Date: 8/13/25 5:36 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Birding Sacramento (and getting "flagged")
Last week, while birding along the Sacramento River, I found 46 species. I reported these on eBird, and my checklist was "flagged."
I have noticed, when I travel to the West Coast, often the more recent eBird checklists and rare bird reports are sparse. I check these starting two weeks before I arrive. Before I arrived in Sac, the largest number of reported species on the checklists I searched was 21. Rare Bird Alerts were also very limited, with one species, a Costa's hummingbird someone found in their backyard and continued to report every day for over a week, the only listing.
This gives me the impression that Massachusetts birders are more dedicated, more active, and perhaps simply better birders. Checklists of 60 or more species are not rare. Do we simply have more birds? I am sure we do not. More, it is a matter of knowing how and where to find them, and along the north coast, as one example, we have many varied habitats to explore. I try to find areas with a variety of habitats and ecozones, if possible. Sacramento proved to offer such an opportunity.
Across the Tower Bridge, the road leading directly to the capital, on the other side of the river from Old Sacramento, there is a river walk. There are parallel trails, one paved, one not. The paved trail is shorter. The unpaved trail winds through the wooded areas, close to the river, and into a wild area, which includes a small sunken pond, a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines, and open areas of brown, dried grass and rocks. Sacramento was built on what is essentially a desert. It was hot and dry.
While I certainly hope to add life list species when I travel, I am also intrigued by the common species and how these vary from ours in Northern New England. Oak titmouse, Anna's hummingbirds, Nuttall's woodpeckers, western bluebirds, yellow-billed magpies, black phoebes, bushtits, wrentits, spotted towhees, lesser goldfinches, and more were readily found. Bewick wrens sang out consistently from the bushes lining the river and pond.
I hoped to see a hooded oriole, California thrasher, graylag goose, cinnamon teal, and if I could get a decent photograph of several of the above, and perhaps a roosting Swainson's hawk, I would be thrilled.
I keep Merlin on at all times. I use it to tell me what might be around, and then I search to spot the birds. I also use it to verify my sightings. Many birders know that high summer is a tough time to bird, when the birds are not mating or nesting, and when they often remain deep in the vegetation. Merlin helps me pinpoint a location where birds might be found.
I was taught to bird actively, not passively. In other words, I do not simply search for birds out in the open or easily found. I was fortunate to have a dedicated birder as a grandfather, and he taught me many calls, songs, and warnings to bring the birds into view. Interestingly, while most of these work well in New England and the Midwest, these do not work as well along the West Coast; partly, I believe, because several mimic the warnings of the Eastern screech owl.
There is one call I find to be very effective, no matter my location. I found it worked even in Europe. This is a "Psssss" call. The p sound is hit hard, and then the s sound is dragged out to nearly a whistle. There is no perfect way to deliver it, nor is there a perfect way to phish. One must experiment with variations.
The key is to be patient. While some species will respond immediately with a warning chirp (sparrows, cardinals, and warblers), others will return a loud call (towhees being an example), and some will not make a sound, though they will gradually approach. I have found the optimum wait time in any one location for birds to be drawn to you is around ten minutes. If nothing responds after ten minutes, I will move 20 yards and try again. Often, I have discovered birds will follow me silently or out in the open.
An example of the latter is the Anna's Hummingbird. These fun little birds have no fear. They will rise in response to a call, hover only 8-10 feet in front of your face, dart left, dart right, and roost right above your head as they try to determine whether a birder is a threat. Comically, if more than one responds at the same time in a given space, they will attempt to drive each other off. In New England, chickadees, Eastern Towhees, some sparrows, jays, and cardinals will often follow.
Also, even if you are hearing and seeing common species, this will often bring out less conspicuous ones. I tend to look for areas of activity, then assume more birds are around. This typically pays off. Also, it is wise not to assume a bird you see is the same as a species you have found common in your own area. For instance, great-tailed grackles are common in the Western US. We might easily assume it is the common grackle we see in New England, though these would be well out of range in California.
