Recent Sightings

Yolo Notable Sightings: October 2022

November 2, 2022

Yolo Notable Sightings: September 2022

October 3, 2022

September! Most consider this to be the premier birding month of the year, and this year was nothing short of spectacular. It felt as though rare bird reports were coming in nonstop, and Yolo County birders were kept on their toes with a long list of birds to chase. The

Yolo Notable Sightings: Summer 2022

September 2, 2022

May is an exciting time to be out birding in Yolo County. Migrating songbirds working their way north from the tropics stop over in riparian areas throughout the area. Any morning birders can turn up dozens of “neotropical migrants,” and the keen observer will occasionally pick out unusual species amongst

Yolo Notable Sightings: April 2022

May 2, 2022

Migration! Millions of birds are on the move, making their way from the tropics of Central and South America to the boreal forests of North America. Warblers, vireos and flycatchers in their brilliant breeding plumages flying over the Central Valley are offered respite in the riparian habitat of Yolo County.

Yolo Notable Sightings: March 2022

April 2, 2022

March brought us a month of change, the bridge between the static of winter and the birth of the new year. Oaks are fully budded out, redbuds are in bloom, and the hills of Putah Canyon are glowing green. The growing tension of March builds throughout the month as we

Yolo Notable Sightings: February 2022

March 1, 2022

As Mӧtley Crüe once said, “gulls, gulls, gulls”. Oh, that’s not what they said? Close enough. The story of February was the gull action from the Davis Landfill and the County Road 104 ponds. Amongst the thousands of California, Herring, Cook Inlet and Thayers Gulls, a few goodies were picked

Yolo Notable Sightings: January 2022

February 4, 2022

January is a month for fresh starts and that is especially applicable to birders. As the calendar rolls into a new year, birders start their year lists anew and wait for January 1st to count their new year Black Phoebe and Anna’s Hummingbird on January 1st. For some of the

Yolo Notable Sightings: December 2021

January 4, 2022

The month of December was a relatively slow one for the birders of Yolo County, with storms drenching the Valley and dumping more than a dozen feet of snow on the Sierra. Rivers and bypasses have swollen, making ample habitat for ducks and geese. This influx of water should create

Yolo Notable Sightings: November 2021

December 13, 2021

November sees thousands and thousands of waterfowl flood into the Central Valley, filling our refuges, fields and bypasses with the spectacle and deafening sound of geese as they take flight together. The temperature has dropped and the last few western neotropical migrants trickle through as they try to make their

Yolo Notable Sightings: October 2021

November 2, 2021

October got off to a fast start with Yolo’s second record of Cassin’s Kingbird being found on the first of the month (CT). This bird worked its way south along the telephone wires of County Road 103 before disappearing after just a couple of hours. Birders who missed it were

Yolo Notable Sightings: Sept 2021

October 2, 2021

September: the best month of the year for rare birds in California and the month that every birder eagerly awaits. It was peak fall migration which often brings out-of-range visitors as birds freshly hatched in the far northern hemisphere find their way south for the first time. As usual for

Snowy Plover at Yolo Bypass; © Zane Pickus

Yolo Notable Sightings: Summer 2021

September 2, 2021

The summer of 2021 was defined for birders by water, or lack of it to be more precise. Huge droughts throughout the Great Basin saw massive numbers of failed breeders arriving in Yolo earlier than normal for fall migration. Wilson’s Phalaropes, Willets and Black Terns being the most conspicuous, as

A wide variety of rare birds were found during the month of October, keeping local birders on their toes all month long. The highlights of the month ranged from a pair of sea ducks to a trio of vagrant warblers, with an impressive mix of everything in between.
The month got off to a quick start with the discovery of an adult male SURF SCOTER at Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant on 10/6 (BC). Most prior records in Yolo County are of female or immature-type individuals, so this male sporting a fancy orange bill and bold facial pattern was a real treat. The scoter represents the earliest fall record of a Surf Scoter in Yolo County. Not to be outdone, an adult male LONG-TAILED DUCK was discovered at Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant ten days later on 10/16 (SHo). This impressive bird still retained much of its long tail and would occasionally show it off to the patient observer. A very rare bird inland, this sea duck represents just Yolo’s fifth county record, as well as the first of an adult male. The previous record of Long-tailed Duck was from almost ten years ago!
Three eastern warblers were discovered during the month. The first was an AMERICAN REDSTART found in a riparian area of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 10/9 (RF). It proved to be a one-day-wonder as it was seen by a few birders throughout the first day but never again. Incredibly, this American Redstart is the fourth recorded in Yolo County this fall, following three reports last month. It also represents the first record of a redstart at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, which boasts a list of over 270 recorded species. The second rare warbler of the month was a crisp young CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER on the UC Davis campus on 10/13 (EM, CT). It hung around a line of cork oaks near Hutchinson Field and delighted many birders from UC Davis and beyond. Despite the exceptional tally of vagrant warblers in the county this year, this is the only Chestnut-sided that has been seen. Two days later on 10/15, a gorgeous fall TENNESSEE WARBLER was found at the west end of the UC Davis Arboretum (GP). It was loyal to a few trees and gave great looks to those who searched for it.
A very exciting find was an adult-male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER found on private property near Guinda in the Capay Valley on 10/10 (ES). The bird was seen off and on for almost a week, but ultimately disappeared. Sapsuckers are notorious for hybridizing but this bird was perfect for a pure bird. There are very few records of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the county. A GREATER ROADRUNNER found and photographed on County Road 2 in the Dunnigan Hills on 10/22 was another exceptional find (ES). Roadrunners are a rare and elusive resident of the grassy hills and rocky washes in the northwestern section of Yolo County.
Another noteworthy bird was a vocalizing SWAMP SPARROW at Elkhorn Slough Boat Ramp along the Sacramento River on 10/18 (SHa, BW). While the bird was never seen, the sharp, Black Phoebe-like call note is diagnostic for the species. At the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE was reported at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve on 10/10 (NP). This hard-to-locate species is found every few years as it migrates south in October and November.
A few lingering migratory species were notable in the month of October. Two RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS were extensively photographed at North Area Drainage Pond in Davis and remained through at least 10/19 (JG). These birds represent the latest record for Yolo County. A SNOWY PLOVER, discovered on 10/12 at Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant (KF), continued to be seen through at least 10/30. This is the latest record of a fall migrant in the county. If it continues into November, it will represent the third winter record of the species and the first since 2005.
In contrast, a EURASIAN WIGEON was found on 10/2 at Woodland WTP, which is weeks before the expected arrival date of the species (ZP). Amazingly, this is already the second Eurasian Wigeon recorded in the county this fall. Individuals of this species have been arriving earlier and earlier the past few winters, repeatedly breaking the record return date of the species.
Finally, a “YELLOW-SHAFTED” NORTHERN FLICKER was discovered in North Davis on 10/19 (JG). This eastern subspecies of Northern Flicker is quite rare to the county, and most birds seen with yellow wings are actually intergrades between the western “red-shafted” subspecies and eastern “yellow-shafted.” This well-photographed bird appeared to tick all the boxes for a pure “yellow-shafted” individual.

Thanks to the following for their reports:

Bart Wickel (BW), Brent Campos (BC), Cameron Tescher (CT), Elliot Schoenig (ES), Ethan Monk (EM), Gerrit Platenkamp (GP), Joshua Greenfield (JG), Ken Ferguson (KF), Nora Papian (NP), Rob Furrow (RF), Scott Hoppe (SHo), Steve Hampton (SHa), Zane Pickus (ZP)

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