There is GOOD NEWS. As some of you may have heard, Rick Powers recently sold his boat the New Sea Angler, scaring birders that Bodega Bay Pelagics would be no more. But fear not, there is still one opportunity to take a boat out of Bodega Bay this fall with Rick Powers to "the best place... in North America for pelagic birding" (Howell, 2015) --Bodega Canyon, Cordell Bank, and vicinity-- where in the past 5 years we have had WAVED ALBATROSS, TRISTRAM'S STORM-PETREL, WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER (X2!), GREAT SHEARWATER and MORE!
Redwood Regional Ornithological Society will be sponsoring one trip to Cordell Bank / Bodega Canyon with Rick Powers, aboard his boat the Surf Scooter. The date will be SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH. Normally, boats from Bodega Bay are run aboard the New Sea Angler. Unfortunately, last year Rick sold the New Sea Angler, thus this trip will be aboard his luxury charter vessel the Surf Scooter. The Surf Scooter only holds 20 passengers, so sign up fast!
To reserve a seat, mail a check to: PETER COLASANTI / 524 EAST D ST. / PETALUMA 94952 Please make out the check to "REDWOOD REGIONAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY" for $235.00. Please excuse the elevated price, as the boat is a luxury (not a fishing) vessel and seats fewer passengers.
SEATS WILL BE FILLED IN THE ORDER CHECKS ARE RECEIVED!!
Date: 5/29/26 4:24 am From: Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Sick Common Murre at Muir Beach
I’m tied up leading a bird retreat at Green Gulch (so unable to help), but
one of the retreat participants reported a beached Common Murre at Murre
Beach this afternoon. It might be worth someone calling International Bird
Rescue, to get advice on whether/how to assist this bird.
Date: 5/28/26 11:03 pm From: Lucas Corneliussen via groups.io <Lucascorneliussen04...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Outer Point - Point Reyes 5/28
Hi All,
I woke up late this morning to a text from Connor Cochrane about a singing White-eyed Vireo at Fish Docks, found earlier by Ivan Samuels. After overnight rain, conditions on the OP had looked less than ideal to my eye, but credit to those who got out at first light. By the time I arrived, the weather had cleared into a beautiful mix of overcast and open sky, draping the Point in perfect migrant conditions. I ended up spending most of the day birding with Ethan Monk, who was also present, and a revolving cast of local Marin birders. The day produced a strong variety of migrant passerines, with some personal highlights including the White-eyed Vireo, Black Swift, Blackburnian Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. There was a noticeable turnover of birds throughout the day, with different subsets of species appearing across the various hotspots as various observers made their rounds. The ever-changing cast of characters made for dynamic and exciting birding from start to finish.
Today serves as a good reminder that days with less-than-ideal weather can sometimes surprise you! In this case, it produced some of the best birding the Outer Point has to offer. That said, in my experience, these days are more the exception than the rule! Either way, the message is simple: get out there and bird while spring migration lasts!
Below is a full list of today's migrants at the OP, each noted with their finder. Apologies if I missed anything or miscredited something!
