 9), so I did not visit Cottonwood Alley (S end); eBird report can be viewed at https://ebird.org/checklist/S79666271. I clearly need to go back and spend more time.           -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Flood Road Longspurs
Ralph
I haven't seen this reported on any listserv yet so I will post it. Yesterday Lucas Stephenson found two LAPLAND LONGSPURS and a CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR on Flood Road. I do not have a more specific location than that, but I went out looking this afternoon. I ran into Pat Paternostro on Waverly Road, Pat told me that he had not seen any longspurs but did say that he had seen a huge flock of American Pipits, Horned Larks, sparrows, etc. I found the flock Pat was talking about about 1 mile south of Flood Road. I could not pick out any longspurs but heard a "rattle" type call when the flock flushed and flew over the road just before I left. I am not certain that it was a longspur, as I am not very familiar with their calls, but it sounded like one. I never did pick up the bird visually, however.
Also on Waverly Road this afternoon, just after I talked to Pat I saw a beautiful ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK just south of Flood and on the way back I saw an adult Bald Eagle flying east along Flood, it crossed over Waverly and flew off over the hills. Ralph Baker, Riverbank
|
|
|
|
Bear Creek Bike Trail this windy AM
Susan Schneider <susanschneider7@...>
I birded the section west of I-5, and found a bird new to me for that eBird hotspot (Faklis Park/Bear Creek Bike Trail): California Towhee. I see Donna found the first one there last year, congratulations. As soon as I mounted the levee, I spotted a Caspian Tern, and an Osprey at its usual spot near the end of the paved trail. That Osprey has been quite reliable lately. Unidentifiable goose skeins were flying in the distance. Western Bluebirds were at the park's dog enclosure where I sometimes see them, and an American Pipit foraged along the trail nearby. Unusually for this location, I watched flocks of Starlings heading north throughout; sometimes I don't see any of this species here. On a happier note, as I ended my hike, 8 Tree Swallows appeared out of nowhere. Good birding, Susan -- Susan M. Schneider, PhD Climate activist, behavioral psychologist, and award-winning author of The Science of Consequences http://www.scienceofconsequences.com “The impact of human-induced warming is worse than previously feared, and only drastic coordinated action will keep the damage short of catastrophe.” - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, October 2018 report (authored by 91 scientists from 40 countries, based on over 6,000 scientific references) It's not too late.
|
|
|
|
Celebrity loon and eBird
Fellow loonatics,
I have created a new eBird hotspot "YBLO stakeout (2021), S Mokelumne River” for use to report this bird in eBird. Per previous posts, don’t even dream of attempting levee access west of the bridge. Unambiguous access remains limited to the levee at Westgate Landing County Park. If you attempt access below the bridge, please keep your visit brief and avoid congregating in numbers—both for coronavirus safety and for good public relations. Thanks! -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
YB Loon access, Monday
All,
Word from Frances Oliver re: Yellow-billed Loon this morning. Due to stronger winds today, the bird is currently being seen closer to Westgate Landing, so recommended access is thru the park (day use fee). Just behind the bathroom building is a wooden stairway that leads to the upper levee. Go to the top and turn left and walk around the boat launch cove. You will see a small island that sits between the park and Staten Island. The bird is currently where this cove opens up into the channel between this small island and the park. Frances said to look for rusty pipes. Please pay your day use fee and use this access today to avoid further potential problems with property owners as described by David Y and Ralph B. Jim Rowoth -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Re: Yellow-billed Loon and property issues
David Yee
Dear Birders: I would like to make some additional comments regarding access issues to those that are hoping to observe and photograph the Yellow-billed Loon. ALL of the levees surrounding the waterways where the loon has been observed since being found on Thursday, Jan 14, are private property and not open to public access either by vehicle or on foot. That being said, there are always "gray" areas to the rule. But do note that these "gray spots" from where the loon can be observed are only on the levees of Terminous Tract. Terminous Tract is where Tower Park and Westgate Landing are located. Staten Island (to the north) and Bouldin Island (the west side of the Hwy 12 bridge) are totally off limits with NO exceptions, regardless if there is no "Private Property" signage. Birders have NEVER had access to the levees of these two Delta islands without special permission from the landowners. In recent years special permission for birding-related purposes to Staten Island has been allowed for specific bird surveys, and to Bouldin Island for the Stockton CBC. Birders trespassing onto these levees threaten the continued existence of those important projects in those areas. With regards to Terminous Tract, the only spot with true public access to the levee is through Westgate Landing Regional Park. But do note that the Park owns only a small section of levee, and observing the loon from this small section of levee would probably be extremely lucky at best based on its current movements. This leaves the levee from Tower Park Marina (under the Hwy 12 bridge) to Westgate Landing RP as the "gray" area of access. Because of its location next to the marina where there are many residents and customers, there has always been a small presence of people on this portion of the levee, whether it be for fishing or taking their dog for a walk. And there appears to be a local understanding of who is a local/regular, and who isn't. In other words, this is their turf with an inside set of rules with the landowners. As has already been mentioned on various listserves and within people's eBird posts, always be respectful and compliant to any resident or person in charge. I would strongly suggest to not get anywhere close to the white house with the cars on the levee just down from the bridge. Attempt to stay under or as close to the bridge as possible. Once you see the bird, do not linger for any length of time, especially if there is a number of birders present. Numbers of people will always draw more negative responses than ones or twos. The Yellow-billed Loon has been a real crowd pleaser and is an exceptional record for San Joaquin County and the entire Central Valley. I hope it sticks around and is enjoyed by all that attempt to see it. Stay safe, stay healthy and please be good birding citizens. Best, David Yee Stockton ps - I would appreciate it if this is posted to other applicable listserves
On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 9:53 PM Ralph via groups.io <sharks_hockey_maniac=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote: I also saw the YELLOW-BILLED LOON this afternoon, with several other birders. Just before I left the bird was moving upriver toward Westgate Landing Regional Park. At one point it was very close to the near shore so I and a few others started walking in that direction to try for better photos. The fellow who lives in the house on the bend north of Tower Marina told us that the levee is private property and that we were not supposed to be there. He said he had told someone the same thing yesterday. We asked if some of us could stay a bit longer and he said that would be OK but I think he may not be so accommodating in the future if large groups continue to look for the bird from the levee. One alternative would be to scope from Westgate Landing. When I left the bird was rounding the curve and may have been in view from the park.
|
|
|
|
Yellow-billed Loon and property issues
Ralph
I also saw the YELLOW-BILLED LOON this afternoon, with several other birders. Just before I left the bird was moving upriver toward Westgate Landing Regional Park. At one point it was very close to the near shore so I and a few others started walking in that direction to try for better photos. The fellow who lives in the house on the bend north of Tower Marina told us that the levee is private property and that we were not supposed to be there. He said he had told someone the same thing yesterday. We asked if some of us could stay a bit longer and he said that would be OK but I think he may not be so accommodating in the future if large groups continue to look for the bird from the levee. One alternative would be to scope from Westgate Landing. When I left the bird was rounding the curve and may have been in view from the park.
