Date: 5/8/25 11:41 am From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: [SFBirds] Sutro Highlights
Two very cold hours at the Baths were quite productive, with the exception
of the continuing absence of migrant shorebirds.
Brandt’s Cormorant - several thousand in a single feeding frenzy gyre in
addition to many others flying in all directions and perched on every
rock. I can’t quantify, but this feels like the largest concentration I’ve
seen in my nearly three decades of watching here.
Pomerine Jaeger - two birds lumbered in together past the terrace, one
showing full spoons and the other taking time to harass a California Gull
before heading on north.
Elegant Tern - many were chattering and plunge diving right by the terrace,
the closest they’ve come this season.
Rhinoceros Auklet - likely one bird making two passes into the Pigeon
Guillemot zone, and landing near them the second time. Breeding on our
mainland rocks would be quite acceptable.
Brian Fitch
Date: 5/6/25 8:42 pm From: San Mateo County Bird Alliance via groups.io <office...> Subject: [SFBirds] Thurs. May 8 Meeting - Pt Blue's Palomarin Field Station!
This month's meeting features Dr. Kristy Dybala with Point Blue’s Palomarin Field Station
Please join us online on Thursday, May 8, at 7:00 pm when Dr. Kristy Dybala, Principal Scientist at Point Blue Conservation Science, will discuss the critical work at Point Blue’s Palomarin Field Station. She’ll highlight the station’s long-standing contributions to avian research, early career training, and conservation. As one of the longest-running avian field stations in North America, Palomarin has been monitoring bird populations and their responses to environmental changes for over 50 years. The station’s research includes tracking migration patterns, changes in bird body size, and the effects of climate variability on avian populations. Through long-term data collection, scientists at Palomarin provide valuable insights into how birds adapt to climate change and which species may require targeted conservation efforts. The station also serves as a training ground for early-career scientists, providing opportunities to develop skills in bird banding, field ecology, and data analysis. Hundreds of interns have participated in the program, many of whom go on to careers in conservation science. The training emphasizes rigorous data collection methods, contributing to the station’s extensive database used to study long-term ecological trends. Point Blue Conservation Science is a nonprofit dedicated to using science to guide nature-based solutions to climate change and other ecological challenges. With a mission to conserve birds, other wildlife, and ecosystems through innovative research, partnerships, and outreach, Point Blue works across various habitats, from coastal wetlands to agricultural landscapes from California to Antarctica and beyond.
Date: 5/6/25 11:46 am From: Liam Murphy via groups.io <liammsf...> Subject: [SFBirds] Raptor Flight
Get outside and watch the sky for raptors. In the past 5 minutes in Bernal I've had a group of 10 turkey Vulture and 2 red tails migrating, closely followed by a GOLDEN EAGLE.
Date: 5/4/25 9:26 pm From: Keith Maley via groups.io <keith.maley...> Subject: [SFBirds] SF Big Day
Today, Nina Bai, Liam Murphy, and I attempted a SF Big Day. The record is 150 species set by Adrian Hinkle and Emmett Iverson on 4/18/21, previously 149 by Hugh Cotter, Paul Saraceni, Josiah Clark, and Alan Hopkins in April 2007. We finished with 119 species today, hampered by the trickle of migrants this spring, the late date / departure of most winter species, the consistent onshore winds, and the lack of rarity / stakeout birds. Still, it was a beautifully clear day with great birds and company. We made 22 stops around the city.
Some glaring misses were Pelagic Cormorant, Townsend's Warbler, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Flicker, and the continuing (?) pair of Greater White-fronted Geese at Blue Heron Lake and surrounding locations. We had only 3 (!) passerine passage migrants: Warbling Vireo, Western Kingbird (2), and Olive-sided Flycatcher. Given the overnight winds, we could have spent more time seawatching, as we had probable flybys of a jaeger species, Rhino Auklet, a late Heerman's Gull, and more.
The highlights were the Red-necked Phalaropes-- a small flock on Lake Merced and a single bird with Sanderlings on Ocean Beach, the rocky shorebird assortment at Cliff House, and an Acorn Woodpecker flying over the Presidio. The best bird was a beautiful melanistic Ruddy Duck at Candlestick ( 37.712349, -122.378499 ), photo below.
Date: 5/2/25 4:50 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [SFBirds] Noyo Pelagic trips May 9, 11, and 12, weather looks good.
Hello Bay Area birders,
There are still some spaces left on our three pelagic trips, Friday May
9 (full day), Sunday May 11 (full day), and Monday May 12 (half day). At
this point the weather is looking very good, NW at 10 kts in the morning
on Friday, increasing to 20 in the afternoon (by which time we'll be in
following seas) and light winds or calm on the 11th and 12th. This of
course can change but at this time of year the forecasts tend to be
pretty accurate.
In addition to the Short-tailed Albatross and 600-1,000 Black-footed
Albatrosses we found in Noyo Canyon on April 26th, there have been
reports from reposition cruises of many Murphy's and some Cook's and
Hawaiian Petrels in Mendocino waters, just west of where we will be. The
deep waters in which we will be going are known for Pterodroma, and
encountering some seems likely, especially with 10-20 kt NW winds. Two
years ago we found 30+ Murphy's and 5 Hawaiian Petrels on May 5th out
there. With all of the albatrosses around, we're also hoping that we may
get one of the southern species (White-capped, Salvin's, Chatham,
Wandering, etc.) that have been encountered in California waters during
spring and summer months.
