Wrights Lake, 08/15/2026

Leader Chris Conard reported: We had a full group and an enjoyable trip on a beautiful day, walking completely around Wrights Lake and the marshy habitat to its east. Early on, the number of songbirds was really impressive, although a lot of them were Yellow-rumped Warblers of varying plumage. We were able to pick out several Nashville Warblers, a few Hermit Warblers, a glimpsed MacGillivray's Warbler, and a Townsend's Warbler seen by some. Our first view of the lake gave us nice looks at two Ospreys successfully diving for fish. Other notables included four Green-winged Teal, a Mountain Quail heard and seen by some, a Sooty Grouse, several Vaux's Swifts, four female/juvenile Williamson's Sapsuckers, a White-headed Woodpecker, several Western Wood-Pewees, a couple Dusky Flycatchers, high elevation Black Phoebes, 120 Violet-green Swallows, an impressive 15 Brown Creepers, a Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbills (heard and glimpsed by a couple), a Pine Siskin, and several Western Tanagers.

SAS Field Trip: Bridgeway Island Pond/West Sacramento, 08/22/2026

Leader Maureen Geiger reported: In spite of very high levels of water with no visible islands, this Pond and surrounding habitat wins again. Twenty-one intrepid birders showed up for a leisurely 1 mile+ stroll along this large stormwater retention pond and on the levee along the Shipping Canal, finding 44 species, this on a deadsville summer morning in late August in the Valley! A fishing Caspian Tern was probably the highlight, but several Osprey eating fish and flying about were a close second. Good views of Common Gallinules, Green Herons and fast-moving River Otters were also enjoyed.

Bodega Bay, 08/29/2026

Leader John York reported: A small, but very attractive group set out for Bodega Bay. Both birders were either new or new to the West Coast, so a low number bird day for the bay was still fun with lots of learning. Who knew there were three kinds of cormorants? We saw them all. Best bit was at the last stop coming back from Bodega Head -- dozens of Marbled Godwits, Willets, Western Sandpipers, Elegant Terns, Egrets and more, just a few yards away on the mud and lots of time to take them in.

Wrights Lake to Island Lake, Pikas and More, 08/30/2026

Leader Chris Conard reported: Six of us enjoyed outstanding weather and scenery on our walk to Twin Lakes and Island Lake. Pikas were pretty vocal, and we saw one at a reasonable distance. The bird highlight was an apparent family group of at least six Sooty Grouse walking almost at our feet, making some endearing soft calls and trills. We had great views of a foraging male Black-backed Woodpecker and heard several flybys of Red Crossbills. The crossbills perched briefly for decent scope views. The mix of resident and migrant songbirds included Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Brown Creeper, Thick-billed Fox Sparrow, Mountain White-crowned Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hermit Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler. https://ebird.org/checklist/S388489692

Putah Creek Riparian Preserve, 09/05/2026

Leader Sonja Sorbo reported: Putah Creek Riparian Preserve is a known eBird hotspot, and five birders put it to the test. Our quest to find migrants went well……. after a bit of fog cleared, birds emerged into the sunshine. Warblers including Wilson’s, Northern Yellow, and Black-throated Gray, all gave us nice looks. A Western Warbling Vireo was briefly viewed.

Flycatchers cooperated as well, with migrant Western Wood-Pewee, Olive-sided, and Western Flycatchers competing with the resident Black Phoebe for our attention.

While walking the trail, we heard Western Tanager calling repeatedly and bemoaned the fact that it was remaining hidden. Our luck improved later on, and we totaled at least eight of them in the course of the morning. One of the spots hosted two Black-headed Grosbeak as well.

Not to be ignored, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew upstream in front of us, while a Belted Kingfisher flew downstream. Meanwhile, up overhead, two Swainson’s Hawk and a Red-Tailed Hawk soared around, apparently uninterested in each other.

Several Northern House Wren scolded us from the undergrowth; later on, two Bewick’s Wrens joined the chorus. An adult Western Bluebird with two babies in tow watched us from the safety of a snag. A flock of Bushtits swirled through some eucalyptus, but they couldn’t distract us from watching a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.

Resident woodpeckers were out and about, including Acorn, Nuttall’s, and Downy. Perhaps they were welcoming their cousin Northern Flickers, who were not shy about announcing their arrival from the high country.

Some other species comprising the total of 41 for the day were Cedar Waxwing, Spotted and California Towhee, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Anna’s Hummingbird, Green Heron, and American Robin, which earned the title of Most Numerous Bird of the Day.

