Natural History Wanderings

Monarch Butterflies at Aquatic Park Berkeley, CA

Aquatic Park is an urban park around a manmade lagoon with mixed mainly exotic trees and shrubs. Dominant were Acacia and Eucalyptus. There is also a small Hummingbird garden with native plants. According to Wikipedia Aquatic Park’s

centerpiece is an artificial mile-long lagoon that was cut off from San Francisco Bay by the creation of a causeway for the Eastshore Highway, during the construction of the approaches to the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, also in the 1930s. The lagoon still communicates with the Bay through culverts under the freeway (one in line with Ashby Avenue, the other in line with Grayson Street). The east shoreline of the lagoon used to be the original shoreline of San Francisco Bay.

We walked a total of about 1 mile on east side of the lagoon from playground to covered dock and back and along the two southern ponds. It was cloudy and in the 40’s F. until the end of walk when it reached low 50’s F.

The main reason for the visit was to see the Monarch Butterflies that were near hole 14 on the Frisbee Golf Course.

Monarch Butterfly at Aquatic Park Berkeley, CA

A total of 34 bird species were identified.Most abundant species was American Coot. Also saw good numbers of Common Goldeneye, Ring-billed Gull, Bufflehead and Snowy Egrets. Many Yellow-rumped Warblers could be heard in the trees.

Most interesting behavior was watching Buffleheads doing mating and dominance actions including head bobbing, rising up in water and chasing.

Click Read more to see Bird List

33 species (+1 other taxa)

American Wigeon  X

Mallard  X

Northern Shoveler  X

Canvasback  2

Greater Scaup  X

Bufflehead  X     observed doing dominance competition

Common Goldeneye  X

Red-breasted Merganser  2

Ruddy Duck  X

Pied-billed Grebe  2

Horned Grebe  2

Eared Grebe  2

Double-crested Cormorant  X

Great Egret  2

Snowy Egret  X

Black-crowned Night-Heron  1

American Coot  X

Black-necked Stilt  4

American Avocet  X

Greater Yellowlegs  1

Least Sandpiper  X

Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher  X

Ring-billed Gull  X

Western Gull  1

Anna’s Hummingbird  5

Belted Kingfisher  1

Black Phoebe  1

American Crow  X

Chestnut-backed Chickadee  X

Yellow-rumped Warbler  X

White-crowned Sparrow  X

Golden-crowned Sparrow  X

California Towhee  X

House Finch  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26074235