Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
5/14: Desert Studies Center. Saw this lone sandpiper on the fountain in the middle of the Zzyzx lake, performing the customary tail-bobbing activity.
White-throated Swift
Aeronautes saxatalis
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. I spotted this small, black, cigar-shaped bird with white throat and belly, and white patches at the sides of the rump, as it flew over Lake Tuendae.
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin, CA. Saw just one of these birds at the top of Hawk Hill.
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
- 4/15: Safari West, Sonoma, CA. Near the giraffe barn.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve, Lake, CA. These birds are abundant and very active at the field site.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park, Sonoma, CA
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
4/15: Safari West, Sonoma, CA. Spotted a pair (M&F) of these lovely ducks on the small lake near the rhino enclosure. There were others that appear to be part of the collection; but because of the location of this pair; I assume they were wild birds.
Chukar
Alectoris chukar
5/13: Desert Studies Center. This bird was seen on the rock along the road between Zzyzx and I-15, A large, quail-like bird with distinctive facial markings: white throat and bold eyeline extending down the edges of the throat.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. One male on the creek; two flying north.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. Flying.
- 4/15: Safari West. Seen on the small lake before the rhino enclosure.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
California Scrub Jay
Aphelocoma californica caurina
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park, Sonoma
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
Great Egret
Ardea alba egretta
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 12/3: San Francisco Zoo. Saw a wild bird in one of the stork enclosures while at the zoo for turtle measurement data collection.
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
8/1: Shollenberger Park
Oak Titmouse
Baeolophus inornatus inornatus
6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis moffitti
- 4/15: Safari West. Approximately 8 birds on the grass in the hoofstock enclosure near the beginning of the tour. Also seen on the big lake.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis calurus
- 4/8: Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, Mendocino, CA. Two adults seen soaring over the hilltop. Easy to ID because they were calling to one another.
- 5/14: Zzyzx Desert Studies Center. Saw a pair of hawks on the rocks near the road between Zzyzx and Baker – the first hawks I saw on this trip.
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin County
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus elegans
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. Without binoculars this bird was tricky for me to ID even though it was sitting in a well-visible location in the top of a tree ~ 6 m high. It was very brown; with obvious striping on the tail and a dark head. The lack of red plumage indicates a juvenile. I am certain of the ID because I heard it call before flying to a tree on the other side of the creek.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
Green Heron
Butorides virescens anthonyi
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. One bird flying south along the creek. I regularly see these birds (one at a time) along the creek and they always flush when I get within about ~ 10 m (estimate), often flushing before I notice they are there.
- 4/15: Safari West, Sonoma, CA. Had a wonderful sighting of this species at the big lake. Rather than flushing and flying away when we approached (perhaps because we were in a vehicle rather than on foot), this bird seemed unconcerned about our presence and continued to hunt. I was able to view if for several minutes through binoculars and watched it catch a small invertebrate from the mud at the edge of the lake.
- 5/14: Zzyzx Desert Studies Center, San Bernardino County, CA. Saw one of these birds flying near the salt flat past the swimming pool at Zzyzx.
- 6/7: Jellystone Camp, Lake, CA. Heard this bird calling one morning from the trees near the camp office. I wasn’t sure what bird it was and guessed green heron kind of randomly. Imagine my surprise when I spotted the bird and discovered that my guess had been correct!
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
California Quail
Callipepla californica brunnescens
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve, Lake, CA. There are several pairs of quail at the field site, including one that was sitting on a nest near the tules along one of our walking routes. I was able to see the female sitting on her nest just about every day and also view the nest (which had 14 eggs) at times when she was away. Unfortunately, the eggs hadn’t hatched by the time we ended our season. I did see some young quail, though, from another pair with an early clutch.
Anna’s Hummingbird
Calypte anna
- 3/21: Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. Heard it at first; later spotted the bird near the playground.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. Spotted one in tree at creek edge.
