5.8 [SFBirds] Today's fallout, Cedar Waxwing
Behavior
This morning, I birded East Wash and
Lincoln Park and had pretty much the same birds as the rest of
the folks. However, I had "bushels" of ORANGE-CROWNED
and WILSON'S WARBLERS along with at least a half dozen TOWNSEND'S
WARBLERS (isn't this late?) along with at least two HERMIT WARBLERS
and a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. Other birds include:
- SWAINSON'S THRUSH (several)
- BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (several)
- WARBLING VIREO (several)
- CEDWAR WAXWING (lots)
- WESTERN TANAGER (at least two)
- PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (several)
- Selasphorous Hummingbirds (seemingly on every bush)
and one adult with two recently fledged CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICADEES.
The numbers of individuals certainly qualify as a fallout, at least for the west coast in spring.
On a behavioral note, I observed a pair (male and female?) CEDWAR WAXWINGS doing something I hadn't seen before. They were feeding in a bush with red berries (pyrocantha?) near the bottom of the East Wash and they were performing the most equisite, deliberate dance as follows:
- The first bird passed a berry from it's
mouth to the second bird
- The second bird took the berry, hopped one step away from the
bird
- The second bird looked away then hopped back towards the first
bird
- The first bird took the berry offered by the second bird and
repeated the actions of the second bird
I watched this behavior repeat easily for a dozen full cycles of passing the berry. Is this courtship behavior?
5.9 [SFBirds] Yellow-breasted Chat
This morning, Brian Fitch, Andrew
Rush and I refound the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT with varying degrees
of success. First, let me apologize for omitting their names
from the BirdBox report; I was in quite a hurry to get off to
work and focused a little too much on directions as opposed to
those who helped in locating the bird. Believe me, I might still
be standing there looking high in a Eucalyptus tree for a bird
that was 20 feet below where I was looking were it not for the
combined efforts of the three of us.
After walking around the bird about three times, I managed to slip into a small opening in the thicket and waited patiently for several minutes until the YBCH popped into a "clearing". I rewarded the efforts of Brian and Andrew by being the only one to see the bird unless Brian saw the bird after I left. :-(
A heavy-set, large warbler or warbler-like bird that seemed almost as big as the SWAINSON'S THRUSH in the same bush. The bird had a black mask and white crescents or eye ring. The throat, breast and belly were yellow down to about midbelly where it became white. The upperparts were apparently green. Overall, it reminded me of a GRAY-CROWNED YELLOWTHROAT on steroids. The vocalizations were an improbable combination of harsh chatters, whistles and other notes which were reminiscent at times of an oriole or a jay.
BTW, our experience was much as Rich's; the bird is masterful ventriloquist and we were often looking as much as twenty to thirty feet away from where the bird actually was. I'd be fascinated if anyone can explain the acoustics of this phenomenon.
5.9 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] Chat
Gasstation@aol.com wrote:
>
> Of course that chat was silent when I looked for it yesterday,
and I didn't
> get out today( and am out of town for 10 days starting tomorrow).
However I
> have an idea about its voice throwing ability. Shrubs present
alot of
> reflective surfaces, leaves, for the sound to bounce off
of, however they are
> also good at absorbing at higher frequencies. It is these
high freq's that we
> use to locate sound sources, they tend to be very directional.
Lower freq's
> tend to be harder to locate for. Soooo, perhaps the reflective
quality of the
> habitat is bouncing the sound around, displacing it from
its source, and the
> absorbtion is attenuating the source so that the reflections
are percieved as
> louder, than the origination point. Hence the bird sounding
like it is coming
> from somewhere other than where it is.
All of this makes sense, but what is unusual about chat vocalizations that would cause this phenomenon? Is it the thrasher-like vocalizations which are more subject to this selective absorbtion? If so, I would think a real thrasher would show similar ventriloqual abiilities, which I don't think I've observed?
