01 October 2011

81 species

I spent the morning birding a couple of spots in southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County.  Specific locations included Cosumnes River Preserve, Staten Island, and Woodbridge Road.

Although I'm new to the area and not really sure what is supposed to be around, I thought there was more of a fall feel to today with sightings like DARK-EYED JUNCO, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, HERMIT THRUSH, and DUNLIN.

As the corn disappears and flooded fields become more prominent, waterfowl diversity and crane numbers continue to rise.  GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE have been here for a week now and today I had my first fall flock of leucopareia (Aleutian) CACKLING GEESE.


I started the early morning out at Cosumnes River Preserve where this backlit ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was already awake:

This DARK-EYED JUNCO was my first of the season here in the Central Valley:

On Staten Island, there was a flock of Cackling Geese back from the Aleutians:

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS are also back in the area; here is a 1st-winter bird along Woodbridge Road:


I ended the morning with 81 species.  Here is the entire list:

Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Cinnamon Teal
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed Grebe
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
American Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
California Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Warbling Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Wrentit
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow