HIGHLIGHTS: An unconfirmed report of an unidentified BOOBY from North Humboldt Bay, 20 Sept (GH) caused much excitement, but no further reports, darn. The return of the WHITE-WINGED TERN to the Arcata Oxidation Pond (AOP) and Marsh Project (AMP), 27 -30 Aug (DF, JP, et al.) was unexpected and created questions about its whereabouts since June! A Eurasian race WHIMBREL (our second such record) was reported at the mouth of 10-Mile River sometime this fall (no date yet, DT): Single SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPERS were at Vigo Street Marsh, 10 Sep (MM) and Pudding Creek estuary, 20 Sep (DT): A male RUFF was reported at Alexandre Dairy, 1 Sep (RH, et al.): STILT SANDPIPERS were in more-than-usual numbers; 1-4 at Eel River Wildlife Area (ERWA), 25 Aug-4 Sep (RLeV, DF, JP, TL, NL, et al.): One of the most outstanding birds in many years was the appearance of a chaseable BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO near Fairhaven 19-22 Sep (BC et al.), a county bird for all who saw it: A male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER near Ship Mountain, 10 Sep (DF) was one of the very few records.
Tom Leskiw may have set a record on 11 Sep with 2 SAY'S PHOEBES in one day, 1 at Willow Creek, and 1 at the summit of Grouse Mountain, only to be tied by the 2 seen by Gjon Hazard on 13 Sep, 1 on Bell Springs Road, and 1 on Alderpoint Road (records are made to be broken or tied): SAGE THRASHER: 1, 31 Aug, Lanphere Road, TE, et al.): DF found an immature YELLOW WAGTAIL at APO, 27 Aug, a treat for many other birders who got down there that same evening; alas, the bird could not be found the next day, but JD reported one near Orick 7 Sep. Del Norte"s second BLACK-BACKED WAGWAIL was reported 22 Sep at Crescent City (AB, fide GL): An 'eastern' SOLITARY VIREO was seen on Ferndale Bottoms, 21 Sep (SMc): RED-EYED VIREO: 1, Lanphere Road, 14 Sep (TL, JH): YELLOW-THROATED VIREO: 1, MacKerricher State Park, 14 Sep (RK, JW, DE et al.): About average numbers of vagrant warblers were reported as follows: NORTHERN PARULA: 1, Salt River, 31 Aug (SMc); 1, Wages Creek Campground, 15 Sep (GH): PRAIRIE WARBLER: 1, North Spit, 31 Aug (JH, et al.); 1, Fairhaven, 2-3 Sep (BD, GS): NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH: 1, Salt River, 31 Aug, (TL, et al.); 1, Clam Beach, 27 Aug (TL): CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER: 1, Arcata, 14 Sep, (KN) ; 1, Fairhaven, 19-20 Sep (CO, et al.): AMERICAN REDSTART: 1, Clam Beach, 23-25 Aug (TL); 1 first-year male, Clam Beach, 30 Aug (TL); 1, near Fairhaven, 31 Aug (DF, JP, JH, et al.); 1, McKinleyville, 13 Sep (CR); 1, North Spit, 18 Sep (RH, SMc): MAGNOLIA WARBLER: 1, Westhaven, 8 Sep (TL): BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER: 1, near Fairhaven, 13 Sep (CO): VIRGINIA'S WARBLER: 1 near Fairhaven, 13 Sep (GH, et al.): MOURNING WARBLER: 1 reported along Salt River, 31 Aug (SMc, et al.): Other wow birds: INDIGO BUNTING: 1 juv., AMP, 8 Sep (DF): DICKCISSEL: 1, Willow Creek, 18-19 Sep (TL, GH, JP, DF) : LARK BUNTING: 1, Big Lagoon, 7-8 Sep (CJR, GH):
NOTEWORTHY SEASONAL AND OTHER REPORTS: RED-NECKED GREBE: 3, King Salmon, 21 Sep (SMc): BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS: 1 seen from North Jetty, 17 Sep (DF): SOOTY SHEARWATER: 4-25 from North Jetty, 8-17 Sep (DF): PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER: 1, from North Jetty, 17 Sep (DF): An immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON at Sandy Bar was one of the few inland records, 8 Sep (GL): CATTLE EGRET: 6, AB, 26 Aug (GH): Our 2 crippled, resident TUNDRA SWANS, 1 on Lower Eel River and one on AB were reported several times (SH, BS, et al.): An adult WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at ERWA, 10 Sep (SMc) was early. NORTHERN PINTAIL: 3, AMP, 6 Sep (SH, EE): BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 1 male, AMP, 9-10 Sep (SH, et al.): GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 20-30 (fall migrants), AMP, 6 Sep (SH): RING-NECKED DUCK: 1 male, AMP, 5-6 Sep (SH): COMMON GOLDENEYE: 1 female, AOP, 31 Aug (BD): BALD EAGLE: 1 adult, 1 subadult, So. Fork, Trinity River, 2 Sep (TL): RUFFED GROUSE: 1 road-killed, Redwood Creek and 299, 16 Sep (TL): SEMIPALMATED PLOVER: 20, Lower Eel River, 18 Jul (BS): PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER: 1, King Salmon, 14 Sep (SMc).