On the way home I saw 36 Long-billed Curlew on the ball field at Escalon High School. I've seen Cattle Egrets there on several occasions in the past but never curlew. Ralph Baker, Riverbank
|
|
|
|
Re: [centralvalleybirds] Yellow-billed Loon yes
Thanks for the update. Robbie Fischer and I saw the YELLOW-BILLED LOON
this morning in the same place. Very distant at first but eventually closer for better views. Photos: https://macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?taxonCode=yebloo&view=Grid&subId=S79443958 Also perhaps of local interest was a single CATTLE EGRET along Hwy 12 near Isleton in Sacramento County. Photo: https://ebird.org/checklist/S79450680?view=photos On Sun, 17 Jan 2021 09:35:38 -0800, "Lily Douglas" <ldouglas14@gmail.com> wrote: Hi all,-- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
|
|
|
|
Eight Mile Road
Susan Schneider <susanschneider7@...>
I thought I'd check out West Eight Mile Road late this afternoon, and was surprised at the number of waterfowl in the flooded fields to the north of the road near its end. I found well over 1000 Coot and nearly 1000 American Wigeon (ballpark), along with good numbers of Ruddy Ducks, other duck species, some Sandhill Cranes, and
seven White Pelicans. Many Tundra Swans and Snow and Greater White-fronted Geese flew over, and many of the swans were also in a flooded field along the levee road, beyond the north gate ending the public access. Be warned that there are only a few pull-offs for the flooded area near the end of the road, and traffic does zip by. Good birding, Susan -- Susan M. Schneider, PhD Climate activist, behavioral psychologist, and award-winning author of The Science of Consequences http://www.scienceofconsequences.com “The impact of human-induced warming is worse than previously feared, and only drastic coordinated action will keep the damage short of catastrophe.” - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, October 2018 report (authored by 91 scientists from 40 countries, based on over 6,000 scientific references) It's not too late.
|
|
|
|
Re: Lodi Lake - Sora
Very nice!
On Jan 16, 2021, at 1:33 PM, Kurt Mize via groups.io <k1mize@...> wrote:
-- Kasey Foley Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Re: Lodi Lake - Sora
Kurt Mize
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
On Saturday, January 16, 2021, 10:54 AM, Pat Paternostro <BRONCOS30@...> wrote:
|
|
|
|
Lodi Lake - Sora
Friends
While Sora isn’t unusual for the county, I don’t recall seeing or hearing one along the LL nature area. I had one today in the cattails along the secondary path (along the river, off the dirt path). There was also a second bird moving in the
cattails that I couldn’t get a visual on.
Otherwise a nice day of birding with 40+ species.
Pat
  Get Outlook for iOS
|
|
|
|
Yellow-billed Loon
Sorry for this late notice, but bird surveyors working for The Nature Conservancy doing bird surveys on Staten Island reported and photographed a Yellow-billed Loon off the southern tip of Staten Island yesterday, 01/14, north of the Tower Park bridge. Unfortunately, public access to Staten Island is strictly limited to Staten Island Road, and only as far south as the equipment shed & collapsing water tower (very clearly signed). However, if anyone wishes to look for this loon, your best access is likely Westgate Landing County Park, off Glasscock Rd. Note that it was searched for both late yesterday and this morning by walking the upper levee road at this site, but without success.
Jim Rowoth Stockton -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Bear Creek bike trail parking note
Susan Schneider <susanschneider7@...>
West of I-5, there's just two public bike trail access points that offer legal parking: Faklis Park, whose parking lot has been closed for months, and a semicircle at the intersections of Capetown and Rigger Cove Way. I was dismayed this morning to find that half of the semicircle is now closed off for parking - apparently permanently, as the curb has been painted red. Not sure why, and no indication was given. This has always been public access & public parking. There's still space for 3 cars, plus parking in the neighborhood. Best birds this morning were Osprey and Purple Finch. Good birding, Susan -- Susan M. Schneider, PhD Climate activist, behavioral psychologist, and award-winning author of The Science of Consequences http://www.scienceofconsequences.com “The impact of human-induced warming is worse than previously feared, and only drastic coordinated action will keep the damage short of catastrophe.” - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, October 2018 report (authored by 91 scientists from 40 countries, based on over 6,000 scientific references) It's not too late.
|
|
|
|
Swenson Park in Stockton
Rich and I ran over to Swenson Park between the rains and saw lots of Pine sisken and Purple finch in the Valley oaks along the creek, Yellow-rumped warblers all over the Oaks and in the grass, Cedar waxwings, one Orange-crowned warbler, tons of Acorn woodpeckers and Red-shafted flickers, way too many Starlings and all of the expected winter residents. But as we were leaving we saw a large white bird flying along the creek. It was an Osprey! I couldn't believe my eyes until I remembered about 15 years ago I had an Osprey sitting in a dead tree just behind my house and I was so excited I called San Joaquin Audubon Conservation Chair, Waldo Holt and breathlessly left a message on his answering machine, that's right, not voicemail, a mechanical answering machine with a tape and everything:) He called me back laughing at my enthusiasm. I recently thought about it and began to think I imagined seeing the Osprey. So, when I saw the one today I was more than thrilled to remember it was true and to have a warm reminder of Waldo, a good friend who passed away over 13 years ago. Good birding everyone and remember to not take your friends (or loved ones) for granted. -- Kasey Foley Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Re: Lands Pass reminder
England
Also a hunting license. But. . .
