regann | Reading

U has fallen into county listing so we went down to MLK Shoreline this morning largely because she wanted the Tufted Duck for her Alameda County list. We weren't expecting much; it's the second half of April and most of the migrating ducks and shorebirds have headed North to breed, but we had a remarkably productive morning. For one thing, the Tufted Duck was a walk-up, despite not being reported for a day or so. When we got to the mouth of San Leandro Creek U looked out and there he was. He looked very much like the Scaup he was flocking with, a bit smaller with a tuft of feathers hanging from the back of his head that was, today, flipping around in the wind and making us laugh. I saw one years ago but this one will be on my ebird list. We walked on around New Marsh seeing Long-billed Dowitchers all along the Creek and a surprising variety of dabbling ducks in the seasonal ponds. Neither of us got a good look at a Marsh Wren although they were singing everywhere. We did see a few Ridgway's Rail, usually flying from one tuffet to another. ( The surprisingly long list: )

There was no one on the western arm of San Leandro Bay except one gull and an Eared Grebe in breeding plumage. Summer is weird.:)

mrkinch

It was overcast and cold this morning so I didn't rush, parking at the Loop Road gate just about 10 and walking up Laurel Canyon Road a little past the second connector trail. It was a lovely, quite active Spring day and I listed well over forty species, decidedly more than two weeks ago. All the newcomers we heard two days ago were singing, though surprisingly few Black-headed Grosbeaks, as were a few Winter visitors, a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and, very surprisingly, a Golden-crowned Sparrow! The Western Tanager wasn't singing but I hope I'll hear one soon. I was hoping the larger flycatchers had arrived, but not yet. Looking at the bar chart, it should be any day now. ( The list: )

There were many butterflies on the many mounds of scat on the trail, especially Lorquin's Admiral with the red to the wingtips. I also saw a beautiful little Northern Checkerspot. Once I was back on Loop Road I continue to the bench and lay on it for fifteen minutes, resting my back and listening to the Wilson's Warblers and House Finches. Walking back South, I stopped at the top of the Little Farm, hoping for a Black Phoebe but saw a Western Bluebird, instead. Fair trade.

lassarina

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mrkinch

It rained a good deal towards the end of last week so while U and Chris climbed Upper Packrat I walked up the boardwalk. It was cold except in the sun but everything was bright and green, and everyone was singing. Just after I got parked a gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk swooped down from an oak onto the grass, then flew off. She didn't make a sound which just seems unnatural.:) Big surprise on the boardwalk was a pair of Fox Sparrows; they've been hard to find for weeks. We thought they'd all left and these were probably just passing through with the weather. Hummingbird report: When she was perched on the side of the nest apparently feeding chicks I saw the top of a head poke up briefly, and U saw the same thing after she and Chris arrived. The nest may be empty next week. ( The list: )

Given the substantial rain, with more possible, I expect Inspiration Trail to be too muddy for me for maybe a week. We don't get rain in April every year, and the timing is frustrating, since I'm expecting new arrivals. We'll see what I can do.

lassarina

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denise posting in

dw_maintenance

I keep forgetting to post about this: we've been troubleshooting the "missing notifications" problem for the past few days. (Well, I say "we", really I mean Mark and Robby; I'm just the amanuensis.) It's been one of those annoying loops of "find a logical explanation for what could be causing the problem, fix that thing, observe that the problem gets better for some people but doesn't go away completely, go back to step one and start again", sigh.

Mark is hauling out the heavy debugging ordinance to try to find the root cause. Once he's done building all the extra logging tools he needs, he'll comment to this entry. After he does, if you find a comment that should have gone to your inbox and sent an email notification but didn't, leave him a link to the comment that should have sent the notification, as long as the comment itself was made after Mark says he's collecting them. (I'd wait and post this after he gets the debug code in but I need to go to sleep and he's not sure how long it will take!)

