Natural History Wanderings

The East Bay Yahoo Bird Sightings Yahoo Discussion Group has the following report from Rich Cimino
Eastern Alameda County CBC Compiler

The Eastern Alameda County CBC was held on Friday Dec.18. With all 30 sections reporting a total of 149 species being observed.
Included are three late migrants: Han Peeters and team found 12 Cliff Swallows over San Antonio Reservoir (closed to the public). Joe Di Donato and team found an Orange-Crowned Warbler on San Francisco PUC watershed property. Anthony and Yvonne McHugh found a Western Tanager in the Pleasanton Sport Park on Hopyard Rd at Valley Ave. The WETA was close to side streets – Curtis and Parkside (37.681729-1211.893271)
Of interest were two Common Loons on Shadow Cliff EBRP found by Bill Rose and his team. Not far from Shadow Cliff EBRP, on Zone 7 Chain of Lakes (closed to the public) the Phil and Pat Gordon team recorded 81 Horned Grebes and 110 Clarks Grebes. In Del Valle EBRP Steve Hackabone and team recorded a Bell’s Sparrow. Brenda Santuria and her team in the Township of Sunol recorded 20 Red-breasted Nuthatches. Jeff Miller and his team counted 21 Rock Wrens in Sunol EBRP.
Four missed birds which have been recorded on the past six EAC-CBC counts were the Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Green Heron and Marsh Wren.
The EAC-CBC was established to gain knowledge of and to inventory raptors using the Amador Valley (now Tri-Valley) floor for wintering raptors west of the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area.
The raptor count for EAC – CBC 2015 is:
Osprey 4, White-tailed Kite 26, Bald Eagle 8, Northern Harrier 27, Sharp-shinned Hawk 11, Copper’s Hawk 12, Red-shouldered Hawk 40, Red-tailed Hawk 175, Ferruginous Hawk 4, Golden Eagle 33, American Kestrel 87, Peregrine Falcon 13, Merlin 7 and Prairie Falcon 2.
I want to thank the 82 counters and section leaders who made this CBC possible.