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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 11:40:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Dr. Michael M. Rogers" 
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Subject: [SBB] Sunnyvale WPCP
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All,

Early this morning 8/29/02 I made a 2-hour figure-eight bike loop
around both of the Sunnyvale WPCP ponds.  No surprises today, but
there were LOTS of birds.  Duck numbers are swelling rapidly, with
4300+ NORTHERN SHOVELERS, hundreds of MALLARDS, GADWALLS, and RUDDY
DUCKS, and about 20 each of NORTHERN PINTAIL and CINNAMON TEAL.
Whether a pair of AMERICAN WIGEON (male in eclipse) and two
GREEN-WINGED TEAL arrived recently with the rest of these birds or
oversummered is not clear, although the wigeon were not flightless.
At least 5 broods of LESSER SCAUP were near the southwest corner of
the main (west) pond.  Four faded adult females were in the channel
south of the main pond with 37+ young (some full grown, some less than
half grown).  A single tiny duckling was diving near its mother on the
main pond.  At least eight other LESSER SCAUP were on the main pond
(apparently also hatching year birds), as were 4+ EARED GREBES.

The swallow flock on the wires by the radar station (and a more in
the reeds near the barge dock) included 630+ VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS,
160+ BARN SWALLOWS, and 7+ CLIFF SWALLOWS.  Three NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS were foraging over the channel nearest the
parking lot as I left.  Both VAUX'S and WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were
heard (and glimpsed) high overhead over the Lockheed ponds.

Good numbers of gulls were around, along with a surprising (for the
time of day) 126+ FORSTER'S TERNS.  Also at least 4 adult CASPIAN
TERNS and one begging juvenile.

The remnants of the "algae" mat in the northeast corner of the main
pond had 4 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS among LEAST SANDPIPERS and a single
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE; 48 more RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were swimming
together on the main pond.  A juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS was in the
channel north of this pond.  Despite the ominous presence of two
COMMON RAVENS perched on the north dike, two small precocial KILLDEER
young are still running about.  Interesting shorebirds overflying the
ponds (heading southeast) were 16 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and
7 WHIMBREL, both flocks being picked out by their calls before coming
into view.

The large number of birds here should attract good stuff.  In past
falls this area has produced White-faced Ibis, American Golden-Plover,
Wandering Tattler, Hudsonian Godwit, Parasitic Jaeger, Franklin's
Gull, Sabine's Gull, Elegant Tern, Purple Martin, Bank Swallow, and
Yellow-headed Blackbird - so there is plenty of reason to keep
checking!

Mike Rogers

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Subject: [SBB] Black Terns at Sunnyvale WPCP
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On my umpteenth try for these this lunchtime I finally found one foraging over the west pond on my return along the levee. I watched it for a couple of minutes when another bobbed across my view...then another. I thought I had accounted for all three when another popped up in a place that could only be explained by there being a fourth tern.

I stopped there. I thought they were taking the mickey.

Andy

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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 13:48:10 -0800
From: Jay Withgott 
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Subject: [SBB] tern clarification
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Thanks to Al Eisner for catching my slip-up in yesterday's hasty message -- I
did not mean to suggest the Common Tern at Sunnyvale was a juvenile and thus a
2nd individual.  Rather, it did appear to be an adult or subadult in basic
plumage to me (although while I saw it well perched, my in-flight views were
all poor bcs directly into the sun.)  It appeared not to have dark secondaries
in flight, but the dark wedge in the primaries was not sharply distinct, either
-- so perhaps a bird before full maturity in the 3rd year??, tho I can't find
field guides that show all the year-by-year, season-by-season variation.   - JW



Al Eisner wrote:

> > here -- very nice.  The juv. COMMON TERN and the 2 juv. BLACK
> > TERNS gave me very good views in the place previously reported
> > -- the dike b/w the 2 main ponds.
>
> All reports I've paid attention to for the Common Tern have been of a
> basic-plumaged (probably 1-year-old) bird.  So if you really had a juvenile,
> it would be a different bird.  Is that what you meant to say?