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
Wilson’s Warbler
Cardellina pusilla chryseola
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA. Heard while walking on the property. One of the birds that had been mist-netted was a female Wilson’s warbler. Small yellow warbler with black cap; greenish edge to cap indicated this was a female (as did active brood patch). Bird is assumed to be sitting on a nest, so was released near the area where caught.
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura aura
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. Soaring high overhead.
- 4/15: Safari West
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. On the Zzyzx property, along the road leading to I-15.
- 5/14: Desert Studies Center.
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin, CA. Several seen soaring near Hawk Hill.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
Above photos are of a captive bird at the San Francisco zoo.
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. Seen once near the parking lot.
Wrentit
Chamaea fasciata
5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA. Learned this call today. I have heard wrentits often without knowing the song, even though I rarely see them.
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus vociferus
- 4/15: Safari West. Near the big lake.
- 5/13: Zzyzx Desert Studies Center, San Bernardino County. This bird flew overhead during breakfast. Call made it easy to confirm the ID.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
4/15: Safari West. A pair were foraging in one of the hoofstock feeding barns. I could not ID these from memory. A large sparrow with white on the side of the tail and distinctive facial/head plumage. Dark brown head with white throat, white crown stripe and white stripe above and below eye. One bird had a rufous patch below the eyes and both had a white patch below and posterior to the eye. Not hard to ID once I had a look at a field guide. Only the third time I’ve seen this species.
Lesser Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. At dusk and just after, I saw this bird flying around the patio area.
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. Seen in Baker when we went into town for dinner in the evening. Seen again this evening at Zzyzx.
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus collaris
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA. Heard
Rock Dove
Columba livia
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. At the gas station in Baker.
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati. Five or six present during full duration of our walk.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. Saw around five of them, although there is a larger population in the area. I often see them in groups of at least 30.
- 4/15: Safari West
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road
Northern Raven
Corvus corax clarionensis
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. Saw lots of these in the desert, nearly everywhere we went. They seem to fill some of the niches often filled by hawks in other areas, as hawks seem less common here.
- 5/13: Mid-hills Campground.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
Steller’s Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
- 4/8: Galbreath Wildlands Preserve. At the Sheep Barn.
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County. Common at the campground – they often woke me up, and were regular visitors to our campsite, foraging through things left behind.
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
- 4/15: Safari West. On the big lake.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus abieticola
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. I heard a woodpecker calling near the parking lot and wasn’t sure which one it was. I pulled out my iPad to listen to calls in the Sibley guide, and was surprised to discover that it was this species – I didn’t realize that they even lived in the western United States. I still wasn’t entirely sure it was a pileated calling until less than a minute after I played the call, when the bird flew right over my head. Definitely a pileated woodpecker! (Probably drawn in by the song on the iPad). I heard them a number of other times during the season as well but didn’t see another at the field site this year.
- 6/13: Jellystone Camp. This is a bit of a sad story. This bird hit a window somewhere on site while I was camping (doing field work nearby), and was pretty banged up. The staff asked me if there was anything I could do (as I’m a bird rehabber as well as a biologist). So, I packed up the bird and arranged for one of the field assistants to take it to the rehab center where I worked at the time, but unfortunately, the bird didn’t survive.
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis difficilis
- 4/15: Safari West. ID’d by voice: the slow, regular pee-uh-wee call repeated every 3 to 5 seconds.
Brewer’s Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
- 4/15: Safari West. Saw several of these birds, including a male that appeared to be building a nest in a small tree near the pond, and a pair performing what appeared to be a courtship display – hopping and vocalizing with wings lifted.
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin, CA. Near Fort Cronkhite.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
Peregrine Falcon (North American)
Falco peregrinus anatum
8/1: Shollenberger Park
American Coot
Fulica americana americana
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. On the Zzyzx pond, I watched a female with four chicks for a while. So cute!
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. Adult and chicks seen on Lake Tuendae.
- 5/14: Desert Studies Center.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. On the lake; heard more often than seen.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. Seen crossing Kelbaker Road ~ 9:30.
