Ornithology IIB Calendar

If you miss a class, please check this page and study the listed topics in your field guide. A useful reference for seabirds is "A Field Guide to Seabirds of the World" by Peter Harrison. Click here for last year's calendar.

Field Trips are now available. Click here for the schedule.

Highlight of this morning's walk in Briones was a stunning full-sized gopher snake. Bird life was below average but included superb views of Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak, Chipping and Lark sparrows. The full list is here.

We completed and reviewed the herons on page 50.  In September we will start with the egrets on page 60 of the National Geographic Guide, 3rd edition.  I hope to see some of you at Briones this Saturday.  Otherwise, have a great summer!

Today's trip to Olema Marsh was a great success.  Highlights included two adult male Purple Martins and a Bank Swallow circling at close range in perfect light at Olema Marsh; and a male Wood Duck there.  Along Limantour Road we saw an adult Osprey on its nest and another Purple Martin landed on a nearby snag.  Near the Visitors' Center was saw an adult Barn Owl hiding in its nest hole.  Five Brooks Pond had three pairs of Wood Ducks.  On our way out, 15 Wild Turkeys were displaying in a field on the north side of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. near mile post 10.8.

Note:  There will be a special field trip this Saturday May 15th to Olema Marsh and Point Reyes. We will meet at 8:30am at the White House Pool Public Fishing Access across from the northwest corner of Olema Marsh.  Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head north on Hwy 101 to Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Go west through the towns of Kentfield, Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax to Olema. Turn right on Hwy 1 and then left, still on Sir Francis Drake and look for the Fishing Access on the right just before Bear Valley Road intersects from the left. Travel time about one hour. Click here for map.

We completed and reviewed the bitterns and night-herons on page 50.

We completed and reviewed the cormorants on page 48.

We completed and reviewed the Anhinga and cormorants on page 46.

A highlight of our trip to Lake Merced was a Cooper's Hawk attacking one of an Osprey pair. Both Ospreys flew around with fish calling loudly. The Cooper's Hawk was one of a pair evidently defending a territory. We saw both adults perched and flying together at close range. A large pile of twigs in a tall cypress might have been the nest, but we were unable to confirm that. Also no luck finding the Osprey's nest; but we did see a Double-crested Cormorant carrying nesting material. We added two new species to our cumulative list: Cooper's Hawk and Bullock's Oriole. Other highlights included a Green Heron and we ended the morning with a fine male Cinnamon Teal hiding in the willows at the south end of the lake. The full list is here.

We completed and reviewed the boobies on page 42 and began the Anhinga on page 44.

Today's trip to Alum Rock Park was a great success. The Northern Pygmy-Owl showed up around 9:30am at the Rustic Lands parking lot. We watched it carry a mouse into the large Eucalyptus in the middle of the lot where it was joined by a slightly larger Northern Pygmy-Owl, probably the female of the pair. The two owls sat together and we watched as the first owl transferred the mouse to the second. The same Eucalyptus tree had Steller's Jays and Mourning Doves carrying nesting material into nests. A Red-tailed Hawk visited a nest high in a tree across the canyon. Bullock's Orioles were abundant.

Then we walked up the closed road toward the Youth Sciences Institute where we found Black-headed Grosbeaks, a Western Tanager, a Lincoln's Sparrow and a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. A House Wren was nesting in a bird house. We were treated to scope views of yet another Northern Pygmy-Owl in bare branches by the parking lot at the Youth Sciences Institute and a Great Horned Owl roosted sleepily in a tree behind the building. White-tailed Kites did courtship flights over the hills.

A highlight at the end of the trip was the spectacular show put on by the Canyon Wren just past the last bridge, singing and bouncing around the rocks along the creek. A wonderful morning!

Note: There will be a special field trip this Saturday, April 17th. Meet at 8:30 am at the Rustic Lands Picnic Area parking lot just inside the gate at Alum Rock Park in San Jose. From I680 in East San Jose, follow Alum Rock Avenue east into the park. Detailed directions and maps are here. Bring lunch .

The Field Trip to Rodeo Lagoon was a success. Lincoln's Sparrow was added to the cumulative list. The full list is here.

We completed and reviewed the pelicans and gannets on page 40.

We completed and reviewed the frigatebirds and tropicbirds on page 38. Remember the Rodeo Lagoon field trip on April 10th. If you have not registered yet, PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This is very important. Thanks in advance.

We completed and reviewed the storm-petrels on pages 34 and 36. End of the quarter. I hope to see you all in two weeks! Please don't forget to preregister. Thank you very much for a great quarter!

Today's trip to the Cliff House was quite successful. We added three new species to the cumulative trip list: Turkey Vulture, Bullock's Oriole and Hooded Oriole. These were all seen at the end of the trip. The Turkey Vulture was soaring over the residential area just east of Sutro Heights Park. The two orioles were adult males well seen foraging in flowering Eucalyptus at the west end of Geary Blvd. Other highlights included an Osprey circling over the west end of Geary, a Golden-crowned Kinglet in the cypresses at Sutro Heights, and two Wandering Tattlers on the rocks below the Cliff House. Black Oystercatchers and Ruddy Turnstones were also evident on the rocks. Some of the Red-throated Loons were in breeding plumage. The full list is at http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/seal.htm

Completed and reviewed the Pterodromas on page 32. Solander's Petrel was recorded off the West Coast in error. All such claims probably refer to the very similar Murphy's Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) which is fairly common well ofshore in Spring.

Next week is the last class for Part A. Please preregister for Part B if possible.

Completed and reviewed the shearwaters on page 30. Wedge-tailed Shearwater has been well documented in California waters, but there is no evidence that Townsend's Shearwater occurs here. All small black-and-white shearwaters well documented in California have been either Black-vented or Manx.

We completed and reviewed the shearwaters on page 28 and started the shearwaters on page 30.

We completed and reviewed the Northern Fulmar and the dark shearwaters on page 26.

We completed and reviewed the albatrosses on page 24.

The quiz slide taken from the cover of the May 1977 issue of American Birds was a Laysan Albatross photographed in Hawaii, not a Black-browed Albatross. The slide was mislabeled. The bird had feet projecting beyond the tail, dark extending from the back down toward the rump and a dark tip to the bill, all characters of Laysan.

Those interested in pelagic birding may be interested in contacting Shearwater Journeys on their web site or call them at 831-637-8527 and ask for a 1999 schedule.

We completed and reviewed the small grebes on page 22 and began Albatrosses on page 24.