LESSER YELLOWLEGS: 100, ERWA, 25 Aug (DF, JP): GREATER YELLOWLEGS: 150, ERWA, 25 Aug (DF, JP): SOLITARY SANDPIPER: 1, Alexandre Dairy, 1 Sep (RH, et al.): LONG-BILLED CURLEW: 16, Lower Eel River, 2 Aug (BS): WANDERING TATTLER: 1, ERWA, 25 Aug (DF, JP): SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER: 1-3, ERWA, 25 Aug-4 Sep (RLeV, TL, NL); 1, Manila, 26 Aug (GH): BAIRD'S SANDPIPER: 1, Little River Estuary, 26 Aug (TL); 1, King Salmon, 16 Sep (SMc): RED KNOT: 2-4, King Salmon, 13-21 Sep (SMc): DUNLIN: 20-30, King Salmon, 13 Sep (SMc): PECTORAL SANDPIPER: 1, ERWA, 25 Aug (DF, JP); 2, Lower Mad River, 31 Aug (MC); x, Alexandre Dairy, 1 Sep (RH, et al.); 1, ERWA, 9 Sep (BC); 5, Eureka Sewage Marshes, 15 Sep (EE); 1, Freshwater Lagoon, 18 Sep (MH); 5, ERWA, 19 Sep (SH, BC); 5, Pudding Creek Est., 20 Sep (DT); 17, Hookton Road, 21 Sep (SMc); 24, Moxon Road, 21 Sep (GH); 5, Lower Mad River, 21 Sep (GH): COMMON SNIPE: 1, ERWA, 6 Sep (SMc): LONG-TAILED JAEGER: 1 flyby, Salt River, 31 Aug (TL, et al.), very rare onshore. PARASITIC JAEGER: 1-18 of these have been constantly harassing the Elegant Terns at North Jetty and nearby channels all though Sept (MO); they have been joined on occasion by 1-2 POMARINE JAEGERS, mostly in juv. plumage and therefore difficult to identify. ELEGANT TERN: Up to 50 have been in Humboldt Bay's main channel most of Sep (MO); TL reported 7 at Trinidad Bay, 14 Sep: COMMON TERN: 1-4 at North Jetty and at the tern roost on South Spit, 8-17 Sep (SMc, DF): FORSTER'S TERN: 1, AMP, 20 Sep, (SH); 1, South Bay, 21 Sep (SMc): ARCTIC TERN: 1, North Jetty, 7 Sep (GH, JH); 2, South Spit, 8 Sep (SMc).
WILLOW FLYCATCHER: an outstanding fall for this species as follows: 1-2, Clam Beach, 26 Aug-3 Sep (TL); 3, mouth of Willow Creek, 26 Aug (TL); 2, Endert's Beach, 1 Sep (RH, et al.); 1, AB, 2-7 Sep (BD, TL); 1, AOP, 2-4 Sep (BD, RJA); 2, AMP, 6 Sep (SH, EE); 4, Sandy Bar, 10 Sep (J&KH); x, near Fairhaven, 13 Sep (GH); 1, Arcata, 14 Sep (RJA); 1, Trinidad Head, 14 Sep (TL); 1, Clam Beach, 14 Sep (TL); 1, Clam Beach, 20 Sep (TL): WESTERN WOOD PEWEE: 1, AMP, 6 Sep (SH): TROPICAL KINGBIRD: 1, Eureka Boat Basin, 19 Sep (GL): PURPLE MARTIN: 4, Clam Beach, 26 Aug (TL); 8, AMP, 6-7 Sep (EE): CLARK'S NUTCRACKER: 1, south of Horse Mountain, 1-7 Sep (BC); 12, Titlow Road area, 14 Sep (DF, JP); 1, Blake Mountain Summit, 16 Sep (GS): GRAY JAY: 1, Fieldbrook, 12 Sep (GL): MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE: 1, near Fairhaven, 20-21 Sep (BC, et al.): BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 4, Clam Beach, 1 Sep (TL); 1-4, AMP, almost daily, (SH, et al.): ROCK WREN: 1, Alderpoint Road, 13 Sep (GH); 1, Kneeland, 18 Sep (AD).
AMERICAN PIPIT: 1, flying over Ship Mountain Lookout, 10 Sep (DF): NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD: 1, Clam Beach, 1 Sep (TL): PALM WARBLER: 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 1 Sep (SMc); 1, AMP, 5 Sep (CO): YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: 1, Moxon Road, 30 Aug (GH): CALIFORNIA TOWHEE: 1, Bayside, 21 Sep (DF, JP): LARK SPARROW: 1, Fortuna Dike, 25 Aug (RLeV); 1, North Spit, 14 Sep (TL, JH): WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 1, North Spit, 14 Sep (DA): FOX SPARROW: 1, AMP, 6 Sep (SH): LINCOLN'S SPARROW: 1, AMP, 6 Sep (EE); 1, Clam Beach, 20 Sep (TL): CASSIN'S FINCH: 2, NE of Ship Mountain, 10 Sep (DF): EVENING GROSBEAK: 2, Fieldbrook, 11 Sep (GL); 1, Azalea Hill, 14 Sep (GL):
Please send reports for next month to me at 1595 Charles Ct, Arcata, 95521, phone them to (707) 822-3802, put them on the Arcata Bird Box (822, 5666), or write them on the rare bird sheet outside of room 204, the Wildlife Building, Humboldt State University Campus.
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