Hope to see some of you up here!
Cheers, Peter
On 4/18/2025 7:17 AM, Peter Pyle wrote:
> Hello again Bay Area birders:
>
> The full 2025 calendar for Noyo Pelagics trips is now available and
> ready for sign-ups:
>
> https://noyopelagics.com/#calendar >
> This and the other pages at the website are mostly complete but work
> is still needed to the bottom of each page. See below in this email
> thread for further information on Noyo Pelagics.
>
> Anchor Charters skipper Richard Thornton reported a concentration of
> close to 1000 Black-footed Albatrosses north of Noyo Canyon last week
> and, weather permitting, we may try and relocate this concentration
> during our full-day trip of Sunday, August 27th. About 15 albatrosses
> were also seen from shore two days ago, including two that followed a
> fishing boat to within a half mile of the harbor entrance. The next
> 2-3 months represent the peak period for numbers of this species off
> our coast.
>
> The long-range forecast for the April 26th and 27th trips is for light
> to moderate NW winds which are good conditions for getting the full
> trips in, although it is still a bit too early to say if this forecast
> will hold. We also have two full-day and one half-day trip planned for
> May 9th-12th, representing the only time this year we are trying two
> full-day trips in one weekend. So if you'd like to come up for two or
> 2 and a half trips, this would be the weekend. It coincides with our
> finding 30+ Murphy's Petrels, five Hawaiian Petrels, and 9 Laysan
> Albatrosses on a full-day trip two years ago.
>
> Hope to see you up here this spring or later in the year!
>
> Peter
>
>
> On 4/11/2025 7:40 AM, Peter Pyle via groups.io wrote:
>> Greetings again Bay Area -
>>
>> Our two April trips (see below) are filling but there are still
>> opportunities to sign up. The website is still under construction but
>> we have set up a method in order to sign up. The prices are $125 for
>> the half-day trip on April 26th and $185 for the full day trip on the
>> 27th.
>>
>> To sign up go to
>> https://noyopelagics.com/times-directions-and-parking/. Scroll down
>> to the bottom of that page and in the small calendar for April click
>> on the 26th for the half-day trip and the 27th for the full day trip.
>>
>> Once you have made a reservation, it will ask if you want to add any
>> more trips before paying. So if you want to do both days, you can add
>> the second trip and pay all at once.
>>
>> You can also see the report from our most recent half-day trip to
>> Noyo Canyon here:
>> https://noyopelagics.com/pelagic_calendar/monday-half-day-noyo-canyon-mammals-and-birds/ >>
>>
>> The Home Page at the above site has the full calendar and the "About
>> our Trips" page is also complete except the list of birds and mammals
>> at the bottom. We hope to have the website fully completed in the
>> next week or so.
>>
>> Hope to see you that weekend!
>>
>> Peter
>>
>> On 4/4/2025 10:34 AM, Peter Pyle wrote:
>>> Greetings Bay Area -
>>>
>>> Mendocino Coast Audubon Society and Noyo Center for Marine Science
>>> Center will be running a number of pelagic trips out of Fort Bragg
>>> this year. There will be a website with the complete schedule of
>>> full-day trips, half-day trips, and 2-hour trips to do marine
>>> science including deploying ROVs when conditions are good. Pending
>>> the website's launch (hopefully soon) you can call Anchor Charters
>>> at 707-964-4550 to reserve a spot.
>>>
>>> The first two trips of the season will be on April 26th (half day,
>>> five hours ) and April 27th (full day, 10 hours). We will aim for
>>> the Noyo Canyon on both trips and and over the continental shelf on
>>> the full-day trip. This was the weekend where, many years ago, we
>>> went out to deep water and had 100+ Murphy's Petrels (confirming
>>> them for the state) and 130+ Horned Puffins out in these waters.
>>> Laysan Albatrosses have been regular over Noyo Canyon this year and
>>> a Short-tailed Albatross was spotted by fisherman there in early March.
>>>
>>> Future full-day trips this year will be on May 9th and 11th, June
>>> 15th, July 15th, August 15th, September 7th, October 31st, and
>>> November 22nd. Most of these will have half-day trips scheduled
>>> within a day or so, such that those coming up to enjoy the Mendocino
>>> coast can make a long weekend of it and include two pelagic trips.
>>>
>>> We'll announce when the website is up with full details. Hope to see
>>> you up here this April or later in the year.
>>>
>>> Good birding!
>>>
>>> Peter
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
Date: 5/1/25 8:52 am From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] ROCK WREN on Twin Peaks 5/1/2025
Unexpected for this time of year was a ROCK WREN working the logs/stairs/and naturally rock outcroppings at the south base of Noe (South) Peak this morning.
Only other records I can see in spring for SF away from the Farallones are: 5/4/1991 Sutro Baths (Alan Hopkins) 6/7/2015 Inspiration point (Juan-Carlos Solis).
