Central Valley Bird Highlights: December
2006 through February 2007
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The rarity of the season was the male American Black Duck shot on 21 December a mile north of Delevan NWR in Colusa County (YF-K). The photographs of the specimen were sent to the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) and the live mount will be donated to the museum at UC Davis. Pending acceptance by the CBRC, this would be the first Colusa County record and only the second California record. The first one was in Glenn County in 1911.
Two immature Tundra Swans were present at the Deer Creek Recharge Basins on 15-18 January (JW, FO) in Tulare County and two more were near Corcoran in King County on 18 January (FO) where this species is rare. A family of Bewick’s Swans, two adults and one cygnet, were well described on Bayliss Road northeast of Willows, Glenn County on 9 February (JSn). Swans and geese (other than Canada) are generally rare south of the wildlife refuges in Merced County, so a “Goose Grand Slam” at the Madera Waste Water Treatment Plant on 14 January (PF) included a Greater White-Fronted , two Snow, four Ross's, and two Cackling. The Fulvous Whistling Ducks found in se Tulare County in the fall were still present on 28 January (JLx, JSL). The Milburn Overlook on the San Joaquin River in Fresno also hosted rare geese with one Snow, one Ross, one Cackling on 2 January (JSL+). In se Tulare County, a Cackling Goose flew over Dead Pig Pond and 8 Snow Geese were at Pixley NWR on 5 January (SS). Good finds in the foothill region were a male Eurasian Wigeon on York Avenue about 1.5 miles east of Highway 41 in Amador County on 4 March (DM) and another for the first Mariposa County record on White Rock Road from 20 to 28 February (JR, ADeM). More than the usual number of Eurasian Green-winged Teal were reported with one at Merced NWR in Merced County on 27 February (PM), another at the Vic Fazio W.A. in Yolo County from 30 January on (SH), and two at Llano Seco 1 January (JSn) one at Llano Seco on 10 January (BB) and another or same 26 Jan (BEW) through 23 Feb (JB) in Butte County. The only scoters reported this winter were a Surf Scoter at Folsom Lake at Beale’s Point in Placer County on 15 January (CC) and another at Turner Road Vitners near Lodi on 5-8 January (DC, DY), and a White-winged Scoter on 2 January (MB, RT, OJ) in the Suisun Bay in Solano County. The male Red-breasted Merganser that wintered last year at Sailor Bar on the American River returned on 9 December (DJ). This Sacramento County location is one of few in the region where this species is somewhat regular in occurrence. Another was at Lake Kaweah on 27 December (KK) in Tulare County. There are only a handful of Bald Eagle records for Kings County, so an adult on York Avenue about 1.5 miles east of Highway 41on 30 January (JSe) was noteworthy. Pacific Golden-Plovers regularly winter in only a few locations in the Central Valley. One on Cook Road in the Jepson Prairie on 15 December (CW) was near the Dixon Sewage Ponds where one or two had wintered in previous years. After last January’s Marbled Godwits at the Davis Wetlands provided Yolo County’s first record for that month, another found there on 3 December (SH) to provide the first December record. A Ruff discovered on 20 December at Sherman Island, Sacramento County (BP) was present for several weeks in the general area. The Los Banos CBC hosted its second ever Ruff near the end of Criswell Rd on 28 December (fide HH) in Merced County. Another Ruff found se of Merced NWR on 9 February (ADeM) had probably wintered in that area. A third-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull on Lake Kaweah on 6 February (JLk) was refound at Bravo Lake on 24 February for a first Tulare County and second Central Valley record pending acceptance by the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC). The bird was initially identified from the photographs by ToEa. There were more Glaucous Gulls in California than usual and the Central Valley was no exception. Multiples were seen throughout January-March at the Yolo County Landfill (JK, JCS, ToEa+) included three adults on 7 January (RA, JK) which is an extraordinary number of adults anywhere in California; two