Fish Docks
* WHITE-EYED VIREO (Ivan Samuels)
* 1 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
* 1 BLACK SWIFT
* 1 W-w Pewee
* 1 Swainson's Thrush
* 1 Townsend’s Warbler
* 2 W Tanager
* Harlequin Duck
Lighthouse
* 2 BLACK SWIFT
* 1 WHITE-THROATED SWIFT
* 2 Purple Martin
* Indigo Bunting
* Ovenbird (Brian Browne) - not seen by me
* 2 N Yellow Warbler
* 2 Swainson's Thrush
Nunes
* 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher
* 1 W Warbling Vireo
* 1 W-w Pewee
* 2 Western Fly
* 3 Cedar Waxwing
* 1 N Yellow Warbler
* 1 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
* 1 Tennessee Warbler (Connor Cochrane)
* 1 BREWERS SPARROW (Mark Stephenson) - not seen by me
* 1 Yellowthroat
* 3 Swainson's Thrush
Drakes
* 1 W Warbling Vireo
* 1 Oriole sp (C. Cochrane) - not seen by me
* 1 BLACKPOLL WARBLER (Cedric Duhalde/Josiah Clark & crew) - not seen by me
* 1 Tennessee Warbler (Connor Cochrane) - not seen by me
Mendoza
* 1 N Yellow Warbler
* 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Connor Cochrane) - not seen by me
* 1 Western Fly
* 1 W-w Pewee
* 2 Cedar Waxwing
* 1 yellowthroat
* 1 Swainson's Thrush
Spalleta
* 1 W-w Pewee
* 1 N Yellow Warbler
* 1 Northern Parula (Connor Cochrane) - not seen by me
* 1 Purple Martin (C. Cochrane) - not seen by me
Elsewhere on OP
* Red-eyed Vireo
* Lawrence’s Goldfinch (Brian Browne) - not seen by me
Date: 5/25/26 8:10 am From: richard cimino via groups.io <yellowbilledtours...> Subject: Re: [northbaybirds] OP 5/24
The removal of the dairy cows is a real ecological impact on the habitat birders who have been used to birding the park.
Ethan mentions impacts to Meadow Larks and Savanna Sparrows who may no longer find breeding habitat. The remove of the cattle, no longer producing dung for rodents to nibble on, may affect the rodent population also, a key source of protein for raptors.
During a recent visit to the park in April, I noticed a total void of American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks perched on power poles, fence poles and wires along Sir Francis Drake. These species among others need a short grass eco-system for hunting their prey.
The invasive plants will impact nesting species as these tall-growing plants form a dense ground cover. My initial thought was about the impact to raptor species which feed on small mammals and insects. Will this impact breeding species and winter residences cycles?
I’m curious if the GGRO count of migrating Red-tail Hawks and American Kestrels will increase their species count season? I was so concerned; I’ve contacted an influential party who was part of the negotiations to buy out the dairy cattle men. I stated my concern as I stated in this narrative, the new landowners and the park service need to have a mowing and rotating cattle grazing plan in place as soon as possible. The landscape has a millennium of seeds in the soil; a restoration will take years to witness results. Meanwhile species trends, seasonal breeding and wintering species seeking a traditional food source may be impacted.
Rich Cimino
Yellowbilledtours.com
Larkspur
From: <northbaybirds...> <northbaybirds...> On Behalf Of Ethan Monk via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2026 10:13 PM
To: North Bay Birds <northbaybirds...>
Subject: [northbaybirds] OP 5/24
I woke up at 3:15 this morning, and spent about 10 minutes debating whether I should drive out to the Outer Point, or go back to sleep. The internet was saying wind from the south to 12mph at RCA, which is stronger than ideal, especially as the lighthouse is windier. But I ended up going anyway, as I was already awake. I kept the windshield wipers on for the last hour of the drive, and arrived at the lighthouse trees around 5:40 to find them socked in and foggy. Crap. I backtracked, birding Nunes (nothing), and then slowly driving by the Annex and Mendoza on my way to Jr. Mendoza. Arriving at Jr. Mendoza, I got out of the car, turned around and... I could see the lighthouse! And thus began a high overcast day of spring fallout.
Walking out to the lighthouse, I noticed a small, wet, disheveled and remarkably drab sparrow in the rocks about 100' east of the first cypresses with the White-crowns. It took me a second to put the ID together-- a Cassin's Sparrow! As far as I know, the bird hung out in that vicinity until ~9:30 when it was last seen by Lucas Stephenson, Mark Butler and Mary Anne Rotella.
Birding around the lighthouse, I found:
-1 Olive-sided Flycatcher, singing (this is only the second I have seen on the OP!)
