Date: 9/1/25 9:14 pm From: Zane Pickus via groups.io <zanep987...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Yolo County Lesser Black-backed Gull, Stilt Sandpiper
Hi all,
Tonight Chris Dong found a LESSER-BLACK BACKED GULL at Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant, in the northernmost pond often referred to as the "North Regional Pond" (although this pond was technically renamed the "Pacific Flyway Pond" earlier this year). The bird was associating with the local California Gull flock and moved back and forth from the pond to the field directly to its west. The bird was last seen on the water, here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1UraXd1qnjua3P236
This is an exceptional find for this time of year, and is the first Yolo County record for fall. Checking eBird, it seems there are a small handful of prior Central Valley records for August-September, as follows: 9/7/2011 - 9/24/2011: South Wilbur Flood Area, Kings County 9/24/2020 - 9/26/2020: Success Lake, Tulare County 9/10/2022: Thermalito Afterbay, Butte County 8/30/2024 - 9/28/2024: Fresno WTP, Fresno County
In other news, eBird says that the juvenile Stilt Sandpiper I reported a few nights ago at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area continued today near parking lot H. Dove season started today, but this area of the wildlife area will remain open until October 3rd. Please keep your wits about you and respect hunters, and follow any signs indicating closed zones for dove season.
Date: 8/31/25 4:16 pm From: Denise and David Hamilton via groups.io <2napabirders...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Off topic - Tripods and scope questions
Hi all,
I apologize for not having a bird topic at the time, so PLEASE just delete if you wish. And if you have an answer for me, please respond to me only. Many thanks!
Tripod question: We are looking for a new tripod- one that is much lighter than our old one, but still has a good panning head and easy to collapse legs, but will still be good for our old Kowa scope. If any of you have one that you especially like, please send me what brand and style it is. I know that there are many to choose from, but it's always good to get some comments from other birders.
Scope question: We are hoping to get back to Australia next year for a big trip before we get any older. *I have seen ads for the newer smaller/compact lighter weight scopes for traveling* and would like to hear from anyone who has one or has used one. Our Kowa scope (which is large and heavy!) zooms to 60x, and would really like a scope that can be at least that powerful. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!
OK, here are a few backyard Napa birds: Since the end of July we have had Allen's/Rufous hummers everyday, some staying for days and others passing through. Not sure if our new California Fuchsia plants are the big attraction or what, but have never had them daily in past Augusts. Also had our first Yellow Warbler this past week and now daily Warbling Vireos for dip-baths in our pond. Still waiting for our first Willow Flycatcher of the season.
Again, please respond only back to me if you have any suggestions about scopes or tripods. Many thanks and happy migration to you all!
Date: 8/30/25 8:54 am From: Chuck & Barbara Vaughn via groups.io <cevaughn...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] [Fwd: Noyo Pelagics trips September 5th, 7th, 8th]
Forwarding a message from Peter Pyle:
Greetings...
We still have some spaces available on all three of these trips. The
current forecast is for calm seas on all three dates so we should be
able to make it well off shore, especially during the full-day trip on
the 7th. Warmer ocean water is currently moving in, and fishing boats
are currently bringing in 100s of albacore.
Reports from these fishing boats over the past two weeks indicate a lot
of marine productivity: whales, dolphins, and swarms of shearwaters
accompanying them, and we'll be looking through these flocks for rarer
shearwater species. On August 17th we had a 15' white shark breach right
in front of the boat and during a fishing trip last week our captain
videotaped one of similar size in clear water circling under the boat.
Storm-petrels and murrelets should be easy to find under these favorable
conditions. We will be able to put out 1-2 slicks on the half-day trips
(5th and 8th) and 3-4 of the full-day trip in hopes of attracting
storm-petrels and Pterodroma. Birding for shorebird and landbird
migrants and vagrants along the magnificent Mendocino coast is also
picking up.
