-------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n216 -------------- 001 - "David Nelson" - Bird Box report --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n216.1 --------------- From: "David Nelson" Subject: Flammulated Owls! Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 13:59:10 -0700 Greetings birders! I heard 3 Flammulated Owls on Mosquito Ridge Rd. Friday night between 10pm and 11pm. I stopped at MM14 to look for N. Pygmy-Owl as the sun went down but had no luck and alot of Mosquitos. Then I moved on to Little Oak Flats turnoff. The first Flam. was at Little Oak Flats on the north side of the intersection, at some distance. I walked along the closed gravel road to Little Oak Flats for about 1/4 mile but heard nothing. Near the intersection I was hooting and did call up a Western Screech-owl, but could not see it. After some frustration I drove east to Big Oak Flats Rd. and drove in about 1/2 mile, stopped the car and was directly below a calling Flammulated. I searched for 15-20mins. but could not see the bird in the tree overhead. I did some calls myself and another Flammulated at a distance called. Then the near bird moved on and I did not see them. At about 11pm. I drove to the parking lot for Big Trees Grove where with little effort I called up a Spotted Owl, which never flew in. It just sat off in the distance calling. I slept in the car here and woke up at 5:14am to the noisy jays. During the next several hours I walked to the Big Trees and also to the water fall off to the north west of the big trees. I had Hermit, Audubons, Nashville, MacGillivrays and Black-throated Gray Warblers singing, Cassin's Vireo, two Northern Goshawks, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, etc. All in all it was a very nice place to bird. The access is 17 miles east of Auburn on the road to Forrestville, then 17 miles east on Mosquito Ridge Road. Bruce Webb has instructions on his web site (thanks Mr. Feighner): http://www.ns.net/~BruWebb/MosquitoRidgeRoad.htm http://www.ns.net/~BruWebb/placercobirding.htm Good birding, David --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n216.2 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: (Extralimital) 5.30.99 Pinnacles National Monument Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 00:17:47 -0700 Breeding RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, a mystery SWIFT and more... http://www.best.com/~eaton/Birding/TripReports/Pinnacles5.30.99.html Mark -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n216.3 --------------- From: Dan Singer Subject: Bird Box report Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 05:09:39 -0700 Late last night Al Kurz reported a female Great-tailed Grackle he said he saw from the concrete bridge at the south end of Lake Merced on May 29 (Sat). --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n216 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n217 -------------- 001 - "David Nelson" Subject: New City Bird Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 08:31:24 -0700 Greetings birders! I had a new City Bird last night at the Cliff House-Black-legged Kittawake. After missing it all last year it was fun to see one now, especially after all the reports in the last couple weeks. It was a winter adult. It had a white tail, gray back and wings with white on the trailing edge and a black triangle at the wing tips. The wing beats were rapid and constant the whole time, while Western Gulls glided around. The head was white with a smudge of dark gray behind the black eye. The bill was pale yellow. I could not see the feet or legs as I was watching it at 60 power and it was very windy from the NW. I was set up behind the Camera Obscura to be out of the wind and saw it from the south moving slowly north until it went behind the Camera Obscura. I couldn't refind it on the other side. I also had 100's of Sooty Shearwaters streaming by at quite a distance. This was between the hours of 6:30-7:30pm. Good birding, David --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n217 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n218 -------------- 001 - Dan Singer - Sat, 5 June 002 - "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: Sat, 5 June Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 12:56:54 -0700 Hi, This morning at Glen Canyon Park there was a very confiding singing Northern Parula in the willows just downstream from the day care center. A singing Black-headed Grosbeak was just downstream from there. Farther up Islais Creek there were at least 3 Swainson's Thrushes and a singing Orange-crowned Warbler. One of the thrushes was giving its "chatter" call, something I don't usually hear away from breeding sites. On Mt.Davidson there was a singing Ovenbird behind the bus stop where Dalewood merges with Myra (top of the hill). A male Lazuli Bunting was near the summit and two grosbeaks were on the northwest side (one singing, one calling, but I never saw either). Two Black Swifts flew overhead as I stood near the summit going in the direction of Twin Peaks. Dan Singer --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n218.2 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: 6.5.99 SF Birds Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 16:53:50 -0700 I had a slightly less interesting day today. :-| I headed out after breakfast and found that I couldn't even get around the west end of GG Park due to the Fleadh, so I headed down to the south end of Ocean beach. From there, I scoped for about 1/2 hour. There were good numbers of loons just beyond the breakers and after awhile I realized that virtually I all of the loons I saw had either a chin strap or a silvery nape, including some in fully alternate plumage. I added up 65 PACIFIC LOONS, which is certainly a city record for me. I also had a large, block-headed basic-plumaged loon with a seemingly upturned yellow bill which got me going for a bit until I noticed the neck stripe was broken where the neck ring will be for this COMMON LOON. Not surprisingly, there was no postocular spot either. :-) I also had a PELAGIC CORMORANT in breeding plumage, which might be a first for me this spring. BRANDT'S CORMORANTS were plentify; where are the rest of the PECOs? At the Boathouse, BANK SWALLOWS were easy to find and I heard a VIRGINIA RAIL call as I walked up. Why does the area in the immediate vicinity of the boathouse reek of human waste? It's not the lake proper as the aroma diminishes as you move away from the Boathouse. South Lake Merced had a singing YELLOW WARBLER and a singing COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. I hope it's not too early to go to Yuba Pass next weekend :-| Mark ---- South end of Ocean Beach 65 PALO COLO PECO 2 PIGU Boathouse MAWR (nesting) BANS BARS (nesting) VIRA South Lake Merced YEWA COYE -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n218.3 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: My new yard birds Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 17:01:45 -0700 The number of BARN SWALLOWS in my front "yard", the wooded strip separating 36th Avenue from Sunset Boulevard has grown to at least three, at least one of which have been around for almost a week (and possibly much longer since I don't bird my front yard often :-) This raises the specter that they're breeding somewhere around my house, something which I have a hard time fathoming. I realize that BARS often build nests on buildings, but find it unusual that they might be nesting in such an urban area, far from any water. Comments? Mark -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n218 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n220 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Re: [SFBirds] New Quail sighting near Stern Grove Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 07:12:55 +0000 Harry, I think these sightings are very important. California Quail have been known to travel up to 11 miles from their winter coveys. Because quail are site faithful, birds returning to the same area will give us an indication of the best places to do habitat restoration away from the wintering grounds. Although these birds are female-less, at some point females could be introduced into the summer breeding sites, where they are more likely to be accepted than if they are introduced into the winter covey. Alan Harry Fuller wrote: At least twice in the past six years there has been a single, singing , forlorn male Quail at Sutro Hts. during late spring. Neither time was a mate found, nor did the male bird stay past mid-summer. Though for a few days one year there were two forlorn bachelors hanging out together. Males disperse when they are unlucky in seeking mates in usual territory of covey so this one could have come from Funston covey, McLaren or even Golden Gate Park He won't find a mate and will likely return to normal covey territory after he fails to breed. I always assumed the Sutro Quail came from the Presidio or GGPark. **The PBS TV show "Bird Watch" will carry a segment on birding San Francisco. With some assistance from Murphy, I gave them a tour of the some birding spots in SF yesterday. They got great video of late Lesser Scaup, CLSW, baby PBGrebes, et al. at Merced, few thousand Sootys off Cliff House Plus the nesting Oystercatcher, singing Creeper and baby RTHA and BLHE at Stow Lake. When I hear about time of program this fall I'll let everybody know. New York is the only other urban birding locale they have done in two seasons (twenty programs) of "Bird Watch". --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n220.2 --------------- From: Josiah Clark Subject: Your voice REALLY MATTERS....tomarrow Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 22:20:06 PDT Again.... A reminder to anyone who can make it. If you can't, please send comments to the (email) address at the bottom of the page. Without you all, SF wildlife is without a voice. presidio@presidiotrust.gov Please don't mention my name as I could lose my job.... Vegetation Management Plan in Building 102 (Presidio Visitor >>Center) on >>Wednesday June 9th at 6PM. (Sent weeks ago) > > Hey all, following is a letter to any advocates for the Presidio as a >natural area. If you cannot attend the meeting, please send a letter >adressing your views on some of the issues outlined below. >>Dear San Francisco Birder >> >> The Presidio Trust will be hosting a public workshop to discuss the >>Vegetation Management Plan in Building 102 (Presidio Visitor Center) on >>Wednesday June 9th at 6PM. On the back of this letter, you will find >>information which may help in guiding your comments about the VMP and the >>Presidio's natural areas. >> If you are concerned about the future of the nation's premier urban >>National Park, your input at this stage in the process is vital. Please >>attend this crucial meeting and spread the word to your friends and >>neighbors. We hope to see you at the Visitor's Center (Presidio Main Post) >>at >>6 PM on Wednesday, June 9th. >> >>Some points to consider: >> >> The Presidio's historic planted forests have been neglected and are >>in >>need of long-term ecological management. The current forest was planted >>"tree >>farm style", with all trees the same age and with few species. A healthy >>forest would have trees of various ages with multiple layers of native >>vegetation, which provide for a diverse wildlife community. >> We now have an opportunity to create a sustainable plan that will >>enhance both aesthetic and ecological values of this unique urban forest. >> >> >> >Will native trees and plants be used in revegetation efforts to >>create a more diverse forest community? >> >Will the VMP's goals include increasing wildlife habitat value, and >>how will success be measured? >> >Who will be responsible for assessing and implementing management >>goals and actions? >> >> >> "Open Space" can mean many things, from pristine native areas to mowed >>lawns. The mosaic of habitats in the Presidio hosts 12 endangered plant >>species, over 200 bird species and many other native organisms. >> The Presidio is a priceless remnant of open space in a densely >>developed >>city and can be a vital resource for both people and wildlife. A >>long-range >>program of community-based, scientific management could make this former >>military base a national recreational treasure and a world-class precedent >>for maximizing biodiversity within cities. >> >> >> >How will uses of open space be balanced for both human use and >>wildlife habitat? >> >Will biodiversity and native species conservation be central >>concerns in this National Park? >> >Will invasive species issues be addressed in all aspects of the VMP? >> >Who will have authority in these issues? >> >> It has yet to be determined who will implement the research and >>management aspects of the VMP. In the last five years, the Presidio Park >>Stewards program has developed a model of community-based stewardship that >>has made great strides with limited resources. Presidio Park Stewards' >>research and restoration efforts have enhanced natural areas and increased >>the Park's educational and recreational value. >> >> >Will existing educational, research and volunteer programs be >>incorporated into the VMP? >> >Will a community-based group with intimate local knowledge and >>experience be chosen to implement the VMP? >> >Will an outside firm be contracted instead? >> >> >> >> >>If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can send a letter to the >>Presidio Trust: >> > >( At the risk of trying to sway anyones' views, I would ask that as birders >we try to resist from a stand of "absolutley no tree cutting" . The vision >is a mosaic of various habitats as opposed to the tree farm we have >now...much better for birding) >> >>Presidio Trust >>P.O. Box 29052 >>San Francisco CA 94129-0052 >>presidio@presidiotrust.gov >>Please note, the VMP will soon be released for public comment. To request >>a >>free copy of the Draft VMP Summary, please call (415) 561-4934 >> >> >>If you have any questions, or to become more involved, please e-mail >>Friends >>of the Presidio Park Stewards at fopps@yahoo.com. Thank you for your >>continued support of community-based natural resource management on the >>Presidio. >> >> >>Sincerely, >>Friends of the Presidio Park Stewards >> --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n220 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n221 -------------- 001 - Graham J Etherington Subject: RFI: Great Grey Owl Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 18:26:00 -0700 (PDT) Hi all, I'm planning a trip to Yosemite next week, and was wondering if anyone has seen, or heard of, any Great Gray Owls in the area. I know that the meadows are the more favored areas, but was hoping someone might have some more specific info. Thanks in advance, Graham Etherington UC Berkeley --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n221.2 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: San Francisco's Big Year (the final saga?) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 00:58:00 -0700 I decided to do some work with the new scanner and jazz up the Big Year page (now that we're famous :-). Anyway, there are some pictures which document some of the more interesting birds from last year, as well as point out limitations in my photographic skill :-| Mark http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org/BirdingExcursions/ggasbigyear.htm -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n221 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n222 -------------- 001 - "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: Rare Birds page launch Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 22:57:37 -0700 Only one entry so far, and not even in San Francisco. This is the bird that Alan found and I saw at the North End of Santa Fe Grade in Merced County. Have a look! http://www.best.com/~eaton/Birding/RareBirds.html Mark -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n222 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n223 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Gadwall chicks Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 13:12:15 +0000 SF Birders. I got a call this morning from a birder in my neighborhood who said he saw the Gadwall at Mallard Lake had chicks today. Alan --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n223.2 --------------- From: Alan Hopkins Subject: Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 14:06:11 +0000 Paul J. Baicich Editor, Birding P.O. Box 404 Oxon Hill, Maryland 20750 Dear Paul J. Baicich Editor, Thank you for printing Cats Indoors! Campaign Gathers Steam in the latest issue of Birding. I believe that Cats Indoors! is a effective pro-active way to reduce the amount of wildlife killed by cats at its place of the problems origin; the irresponsible cat owner. The American Bird Conservancy has information packets on how to make an out-door cat happy indoors, along with other non-lethal methods to reduce cat predation. Unfortunately the Cats Indoors! campaign is being ruthlessly attacked by feral cat advocacy groups like Ally Cat Allies. These feral cat groups believe that the best way to solve the cat overpopulation problem is to de-sex homeless cats and feed them in colonies until they die of "natural" causes. As anyone who owns a cat that hunts knows, hunting in cats is not related to hunger, so these cats simply become subsidized hunters. Ally Cat Allies also believes that "adult cats should be considered as candidates for relocation to a more rural, outdoor environment where they are less prone to urban/suburban hazards." While this is nice for the cats, it means death for the local wildlife. Alley Cat Allies has asked that its members write the two humane organizations that support Cats Indoors!; The Humane Society of the United States, and the American Humane Association, to ask that they remove their support from "ABC and their anti-cat campaign". Alley Cat Allies and groups like it, are well organized, well financed, and well connected, their previous letter writing campaigns have been very successful. Please support the American Bird Conservancy and the Cats Indoors! campaign by writing: Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 Phone: (202) 452-1100 Fax: (202) 778-6132 web: hsusn.org American Humane Association 63 Inverness Drive East Englewood, CO 800112 Phone: (303) 792-9900 Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats American Bird Conservancy 1250 24th Street NW, Suite 400 Washington DC. 20037 Phone: (202) 778-9666 Fax: (202) 778-9778 E-mail: abc@abcbirds.org Sincerely, Alan Hopkins 1200-15 th Ave San Francisco, CA 94122 --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n223 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n224 -------------- 001 - Harry Fuller Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 09:43:42 -0700 On a local level my wife and I have told the SF SPCA we will never give them another cent (having