NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
Northern California had two previous reports of Gull-billed Tern from 
the 1960s but no photographically documented records until spring 
2009. This bird, initially found in Palo Alto, Santa Qara County on 3 
May, reappeared in Redwood City, San Mateo County, where this pho- 
tograph was taken on the second day of its 1 7-1 9 May stay. Photo- 
graph by Joseph Morion. 
lished in a eucalyptus grove at Moonglow 
Dairy, Monterey, with up to 34 nests in late 
May (RF). 
HERONS THROUGH FALCONS 
Snowy Egrets e. of Truckee 20 Apr (2 birds; 
ph. ECB, Barney Kroeger) and 3 May (ph. 
MMy) were apparently the first for the e. 
slope of Nevada. A pair of Snowy Egrets and 
three pairs of Black-crowned Night-Herons 
nesting at Grizzly I., Solano 20 May Qohn 
Kelly, Emiko Condenso, Bob Baez, RLCL) 
constituted the first nesting records of both 
species for Suisun Marsh. Both species nest- 
ed in very low numbers or not at all at the 
heronries at H.R.S. and Palo Alto Baylands, 
Santa Clara. Inland Cattle Egrets of note in- 
cluded Modoc’s 3rd at Modoc N.W.R. 13-18 
Apr (SCR, JLx, JSL, JCS) and 3 at Long Val- 
ley, Mono 13 May (KNN). Coastal reports in- 
cluded 6 at Pier 5, S.F. 14 Apr (PSar) and sin- 
gles at Redwood Shores, San Mateo 14 Apr-i- 
(Tom Goodier, PJM, m.ob.), Moonglow 
Dairy, Monterey 22 Apr (DR), and Palo Alto 
Baylands, Santa Clara 22 May-i- (MDo, 
m.ob.). High numbers of White-faced Ibis 
were reported from nine coastal counties 
throughout the period, with up to 56 at Ar- 
eata Marsh, Humboldt 16 May (Pat Bitton, 
RbF SeC) and 71 at the Salinas W.T.P., Mon- 
terey 19 May (ph. DR, RC). 
Breeding bird atlas field work continues to 
document an increasing number of nesting 
Ospreys in sw. Solano (fide RLCL). A pair 
nesting near Hwy. 41 along the San Joaquin R. 
19 Mar-i- QND) was the first nesting record on 
the C.V floor in Madera, but the nest had ap- 
parently been used previously. Reports of Bald 
Eagles, including both nesting ads. and wan- 
dering imms., continue to increase from 
across the Region. The only Broad-winged 
Hawk reported was one over Battery Godfrey, 
S.F. 16 May (HuC). Swainson’s Hawks were 
well reported away from known breeding ar- 
eas throughout the period, with birds along 
the immediate coast at Harkins Slough, Santa 
Cruz 18 Apr (MST, WSS et al), Mt. Davidson, 
S.F. 20 Apr (BEi), Pt. Reyes, Marin 21 Apr (RS, 
DWm), and Pescadero, San Mateo 12 May 
(DLSu). A pair nesting se. of Hensley L., 
Madera 24 May QND) represented a rare 
foothill breeding record. The detection of 
many nesting pairs in Solano is completely re- 
defining the species’ status in that county 
(fide RLCL). An ad. Zone-tailed Hawk over 
Cole Valley 17 May (tPSar) was the first for 
S.F. and the 9th for the Region (the 4th in 
spring, with records now spanning 1 1 Apr-17 
May). A Eerruginous Hawk near Et. Bidwell, 
Modoc 17 May (SCR) was unseasonable, al- 
though breeding has been previously suspect- 
ed in Modoc and has been documented 
in neighboring Lassen and Siskiyou. 
The Del Norte Crested Caracara con- 
tinued through the season in the 
Smith R. bottoms (Cannin Cowles, 
Nick Methany). 
Two Yellow Rails were captured dur- 
ing Black Rail banding efforts s. of Eair- 
field, Solano 30 Mar (ph. Kyle Spra- 
gens, Matt Eerner, Brian Spirou); these 
were the first found in Suisun Marsh 
since 2005, but the species was report- 
ed annually there for four consecutive 
winters up to that point. A pair of 
Common Moorhens remained in Uki- 
ah through the period (GEC, m.ob.), 
arousing suspicions that Mendocino's 
first breeding record was underway. 