Date: 5/1/25 8:25 am From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: [SFBirds] Some Hill Action
An early walk through Corona and Buena Vista revealed an Ash-throated
Flycatcher and Lazuli Bunting male on the north side terrace of CH. The
Ash is likely continuing as Dom had one yesterday.
Most surprising for me was the/a Hammond’s Flycatcher just 50 yards
downslope from the site I had one at BV on Tuesday. It was calling
vociferously while having apparently unfriendly interactions with Pygmy
Nuthatches and juncos. This was east of the playground in cypress and
redwoods. Also present were single singing tanager and grosbeak, two
Olive-sideds, a few Orange-crowneds, and several May Day Golden-crowned and
White-throated Sparrows.
Brian Fitch
Date: 4/29/25 2:33 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] Migrants and breeding birds at Fort Mason
Over the last two days there has been a slight increase in migrants moving through Fort Mason. Yesterday, there were two BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (one a brilliant male in full alternate), two WESTERN KINGBIRDS and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. Today, I observed 1 WESTERN KINGBIRD, 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, 1 SAVANNAH SPARROW, 1 WILSON'S WARBLER (this species doesn't nest at Fort Mason, as far as I've observed), 1 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and 1 LAZULI BUNTING. The wintering birds have pretty much cleared out, with 1 remaining GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, 1 HERMIT THRUSH, 1 FOX SPARROW and 13 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS - down from 49 on April 18th). The resident GREAT HORNED OWL was being mobbed in flight by 14 AMERICAN CROWS. Lots of breeding activity and newly fledged birds. There were/are two active NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD nests in the garden. Early yesterday morning two chicks were being fed in one of the nests, with one still in the nest and the other near the top of the shrub above the nest. Later in the morning, the more active chick was walking through the garden. It would take a few steps, then raise its wings as if it were about to try to fly, and then resume walking (it did this multiple times). The adult MOCKINGBIRDS were constantly driving away AMERICAN CROWS. See attached photos.
Date: 4/29/25 10:29 am From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Hilltops!
I arrived on the hill around 7 am and immediately heard the crowd of
newcomers. The action was all on the sunny eastern half of the park,
including the peak, mostly in oaks, though a couple of cypresses were full
too. Between 7 and 9:30, the following were seen/heard:
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher-2
Cassin’s Vireo-3+
Warbling Vireo-10+
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson’s Thrush-seen well and heard
Hermit Thrush-4+
Orange-crowned Warbler-many in every spot
Yellow-rumped Warbler-flock of 4
Black-throated Gray Warbler-3+
Townsend’s Warbler-1
Hermit Warbler-2 males together on summit
Wilson’s Warbler-many
Western Tanager-2+
White-throated Sparrow-singing
Black-headed Grosbeak-3 together
Brian Fitch
On Tue, Apr 29, 2025 at 7:26 AM Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> There are multiple migrants on Buena Vista including a calling Hammond’s
> on the northeast slope. More later.
> Brian Fitch
>
>
>
Date: 4/25/25 11:44 am From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] HAMMOND’S flycatcher Corona Hill 4/25/25
There’s a Hammond’s flycatcher present in the grove behind the Randall Museum. It’s the spot where’s there’s a nesting box on a pine trunk. Not particularly cooperative, but listen for its pygmy nuthatch like single call note.
Date: 4/24/25 7:17 pm From: Linda Grant via groups.io <lindabirdsf...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Shorebird Migration and other activity at Pier 94
David, these are some of your best photographs ever...absolutely
stunning!!!
Thank you.
On Thu, Apr 24, 2025, 6:34 PM David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> While migration in general may be slow, there's lots of shorebird activity
> at Pier 94, where there were at least 300 shorebirds on Tuesday, mostly
> LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS (almost all in alternate plumage), but also
> DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, WHIMBREL, AMERICAN
> AVOCET, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, KILLDEER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WILLET and an
> AMERICAN PIPIT. A WHITE-TAILED KIT hovered overhead, and an OSPREY flew
> over, calling. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were carrying food, and both TREE and
> BARN SWALLOWS landed on the fence. A late WESTERN MEADOWLARK was also
> present. A baby MALLARD was hiding in the grass near the path.
>
>
>
Date: 4/24/25 6:34 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] Shorebird Migration and other activity at Pier 94
While migration in general may be slow, there's lots of shorebird activity at Pier 94, where there were at least 300 shorebirds on Tuesday, mostly LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS (almost all in alternate plumage), but also DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, WHIMBREL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, KILLDEER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WILLET and an AMERICAN PIPIT. A WHITE-TAILED KIT hovered overhead, and an OSPREY flew over, calling. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were carrying food, and both TREE and BARN SWALLOWS landed on the fence. A late WESTERN MEADOWLARK was also present. A baby MALLARD was hiding in the grass near the path.
Date: 4/24/25 6:25 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] Shorebird Migration and other activity at Pier 94
While migration in general may be slow, there's lots of activity at Pier 94. On Tuesday, there were several hundred shorebirds, mostly in alternate plumage, feeding on the shoreline. Most were LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS, but there were also SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS, DUNLIN, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
migration is still quite slow but there's good news! locally breeding species are rolling out their 2025 model line with the following fledgling notes in recent days:
Allen's Hummingbird - Mount Sutro 4/20 Mourning Dove -Corona Hill 4/22 Dark-eyed Junco - 4/11 Bernal Heights Song Sparrow - 4/13 Pine Lake Park Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow - 4/23 Sunset Reservoir
Speaking of Allen's Hummingbird, this species was noted breeding on Corona Hill for several years starting around 2015 but not noted since 2019. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a fledgling Allen's yesterday morning (4/22) on the north side of the hill. Any speculation that it may have dispersed from somewhere outside the park was dispelled when later in the afternoon I spotted an adult female Allen's, collecting nesting material and carrying it into the cypress tree visible out the window of my office. A humbling experience to know that despite daily birding at this site a hummingbird can pull off breeding right under my nose.
a few recent migrants:
Ash-throated Flycatcher - Buena Vista Park 4/18 Chipping Sparrow - Corona Hill 4/16 Bullock's Oriole - Laguna Honda Reservoir 4/15, Corona Hill 4/18
An Acorn Woodpecker has been at Buena Vista Park since last September. Acorn Woodpecker is currently only known to breed at Lafayette park in the Northeast part of town but folks should be on the lookout for them colonizing new areas.
Date: 4/22/25 11:22 am From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] 11am Grebes courtship dance @ Fort Point.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the report. These were probably Western Grebes; Clark's tend to
spend most of their time deeper inside the bay. These birds will not nest
here but the courtship is part of their pairing behavior which often begins
on the "wintering" grounds before they reach breeding areas.
If you have time, go visit Lake Merced, where Clark's and Western grebes
are present year round and can be seen in every part of their breeding
cycle from courtship to nest building to feeding young.
Happy birding,
Dominik
On Tue, Apr 22, 2025 at 11:13 AM Andrew Carney via groups.io <carney.andrew=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> I’m fairly new to birding so I’m not sure if this is common to see here. I
> go for a run down here and see the Grebes quite often but I’ve never heard
> their distinctive call so I decided to hang around and see if anything
> would happen. Sure enough, after 15 minutes, two grebes were running across
> the water side by side! It was quite remarkable to see.
>
> I cannot tell if they were western or Clark’s grebes
>
>
>
Date: 4/22/25 11:14 am From: Andrew Carney via groups.io <carney.andrew...> Subject: [SFBirds] 11am Grebes courtship dance @ Fort Point.
I’m fairly new to birding so I’m not sure if this is common to see here. I go for a run down here and see the Grebes quite often but I’ve never heard their distinctive call so I decided to hang around and see if anything would happen. Sure enough, after 15 minutes, two grebes were running across the water side by side! It was quite remarkable to see.
I cannot tell if they were western or Clark’s grebes
Date: 4/21/25 1:53 pm From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Harley, Etc.
In addition to the Harlequin, a late staying Red-necked Grebe passed me
heading south, and two Wandering Tattlers were on various rocks near the
Cliff House. A Pacific Loon in all of its alternate glory flew by quite
near the terrace, and a Gray Whale spent at least an hour working the ocean
beyond the rocks.
A House Wren was singing last Friday just north of the Sutro parking lot,
and was doing likewise again today.
Brian Fitch
On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> A female Harlequin just flew past me at Sutro and splashed down a ways
> east of Mile Rock. I only saw the splash, and can’t track her from this
> distance.
> Brian Fitch
>
>
>
Date: 4/21/25 9:11 am From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: [SFBirds] Harley
A female Harlequin just flew past me at Sutro and splashed down a ways east
of Mile Rock. I only saw the splash, and can’t track her from this
distance.
Brian Fitch
Date: 4/19/25 9:38 pm From: basquebirder via groups.io <allaboutbirds...> Subject: [SFBirds] San Francisco Biking Big Day 04/18/25
Howdy SFBirders,
Yesterday 04/18, Josiah Clark, Jaime Chavez and I set out on an all day effort to see as many species of birds as we could within San Francisco county...by bike. The weather conditions were perhaps not most ideal, but with the lack of prominent winds in the morning, and some sun that popped out around noon, we were happy with what we were presented with.
The gist of the route was to start at Lake Merced in the night until just past dawn, then Ft. Funston, ride up Sunset Dunes Park to the Cliff House, ride through Golden Gate Park before climbing up Mt. Sutro over to Twin Peaks, down Glen Canyon, whereafter we hoofed it over to the county line at Candlestick Pt. SRA, then worked our way up the entire SF bayside to the Presidio, where we ended at Mountain Lake Park.
I'll give a more thorough run through the route and species composition below, but we started at 5:30am and ended just before 9:00pm, riding around 50 miles, which resulted in a satisfying total of 137 species.
Highlight birds of the day (in taxonomic order) were: Greater White-fronted Goose, Gadwall, Vaux's Swift, both rails, Ring-billed Gull, Thayer's Gull, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Cliff Swallow, Wrentit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Orchard Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, and Lazuli Bunting.
Notable misses were: American Wigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Long-billed Curlew, Short-billed Dowitcher, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Barn Owl, any falcon, Western Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, House Wren, and Pine Siskin.
Read on below for the specifics of the day.
-------------------------------------------------
Josiah and Jaime met me at Sunset Circle on the north side of Lake Merced at 5:30am. Our first mission was to hear any owls, but more importantly coax in some rails. The wooden bridge provided 3 Virginia Rails and even a Green Heron calling! Turns out the gate through the golf course is closed at night, so we rode along Lake Merced Blvd. and Skyline Blvd. to reach the boathouse, before heading down to the concrete bridge for dawn. The passerine chorus had already started, with our first Spotted Towhees, Bewick's Wrens, yellowthroats, and Marsh Wrens of the day. Before reaching the bridge, we managed to coax a Sora to call near Gun Club marsh, as well as unintentionally flushing our first Great Blue Heron of the day. Great-tailed Grackles are always obvious and easy but are a necessary bird on an SF big day, and were performing well per usual at the bridge. We scoped the lake, ticking our first Ruddy Ducks, Clark's and Eared Grebes, and both Tree and Barn Swallows. However, we felt we had seen most of what could be easily seen here, so we jammed up to Ft. Funston for some seawatching.
We went straight to the platform, where the swell and visibility we quite favorable to see what was going on. Numbers of seabirds overall were not impressive, but perhaps more than I've personally seen offshore in recent days. The numbers of shorebirds were great though, with hundreds of Whimbrels and Sanderlings lining the shore up Ocean Beach. We added our first Marbled Godwits, Least and Western Sandpipers, 3 species of loons, Pigeon Guillemots, Common Murres, Caspian Terns, Western Grebes and 3 species of cormorants. Before dropping back down to Lake Merced, Josiah made the suggestion to quickly check the nursery by the southern parking lot, and I'm so glad he did because the sparrow flock there provided our first and only Lincoln's and Fox Sparrow of the day. Lincoln's tend to be hard to come by this late in the season, and so do Fox, but myself and many other observers have noted how few Fox Sparrows there have been in recent months along the Peninsula and perhaps Bay Area wide, so we felt lucky to chance upon this one.
We dropped back down to Lake Merced and did a quick run through the boathouse and back over the wooden bridge. An impressive flock of migrant swallows must have been pushed down the night before, with well over 100 Tree Swallows mainly composing this group, swirling low over the golf course feeding on the visibly abundant insect swarms. We added our first Violet-green Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows there, as well as Allen's Hummingbirds. I thought I heard a Pine Siskin calling right there as well, but we never heard it again, so it was a tantalizing encounter of a bird we ended up missing today.
We basically took Sloat down to the recently closed Great Highway, where we checked the ocean as we kept on moving north to the Cliff House, adding the Snowy Plovers off Lawton. The Cliff House was our last chance for any more seabirds so we made the most of it. The rocky shorebird trio (Black Oystercatcher, Surfbird, and Black Turnstone) were showing quite nicely below the Camera Obscura, as well some nearby Short-billed Gulls and Willets, but nothing new to add offshore.
We left the immediate coast and journeyed into Golden Gate Park. Our first stop was North Lake, but only after chancing into a pair of Cooper's Hawks and our only Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the day in a random flock on the way. We were greeted by everyone's favorite flying tea kettle, with dozens of Cedar Waxwings whistling in the eucalyptus above, and Josiah spotted a first-year male Bullock's Oriole nearby. Soon thereafter a female Western Tanager joined the oriole! Both of those ended up being the only ones of the day for us. We also picked up our first Ring-necked Duck and Belted Kingfisher. We checked the Polo Fields and then hit Spreckels Lake, where a lingering Thayer's Gull was floating around by the turtle sculpture in the water. Lloyd Lake only provided our first Turkey Vulture of the day, and a reminder that things were beginning to warm up and that we needed to get a hilltop sooner than later. Blue Heron Lake ended up being a pretty quick check, which granted immediate views of the continuing Greater White-fronted Goose by the boathouse. We meandered from there through the Rhododendron Dell and Lily Pond, and ended at the Oak Woodlands and the top of Arguello. Bird activity was still going strong, and we were immediately serenaded in by a White-throated Sparrow at the horseshoe pits, followed by Josiah hearing our first Black-headed Grosbeak of the day, followed by me getting us on a buzzing male Lazuli Bunting. It was an exciting couple minutes there. There were also around 7-8 Orange-crowned Warblers there, so it seemed like the migrants were mostly in the warm, tucked away parts of the city, giving us hope for Glen Canyon coming up.
We left the park and ascended our only major hill of the day: Medical Center Way behind UCSF, taking us to Rotary Meadow. Although we knew it would take some amount of time to climb it and bird it, the species possibilities were motivating. We reached our first overlook before Rotary Meadow, hoping for a Band-tailed Pigeon to fly over, or an early Swainson's Thrush to whit below, or even a Rufous Hummingbird quickly passing through to lap up some twinberry nectar. Alas, none of those birds showed for us, but Josiah expertly spotted a distant Olive-sided Flycatcher sallying at the top of one of the tallest eucalyptus across the valley. Nothing more added at the meadow itself, except for this mystery raptor that left us befuddled (Sharp-shinned like, but everything about it seemed off).
