Although the second half of January wasn't particularly rainy, flooding from storms in the first part of the month continued to limit access to places like Cosumnes River Preserve (CRP). Waterfowl had many options, with standing water well distributed, so they weren't necessarily found in high concentrations at typical locations. Three Trumpeter Swans near the junction of Yolo County Rds 27 and 103 were a nice surprise (eBird Checklist S125953350). Most of the reports of this species in the Sacramento Valley are to the north of the area usually covered by this column. While missed on count day for the Folsom CBC, a male and a female Red-breasted Merganser were on Lake Natoma on 1/4 (eBird Checklist S125436895). A Greater Roadrunner was found along Rd 81 in the Capay Valley on 1/22. This species is becoming increasingly hard to find in the region.
Mountain Plovers continued along Hwy 45 in Yolo County, just south of the Colusa County line, with up to 45 reported. This has been the only location where they have been found in the Sacramento area this winter. The old stronghold south of Dixon did not produce any reports. A first-cycle Glaucous Gull, always a treat (eBird Checklist S126863575), was found on 1/24 through the end of the month along Yolo County Rd 104 west of the Yolo County (Davis) Landfill. Another Glaucous Gull was at Beals Pt, Folsom Lake, on 1/29. Least Bitterns are hard to find, especially in winter, so a report from Yolo County Rd 25, near Rd 103, is notable. The Long-eared Owl wintering in the Wildhorse neighborhood of Davis continued into February.
Lewis's Woodpeckers have been found in excellent numbers this season, but a report of 288 from an all-day outing to a private ranch in southeastern Sacramento County was the most impressive yet. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found on 12/26 near the Elkhorn Volunteer Fire Dept (close to the Elkhorn boat ramp) continued into February. Two different Cassin's Vireos were found in Davis and one was also found in Woodland. Typically exceedingly rare (Eastern) Winter Wrens continued from November, with one at the end of Payen Rd, just into El Dorado County, continuing to 1/3, one at the Putah Creek Fishing Access #2 continuing to 1/17, and the one at Lake Solano Park continuing to at least 1/21. Townsend's Solitaires were well-represented in Sacramento, with the one found at the old City Cemetery on 12/24 continuing through 1/2, the bird at Sacramento City College continuing into February, and a third along S Land Park Dr, to the south of Sutterville Rd, found between 1/3 and 1/21. There were scattered reports of Evening Grosbeaks from Fair Oaks, Lincoln, Davis (eBird Checklist S126341731), and Woodland. A Grasshopper Sparrow along Scott Rd, south of White Rock Rd, on 1/1 was a nice surprise, and a Bullock's Oriole in Woodland on 1/25 was even more surprising. A Nashville Warbler, first detected on 1/19, appeared to be spending the winter in a dry area of CRP, and the Summer Tanager that was found east of Slide Hill Park in Davis on 12/6 continued to at least 1/16.
The Sacramento Area is roughly defined as lying between Hwy 20 to the north, Hwy 12 to the south, and the 1000-foot contour to the east and west, plus all of Sacramento and Yolo counties. Many reports first appeared on the Central Valley Bird Club listserv (groups.io/g/centralvalleybirds) and in eBird (ebird.org). It is impossible to list everyone, but we thank the following for their reports: Dan Airola, Joseph Atkinson, Max Brodie, Aidan Brubaker, Brent Campos, Hugh Cotter, Lyann Comrack, Lily Douglas, Leo Edson, Andy Engilis, Gil Ewing, Frank Fabbro, Stephen Fettig, Cliff Hawley, Jeri Langham, Sami LaRocca, Andrew Lee, Mark Martucci, Adam Panto, Nora Papian, Michael Perrone, Steve Scott, Sean Smith, Cameron Tescher, Kevin Thomas, John Trochet, Violet Wu, Bart Wickel, Rick Williams, and Wentao Yang. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.