first-year birds were at Folsom Lake at Beale’s Point for a rare Placer County record on 16 February (ToEa). At least three different gulls identified as the “Kumlien’s” subspecies of Iceland Gull were found off and on at Yolo County Landfill near Davis from 17 December through January (SH, JK, MP, JCS, ToEa, RA). The Feather River near Oroville hosted an adult Mew Gull on 1 December (JB) and a first cycle individual at Kutras Lake along the Sacramento River in Redding on 15 February (BED) in Shasta County. These are a few of the locations where this species occurs with some regularity in the valley away from the delta region. Another in the Los Banos area on 28 December was only the 4th record for that Merced County CBC (fide HH). A Mew Gull at Ellis Lake in Marysville on 5 January (DR) was at the location where the first Yuba County record was established in December 2001. One
of the more thrilling birds to appear was a Snowy Owl on 30 December
- 22 February (LW, JR+) Considered rare on the valley floor, several Northern Saw-whet Owls were found roosting in redwood trees in the delta on Ryer Island, Solano County in February (RL+) delighted many observers over several weeks, and another was in Rancho Cordova on (DJ+). A male Costa’s Hummingbird visited a yard with feeders for a few days in Rancho Cordova from 24 February+ (PB). A Red-naped Sapsucker discovered at Larchmont Park in Rancho Cordova on 8 December (CC) was seen throughout the winter, one was at Woodward Park on 1-6 January (PF, MR) in Fresno County, and another was along Green Springs Road in western Tuolumne County on 28 February (ADeM). A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker along Putah Creek west of Davis on 7 January (DS) established one of few Yolo County records. This bird was not reported on later dates, although it undoubtedly wintered in the area.
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Wintering Sage Thrashers are regular in low numbers in the region, yet there are still few records for each individual county. Therefore noteworthy records included one at the Madera sewage ponds on 1 December (JSL), one south of Folsom until 13 February (FG, SSc) in Sacramento County, one on White Rock Road in western Mariposa County on 28 February (ADeM), and two in Tulare County with one at Lake Success on 13 January (TK) and another at the Homeland Canal on 5 January (SS). Much more rare and always an exciting find in the Central Valley was a Brown Thrasher at the Cosumnes River Preserve on 2 January (A&IE) and refound on 5 January (JTr) for one of few winter records for the region. An Eastern Phoebe discovered on 15 December (PF) along the San Joaquin River in Fresno lingered through much of the winter and a second one in Fresno County was at Lost Lake on 26 December (fide JSL). Another was found where one wintered in the previous year along Putah Creek near Winters on 18 December (BCa) and refound only once on 30 January (RM). Exceptional in winter, a Dusky Flycatcher was photographed in Davis on 6 February (ToEa, JCS) but it could not be refound on subsequent days. This is the first documented winter record of Yolo County and perhaps for the Central Valley. Wintering Empidonaces are rare in northern California with Pacific-slope, Hammond’s and Least in order of abundance (but Gray is the most “common” in southern California). A vireo identified as a Blue-headed Vireo was at Hart Park near Bakersfield until 20 February (MM, JLx, JSL+). This would be an outstanding winter record for the Central Valley if accepted by the CBRC. The Northern Shrike found in the fall at Jepson Prairie in Solano County remained throughout the winter (EH+). A second immature Northern Shrike was near Folsom High School off of Iron Point Rd on 31 December (CS, GH) in Sacramento County. Chestnut-backed Chickadees are extremely rare in the region outside of the Putah Creek and Solano County areas, so two in Carmichael along the American River Parkway on 2 February (EP) was a great find for Sacramento County.
The Ovenbird that wintered last year reappeared to this winter
Three Sage Sparrows in grassland near Winters on 17 December
(fide SH) were described as pale and probably represented one of the
interior subspecies (Amphispiza belli nevadensis or A. b.