been decent contributors over the years) as long as they persist in their pandering to old ladies about to die and leave their estates to feral cat "protection". The SF SPCA is very adamant that there is no evicence whatsoever that feral cats do any damage [denial is an amazing human trait, isn't it?] so if you're writing a letters, NOT sending money in a very frank way to the local SPCA is a good message for the local feral cataholics to receive. Any evil minded journalist would want to an articvle on the estates left to local SPCA by dotty, lonely old ladies who self-delude into becoming feral cat angels and the SPCA actually enocurages this!!! ------------ Previous Message from Alan Hopkins on 06/12/99 07:06:11 AM ---------- To: sfbirds@lists.best.com cc: Subject: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Paul J. Baicich Editor, Birding P.O. Box 404 Oxon Hill, Maryland 20750 Dear Paul J. Baicich Editor, Thank you for printing Cats Indoors! Campaign Gathers Steam in the latest issue of Birding. I believe that Cats Indoors! is a effective pro-active way to reduce the amount of wildlife killed by cats at its place of the problems origin; the irresponsible cat owner. The American Bird Conservancy has information packets on how to make an out-door cat happy indoors, along with other non-lethal methods to reduce cat predation. Unfortunately the Cats Indoors! campaign is being ruthlessly attacked by feral cat advocacy groups like Ally Cat Allies. These feral cat groups believe that the best way to solve the cat overpopulation problem is to de-sex homeless cats and feed them in colonies until they die of natural causes. As anyone who owns a cat that hunts knows, hunting in cats is not related to hunger, so these cats simply become subsidized hunters. Ally Cat Allies also believes that adult cats should be considered as candidates for relocation to a more rural, outdoor environment where they are less prone to urban/suburban hazards. While this is nice for the cats, it means death for the local wildlife. Alley Cat Allies has asked that its members write the two humane organizations that support Cats Indoors!; The Humane Society of the United States, and the American Humane Association, to ask that they remove their support from ABC and their anti-cat campaign. Alley Cat Allies and groups like it, are well organized, well financed, and well connected, their previous letter writing campaigns have been very successful. Please support the American Bird Conservancy and the Cats Indoors! campaign by writing: Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 Phone: (202) 452-1100 Fax: (202) 778-6132 web: hsusn.org American Humane Association 63 Inverness Drive East Englewood, CO 800112 Phone: (303) 792-9900 Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats American Bird Conservancy 1250 24th Street NW, Suite 400 Washington DC. 20037 Phone: (202) 778-9666 Fax: (202) 778-9778 E-mail: abc@abcbirds.org Sincerely, Alan Hopkins 1200-15 th Ave San Francisco, CA 94122 --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n224.2 --------------- From: Gasstation@aol.com Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 16:46:12 EDT In a message dated 6/14/99 9:55:39, Harry_Fuller@zd.com writes: >On a local level my wife and I have told the SF SPCA we will never give >them another cent (having been decent contributors over the years) as long >as they persist in their pandering to old ladies about to die and leave >their estates to feral cat "protection". The SF SPCA is very adamant that >there is no evicence whatsoever that feral cats do any damage As a matter of curiousity what is the legal status of cat-feeding stations in public parks. Could one remove them to a dumpster, under the auspices of cleaning up trash? Are there laws to prohibit this, provided no cats are actually harmed? Kevin McKereghan gasstation@aol.com --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n224.3 --------------- From: Alan Hopkins Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 13:38:18 +0000 Harry Thanks so much for your support! I wish others with pets would speak out on the SF SPCA's hypocrisy. As you are aware the SPCA and other pro-feral groups are disseminating what they call studies by Robert Berg, Roger Tabor, Gary Patronek, Ellen Berkeley, and Jeff Elliott. I have read the work of many of these people and they arguments are all very flawed. Theses people do not do field research but cut and paste assemblages of others research, taking good research out of context to make their point. Robert Berg's paper "The effects of predation by feral cats on the songbird population of Golden Gate Park" was very effective in giving Animal Care and Control an out for doing anything seriously about cats in the parks. I circulated this paper among local bird authorities and unfortunately only received one response. The one response was from Joe Morlan who wrote "... Mr. Brerg's report is not a study of the effects of predation, but a speculative apology for one side of this issue. It lacks any scientific references to support its positions; it lacks any original research, and lacks peer review. It does not represent the collective opinion of zoologists, ornithologists, or any other group of responsible scientists..." Unfortunately Mr. Berg's paper is being circulated as fact to any one who wants it. Here is some text from an article I am working on for the Native Species Network: Many cat colony advocates are willing do dismiss the damage cats cause to the surrounding wildlife as part of nature. One colony advocate said "Cats, like all predators, have a built-in ecological intelligence which guides them to breed only up to carrying capacity of their environment."(Holton/Robinson 1992) and "the cats and owls and all other living creatures should be allowed to survive in their own habitat." If cat colony advocates truly believed these statements, there would be no reason for them to feed and care for free ranging cats. Unfortunately, colony advocates feed, vaccinate, and monitor the health of cats in areas with wildlife, this in turn allows the numbers of cats to swell well beyond anything resembling a natural carrying capacity. Cats are not a species native to North America and so they no have no natural habitat in North America, and all their predation will have some impact on some other species carrying capacity. In Maverick Cats Ellen Perry Berkeley quotes Earl Hubbs 1951 paper to imply that cats do little damage to birds. Unfortunately Berkeley did not include any of the Discussion section in her quotes. Hubbs Discussion says: "...where game production is of primary concern, cat control is warranted" particularly on the breeding grounds of pheasants and ducks... Control measures must be handled on a local basis. On primary game areas all cats should be eradicated if possible... actual control of cat numbers is expensive and complicated by sentiment and prejudice. Some people are violently opposed to any form of killing. Likewise control operations are sure to remove some wandering pets along with the truly vagrant animals, an event which arouses additional adverse reaction. Sentiment further causes people to abandon unwanted cats rather than kill them, thereby augmenting already existing vagrant populations. These considerations will make cat control difficult in the Sacramento Valley." I am trying to find a field biologist to review Robert Berg, Roger Tabor, Gary Patronek, Ellen Berkeley, and Jeff Elliott's work so we can put a stop to their bio-babble. If anyone has any ideas how to go about this let me know. A great source of scientific papers on cats is on the Native Species Network web site. www.wco/~nsn/ Alan Hopkins --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n224.4 --------------- From: Alan Hopkins Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 20:58:28 +0000 Kevin, In 1993 we tried to get the city to inforce the laws, but were out flanked by the SFSPCA and other pro-cat groups. The SF SPCA has a lot of power and money to invest in pro cat campaigns. Here are the laws: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/acc/codes/park.htm ---------- City and County of San Francisco Municpal Code Park Code Sec. 5.01. - Dogs, Cats, Horses Only Allowed. Sec. 5.02. - Animals Prohibited from Certain Areas. Sec. 5.03. - Cats Must Be on Leash or in Transport Box. Sec. 5.04. - Horses. Sec. 5.05. - Vicious Animals Prohibited. Sec. 5.06. - Abandonment of Animals Prohibited. Sec. 5.07. - Feeding Animals Prohibited. Sec. 5.08. - Disturbing Animals. Birds. Fish Prohibited: Exceptions. SEC. 5.01. DOGS, CATS, HORSES ONLY ALLOWED. No person shall lead, drive, conduct or otherwise bring or allow to remain in any park any animal, bird, fish or reptile other than horses, dogs and domestic cats. This Section shall not apply to duly authorized employees performing duties for the Zoological Park or the Aquarium, nor to persons acting pursuant to a permit from the Recreation and Park Department or the Recreation and Park Commission when the permit allows the presence of such animal, bird, fish or reptile. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.02. ANIMALS PROHIBITED FROM CERTAIN AREAS. No person, other than members or the Police Mounted Detail when on duty, shall, in any park, allow any animal in his or her custody to enter any building, the Zoological Gardens, or those areas of Golden Gate Park known as the Arboretum, Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory Valley, or any playground, sandbox or other area reserved for children, or to enter or drink the water of any drinking fountain, lake or pond, except at places designated and maintained for such purpose. Notwithstanding the above provision, a blind person may enter buildings, the Arboretum, Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory Valley with a guide dog. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.03. CATS MUST BE ON LEASH OR IN TRANSPORT BOX. No person shall carry, lead, conduct or otherwise bring or allow to remain in any park a domestic cat unless the animal is on leash not exceeding six feet in length or in an animal transport box equipped with vent holes capable of providing the animal with sufficient air. (Added BV Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.04. HORSES. No person shall: (a) Lead, drive, entice, conduct or otherwise bring any horse into any park other than horses attached to vehicles being driven by the person in charge or horses being used for riding purposes; (b) Ride, drive or conduct a horse in any park except upon designated bridle paths and roadways; (c) Ride, drive or conduct a horse in a reckless manner; (d) Let loose or Permit a horse to run at large. Attention is called to Part II, Chapter VIII of the San Francisco Municipal Code (Police Code), pertaining to the regulation of horseback riding in public places. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.05. VICIOUS ANIMALS PROHIBITED. No person shall keep or permit to remain in any park a noisy, vicious, or dangerous animal or an animal which unduly disturbs other persons in the park. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.06. ABANDONMENT OF ANIMALS PROHIBITED. No person shall abandon any animal in any park. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.07. FEEDING ANIMALS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to feed or offer to any animal in any park any substance which would be likely to be harmful to it. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) SEC. 5.08. DISTURBING ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISH PROHIBITED; EXCEPTIONS. Except as provided in Article 7, Chapter VIII (Police Code) of the San Francisco Municipal Code, it shall be unlawful for any person, including City and County of San Francisco, its officers, employees or agents, to hunt, chase, shoot, trap, discharge or throw missiles at, molest, disturb, capture, injure, or destroy any animal in any park, or to permit any animal in such person's custody or control to do so; provided, however, that any mole or any gopher, mouse, rat or other rodent which is determined by the Superintendent of Parks to be a nuisance may be destroyed by said Superintendent or a designated representative; and provided, further, that any animal other than a mole or a gopher, mouse, rat or other rodent which is determined by said Superintendent to be a nuisance or a hazard to persons using said areas or to be a hazard to plants or other horticulture, may, in a humane manner, be live trapped by said Superintendent and delivered to the Animal Control Officer for disposition pursuant to the provisions of Sections 41.7 through 41.9, inclusive, of Article 1, Chapter V (Health Code) of the San Francisco Municipal Code. The provisions of this Section are intended to prohibit fishing in any park other than fishing in Lake Merced pursuant to a license obtained pursuant to Article 8 of this Code or in any other area designated by Commission resolution as a fishing area. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to the destruction of any animal in any park where such animal poses an immediate and serious threat to persons or property or is suffering excessively. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) Return to Table of Contents | Return to ACC Home Page I guess laws are made to be broken. Alan Hopkins --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n224.5 --------------- From: "Romeu, Joost (SFO)" Subject: RE: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 10:49:39 -0400 Why should the laws be broken? The way I read it: > http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/acc/codes/park.htm > SEC. 5.01. DOGS, CATS, HORSES ONLY ALLOWED. > No person shall lead, drive, conduct or otherwise bring or allow to > remain > in any park any animal, bird, fish or reptile other than horses, dogs > and > domestic cats. Doesn't seem to allow feral cats, > SEC. 5.05. VICIOUS ANIMALS PROHIBITED. > No person shall keep or permit to remain in any park a noisy, vicious, > or > dangerous animal or an animal which unduly disturbs other > persons in the > park. (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) Seems like a mandate to do away with dangerous animals, > > SEC. 5.06. ABANDONMENT OF ANIMALS PROHIBITED. > No person shall abandon any animal in any park. (Added by Ord. 603-81, > App. and deal with abandoned animals, > SEC. 5.07. FEEDING ANIMALS PROHIBITED. > It shall be unlawful for any person to feed or offer to any animal in > any > park any substance which would be likely to be harmful to it. and their feeders, > SEC. 5.08. DISTURBING ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISH PROHIBITED; EXCEPTIONS. > Except as provided in Article 7, Chapter VIII (Police Code) of the San > Francisco Municipal Code, it shall be unlawful for any > person, including > City and County of San Francisco, its officers, employees or > agents, to > hunt, chase, shoot, trap, discharge or throw missiles at, molest, > disturb, > capture, injure, or destroy any animal in any park, or to permit any > animal > in such person's custody or control to do so; provided, however, that > any > mole or any gopher, mouse, rat or other rodent which is determined by > the > Superintendent of Parks to be a nuisance may be destroyed by said > Superintendent or a designated representative; and provided, further, > that > any animal other than a mole or a gopher, mouse, rat or other rodent > which > is determined by said Superintendent to be a nuisance or a hazard to > persons using said areas or to be a hazard to plants or other > horticulture, > may, in a humane manner, be live trapped by said Superintendent and > delivered to the Animal Control Officer for disposition > pursuant to the > provisions of Sections 41.7 through 41.9, inclusive, of Article 1, > Chapter > V (Health Code) of the San Francisco Municipal Code. The provisions of > this > Section are intended to prohibit fishing in any park other > than fishing > in > Lake Merced pursuant to a license obtained pursuant to > Article 8 of this > Code or in any other area designated by Commission resolution as a > fishing > area. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to the > destruction of any animal in any park where such animal poses an > immediate > and serious threat to persons or property or is suffering excessively. > (Added by Ord. 603-81, App. 12/18/81) > Return to Table of Contents | Return to ACC Home Page except with a gun, trap, or fishing line. --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n224 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n225 -------------- 001 - Harry Fuller Subject: Quail, other nesters Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 11:43:30 -0700 Monday eve and this morn (Tues 6/15) there were a pair of adult quail (male & female) plus ONE juvenile about ten days old (based on my many years of farmlife around domestic chickens) feeding around the small playground at Battery Caulfield & Washington in Presidio (north of abandoned leprosy hospital). There did not appear to be any hope that there were other juvenile quail hidden in the bushes. There was just that ONE both times and I watched over ten minutes each sighting.. Nearby a family of three juvies and pair of adult BLPH were feeding. In addition last night there was a Robin family group: two adults, two juveniles feeding beneath the playground swings. Ten days ago I spotted a mated pair of CAQU behind the empty house at 1810 Wyman (between old hospital mnentioned above and the MacArthur tunnel through the Presidio). Several revisits have not re-located the quail nor any quail chicks but it is an area where I have often seen CAQU is past. Behind 1809 Wyman there was a pair of PYNU carrying bugs into a nearby cypress tree, and a pair of Downys carrying food into their nest hole in the northern most of the scraggly birch trees in the backyard there. There was a juvie Scrub Jay in that area as well. Nancy DeStefanis says the RT Hawks at Stow Lake appear to be building a second nest in tree near the one where they have raised their first brood. --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n225.2 --------------- From: Gasstation@aol.com Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Cats Indoors! under attack Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 18:12:59 EDT In a message dated 6/14/99 21:58:20, ash@sfo.com writes: >In 1993 we tried to get the city to inforce the laws, but were out >flanked by the SFSPCA and other pro-cat groups. The SF SPCA has a lot of >power and money to invest in pro cat campaigns. Here are the laws: > >http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/acc/codes/park.htm >---------- >City and County of San Francisco Municpal Code Park Code > Sec. 5.01. - Dogs, Cats, Horses Only Allowed. > Sec. 5.02. - Animals Prohibited from Certain Areas. > Sec. 5.03. - Cats Must Be on Leash or in Transport Box. > Sec. 5.04. - Horses. >Sec. 5.05. - Vicious Animals Prohibited. > Sec. 