Shipman's field notes, Nov 1976

How to read Shipman's field notes

1976-11-10: CA: (?Palo Alto)
1976-11-02: CA: Santa Clara
1976-11-04: CA: Palo Alto Baylands
Notable: American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon
1976-11-05: CA: Moss Landing
1976-11-06: CA: Palo Alto Baylands
1976-11-09: CA: Monterey
1976-11-15: CA: Sunol; Calaveras
1976-11-17: CA: Palo Alto
Notable: Eurasian Wigeon
1976-11-18: CA: Palo Alto Flood Basin
1976-11-20: CA: Palo Alto Baylands
1976-11-21: CA: Palo Alto Baylands
1976-11-22: CA: Palo Alto Baylands
1976-11-24: CA: All

1976-11-10: CA: (?Palo Alto)

@day: (?Palo Alto)

Waxwing, Cedar @(?Palo Alto)

1976-11-02: CA: Santa Clara

@day: Santa Clara

Owl, Burrowing @Santa Clara

This is Charlie, sort of a mascot at the Tandem plant on Stender Way in Santa Clara.

Warbler, Audubon's @Santa Clara

Slide says “Santa Clara, Tandem orchard.” Vivitar 400mm, f/5.6, 1/500.

1976-11-04: CA: Palo Alto Baylands

Notable: American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon

@day: Palo Alto Baylands

Wigeon, American x Wigeon, Eurasian @Palo Alto Baylands

Description: Rusty head of European, rusty flanks of American.

1976-11-05: CA: Moss Landing

@ML: Moss Landing

Duck, Ruddy @Moss Landing

Grebe, Eared @Moss Landing

Second photo shows the bird holding what is apparently a pipefish.

Cormorant, Brandt's @Moss Landing

Dunlin @Moss Landing

1976-11-06: CA: Palo Alto Baylands

@PAB: Palo Alto Baylands

Teal, Green-Winged @Palo Alto Baylands

1976-11-09: CA: Monterey

@Mont: Monterey

Scoter, Surf 2♂ @Monterey

Cormorant, Brandt's @Monterey

1976-11-15: CA: Sunol; Calaveras

@CR: Calaveras Reservoir

@SP: Sunol Park

@day: Sunol; Calaveras

Hawk, Sharp-shinned @Sunol; Calaveras

Eagle, Golden i @Calaveras Reservoir

The first photo shows an eagle landing on a high-tension tower, with two Yellow-billed Magpies in flight nearby.

Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied @Sunol; Calaveras

Sapsucker, Red-breasted @Sunol; Calaveras

Phoebe, Say's @Sunol; Calaveras

Magpie, Yellow-billed # @Sunol; Calaveras

Bushtit, Common @Sunol; Calaveras

Nuthatch, White-breasted @Sunol; Calaveras

Creeper, Brown @Sunol; Calaveras

Dipper, American @Sunol Park

At quite a low altitude, below the “Little Yosemite” section, not far west of the headquarters.

Kinglet, Ruby-crowned @Sunol; Calaveras

Bluebird, Western @Sunol; Calaveras

Thrush, Hermit @Sunol; Calaveras

Towhee, Rufous-sided @Sunol; Calaveras

Sparrow, Fox @Sunol; Calaveras

Sparrow, Golden-crowned @Sunol; Calaveras

1976-11-17: CA: Palo Alto

Notable: Eurasian Wigeon

@FB: Palo Alto Flood Basin

@SL: Stanford: Searsville Lake

@day: Palo Alto

Wigeon, Eurasian 1 @Palo Alto Flood Basin

Wigeon, American # @Palo Alto Flood Basin

Snipe, Common @Stanford: Searsville Lake

1976-11-18: CA: Palo Alto Flood Basin

@day: Palo Alto Flood Basin

Bittern, American @Palo Alto Flood Basin

Nikon FTN with 50-300mm zoom at 105mm, 1/1000, f/8.

1976-11-20: CA: Palo Alto Baylands

@PAB: Palo Alto Baylands

Heron, Great Blue @Palo Alto Baylands

The photos show the bird capturing, engorging, and finally having swallowed a sizeable rat. In my opinion, they can have all the rats they can catch.

Rail, Clapper @Palo Alto Baylands

Sparrow, Song @Palo Alto Baylands

1976-11-21: CA: Palo Alto Baylands

@day: Palo Alto Baylands

Grebe, Horned @Palo Alto Baylands

Cormorant, Double-crested @Palo Alto Baylands

Ted Chandik, the Baylands naturalist, said this image is clear enough that he can identify the fish as a sculpin. The second photo shows the distended neck just after the fish went down.

Rail, Clapper @Palo Alto Baylands

Behavior: The photo shows the rail holding a small rodent, probably a Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, but the Ring-billed Gull is about to steal it.

Sora @Palo Alto Baylands

Gull, Ring-billed @Palo Alto Baylands

Pipit, Water @Palo Alto Baylands

1976-11-22: CA: Palo Alto Baylands

@day: Palo Alto Baylands

Rail, Virginia @Palo Alto Baylands

Leonard Compagno and I refer to the area where this picture was taken as Timorous Rail Marsh. It is on the west side of the main salt marsh, hard by the Palo Alto Airport. In days of very high tides like today, the water tends to push all the rails (including Soras) to the vegetation at the edge berm. Then, when the water starts to recede, you can see them move back out into the marsh. Getting a picture, however, is difficult; they move very fast and prefer heavy cover.

Plover, Semipalmated @Palo Alto Baylands

1976-11-24: CA: All

@day: All

Thrasher, California @All