canescens). If documented, this would establish the first record
for the Sacramento Valley. A wintering Clay-colored Sparrow
A Clay-colored Sparrow near Winters on 17 December (fide SH) was one of few records for Solano County. Another Clay-colored Sparrow joined by a Brewer’s Sparrow at Bartlett Park in Tulare County on 11-25 February (KK, JSL) were undoubtedly wintering at this location where both species had wintered in previous years. The two American Tree Sparrows found in fall at the Vic Fazio W.A. in Yolo County lingered until at least mid-January (ToEa). A Lark Bunting on White Rock Road in western Mariposa County on 24 February (SG), two nearby on White Rock Road in eastern Merced County on 28 February (ADeM), and another on Crabtree Road in eastern Stanislaus County on 22 and 27 January (MB+) were along the hilly grassland edge of the Central Valley where this rare species is most often found in fall and winter. The only Harris Sparrow reported was one at Lake Kaweah on 27 December (RH) in Tulare County. A Swamp Sparrow at Lost Lake seen 27-29 December (LH+) established one of few Fresno County records, and another was found near the Snowy Owl location on 2 January (MB, RT, OJ) in Solano County. Longspurs were once again reported in Yolo County with up to five McCown’s on County Line Road in the north discovered on 7 January (ToEa) and subsequently detected on 14 January (JCS), 28 January (SH) and 5 February (SH, MP); and one Lapland there on 28 January (SH) and two on 5 February (SH, MP), and another on “longspur corner” at the intersection of county roads 16 and 90B on 1 January (JCS). An adult male Hooded Oriole in Oroville on 1-3 December (JB, BED+) provided one of few Butte County winter records. A Common Grackle near Galt on 16-19 January (S & DY+) in large flock of blackbirds was refound on Sherman Is. Road on 11 February (BP). This will be the first record for Sacramento County and only the third for the Central Valley pending acceptance by the CBRC.
I greatly appreciate the summaries of bird sightings generously provided by Chris Conard, Bruce Deuel (BED), Steve Hampton, Waldo Holt and Ed Pandolfino. Additional Observers: Roger Adamson, Bob Battagin, Jay Boggiato, Matt Brady, Paul Buchanon, Eric Caine, Brent Campos (BCa), Dave Croft, Al DeMartini, Todd Easterla (ToEa), Andy and Irene Engilis, Peter Fahey, Yancey Forest-Knowles, Steve Glover, Frank Gray, Rob Hansen, Ed Harper, Lynn Hemink, Harold Holt, Ginny Hupp, Dave Johnson, Oscar Johnson, John King, Tony Kurz, Kim Kuska, Robin Leong, John Lockhart (JLk), Jim Lomax (JLx), John Luther (JSL), Don Marsh, Michael McQuerrey, Ron Melcer, Peter Metropulos, Frances Oliver, Michael Perrone, Bob Power, David Rice, Jim Rowoth, Mike Ruffino, Jeff Seay (JSe), Stefan Schlick (SSc), Darell Slotton, Jim Snowden (JSn), John Sterling (JCS), Steve Summers, Craig Swolgaard, Ryan Terrill, John Trochet, Charley Walker, Justin Ward, Bruce Webb, Liz West, and David and Sue Yee. Photos courtesy of: American Black Duck - Yancey Forest-Knowles Snowy Owl - Jonathan Katz, Ovenbird - Steve Abbott, Clay-colored Sparrow - Harold Reeve
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that provided the second Solano County record. It was seen through January
by hundreds of birders who took Dan Thiemann’s boat trips to Grizzly Bay in
the Delta. It disappeared for several weeks, only to be refound at a
different and inaccessible location on 22 February. Comparisons of
photographs of this owl with the Snowy Owl that appeared last January
suggest that they were different individuals. Remarkably, these two are the
only ones seen anywhere in California since January 1978! 
along
Putah Creek at the Mace Ave Bridge south of Davis in Solano and Yolo
counties. The only other eastern warbler found this season was a
Northern Waterthrush on the Lost Lake CBC on 26 December (fide
JSL) in Fresno County. There are only a handful of winter records of
this species in the Central Valley. A Blue Grosbeak on Merritt
Island on 2 January (RA, SH) was a surprise. This is a very rare bird
in winter in northern California and is only the second winter record
for Yolo County. 
was
photographed and seen by many on Beckwith Road on the valley floor in
Stanislaus County from 28 January on (EC+) for only the second county
record.