We're sorry about the hassle! Irregular/sporadic issues like this are really hard to troubleshoot because it's impossible to know if they're fixed or if they're just not happening while you're looking. With luck, this will give us enough information to figure out the root cause for real this time.

adafrog

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lassarina

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mrkinch

I birded this trail yesterday because it had been more than a week since the last time, and I birded it again today because it's my birthday (80!). I was on the first rise well before dawn and had a very good morning. There were at least as many Warblers as yesterday, everyone singing. I heard a Ruby-crowned Kinglet for the first time in a week or so, probably just passing through. I even saw two raptors, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and a Cooper's Hawk perched in a huge snag with prey. I had hoped for a MacGillivray's Warbler, they used to arrive just about now, though last year they did not and I didn't see or hear one today. What I did hear was a Lazuli Bunting right where I expect them but a little early. He sang continuously while I watched the Warblers in the Willows and Bay tree, and I was able to find him clinging to a tall stalk down slope a bit. That was the highlight, indeed! ( The list: )

No Blue-gray Gnatcatcher or White-crowned Sparrow today.:( I expect the WCSP has left but I hope the BGGN will show themselves another day.

lassarina

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green

omg I swear this is what did it. My life has changed over the past week, I feel like a new person, and I feel crazy about it because I swear it's because I splurged on a new soft throw blanket. Something about touching that blanket healed me, y'all. It's a UGG Euphoria blanket, and I spent like 60 bucks on it. I didn't really have the money but I splurged anyway, and it is SO SOFT, and it does something to my brain. Like it tickles my brain when I rub my hands on it. This needs to be studied.

I doubt new improved me will last forever, but I'm doing what I can while I'm feeling this way.

Believe me, I know how crazy it sounds that a blanket has 'cured' my depression.

Current Mood: cheerful

mrkinch

It was cold thing morning, especially the wind. I regretted not a single one of my five layers plus jacket and windbreaker, though I could shed the last two and a Henley while I sat in the dip in late morning. Still no Western Warbling Vireo or Black-headed Grosbeak though at least the latter should arrive eventually. What has arrived are European Starlings.:( Not many, think, and the strangest thing was a flyover of an apparently standard, blue and black Rock Pigeon. I had that white escapee a while back but never before a city pigeon. I saw the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the same general area, and the White-crowned Sparrow was still singing near the parking lot; He's been there a month, now. But the most fun were the Warblers; lots of Orange-crowns, a couple of Wilson's, and in the willows at the corner, singing Townsend's and Yellow-rumped. All that's missing is McGillivray's! ( The list: )

I rarely actually want to go home, after, but my back gets tired after three or four hours. Today I parked briefly along Shasta Road and sure enough, I heard a Western Warbling Vireo. This is a place where I used to hear one every Spring/Summer as I drove by. It's been a couple of years, I think, but apparently it's still an attractive spot.

mrkinch

Well, that was a wasted week. ANYway, this morning there was so much bird song! We heard Western Warbling Vireo in the parking lot as well as two or three Townsend's Warblers, and many woodpeckers were apparently chasing each other in the tall pines. There was an Allen's Hummingbird just a bit up Upper Packrat, and as soon as I started along Lower Packrat I heard a Black-headed Grosbeak. A bit further on there was a Western Flycatcher. Orange-crowned, Townsend's, and Wilson's Warblers were singing all along the trail, but the Grosbeaks were the soundtrack of the morning. At Jewel Lake we watched the female Anna's Hummingbird perching on the rim of the nest, bill pointed down into the nest clearly feeding chicks, but we haven't yet seen any tiny bills. ( The list: )

I heard just one Hermit Thrush and no Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a surprise since they've stayed much longer in other years. So the Winter visitors seem all to have left.

lassarina

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lassarina

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regann

February 2014

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Insane Far Beyond Her Years

Reading

4/17/2026 Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline

4/15/2026 Loop Road and Laurel Canyon

What Are You Playing Wednesday

4/13/2026 Tilden Nature Area

I forgot how much I like making things

The case of the missing notifications

Wednesday in Easter Week

What Are You Playing Wednesday

4/8/2026 Inspiration Trail

We're going to yell about books today!

(no subject)

4/7/2026 Inspiration Trail

4/6/2026 Lower Packrat Trail

Reading log, or something of the sort

Goals post of a sort

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February 2014

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