We crossed Clarendon next and climbed a small hill next to get to the reservoir at Twin Peaks. The conditions for a skywatch were excellent! But fleeting...We could see the fog creeping in quickly and the stillness of the morning broken by W winds starting to get stronger. Nonetheless, obvious flight was happening with 10 or so flocks of 30+ waxwings each moving north and multiple swirls of swallows, where we managed to pick out our only Vaux's Swift of the day. More Turkey Vultures were moving through as well, but raptors were lacking. We also kept on looking down towards Laguna Honda Reservoir, where Josiah and I had just seen Band-tailed Pigeons a couple days before on the job, but no dice today. We refueled with some food while watching, and began our descent to the bayside, but not before going through Glen Canyon.
Glen Canyon was as predicted a warm bowl, protected from the wind and in the sun. Passerine activity was decent, and with some coaxing were able to see several flocks with multiple Wilson's, Orange-crowned and Townsend's Warblers. We added our only Hermit Thrush of the day deep in the willows. We almost made our way to the recreation area at the far east end of the canyon, but decided to check the willows one last time. Our perseverance paid off with a total surprise adult male Orchard Oriole that stealthily made itself visible in the willows! It provided great views and quietly made its 'chuk chuk' call. We were stoked! It was only 2:30pm and were already at 109 species without having visited the bayside yet. We picked up some Banh Mi sandwiches, and began a straight shot to the county line.
Arriving at Candlestick Pt., we added a fortunate Osprey on our way south. The tide was pretty high, so mudflat was limited. But bay ducks made up for it, adding our first Buffleheads, Lesser and Greater Scaup, and Red-breasted Merganser. Spotted Sandpipers were numerous on the concrete pilings. We hugged the shore north to Yosemite Slough, where looking offshore we saw our only Elegant Terns and Horned Grebe of the day. All the shorebirds were huddled at the little mudflat on the west end of the slough, including our first American Avocets, Dunlin, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, and Greater Yellowlegs. The Revere St. pond produced for us as well adding our first Black-necked Stilts, our only Great Egret of the day, and a pair of Gadwalls! It seems these birds hadn't been seen here since January, so that was fortunate! I was ready to keep riding north, but Josiah insisted to check out the slough one more time, and I'm so glad he did because we added our first Killdeer and our only Western Meadowlarks of the day in the fields on the north side of the slough. A good reminder to scrutinize every worthwhile patch.
We climbed up the Ingalls Rd. hill (a short but very steep hill by bike) over to India Basin, where then on adding new birds became serious work. We were looking for a Ring-billed Gull among all the California Gulls, a Long-billed Curlew in the pickleweed among the Whimbrels, a lingering Common Goldeneye among the scaup, or some American Wigeons dabbling in the shallows. Well out of all those, we only managed to pick out a first-year Ring-billed Gull among 100+ mixed gull flock, through a fence, around a puddle on the concrete ground right before Pier 94. Oh well... It was basically 6:00pm at that point and we were losing daylight quickly, with still some easy birds to get in the Presidio that Josiah had staked out. Thus began our long and very urban ride around the perimeter of the city. So funny biking in parks and quiet neighborhoods all day, to then be in the craziness that is the Financial District....quite the contrast, especially by bike.
We braved the headwinds and arrived at Crissy Field just before 7:00pm. Scanning for anything, but seeing nothing new. We made our way straight up to Ft. Scott, where we quickly saw Cliff Swallow, a very local breeder in the city (the last breeding spot?), and right after passed by some nearby palms where we heard our only weeping Hooded Oriole. We crossed over to the Presidio Hills where in some of the last light had a singing Wrentit, followed by a second one across the street. We killed a little time at the Lobos Dunes overlook hoping to hear a recently reported House Wren or maybe flyover Pine Siskin, to no avail. Finally, once it was properly dark, we rode down to Mountain Lake Park, where Josiah had received intel on a Great Horned Owl pair. The owls called right on cue, and even offered views in a what little light remained, being our last bird of the day, leading to our stokeness and the stokeness of the random passerby who happened to being walking right there and briefly saw one with us.
It was a tremendous day and a lot of fun! Our first time doing this route, which I think covered all the different habitats and timing between all the spots really well. Migrants have been slow to trickle in this spring, but many wintering birds have already left, which was definitely a challenge. But all things considered, we clearly chose a decently migranty day (WETA,BUOR, LAZB, BHGR), and happened to luck into a few of the remaining wintering birds (LISP, FOSP, HETH, WTSP). Another funny detail is that we did an SF Biking Big Day last year also on April 18th, where we only saw one more species than this year. Talk about consistent...
Big thanks to Josiah Clark for crafting this route and having that deep understanding of SF status & distribution, and to Jaime Chavez for the 3rd set of eyes and keeping the positive vibes going, even when his e-bike ran out of battery by the Embarcadero. Can't wait to do it again next year!
And thanks to anyone who made it this far in this lengthy post!
Date: 4/18/25 12:06 pm From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: [SFBirds] A Few Migrants
Surf Scoters were on the move this morning at the Sutro Baths, with
hundreds rafting well offshore, hundreds more heading north, and roughly
150 heading into the Gate. Red-throated Loons were heading north in
smaller numbers, maybe close to a hundred. A single small flock of Brant
went by in the distance, and my first of the year Humpback was northwest of
the terrace during most of the two hour watch.
Over at North Lake, a female Western Tanager and a very noisy young male
Bullock’s Oriole were mixed in with scores of Yellow-rumpeds.