Surprising May Sandhill Cranes in- 
cluded 6 over Novato, Marin 6 May (Lang 
Stevenson) and the first May record for San 
Joaquin, at Terminous 31 May (DaW); a pair 
returned to Bridgeport, Mono for a 3rd con- 
secutive summer 1 May-r (Barbara Kelly, 
m.ob.). 
SHOREBIRDS 
Up to 14 Black-bellied Plovers at McArthur 
18- 29 Apr (B&CY, KAb, Don Marsh) provid- 
ed only the 6th Shasta record. A mostly alter- 
nate-plumaged Pacific Golden-Plover on an 
Alviso salt pond 25 Apr (MMR, ph. MJM) was 
only the 2nd Apr golden-plover for Santa 
Clara and the first identified to species. The 
only Mountain Plovers reported this season 
were up to 24 w. of Madera, Madera 9-12 Mar 
(GaW). Two Black Oystercatchers at H.R.S. 
21 Apr and 26 May were the first there since 
28 Nov 2004 and included the latest spring 
record for that location (RJR). A high count of 
9 American Avocets at Shasta Valley W.A., 
Siskiyou 10-20 May included a pair on a nest 
19- 20 May that was found destroyed and 
abandoned 25 May (RE); this is the first 
known nesting attempt in the Shasta Valley. 
An “Avostilt,” or American Avocet x Black- 
necked Stilt hybrid, was found se. of Mendo- 
ta, Fresno 4 May QND); previous instances of 
this very rare hybrid combination are detailed 
in Western Birds 35: 57-59 (2004). 
Twenty-one Solitary Sandpipers in 11 
counties 19 Apr-14 May included Trinity’s 
3rd at the Hayfork W.T.E 3 May OEH, Lowell 
Young). Migrant Willets inland included 14 in 
Placer 18 Apr (12 at Northstar and 2 at Tahoe 
Vista; BWb), Sutter’s 2nd s. of Tudor 4 May 
(BED, JCS, JLx), and up to 2 at Madera W.T.P., 
Madera 16-25 May (GaW). Eight Lesser Yel- 
lowlegs on a single Alviso, Santa Clara salt 
pond 25 Apr (MMR, MJM) was a large num- 
ber for spring. Up to 46 Whimbrels at 
McArthur 17-27 Apr (KAb, B&CY, Don 
Marsh) provided the 4th record for Shasta' up 
to 57 Long-billed Curlews there 8-21 Apr 
(KAb) tripled tbe previous Shasta high count 
for this species. A Marbled Godwit with the 
curlews 18 Apr (B&CY) was Shasta’s 4th 
record, all in spring. Sixty-three Marbled 
Godwits at Merced N.W.R. , Merced 20 Apr 
(PJM) provided a high inland count, and one 
s. of East Nicolaus 2 May provided one of few 
Sutter records Oka, Dan Skalos). Migrating 
Ruddy Turnstones were noted through 10 
May, with 90 in three adjacent salt ponds at 
the e. end of Dumbarton Bridge, Alameda 8 
May being the highest count in our note- 
books since May 1991 (MJM). One at Vic 
Eazio WA. 14-16 Apr (WEH, ph. JCS) pro- 
vided the first Yolo record in several years. 
Inland Red Knots included 3 at Goose L. 
16 Apr (high count for Modoc, SCR), at least 
1 1 in Kings 3-20 May (SDS, JSy, Mark Stacy, 
RH), and 5 at Lower Klamath N.W.R., Siskiy- 
ou 6 May (C. Kisling). Santa Cmz saw its 5th 
and 6th spring records 5 Apr (3 birds; SGe) 
and 9 May (Eric Miller), the latter consisting 
of a “wreck” of 7 disheveled and injured birds 
found alive in residential yards two blocks 
apart in Santa Cruz, 2 km from the coast; all 
eventually died. High Sanderling counts in- 
side S.E Bay included 83 at the e. end of the 
Dumbarton Bridge, Alameda 21 Apr (MJM) 
and 70 at H.R.S. 17 May (nearly five times the 
previous May high count for this location; 
RJR). The only truly inland report was of a 
continuing bird at Lemoore, Kings 18 Apr 
(Mark Stacy). Most Semipalmated Sandpipers 
were inland, with one at Goose L., Modoc 16 
Apr (SCR) and 2-3 in Kings 28 Apr-8 May 
(SBT, SDS, JSy); the others were at Alexandre 
Dairy, Del Norte 21-22 May (ph. LuB) and 
H.R.S. 28 May (RJR). Incredibly large flocks 
of small shorebirds, mostly Western Sand- 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 3 
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