-2 Waxwing
-1 CASSIN'S SPARROW
-1 Chipping Sparrow
-3 Tennessee Warblers (two together, with one actively singing behind them, helped nail down this number)
-1 Yellowthroat
-1 Yellow Warbler
-1 Tanager
-1 Indigo Bunting
I departed from the lighthouse with Brian Browne, Connor Cochrane, and Lucas Corneliussen around 9:30, and headed to Nunes. At Nunes:
-3 Mourning Doves (C. Cochrane tells me this is notable here in Spring)
-1 W W-Pewee
-1 Waxwing
-1 Swainson's Thrush
-1 Common Yellowthroat
-1 YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (spotted by LC at lightning speed)
-1 Western Flycatcher
-1 Wilson's Warbler
-1 Chipping Sparrow
Off to Drake's, where it was just:
-1 Tennessee Warbler
and a Red-thr Loon, still on the pond.
To Spaletta, there was:
-1 Tennessee Warbler, as found earlier by Brian Browne
-1 Yellow Warbler
Mendoza:
-1 W W Pewee
-2 Martins (m + f-type)
-1 TN Warbler, as likely found earl... B. Browne
Jr. Mendoza:
-1 W W Pewee
New Willows, where aside from likely breeding Wilson's and Sw. Thrush (?):
-1 Tanager
-1 Yellow Warbler
-1 Tennessee
"Lupine Gulch"
-1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-1 Yellow Warbler
The Docks
-1 Townsend's Warbler
-1 Bunting sp.
-1 Pewee
-1 Chipping Sparrow
Additionally I heard of several R-b Grosbeaks, and Tennessees that I / we missed!
...and tomorrow looks even potentially better than today!
Otherwise, the ranchers are now gone, and this marks the first spring without cattle on the OP in years and years. It is remarkable how quickly the invasive hemlock, thistles, and other grasses have grown up around the ranches, not only dispersing migrant birds, but already several areas that have always been "easy" to walk through require significant effort. As all California conservationists know, once open range is grazed by cattle, when the cattle are removed, invasives proliferate and native plant biodiversity plummets (see for example, Gennett et al., 2017). Grassland birds, from Savannah Sparrows to Meadowlarks, have been well established to breed significantly more successfully in cattle-grazed, as opposed to ungrazed, grasslands in California, as the tall and ungainly grassland that the invasives form are alien to these native species. I hope that in some capacity the cattle return. At least, I hope that the ranchers are doing well; I know that some are with family in Petaluma, but that others--like the Nunes family--were forced to move to Oregon, as it was the closest place with land cheap enough to continue their trade into the 5ht+ generation. A strong reminder that the great American tradition of forcing families out of their homes and off of their land is alive and well. Here, we forced working families off their land in an attempt to save the landscape, but I fear that we may be losing both.
Date: 5/24/26 10:14 pm From: Ethan Monk via groups.io <z.querula...> Subject: [northbaybirds] OP 5/24
I woke up at 3:15 this morning, and spent about 10 minutes debating whether I should drive out to the Outer Point, or go back to sleep. The internet was saying wind from the south to 12mph at RCA, which is stronger than ideal, especially as the lighthouse is windier. But I ended up going anyway, as I was already awake. I kept the windshield wipers on for the last hour of the drive, and arrived at the lighthouse trees around 5:40 to find them socked in and foggy. Crap. I backtracked, birding Nunes (nothing), and then slowly driving by the Annex and Mendoza on my way to Jr. Mendoza. Arriving at Jr. Mendoza, I got out of the car, turned around and... I could see the lighthouse! And thus began a high overcast day of spring fallout.
Walking out to the lighthouse, I noticed a small, wet, disheveled and remarkably drab sparrow in the rocks about 100' east of the first cypresses with the White-crowns. It took me a second to put the ID together-- a Cassin's Sparrow! As far as I know, the bird hung out in that vicinity until ~9:30 when it was last seen by Lucas Stephenson, Mark Butler and Mary Anne Rotella.