Date: 8/28/25 11:42 am From: Zane Pickus via groups.io <zanep987...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area updates
Hi all,
I’ve been in correspondence with Garrett Spaan (YBWA manager) and he asked
that I pass along the following regarding public access and hunt season
this fall. Sep 1 is the dove season opener and the wildlife area will be
closed at the hunter check station to public access for that one day. From
Sep 2 through Oct 3, the interior parts of the wildlife area will be
reopened to Parking Lot H (where most of the remaining shorebird habitat
is). There is a new access road from the check station out to Lot H that I
believe will be used for this purpose. Please note that the closed N-S road
out of Lot H will be used for dove hunting and closed to access, so birding
should be kept to the east-west road out to Lot H. Beginning Oct 3 and into
February the wildlife area will be closed at the check station to all
non-hunters for duck season. These dates mean we have over a month of extra
access to the interior parts of the wildlife area compared to historic
years, so I am grateful! I hope this makes sense all makes sense, feel free
to contact me privately if you have specific questions.
In terms of birds, I got word that the LITTLE STINT was still present
yesterday evening in the drying fields east of parking lot C. A couple of
flooded fields near parking lot H have more water and have been fantastic
for yellowlegs and dowitchers. A few BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS and PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS have been picked out of the masses of peeps, and reports of
SOLITARY SANDPIPERS have been scattered throughout the recent weeks. The
FRANKLIN’S GULL out by rice point has not been reported in a week or more.
Fall flood-up for ducks will begin later this week and should provide
additional habitat elsewhere on the wildlife area. Julian Johnson, Emmett
Iverson, and I have been surveying shorebirds out there this fall and have
recorded well over 25,000 birds since mid-July. It’s been amazing to see
how successful the habitat has been.
Date: 8/27/25 9:38 pm From: Nikki Baumrind via groups.io <baumrind...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Swainsons Hawk Call Question — Davis
This evening around dusk, a single Swainsons Hawk flew low over my house in Davis making a call I had never heard before, and couldn’t find online. The call sounded to me as if it might have been a distress call - it was definitely not the usual Swainsons call. I am an inexperienced birder and do not know how to identify age or sex in these birds. A pair nests regularly in my neighbor’s tree, and they had at least one offspring this season. I have not been watching the nest closely, so don’t know if the adults are still here.
Is it possible that this was a juvenile whose parents just left for migration without him, and the call was in response to being left behind for the winter? Have other people heard possible distress calls like this around migration time?
The Central Valley Bird Club invites you to join us at the *29th annual
Central Valley Birding Symposium*, happening *November 20 - 23, 2025* at
the Hilton Hotel in *Stockton, California*.
Located in the heart of the Pacific Flyway, California’s Central Valley
offers some of the best birding in the country. Join fellow birders for an
unforgettable weekend of field trips, speakers, and celebration of the
birds that make this region so special.
The *Register Now *button will go live on *Sunday, September 7th at 3:00
pm, PST. *
Date: 8/24/25 5:18 pm From: Sally M. Walters via groups.io <bajaowl...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Glacier Bay, Alaska, Rufous Hummer
Does anyone know anyone doing work on the migration of Rufous hummingbirds in Alaska? 12 July 2025, a Rufous hummingbird was photographed in Glacier Bay, Alaska, with a clipped tail feather [or possibly just damaged along with the other chipped retrices]. The exact location was North Sandy Cove. It was 5:15 pm.
58°43'55.08" N 135°50'23.00W sea level.
Retrex R2 was snipped or broken - an arrowhead-shaped indent. I have one good photo from a photographer to pass on and likely more. We were on a small nine-passenger ship, and she was likely attracted to the orange life saver by the door. She flew into the ship and was tricked by the window. I caught the bird in my hands, releasing it immediately unharmed.
I identified it as a juvenile female and double-checked using the following guides.
Dunn and Alderfer, "NAT GEO Field Guide to the Birds of North America," 7th ed., and Howell. 2003. "Hummingbirds of North America," Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford. Thank You.