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus frontalis
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa main channel, Cotati.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
Purple Finch
Haemorhous purpureus californicus
- 5/6: One of the birds caught in the mist-net and banded while we were there. Unable to determine age or gender. Lack of purple plumage on head indicates NOT adult male. Small finch with large seed-cracking beak. Primarily brown; distinguished from house finch by facial markings an flat, rather than rounded, forehead.
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin, CA
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road.
Oregon/Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis oreganus
- 4/15: Safari West
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
5/13: Kelbaker Road. Spotted a few of these birds perched in trees along the road. One of my favorite birds. Grey with distinctive white and black markings. White flashes on wings are easy to see when bird is in flight.
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
9/23: Shollenberger Park
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
9/23: Shollenberger Park
Orange-crowned Warbler
Leiothlypis celata lutescens
5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes. Heard
Lucy’s Warbler
Leiothlypis luciae
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. First spotted these birds in some trees on the path past the swimming pool at Zzyzx. A tiny bird: medium grey above and lighter below, with a chestnut marking on the head. My first thought was a bushtit with some regional variation. I then saw others foraging in the mesquite and realized they were some kind of warbler. My best guess was Lucy’s, but the Mojave Bird Checklist lists them as uncommon. I had the opportunity later to speak with a local naturalist, who confirmed that Zzyzx is one of the few sites where Lucy’s breed, so I was able to make the positive ID on these adorable little birds.
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. Spotted a couple in the same area, in mesquite. Behavior – perhaps begging – made me think these were parents and newly-fledged young, but I’m not certain.
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Several of these birds were flocked along the water’s edge. This is the more common species in a freshwater habitat, and also at this time of year, which is how I determined the ID. (Also verified at iNaturalist).
Marbled Godwit
Limosa fedoa
8/1: Shollenberger Park
Gadwall
Mareca strepera strepera
8/1: Shollenberger Park
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
5/14: Desert Studies Center. Flying and calling at the pond.
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. Very abundant and active at the field site.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County. These birds can often be seeing flitting around high in trees near our campsite, making their squeaky-toy calls.
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
- 4/15: Safari West. Seen in one of the hoofstock enclosures.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. These birds were often spotted in the large meadow
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. Just heard one – usually there are more along this path (still early in season).
- 4/15: Safari West
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin, CA
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road.
California Towhee
Melozone crissalis
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road.
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Myiarchus cinerascens
6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. Spotted a pair of these beautiful birds in the far wooded meadow area. I suspect they were nesting, as I saw them more than once in the same location.
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus tyrannulus
5/13: Mid-hills Campground. One of my favorite sightings of the trip! I was walking in the montane forest area away from the campground when this large bird flew into a nearby tree. My first impression was of a kingbird but my view was partially blocked by foliage. Fortunately, the bird flew to a branch where I had an unobstructed view. Definitely a flycatcher with a tall crest of feathers on the head. Brown with red flashes on the tail (visible in flight) and very distinctly rufous primaries. I judged it as being bigger than an ash-throated – it seemed quite large for a flycatcher, period – about robin-sized (but thinner). When it flew it called briefly – a soft, melodic, almost thrush-like song. This ultimately is what gave me the ID. Gorgeous, gorgeous bird!
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
8/1: Shollenberger Park
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road. A nice bird to see on my birthday.
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 4/15: Safari West.
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. At gas station in Baker.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Band-tailed Pigeon
Patagioenas fasciata fasciata
5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes. Saw three or four flying into some large trees at PRBO.
American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
California Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin County. Saw a few of these birds actively diving for fish in San Francisco Bay.
American Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Phainopepla
Phainopepla nitens
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. Heard one of these birds at Zzyzx near the swimming pool.
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. Spotted a few of these birds while driving Kelbaker Road during the day.
- 5/14: Microtower Road. Spotted a male – glossy black with feather crest and red eyes – in the wash below the microtower site where we stopped for lunch.
