March 1999 Field Journal

3.7 Re: [SFBirds] Small Falcon in Golden Gate Park
Joseph Morlan wrote:
>
> I don't believe I've ever seen a definite kestrel in Golden Gate Park
> before. Any thoughts?
>

I went through the sightings from the Big Year and didn't find any mention
of a kestrel in the park.

3.12 [SFBirds] Haven't been in the field much...
...but I had a COMMON RAVEN carrying nesting material at the corner
of Golden Gate and Franklin yesterday from the 16AX bus.

3.13 [SFBirds] 3.13.99 SF Birds
Harry and I headed out this morning for a couple of hours before
the rains came. The Cliff House was largely bereft of seabirds with the naval assault coming through the gate being the most interesting thing. A WANDERING TATTLER was flitting around on the rocks below the observation platform and there was a COMMON GOLDENEYE in the Sutro Baths pond. Numerous very pale GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS were up and about.

Harry managed to tape up one or two WRENTITS (heard only) at the overlook on Lincoln Blvd. in the Presidio. Activity was good at Kobbe and Upton, with a hard-to-see HAIRY WOODPECKER somewhere in the largest of the tree cypresses which separate the parking lot from the road. A RED-TAILED HAWK flew down not thirty feet in front of us and nailed what appeared to be a small rodent and then flew up into a tree to enjoy its breakfast.

A MERLIN was a nice surprise as it flew across Kobbe Road. Two CALIFORNIA QUAIL, one male, one sex undertermined, flew out of the thicket just east of building on the southeast corner of Kobbe and Upton. At the Battery Caufield Restoration Area, there were at least two RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.

Cliff House
Wandering Tattler
Common Goldeneye

Lincoln Blvd. Overlook
1 or 2 Wrentit

Kobbe & Upton
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Merlin
2 California Quail
Red-shouldered Hawk

Battery Caufield Restoration Area
Red-breasted Nuthatch

3.27 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] SF -- 3-27-99
Mike Feighner wrote:
>
> 4) odd-looking medium-sized gull perhaps of the Kumlien's type Iceland
> variety (or just another pale Thayer's?) in the channel off the north
> end near the boat ramp. Gull was rather pale including the primaries,
> bill was all dark except for the extreme tip....probably worth someone's
> checking out tomorrow....
> 5) 13 Canada Geese
>

Well, that sounds just like the bird Alan found and I saw at the Cliff House
yesterday around 1:00.

A gull slightly smaller than the neighboring Western Gulls with a relatively short bill that appeared all dark or nearly so. The forehead was very steep and the head appeared fairly small, giving the bird a dove-like appearance. The bird was extremely worn and faded, giving the impression of a worn first year Glaucous-winged Gull. There was very little coloration on any of the feathers of the bird, and the primaries if anything were slightly paler than the rest of the bird, though the extreme wear made this very hard to judge.

If this were a Thayer's Gull, it certainly was at the extreme pale end of the range for Thayer's Gull .

3.29 [SFBirds] First?
Christy Hind (sp?) reported a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER today, which is the
first report of which I am aware in San Francisco.

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