NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
Making the first breeding record for Fresno County, California, these Forster's Terns 
were among a small colony at a groundwater recharge facility in central Fresno 16 July 
2009. Photograph by Gary Woods. 
Yuba OLa)- Up to 3 Dunlins summered at 
H.R.S. (RJR). The only Stilt Sandpiper report- 
ed was 3 km n, of Stratford, Kings 23-26 Jul 
QSy); the only Ruff was in Alviso, Santa Clara 
26 Jul (DvWb). Unseasonable Wilsons Snipe 
were at C.R.P, 21 jun (CCo, KLL, John 
Schick) and 11 Jul QTr et al.); one at Areata 
Marsh, Humboldt 30 Jul (SeC) was an early re- 
turning bird. A pair of Wilson’s Phalaropes 
with 2 young at the Jepson Prairie Preserve, 
Solano 12 Jun (RLCL, Lillian Fujii, Steve 
Hayashi) marked the 2nd breeding occur- 
rence there in five years. 
A first-cycle Little Gull at the S. Truckee R. 
mouth in S. Lake Tahoe 5 Jun (tJCS, TEa) 
would be El Dorado's first and only the 4th 
summer record for the Region (p.a.). 
Franklin’s Gull counts at Goose L., Modoc in- 
cluded 22 on 8 Jun and 32 on 19 Jul (SCR); 
elsewhere, 5 s. of Corcoran, Kings 3 Jun dwin- 
dled to one on 18 Jun OSy); 7 were at Shasta 
Valley W.A., Siskiyou 2 Jun (RE); and one was 
at the Davis W.T.E, Yolo 29-31 Jul (TEa, ph. 
CCo). Summering Mew Gulls are extremely 
rare anywhere in the Region, so a second-cy- 
cle bird at Goose L., Modoc 19 Jul (ph. SCR), 
almost certainly the same bird seen there in 
May, was unexpected. California Gulls, pre- 
dominantly subads., were in unusually high 
numbers in Santa Cruz throughout the peri- 
od, with a high count of 2200 seen flying 
northward at Seacliff S.B. 5 Jul (DLSu). Per- 
haps associated with this phenomenon, an ad. 
on a nest within a Western Gull colony in 
Capitola 9 Jun (PCp, LHe.JND) provided the 
first nesting record for Santa Cruz. The Cali- 
fornia Gull population at Mono L., Mono 
numbered 23,766 nests, an increase of 29% 
over 2008 numbers and the highest since 
2004 (KNN). Nesting 
was again attempted at 
the EL colony established 
last year, with high 
counts of 718 individuals 
and 95 nests (including 
some with eggs and 
chicks) on 10 Jun, but 
the number of active 
nests dwindled to three 
by 8 Jul, and apparently 
none were successful 
(Pete Warzybok, Russ 
Bradley). Similarly, West- 
ern Gulls on EL experi- 
enced their lowest pro- 
ductivity in 40+ years of 
monitoring, due in large 
part to a high rate of 
chick predation by ad. 
conspecifics (Pete Warzy- 
bok, Russ Bradley). 
After last year’s failed attempt, the pair of 
Least Terns at the Sacramento Regional WT.P 
in Sacramento nested successfully (CCo, 
m.ob.). They were first seen 29 May and had 
3 chicks 25 Jun, 2 of which fledged 13 Jul. 
The family group was last seen 7 Aug, forag- 
ing on ponds surrounding the WT.P At the 
traditional nesting area e. of Kettleman City 
Kings, a pair present 3 Jun-16 Jul fledged one 
young (JSy). A Least Tern at the Madera S.T.P 
6 Jun (ph. GaW, PFa, LyH), which provided a 
3rd Madera record, was thought to be differ- 
ent from the May bird at that location. Rare in 
the S.E Bay area in summer. Black Terns in 
former salt ponds in Santa Clara included a 
basic-plumaged bird 6 Jun (WGB) and one or 
more alternate-plumaged birds 8 Jun-15 Jul 
(GrH, m.ob.). Ad. Forster’s Terns seen carry- 
ing fish in early Jul led to speculation that 
nesting was occurring at a groundwater 
recharge complex at Leaky Acres in cen. Fres- 
no (JND, JSy); a visit on 16 Jul found 52 ads. 