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
9/23: Shollenberger Park
Common Poorwill
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
5/13: Kelbaker Road Night Drive. Several (at least 4) of these birds flew back and forth in front of the vans during our Kelbaker Road night drive. Tricky to ID – they appeared to be smaller than the nighthawks at Zzyzx and clearly had no white band on the ventral side of the wings, which led me to believe this was a poorwill. The wing shape, however, was very pointed; more like the illustration of the nighthawk. A discussion with a local naturalist about the behavior – swooping from near the ground – confirmed the ID as common poorwill.
Wilson’s Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
8/1: Shollenberger Park. While walking around the retention ponds, I spotted a pair of these delicate, pretty birds swimming and wading in the shallow water very near the shore. This is the first time I’d seen this species, and since they were in fall plumage, the ID was a bit difficult at first. The eye stripe, neck coloration, and white rump helped give me the ID.
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes. Heard
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. Common at the field site.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road. Heard
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
5/13: Mid-hills Campground.
Pacific Golden Plover
Pluvialis fulva
9/23: Shollenberger Park. I photographed a pair of plover on this trip. It was only after returning home that I realized they were a species I hadn’t seen before!
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps podiceps
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Poecile rufescens neglectus
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
- 9/28: Sonoma State University. Seen while walking on campus.
American Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus minimus
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. Only saw about five of these birds foraging in trees near the bike trail. An unusually small number, but perhaps the others had flown off just before I arrived.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. Saw a flock of these only one time during the season.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road.
- 9/28: Sonoma State University. Seen while walking on campus.
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center. Seen in the parking lot at the gas station in Baker.
- 5/14: Desert Studies Center. Seen at the lake.
Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola
6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve. I was very pleased to see a pair of these birds in the tules along one of our routes along the side of the lake (the one opposite the dock). I think they might have been nesting – there was a portion of the season when they were very vocal any time I would walk nearby. For the longest time, I assumed they were Clapper Rails until I realized that species doesn’t occur in this area.
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans semiater
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 4/8: Galbreath Wildlands Preserve. At Stop 2.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Say’s Phoebe
Sayornis saya
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. Spotted this single bird flycatching from a bare/dead tree over the salt flats at Zzyzx.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Setophaga nigrescens
8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road. Seen while walking on the bike path beside the creek.
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
5/12: Desert Studies Center. Saw several of these lovely yellow and brown birds foraging in acacia trees on the path past the swimming pool.
Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana occidentalis
- 4/15: Safari West. Spotted a brilliantly-colored male sitting on top of one of the hoofstock shelters.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis aculeata
- 4/15: Safari West.
- 6/7: Jellystone Campground, Lake County.
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
9/23: Shollenberger Park
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis jewetti
- 3/21: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. ID’d by call, since I was birding without binoculars this day.
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati.
- 8/1: Santa Rosa Creek Trail – Fulton Road to Willowside Road.
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
- 4/15: Safari West.
- 5/13: Kelbaker Road. At gas station in Baker.
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina thalassina
- 4/15: Safari West. Spotted over several of the enclosures. ID’d by distinctive green and purple coloration.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
- 9/23: Shollenberger Park
Pacific Wren
Troglodytes pacificus
5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes. One of the birds caught in the mist-net and banded while we were there. This tiny (5 -6 cm) bird has a delicate beak and thin light-colored stripe above the eye. This bird was showing signs of excessive stress, so was processed and banded quickly, and released.
American Robin
Turdus migratorius propinquus
- 3/24: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Cotati. At multiple locations.
- 4/8: Galbreath Wildlands Preserve. At the Hilltop lunch stop.
- 4/15: Safari West.
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura marginella
- 5/6: Palomarin Field Station, Point Reyes, CA
- 5/12: Desert Studies Center. Seen near the swimming pool.
- 5/13: Desert Studies Center.
- 5/20: Hawk Hill, Marin County
- 6/7: Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
- 8/1: Shollenberger Park
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
4/15: Safari West.
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli