September is the most anticipated month on the avian calendar. While perhaps a step down in shorebird diversity and abundance from August, it is still quite good, and nothing beats September for songbird rarities. While songbird migration has been generally slow in 2025, spring and fall, there was more than enough to make many days in the field a lot of fun. Amazingly, the female Costa's Hummingbird first found at a private yard in Wilton in August of 2024 has continued for more than a year; an immature male was also found at Jan Park in Carmichael on 9/8. Single Band-tailed Pigeons were reported at Elkhorn Regional Park on 9/6 and at Reichmuth Park on 9/16, with 20 at Bobcat Ranch, west of Winters, on 9/13. A Common Poorwill was a nice find at Elk Slough on 9/6. A Black Swift was reported over Sacramento on 9/9, with three the same day over the Mace Blvd Bridge, southeast of Davis, and there were also three reported over Mt Vaca on 9/13.
Rare and uncommon shorebirds were well-represented this month. Solitary Sandpiper reports were more numerous than expected, and a Ruff was an excellent find (eBird Checklist S276400625) at the Woodland WTP on 9/28, where it continued into October. A Stilt Sandpiper found at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 8/30 continued for a few days into September; another was briefly seen at the Woodland WTP on 9/11, and another was found (eBird Checklist S275897776) along Desmond Rd at Cosumnes River Preserve (CRP) on 9/27. A Sanderling was seen at the Woodland WTP from 9/18 to 9/24, while Baird's Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers were relatively well-represented throughout. A Franklin's Gull was seen briefly (eBird Checklist S274991858) at the Woodland WTP on 9/22, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull was found (eBird Checklist S273485729) at the same location on 9/1, continuing for most of the month--another was at Beals Point, Folsom Lake, from 9/7-9/14. The Neotropic Cormorant first found at Lagoon Valley Park on 7/28 continued into September.
Even with numbers of common migrants somewhat depressed, the list of rarities is impressive. An Eastern Kingbird was found on 9/7 along Putah Creek, downstream of Pedrick Rd, and a Red-eyed Vireo was found (eBird Checklist S271357101) along Elk Slough in the Clarksburg area of Yolo County on 9/3. A Gray Catbird was seen at the California Raptor Center near the UC Davis campus on 9/10. A Clay-colored Sparrow was a nice find (eBird Checklist S275442476) at Folsom Point, Folsom Lake, on 9/25, and several Brewer's Sparrows were reported from the region, including singles at Folsom Point on 9/16, the William B Pond access to the American River Parkway (ARP) on 9/23, and from Michigan Bar on 9/27. A Sagebrush Sparrow was quite a surprise on 9/1 at Putah Creek and Mace Blvd (Putah Creek South Fork Preserve). At least nine separate Green-tailed Towhees found in the region this month is an impressive total. A Northern Waterthrush was an excellent find at Bushy Lake (ARP) on 9/6, and another was found from 9/9-9/11 at Knight's Landing. A Tennessee Warbler was at Knight's Landing on 9/14. Other interesting warblers included an American Redstart at CRP on 9/19, a Northern Parula at Elk Slough on 9/3, and single Chestnut-sided Warblers on 9/7 near the Mayhew Drain along the ARP, from Colusa NWR on 9/10, on 9/25 at the Lower Sunrise access to ARP, and, finally, at Elkhorn Regional Park on 9/26. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was seen by many in Woodland on 9/26, and an Indigo Bunting was found along Putah Creek, downstream of Pedrick Rd, on 9/28.
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: Steve Abbott, Peyton Bounds, Lyann Comrack, Chris Dong, Konshau Duman, Lynette Williams Duman, Andy Engilis, Gil Ewing, Stephen Fettig, Joshua Greenfield, Kevin Guse, Cliff Hawley, Mackenzie Hollender, Marcel Holyoak, Emmett Iverson, Eric Johnson, Julian Johnson, Adam Kucharek, Jeri Langham, Andrew Lee, Phil Lutz, Mark Martucci, Michael Perrone, Zane Pickus, Linda Pittman, Ron Pozzi, Mark Sawyer, Samuel Schmidt, Steve Scott, Gregg Schwab, Sean Smith, Kevin Thomas, Jerry Ting, John Trochet, Tom Uslan, and Amy Williamson. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.