My Life List is Now 220 (But Who's Counting?)

Well, actually, it's more than that, because that total doesn't include the Ireland trip and East Coast birds. In any case, I've been making it a point to get out on Golden Gate Audubon trips, and finally have time to catch up on my listing. The volunteer guides for GGA are encyclopedic in their knowledge. Thanks to them, I can now tell greater and lesser scaup apart, and the sharp-shinned hawk I saw at the Rose Garden was a snap to distinguish from the Cooper's (sharpies are jay-sized). I also got clarity on which golden-eye is which: comMON have the MOON-shaped patch on their faces; BARROW's has a wheelBARROW-shaped patch. Life birds are indicated with an asterisk. The Eastshore Park trip netted the most new species. We spent a lot of time on gulls and peeps, so those things I've seen forever sorted themselves out a bit. Not that I expect to replicate this expertise on my own, but at least I could see for myself the key features the guide pointed out. So I felt legitimate in counting them. It's especially sweet to get new birds at Lake Merritt, since I'm there several times a week. I also saw several things that I had not seen there before, even if they are not life birds: hermit thrush, belted kingfisher, and peregrine falcon.

Lake Merritt, solo 6:30 a.m.- 8:00 a.m., 22 species
2/19/06

1. eared grebe (beginning to show breeding plumage)
2. pied-billed grebe
3. double crested cormorant
4. ross's goose*
5. canvasback
6. greater scaup
7. lesser scaup
8. common goldeneye
9. bufflehead
10. red-breasted merganser
11. American coot
12. white pelican
13. western gull
14. glaucous-winged gull
15. ring-billed gull
16. snowy egret
17. great egret
18. black-crowned night heron
19. rock pigeon
20. anna's hummingbird
21. white-crowned sparrow
22. house sparrow

Eastshore State Park (Berkeley Marina and meadow), 8:00-11:45 a.m., Audubon trip led by Dave Quady, 48 species
2/18/06

1. common loon (beginning to show breeding plumage)
2. horned grebe
3. eared grebe
4. western grebe
5. double-crested cormorant
6. canada goose
7. mallard
8. american wigeon
9. green-winged teal
10. surf scoter
11. canvasback
12. greater scaup
13. common goldeneye
14. bufflehead
15. ruddy duck (starting to show breeding plumage)
16. western gull
17. mew gull*
18. california gull*
19. ring-billed gull
20. glaucous-winged gull
21. great blue heron
22. great egret
23. snowy egret
24. American avocet
25. marbled godwit
26. willet
27. spotted sandpiper*
28. sanderling*
29. dunlin*
30. least sandpiper* (reported on Arrowhead marsh, but I'm really sure of this sighting!)
31. northern harrier
32. red-tailed hawk
33. turkey vulture
34. American kestrel
35. mourning dove
36. anna's hummingbird (on nest)
37. northern flicker
38. black phoebe
39. american crow
40. chestnut-backed chickadee
41. ruby-crowned kinglet
42. american robin
43. red-winged blackbird
44. white-crowned sparrow
45. fox sparrow
46. song sparrow
47. house finch
48. lesser goldfinch

Oakland Rose Garden, solo, 11:00 a.m., 10 species 2/17/06

1. sharp-shinned hawk
2. downy woodpecker
3. steller's jay
4. chestnut-backed chickadee
5. bushtit
6. red-breasted nuthatch
7. cedar waxwing (on the way)
8. white-crowned sparrow
9. California towhee
10. house finch (on the way)

Lake Merritt, Audubon trip led by Travis Hails, 8:00-12:00, 36 species
1/28/06

1. eared grebe
2. double crested cormorant
3. canada goose
4. gadwall
5. mallard
6. canvasback
7. greater scaup
8. lesser scaup
9. common goldeneye
10. bufflehead
11. ruddy duck
12. red-breasted merganser*
13. American coot
14. western gull
15. glaucous-winged gull
16. ring-billed gull
17. great blue heron
18. snowy egret
19. great egret
20. black-crowned night heron
21. peregrine falcon
22. cooper's hawk
23. belted kingfisher
24. rock pigeon
25. anna's hummingbird
26. American crow
27. western scrub jay
28. chestnut-backed chickadee
29. oak titmouse
30. bushtit
31. brown creeper
32. American robin
33. hermit thrush
34. white-crowned sparrow
35. golden-crowned sparrow
36. California towhee