A single Bar-tailed Godwit was reported at the Hayward Regional Shoreline several days ago and has been since been reported in eBird by many birders. Yesterday with some expert spotter's help I was able to photograph it. A lifer for me as was the appearance of a few Surf Birds. They were mixed in with many Willets and a challenge to sort out looking through my camera’s viewfinder. So I did the sorting in post.
A couple of photos showing the Godwit and its companions.
Surf Bird, Black Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Black Turnstone Hayward RS
Claude Lyneis
Hi Folks,
At first blush this bird seems to be a female. The red cap is more extensive and
reaches farther back, the black eye stripe is narrower, the black
submustachial is stronger and reaches farther back. The red in the throat is a slightly smaller patch
than you generally see in males. And lastly in one of the original
photos taken by the finder, Madhavi B., you can see a small white crescent between
the bill and the throat.
The bend where the black malar connects to the back bib appears weak due to
veiling. Fresh basic plumage with pale fringes that will eventually wear off. Much
like a fresh meadowlark with a tan breast and a vague black V - once the
tips wear off it then resembles the bird we typically see. This veiling
tripped me up and I wondered if this was a hatch year female.
You can see some similarities on this adult female, and it took 24 days of attempts before getting this shot
of a bird that otherwise appeared to have a red throat
When
ageing Spring birds the main focus is on the white greater coverts
(though in any situation an open wing shot is golden). Fall birds are
more difficult, and often require an open wing photo. Monitoring the images of
this bird led to this image by Peter S.
Unlike
passerines, woodpeckers have an extraordinary molt pattern. Rather than
molt flight feathers in a straight sequence, scroll to the images on pg 6 (or p450)
and pg 8 (or p452) to see the patterns
The significance being it's possible to age individuals up to three or four years of age
Peter Pyle's assessment from Peter S's image-
"Secondaries S3 and S4 are basic, so at least 3+ years old. Secondaries S5 and S6 look new. Adult female."
Confused? Watch this 38 minute explanation on woodpecker molt
It's also possible this bird has a small bit of Red-breasted influence. Note the red within the black collar here
If
you've uploaded images of this bird and tagged it as male, please
change it to female, and additionally tag it as adult:
from your checklist click on> manage media> click on image> fill in grid under Age/Sex
Note that comments are a different, and as far as I know, unsearchable field. This helps
researchers immensely, as a filtered search in Macaulay library for an adult female RNSA eliminates images that aren't tagged- so it requires a lot more digging
Please email me off list if you have questions on this
cheers,
Rudy W
SF
Registration is now open for the December 14, 2025, Oakland Christmas Bird Count!
Join us for a day of bird counting and camaraderie. While you're having fun, you'll also be collecting valuable data for the world's longest-running and largest citizen science project; this data is used in scientific studies for conservation efforts. The Oakland count circle primarily covers a large portion of Alameda County and parts of Contra Costa County, and it is divided into 30 areas. We will do our best to place you in an area of your choice.
If you are unsure which area to choose, please refer to the
map. If you are open to being placed wherever you are most needed or already know where you would like to bird, you can go directly to the
registration page.
You can register as a Field Observer to go out into the field with others, or as a Feeder Watcher if you prefer to count from your home or another stationary site. In either case, we encourage you to also sign up for the dinner afterward and participate in the bird countdown, which many participants consider a highlight of the day.
We look forward to seeing you at the Oakland CBC and/or dinner!
Oakland CBC Compilers,
Viviana Wolinsky
Dawn Lemoine
Registration for our fourth annual Richmond Christmas Bird Count to be held on Saturday, January 3 is now open. Spend a fun day outdoors with a team counting individual birds and species, and contributing to our understanding of bird populations! Our first three years have established this count circle as one of the highest in the nation in regards to both participants and species observed, which helps this community science project thrive! Below are links to register as a field observer, feeder-watch, and the post-count dinner. Both beginners and experienced birders are welcome.
We hope you can join us for both the count and the dinner. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have.
