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Owls’ First Month

December 2, 2021November 30, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 6 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia, Louis Kruk, Otospermophilus beecheyi, Shawna Photography

December 2 is the first monthiversary of the two Burrowing Owls now in Cesar Chavez Park. This is quite a

* Birds Snowy Egret

By First Light

December 1, 2021November 29, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 60 Views 2 Comments Egretta thula

A few minutes after the sun rose behind the East Bay hills, the water of the North Basin remained dark.

* Birds Lesser Scaup

Lesser Later

November 30, 2021November 29, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 61 Views 0 Comments Aythya affinis

Weeks after the thick rafts of earlier Scaup departed (See “Ignored Tailwind,” October 18 2021), a second shift of them

* Birds Brown Pelican

Plungers

November 29, 2021November 24, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 71 Views Pelecanus occidentalis

The Brown Pelicans we see here fairly often, and a distant Peruvian cousin, are the only members of the pelican

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Long Night

November 28, 2021November 28, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 103 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia

Both of the Burrowing Owls in the park are approaching their one month anniversary. The First Owl, tucked away out

* Harbor Seal Mammals

Water Pusher

November 27, 2021November 28, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 84 Views Phoca vitulina

Something was moving a lot of water on the shallow eastern shore of the park. Circular bow waves pushed this

* Birds Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Pretty Warbler

November 26, 2021November 22, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 72 Views Setophaga coronata

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is another of those birds that the bird sources describe as “very common,” but are infrequently spotted

* Birds Black Oystercatcher Brown Pelican Burrowing Owl Clark's Grebe Cooper's Hawk Hermit Thrush House Finch White-tailed Kite

Rick Lewis’ Chavez Park

November 25, 2021November 21, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 99 Views 1 Comment Accipiter cooperii, Aechmophorus clarkii, Athene cunicularia, Catharus guttatus, Elanus leucurus, Haematopus bachmani, Haemorhous mexicanus, Lepus californicus, Pelecanus occidentalis

Wildlife photographer Rick Lewis’ work has graced the cover of magazines. His images excel in sharpness and clarity. He has

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Owl Gallery

November 24, 2021November 29, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 124 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia, Donna Hom, Edwin Wu, Tianxi Zheng

The Burrowing Owls in the park have attracted a number of photographers. Here are a few of their recent images.

* Birds Common Poorwill

Rare and Unique

November 23, 2021November 26, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 176 Views 1 Comment Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

Cal molecular biology student Edwin Wu was walking along the Virginia Street Extension on October 21 at around 7 pm,

* Birds Burrowing Owl Ground Squirrel Mammals

Owl in Action

November 22, 2021November 24, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 196 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia, Otospermophilus beecheyi, Rick Lewis

Wildlife photographer Rick Lewis had the patience and the luck to catch the Second Owl doing something more active than

* Birds Red-winged Blackbird

Red-wing in November

November 21, 2021November 11, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 73 Views 0 Comments Agelaius phoeniceus

The Red-winged Blackbirds show up in springtime on the northwest corner of the park for a noisy mating and breeding

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Missing Owl Returns (Updated)

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 248 Views 2 Comments Athene cunicularia

Update: The missing owl has returned. A park visitor posted a Comment below at 12:30 that the bird was back

* Birds House Finch Lesser Goldfinch

Gold & Red

November 20, 2021November 10, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 78 Views 1 Comment Haemorhous mexicanus, Spinus psaltria

The flocks of House Finches at the park have got some reinforcements in the form of these Lesser Goldfinches. The

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Owls’ Day 19

November 20, 2021November 20, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 109 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia

Both of the Burrowing Owls first spotted in the park on Nov. 2 were still here and in the same

* Birds Burrowing Owl Issues Signage

Still Here

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 95 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia

There are still park visitors who express their thrill and satisfaction at seeing a Burrowing Owl for the first time

* Birds Western Meadowlark

To Love Larks

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 56 Views 0 Comments Sturnella neglecta

I love Meadowlarks because they’re very pretty. They’re also social, keeping company in flocks of a dozen or more. They’re

* Birds Black-bellied Plover

Not Over

November 18, 2021November 8, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 74 Views 0 Comments Pluvialis squatarola

A few days after David Hauer’s beautiful photo of the Black-bellied Plover on the mudflats near Schoolhouse Creek, I visited

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Settling In?

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 116 Views 1 Comment Athene cunicularia

It’s always risky to predict what a bird will do. But I’ll go out on a limb here and say

* American Pipit Birds

Walker

November 17, 2021November 8, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 75 Views 0 Comments Anthus rubescens

The American Pipit is a walker. Unlike the common sparrows, which usually hop with both feet at the same time,

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Owl Day 16

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 81 Views 0 Comments Athene cunicularia

On this clear, crisp November morning, both of the Burrowing Owls that arrived here on November 2 were still in

* Mammals River Otter

Third Otter

November 16, 2021November 7, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 108 Views 0 Comments James Kusz, Lontra canadensis, Phil Rowntree

Seeing a River Otter here is a rare treat. I saw one in March 2019, and photographer James Kusz saw

* Birds Burrowing Owl

Owl Learning

November 16, 2021November 16, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 125 Views 2 Comments Athene cunicularia

Once again this morning a raptor swooped low over the northeast corner of the park, and the Second Owl that

* Birds Bufflehead

Buff Migrants

November 15, 2021November 7, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 75 Views 0 Comments Bucephala albeola

A few scattered Bufflehead arrived here some days ago. Now they’ve formed up into a tight flock of about ten,

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