Brian Fitch
Date: 4/17/25 4:34 pm From: Trent Orr via groups.io <TrentWOrr...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] lingering wintering birds (including Grace's Warbler) and other misc. observations
The Swinhoe’s white-eyes Dom reported being in trees near the corner of Frederick & Clayton at the beginning of April were still there this afternoon around 3:30 p.m., flying frequently from tree to tree. Thanks for that tip, Dom!
Trent Orr
Date: 4/17/25 3:26 pm From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] Corona Hill Bird Hike this Saturday April 19th
There are still several spots left for this Saturday's bird hike on Corona Hill.
This walk starts at 8 a.m.and is made possible by The Randall Museum (San Francisco Recreation & Parks) and The Randall Museum Friends.
We will spend a couple of hours in restored grassland, coastal scrub, Coast Live Oak savannah and urban edge habitat as we search for passing migrants and look for locally breeding species while taking in the display of wildflowers and scenic views of San Francisco.
The hike features a couple of moderately steep trails and staircases and weather is variable so dress appropriately. After the hike check out the Randall Museum (no admission fee!) or grab a snack or cup of coffee from Cafe Josephine.
Date: 4/17/25 10:42 am From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: [SFBirds] BV & Corona
Just back from a long cool walk around Buena Vista and Corona Heights.
Probable migrant highlights included Northern Flicker, Olive-sided
Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and several each of Orange-crowned and
Wilson’s Warblers at BV. On CH there were more of the same warblers as
well as a singing Black-headed Grosbeak on the lower north slope, and a
singing Lazuli Bunting in grass just below the peak.
Brian Fitch
Date: 4/17/25 9:35 am From: Bob Toleno via groups.io <bob...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] [CALBIRDS] April migration: Late and Slow! , Some annual early questionable reports
Not a study, but one anecdotal piece of data: five years ago in March, my
local mockingbird was on my roof singing, and i could identify at least a
dozen different species that it was imitating. I thought it might be fun to
teach it a new song, so i got my bluetooth speaker and played Common
Poorwill song a few times. He became immediately attentive, actually flying
in a little closer when he heard the playback. Less than a minute later, he
was singing a perfect rendition of a Common Poorwill song. (The nearest
breeding habitat for that species is at least 20 miles from my house.) Over
the course of the next three years, i heard him continue to insert Common
Poorwill song into his repertoire. I think he must have died or moved to a
different territory a couple years ago, because i haven't had a male
mockingbird singing actively from my yard since 2023.
So, it's not a study, but i can verify that at least one mockingbird had
the ability to retain a song for at least three years after hearing it just
a couple times.
Bob Toleno
Hayward
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 9:25 PM Ralph via groups.io <sharks_hockey_maniac=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> I had a Lesser Goldfinch doing a Western Wood-Pewee call in my backyard in
> Stanislaus County a couple weeks ago. I wondered if it might have heard an
> early migrant or if it just remembered the call from a previous season.
> Does anyone know if there has ever been a study of how long goldfinches, or
> even mockingbirds, for that matter, retain songs/calls they’ve learned to
> mimic?
> --
> Happy birding, and, as always, may the light be with you,
> Ralph Baker, Riverbank, CA
>
>
>
Date: 4/16/25 9:25 pm From: Ralph via groups.io <sharks_hockey_maniac...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] [CALBIRDS] April migration: Late and Slow! , Some annual early questionable reports
I had a Lesser Goldfinch doing a Western Wood-Pewee call in my backyard in Stanislaus County a couple weeks ago. I wondered if it might have heard an early migrant or if it just remembered the call from a previous season. Does anyone know if there has ever been a study of how long goldfinches, or even mockingbirds, for that matter, retain songs/calls they’ve learned to mimic?
--
Happy birding, and, as always, may the light be with you,
Ralph Baker, Riverbank, CA
Date: 4/15/25 8:12 am From: David Armstrong via groups.io <darmstrong99...> Subject: [SFBirds] Presidio walking Big Day
Hello SF birders -
Yesterday Dom, Matt, Bob and I covered 14 miles on foot, over the course of 10 hours, hitting the main Presidio hotspots in a quest to tally as many bird species as we could find. Conditions were challenging, with a foggy start to the day and a cold and windy end - nonetheless we managed a total of 94 species starting with duetting Great Horned Owls at Rob Hill Campground at dawn and ending with a Northern Mockingbird seen at Lobos Dunes near the end of our walk. We had relatively few ducks (only 3 species), gulls (also 3) or shorebirds, in large part because the water level was too high at Crissy Lagoon and Quartermaster Reach. We mostly missed out on migrants as it seems the action yesterday was on the hilltops above the fog. We did manage a few late overwintering birds including Ruby-crowned Kinglets (2), Hermit Thrush (1) and Fox Sparrow (1). Swallows put in a good show (we saw the 5 expected species) as did swifts (1 Vaux's and numerous white-throated). Other highlights included a singing Wrentit along the upper part of Battery Caulfield Road, a late Belted Kingfisher at Crissy, and a splendid alternate-plumaged Horned Grebe at the west end of the lagoon, one of the very few birds we saw there. Surprising misses included Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Red-throated Loon. All in all a great day in the field! Dom's detailed checklist with notes is here.