5.9 [SFBirds] Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Chat
In a message dated 5/9/00 19:00:22,
eaton@thrownet.com writes:
<< All of this makes sense, but what is unusual about chat vocalizations that would cause this phenomenon? Is it the thrasher-like vocalizations which are more subject to this selective absorbtion? If so, I would think a real thrasher would show similar ventriloqual abiilities, which I don't think I've observed? >>
It has been a while since I heard a Chat, but as I recall their song includes a lot of noise, which is to say a lot of broad band harmonics, and thrashers tend to be more melodic, this may have something to do with it. But I think it might be simpler to look at behavior. Thrashers and Mockers, at least in my experiece, want the listener to know where they are, there use physical postition to denote the size of their territory. They seem to often sing from perches thta will allow the most unimpeded coverage of their territory. I don't know much about Chat behavior, but perhaps their territories are smaller, perhaps borders are more fluid. They have always struck me as skulky birds and using acoustics to enhance their skulkiness may simply be a trait they have developed. Vireos seem to throw their voices as well, so
Kevin McKereghan
Gasstation@aol.com
5.13 [SFBirds] South Lake Merced
Hugh, Eric and I stopped briefly around noon today and there
were small
amounts of migrants in the willows along the conrete bridge including
a
YELLOW WARBLER and 3 or 4 WARBLING VIREOS. The TROPICAL KINGBIRD
continues
southeast of the concrete bridge.
BTW, shouldn't HAMMOND'S and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS
be reported to the BirdBox?
Hugh lists HAFL as "uncommon" in spring, i.e. the same
status as WESTERN
WOOD PEWEE and OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, though I think both of
those species
are quite a bit more common. I think we're lucky if we get even
two Hammond's Flycatchers in
the city in spring, which seems "rare" to me.
5.14 [SFBirds] Hammond's Flycatcher continues
at Mt. Davidson
This morning, the HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER
was still present on Mt. Davidson. I believe that Brian Fitch
initially found the bird, Calvin relocated it and then finally
called Eric and I over. I attempted photos, but the light was
low and the bird wasn't particularly close.
"An obvious flycatcher that was noticeably gray rathern than green. The crown was slightly bushy and the head when viewed head-on was quite narrow. The eye ring was mostly circular, with a small elongation right where and eye line would leave the rear of the eye. The bill was very short for a flycatcher, and the mandible was entirely dark as far as I could tell. However, the bill was fairly wide at the base, giving the bill an almost pyramid appearance.
There was no noticeable contrast between the head and back. The primaries extended well beyond the tertials and the secondaries were noticeably edged in white on the folded wing. The tail didn't appear very long and combined with the long primary projection it gave the bird a short-tailed impression. The tail was slightly notiched and the outer rectrices were edged in white. The bird had a faint gray vest which appeared consist of very fine streaks rather than a uniform wash. The belly was very pale yellow, difficult to discern until the bird sat up in decent light.
The bird was quite active, flycatching and moving up and down the ravine from near the top to the brushy north-facking slope below the ravine. I did not hear the bird vocalize."
Is this coloration within the normal variation of HAFL or is there something else going on?
Other migrants included several BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, a WARBLING VIREO that Calvin had, a couple of WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and a WESTERN TANAGER.
5.13
Coastal San Mateo
Pigeon Pt.
Pigeon Guillemot
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Wandering Tattler
Common Murre
Marbled Murrelet
Sooty Shearwater
Long-billed Curlew
Purple Finch
Marbled Godwit
Humpbacks
Gazos Creek
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Common Yellowthroat
Whimbrel
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Swainson's Thrush
Band-tailed Pigeon
Wilson's Warbler
Wrentit
Black-headed Grosbeak
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
California Quail
MacGillivray's Warbler
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Townsend's Warbler
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Vaux's Swift
Warbling Vireo
Allen's Hummingbird
Winter Wren
Dark-eyed Junco
Savannah Sparrow
Pescadero Creek
Caspian Tern
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Gadwall
HWY 1
White-tailed Kite
Redondo
American Goldfinch
Killdeer
Lake Merced
Yellow Warbler
Tropical Kingbird
5.17 [SFBirds] Lake Merced this morning
I about a half hour this morning at
Lake Merced and there were still a number of
migrants including YELLOW WARBLERS and WARBLING VIREOS. There
was a kingbird
which I assumed was the TROPICAL KINGBIRD, but I didn't get a
good look and was
spooked by outer rectrices that appeared to be prominently edged
in white.
However, it seems improbable that the Tropical Kingbird was magically
replaced by a migrant
WESTERN KINGBIRD in exactly same area using the same roosts and
having the same
foraging behavior.
5.19 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] Empid at Glen
Canyon
Andrew Rush wrote:
> The bill was narrow with a yellow lower mandible that was
dark at
> the outer 1/3 or so. It had a long primary projection.
Wasn't there a thread sometime ago on Calbird
regarding how reliable an all dark
mandible is for Hammond's Flycatcher? I seem to recall that,
while the bulk of
HAFL show an all dark mandible, some individuals can have quite
a bit of yellow
on the basal half.
5.20 [SFBirds] 1st Annual Swift Watch
Enough (Calvin, Kevin, Rich, Paul
and I) of us showed up this morning on Mt.
Davidson for the event to be dubbed as above. Results were only
so-so
compared to yesterday (of course) with a cumulative of 28 VAUX'S
SWIFTs seen
in three different groups, according to my notes. No other swift
sp. were
seen.
Other than the regular migrants and residents
listed below, the only other
bird of note was the continuing HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, now continuing
for
over a week. I'd guess this is some sort of record for SF. I'll
try to get
photos up when I get this roll developed.
At Lake Merced,
the best species was a GOPHER SNAKE that Kevin found
swimming north of the concrete bridge and we watched in amazement
as it swam
all the way across the lake basically to our feet west of the
concrete
bridge. I managed full frame photos of the entire snake in the
water and
photos of the head and upper body from about 8' (with a 600mm
lens) from
shore.
PIED-BILLED GREBES have succesfully fledged
and a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
was carrying nesting material at Lake Merced.
Mark
Mt. Davidson
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Bullock's Oriole
Swainson's Thrush
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Black-headed Grosbeak
Band-tailed Pigeon
Western Wood-Pewee
Western Tanager
Lazuli Bunting
Cedar Waxwing
Hammond's Flycatcher
Townsend's Warbler
Vaux's Swift
Violet-green Swallow
Lesser Goldfinch
Lake Merced
Gopher Snake
Purple Finch
Common Yellowthroat
Pied-billed Grebe (juv.)
Black-crowned Night-Heron
5.21 [SFBirds] Two new yard birds...
...WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and OLIVE-SIDE
FLYCATCHER (the mockingbird hasn't been
seen in a couple of weeks or more :-). Tomorrow might be dandy
for
flycatchers (and oh yes, there's the chat or maybe swifts on
Mt. Davidson...
:-)
5.26 [SFBirds] Glen Park Canyon
This morning I birded Glen Park Canyon
and identified nothing unusual. However,
I did have one unseen warbler which only sang a couple times
which superficially
sounded like a YELLOW WARBLER, but after reading Kevin's post,
it actually
sounds closer to MAGNOLIA WARBLER. Of course, this should be
viewed with quite
a bit of scepticism.
Of the stuff identified, there was a (presumed)
WESTERN TANAGER (three syllable
call), several grosbeaks of which the only one seen was a BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAK,
at least three BULLOCK'S ORIOLES including one in a plumage that
was unfamilar
to me. All of the flight featers were brown and there was almost
no yellow on
it. I don't have Jaramillo here with me, but is this a juvenile
plumage?
Other mentionables include OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER,
a RED-TAILED HAWK
successfully hunting, a STELLER'S JAY and I found a PYGMY NUTHATCH
nest that's
easily accessible if anyone's looking for a photo op.
5.28 [SFBirds] Hooded Warbler, Red-eyed
Vireo
This morning, Eric Preston and I headed
out to see what we could turn up.
Ft. Miley and the washes were quiet, so we headed to Middle Lake.
The glen
at the south end of Middle Lake appeared to be quiet, but after
a quick
pish, I heard a quick 'whip-whip', not unlike the call of a Curve-billed
Thrasher. The bird was active in the foliage at the south end
of the glen
and both of us got excellent looks at the RED-EYED VIREO in short
order.