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Subject: [SBB] County birding
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All,

This morning Frank Vanslager and I checked out the impoundment north of the 
Alviso Marina and west of the railroad tracks (between the tracks and Salt 
Pond A12).  Among a small group of WESTERN SANDPIPERS on the southern edge of 
the impoundment was a female PECTORAL SANDPIPER.  Later we saw a PESA flying 
with a group of peeps (probably the same bird).  A single SEMIPALMATED PLOVER 
flew west over Salt Pond A12 from the impoundment.  Later as we approached 
the northern end of the impoundment Frank spotted a small "rock that moved a 
bit."  Closer examination revealed a lightly marked SNOWY PLOVER (I assumed 
it was most likely a juvenile) sitting in the lighter colored area of the 
impoundment.  The bird was trying to rest during much of our sighting but at 
one point it stood up on it's left leg, it then spent some time preening the 
right portion of it's breast and flanks, occasionally extending it's right 
wing and dropping it's right leg.  We then became concerned as the foot not 
only appeared large but was also black (the legs looked gray).  When preening 
his right side breast and flank the bird would extend it's leg toward the 
rear, that is, the leg appeared to function normally but we never saw the 
bird use it even when on a couple occasions it seemed to lose it's balance a 
bit.  The bird was alert.  (The SNPL was county life bird #307 and county 
year bird #227 for me.)  On our way out we had three MARBLED GODWITS and a 
WHIMBREL in the southern portion of the impoundment.  We then went to the 
pond at State & Spreckles where there were hundreds of Dowitchers, many 
WILSON'S PHALAROPES, "lotsa" GREATER YELLOWLEGS and "batches" of LESSER 
YELLOWLEGS but no "goodies."  We also had at least ten VAUX'S SWIFTS circling 
near the intersection and a Split-leaf Palm nearby.  A quick look at Salt 
Pond A16 (EEC) revealed that there were almost no birds there and that the 
water level is very low exposing previously unseen islands (a dozen plus 
Whimbrel were on one of these islands).  New Chicago Marsh was also very slow 
as was Arzino Ranch.

Take care,
Bob Reiling, 2:25 PM, 8/29/02

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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 17:40:03 -0700
From: Tom & Marianne Moutoux 
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Subject: [SBB] Common Murre
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This afternoon around 4pm I spotted what I believe to be a  Common Murre in the slough
between the bay trail and Hooks Island just east of the Matadero Creek flood control gate.
I have never seen this species in this location so far from the ocean.
Tom Moutoux

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From: "Mike Mammoser" 
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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 20:28:05 -0700
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Subject: [SBB] RE:  Common Murre
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At about 6:00pm I went out to Byxbee Park and walked to the tide gate at the
end of Matadero Creek. I scanned the channel between Hooks Island and Adobe
Creek for the murre that was reported by Tom Moutoux, but was only able to
see Mike Rogers on his bike. He had ridden out as far as outer Charleston
Slough and was on his way back. When we met up, we stopped to chat and I
suddenly saw a white speck in the channel up against the cordgrass. Mike got
his scope on it and confirmed that it was the COMMON MURRE. We moved down
and got close, though fleeting, looks at it floating along the edge of the
vegetation on the levee-side of the channel. Mike tried a few photos, but
he's not sure how they'll come out. I remained after Mike left to see what
the receding tide would bring in. Eventually, the murre ended up sitting on
the mud along the edge of the cordgrass, with its wings drooped to the mud.
This is a sickly bird and it may not last the night.

I checked the estuary afterwards for shorebirds and it had the usual stuff -
peeps, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, WHIMBRELS, WILLETS,
MARBLED GODWITS, and good numbers of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Most
interesting, though was a juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER, unusual for this
location.

Mike Mammoser