Happy spring birding -David
Date: 4/12/25 6:00 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] Other migrants
I spent some time seawatching at the Cliff House yesterday as well. Highlights were three Brant, heading north (the first in SF since January), and two Bonaparte's Gulls. Elegant Terns are back in fairly large numbers.
Date: 4/12/25 4:23 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] Recent Migrants at Fort Mason - Lark Sparrow, Black-head Grosbeak, etc.
Migrants have been trickling through Fort Mason over the past week. Last Sunday (3/6) there was a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. On Monday (3/7) I had my FOS BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (which could have been the overwintering bird). Tuesday saw three WESTERN KINGBIRDS, a WARBLING VIREO and a WESTERN FLYCATCHER. On Wednesday a YELLOW WARBLER was in the garden. Today a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER was in the Battery and a LARK SPARROW was in the garden. Other hyper local notes of interest - the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS are now mostly in full alternate plumage and singing, as are YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (including some Myrtles). A active SPOTTED TOWHEE in the garden this morning was the first one at Fort Mason in a while. PIGEON GUILLEMOTS are back around lower Fort Mason.
Date: 4/11/25 1:53 pm From: David Assmann via groups.io <david_assmann...> Subject: [SFBirds] City Bird List for March
15 new species were added to the list for March, slightly below our long term March average of 17 species. New species included Winter Wren, Purple Martin, California Thrasher, Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk and Vaux's Swift.
The end of month total stands at 206, 13 species lower than last year's end of March total of 219. You can see the complete list at https://sfbirds.net/2025-city-cumulative-list
Date: 4/10/25 4:33 pm From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] spring migration breakthrough and other misc. observations
After a noticeably slow start there was an uptick in migration today (4/10/25) on Corona Hill. A mixed flock of in the live oaks on the north side of the hill included -
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird - female, Allen's hummingbird was last noted nesting here in 2019. Nashville Warbler (first of spring, uncommon in spring - only my third for this site) Orange-crowned Warbler (4) Wilson's Warbler (a somewhat late fos for this site, with a range of 3/18 - 4/19 over the past 13 years, median arrival date 4/5)
Here's some additional misc. observations since the spring Equinox:
White-winged Scoters - 2 flew by the south end of Ocean Beach during a seawatch on 3/23
Band-tailed Pigeons - the resident population in the area of Forest Hill/Mount Sutro/Laguna Honda continues to be observed on a near daily basis through the first week of April. multiple birds and courtship behavior
Vaux's Swift - bucking the trend of late migration there's been an early push of these through the region including a single bird seen flying over Inspiration point in the Presidio on 4/5
Rufous Hummingbird - a migrant adult male was displaying on Mount Sutro at the Summit 4/3
Turkey Vultures- 24 tallied over Battery Godfrey 3/24, 8 over Inspiration Point 4/5 with 5 of these taking off from a night roost in Julius Khan Eucalyptus Grove , 8 over City College 4/6
Sharp-shinned Hawks - 20 from Battery Godfrey 3/24, singles over Corona Hill (4/8 -10) and 2 from Mount D yesterday
Cooper's Hawk - 5 from Battery Godfrey 3/24, pairs in various stages of breeding have also been noted recently from Corona Hill/City College
Bald Eagle - 2 from Battery Godfrey 3/24, Corona Hill 3/25, Mount Sutro 4/3, Corona Hill 4/4, Inspiration Point 4/5.
Northern Flicker - pair observed copulating on Mount Sutro 4/4 by D. Scali ("The Nest Whisperer") and company was intriguing. Flicker recolonized SF as a breeder quite recently starting in the Presidio in 2013 but have not been confirmed breeding away from there and the Land's End area. Last year a couple of Flickers were seen in the area of Mount Sutro in the summer. I suspect this may be a response to habitat restoration taking place here as the Eucalyptus plantation is thinned out.
Purple Martin -3+ were noted by m.ob from Battery Godfrey 3/24
Cliff Swallow - Battery Godfrey 3/24 was the first arrival for the county
Golden-crowned Kinglet - remnants of last fall's irruption were still lingering to the end of March. a pair at inspiration point 4/5, with one of them singing was notable and worth following up on in upcoming weeks. Golden-crowned Kinglet has been confirmed breeding in SF
Western Bluebird - nest building noted at McCoppin Square 4/4 (female carrying nesting material into cavity) as this species consolidates its expansion in SF into smaller parks and green spaces
American Goldfinch - scarce in SF in recent years and possibly extirpated as a breeder. 5 from Battery Godfrey 3/24, singles over Inspiration Point 4/5 and Corona Hill 4/9
White-throated Sparrow - a white-stripe morph associating with Golden-crowns at Sunnyside Rec 4/6 may have been a migrant or hold-over wintering bird
Orchard Oriole - the wintering bird at Elk Glen was singing away 3/27, hasn't been reported since but might still be around
Orange-crowned Warbler - a healthy count of (9) were noted during on a one way transect of Glen Canyon 4/6 where this species is a possible breeder
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Swinhoe's White-eyes - 3 birds were still present on Waller Street @ Clayton 4/3.