Sally M. Walters
Sacramento
<bajaowl...>
Date: 8/23/25 4:32 am From: Chris Conard via groups.io <conardc...> Subject: Re: [centralvalleybirds] Shorebird viewing opportunity at SacSewer/Bufferlands on Sunday
Sorry for the confusion. It is of course 8/24, this Sunday, I'm referring
to.
Thanks,
Chris Conard
Sacramento
On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 8:39 PM Chris Conard <conardc...> wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
>
> I’m planning a shorebirding outing for this Sunday (11/24), meeting at the
> Bufferlands office at 7am. We should wrap up between 9 and 10am.
>
> Let me know if you can make it (conardc at gmail dot com) and I'll send
> directions. Our office is off Dwight Rd, north of Laguna Blvd in Elk Grove.
> With current construction, the directions will be different than those I
> have given in the past. Based on site conditions and policies, there is no
> unscheduled access to the site.
>
>
>
> I’m going to reserve the plant’s tour van. Depending on how many cars
> there are, we will need to caravan about a half mile from the office. We’ll
> be out around two hours, going through the sewer ponds. Once we head in,
> we'll also need to leave as a group, so plan to stay as late as 10am.
>
>
> There have been good numbers of shorebirds and we can study the different
> plumages and species diversity.
>
> My coworker, Steve Scott, found a Solitary Sandpiper on Thursday. It may
> stick around until Sunday.
>
> There have been decent numbers, but not much unexpected--did have a
> Semipalmated Sandpiper at the end of July, but wasn't able to arrange a
> visit for folks.
>
> Songbird migration so far has been deadly slow.
>
>
> Take care,
>
>
> Chris
>
>
> Chris Conard
>
> Sacramento
>
>
>
Date: 8/22/25 10:20 pm From: Zane Pickus via groups.io <zanep987...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Little Stint at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area; shorebirding highlights
Hi all,
Tonight while shorebirding at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Chris Dong found a LITTLE STINT!! This faded adult was mixed in with roughly 400 peeps in a rapidly drying field near Parking Lot C. Viewing may be difficult in the morning but I would recommend parking at Lot C and walking southeast along the levees to a point where you can view the spot where the bird was seen, which is roughly here:
38.537224, -121.619571
In other shorebirding news, the YBWA has been truly excellent this fall, with extensive habitat created by the flooding of summer fallow fields attracting thousands of birds daily. Highlights thus far, aside from the Little Stint, have included:
- adult Sanderling, 7/27/2025, found by Julian Johnson - juv Franklin's Gull, 8/19/2025, found by Joshua Greenfield - multiple Solitary Sandpipers - over a dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers
A full description and photos of the stint will be posted on eBird soon, as well as submitted to the California Bird Records Committee. Pending acceptance, this would represent the second Yolo County record, with the first from the City of Davis Wetlands in July, 2011, found by Todd Easterla.
Best of luck to those who head out in the coming days!
Date: 8/22/25 8:40 pm From: Chris Conard via groups.io <conardc...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Shorebird viewing opportunity at SacSewer/Bufferlands on Sunday
Hi folks,
I’m planning a shorebirding outing for this Sunday (11/24), meeting at the
Bufferlands office at 7am. We should wrap up between 9 and 10am.
Let me know if you can make it (conardc at gmail dot com) and I'll send
directions. Our office is off Dwight Rd, north of Laguna Blvd in Elk Grove.
With current construction, the directions will be different than those I
have given in the past. Based on site conditions and policies, there is no
unscheduled access to the site.
I’m going to reserve the plant’s tour van. Depending on how many cars there
are, we will need to caravan about a half mile from the office. We’ll be
out around two hours, going through the sewer ponds. Once we head in, we'll
also need to leave as a group, so plan to stay as late as 10am.
There have been good numbers of shorebirds and we can study the different
plumages and species diversity.
My coworker, Steve Scott, found a Solitary Sandpiper on Thursday. It may
stick around until Sunday.
There have been decent numbers, but not much unexpected--did have a
Semipalmated Sandpiper at the end of July, but wasn't able to arrange a
visit for folks.
