Many commented that much of this April felt more like March. This has been an uncommonly cool early spring and several low-lying areas remained flooded from the very wet winter. With warming temperatures and bulging rivers expected for the next two months, some of our local sites like Cosumnes River Preserve may not be fully accessible until June or later. In March, Band-tailed Pigeon numbers increased, and for most of April they were quite regular in Sacramento County from about Orangevale east into the low foothills. A flock on 4/4 was photographed at Deer Creek Hills documenting (eBird Checklist S132742463) a staggering 177 pigeons!
It is not that often our region produces rarities of statewide significance. Those records are typically reserved for coastal areas, the ocean, and desert oases. A Ruddy Ground-Dove visiting a rural yard southwest of Clarksburg (eBird Checklist S135193295) was certainly an exception. It was first heard on 4/26, seen and photographed by many on 4/27, but not detected thereafter. A Common Poorwill was found along Babel Slough on 4/26; they seem to be turning up less frequently in migration than a decade ago. An Allen's Hummingbird was found at the same site as the ground-dove on 4/27-4/28; this location has been consistent in recent years for this locally-rare hummingbird species. On 4/13 along Swan Rd in the vicinity of Winship Rd, there was a group of eight Pacific Golden-Plovers and another two about a half-mile away. This general area, south of Dixon, appears to be a local hotspot for this species. There were few Solitary Sandpiper reports this spring, but a long-staying bird was found on 4/15 that continued through the end of the month near LeisureTown Rd at Allendale Rd, off Hwy 505 between Winters and Vacaville. Another was found on 4/26 through the end of the month at the North Area Drainage Pond in Davis.
Since the widespread adoption of eBird, locally uncommon Empidonax flycatcher reports are proving to be more common than had been appreciated. Especially in the second half of the month, there were impressive numbers of Hammond's, Gray, and Dusky flycatchers; the report of seven Gray Flycatchers from a private ranch in southeastern Sacramento County on 4/17 deserves special mention. Say's Phoebes are consolidating their status as local breeding birds. A nest with three chicks was found at Marysville High School on 4/19, apparently the first breeding record for Yuba County. Coming off an excellent winter for Townsend's Solitaires, singles were reported at Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area on 4/17 and from Slide Hill Park in Davis on 4/27. A few Evening Grosbeaks lingered from the March invasion, with one in Rancho Cordova on 4/1, four in Elk Grove on 4/2 (eBird Checklist S132498047), and one north of Lake Camanche on 4/7. There were several reported Brewer's Sparrows in eastern Sacramento County, where they are regular, and one at Rossmoor Bar on the American River Parkway on 4/22 where they are less expected. On 4/15, a Black-and-white Warbler was reported singing and briefly seen at Effie Yeaw Nature Center. The Summer Tanager found consistently near Fairytale Town in William Land Park beginning on 3/11 continued through at least 4/14.
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, Max Brodie, Aidan Brubaker, Lyann Comrack, Gil Ewing, Cliff Hawley, Greg Hemig, Tim Howell, Manfred Kusch, Jeri Langham, Barbara Leary, Andrew Lee, Mark Martucci, Ethan Monk, Nora Papian, Asher Perla, Michael Perrone, Steve Scott, Kevin Thomas, John Trochet, Tom Uslan, and Dan Williams. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.