5.06. - Abandonment of Animals Prohibited. > Sec. 5.07. - Feeding Animals Prohibited. >Sec. 5.08. - Disturbing Animals. Birds. Fish Prohibited: Exceptions. > > My question was more about the feeding stations. I imagine that the presence of a feeding station concentrates the numbers of feral cats in a given area. If that feeding station happens to be in one of the limited number of suitable breeding habitats for say the Ca, Quail, then predation on the quail will be increased. If that is the case then perhaps the loss of a feeding station then would result in the dispersal of the cats, in order to find other sources of food, and a reduction in predation in that area. The laws address the animals, but not the feeding stations. As long as you don't harm, molest, anatagonize... the cats, you ought to be able to remove the feeding stations. Granted the cat people would replace them in time, but it would disrupt the cats daily routine, perhaps forcing them elsewhere, and at the very least, cause the cat people some inconvenience. Since the City is unwilling or unable to enforce the animal ordinances, a little of both I suspect, maybe a little clean up could be organized to remove some of the feeding stations. Kevin McKereghan gasstation@aol.com --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n225.3 --------------- From: Dan Murphy Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Quail, other nesters Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 16:15:13 -0800 Hi Harry, Now that you remind me, I was at the Cliff House on Sunday morning. There was a single baby oystercatcher -- I'd guess day 1 or 2. Both adults were around. One appeared to be sitting on eggs, so there may be more young by now. I missed the baby Gadwalls at Mallard Lake, but I did have a Downy Woodpecker feeding young in a cavity in a myoporum. Dan Harry Fuller wrote: > > Monday eve and this morn (Tues 6/15) there were a pair of adult quail (male > & female) plus ONE juvenile about ten days old (based on my many years of > farmlife around domestic chickens) feeding around the small playground at > Battery Caulfield & Washington in Presidio (north of abandoned leprosy > hospital). There did not appear to be any hope that there were other > juvenile quail hidden in the bushes. There was just that ONE both times > and I watched over ten minutes each sighting.. > > Nearby a family of three juvies and pair of adult BLPH were feeding. In > addition last night there was a Robin family group: two adults, two > juveniles feeding beneath the playground swings. > > Ten days ago I spotted a mated pair of CAQU behind the empty house at 1810 > Wyman (between old hospital mnentioned above and the MacArthur tunnel > through the Presidio). Several revisits have not re-located the quail nor > any quail chicks but it is an area where I have often seen CAQU is past. > > Behind 1809 Wyman there was a pair of PYNU carrying bugs into a nearby > cypress tree, and a pair of Downys carrying food into their nest hole in > the northern most of the scraggly birch trees in the backyard there. There > was a juvie Scrub Jay in that area as well. > > Nancy DeStefanis says the RT Hawks at Stow Lake appear to be building a > second nest in tree near the one where they have raised their first brood. --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n225 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n226 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Quail Up Date Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 18:28:01 +0000 Dear comrades in quail, I have received notes from Harry Fuller and Stephan Davies (sighting in Big Sur) noting that they have seen quail with chicks. If you have a chance, this would be a good weekend to spend some time looking for youngsters. I have an Audubon function all day Saturday and will not be able to check until Sunday. Please call if you see any chicks. 664-0983 I have been checking Strybing and unfortunately things are not very inspiring. I have been seeing the same female and male pair regularly in the succulent garden. The female has two or three top Knot feathers, and the male two. Monday 6/14 I arrived to find the sprinklers on in the area where I thought the birds might be nesting. The area also smelled of skunk, a notorious nest robber. Later I saw the female, she should have been on the nest if she had eggs. All together I saw 5 males and one female. Today 6/17 I saw two males along the east side of the redwoods eating white rice scraps. One bird looked as though it was not well. The bird had a bloated looking crop, it held its wing down and seemed rather lethargic. At the succulent garden I saw one or two males, no females. Lets hope they were sitting on eggs. This drizzle is not good for chicks. Here is Harry's report on birds in the Presidio. There are more females in the Presidio coveys so we should keep our eyes open. "Monday eve and this morn (Tues. 6/15) there were a pair of adult quail (male & female) plus ONE juvenile about ten days old (based on my many years of farmlife around domestic chickens) feeding around the small playground at Battery Caulfield & Washington in Presidio (north of abandoned leprosy hospital). There did not appear to be any hope that there were other juvenile quail hidden in the bushes. There was just that ONE both times and I watched over ten minutes each sighting.. Nearby a family of three juvies and pair of adult BLPH were feeding. In addition last night there was a Robin family group: two adults, two juveniles feeding beneath the playground swings. Ten days ago I spotted a mated pair of CAQU behind the empty house at 1810 Wyman (between old hospital mentioned above and the MacArthur tunnel through the Presidio). Several revisits have not re-located the quail nor any quail chicks but it is an area where I have often seen CAQU is past. Behind 1809 Wyman there was a pair of PYNU carrying bugs into a nearby cypress tree, and a pair of Downys carrying food into their nest hole in the northern most of the scraggly birch trees in the backyard there. There was a juvie Scrub Jay in that area as well. Nancy DeStefanis says the RT Hawks at Stow Lake appear to be building a second nest in tree near the one where they have raised their first brood." I have not been back to Fort Funston since I spotted quail some weeks ago. I will check the area first thing on Sunday. I have been checking McLaren Park weekly, but have not seen any birds. I suspect the male is still there but it is just being hard to see. I am working on a press release and hope to have it out on Sunday or Monday. If you are willing to meet the press let me know. The roster is almost done, you will be getting it in the mail as soon as I have time to finish it. If you want to see some chicks of the duck kind, there are six Gadwall chicks on Mallard Lake in Golden Gate Park. I believe this is only the second record for Gadwall nesting in SF Alan Hopkins ash@sfo.com --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n226.2 --------------- From: Dan Murphy Subject: [Fwd: Cavity nesting birds] Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 21:22:08 -0800 Thought some of you might like this cavity nesting birds site sent by Rusty Scalf. In case you don't get the attachment the site is http://bio.fsu. edu/~jameslab/ Dan --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n226.3 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: Identification Quiz Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 22:51:55 -0700 A new quiz to test your skills. Enjoy! http://www.best.com/~eaton/Birding/Identification%20Quizzes/IdentificationQuiz.html Mark -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n226.4 --------------- From: Harry Fuller Subject: Re: Quail Up Date Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 09:35:23 -0700 Update on RT% Hawks at Stow...one juvie is now sleeping away from nest...the adults working on second nest site is normal. RTR Hawks only nest once per summer bu they frequently maintain several nest sites in the nesting territory. ONe theory is that their nests are often taken over by HOrned Owls so they have more than one nesting site possible when the spring urge hits 'em. THey will not nest a seocnd time this summer. THere is male Gadwall at Lloyd Lake, GGP, we should watch for young there as well. A pair of adult Green Herons were at Lloyd late Thursday. THey were hunting, saw one swallow a small fish. At one point they did a looping tandem flight of the east end of the pond, perhaps some sort of bonding activity? Nesting there? Cooper's Hawk still actively protecting territory west of Bercut, haven't seen young or nest. Anyone? Anybody hear any Swainson Thrushes recently in GGP or Presidio or Mtn Lake Park? There was a male CAQU standing guard near the stucco garages west of the community garden in the vicinity of Kobbe/Upton on Wednesday. Did not see female but have seen mated pair here earlier in season. Heavy cover but likely spot to expect juvenile quail as summer progresses. WIWR and WIWA still signing in that area as well, but no Steller's Jays visible there this summer. HUVI at Mallard Lake but I keep missing baby Gadwalls. ------------ Previous Message from Alan Hopkins on 06/17/99 11:28:01 AM ---------- Please respond to ash@sfo.com To: See Below cc: See Below Subject: Quail Up Date Dear comrades in quail, I have received notes from Harry Fuller and Stephan Davies (sighting in Big Sur) noting that they have seen quail with chicks. If you have a chance, this would be a good weekend to spend some time looking for youngsters. I have an Audubon function all day Saturday and will not be able to check until Sunday. Please call if you see any chicks. 