Derek Heins and BreeAnn Crofts
richmondcbc@...A Nelson’s Sparrow is back at Arrowhead Marsh. I saw it today in sagebrush at the southeast corner of the boardwalk at (37.7417808, -122.2107818) at about 9:15 am. My camera is in for repairs, but I had nice clear looks at very close range. I then ran into Jeff Manker and Carlos Mendoza. After some searching, Carlos refound it 15-20 feet east of the original spot. It’s as skulky as usual, but should be around for a while this year. I’m assuming this is the same bird which has been seen here each winter since at least 2022, and possibly well before that.
Happy birding,
Zac Denning
For 20-odd years, our patio has hosted one or more WTSPs, often as daily visitors. This one, an especially bright individual, was later than usual.
Doug Vaughan
Berkeley
The birds were pretty active at the "mostly natural pond" (quoting Hugh) at Heather Farm this morning after last night's rain. The west side walkway was full of sparrows and there was a very visible male Common yellowthroat and a marsh wren in the reeds just west of the big oak tree, where the bench is. The wren was very vocal and I think the yellowthroat seemed to be responding. A Sora called a few times on the east shore. https://ebird.org/checklist/S281669584
The south side of the pond is under construction and not accessible, but the rest of the pond was quite birdy. I'd go early when construction noise is less. There are fewer walkers because of the lack of through-access. I visited at 9 am, in between errands.
I wanted to post this in honor of Hugh, who is greatly missed, and definitely would have posted finding a yellowthroat AND marsh wren at his frequently visited "mostly natural pond".
Alan Bade
Pleasant Hill
My thoughts are that the pools and wetlands habitat have improved greatly (west of the interstate) in the last ten years. For the last few years those pools seem to be full of birds at a mostly high tide, which did not used to be the case. (I haven’t checked at a king tide.) This would seem to negate the need for shorebirds to use the rip-rap as a high tide roost.
Just my observation.
Aaron Maizlish
San Francisco.
Twenty-five or so Dunlins in flight were the only shorebirds around high tide this afternoon along the south seawall in Emeryville. This was my 4th such visit since mid-Sept with similar results, in contrast to results of Pt Blue surveys in recent years, which turn up many 100s of waders of a dozen or so species.
I would appreciate any thoughts on reasons for the “vanishing waders.”
Doug Vaughan
Berkeley
Hi Birders,
We hope you will join us and Mt. Diablo Bird Alliance on one of our two Christmas Bird Counts this year.
On Wednesday, DECEMBER 17th will be the EAST CONTRA COSTA Christmas Bird Count. This count circle covers some western delta, eastern foothills of Mt. Diablo, and decreasingly agricultural and increasingly suburban Brentwood, Knightsen, and surrounding areas.
On Saturday DECEMBER 20th will be the CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA Count. This count circle primarily covers the northern flanks of Mt. Diablo and its foothills, the marshes along the Carquinez Strait and SW Suisun Bay, and suburban Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, etc.
HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!
Compilers Julie Starr, Chris Ortega, and Ethan Monk
A bit of a late report, but to be complete, and perhaps especially of interest for other "flight-watchers" in the Bay...
On the 18th with clear skies and ~7-10mph NE wind at dawn, I headed to Pt. San Pablo to watch flight. I was there from 7:18 to 9:38, which is basically an identical time and the identical date as a similar exercise last year. Completely coincidental. I reported that email to the listserv and reply to it with this one, so that list can be found below.
Some counts of note:
B-t Pigeon: 1
Gr-Yellowlegs: 3
Hairy Woodpecker: 1 local, uncommon here
Northern flicker (no ssp./R-S/intergrade): 5/9/5
Say's: 1
Tree Swallow: 2 adults, unusual, in my experience VG swallows are by far the dominant swallow on the Richmond bayshore in Oct. I have seen Tree rarely before in Oct.
Starling: 98
Varied Thrush :18
Hermit Thrush: one in active migration; it is rare (for me) to see Catharus actively migrating during the day.
Robin: 113
Waxwing: 41
Pipit: 19
Purple Finch: 14
Siskin: 2
Lawrence's Goldfinch: 2 flying over early in morning, ea. one separated by ~30 min. Later in morning, a pair came in together and landed on the hill, where they spent a while before heading off. So four total.
Am. Gol: 2
Meadowlark: 3
R-w Blackbird: 6
R-w/Tricolored: 22
Cowbird: 1 male
Brewer's: 15
Y-r Warbler, no ssp: 24
Myrtle: 19, I was surprised to have this many.