Birding around the lighthouse, I found: -1 Olive-sided Flycatcher, singing (this is only the second I have seen on the OP!) -2 Waxwing -1 CASSIN'S SPARROW -1 Chipping Sparrow -3 Tennessee Warblers (two together, with one actively singing behind them, helped nail down this number) -1 Yellowthroat -1 Yellow Warbler -1 Tanager -1 Indigo Bunting
I departed from the lighthouse with Brian Browne, Connor Cochrane, and Lucas Corneliussen around 9:30, and headed to Nunes. At Nunes: -3 Mourning Doves (C. Cochrane tells me this is notable here in Spring) -1 W W-Pewee -1 Waxwing -1 Swainson's Thrush -1 Common Yellowthroat -1 YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (spotted by LC at lightning speed) -1 Western Flycatcher -1 Wilson's Warbler -1 Chipping Sparrow
Off to Drake's, where it was just: -1 Tennessee Warbler and a Red-thr Loon, still on the pond.
To Spaletta, there was: -1 Tennessee Warbler, as found earlier by Brian Browne -1 Yellow Warbler
Mendoza: -1 W W Pewee -2 Martins (m + f-type) -1 TN Warbler, as likely found earl... B. Browne
Jr. Mendoza: -1 W W Pewee
New Willows, where aside from likely breeding Wilson's and Sw. Thrush (?): -1 Tanager -1 Yellow Warbler -1 Tennessee
Additionally I heard of several R-b Grosbeaks, and Tennessees that I / we missed!
...and tomorrow looks even potentially better than today!
Otherwise, the ranchers are now gone, and this marks the first spring without cattle on the OP in years and years. It is remarkable how quickly the invasive hemlock, thistles, and other grasses have grown up around the ranches, not only dispersing migrant birds, but already several areas that have always been "easy" to walk through require significant effort. As all California conservationists know, once open range is grazed by cattle, when the cattle are removed, invasives proliferate and native plant biodiversity plummets (see for example, Gennett et al., 2017). Grassland birds, from Savannah Sparrows to Meadowlarks, have been well established to breed significantly more successfully in cattle-grazed, as opposed to ungrazed, grasslands in California, as the tall and ungainly grassland that the invasives form are alien to these native species. I hope that in some capacity the cattle return. At least, I hope that the ranchers are doing well; I know that some are with family in Petaluma, but that others--like the Nunes family--were forced to move to Oregon, as it was the closest place with land cheap enough to continue their trade into the 5ht+ generation. A strong reminder that the great American tradition of forcing families out of their homes and off of their land is alive and well. Here, we forced working families off their land in an attempt to save the landscape, but I fear that we may be losing both.
Date: 5/23/26 11:04 am From: Louise Winter via groups.io <lostwinter...> Subject: Re: [northbaybirds] Northern CA multi-county big day report (long), 9 May 2026, 214 species
Date: 5/21/26 6:00 pm From: Chuck Dresel via groups.io <cfdresel...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Humboldt Pelagic needs a few more sign-ups!
Bird Friends,
Rob Fowler up in Humboldt has organized a pelagic trip for Monday May 25th (Memorial Day). The trip needs a couple more sign-ups to go. Email Rob if you are interested ( <migratoriusfwlr...> )
Here are the details from Rob:
Hi all,
Whelp it seems like the 3rd time is a charm?! This is the third reschedule I have made for my May pelagic and it looks like the weather might actually be favorable this time around!
I still have 4 spots that need to be filled to make this trip a go. Usual price $165/per person and $135/student.
Hawaiian Petrels have been seen from shore a few times from Monterey lately and Manx Shearwater has been seen daily down there, too. On the May 9th Cal Poly pelagic we had two Manx together. And, just as a reminder that trip had over 100+ Murphy's Petrels! That big pink-billed albatross is still on the menu, too!
Anyways, hit me up ASAP if you would like one of the four spots to make this trip a go!
Thanks,
Rob
Rob Fowler
McKinleyville, CA
--
Chuck Dresel
Napa, CA.
Date: 5/20/26 12:59 pm From: Derek Lecy via groups.io <dlecy...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Point Reyes
Birders,
This morning, Tony Briggs reported a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher near the entrance to Historic E Ranch in Point Reyes. Brian Browne had the bird at the following gps most recently,
(38.0578898, -122.9706453).
I believe this is only the second county record since 2003, per eBird.
