NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
pipers with smaller numbers of Dunlin, were 
tallied in Alviso, Santa Clara and adjacent 
South S.E Bay 25 Apr (250,000 birds; MMR, 
MJM) and on n. Humboldt Bay, Humboldt 11 
Apr (225,000 birds; DFx), suggesting a very 
concentrated northward migration this sea- 
son. A White-rumped Sandpiper 3 km n. of 
Stratford, Kings 15 May (tDCR, tHG) awaits 
C.B.R.C. review. Six Baird’s Sandpipers in four 
counties 28 Apr-31 May were preceded by 2 
early birds 10 km se. of Kettleman City, Kings 
13 Mar (ph. JSy). A high count of 22 Pectoral 
Sandpipers was reported from Alexandre 
Dairy, Del Norte 21 May (LuB); the only oth- 
er report was of a single bird at the Salinas 
W.T.R, Monterey 4 Apr (DR, ph. BLS). Santa 
Cruz's Rock Sandpiper was last seen 6 Apr 
(PDB). Single Stilt Sandpipers were found 3 
km n. of Stratford, Kings 25 Apr and 4-8 May 
(both Mark Stacy), at Vic Fazio W.A., Yolo 13- 
14 Apr (WEH, ph. JCS), and in Alviso, Santa 
Clara 30 May (ph. MMR, MJM, RGJ). 
Up to 3 Ruffs were in Merced: one at 
Merced N.W.R. 20 Mar (wintering?; PJM), 
one at San Luis N.W.R. 20 Apr (PJM), and a 
female along Henry Miller Rd. 26 Apr (KW); 
others included an ad. male in Alviso, Santa 
Clara 25 Apr (MMR, ph. MJM) and Madera's 
2nd at the Madera W.T.P. 16-23 May (ph. 
GaW, KER). A Wilson’s Snipe winnowing nw. 
of Sebastopol, Sonoma 15-16 May (Gay Bish- 
op) suggests possible nesting well away from 
known breeding areas. Up to 11 Red-necked 
Phalaropes at the Hayfork W.T.R 3-5 May 
QEH, BCtCY et al.) and 25 at Ruth L. 6 May 
(SAG) provided the 3rd and 4th spring 
records for Trinity, 23 at Wilson L., Tehama 2 
May (SAG) were at an unusual mountain lo- 
cation at 1610 m elevation. Reports of Red 
Phalaropes were virtually non-existent; only 
single birds off Mendocino 17 May (RLeV, 
KGR et al.) and on Monterey Bay, Santa Cmz 
23 May (RgW et al.) were reported. 
GULLS THROUGH ALCIDS 
High counts of Black-legged Kittiwakes in- 
cluded 7500 during a three-hour seawatch 
from Pt. Pinos, Monterey 22 Mar (BLS, DR) 
and 2133 at Pigeon Pt., San Mateo 27 Mar 
(RSTh). A Laughing Gull was at Pt. Reyes, 
Marin 12-13 May OuH, RS). Away from Mod- 
oc, where regular, Franklin’s Gulls included 
17 coastal birds in hve counties and 19 in 
Mono, where the high count was of 12 at Big 
Alkali Pond 18 Apr (Bob Hogan). Rare inland 
Mew Gulls included ads. at the Gustine S.T.R, 
Merced 20 Mar (PJM) and in Redding, Shasta 
24 Mar (BED) and Modoc's 3rd, a very late 
hrst-cycle bird, at Goose L. 16 May (ph. SCR). 
The Ostrom Road Landhll, Yuba hosted 2 
Thayer’s and 2 Glaucous-winged Gulls 5 Mar 
OSL); both species are rare in the county. An- 
other Glaucous-winged far inland was at 
Fresno Slough, Fresno 11 Mar (Frank Gibson 
et ah). Rare wintering gulls at the Davis 
W.T.R, Yolo lingered into spring, with the ad. 
Slaty-backed Gull present to 10 Mar; ad. and 
second-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
through 5 & 23 Mar, respectively; and the po- 
tential nominate Iceland Gull through 23 Mar 
(TEa, ph. JCS, m.ob.). A hrst-cycle gull at 
Moss Landing, Monterey 1-7 Mar (ph. BLS, 
DR, ph. DSg, RE RC) showed all the desired 
characters of a Slaty-backed, but dehnitive 
identihcation is confounded by the various 
gull hybrids that occur regularly in the Re- 
gion; this record awaits C.B.R.C. review. After 
a record winter, a total of 50 Glaucous Gulls 
smashed the previous spring record of 34 in 
1999; the latest was at the s. spit of Humboldt 
Bay, Humboldt 22 May (KGR). 
The season’s waterbird highlight was the 
Region’s hrst conhrmed Gull-billed Tern. The 
bird was seen briefly at the Palo Alto Baylands, 
Santa Clara 3 May (ph. JMD, Lee Hung) be- 
fore disappearing, only to be rediscovered at 
the Radio Road ponds in Redwood Shores, San 
Mateo 17-19 May (LHg, ph. JMo, ph. KrO, ph. 