As I walked further down the river trail, I came to a more heavily wooded area. The path narrowed. I heard a phoebe, several wrens, house finches, and lesser goldfinches around me. I stopped, offered a warning call, and waited. Instantly, downy woodpeckers began chirping. As they did, Nuttall's woodpeckers, who have a very distinct call and a different pattern of behavior, responded to their cousins. Then, an acorn woodpecker called. If I can see three woodpecker species all at the same time, I am thrilled. It can happen here in NE with downy, hairy, and flickers, but for me at least, it is rare.
Of course, the downy woodpeckers were easily found first. The Nuttall's tend to stay deeper in the canopy. They also feed on insects they find on the leaves, and they can be found perched on a small branch, feeding happily for several minutes, but nearly hidden by leaves. Acorns are the true Woody Woodpeckers, as they act in what appears to be a chaotic and comical way. I searched for the Nuttall's, focusing on any movement. I found two. Then, below them, I found the acorn. It was staring at me from inside a high bush, which rose around 30-40 feet from the trail.
Another trick is to watch for shadows. Some species will fly over you to find out what the commotion is all about, and if the sun's angle is right, you can be alerted by their shadows. Following the direction of the flight path can often lead to finding them roosting.
I found many of the expected commons, and some in large numbers. For instance, I found 16 yellow-billed magpies, four Nuttall's (and heard several more), and four Anna's, two that followed me for several yards. While I was searching the canopy for movement, I first found another downy and then, lower and to the right in the same tree, I found a hooded oriole. I watched it for around 20 seconds or so, seeing its orange-yellow beneath, black throat, wings, and tail. I could not get a good photo, but I was confident of my ID. Later, when checking Merlin, I saw it listed, though I had not heard it.
As I was trying to draw out a towhee, as it was loudly protesting my presence but staying well behind lower branches, a California thrasher hopped out of the underbrush, not twenty feet away. It looked at me, and I at it, and it was gone. The dramatically curved bill is a certain ID point.
Of course, any time one tries to call birds nearer where California scrub jays can be found, they will respond. They screamed all around me, and for most of my hike. They are also fearless and will post directly above you on a bare branch or come out to the edge of trees and bushes to take a closer look, much like our blue jays. They are loud.
I saw a gray lump deep in the weeds in the pond below me. With an Anna's buzzing me continuously, and a Wilson's warbler popping up off and on in my front, I tried to stay focused on the lump. I was not sure what it was as it appeared all gray. Often, the angle of the sun can produce a trick of the light, so what might seem unusual can prove not to be. I saw two green herons nearby by and so I thought I might have found a third.
Then, the bird turned its head and looked up. The reddish-orange bill flashed. My first instinct was to ID it as a Virginia rail, but later I discovered Ridgeway rails are more common in that area. I took out my phone to look up a photo to verify, and after getting distracted, I looked back, and the bird was gone. I spent well over half an hour trying to find it in the reeds, trying several different angles, but no luck. I remain uncertain whether it was a Virginia or a Ridgeway. I have a poor photo that does not help with the ID, though the bill is noticeable.
I never found the goose or teal, but I did find the hooded oriole and the thrasher. When I entered my checklist, I was surprised to find the titmouse and the magpie listed as new sightings. Then I recalled holding off on listing the titmouse until I could get a photo, merely as a challenge. I was surprised more by the magpie, as I have seen several before, but never included them on a checklist.
I listed 46 species on my eBird checklist. The next day, the list was "flagged." I have inquired why. I do not have a response from eBird yet, but I hope to have one soon. My guess is the eBird monitor is not used to having so many species reported. In nearly three hours of birding, from 6:30 AM to nearly 9:30, I had put in the time. I remain confident in all of my sightings. Perhaps next time I am out there, I will invite the eBird monitor to come along.
