Alamo • Danville • Blackhawk • Diablo • San Ramon
VALLEY
Look inside for the latest Regional in Nature Activity Guide!
THE
SENTINEL always for the community VOl 22, nO 10
October 2017
www.valleysentinel.com
SPOTLIGHT
Steve Polcyn Named 2017 Alamo Citizen of the Year Steven R. Polcyn, longtime Alamo resident and exemplary A l a m o Rotarian, has been selected a s t h e 2 01 7 Alamo Rotary Alamo Citizen o f t h e Ye a r ! Steve is a very well-deserving recipient of this honor as the 32nd Steve Polcyn with County Alamo citizen Supervisor Candace Andersen recognized since the Rotary Club of Alamo began the program in 1985. Steve has long served our
ECRWSS
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Local photographers, who entered Tri-Valley Conservancy’s annual Freeze Frame Photography Contest were awarded prizes for photos capturing their unique perspectives of Tri-Valley’s open spaces. The top photos from both the youth and adult categories will be featured in a travelling exhibit to help inspire our community to go outside and enjoy the beauty and benefits of preserving open space. The photo above by Richard Finn of Livermore is entitled “Spring Morning at Del Valle Park.” You can see the winning photos at TriValleyConservancy.org.
Food for the raptors, only 25% of young American Robins survive first year The ubiquitous American Robin, which flourishes among gardens, parks, suburban lawns, and golf courses, is a familiar bird to most North Americans. It is frequently seen searching for earthworms and insects. When an earthworm is encountered, the robin will cock its head to the side to listen and visually identify the worm’s exact location by movements in the soil. Sometimes a tug- of- war ensues when a large “earthcrawler” is grabbed. The American Robin was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in his twelfth edition of Systema Naturae as (Turdus migratorius). The binomial name derives from the Latin turdus for thrush, and migratorius for “to go”, or migratory. The term robin for this species has been recorded since 1703. It is named after the European Robin because
of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related. The American Robin belongs to the Thrush family, while the European Robin is a member of the Old World Flycatcher family. Seven subspecies are recognized. The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, and breeds as far north as Alaska and across Canada. It migrates to avoid inclement weather in the north to wintering habitat in Mexico and along the Pacific coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The American Robin is considered by some sources as the second most abundant extant land bird in North America. The Redwinged Blackbird is considered
the most abundant. Following the Robin in abundance are the European Starling and the House Finch. The American Robin reaches eleven inches in length with a wingspan up to sixteen inches. They average three ounces in weight. Males have a black head, brown back, and deep, brick red, peachyorange or rich, red- maroon breast. They have a white eye ring and yellow bill. Females have paler or duller plumage. Juveniles have a heavily spotted breast. The total population is approximately 320 million individuals. At one time the American Robin was hunted for its meat. The American Robin’s diet consists of around 40% small invertebrates, earthworms,
beetle grubs, caterpillars, g ra s s h o p p e rs, l a r va l a n d adult insects. The other 60% consists of wild and cultivated fruits and berries. Tens of thousands of birds may gather from October to March in large flocks as an influx of birds from northern states and Canadian provinces congregate
This month’s Special Sections:
Fall Home & Garden pages 8-9
See ROBIN page 5