The dark line between the supercilium and the crown and the red
eye were
both evident. It then gave a more typical "cheerawee"
or something of that
ilk and moved up into the eucalyptus canopy where we finally
lost it. Also
present was a HUTTON'S VIREO.
On the circuit around the lake, we heard an
unfamiliar song (we hadn't heard
Rich's report yet), so we chased this down and found a/the gorgeous
singing
male HOODED WARBLER, in its moving from the willows and myoporum/pittisporum
up into its typically habitat, a tall cypress :-) Maybe the female
at Mt.
Davidson will eventually find its way to GGP!
Other birds of note on an otherwise quiet
morning was a WHITE-THROATED SWIFT
at the north end of Lake Merced between the parking lot and the
wooden
bridge and a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER seemingly lost deep in
the eucalyptus
northwest of the parking lot at the north end of Lake Merced.
5.28
- 29 Mosquito Ridge
5.28
Eric Preston and I arrived at the
Big Trees Grove well before dusk and many passerines were singing
in the balmy twilight, including a CASSIN'S VIREO and numerous
HERMIT WARLBERS. A WINTER WREN was quite territorial near marker
6 on the interpretive trail. Near marker 11, however, we heard
a screaming raptor and froze in excitement. With a little careful
investigation, we found a stunning adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK screaming
its head off from one of the tallest snags in the area. The bird
was remarkably cooperative as we remained near silent while attempting
photos from the trail. Perhaps not surprisingly, SPOTTED OWL
was a no-show, no-heard at the grove; one wonders if the NOGO
has driven them out or worse!
We make several stops back along MRR with my usual lack of luck for finding owls, even with benefit of tape, but after 10:00 our luck changed. We headed up towards Little Oak Flat with my fairly new SUV easily navigating the drainage diversions. In the flat, I stop and Eric hangs his head out of the truck and says "There's a FLAMMULATED OWL calling.". I'm skeptical at best, but after I get out, I can clearly make out the FLOW calling.
About that time, we run into four other birders that have tried to get a look at the FLOW without success. They indicated that the bird was calling from a dense stand of trees, but we decide to try ourselves. We walk about an 1/8 of a mile and manage to get quite close to the owl, but it appears to be well back in a stand with little chance of direct line of sight to its roost. After debating whether to try to thrash through the unpleasant brush, the owl solves our dilemma by moving off to an area even less accessible. On the way back, there's yet another FLOW calling, also in an area without good sight lines and a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL also tooting away.
5.29
After camping in the flat and drifting
off to the lovely sounds of owls vocalizing the in distance,
I awake bright and early to the sounds of the expected passerines
including BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and BULLOCK'S
ORIOLE. A MOUNTAIN QUAIL is heard vocalizing shortly after dawn.
We decide to take the hike to Grouse Falls
and are rewarded with distant (!) looks at 15-20 BLACK SWIFTS.
Warblers in the area include NASHVILLE and BLACK-THROATED GRAY.
Back at the Big Trees Grove, we again fail to locate SPOW, but
the interpretive trail is alive with residents including HAMMOND'S
FLYCATCHER, MacGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and we were surprised by a
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. The NOGO puts in another appearance,
screaming through the trees and again perching nicely for us.
A/the WIWR was in full song, perhaps from the top of the snag
at marker 17? The trip to French Meadows Reservoir is fairly
quiet with only a PILEATED WOODPECKER en route of interest.
Partial trip list:
Northern Goshawk
Mountain Quail
Mourning Dove
Flammulated Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Black Swift
Pileated Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Hermit Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Hermit Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-headed Grosbeak
Bullock's Oriole
Pine Siskin
5.30 [SFBirds] Not a bird, but...
...forgot to mention that Eric and
I had a COMMON GARTER SNAKE in Glen Park
Canyon on Sunday. Probably aren't too many of these guys/gals
left in the
city :-(
5.31 [SFBirds] On the BirdBox...
Josiah reported 12 AMERICAN WHITE
PELICANS at Crissy Field this morning.
You can contact me via email.