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* Birds White-Crowned Sparrow 

Song, Breakfast

April 1, 2020March 21, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 0 Comments Zonotrichia leucophrys

This White-crowned Sparrow gave a little concert in the early sun, and then pounced on nature’s breakfast of fennel seeds,

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* Birds Song Sparrow 

Sparrow Song

March 31, 2020March 20, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 1 Comment Melospiza melodia

It’s the time of year when sparrows sing, and none more enthusiastically than the Song Sparrow. These males could be

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* Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) Birdsfoot Trefoil California Poppy Cape weed Ceanothus Dutch Iris Echium Fennel Monterey Cypress Plants Purple Sage Showy Island Snapdragon Wallflower (Erysimum) Wild Radish 

March Bloomers

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 0 Comments Arctotheca calendula, Ceanothus, Echium candicans, Eriysimum, Foeniculum vulgare, Gambelia speciosa, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa, Iris hollandica, lotus corniculatus, Raphanus raphanistrum, Salvia leucophylla

This is a selective view. I purposely left out the sourgrass (Oxalis pes caprae). If you have any kind of

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* Birds California Towhee 

Towhee Sings

March 29, 2020March 20, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 0 Comments Melozone crissalis

This California Towhee may be looking for a mate. Why else sing so persistently? Generally, towhees mate and pair up

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* Birds Surf Scoter 

Solo Scoter

March 28, 2020March 24, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 0 Comments Melanitta perspicillata

It was a total surprise to see this adult male Surf Scoter off the west shore of the park. It

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* Birds Savannah Sparrow 

Yellow Eyebrows

March 27, 2020March 20, 2020 Marty Nicolaus Passerculus sandwichensis

The yellowish spot over the eye marks this little windblown creature as a Savannah Sparrow, so named because the naturalist

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* Birds Western Bluebird 

Bluebird

March 26, 2020March 17, 2020 Marty Nicolaus Sialia mexicana

Photographer Phil Rowntree captured this image of a male Western Bluebird on the fence along the Virginia Street extension. The

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* General 

Where to Go and What To Do

March 26, 2020March 26, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 1 Comment Berkeley Partners for Parks, Friends of 5 Creeks, Susan Schwartz

At a time when many parks or park facilities are closing (but not Cesar Chavez, so far) and there’s some

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* Bugs Bumblebee Echium Plants 

Bee Magnet

March 25, 2020March 23, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 1 Comment Bombus vosnesenskii, Echium candicans

The Pride of Madeira (Echium) bush on the south side of the park, near the parking circle at the end

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* Dog Owners Off-Leash Dog Area Places 

All Dogs on Leash: Parks

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 0 Comments Coronavirus

According to a Berkeleyside story just posted, the East Bay Regional Parks district has mandated that all dogs in its

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