Some highlights from a fine morning with the SFO local trip. From Monkey run south, where we found no new migrants but listened to songs of residents and watched the sun come out, we proceeded to Mount Pleasant, where we found cold WSW wind and no raptor movement at ~ 8:30 am. The only passing traveler was a single DC CORMORANT flying high; there was a group of N FLICKERS that may have been migrants foraging for the morning, and we heard and saw a presumably local C RAVEN. We stopped off at the game farm where a patch of sunshine beautifully lit a great demonstration of multiple RED-TAILED HAWKs' aerobatics in the strong wind. A single distant BROAD-WINGED hawk went by heading north, but was seen only by the leader and not counted on our list. We next went down to Stewart Park where there were some SCAUP (L) on the water along with BUFFLEHEADS, and (probably more than one, though not seen/heard simultaneously) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS around the swan pen. Also great looks at many ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs, flying and perched, along with the TREE and BARN SWs for comparison. Also had great looks at a presumably newly-arrived migrant BROWN THRASHER foraging on the ground in front of the boathouse, along with HOODED MERGANSERS in the channel. An OSPREY did a very dramatic low-altitude flyover, ending in a spectacular folded-wing acceleration down and out of view behind the boathouse. We later watched it deconstruct a fish while perched in a tree across the channel. Next stop was Burdick Hill Rd, where we heard but did not see an E MEADOWLARK, also E BLUEBIRD, KESTREL and a single (!) TURKEY. Finally we stopped at Comstock knoll and heard a couple of songs from a PINE WARBLER and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. Back at the lab we picked up a FIELD SPARROW and FOX SPARROW, and a PIED-BILLED GREBE. A 57 sp. morning, thanks to all good observers!
--John Greenly -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
