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GGAS Field Trip Report

September 23, 2020 – Lake Merritt

Trip Leader(s):

Hilary Powers
Ruth Tobey

Date/Location:

September 23, 2020
Lake Merritt

Trip Info:

Number of Participants: 8
Number of Species: 40

The September not-quite-Golden-Gate-Audubon walk attracted eight masked birders – a record for the pandemic – for a round of amazing delights in perfect air. (Really perfect. For a change, the particulate-meter at the nature center didn’t tinkle even once when we were near enough to hear its penetrating chime.) At various points we encountered three species never recorded on earlier walks:

  • First, a female Yellow Warbler prospected through one of the oaks along Bellevue. With the natural human response to a treat – “what have you done for us lately” – we looked hard for a red-streaked male, but we couldn’t find one.
  • Second, a Willow Flycatcher (and we were fortunate enough to have a participant savvy enough to identify it by its overall brownish tinge and lack of eye-ring, rather than writing it off as one of the near-dozen near-identical “tyrant flycatchers” that frequent wilder parks but almost never appear here. We’ve recorded them on only six occasions over the years, and only named one other (a Pacific-slope Flycatcher in 2018).
  • And third and most astonishing, a series of fluting honks along the lake shore alerted us to a pair of Greater Yellowlegs (Yellowlegses?) flying beak to tail westward right at the level of the path and a few inches out from the wall. We just don’t see them at Lake Merritt – not the Greater like these and not the Lesser Yellowlegs either, species distinguishable mainly by voice rather than appearance.

We also picked up two new-for-September birds – one Golden-crowned Sparrow (common visitors later in the year) and a whole flock of Steller’s Jays (rare in the park and mostly as singles rather than half a dozen at once). This time, they showed their crested black heads and their natty navy-blue jackets twice, one pair and later five or six birds together, much to the outrage of the smooth-crowned California Scrub Jays that regard the park as their own territory.

Despite all these wonders, my personal favorite of the day was an old friend in a new place. “There’s a Bewick’s Wren right over your head!” someone called, and I looked up to find it true: About three feet up, a wren was picking its way along a narrow branch, dipping its beak into cracks in the bark and showing off its striped undertail coverts and pearly gray breast, features I’d never noticed before. 

The Western Pond Turtle – not a bird, but we’re not snobs – lounged on the shore of the garden pond, always a cheery sight. It’s the only native turtle I’ve seen in the park; the rest are one and all Red-eared Sliders, invasive refugees from the pet trade and instantly recognizable by you-know-what. If you’re looking at a turtle that doesn’t have red patches on the sides of its head, chances are it’s our native.

Overall we counted forty species of birds on the lake and in the surrounding area – more than in any of the three preceding years, though a couple were reported by members of the group as they walked home, which feels a little like cheating (but not enough to keep them out of the total). They were there, after all, even though the relatively few eyes on the job missed them the first time through, and all part of yet another good day at Lake Merritt, where every day….

More Reports

January 27, 2021 – Lake Merritt

The January still-not-Golden-Gate-Audubon walk was a big day for species count – 55 in all, counting two reported from mid afternoon, a tie with the

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December 23, 2020 – Lake Merritt

Birds are usually masters of social distancing: if you’re there, they’re not. But something – pandemic frustration? – was in the air for the December

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November 25, 2020 – Lake Merritt

When we assembled for the November 4th-Wednesday not-really-Golden-Gate-Audubon walk, the day seemed perfect – sunny and still, with just enough nip in the air to

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October 28, 2020 – Lake Merritt

The October 4th-Wednesday (non) Golden Gate Audubon lake walk drew a somewhat scary 12 participants, evoking a nervous “Hey, we’re a lot less than six

Read More »

September 23, 2020 – Lake Merritt

The September not-quite-Golden-Gate-Audubon walk attracted eight masked birders – a record for the pandemic – for a round of amazing delights in perfect air. (Really

Read More »

August 26, 2020 – Lake Merritt

After a solid week of blazing heat, our small group gathered under overcast August skies, happily zipping up coats in the strong cold  breeze. Later

Read More »

Our Mission

The Golden Gate Audubon Society engages people to experience the wonder of birds and to translate that wonder into actions which protect native bird populations and their habitats.

Home page photo of Allen’s Hummingbird by Robert Ho. Home page photos rotate on a monthly basis. If you have a Bay Area bird photo you would like us to consider, email us at mramos@goldengateaudubon.org.

Home page bird illustrations by Tex Buss. We are grateful for her generous donation of time and talent!

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Golden Gate Audubon
2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G
Berkeley, California 94702

Phone: 510.843.2222

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, or by appointment

Email: ggas@goldengateaudubon.org

Manage your GGAS account online

Now you can manage all your GGAS business online — renew your membership, update your contact information, view past donations, or sign up for events such as classes, Birdathon or the Christmas Bird Count. Click here to access your account. (You’ll need to create a login name and password if you don’t have one already. If you forget your password, click on the “forgot your password” link.) You can also sign up for our new GGAS Chat to get updates on trips, talk with other members, and more!

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All photos on this site belong to the photographers and may not be used without written permission.
  • About Us
    • About Our Staff
    • About Our Board
    • Our Commitment to Diversity
    • GGAS in the News
  • Education
    • Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • Eco-Ed for Kids
    • Adult Education Classes
    • Rotary Nature Center
  • Conservation
    • Bird-Friendly Coffee Club
  • Volunteer
  • Bird With Us
    • Field Trip Information
    • Travel with GGAS
    • SF Bay Ospreys
    • Birding Resources
      • Authors
    • Christmas Bird Counts
    • The Gull
    • Golden Gate Birder Blog
    • GGAS’s Birdathon
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Member Login
  • GGAS Archives
    • Trip Reports by Year
    • Past Speakers
    • The Gull Archives
    • GGAS Press Releases
    • Travel with GGAS – Past Tours
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