Michael Scott, m.ob.). Previous multiple-ob- 
server reports are from the Woodland Sugar 
Ponds, Yolo 2 Oct 1960 and American River 
Parkway South, Sacramento 17 May 1964, but 
neither was photographed. A Least Tern at the 
Madera S.T.R 25 May (ph. GaW) provided 
Madera's 2nd record. Among the few migrant 
Black Terns reported, one at the Red Bluff R.A. 
2 May (BED et al.) provided a rare Tehama 
record. A Forster’s Tern at Trinity L. 4 May 
(SAG) was only the 3rd for Trinity and the first 
in spring. Elegant Terns appeared early, the 
first being 6 at the Salinas R. mouth, Monterey 
21 Apr (RE). A Black Skimmer at Ocean Beach 
16 May (HuC, PSar) was only the 2nd for S.E 
About 20 others were in Alameda, Monterey, 
San Mateo (both bayside and coastal), Santa 
Cruz, and Santa Clara, the latter county pro- 
viding the high count of 10 in Mountain View 
10 Apr (RCP). The lone South Polar Skua was 
off Bodega Head, Sonoma 26 May (MFo). 
Long-tailed Jaegers are much less frequently 
observed in spring than fall. Four were ob- 
served off Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin dur- 
ing a NOAA research cruise 18-26 May 
(MFo), and one on Monterey Bay 31 May (ph. 
DSg, ph. JPo, DR et al.) provided the first 
spring record for Monterey. 
A count of 189 Pigeon Guillemots at Light- 
house Pt. 8 Apr (OsJ) was high for Santa Cruz. 
Xantus’s Murrelets, all scrippsi, included 2 off 
Monterey 21 May (MFo), one in Santa Cruz 
waters of Monterey Bay 22 May (MFo), and 2 
there 31 May (ph. DR, ph. JPo, ph. DSg, 
RgW). The lone Horned Puffins reported were 
singles sw. of EL 24 May and w. of the Russian 
R., Sonoma 24 May (both MFo). 
DOVES THROUGH THRUSHES 
Single out-of-place Band-tailed Pigeons were 
in Sacramento at Rancho Cordova 1 Mar (Paul 
Buchanan) and near California State Univer- 
sity Sacramento 1 May (DES). No place in the 
Region is immune to the incredible expansion 
of range and increase in numbers of Eurasian 
Collared-Dove. The species is being reported 
from high-elevation mts., including a bird in 
Truckee 31 Mar (MMy) thought to be the first 
for Nevada, to the open ocean, including 2 
birds 55 km nw. of Pt. Pinos, Monterey 21 May 
(MFo). It was said to be “plentiful” at Pasken- 
ta, Tehama 3 May (SAG) and “everywhere” at 
Ferndale Bottoms, Humboldt 11 May (RbF, 
MWa), with 60+ birds estimated at the latter 
site. White-winged Doves are exceptional 
anywhere in the Region away from the coast; 
one at Orland 23 Mar (KPa) was a first not 
only for Glenn but for the Sacramento Valley. 
A Yellow-billed Cuckoo at El. 31 May (PRBO) 
was likely a vagrant from the e. population 
rather than a wayward w. migrant, given how 
few breed in the Region at or n. of the latitude 
of FI. A Barred Owl on Goat Mt. 25 Apr (Ger- 
ry Mugele) was the first for Colusa and the 
southernmost for the interior coast range. A 
Burrowing Owl at Swanton, Santa Cruz 10 
Mar (JHW, JLL, m.ob.) was a good find. Two 
owls at the same burrow 14-22 Mar spawned 
speculation of possible breeding, which has 
not occurred in Santa Cruz in more than 20 
years. Alas, no courtship activity was ob- 
served, and the birds were not found after 22 
Mar (DLSu, JLL, m.ob.). A weakened North- 
ern Saw-whet Owl picked up near Byron, 
Contra Costa 1 Apr provided a rare C.V 
record; it died the next day (fide Sherrill 
Cook). The Whip-poor-will at Willow Creek, 
Humboldt returned for its 3rd summer 25 Apr 
(Russ Namitz et al.). A male Magnificent 
Hummingbird x Anna’s Hummingbird hy- 
brid, sporting a lemon gorget, visited a feeder 
near Eureka, Humboldt 2-5 Apr (ph. Jerry 
Mahlberg, ph. Kathryn Krupnick, SWH, DFx, 
RbF, m.ob.). This bird presumably is the off- 
spring of the female Magnificent Humming- 
bird that visited feeders in the same area in 
spring and summer 2004 and represents the 
first record anywhere of this hybrid combina- 
tion. A typical smattering of Calliope Hum- 
mingbirds was noted beginning in mid-Apr, 
including a first for Sutter near Live Oak 2-6 
May (male; JLa, JCS, BED,JLx, KPa). Obser- 
vations from surveys conducted 17-21 May at 
Big Basin Redwoods S.E, Santa Civz (DLSu) 
illustrate the distinct separation of breeding 
500 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
