Got a late start this morning and decided to head to Eastern Alameda County for the first time this year to see if I could pick up some of the reported goodies and catch spring arrivals. Arrived at Mines Road around 10:30 and it was already about 80°.
Activity was low, as Jim Chiropolos reported yesterday. No Black Vulture to be found (I checked a lot of vultures), it could be anywhere by now. A dark juv Golden Eagle around MM 7 was a consolation. At MM 8.96 I got into a nice assortment of finches that included at least 2 Lawrence’s Goldfinch near the road. There were also small numbers of Lazuli Bunting, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and a single Phainopepla around there.
Cross Road had a nice Swainson’s Hawk being mobbed by crows. Patterson Pass was a total bust.
I drove back over the old Altamont Pass Road stopping several times at some of my old spots. Lots of puddles and ponds at various levels and I was cued in to look for migratory shorebirds. At the foot of Dyer Road I finally found a good mud puddle on the left about 1000’ up from Altamont Pass Road, and bingo there was a Solitary Sandpiper hiding out at the back of the pond, along with a very vocal Yellowlegs and several Killdeer.
Unfortunately the Solitary Sandpiper flew off while I was sitting in my car trying to magnify my photo enough to get a solid ID. It headed up the valley toward the reservoir. It made a strong two-note flight call which I was not familiar with. I don’t know if it will be back but the pond was here (37.7444167, -121.6769763). There are lots of other puddles in the area in various stages of drying up and the time is right for more migratory goodies, so it might be worth a look.
