Recent Sightings

Yolo Notable Sightings: January 2024

February 2, 2024

A rather rainy January was brightened by the discovery of a young male COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD, the first in the county in three winters, in a north Davis backyard on 1/5 (JR). The bird has been frequenting a backyard feeder and continues to be enjoyed by observers almost daily. Upon its

Yolo Notable Sightings: December 2023

January 2, 2024

The holiday season makes for great birding! By this point birds have settled in for the season, wetlands are full of water and teeming with waterfowl, and towns are filled with the calls of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, AMERICAN ROBINS, and dozens of other wintering species. What’s more, many local

Yolo Notable Sightings: November 2023

December 5, 2023

Fall came to a close and with its end came the cold, dreary days of winter. Our winter birds have arrived en masse, and with them a nice sprinkling of rare birds have shown up as well. An out-of-season GRASSHOPPER SPARROW on 11/5 at Capay Open Space Park was interesting

Yolo Notable Sightings: October 2023

November 5, 2023

Yolo County birders were kept occupied throughout October with a couple of very rare songbirds and a handful of other unusual species. The action started quickly with a report of a vibrant BLUE-HEADED VIREO on the evening of 10/1 at Putah Creek, Fishing Access #2 (BW). Photos were frantically shared

Yolo Notable Sightings: September 2023

October 9, 2023

The month of September is famous in the birding world for its impressive migration and the potential to bring rare birds to unexpected places. September 2023 was no exception, as a slew of rarities kept Yolo County birders busy throughout the month. The indisputable highlight was a stunning BLUE-HEADED VIREO

Yolo Notable Sightings: Summer 2023

September 16, 2023

Summer 2023 was a season for the Yolo birding record books, with an impressive tally of rarities discovered at a variety of locations. As is often the case, the summer was defined by shorebirding and sprinkled with a scattering of rare songbirds. The County Road 104 Ponds

Yolo Notable Sightings: April 2023

May 11, 2023

Sometimes a bird is so rare it leaves birders in utter disbelief. On 4/27, when Tom Uslan looked out his window to see a towhee-sized dove with rufous underwings, he was shocked. Closer inspection and photos proved that he had discovered a RUDDY GROUND DOVE, a species that ranges

Yolo Notable Sightings: March 2023

April 5, 2023

March is a time of transition in Yolo County, as the cold of winter gives way to warmer weather and leaves on the trees. This March saw more rain than in recent years, enough to flood the Yolo Bypass and fill ponds county-wide. Temperatures stayed low and by the

Yolo Notable Sightings: February 2023

March 8, 2023

Late winter is a unique time of year in Yolo County, as winter birds begin to clear out but spring migrants are yet to arrive. Significant rains this season kept water levels high, and gull numbers around the Yolo County Central Landfill swelled into the thousands. This provided the setup

Yolo Notable Sightings: January 2023

February 10, 2023

The new year kicked off with a flurry of new and continuing rare birds around Yolo County. The action started on New Year’s Day with the discovery of a rare hybrid hummingbird. A male ANNA’S x COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD was documented visiting a backyard feeder in north Davis on 1/1

Yolo Notable Sightings: December 2022

January 11, 2023

A handful of rare birds brightened a rather rainy month of December. The action started on 12/2, with a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE in a southern Woodland neighborhood (RW). The bird was relocated a few hours later but was never seen after that evening. The following day, a RUFF was found in

Yolo Notable Sightings: November 2022

December 8, 2022

The month of November was action packed in the Yolo County birding scene. Good weather allowed local birders to get out and as a result a slew of exciting birds were discovered. The undoubted highlight was the discovery of a WINTER WREN at Fishing Access #2 in Putah Creek Canyon

A rather rainy January was brightened by the discovery of a young male COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD, the first in the county in three winters, in a north Davis backyard on 1/5 (JR). The bird has been frequenting a backyard feeder and continues to be enjoyed by observers almost daily. Upon its initial report, the Costa’s had a patchy, incomplete gorget characteristic of an immature. But in the weeks that followed it has molted in a full adult gorget, turning into a stunning purple gem.
   Additional wintering birds in Davis include at least two BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS. Both individuals have been seen in backyards and observed visiting seed feeders. One in central Davis may be a wandering bird first reported in December, and seen this month a few streets over on 1/13 (RF). The other second individual was reported in southeast Davis beginning on 1/20 (JT). Yolo County has only two prior winter records of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, so this year has already doubled the historic tally.
   The Capay Valley has habitats much unlike the rest of the county, and offers fantastic winter birding. The hot-streak of YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS in the Capay Valley continued with one in a Guinda yard beginning on 1/4 (ES). It is unclear whether this may be the same immature found four miles north in November or if this is a new individual. Regardless, at least three different YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS have been documented in the Capay Valley in the past two winters. Yolo County got in on the montane-finch action with a group of four EVENING GROSBEAKS in the town of Guinda on 1/7 (ES). Outside the same town on 1/18, a group of three CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES were found on County Road 53 (JG). These are the first chasable chickadees in the county in three years. Also on County Road 53, a COMMON POORWILL was flushed by a birder hiking in the dark, an unusual record for the 1/28 date (JG).
   The Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area still holds as many as six MARBLED GODWITS, and at least one WHIMBREL has been reported amongst a curlew flock (BW). Both exceptional winter records, neither of either of these shorebirds have been documented in January in the county prior to this year. Additionally, at least one “EURASIAN” GREEN-WINGED TEAL has been picked out of the thousands of ducks present (CC).
   As far as continuing birds, the MOUNTAIN PLOVERS off Highway 45 are still reported regularly. The ORCHARD ORIOLE continues to be seen at the UC Davis Arboretum, as is a less-reported CASSIN’S VIREO. The putative WINTER WRENS continue at Fishing Access #2 and #3, respectively, and have been documented by a host of photos and audio recordings. The banded adult WESTERN GULL remains at Davis Wetlands, reported every Monday during the area’s public hours. It or another was also seen at the main Yolo County Central Landfill pond on 1/23 (LH, MS). The strange BUFFLEHEAD x COMMON GOLDENEYE hybrid remains in West Sacramento, and the family of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED x CACKLING GOOSE hybrids have been seen on occasion at Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant. Up to six hybrid offspring have been reported with their CACKLING GOOSE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE parents this season.

Thanks to the following for their reports:
Bart Wickel (BW), Chris Conard (CC), Elliot Schoenig (ES), Jennifer Raven (JR), Jim Thomas (JT), Joshua Greenfield (JG), Liam Huber (LH), Mike Skram (MS), Rob Furrow (RF)

Photos and Audio Recordings:
Costa’s Hummingbird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S159508697
Black-headed Grosbeak (Central Davis): https://ebird.org/checklist/S158811130
Black-headed Grosbeak (South Davis): https://ebird.org/checklist/S159392237
Chestnut-backed Chickadees: https://ebird.org/checklist/S159307722
Marbled Godwits: https://ebird.org/checklist/S158947373

–Zane Pickus