This September had many of the typical rhythms of the transition from late summer to fall. Waterfowl numbers began to build, Sandhill Cranes were heard and seen, and most of the sparrows and other winter birds were recorded by the end of the month. But in other ways it was unique. Most notably, there was a continued influx of montane birds to the area. Many unusual fall migrants also spiced up a morning's outing. A Common Poorwill was a nice find at the WPA Rock Garden (eBird Checklist S397558696) at William Land Park on 9/29; another was found in a heavily developed area of West Sacramento on 9/24. Reports of single Black Swifts came from 9/3 over Davis, Sacramento Bar, American River Parkway, on 9/20, and at the Nimbus Dam overlook on 9/26.
There were multiple Marbled Godwit reports in Yolo and Sacramento counties, but only one Willet report, from the Woodland WTP, on 9/27. A Baird's Sandpiper was found at the Woodland WTP on 9/1, with it or another reported there on 9/12. Another was found along N Brewer Rd in Placer County on 9/2-9/4, and one was found at the Yolo County Landfill, northeast of Davis, on 9/28 . There were a fair number of Pectoral Sandpiper reports from the Woodland WTP and from the shorebird fields, especially N Brewer Rd, to the west of Lincoln. A Sabine's Gull was reported at the Woodland WTP (eBird Checklist S396519792) from 9/25 through at least 10/6. The Laughing Gull found at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 8/2 continued around Yolo County until 9/4. A Franklin's Gull was another great find from Woodland WTP (eBird Checklist S393746106), continuing from 9/16-9/23. Two Common Terns were found at the Woodland WTP on 9/14, with a single found there on 9/17. Two were also spotted at Beals Pt, Folsom Lake, on 9/19. Least Bittern reports came from Rancho Seco Reservoir on 9/8 and the Stonegate Ave pond at Hoopa Rd in West Sacramento on 9/24-9/25. A photographed juvenile Broad-winged Hawk was an excellent find from Mt Vaca at the Solano-Napa county line on 9/25 (eBird Checklist S396246173).
Late in the month, Clark's Nutcrackers began showing up in Coast Range locations such as Mt Vaca and Putah Creek west of Winters. Some reports were in the dozens, though none of the reports came from the flats of the Valley floor. This is part of a widespread movement of montane birds from the Intermountain West. It is likely linked to cone crop failures that are also producing the influx of Red-breasted Nuthatches that began last month. A visit to a private ranch in southeastern Sacramento County on 9/28 produced a California Thrasher--a chaparral species that is very rare in the county where that habitat type is nearly absent [even more notable was a coast horned lizard found on the same visit]. A Townsend's Solitaire was photographed at an Elverta yard on 9/7. Evening Grosbeaks were widely reported in the Valley and are part of the same mountain bird invasion of the lowlands. A Brewer's Sparrow was found at Linda Creek in Roseville on 9/7 and another was at Michigan Bar on 9/19. As with last month, there were a surprising number of Green-tailed Towhee reports. A Tennessee Warbler was reported from Ancil Hoffman Park on 9/10 and another was along Putah Creek in Winters on 9/24. An American Redstart was found at the Gristmill Access to the American River Parkway on 9/8 and, as with last month, there were many Northern Parula reports throughout the region. A Blackburnian Warbler at the Gristmill Access on 9/9 was an outstanding find (eBird Checklist S391408588), and one of just a few records for the region. A Chestnut-sided Warbler was found at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve on 9/26-9/27. A Summer Tanager was found in Courtland on 9/6-9/7, with another at Cosumnes River Preserve on 9/2. Lastly, a first-year male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was seen (eBird Checklist S389765149) by many in Davis from 9/3-9/5.
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: Dan Airola, Linda Barth, Aidan Brubaker, Lynne Craft, Chris Dong, Konshau Duman, Lynette Williams Duman, Gil Ewing, Joshua Greenfield, Cliff Hawley, Mackenzie Hollender, Liam Huber, Emmett Iverson, Julian Johnson, Roger Jones, Jeri Langham, Andrew Lee, Eric McKinley, Roger Muskat, Michael Perrone, Zane Pickus, Ron Pozzi, Samuel Schmidt, Steve Scott, Frank Severson, Sean Smith, Gavin Stacey, Kirk Swenson, Kevin Thomas, John Trochet, Tom Uslan, Zeke VanZante, and Bart Wickel. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.