Black-throated Gray Warbler © Mary Forrestal

Sailor Bar, 09/06/2026

Leader Michael Curtis reported: Seventeen enthusiastic birders showed up for a cloudless, cool morning at Sailor Bar. We made our way to the pond, where we observed two Great Blue Herons and Anna's Hummingbirds. We heard several White-breasted Nuthatches and a couple of Red-shouldered Hawks, with one eventually coming into view and perching. As we moved along, we spotted California Quails on both sides of the trails. Before we arrived at the overlook of the Hatchery on the other side of the river, we saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch. On arrival at the overlook, we saw Double-crested Cormorants and a Peregrine Falcon, but the highlight was a juvenile Bald Eagle. When we reached the dock parking lot, we had ten Great Egrets taking in the sun. As we walked the river, we observed a Spotted Sandpiper across the river, a couple more Great Blue Herons, and had a Green Heron fly by. As the walk came to a close, we had the familiar sounds of Acorn Woodpeckers in the distance, and Lesser Goldfinches along the thistle. We had a very engaged and curious group sharing knowledge, experience, and thoughts throughout the walk, which ended with forty-four species observed.

Red-breasted Nuthatch © Daniel Lee Brown

Biodiversity Day at Bushy Lake, 09/07/2026

Leader Kevin Thomas reported: Six participants celebrated Biodiversity Day with Sacramento Bird Alliance out at Bushy Lake. We got off to an early start and started documenting the vegetation around the area including Valley Oak, Blue Elderberry, Chickery, and other riparian plants. We started off the morning with our one and only good flock of migrants that had Yellow, Black-throated Gray, Orange-crowned, and Wilson's warblers along with Cassin's and Western Warbling Vireos. We heard Red-breasted Nuthatch twice as this species continues to have an irruption year in the Central Valley. We watched some bird behavior, as a few crows mobbed a pair of Cooper's Hawks perched in a dead snag and we discussed the patterned J shape flight display of Anna's Hummingbird. We came across a large Black Walnut that had Acorn, Nuttall's and Downy Woodpeckers all in the same tree foraging. We talked about the restoration of the area with native plants following a fire many years ago and how the construction on Business 80 had concluded and they had seeded and disced all the construction roads to restore them. A little bit before we finished the walk, we spotted a late-leaving Ash-throated Flycatcher in some willows. This species is usually gone from the breeding grounds by now, but we were delighted to come across it. It was a great morning exploring the restoration area and riparian habitat around Bushy Lake.

Prairie City SVRA Bird Walk, 09/10/2026

20 folks braved the heat to explore this restricted area of the Prairie City State Vehicle Recreation Area. While the temperatures were high and the diversity of species numbers low, no one was disappointed on this morning walk. There was nearly always a Red-tailed Hawk waiting to be spotted in the sky or in the branches of nearby trees. A White-tailed Kite and a juvenile Swainson's Hawk also made themselves available for close looks. The highlight of the morning, however, was the five Barn Owls that flushed from a tree as the group walked underneath. Thank you to the folks from Prairie City for offering us access to this normally restricted area. We look forward to birding with them again.

SAS Field Trip: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, 09/12/2026

18 birders enjoyed exploring a portion of the auto tour at Yolo Bypass on this beautiful Saturday morning. Thank you to everyone who stepped in to help lead this field trip and thank you to all the fantastic participants for their patience, flexibility, and enthusiasm. Things started off with a field of Great Egrets, a few Common Ravens, a pair of Northern Harriers and a dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk. As we drove, little birds were flitting along the road, including Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Common Yellowthroat and Marsh Wrens. A pair of Yellow-headed Blackbirds were observed by the back half of the caravan. Parking, we walked a portion of one of the loop trails to check out a hundred or more White-faced Ibis. We walked on, drawn by a multitude of ducks. Most remained too distant to identify but we did see Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal and at least one Northern Pintail. There were dozens of swallows zipping about, mostly Tree Swallows, with some Barn Swallows and one or two Cliff Swallows. Heading back to our cars we added to our egret count, including Snowy Egrets and Western Cattle-Egrets. Our final excitement of the morning were seven Long-billed Curlew. Thank you to Betty Cooper for keeping the eBird list. https://ebird.org/checklist/S392631113

Field Trip Findings for August 15, 2026 – September 12, 2026