Today I was fortunate to accompany experienced birder George on an East Bay and Delta birding expedition.
We started at Black Diamond Mines parking lot where we saw numerous species and proceeded along the chaporal trail where the highlight was a great and prolonged few of at least three California Thrashers.
On the drive out we spotted several new species includim this Phainopepla.
And not much further along this Coopers Hawk:
Then we drove to Contra Loma Reservoir where Burrowing Owls had been reported, and being the experienced birder that he his George immediately trained his spotting scope right on it:
Next we drove to a Marina on Bethel Island where a lone Asian duck had been reported, where we bought some drinks at the marina store and proceeded up the stairs to a viewing area where two other birders were hanging out. They reported that they could not find the bird, and indeed many birds were in view but they were a distance away.
Then we stopped for a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Oakley. As it was my birthday Geogre bought…thanks George!!
We then went off to xx track we’re George was hoping to pick up a new bird on his list for Contra Costa County..the Sandhill Crane, but no joy. We did however get a look at one of my favorite birds, the Kingfisher, among many others.
We then went to the ironwood sanitation district based on reports by others that it was a birding hotspot, but signs said to check in at the desk and she knew nothing about it. iNaturalist sightings we’re all along the permiiter. So we proceed to the nearby xx park.
We then drove back to pleasant Hill and picked up a few more species in the neighborhood and along the canal trail.
Here is the complete list:
1 Greater White-fronted Goose
2 Canada Goose
3 Northern Shoveler
4 American Wigeon
5 Mallard
6 Northern Pintail
7 Green-winged Teal
8 Canvasback
9 Bufflehead
10 Common Goldeneye
11 Ruddy Duck
12 Pied-billed Grebe
13 Clark’s Grebe
14 Mourning Dove
15 Anna’s Hummingbird
16 Common Gallinule
17 American Coot
18 Black-necked Stilt
19 Greater Yellowlegs
20 Ring-billed Gull
21 California Gull
22 Double-crested Cormorant
23 American White Pelican
24 Great Blue Heron
25 Great Egret
26 Snowy Egret
27 Green Heron
28 Black-crowned Night-Heron
29 Turkey Vulture
30 White-tailed Kite
31 Cooper’s Hawk
32 Red-tailed Hawk
33 Golden Eagle
34 Burrowing Owl
35 Belted Kingfisher
36 Acorn Woodpecker
37 Nuttall’s Woodpecker
38 Downy Woodpecker
39 Northern Flicker
40 American Kestrel
41 Black Phoebe
42 Loggerhead Shrike
43 California Scrub-Jay
44 American Crow
45 Common Raven
46 Cliff Swallow
47 Barn Swallow
48 Oak Titmouse
49 White-breasted Nuthatch
50 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
51 Western Bluebird
52 American Robin
53 California Thrasher
54 Northern Mockingbird
55 Phainopepla
56 House Finch
57 Lesser Goldfinch
58 White-crowned Sparrow
59 Golden-crowned Sparrow
60 Dark-eyed Junco
61 Western Meadowlark
62 Red-winged Blackbird
63 Brewer’s Blackbird
64 Yellow-rumped Warbler