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 (ZP). This striking bird showed a mixture of features from both its parents and was confirmed from photos by a variety of experts. It appears to be the first time such a hybrid has been documented in Yolo County.
On 1/7, a group of three TRUMPETER SWANS were photographed on Conaway Ranch from County Road 25 (SL, SH). There are just a couple of prior records for the County, and all come from within the past six years. Unfortunately the birds were only seen by two initial observers, despite many others looking. Another noteworthy bird at Conaway Ranch was a calling LEAST BITTERN on 1/5 (RW). While an expected species in the summer months, Least Bittern is an unusual find in the winter.
Brief chaos broke loose in the Yolo birding community following a report of an unknown flycatcher of the genus Myiarchus in Woodland on 1/8 (RS). Birds of this genus are notoriously difficult to identify as they are very similar and show significant variation between individuals. The confusion pertained to whether this bird was an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER or a BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Ash-throated Flycatcher is a regular in the summer, but there are only two prior winter records (both from over 30 years ago). Brown-crested Flycatcher has never been recorded in Yolo County and has just a small handful of records from all of northern California. The Woodland Myiarchus was relocated briefly the day after it was found but was never seen again. Experts considered the photos suggestive of Ash-throated but unfortunately they were inconclusive.
A COMMON LOON was observed flying down the Sacramento River in West Sacramento on 1/14 (KD). This impressive flyover is the first documented loon in the county in a few years, and serves as a reminder to always keep an eye-in-the-sky.
Montane species continued their impressive showing in Yolo County this winter. In mid-January, a mini-irruption of EVENING GROSBEAKS took place in Yolo County, with three reports coming in across a four-day span. The first was a chaseable female in Woodland, first discovered on 1/15 in Beamer Park (BC, MP). It frequently returned to a fruiting Chinese Pistache tree and was enjoyed by many birders. On 1/16, a brilliant male Evening Grosbeak visited a yard in central Davis (SSm). Finally, on 1/18, a single bird was heard giving diagnostic “clear” calls as it flew over the UC Davis campus (ES). These reports came along with others that same week from Sacramento County. Not to be outdone, the second TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE of the winter was reported in a Davis backyard on 1/30 (RF). This comes on the heels of a much larger movement of this species regionwide, with individuals reported on the valley floor in Sacramento, Solano, and Sutter counties earlier this winter.
Two out of season orioles were found in the month of January. The first was a BULLOCK’S ORIOLE in the Beamer Park neighborhood of Woodland on 1/20 (BC). Later that week a HOODED ORIOLE was photographed in north Davis on 1/25 (A+AK). Both of these orioles are expected in the summer months but are highly unusual as wintering birds. Keeping with this theme, a wintering PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER was found at Babel Slough on 1/31 (MP, SSh, JH).
Finally, many rarities continued into 2023. The SUMMER TANAGER near Slide Hill Park in Davis was last reported on 1/17, but may well still be in the area. The YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER at the Elkhorn Fire Station continued into February. The TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE in residential Woodland was observed for the second time this winter on 1/14. The GLAUCOUS GULL continued at the Yolo County Landfill throughout the month. MOUNTAIN PLOVERS continued in their traditional spot north of Knights Landing, and at least two CASSIN’S VIREOS are wintering in north Davis. Two LONG-EARED OWLS continue to roost at an undisclosed location in Davis. A known GREATER ROADRUNNER was relocated on a private winery in the Capay Valley, following a long hiatus of reports. West Sacramento’s COMMON GOLDENEYE x BUFFLEHEAD hybrid continued through the month. And last, but far from the least, the second-county-record WINTER WREN continued at Putah Creek, Fishing Access #2, throughout the month of January.
Thanks to the following for their reports:
Arav and Aranya Karighattam (A+AK), Brent Campos (BC), Elliot Schoenig (ES), John Hansen (JH), Konshau Duman (KD), Michael Perrone (MP), Rick Williams (RW), Robert Furrow (RF), Robert Shull (RS), Sami LaRocca (SL), Sean Smith (SSm), Sonjia Shelly (SSh), Susan Harrison (SH), Zane Pickus (ZP).
Photos and Audio Recordings:
Anna’s x Costa’s Hummingbird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S125148077
Trumpeter Swans: https://ebird.org/checklist/S125953350
Myiarchus flycatcher: https://ebird.org/checklist/S125822410
Common Loon: https://ebird.org/checklist/S126156529
Evening Grosbeak (Woodland): https://ebird.org/checklist/S126320006
Evening Grosbeak (Davis): https://ebird.org/checklist/S126341731
Bullock’s Oriole: https://ebird.org/checklist/S126938759
Hooded Oriole: https://ebird.org/checklist/S127612014
Townsend’s Solitaire (Davis): https://ebird.org/checklist/S127311834
Evening Grosbeak
Photo by Kirk Swenson
–Zane Pickus