664-0983 I have been checking Strybing and unfortunately things are not very inspiring. I have been seeing the same female and male pair regularly in the succulent garden. The female has two or three top Knot feathers, and the male two. Monday 6/14 I arrived to find the sprinklers on in the area where I thought the birds might be nesting. The area also smelled of skunk, a notorious nest robber. Later I saw the female, she should have been on the nest if she had eggs. All together I saw 5 males and one female. Today 6/17 I saw two males along the east side of the redwoods eating white rice scraps. One bird looked as though it was not well. The bird had a bloated looking crop, it held its wing down and seemed rather lethargic. At the succulent garden I saw one or two males, no females. Lets hope they were sitting on eggs. This drizzle is not good for chicks. Here is Harry's report on birds in the Presidio. There are more females in the Presidio coveys so we should keep our eyes open. Monday eve and this morn (Tues. 6/15) there were a pair of adult qua= il (male & female) plus ONE juvenile about ten days old (based on my many years of farmlife around domestic chickens) feeding around the small playground= at Battery Caulfield & Washington in Presidio (north of abandoned leprosy hospital). There did not appear to be any hope that there were other juvenile quail hidden in the bushes. There was just that ONE both time= s and I watched over ten minutes each sighting.. Nearby a family of three juvies and pair of adult BLPH were feeding. I= n addition last night there was a Robin family group: two adults, two juveniles feeding beneath the playground swings. Ten days ago I spotted a mated pair of CAQU behind the empty house at 1810 Wyman (between old hospital mentioned above and the MacArthur tunnel through the Presidio). Several revisits have not re-located the quail nor any quail chicks but it is an area where I have often seen CAQU is past= . Behind 1809 Wyman there was a pair of PYNU carrying bugs into a nearby cypress tree, and a pair of Downys carrying food into their nest hole i= n the northern most of the scraggly birch trees in the backyard there. There was a juvie Scrub Jay in that area as well. Nancy DeStefanis says the RT Hawks at Stow Lake appear to be building a= second nest in tree near the one where they have raised their first brood. I have not been back to Fort Funston since I spotted quail some weeks ago. I will check the area first thing on Sunday. I have been checking McLaren Park weekly, but have not seen any birds. = I suspect the male is still there but it is just being hard to see. I am working on a press release and hope to have it out on Sunday or Monday. If you are willing to meet the press let me know. The roster is= almost done, you will be getting it in the mail as soon as I have time to finish it. If you want to see some chicks of the duck kind, there are six Gadwall chicks on Mallard Lake in Golden Gate Park. I believe this is only the second record for Gadwall nesting in SF Alan Hopkins ash@sfo.com --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n226.5 --------------- From: Dan Murphy Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Re: Quail Up Date Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 15:04:18 -0800 Yea Harry, Last Sunday I had 2 singing Swainson's Thrushes at the east end of Mt. Lake where the path crosses the "inlet creek" (which has never carried water). Both birds were in the willow/blackberry grove on the west side of the path. There are probably more in the willow grove which parallels Park Presidio, but road noise is so great I miss them. Dan Harry Fuller wrote: > > Update on RT% Hawks at Stow...one juvie is now sleeping away from > nest...the adults working on second nest site is normal. RTR Hawks only > nest once per summer bu they frequently maintain several nest sites in the > nesting territory. > ONe theory is that their nests are often taken over by HOrned Owls so they > have more than one nesting site possible when the spring urge hits 'em. > THey will not nest a seocnd time this summer. > > THere is male Gadwall at Lloyd Lake, GGP, we should watch for young there > as well. A pair of adult Green Herons were at Lloyd late Thursday. THey > were hunting, saw one swallow a small fish. At one point they did a > looping tandem flight of the east end of the pond, perhaps some sort of > bonding activity? Nesting there? > > Cooper's Hawk still actively protecting territory west of Bercut, haven't > seen young or nest. Anyone? > Anybody hear any Swainson Thrushes recently in GGP or Presidio or Mtn Lake > Park? > > There was a male CAQU standing guard near the stucco garages west of the > community garden in the vicinity of Kobbe/Upton on Wednesday. Did not see > female but have seen mated pair here earlier in season. Heavy cover but > likely spot to expect juvenile quail as summer progresses. > > WIWR and WIWA still signing in that area as well, but no Steller's Jays > visible there this summer. > > HUVI at Mallard Lake but I keep missing baby Gadwalls. > > ------------ Previous Message from Alan Hopkins on > 06/17/99 11:28:01 AM ---------- > > Please respond to ash@sfo.com > > To: See Below > cc: See Below > Subject: Quail Up Date > > Dear comrades in quail, > > I have received notes from Harry Fuller and Stephan Davies (sighting in > Big Sur) noting that they have seen quail with chicks. If you have a > chance, this would be a good weekend to spend some time looking for > youngsters. I have an Audubon function all day Saturday and will not be > able to check until Sunday. Please call if you see any chicks. 664-0983 > > I have been checking Strybing and unfortunately things are not very > inspiring. I have been seeing the same female and male pair regularly in > the succulent garden. The female has two or three top Knot feathers, and > the male two. Monday 6/14 I arrived to find the sprinklers on in the > area where I thought the birds might be nesting. The area also smelled > of skunk, a notorious nest robber. Later I saw the female, she should > have been on the nest if she had eggs. All together I saw 5 males and > one female. > > Today 6/17 I saw two males along the east side of the redwoods eating > white rice scraps. One bird looked as though it was not well. The bird > had a bloated looking crop, it held its wing down and seemed rather > lethargic. At the succulent garden I saw one or two males, no females. > Lets hope they were sitting on eggs. This drizzle is not good for > chicks. > > Here is Harry > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Æs report on birds in the Presidio. There are more females > in the Presidio coveys so we should keep our eyes open. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ôMonday eve and this morn (Tues. 6/15) there were a pair of adult quail > (male > & female) plus ONE juvenile about ten days old (based on my many years > of > farmlife around domestic chickens) feeding around the small playground > at > Battery Caulfield & Washington in Presidio (north of abandoned leprosy > hospital). There did not appear to be any hope that there were other > juvenile quail hidden in the bushes. There was just that ONE both times > and I watched over ten minutes each sighting.. > > Nearby a family of three juvies and pair of adult BLPH were feeding. In > addition last night there was a Robin family group: two adults, two > juveniles feeding beneath the playground swings. > > Ten days ago I spotted a mated pair of CAQU behind the empty house at > 1810 > Wyman (between old hospital mentioned above and the MacArthur tunnel > through the Presidio). Several revisits have not re-located the quail > nor > any quail chicks but it is an area where I have often seen CAQU is past. > > Behind 1809 Wyman there was a pair of PYNU carrying bugs into a nearby > cypress tree, and a pair of Downys carrying food into their nest hole in > the northern most of the scraggly birch trees in the backyard there. > There > was a juvie Scrub Jay in that area as well. > > Nancy DeStefanis says the RT Hawks at Stow Lake appear to be building a > second nest in tree near the one where they have raised their first > brood. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ö > > I have not been back to Fort Funston since I spotted quail some weeks > ago. I will check the area first thing on Sunday. > > I have been checking McLaren Park weekly, but have not seen any birds. I > suspect the male is still there but it is just being hard to see. > > I am working on a press release and hope to have it out on Sunday or > Monday. If you are willing to meet the press let me know. The roster is > almost done, you will be getting it in the mail as soon as I have time > to finish it. > > If you want to see some chicks of the duck kind, there are six Gadwall > chicks on Mallard Lake in Golden Gate Park. I believe this is only the > second record for Gadwall nesting in SF > > Alan Hopkins > ash@sfo.com > > Recipients: > To: "Bowman, Kristin" ,"Chassé, Michael" > ,Dan Murphy ,"Daniel, Dan" > ,Golden Gate Audubon Society > ,Graves David ,"Gross, Ken & > Theresa Boule" ,Harry Fuller,"Hollloran, Peter" > ,Hopkins Alan ,Josiah Clark > ,"Kooser, Jaime" ,"Raffa, > Damien" ,"Scoggins, William" > ,"Weaver, Mark & Erica" ,SF > Birding > cc: --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n226 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n227 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Quail and cat Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 20:04:33 +0000 I took advantage of the clear weather today and visited the Arboretum to have another look at the quail. I found four males in the succulent garden. I thought they seemed rather nervous. I walked around the garden looking for more birds, hoping for chicks. I found the double top-knot female with her mate. They went they dashed to the path near the atraplex hedge after getting washed by the sprinkler. I followed them along the path and they headed to the outdoor nursery area along with two or three other males. As I approached I heard lost of quail giving very agitated alarm calls from under the big Toyon where the female and her mate went. Suddenly quail came streaming out of the bush with a cat in hot pursuit. I could not see if the cat caught a bird. All the quail were standing about with their necks stretched out observing the cat. The quail were still in easy pouncing distance from the cat so I ran up and all the quail flew up into a near by tree. The cat was under the Toyon, it did not appear to have a bird, but there was a good deal of brush so I could have missed something. I scared the cat off and tried to get an estimate of the quail numbers but they were well hidden in the tree. The cat was dark brown or black marbled with lighter brown with a pail chin. It looked like it was part Tabby or Main Coon. I followed it to the nursery building where it disappeared behind a shed. On my way out I found four males in the California section near the road. Alan Hopkins --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n227 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n228 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Re: Fort Funston Quail Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 11:12:35 +0000 This morning I made it out to Fort Funston by about 8:15 and was at the dune restoration/Bank Swallow habitat site by 8:30. Shortly after I arrived at the area with the brush piles bordering the path I herd a some "pip" calls. The calls sounded like quail calls but I was not positive due to the level of ambient sounds around. The wildflowers in the area are spectacular and there was a constant stream of Bank Swallows flying by. There are White-crowned Sparrows everywhere I am not sure I have seen such high densities of sparrows during breeding season. At some point a Red-tailed Hawk flew by only a few feet off the ground. It disappeared behind a hill and I never saw it reappear. There were young Brush Rabbits feeding in the low hollow across the path to the southeast of the cypress thicket. Although there were no quail to be seen, I was having a great time anyway. I had been there about 45 minutes and was about to give up when I heard a single "Cu-co-cow" call. The call seemed to come from the equestrian path that goes to the Skyline Grove. I walked along the equestrian path but couldn't find the bird. The view from the path gave me a better look down in to the hollow. I was watching the rabbits when I realized there was a male quail standing near the rabbits. When I got a good look at the quail I saw that there were two chicks standing next to him. The chicks had fairly well developed wings, so I guessed that they were over a week old. As I watched the birds more chicks began to appear out of the ground cover. It was not easy getting an accurate count, I think there were at least ten chicks! At one point the chicks and the baby rabbit were under the same bush together, another time they were huddled under a large patch of bright yellow monkey flower. As I watched the quail a recently fledged Bewick's Wren hopped along in the brush pile right next to me. After I had been watching the quail for about 20 minutes the adult male collected all the chicks together and made a dash for the brush pile along the paved path. I ran around to catch up with them. By the time I got to where I could see them they had already crossed the path. The adult male was standing on a brush pile with one or two chicks next to him. The adult hopped down onto the ground and the whole group of chicks followed. They walked in the grass briefly, and then to my surprise, they all flew to the cypress thicket where they disappeared from sight. According to the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds quail chicks "can fly short distances after 10 days after hatching and at 14 days fly well but prefer to run to escape; are brooded on the ground with by adults for 28 days after hatching until they begin to roost in trees with parents" So these birds are at least 10 days old. Now that the quail have nested there successfully for two years there are some interesting things to consider: - What are they using for a source of water? Fog condensation? - According to Leopold, wet and drizzly weather like we have just had can be fatal to chicks. These birds seemed to survive the weather, can we assume that weather is not playing a factor in other quail clutch success? - Fort Funston has as high a density of dogs as anywhere I can think of. It appears that the brush piles along the fence are enough of a deterrent to keep most of the dogs out. Dogs don't seem to "sniff" the quail out and disturb them. - We need to keep GGNRA people from removing that last cypress. Alan Hopkins --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n228.2 --------------- From: Dan Murphy Subject: Re: Fort Funston Quail Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 15:43:21 -0800 Hi Alan, Well that's not all that's going on. I birded Lake Merced this morning and had a bunch of stuff. Actually, I had a pretty late start because I did the corvid survey first. We only had 5 Ravens on the 25 mile route. Interesting that I had 25 along the beach yesterday including one group of 16, and I had 7 at LM this morning, all of which I missed on the survey. The first thing I did was park at the south end of the lake, open the door and inhaled a major dose of skunk -- there was a freshly killed one next to the car. After a swift drive north about 100 yds. I parked, opened the door and heard a sound unfamiliar to me for the past 2 years in SF -- 2 Red Crossbills flew over and landed in the trees at the Olympic Club. They kept calling for about 10 minutes. At the north end of the lake by the Mesa I had an adult Cooper's Hawk flying over and landing at Harding. A Wrentit was singing from the east end of the willow grove east of the Mesa. I heard no fewer than 6 Common Yellowthroats singing at 5 sites around the lake. I didn't check the heron nests with a scope, but I didn't see any herons in the colony near the gun range. One bird was on a nest in the euc grove north of Harding Rd. Two Ospreys made me wonder again where they might be nesting. The nesting season appears pretty late to me. Most birds are still singing, displaying and very few are feeding fledglings. We have a bumper crop of young Pied-billed Grebes - 6 adults with young in the southern impoundment, but only one Mallard family just north of the concrete bridge. I didn't see any fledgling sparrows and only 1 Brewer's Blackbirds, so I suppose there is still a lot of activity at the nests. Not bad for this late in the season. Best, Dan Alan Hopkins wrote: > > This morning I made it out to Fort Funston by about 8:15 and was at the > dune restoration/Bank Swallow habitat site by 8:30. Shortly after I > arrived at the area with the brush piles bordering the path I herd a > some "pip" calls. The calls sounded like quail calls but I was not > positive due to the level of ambient sounds around. > > The wildflowers in the area are spectacular and there was a constant > stream of Bank Swallows flying by. There are White-crowned Sparrows > everywhere I am not sure I have seen such high densities of sparrows > during breeding season. At some point a Red-tailed Hawk flew by only a > few feet off the ground. It disappeared behind a hill and I never saw it > reappear. There were young Brush Rabbits feeding in the low hollow > across the path to the southeast of the cypress thicket. Although there > were no quail to be seen, I was having a great time anyway. I had been > there about 45 minutes and was about to give up when I heard a single > "Cu-co-cow" call. The call seemed to come from the equestrian path that > goes to the Skyline Grove. > > I walked along the equestrian path but couldn't find the bird. The view > from the path gave me a better look down in to the hollow. I was > watching the rabbits when I realized there was a male quail standing > near the rabbits. When I got a good look at the quail I saw that there > were two chicks standing next to him. The chicks had fairly well > developed wings, so I guessed that they were over a week old. As I > watched the birds more chicks began to appear out of the ground cover. > It was not easy getting an accurate count, I think there were at least > ten chicks! At one point the chicks and the baby rabbit were under the > same bush together, another time they were huddled under a large patch > of bright yellow monkey flower. As I watched the quail a recently > fledged Bewick's Wren hopped along in the brush pile right next to me. > > After I had been watching the quail for about 20 minutes the adult male > collected all the chicks together and made a dash for the brush pile > along the paved path. I ran around to catch up