and 30 juvs. (ph. GaW), confirming the first 
Fresno breeding record. Three Common Terns 
at Goose L. 8 Jun (SCR) provided the first Jun 
record for Modoc. Even more unusual inland 
was an Arctic Tern at the S. Truckee R. mouth 
in S. Lake Tahoe, El Dorado 5 Jun (ph. JCS, 
TEa). Elegant Tern numbers in Santa Cruz 
were the lowest in decades (DLSu); one at 
H.R.S. 23 Jun (RJR) was only the 2nd Jun 
record for that location. Black Skimmers nest- 
ed in San Mateo at Menlo Park and Redwood 
Shores and in Santa Clara at Alviso and 
Mountain View. 
The first South Polar Skuas of the fall and 
115 Long-tailed Jaegers were on Monterey 
Bay, Monterey 31 Jul (ShJ). A subad. Long- 
tailed chased a fisherman’s fly on L. Almanor 
28 Jul (Dick Pording), providing a rare 
Plumas record. A Thick-billed Murre at the 
Sea Ranch 14 Jun (ph. tTEa) was an overdue 
first for Sonoma. Common Murre productivi- 
ty at EL and other cen. California locations 
was very low, owing both to low anchovy 
populations and to high Western Gull preda- 
tion (Pete Warzybok, Russ Bradley). Single 
Common Murres were at four locations inside 
s. S.E Bay, where unusual, in San Mateo, 
Alameda, and Santa Clara 6-9 Jun. An alter- 
nate-plumaged Long-billed Murrelet 1 km w. 
of the Eel R. mouth 31 Jul (EE, Brian O’Don- 
nell, MMo) continued Humboldt’s recent 
string of records. Suddjian’s surveys of long- 
term monitoring stations in Big Basin Red- 
woods S.P., Santa Cruz revealed all-time low 
activity of Marbled Murrelets, and the species 
was generally scarce along the Santa Cruz 
coastline as well. In San Mateo, murrelet ac- 
tivity was again noted in the Upper Pilarcitos 
Cr. watershed, with a high of 18 detections 22 
Jul (Seth Bunnell), and 53 were at Ano Nue- 
vo S.R. 31 Jul (GJS). Marbled Murrelets were 
reported to be in low numbers on Humboldt 
Bay (MWa). In contrast to most seabirds, 
Cassin’s Auklets experienced high reproduc- 
tive success on El. (Pete Warzybok, Russ 
Bradley). Santa Cniz’s 2nd Parakeet Auklet 
was found dead at Manresa S.B. 2 May Oudy 
Garrison, ph. Hannah Nevins), Single Horned 
Puffins were at Waddell Bluffs, in both Santa 
Cniz and San Mateo waters, 9 Jun (DLSu) and 
at the Sea Ranch, Sottotna 14 Jun (ph. TEa). 
DOVES THROUGH THRUSHES 
A White-winged Dove n. of Lincoln 4-5 Jul 
(ph. PRo, BWb) was the first for Placer. Yel- 
low-billed Cuckoos included Santa Cruz’s first 
since 1996 at Santa Cruz 14-23 Jun (Melani 
Clark, Rob Moeller) and one of few for Mono 
at Lower Mill Cr. 9 Jul (SaH); a bird that hit a 
window and was taken to a rehabilitation cen- 
ter in Shingle Springs 28 Jun (Bill Wade, ph. 
SAbb) was the 2nd for El Dorado. As many as 
10 Burrowing Owls w. of Corning 6-9 Jul (ErO, 
JRow, Liz West, JLx, KPa) was an impressive 
showing for Tehama, where the species had 
gone undetected for the past three years. A 
Long-eared Owl sw. of Lakeport 12 Jun (CEV) 
provided the first summer record for Lake. 
Northern Saw-whet Owls are not known to 
breed in or near Moss Landing, Monterey, so 
one in a residential yard 3 Jul (Rebecca 
Dmytryk) was especially surprising. A Com- 
mon Nighthawk at Lakeport 15 Jul (DvW) 
rendered the 3rd record for Lake. The Whip- 
poor-will at Willow Creek, Humboldt remained 
at least until 21 Jun (EE, MMo, Lucy Rowe). 
Supplying Santa Cruz’s 4th record for 
spring migration, a Chimney Swift sailed with 
652 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
