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· 9TH OF OCTOBER, THE YEAR 2005

BIRDING HAYWARD REGIONAL SHORELINE

Black-necked stilt
I went birding this morning at Hayward Regional Shoreline. There were waders in abundance, with a ton of godwits, willets, sandpipers, and avocets. I didn’t see any particularly freaky migrants, but it’s been so long since I’ve been birding that it was just nice to get the binocs out and stroll. Curlew bills and stilt legs are more than enough to fill my need for natural splendor, anyway. Actually, this may have been the first time I’ve birded any wetlands along the Bay. Hayward Regional Shoreline is mostly reclaimed salt ponds (Cargill?), and it’s sort of wedged between industrial parks, with Oakland International Airport traffic causing a ruckus overhead. Nevertheless, it’s a pleasant place to walk, with nice views of the peninsula, SF, and the shorebirds. Here’s the full list:

• white-tailed kite
• American avocet
• black-necked stilt
• marbled godwit
• long-billed curlew
• willet
• western and/or least sandpiper
• northern shoveler
• mallard
• northern pintail

I also saw a skunk, a sea lion, and striped shore crabs. When I came home I saw an accipiter in my neighbors backyard, perched on a picnic table. It would be really funny if it ate their cat.