birdWalker

Bird of the Week (week 47)

2008-11-23

This week's Bird of the Week is the Green-tailed Towhee. Photographed Friday, November 24, 2006

Birding with David

2008-11-14

Photo Safari

2008-11-13

Visiting Potosi

2008-10-25

Photo Safari

2008-10-15

Super sMeW California Fall Challenge 2008

2008-09-27

This trip supports the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's annual California Fall Challenge. Mary and Stephanie planned the trip to maximize access to passerine migrants and shorebirds at high tide. Two leaders and eight participants started the day at the West Winton Avenue parking lot for Hayward Regional Shoreline at 8:30am, where five species of warblers and a clay-colored sparrow were seen. The long walk out to Frank's dump gave us a chance to observe Osprey and Horned Larks. Highlights among the shorebirds included Red Knots, Dunlin, and two Snowy Plovers. We then moved south to the Interpretive Center to watch the mudflats as the tide receded, where we saw Semiplamated Plovers, Whimbrels, and nice comparative views of Least and Western Sandpipers. We wrapped up our trip at 2:30pm after two Peregrine Falcons strafed the gull and shorebird flock for several minutes.

MBB Overdrive: San Mateo Big Day

2008-09-22

This was our big day for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's California Fall Challenge (their annual fundraiser). We ran according to standard big day rules. We are entering as "MBB Overdrive" (Mary Wisnewski, Bill Walker, and Bob Power). Our theme this year is "More than a feeling."

Weather began with clear skies and a temperature of 47 F as we drove over Hwy 92 in the dark. Skies continued clear with only light wind from the north at the coast. When we crossed to the bay side, temperature rose nearly 15 degrees to around 85.

Highlights of the trip as posted to Pen Birds by Bob:

4 species of Owl in and around Butano State Park and Gazos Cr. Rd.
Sooty Sheerwaters on the water and Buller's gliding by at Pigeon Pt.
Pacific Loon (1) and Rhino Auklets (3) at Pigeon Pt.
Wandering Tattlers (2) under the Pescadero Cr. mouth bridge.
Parasitic Jaegers (2) @ Coyote Pt.
Black Skimmers (8) at Radio Rd.
Blue-winged Teal (2) at Nob Hill pond (Redwood Shores).

Mary's notes on the route, in case we run it again next year: The route was laid out with two goals: to catch a migrant flock (which we never really found) and to cover as much habitat diversity as possible. We wrote up a detailed plan with times and our hoped-for target birds at each location.

Wavecrest - Barn Owl (missed)
Pescadero Marsh - rails (missed)
Butano State Park - owls
Gazos Creek - owls and dawn chorus
Gazos Creek Mouth - gulls, shorebirds
Pigeon Point - pelagic species and tricolored blackbird
Lake Lucerne - stray shorebirds (missed)
Pescadero Beach - rocky shorebirds
Pillar Point Harbor - divers
Princeton Willows - warblers, etc
Etheldore (south end) - warblers
Skylawn - crossbills (missed)
Filoli entrance - oak woodland species
Coyote Point - passerine migrants and shorebirds, jaegers
Radio Road - ducks, shorebirds, swallows Nob Hill Pond - ducks
Menlo Park - second chance at a Barn Owl (score!)
East PA marsh - for rails and pheasant (missed)

More Scouting San Mateo County

2008-09-20

Coastal San Mateo County

2008-09-16

A warm sunny fall day with a pretty stiff northerly wind for most of the day. Billie and I visited the Princeton willows (north and south), Pescadero Beach overlook, the Pescadero ranger station, and Skylawn between 7:45 and 4:45. We had no new species at Skylawn. Our most unexpected look of the day was 40 Common Ravens circling on thermals just west of the Hwy 92 summit around 4:00. I think that's the largest group of ravens I've ever seen.

Scouting San Mateo County

2008-09-14

Photo Safari

2008-09-11

After dropping Mary at the airport for a 6am flight, I headed out to Alviso to try finding some of the rarities I'd been hearing so much about. Big thanks to Mike Danzenbaker for helping me find one!