June is usually one of the slowest months for birding around Sacramento. Wintering species have left and migrants have mostly passed through. Occasionally, a late-moving rarity will appear or an unusual breeder will set up shop. While it can be slow for birders, it is one of the most important months for our local nesting birds, with a lot of breeding activity to see and document. Lingering diving ducks at the Woodland WTP included up to 25 Redheads, with breeding confirmed (eBird Checklist S249631711), and a single Greater Scaup. A Black Swift was a nice surprise on 6/5 at Audubon's Bobcat Ranch (eBird Checklist S247123732) to the west of Winters. The female Costa's Hummingbird first found at a private yard in Wilton on 8/14 (and possibly as early as July) continued. In May she fledged two young that were likely fathered by an Anna's Hummingbird.
Migration does arrive by the end of the month in the form of shorebirds that breed outside of our area. There were building numbers of regular migrants such as Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, and Greater Yellowlegs at local shorebird spots during the last few days of the month. A Snowy Plover was a nice find (eBird Checklist S249377034) at Woodland WTP on 6/11, a Least Tern was at the same location on 6/24, as was a Least Bittern reported from 6/4-6/11. A little north of the area usually covered here, but warranting a mention, was a Roseate Spoonbill photographed on Rd. 57 in Glenn County, southeast of Willows, on 6/9, and flying near Willows on 6/12. This is one of the northernmost records in Western North America, a species not yet recorded in the Sacramento Area as defined by this column, though there were multiple records of an individual just to the south of our area last year. A juvenile Brown Pelican was a nice find at the Stockton WTP on 6/21.
Notable songbird records for the month were few and far between. On 6/27, an Orange-crowned Warbler was seen carrying insect prey in its bill (indicating it was feeding young) at the Orr Forest portion of Cosumnes River Preserve (CRP). This is a rare and sporadic breeder on the flats of the Valley. For at least six years, Yellow Warblers have continued breeding in the vicinity of the Tall Forest at CRP, with at least three pairs near the Accidental Forest, and up to seven singing males west of the Tall Forest this June. At least one nest was documented fledging Yellow Warblers instead of Brown-headed Cowbirds this season. Yellow Warblers were once common nesters in the Central Valley, but were mostly gone by the middle of the last century, likely from a combination of habitat loss and cowbird brood parasitism. Perhaps they are rallying. A male Summer Tanager was reported in the publically accessible portion of CRP on 6/8 and then it or another bird was found on 6/15 near the Tall Forest. It was heard singing and seen sporadically into July.
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, Dan Airola, Lyann Comrack, Konshau Duman, Lynette Williams Duman, Andy Engilis, Gil Ewing, Marc Fenner, Susan Goodrich, Joshua Greenfield, Cliff Hawley, Chris Henry, Emmett Iverson, Eric Johnson, Julian Johnson, Jeri Langham, Andrew Lee, Rondine Mangrum, Mark Martucci, Michael Perrone, Zane Pickus, Linda Pittman, Steve Scott, Sean Smith, Kevin Thomas, and John Trochet. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.