Audubon's: 19.
A challenging count today. Some days, most of the things are going one way, some days not. Many birds migrate up the peninsula coming from Richmond and cross into Marin, but many turn around and head back. The first flock of robins I saw on this day (~20 birds) headed up the point past me, heading as if to cross the bay into Marin. 2-3 minutes later, ~20 robins came back going south towards Richmond... oh, the flock must have turned around when it was out of sight. About 30 seconds later came a flock of 30 Robins, coming from Marin, going towards Richmond.
While I am here, some other Richmond odds and ends from recently. Oct. 15th with Derek Heins, a late Warbling Vireo and a Yellow Warbler were at Booker T. Anderson. Also October 15th, was a Bewick's Wren singing vigorously from the dog park cypresses west of the parking lot at Pt. Isabel. This is the only Bewick's Wren I have ever seen here in now well over 100 visits. The Bewick's Wren was not present the 12th. Some of you keeping track will have been aware of the group of 6-10 R-n Phalaropes at Landfill Loop. The 12th there were 17 of them. On the water were plenty G-w Gulls and some mutts. I pinned down Olympic and Cook Inlet among them. An arrival nominate type Red-winged Blackbird was with a flock of bicoloreds that same date at Landfill Loop (and while this paragraph is about Richmond, the 11th there was an arrival nominate male at Holland Tract). And going way back to the 4th, there was a Common Poorwill in the scrub at Miller/Knox. I have seen Common Poorwill once before in Richmond, also October 4th, but in 2020, at Booker T. Anderson.
Best,
Ethan Monk
10/17/25
I was woken up last night by an unusual sound coming from my back yard that I'm pretty sure was a Western Screech Owl! I live in Oakland near High and Brookdale.
-Milo Linaman
Oakland
At 8am I had a Townsend’s Solitaire on a tall bush at (37.8896525, -122.3238034)
Derek Heins
WBNU on our patio west of the Berkeley Hills was unexpected. Red-breasted is common, Pygmies occasional over the past decade, usually in small flocks. The White-breasted flew actively from an adjacent garage wall to a suet feeder to a seed feeder, then gone.
Doug Vaughan
Berkeley
A Red Phalarope was seen from the south end of Monarch street in the old Alameda Naval Air Station. It was in the Seaplane Lagoon.
He’s now up on the beach below the pier on Brooks, the beach all the sad summering ducks sleep on. He is now only with two scoters.
Go to Vincent Park, Shimada would have better light but parking tight. Not visible from ferry terminal and far from islabel. But in an hour light will suck from Vicent.
This morning Tara McIntire found a Harlequin Duck with the scoters in the Lee of Brooks. The bird is currently visible from Isabel but viewing will be better from Vincent Park/Lucretia Edwards area until the light gets bad. And it is floating that way anyways. Considering I picked through this same scoter flock (~50 birds) about three times this morning prior to Tara finding it, I’d guess it came in today, and then maybe might not stay long. But just a guess!
Hi birders,
I've organized another queer birder meet up. This time at Coyote Hills Regional Park. We will meet by the Visitor Center at 8:30 am this upcoming Sunday 10/12.
All are welcome regardless of how they self-identify. All we ask of you is to come ready to be kind to others.
Hope to see some of you there on Sunday! See attached flyer below.
Kat Palermo
Berkeley, CA
Bill Kezer and I biked/birded Clifton Court in very calm winds, with our best sighting being a Lewis's Woodpecker flying south on the northeast side. This is the 248th species reported at this hotspot which is #1 in Contra Costa county. Clifton Court lost two of its biggest fans this year when Jerry Britten and Srikant Char both moved out of the county, but their frequent trips out there resulted in a lot of great sightings in recent years. Lewis's Woodpeckers have been tough to come by this year in Contra Costa, with a few at Vollmer Peak on Sept 23 and 15 at Bishop Ranch Open Space on October 5th.
As expected the forebay was full of American Coots (I put 5,000) and try as we did we couldn't find a swallow that wasn't a Tree among the 3,000 swallows we reported. Also of interest were a handful of Wilson's Snipe and a pair of Red-necked Phalaropes.
Derek Heins
Piedmont