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 they took refuge in the limited bodies of water that Yolo has to offer throughout most of the summer.
A fourth county record Black-throated Sparrowwas unfortunate enough to find itself the victim of a window strike in early May (MM). Luckily, this bird was seen in subsequent days appearing healthy as it foraged at the homeowners’ feeders. This was part of a strange wave of Black-throated Sparrows this spring, with three being found in neighboring Sacramento County.
This past May was good for Gray Flycatcherswith a smattering of reports, this species is a scarce but annual migrant through the county (BW, JE, JL, JR). Very rare for the county were a handful of Black Swift reports, ranging from the entire width of Yolo (EI, MP, LC, MMar). Finding this species in Yolo usually requires thunderstorms in late May but following a bonkers spring for them in Southern California, a few birders up here got lucky.
Also in May were three Evening Grosbeaks (type 1) flying over West Davis (TCH) and a breeding plumage Sanderling which made a brief stopover at the Woodland Water Treatment Plant (CT).
June was hot and dry but of interest was a Snowy Plover found on June 8th at the Yolo Bypass (BW). It is unclear if this was a failed breeder, a post-breeding dispersant or a bird still heading to the breeding grounds. A Red Knot was photographed at the North Regional Pond in Woodland on June 22nd (MP) and at least 2 Greater Scaups spent the summer there as well (SH, JL, DA). This is the first record of Greater Scaups summering in the county.
The story of August was finding water and birding it hard, with a few great birds being found between the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and Woodland Water Treatment Plant. A gorgeous Red Phalarope was found at the July shorebird fields of the bypass and delighted birders for a few days (LS, MS, KS). This is a real ripper for Yolo County and was in an interesting, not often seen plumage as it was molting between breeding and basic plumage. A Franklin’s Gull came into the gull roost one evening at Woodland Water Treatment Plant but didn’t hang around to some birder’s dismay (ZP). It seemed like for a few weeks in mid-August if you went to Woodland Water Treatment Plant in the evening you were sure to see a Snowy Plover (ZP). A good number of scarce shorebird migrants such as Pectoral, Semipalmated and Baird’s Sandpipers graced the county as they made their way south for the winter.
Thanks to the following for their reports and checklists: Matt Meyers (MM), Bart Wickel (BW), Jonathan Eisen (JE), Jasen Liu (JL), Jason Riggio (JR), Emmett Iverson (EI), Michael Perrone (MP), Lyann Comrack (LC), Mark Martucci (MMar), Tom Coombs-Hahn (TCH), Cameron Tescher (CT), Scott Hoppe (SH), Jeri Langham (JL), Dorian Anderson (DA), Lucas Stephenson (LS), Mark Stephenson (MS), Kirk Swenson (KS), and Zane Pickus (ZP)
eBird Checklists:
Black-throated Sparrow: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87345723
Gray Flycatcher: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87221732
Black Swift: https://ebird.org/checklist/S88630250and https://ebird.org/checklist/S88733322
Sanderling: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87870132
Greater Scaup: https://ebird.org/checklist/S91553136
Snowy Plover (June): https://ebird.org/checklist/S89815437
Snowy Plover (August):https://ebird.org/checklist/S93346649
Red Phalarope: https://ebird.org/checklist/S92965832 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S92981415
Franklin’s Gull:https://ebird.org/checklist/S92924190
Semipalmated Sandpiper:https://ebird.org/checklist/S93567369
Pectoral Sandpiper: https://ebird.org/checklist/S93148481
Baird’s Sandpiper: https://ebird.org/checklist/S93475694
Compiled by Emmet Iverson, Davis, CA