Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland
Leader: Chuck Groff
It was a beautiful day for birding, It was sunny, the
temperature was 50 degrees at 8:30 and warmed up nicely.
There were lots of birds on the water and in the marshes,
though we've seen more in the past. There were also lots of
species present but some of the common species like
sparrows, jays, crows, and hawks were noticeably absent.
Several Pelicans were in breeding plumage and gifted us with
spectacular dives just off shore. We saw a surprising number
of Horned Grebes swimming and diving with the other shore
birds.
A clapper rail was quite cooperative and posed nicely for us
for quite a while. An immature Red-tailed Hawk declared the
area his own and sat vigil for a long time, at one point driving
away a Northern Flicker that had dared to perch in the
top of a tree.
A local birder befriended us and walked with us most of the
morning. Just as we turned back towards the car, he spotted a
Burrowing Owl and called us back. It was at a distance, but
clear enough to be one of the day's highlights.
Total Species: 47
Bufflehead
American Coot
Double-crested Cormorant
Dowitcher sp.
Ruddy Duck
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Northern Flicker
Marbled Godwit
Common Goldeneye
Canada Goose
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Glaucous-winged Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
Anna's Hummingbird
Killdeer
Mallard
Burrowing Owl
Brown Pelican
Black Phoebe
Northern Pintail
Black-bellied Plover
Clapper Rail
Common Raven
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
Northern Shoveler
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Black-necked Stilt
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Wigeon
Willet
Marsh Wren
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Common Yellowthroat
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Clapper Rail
Northern Pintail
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