with them. By the time I > got to where I could see them they had already crossed the path. The > adult male was standing on a brush pile with one or two chicks next to > him. The adult hopped down onto the ground and the whole group of chicks > followed. They walked in the grass briefly, and then to my surprise, > they all flew to the cypress thicket where they disappeared from sight. > > According to the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds > quail chicks "can fly short distances after 10 days after hatching and > at 14 days fly well but prefer to run to escape; are brooded on the > ground with by adults for 28 days after hatching until they begin to > roost in trees with parents" So these birds are at least 10 days old. > > Now that the quail have nested there successfully for two years there > are some interesting things to consider: > > - What are they using for a source of water? Fog condensation? > - According to Leopold, wet and drizzly weather like we have just had > can be fatal to chicks. These birds seemed to survive the weather, can > we assume that weather is not playing a factor in other quail clutch > success? > - Fort Funston has as high a density of dogs as anywhere I can think of. > It appears that the brush piles along the fence are enough of a > deterrent to keep most of the dogs out. Dogs don't seem to "sniff" the > quail out and disturb them. > - We need to keep GGNRA people from removing that last cypress. > > Alan Hopkins --------------- MESSAGE sfbirds.v001.n228.3 --------------- From: "Mark W. Eaton" Subject: 6.27 - .28.98 Yuba Pass (Extralimital) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 18:29:28 -0700 SAGS, BCHU, VASW, SWHA, WISA, BBWO, much more... http://www.best.com/~eaton/Birding/TripReports/YubaPass6.12-13.99.html -- Mark Eaton 1524 36th Avenue mailto:eaton@best.com San Francisco, CA, 94122-3123 http://www.best.com/~eaton http://goldengate.ca.audubon.org "By some piece of subterfuge that did not escape the sailors, most of the officers happened to draw the less desirable Jaeger wool bags...The fine warm fur bags all went to the men under them." McNish, in his diary from Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n228 --------------- Subject: Digest sfbirds.v001.n229 Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 19:10:16 -0700 (PDT) From: sfbirds-errors@lists.best.com To: sfbirds@lists.best.com -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n229 -------------- 001 - Alan Hopkins Subject: Binoculars to france Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 17:40:58 +0000 Hi Folks, I got this e-mail the other day, I thought those of you who are better bird ware consumers than I am could help this person out. Alan Subject: binoc Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 06:43:22 EDT From: CCordesse@aol.com To: ash@sfo.com >From XP in France Please can you help me ? I'm looking for the best binocular's dealer (or an other way to get good binoculars at a good price) in San Fransisco for my coming this summer in your country. Thank you very much for your answer at Ccordesse@aol.com --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n229 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n230 -------------- 001 - Harry Fuller Subject: quail Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 13:29:05 -0700 At least 3 separate male quail (two were calling) near Washington and Battery Caulfield, Presidio, this week. One mated pair with NO baby in evidence. This was on Wednesday. --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n230 --------------- -------------- BEGIN sfbirds.v001.n231 -------------- 001 - Josiah Clark Subject: Breeding birds on the Presidio Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:27:58 PDT MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Returned home from Costa Rica and did the PRBO pt counts the next day. To add to Alan's note, Wht Crns sparrows appear to have strongholds in the dune scrub communities at baker beach. Lots of birds still on territroy and another 3 fledglings for a total of no less than 10 for the Presidio this year. Cowbirds unfortunately are also out there in unprecendented numbers. Another bird to keep tabs on within SF, Song Sparrows, in contrast to Wht Crns, this species has strong holds in serpentine scrub on the bluffs, and off the bluffs in riparian strips. In both cases, a diverse vegetation community with many sized and shaped shrubs will afford adults and nests alike the best chances of avoiding cowbird parasitism and ground predators.(Cowbirds and nest predators like Jays have a much easier job in uniform and monoculture habitats where the nest sites are more predictable.) A STJA report from Presidio hills above the 15th ave hospital, and Ive been hearing the quail there though Ive had no time to actually seek out individuals and status. The Lobos Redtail chick is off the nest and really noisy. A pygmy nuthatch nest appears to have been successful in the Lobos Forest and Hooded orioles appear to have spread out a bit. At Crissy, it appears none of the Killdeer were able to pull off a clutch, although 2 nests were found. More as it happens... Josiah PS thanks to all you who wrote the trust about veg issues. for anyone motivated, they could use seeing that cavity nesting info.... PPS. Also what would people think about suggesting designated bird "guild" zones...ie) an aster and seed plant area for fiches and sparrows with brush piles, an annual wildflower area for hummers and butterflies, snag area for cavity nesters, scrub obligates in existing restoration sites and maybe even a bit of enhancement at seeps and drainages making them more bird and observor friendly. The Presidio stands to be a great resource for the local and traveling birder alike! >Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 11:12:35 +0000 > >This morning I made it out to Fort Funston by about 8:15 and was at the >dune restoration/Bank Swallow habitat site by 8:30. Shortly after I >arrived at the area with the brush piles bordering the path I herd a >some ?pip? calls. The calls sounded like quail calls but I was not >positive due to the level of ambient sounds around. > >The wildflowers in the area are spectacular and there was a constant >stream of Bank Swallows flying by. There are White-crowned Sparrows >everywhere I am not sure I have seen such high densities of sparrows >during breeding season. At some point a Red-tailed Hawk flew by only a >few feet off the ground. It disappeared behind a hill and I never saw it >reappear. There were young Brush Rabbits feeding in the low hollow >across the path to the southeast of the cypress thicket. Although there >were no quail to be seen, I was having a great time anyway. I had been >there about 45 minutes and was about to give up when I heard a single >?Cu-co-cow? call. The call seemed to come from the equestrian path that >goes to the Skyline Grove. > >I walked along the equestrian path but couldn?t find the bird. The view >from the path gave me a better look down in to the hollow. I was >watching the rabbits when I realized there was a male quail standing >near the rabbits. When I got a good look at the quail I saw that there >were two chicks standing next to him. The chicks had fairly well >developed wings, so I guessed that they were over a week old. As I >watched the birds more chicks began to appear out of the ground cover. >It was not easy getting an accurate count, I think there were at least >ten chicks! At one point the chicks and the baby rabbit were under the >same bush together, another time they were huddled under a large patch >of bright yellow monkey flower. As I watched the quail a recently >fledged Bewick?s Wren hopped along in the brush pile right next to me. > >After I had been watching the quail for about 20 minutes the adult male >collected all the chicks together and made a dash for the brush pile >along the paved path. I ran around to catch up with them. By the time I >got to where I could see them they had already crossed the path. The >adult male was standing on a brush pile with one or two chicks next to >him. The adult hopped down onto the ground and the whole group of chicks >followed. They walked in the grass briefly, and then to my surprise, >they all flew to the cypress thicket where they disappeared from sight. > >According to the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds >quail chicks ?can fly short distances after 10 days after hatching and >at 14 days fly well but prefer to run to escape; are brooded on the >ground with by adults for 28 days after hatching until they begin to >roost in trees with parents? So these birds are at least 10 days old. > >Now that the quail have nested there successfully for two years there >are some interesting things to consider: > >* What are they using for a source of water? Fog condensation? >* According to Leopold, wet and drizzly weather like we have just had >can be fatal to chicks. These birds seemed to survive the weather, can >we assume that weather is not playing a factor in other quail clutch >success? >* Fort Funston has as high a density of dogs as anywhere I can think of. >It appears that the brush piles along the fence are enough of a >deterrent to keep most of the dogs out. Dogs don?t seem to ?sniff? the >quail out and disturb them. >* We need to keep GGNRA people from removing that last cypress. > >Alan Hopkins _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com --------------- END sfbirds.v001.n231 ---------------