September about tops the list as the most interesting month for birding in our area. This month did not disappoint in terms of rarities, though many noted more slow days in the field than desired and very few days with really high numbers of migrants. There were some interesting shorebirds again this month, but songbird rarities stole the show. Toward the end of the month, many reported flyover Sandhill Cranes, signaling a turn toward fall. A Snowy Plover was a nice find at Staten Island in San Joaquin County on 9/20, and the string of excellent Yolo County shorebird reports continued with a Stilt Sandpiper at the Rd 104 ponds from 9/7-9/20. Pectoral Sandpipers were widely reported, and Solitary Sandpiper reports came from Cosumnes River Preserve (CRP) on 9/2, a different CRP location on 9/3, and from the Bufferlands on 9/7.
A well-photographed Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (eBird checklist S150244482) was an excellent find at Lake Solano on 9/18. A Least Flycatcher at CRP on 9/15 was an excellent find, as was an Eastern Kingbird along the Natomas Main Drainage Canal, north of Garden Hwy and the Sacramento River, on 9/6-9/8. Even more surprising was a well-photographed Blue-headed Vireo (eBird Checklist S149673549) on 9/11 along Putah Creek near the Pedrick Rd Bridge. Two Pacific Wrens reported at Lake Solano on 9/23 were on the early side. Four Evening Grosbeaks on 9/21 at Sacramento Bar along the American River Parkway (ARP) were a real surprise, as was a male Red Crossbill that perched briefly in the top of a dead tree at Willow Hill Reservoir Community Park in Folsom on 9/3. A Lark Bunting was nicely photographed (eBird Checklist S149336417) at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area (YBWA) on 9/8, and a Green-tailed Towhee was a nice find at Sailor Bar (ARP) on 9/15. A recording of a calling Bobolink was a nice surprise from the Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento on 9/6.
Rare warblers made a good showing this month, with a Northern Waterthrush at YBWA on 9/9, and a Tennessee Warbler at Sacramento Bar (ARP) on 9/24. A Virginia's Warbler, very rare in Northern California, was an excellent find (eBird Checklist S150244482) at Lake Solano on 9/17-9/18. American Redstarts were found on 9/1 near the Pedrick Rd bridge, along Babel Slough from 9/2-9/7, and in North Davis on 9/19. A Northern Parula was a nice find at Lake Solano on 9/6, as was a Chestnut-sided Warbler on 9/19 at Sacramento Bar (ARP). Rounding out the list of rarities, Summer Tanager reports included one at CRP on 9/9, two different birds at CRP on 9/15, and one at William Land Park on 9/26.
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: Max Brodie, Lyann Comrack, Konshau Duman, Chris Dunford, Jonathan Eisen, Frank Fabbro, Tim Fitzer, Joshua Greenfield, Mike Guard, David Hamilton, Denise Hamilton, Cliff Hawley, Jim Holmes, Jeri Langham, Andrew Lee, Jenny Luo, Mark Martucci, Bryce Parker, Zane Pickus, Rene Reyes, Steve Scott, Kim Tenggardjaja, Kevin Thomas, John Trochet, and Lynette Williams. Thanks to everyone for their reports--without them, this column would not be possible.