| Location: Track, ML King JHS, Berkeley, CA | Date: Sun. Nov. 22, 2009 |
| Habitats: eucalyptus grove, shrubby hillsides, field | Time: 9:30-10:00am |
| Weather: overcast, chilly (50's) | Wind: none |
| Observer: TP | |
| Birds Observed: |
| Townsend's Warbler | White-Crn. Sparrows | Hummer (P: Anna's) |
| Yellow-rump Warblers | Cedar Waxwings (A) | Cal. Towhees |
| Juncos | Blk. Phoebes (sev) | Ruby-Crn. Kinglet |
| Crows (A) | Oak Titmice (A) | Scrub Jays |
| Robins (sev) | Nuttall's Woodpecker | Steller's Jay |
Symbols: A: abundant. Sev: several. P: probably.
Comments: Went out to run this AM at the track, and when I got to the west end near the eucalyptus grove I saw birds near the top of one of the willows - I immediately thought of waxwings. For two reasons: that's the way they look, and I heard their constant high-pitched whining 'murmur' in the background. I find it hard to characterize the sound they make; it's like something from a 1950's science fiction film when something weird is going to happen! High, metallic, electric, continuous, strange. Anyway, this is the first time I've seen them up close this fall, but I've seen small flocks of them flying in the distance around the track in the last month or so. They're around a lot because of the hillside covered with cotoneaster. You can see the whole hillside covered with red berries half a mile away. They sat in the tree in small groups for a while, not moving, and then flew over to the bushes one at a time or in small groups. That high-pitched 'buzz' they give off is non-stop (sort of like a high-tension wire really cooking). The weather wasn't good (gray, overcast, chilly) and so the light was bad (I didn't have my binocs, either). I didn't see the colors - just the little crest in their silhouette. I stopped going around the track and walked over, and I noticed there were birds - all different kinds -- all over the place. They let me come pretty close, I just stood there quietly. The birds were flying everywhere, like raindrops in a storm. I noticed a woodpecker creeping up the trunk of one of the willows, and I went over to get a better look - I thought it was a Downy at first, but then I got a good look, and it was a Nuttall's - a male, a big dab of red on the head and stripes across its back. I tried to follow it as it went from branch to branch, but it disappeared fast. Robins were flying in and all around, naturally (ie, the berries). I was surprised at how big they looked compared to the waxwings - like twice as big! When you see waxwings you generally see robins too. I thought I heard a Yellow-rump, but I looked over and as the bird flew out of the branches of a pine I realized it was a Townsend's warbler - a beautiful male. I never realized that it has a call just about like the Yellow-rump, except richer, fuller. It was very close and I could see all the colors perfectly. It was really something, and behaving just like a Yellow-rump, hovering, sort of like a flycatcher, incredibly active. Only one or two Yellow-rumps around, a surprise -- usually quite a few. A lot of titmice also, although no chickadees. There were juncos on the ground, flitting everywhere at great speed, you could tell because of the white on the tails. I wondered if the other runners were looking at me looking at the birds as they went around the track. But they never say anything - they're really focused. I saw one kinglet only, a very busy little bird, of course. If it wasn't for the big eye ring, I would hardly know what it was. I noticed a hummer in the bushes, more by the 'angry' metallic vocalization it made than anything else. I never saw more than a tiny black blur as it took off. Black Phoebes flew on the far side of the track, all around the field, with their optimistic, cheerful chirps. One never bothered to fly, he just stood (sat?) on the ground, waiting and watching. They're great, and here all year. The red berry bushes are incredibly thick and over-hanging, clusters of berries mixed in with the dark green leaves, and they go on and on for a 100 yards. So the robins and waxwings can eat til Kingdom come and there'll still be more. There were a lot of noisy crows in the huge eucalyptus next to the pool. They never stopped squawking and making little sorties in and out of the trees. It's their traditional hang-out, their roosting spot. I've seen them there for years. They were so noisy I thought there might be a Red-tail in the trees - I've seen them there before. I went up in back of the school to see if I could see one, but no dice. The crows are pretty noisy and squabble among themselves even without something to harass, so you never know. They weren't making any dive-bombing runs in and out of the foliage, and nothing flew out, so I guess there wasn't anything there. After a half hour almost all the birds were gone. You expect birds to go around in flocks during the winter, so all these birds in one place were no coincidence. But I don't think that is the only explanation for this many species in one place - I've been running there every week for more than five years, every season, and I never saw anything like this. So I don't really know what brought them all here at this time, it's probably more complicated than mere 'mixed foraging flock in winter.' Whatever it was, I'm sure glad they were there - it was really fun to see them all, and great to know I didn't need my binocs either, just those crazy old eyes. Still good after all these years (with a little help from my glasses, of course).
