October has a bit of everything. Sought-after songbird migrants are still trickling through until at least mid-month, while waterfowl, raptor, and sparrow numbers are building. It is usually a little less dynamic than September, but it is undeniably a great time to be in the field, and the weather is usually pleasant as the fall progresses. Turning to unexpected finds, a Surf Scoter was seen at the Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) on 10/27, and, while hardly unexpected at this point, the female Costa's Hummingbird first found at a private yard in Wilton in August of 2024 has continued for more than a year. A Common Poorwill was seen on 10/19 during the Tall Forest survey at Cosumnes River Preserve, while another was found at Folsom Point, Folsom Lake, on 10/24. A Black Swift was a nice surprise on 10/3 along the American River Parkway (ARP), near the Mayhew Drain.
Exceptional shorebird reports may well be the theme of 2025, and things didn't slow down this month. Two Pacific Golden-Plovers were seen at the WWTP early in the month, with one continuing for most of the month. At Beale Air Force Base, there were seven Mountain Plovers on 10/20 and a single on 10/21 (eBird Checklist S280703219); and there were up to 11 along Flannery Rd, south of Dixon, beginning on 10/25. An Upland Sandpiper photographed on 9/22 from Knight's Landing was missed during last month's compiling of records . This is an extremely rare wanderer to California. Up to three Hudsonian Whimbrels (as they are now known since the species was split from the Eurasian populations), which are quite rare in the region outside of spring migration, were found at the WWTP during the first half of the month. A first Sacramento County record of Hudsonian Godwit was photographed (eBird Checklist S277704909) on Tyler Island, a Delta island south of Walnut Grove, on 10/6. The Ruff found at the WWTP on 9/28 continued to the end of October. Another was reported at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 10/25-10/31. Pectoral Sandpipers were widely seen in the region, with up to 18 on a single visit reported at the WWTP. A Parasitic Jaeger was an excellent find at Beals Point, Folsom Lake, on 10/17. Additional WWTP notables included a Sabine's Gull on 10/6 (eBird Checklist S277741481), the continuing Lesser Black-backed Gull, and a Common Tern from 10/6 through 10/15.
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was an excellent find at Slide Hill Park in Davis on 10/28 (eBird Checklist S281950018), continuing into November. A Tropical Kingbird was found at the EchoWater Facility (formerly the Sacramento Regional WTP) on 10/23 (eBird Checklist S280981827 and eBird Checklist S281005202), accounting for the fifth Sacramento County record and the second for the property. A Sage Thrasher was found on 10/13 along Meiss Rd, and a Grasshopper Sparrow was found on 10/22, very late in the season for this species, at the South Fork Putah Creek Preserve to the south of Davis. A Sagebrush Sparrow photographed (eBird Checklist S279775939) along on Meiss Rd on 10/16 was quite a surprise and one of very few records for the region. A Vesper Sparrow was photographed near the intersection of Yolo County Rds 38 and 106 on 10/10, with another along Meiss Rd on 10/25. There were no rare warblers found this month, but a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was a nice discovery along ARP near the Mayhew Drain on 10/3.
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: Lyann Comrack, Chris Dong, Konshau Duman, Lynette Williams Duman, Andy Engilis, Gil Ewing, Stephen Fettig, Joshua Greenfield, Cliff Hawley, Marcel Holyoak, Emmett Iverson, Julian Johnson, Jeri Langham, James Laughlin, Andrew Lee, Mark Martucci, Collin McKahin, Gary Mele, Roger Muskat, Michael Perrone, Zane Pickus, Linda Pittman, Ron Pozzi, Mark Sawyer, Samuel Schmidt, Steve Scott, Sean Smith, Gavin Stacey, Drake Stallworth, Kevin Thomas, and John Trochet. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.