NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
Coastal Mountain Plovers are always unexpected and rarely 
stay long in California, but this juvenile lingered along the 
Santa Cruz County coast 29 October through 6 (here 2) No- 
vember 2008, to the delight of many observers. Photograph 
by Ron Wolf. 
DFx, jCP); others were 15 km e. of LeGrand, 
Mariposa 3 Nov (ad.; EP, Zach Smith), at 
Hawk Hill, Marin 16 Nov (Ken Wilson), and 
at the Fresno W.T.E, Fresno 25 Nov (GaW, BBr 
et al). Ferruginous Hawks were well reported, 
with the earliest at Ocean Meadows, Mendoci- 
no 19 Sep (KHv, JHv, JRW). The first Rough- 
legged Hawk showed up a month later, 20 
Oct, in Sonoma (Chris Selvig) and was fol- 
lowed by a smattering of coastal reports s. to 
Santa Cruz through the period. The Del Norte 
Crested Caracara was nicely photographed 
near Ft. Dick 30 Oct (ph. ADB). Merlin re- 
ports included 3 early birds from 21-31 Aug. 
SHOREBIRDS 
Up to 10 American Golden-Plovers graced six 
counties 30 Aug-29 Nov, and documentation 
was received for all but one: juvs. at Areata 
Bottoms, Humboldt 30 Aug (tDFx, JCP) and 
27 Sep (tNoah Burrell); juvs. at the Salinas 
W.T.E, Monterey 23 Sep (tRF), 12 Oct (ph., 
tOsJ; RyT), and 19-22 Oct (tBLS); a juv. at 
Goose L, Modoc 27 Sep (tSCR); one at the 
Gustine W.T.E, Merced 15 Oct (tPJM); at least 
one juv. at the Loleta Bottoms 19 Oct and 10- 
11 Nov (latest by three days for Hiimboldt, t, 
ph. RbF, MWa, KBu); and a very late juv. at 
the Lodi W.T.E, San Joaquin 29 Nov (tDGY). 
Pacific Golden-Plovers were also well report- 
ed 22 Aug-i-, with perhaps the most unexpect- 
ed being one found at night in Rossi Park, S.E 
3 Nov (HuC, PSar), where one had been 
found at night 5 Oct 2006 (v.r. HuC). Snowy 
Plover reports from less-expected inland loca- 
tions included one at C.R.P. 5 Aug OTr) and 3 
singles in Placer 27 Aug-11 Sep (DCa, DeR, 
KPa). Coastal Mountain Plovers included 2 at 
Centerville, Humboldt 23 Oct (ph. Kevin 
Brindock) and a juv. at Wilder Ranch 29 
Oct-6 Nov (4th for Santa Cruz', PDB, Kim 
Kuska, DLSu, ph. Wendy Naruo, m.ob.). Oth- 
ers reported away from their regular Solano 
wintering areas included 3 n. of Mendota, 
Fresno 4 Sep (GaW) and 2 at Crowley L., 
Mono 16 Sep Qaines & Kay Wilson). 
Fourteen Solitary Sandpipers in 12 coun- 
ties 6 Aug-21 Sep was about average. A juv. 
Gray-tailed Tattler, the Region’s first and Cal- 
ifornia’s 2nd, was discovered at El. 25 Aug 
(ph., TRyT; ph., TMtB; tJTz, Dave Logan). 
Three Whimbrels at Clear L. 6 Sep constitut- 
ed only the 3rd record for Lake (DvW, JSL). 
Marbled Godwits at unusual locations includ- 
ed two reports from Placer, 6 at the Lincoln 
W.T.E 19 Aug (EP) and 3 at Lake Forest 14 
Sep (EP, Richard Carlson), plus a single bird 
at the Madera W.T.E, Madera 27 Sep (PFa). A 
Black Turnstone in s. Kings 26 Aug (ph. JSy) 
was incredibly the 6th for that county, which 
claims nearly half of all C.V records. Tulare’s 
2nd Red Knot, a juv. 8 km nw. of Allensworth, 
was nicely photographed 20 Sep (ph. JLt, 
TKz). Sanderlings made a good inland show- 
ing, with first records for three C.V counties: 
up to 5 at Black Butte Res. 6-11 Sep provided 
firsts for both Tehama and Glenn (tTEa, tJCS, 
tJSL, tKPa), and one at Bobelaine Audubon 
Sanctuary 18-19 Sep was the first for Sutter 
(TDEQ, FrO). Other inland records of note 
included one at Goose L., Modoc 28 Sep 
(SCR), up to 9 at three locations in Placer 25 
Aug-19 Sep, up to 19 in Mono 10 Aug-27 
Sep, and up to 3 w. of Alpaugh, Kings 16-29 
Nov (Gary File, JSL). Notable Semipalmated 
Sandpipers included Trinity's 6th at Trinity L. 
