10.1 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] Sun am: Seabirds,
Chipping Sparrow
Jay Withgott wrote:
>
> many ELEGANT TERNS, most flying S (migrating??)
>
Elegant Tern often roost inside the Bay (where,
BTW???) and then fly out in the
morning to feed. Since we're south of the Golden Gate, we tend
to see them
flying south. While it might be time to head south, it's not
clear that
flying south means is other than normal "summer" behavior.
Also, why does it seem like the Common Tern/Arctic Tern nearshore tend to be flying north or is this my imagination?
> At VA Hospital plateau, earlier, activity
was low due to fog, and I
> couldn't find CC Sparrows or Va. Warbler. But I did have
one CHIPPING
> SPARROW in juvenal plumage, in roughly the same area as
Clay-colored's
> had been seen (if I understood directions correctly). This
bird was
> very streaked and pretty grayish-looking, and did have a
light crown
> stripe. Kaufman Advanced Birding says CC's & Brewer's
molt out of
> juvenal plumage before migrating, whereas Chippies hold
it till Oct.
>
Yes, Joe mentions this often in class when
spizellas come up. Any spizella
in juvenile plumage is invariable a Chipping Sparrow in fall,
at least along the coast.
The only wrinkle in this scenario (if recollection serves) is
that juvenile
Chipping Sparrow come through in "typical" years in
(mid to late?) August, which in
addition to their plumage is a reason that they are often overlooked.
Am I
half-baked (again?) on this?
10.4 Breeding
Clark's Grebes, SF
CLARK'S GREBE is a very rare breeder
in San Francisco, though it breeds more commonly elsewhere in
the Bay Area. However, this pair was much obliging, with one
adult still feeding the immature pictured along side.
10.4 Great-tailed
Grackle, Lake Merced, SF
After stumbling around looking for
the GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE for quite awhile, I returned to the
western edge of the concrete bridge and immediately found it
sitting at the top of the reeds.
.jpg)
"An obvious blackbird, easily 20% to 30% larger than the surrounding Brewer's Blackbirds. The bill was much longer than that of a BRBL and very stout at the base. The tail was relatively long. The belly, breast and face were yellowish brown, contrasting with brownish upperparts. The lower tail and undertail coverts were the samne color as the upperparts. The auricular region did contrast relative to the supercilium, but the contrast was not particularly pronounced. As well, the supercilium was not particularly well-defined. In good light, the eye was visibly pale. When the bird flushed, it gave a low rattle for a flight call, quite unlike the sharp chuck from a BRBL.
I have to say I was a bit confused by this bird because it didn't show a particularly well-defined supercilium, unlike virtually all the other GTGR females I've seen. Also, my recollection of the females found in SE CA are that they too have well-defined superciliums, so I at a bit of a loss what's going on here.
On the other hand, the jizz was perfect for a large grackle and it would be hard to imagine what else it might be. Common Grackle would show neither the pale belly and breast nor the pale eye. BTW, is there anything in the above description that would eliminate BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE other than the slightly pale eye (and that BTGR is not on the CA list :-)?
10.15 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] geese
Jay Withgott wrote:
>
> And forgot to mention in my phalarope post yesterday --
that I also had
> a "minima" subspecies of Canada Goose out in the
middle of the main
> lake. Don't know if this is noteworthy or not around here
-- can
> someone tell me? It's the first I've seen since I've lived
here.
>
It's certainly notable, but if one pays attention,
they aren't particularly
hard to find. If they don't show up yearly at Lake Merced, I
shouldn't
think that they are less frequent that every other year. Most
of us just
wait for Murph to find one on his numerous walks around the lake.
Much of
the interest may come from listers in hopes that the AOU will
split them.
Of course, the purist will say that we should
attempt to identify all birds
to subspecies...
10.15 [SFBirds]Re: [SFBirds] possible Plumbeous
Vireo
David Armstrong wrote:
>
> What struck me about the bird was how gray it was, and
> the crispness of the white wing bars against the gray
> background, as well as the pronounced eye ring. I also
> recall seeing a hint of yellow underneath at one
> point.
> Anything else this could be?
The obvious point of confusion would be CASSIN'S
VIREO. The PLVI I've seen
in fall have been very crisp gray and white, with no discernible
amount of
yellow on them. Sibley[I] suggests that first fall PLVI can
have a faint
yellowish wash on the lower flanks, but Heindel[II} points out
that PLVI
never shows coloration on the the sides just below the wing,
while CAVI
does. Sibley suggests that the contrast between auriculars and
throat is
relatively well-defined on PLVI, less so on CAVI, while Sibley
points out
that the edges on the secondaries should be white or gray with
no yellow or
green on a PLVI.
The bottom line is that care must be taken
in fall identification of
Solitary Vireos, using a combination of field marks particularly
for worn
individuals. On the other hand, I've never had much difficulty
separating
bright, freshly plumaged individuals.
Mark
[I] Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Birds, National
Audubon Society
[II] M. Heindel, Field Identification of the Solitary Vireo Complex,
Birding
Volume XXVIII: Number 6, December 1996
10.24 [SFBirds] Re: [SFBirds] Re: Snowy
Plover at Crissy
Arlene Gemmill wrote:
>
> Daphne Hatch of the NPS has been inventorying Snowy Plover
for several
> years now. Last I heard no Snowys had been found at Crissy.
>
That's probably true; it's entirely likely
that none showed up given the
condition of the habitat at Crissy last year.
> Is this a record ?
I'm confident that Brian correctly identified the bird. :-)
> Shouldn't Daphne Hatch been informed?
Frankly, I don't know. Snowy Plovers are
routinely seen on Ocean Beach and
those are not reported unless they're banded, so I guess folks
didn't think
twice about additional notification. I was unaware of what formal
censusing
activities were going on at Crissy and which species need/should
be reported to
NPS officials. I think it would be great if somone could summarize
the NPS
censusing effort, both to this list and to the GGAS Conservation
List.
Instruction for joining the latter are given in my signature
below. At the
coarsest level, I'm happy that we're starting to get some communication
between
such disparate organizations as the NPS, GGAS and the "serious"
birders in the
City.
BTW, what should we do if we find a Red-throated Pipit at Crissy? :-)
10.28 [SFBirds] No Arctic Tern, yes Red
Phalaropes
I spent a bit of time out today just
as the front was coming onshore. I did
not managed to refind the Arctic Tern seen earlier today, but
there were two
RED PHALAROPES west of the Harding Park Boat House. Once they
figured out
that they were onshore in relatively fresh water, they vamoosed
back into
the thick of things.
At the south end of Ocean Beach, 15+ MARBLED
GODWITS and lots of WILLETS
were trying with little success to move south into the teeth
of the storm
and at least three ELEGANT TERNS were trying with more success
to fly south.
You can contact me via email.