While it is technically fall, November has a wintry feel and list of expected species. Numbers of waterfowl and raptors are still building, and songbirds are still migrating at a much-reduced level, but in terms of expectations, it feels like winter. There were no truly unexpected waterfowl or raptors this month, so for notable observations, we have to look elsewhere. On 11/11, 17 Band-tailed Pigeons were a nice find along Michigan Bar Rd in eastern Sacramento County. A Greater Roadrunner was found throughout the month along Yolo County Rd 81 in the Capay Valley, and four Common Poorwills were seen along Rayhouse Rd after dark on 11/6. The female Costa's Hummingbird first found at a private yard in Wilton in August of 2024 has continued through this November.
The shorebird spectacle slowed down, but didn't stop. A Pacific Golden-Plover continued at the Woodland WTP (WWTP) from last month through at least 11/21. The only local Mountain Plovers were along Flannery Rd, south of Dixon, with a high of 39 reported; none have been seen so far at the consistent location in Yolo County along Hwy 45, just south of the Colusa County line. The Ruff found at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 10/25 continued through at least 11/4. On 11/13, a Stilt Sandpiper was found at the EchoWater Facility (formerly known as the Sacramento Regional WTP), becoming a first for the property (eBird Checklist S284341085) and one of just a handful for Sacramento County. The WWTP hosted a continuing Lesser Black-backed Gull, with additional reports of the species at Jepson Prairie on 11/24 and Beals Pt, Folsom Lake (eBird Checklist S286159608), on 11/25. A Red-necked Grebe was a nice find at Beals Pt on 11/14 (eBird Checklist S284453688), and a Brown Pelican was a surprise flyover at the SacSewer Bufferlands on 11/24 (eBird Checklist S285969255).
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found at Slide Hill Park in Davis on 10/28 continued until at least 11/11. A Winter Wren was an excellent find near the traditional "Dipper spot" along Putah Creek at the Hwy 128 bridge from 11/8-11/17. An American Dipper was there as well--this is the only consistent location for the species in the Sacramento Area as covered in this column. At least two Lapland Longspurs were found along Latrobe Rd in the Deer Creek Hills from 11/7-11/10. They were seen and heard among a large flock of Horned Larks, lesser numbers of American Pipits, and with many Savannah Sparrows nearby. White-throated Sparrows were unusually conspicuous this month, and for the second month in a row, a locally very rare Sagebrush Sparrow was found in our area; this bird was along Yolo County Rd 152 to the southeast of Davis from 11/15 until at least 11/16. A Black-and-white Warbler was reported from the Bobelaine Sanctuary on 11/9, and a female/immature Northern Parula was found on 11/19 along Wood Duck Slough, at the Tall Forest, Cosumnes River Preserve.
The Sacramento Area as covered here lies between Hwy 20 to the north, Hwy 12 to the south, and the 1000-foot contour to the east and west, plus all of Sacramento and Yolo counties. Many reports first appeared on the Central Valley Bird Club listserv (groups.io/g/centralvalleybirds) and in eBird (ebird.org). It is impossible to list everyone, but we thank the following for their reports: Sylvia Bauer, Peyton Bounds, Lyann Comrack, Chris Dong, Konshau Duman, Lynette Williams Duman, Andy Engilis, Gil Ewing, Stephen Fettig, Joshua Greenfield, Cliff Hawley, Mackenzie Hollender, Marcel Holyoak, K.K. Hudson-Bates, Emmett Iverson, Julian Johnson, Jeri Langham, Andrew Lee, Mark Martucci, Roger Muskat, Michael Perrone, Zane Pickus, Linda Pittman, Ron Pozzi, Mark Sawyer, Samuel Schmidt, Steve Scott, Sean Smith, Gavin Stacey, Kirk Swenson, Kevin Thomas, and John Trochet. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.