The 117th CBC in Northern California

For the 117^th Christmas Bird Count period, 80 counts were conducted in Northern California with a total of 305 species recorded.  Only five counts suffered from some heavy rain during the day, and most of the remaining counts had pleasant weather.  Yosemite National Park had the lowest low temperature of 8⁰ F while Monterey Peninsula recorded the highest temperature with 66⁰ F.  Counts with more than 90 participants include Eastern Alameda County, Crystal Springs, Moss Landing, Palo Alto, Marin County South, Western Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley, San Francisco, Point Reyes, topped off by Oakland’s 302 participants.  For numbers of species, the top count was Moss Landing with 201. Overall numbers of species were average to above average for most counts.

The following are the highlights of the counts (only sufficiently documented rare species included). In general it was an average showing for rare species, especially ultra-rare species. Rare waterfowl were in low numbers with one Tufted Duck in Arcata, 77 Eurasian Wigeon in the region, one Trumpeter Swan in Marysville and six more with a Surf Scoter at Fall River Mills, but the state’s third record of Common Pochard on the Tall Trees count was an incredible find that remained for many birders to chase for several days. Blue-winged Teal decreased dramatically in the region with 120 compared to 408 in the prior year. Redding hosted a high count of 58 Barrow’s Goldeneye, more than a quarter of the region’s total. Only 249 White-winged Scoters were reported throughout the region, but up from 161 in the prior year.  Nine Long-tailed Ducks were scattered among several coastal counts

Rare inland Red-necked Grebes were two at Shasta and one at Folsom, with the coastal the high count of 58 at Pt. Reyes.  A few regular pelagic species were reported, but the return of colder offshore restricted the numbers and northward extension of Black-vented Shearwaters to 193 (2 at Pt. Reyes were northernmost) compared to last’s year’s count of 17,564 from Big Sur to Ft. Bragg. The long-staying and only known Northern Gannet in the Pacific Ocean once again joined the Crystal Springs count. Following the increases in recent years, Brown Booby was not found in the region. Cattle Egrets continue to decline in the region with 224 reported—many fewer than their heyday in the 1990s. In contrast, White-faced Ibis continue to increase primarily in the Central Valley with 12,740 reported on 11 counts, including 17 on the coastal Moss Landing count.

Santa Rosa’s resident Common Black-Hawk survived another year. Only eight Swainson’s Hawks were counted with Red Bluff having the northernmost individual. Much less expected was the Broad-winged Hawk on the Hayward-Fremont count. Two Pacific Golden-Plovers were fewer than expected with singles at Caswell-Westley and Moss Landing. No Ruff or Stilt Sandpipers were reported. Rare terns and gulls were absent as well with the exception of only six Glaucous Gulls. No Barred Owls were tallied; this species is vastly under-reported given the fairly large population known in the North Coast Range and Sierra Nevada. Rare sapsuckers, Yellow-bellied and Red-naped, are often reported without details. Five Yellow-bellied and six Red-naped were reported which are typical numbers.

Rare wintering flycatchers were prevalent. A single Eastern Phoebe returned to San Francisco from the previous year. All Empidonax flycatchers are rare in the region in winter, so a Least Flycatcher in Santa Cruz, a Hammond’s and Gray in San Jose, a Hammond’s in Redding, Moss Landing, two at Año Nuevo, and Pacific-slope Flycatchers (presumed not to be Cordilleran) in Merced N.W.R., Clear Lake, Año Nuevo, three left unidentified to species with two in Marin County (southern) and one in LeGrange-Waterford. More typical were the two Tropical Kingbirds with singles on Monterey Peninsula and Moss Landing, and three Vermilion Flycatchers with single at San Francisco, Caswell-Westley, and Del Norte County. Single Cassin’s Vireos at Arcata and Centerville Beach to King Salmon were both in Humboldt County and the only ones reported for the region. Northern Shrikes were confined to their Cascade/Great Basin range with no reports on the coast or Central Valley.

Following trends in recent winters, Barn Swallows were reported in good numbers with an astonishing 87 reported, including one inland in Yreka near the Oregon border. Two Northern Rough-winged Swallows fit recent trends. A Gray Catbird kept cool in Mammoth Lakes for one of few regional count records. The only longspurs found were a single Lapland at Hayward-Fremont and two at Tule Lake. Varied Thrush numbers were very low especially in contrast to the previous year’s invasion. Bohemian Waxwings were found in Lake Almanor with a flock of 27.

It was a average winter for eastern warblers highlighted by an astonishing Blackburnian photographed in Santa Rosa, a Black-throated Green on Monterey Peninsula, and a Magnolia at Año Nuevo. Other more regular vagrant warblers include a Lucy’s on Monterey Peninsula, five Black-and-whites, a Tennessee, and 50 Palms.  Rare wintering western warblers were well represented with a MacGillivray’s in Marysville, 19 Nashville, four Yellow, seven Wilson’s, 22 Black-throated Gray, and eight Hermit warblers. 

Grasshopper Sparrows are rarely reported in winter in the region so two at Calero-Morgan Hill were a good find. It was a great winter for Swamp Sparrows with 57 including 33 at Pt. Reyes. A Harris’s Sparrow in Redding was the only one reported.

Single Summer Tanagers were on the Monterey Peninsula and Palo Alto, but only 12 Western Tanagers were reported in the region. Five Bullock’s Orioles were the only orioles found with two in Ft. Bragg and San Francisco and one in Stockton.  Only ten Yellow-headed Blackbirds were counted in the region. Large numbers of Lawrence’s Goldfinches were encountered with 250 at Mt. Hamilton, 381 at Pinnacle N.M. and smaller numbers scattered in the western Sierra Nevada.