An amazing number of rarities have been found here: Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Reichmuth Park and Babel Slough are among the very few other small sites in the Sacramento area with a similar track record. Jeri Langham and his cadre of friends and students scour it, sometimes several times a day, during migration. Gristmill is big enough to attract and hold interesting birds (ebird shows >200 species!), but small enough and open enough to allow for good coverage.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Image by Daniel Lee Brown
Birding the site: From the parking area, there are informal trails heading both upstream and downstream. Heading upstream near the river, the trail overlooks a bluff with nesting Northern Rough-winged Swallows. There are often many waterbirds visible on the large pond on the north side of the river (William B. Pond Recreation Area). Access extends for only about a quarter-mile in this direction, but it can be quite productive, and you can make a loop by returning on a different trail farther from the river. Heading downstream from the parking area, an informal trail goes through nice stands of willows and cottonwoods. These give way to stands of non-native black locust and some non-native elm. Alders and willows line the riverbank. There are several spots with open views of the river, and Barrow’s Goldeneyes are sometimes found among the Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers.
The parkway narrows shortly after crossing the Mayhew Drain, about one mile downstream from the parking area, though you may continue all the way to the Watt access, over two miles from the Gristmill access. A few large oaks often harbor Black-throated Gray Warblers, among other species, during spring and fall, and occasionally they overwinter here. Larchmont Park, a quarter-mile downstream of the Mayhew Drain, just outside of the levee, has hosted a Red-naped Sapsucker and Sacramento County’s only Cape May Warbler. Yellow-billed Magpies, Western Bluebirds, and Lark Sparrows are often seen here.
eBird Sightings - Gristmill, Larchmont
Directions: From downtown Sacramento, take Highway 50 east for 9.5 miles from Interstate 5. Exit at Bradshaw Road and go north (left) to Folsom Boulevard. Turn left on Folsom Boulevard, and then right onto Butterfield Way. Drive northwesterly for 0.17 miles and turn right on Linda Rio Drive. Go 0.35 mi northerly and turn right on Mira Del Rio Drive. In about 50 yards, turn left into Gristmill Recreation Area. The entrance fee is currently $7 per vehicle (or a $70 annual pass). You may also park along Mira Del Rio Drive and walk into the park.
Chris Conard