7 Sep OCS, JSL), the 6th, 7th, and 8th records 
for Lake near Clear L. 31 Aug-6 Sep (all juvs.; 
JRW, FHa, TEa et al.), and one near Alpaugh, 
Tulare 9 Aug (TKz). The Region’s 5th Little 
Stint was a one-day wonder at Moonglow 
Dairy (juv., Monterey's 2nd; ph. TEa; ph., tDR; 
ph. BHl et al). Baird’s Sandpipers were noted 
as in “low numbers” in several coastal coun- 
ties but were widely reported inland through 
16 Oct, with 4 at L. Almanor, Plumas 10 Sep 
(BBg, CPD, Dennis Vroman) being perhaps 
the most notable; a juv. at West Struve Slough, 
Santa Cruz 1 Nov was very late (RgW). Pec- 
toral Sandpipers were likewise in low num- 
bers coastally but made a strong showing in 
Mono. Both Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were 
juvs. slightly inland: in Richmond 11 Oct 
(Contra Costa's first; ph., tAlan Krakauer) and 
at H.R.S. 13-16 Oct (ph. Bob Brandriff, ph. 
Steve Huckabone, m.ob.). Santa Cmz's Rock 
Sandpiper returned to West Cliff Dr. for its 
6th winter 19 Nov+ (SGe, m.ob.). A Dunlin in 
full breeding plumage at the Gustine W.T.E, 
Merced 6 Nov was anomalous (PJM). A very 
modest 6 Stilt Sandpipers were found in four 
counties, including 2 near Alpaugh, Tulare 
17-19 Aug (SDS et al). Five juv. Buff-breasted 
Sandpipers, well down from the 2007 record 
numbers, included singles near Ft. Dick, Del 
Norte 1-4 Sep (Lucas Brug, ADB), at the 
mouth of L. Talawa, Del Norte 5-10 Sep (Lu- 
cas Brug, ph. jeS), along Carmody Rd., Sono- 
ma 31 Aug-7 Sep (AWgh, LHg, m.ob.), at Ab- 
botts Lagoon, Marin 28 Aug-1 Sep (SBT, LTer 
et al), and in Alviso, Santa Clara 9-10 Sep 
(ph. WGB et al). Only 7 Ruffs included the 
first record for Stanislaus, up to 2 at the Ceres 
W.T.E 1-4 Sep (HMR, m.ob.). Trinity’s first 
Red Phalarope was at Lewiston L. 6-8 Nov 
(ph. JSL, JLx, FrO); other inland strays in- 
cluded singles at Crowley L., Mono 1 Oct 
(DVP) and the Lincoln W.T.E, Placer 7-8 Oct 
(EP, ph. Phil Robertson, m.ob.) and singles in- 
side S.E Bay at Richmond, Contra Costa 15 
Sep (Jeff Hoppes) and Alviso, Santa Clara 28- 
29 Sep (MMR, MJM, RGJ et al). 
GULLS THROUGH ALODS 
Counts of inland Sabine’s Gulls, nearly all 
juvs., more than doubled the previous Re- 
gional high from 2001. More than 60 were in 
Mono alone 14 Aug-23 Oct, with a high of 
12-1- at Crowley L. 24 Sep (Steve Brad, JuH, 
KNN, m.ob.). Among 19 others inland were 
2nd records for Napa at the Napa W.T.E 18 
Sep OLx, MBe, RLCL), Tulare 8 km nw. of Al- 
lensworth 13-22 Sep (TKz, JLt), Madera at the 
Madera W.T.E 17-18 Sep (GaW; 2 birds), and 
Trinity at Trinity L. 11-13 Sep (KPa, JSL, JLx), 
and 14 others in Fresno, Kings, Merced, Placer, 
San Benito, and Yolo 12 Sep-7 Oct. A Laugh- 
ing Gull at El. 1 Sep (JTz, RyT, ph. MtB) pro- 
vided the 4th island record, whereas a 
Franklin’s there 16 Sep (MtB, JTz, RyT) was 
the island’s 5th. In addition to 109 Franklin’s 
Gulls on Goose L., Modoc 28 Sep (SCR), 13 
were in eight other counties 7 Aug-10 Oct. 
On L. Tahoe, one at Lake Forest, Placer 1 Sep 
(DeR) and 2 at Tahoe Keys, El Dorado 9-10 
Oct (WRi, TEa, jeS) represented only the 2nd 
and 3rd occurrences for the Tahoe Basin. 
The season’s first strong storm brought first 
records of Heermann’s Gull to Shasta, with 4 
at Kutras L. 4 Nov (Ken Bachman, RBr, BED, 
ph. BY, CY), and Napa, with one at L. Hen- 
nessey 5 Nov (tMBe, BDP). Another at Clear- 
lake. Lake 4 Nov QSL, JCS), with 2 there the 
next day (GEC, Cheryl Watson), was part of 
the same movement, but one at O’Neill Fore- 
bay, Merced 20 Sep (ph. KW, KPa) was not. A 
Western Gull x Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid 
at Grant L. 9-16 Sep (ph. JuH, ph. KNN) had 
no precedent in Mono. A California Gull in 
Redwood City, San Mateo in Sep had been 
banded in Alviso, Santa Clara in Jun 1983, es- 
tablishing a new longevity record of 25 years 
152 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