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Alan England
On Jan 4, 2021, at 12:19 PM, Pat Paternostro <broncos30@...> wrote:
-- Alan England, Stockton
|
|
|
|
Re: Lands Pass reminder
Thanks Jim.
And for those for like me that enjoy fishing, a valid fishing license also works.
Get Outlook for iOS
From: SJBirds@groups.io <SJBirds@groups.io> on behalf of k foley <kaseyfoley@...>
Sent: Monday, January 4, 2021 11:55:43 AM To: SJBirds@groups.io <sjbirds@groups.io>; Jim Rowoth <rowoth@...> Subject: Re: [SJBirds] Lands Pass reminder Thanks for the reminder!
On Monday, January 4, 2021, 09:17:29 AM PST, Jim Rowoth <rowoth@...> wrote:
Just a reminder of the requirement to possess a Lands Pass (day or annual pass) for all visitors to the Isenberg Crane Preserve on Woodbridge Road, as well as other Lands Pass locations throughout the state. Since the annual pass runs from Jan
1 through Dec 31, regardless of the date of purchase, I always get mine the first week of January. It’s quick and easy online and will be sent out by mail. This is a very nominal expense, and proceeds help support CDF and its mission.
https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/ (You can also purchase a day pass with your phone on site, but I prefer the flexibility of the annual pass.)
For anyone interested, the wintering male Eurasian Wigeon was easily viewed again yesterday afternoon from the parking area as well as the observation mound.
Jim Rowoth
Stockton
--
Jim Rowoth
Stockton, CA
-- Kasey Foley Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Re: Lands Pass reminder
Thanks for the reminder!
On Monday, January 4, 2021, 09:17:29 AM PST, Jim Rowoth <rowoth@...> wrote:
Just a reminder of the requirement to possess a Lands Pass (day or annual pass) for all visitors to the Isenberg Crane Preserve on Woodbridge Road, as well as other Lands Pass locations throughout the state. Since the annual pass runs from Jan 1 through Dec 31, regardless of the date of purchase, I always get mine the first week of January. It’s quick and easy online and will be sent out by mail. This is a very nominal expense, and proceeds help support CDF and its mission. https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/ (You can also purchase a day pass with your phone on site, but I prefer the flexibility of the annual pass.) For anyone interested, the wintering male Eurasian Wigeon was easily viewed again yesterday afternoon from the parking area as well as the observation mound. Jim Rowoth Stockton -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA -- Kasey Foley Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
Lands Pass reminder
Just a reminder of the requirement to possess a Lands Pass (day or annual pass) for all visitors to the Isenberg Crane Preserve on Woodbridge Road, as well as other Lands Pass locations throughout the state. Since the annual pass runs from Jan 1 through Dec 31, regardless of the date of purchase, I always get mine the first week of January. It’s quick and easy online and will be sent out by mail. This is a very nominal expense, and proceeds help support CDF and its mission. https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/ (You can also purchase a day pass with your phone on site, but I prefer the flexibility of the annual pass.)
For anyone interested, the wintering male Eurasian Wigeon was easily viewed again yesterday afternoon from the parking area as well as the observation mound. Jim Rowoth Stockton -- Jim Rowoth Stockton, CA
|
|
|
|
San Joaquin Audubon's Hoot Owl newsletter for January-Feb 2021 is just a click away.
England
Here's a link to your January-February Hoot Owl:
http://www.sanjoaquinaudubon.org/HootOwlJanFeb2021.pdf
-- Alan England, Stockton
|
|
|
