Central Valley Bird Highlights:
March through May 2007
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A number of wintering
rarities continued to be seen during the early part of this spring period.
The Eurasian Wigeon on the Rock Creek Road pond in Tuolumne County
was seen on 2 March (JSL). The first cycle Mew Gull remained at
Kutras Lake, Shasta County, until 9 March (RBr). An adult Glaucous Gull
was last seen at the Yolo Landfill on 11 March (SSc)
Northern Saw-whet Owls continued at Fair Oaks (photo) from 24 February [this date inadvertently omitted from the winter highlights column] to 26 March (DJ) and on Ryer Island to 11 March (BO'C)
In Stanislaus County, the Sage Thrasher on Crabtree Road remained until at least 4 March (RLi). The wintering Clay-colored Sparrow in Bartlett Park, Tulare County lingered through at least 26 March (TK). This species has wintered there in previous years. The wintering Lark Bunting at Byron Hot Springs, Contra Costa County, was last reported on 9 March (DN). Merced County’s overdue first Eurasian Green-winged Teal was discovered at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (= NWR) on 27 February (PJM). Another was near Richvale, Butte County, on 3 March (SF). A single Pacific Golden Plover at Iona between 10th and 11th avenues in Kings County on 3 April (JSe) was a good find for a spring migrant as this species is not known to winter in that county. A Snowy Plover at the Madera Sewage Ponds on 7 May (LH) was presumably the same one seen on 13 May (GW), and perhaps one of two seen there on 27 March (GW). Willets are very rare north of Yolo County in the valley, so a flock of 26 at a rice field near Highway 20 just west of Interstate 5 on 7 May (RF) was an extraordinary number for only the third Colusa County record. Two breeding plumaged Sanderlings were at the Cosumnes River Preserve in Sacramento County on 29 April (AE). In western Calaveras County at the Rock Creek Landfill on Hunt Road, which is just east of Milton Road, a large flock of gulls were found on 4 March (FO) that included a Glaucous-winged Gull for one of few county records. This flock was gone during subsequent trips, but birders should keep tabs on this landfill as it may provide more opportunities to discover rare gulls in this county. Three breeding-plumaged Franklin’s Gulls at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County on 21 May (DS), one at the Kern NWR on 12 April (JSL), and another in the South Wilbur Flood Area, Kings County, on 11 April (KP) were rare spring migrants. A Short-eared Owl was discovered at the ponds along Tehama Road on 3 March (FO) for only the third Tehama County record. The breeding Common Nighthawks discovered at Hardesty Sand & Gravel Quarry on Meiss Road in Sacramento County in 2005 had returned by 31 May (KP). Always an exciting and unexpected find in the valley were Black Swifts with two at the Sundial Bridge in Redding, Shasta County, on the very early date of 3 May (JCS+) and four at the Fremont Weir, Yolo County, on 14 May (AE).
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Calliope Hummingbirds were found in the lowlands of California in perhaps record numbers and the Central Valley was no exception. Many were found in Yolo, Sacramento, Shasta, and other counties during April and May. Madera County’s first record of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was of a bird photographed at the north side of Millerton Lake on 11 March (LW). A migrant Gray Flycatcher near Benicia on 3 April (JCS) was the earliest spring record for northern California and established the fourth Solano County record. The fifth county record was found south of Dixon on 7 May (EP). Another was along Putah Creek east the Mace Avenue Bridge in Yolo County on 29 April – 1 May (FS+). Placer County has not had a Purple Martin nesting record since 1909 (fide DA) therefore a pair found at nesting habitat under an overpass near Roseville on 25 May (DK) was an exciting and overdue record. This pair was present through the summer
Sage Thrashers are annual spring migrants in the region but primarily in the foothills and scrublands of the San Joaquin Valley, so one just north of the Yolo County line in Colusa County on 27 April (SLaR, KH) was noteworthy. One in southern Sacramento County on 25 April (CC) and another along White Rock Road in Mariposa County on 3 March (JCS, EP) were at more typical locations for the species. Yuba County’s second Black-throated Sparrow appeared on 20 April at Beale Air Force Base (MB), followed by another at the nearby Spenceville Wildlife Area on 28 April (SH). Two Black-throated Sparrows visited a feeder in Lincoln, Placer County, on 12 May (PB). Unexpected was the record of a well-photographed (below) male Summer Tanager in El Dorado Hills, seen on 14 March 2006 and again on 13 March 2007 (KM). It undoubtedly successfully overwintered during the past two years in that general area.
This establishes the first El Dorado County record and the fourth for the Sierra Nevada foothills. Last year’s Summer Tanager in the foothills of Placer County returned on 14 May (LR). It was a tremendous spring for migrant Brewer’s Sparrow in the Central Valley with many found from late April through early May in Madera (20+ individuals) (fide JD), Tulare, Sacramento, Merced, Solano, Yuba, and San Benito counties. One at the Jepson Prairie on 7 May (EP) was Solano County’s first spring record. A male Lark Bunting found at the Herbert Wetlands Prairie Preserve in Tulare County on 23 May was a rare spring migrant (GL, JLk, SS).
Thanks to, Bruce Deuel, Steve Hampton, and Ed Pandolfino for supplying summaries of bird sightings. Other observers include: Dan Airola, Mike Bumgartner, Ray Bruun (RBr), Pat Boudreaux, Chris Conard, Jeff Davis, Andy Engilis, Jr., Shawneen Finnegan, Rob Fowler, Lynn Hemink, Karen Hochgraf, Scott Hoppe, Dave Johnson, Dan Kopp, Tony Kurz, , Randy Little (RLi), Sammi LaRocca (SLaR), John Lockhart (JLk), Gary Lindquist, John Luther (JSL), Karla Meadows, Peter J. Metropulos, Dick Norton, Brian O’Connor (BO’C), Frances Oliver, Ed Pandolfino, Kathy Parker, Larry Risser, Stefan Schlick (SSc), Jeff Seay (JSe), Dan Singer, John Sterling (JCS), Fritz Steurer, Steve Summers, Leonard Williams, and Gary Woods. Photos courtesy of: Glaucous Gull, Jon King Northern Saw-whet Owl - John Sterling Purple Martin - Dan Kopp Summer Tanager - Karla Meadows
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