NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
This Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Mountain View, California 6 June 2009 established the 
second record for Santa Clara County. Photograph by William G. Bauman. 
swallows over Rancho Del Oso S.R 8 Jun 
(OsJ, Adam Searcy, Amy Patten). Calliope 
Hummingbirds generally migrate s. through 
the mountains, so one that hit a window in 
South Natomas, Sacramento 31 Jul (DaW) 
was at an unexpected lowland locality. Coin- 
cidentally, 3 Calliopes were found dead at the 
same location in spring. A probable breeding 
pair of Lewhs’s Woodpeckers at June L., Mono 
20-22 Jun (KNN, m.ob.) was in a woodland 
that burned two years ago. This burned area 
also hosted 5+ Black-backed Woodpeckers, 
including at least one nesting pair 20 Jun-late 
Jul (KNN, m.ob.). Approximately 40 Pileated 
Woodpeckers detected at Big Basin Redwoods 
S.R, Santa Cruz 14-18 Jun (DLSu) illustrate 
the large number present in the E. Waddell 
Cr. watershed. 
An Olive-sided Flycatcher pair feeding 2 
Oedglings 24 Jul (DR) provided the first nest- 
ing record for Pacific Grove, Monterey. Like- 
wise, fledglings photographed at Del Monte 
Forest 18 Jul (BLS) furnished the first nesting 
record for Pebble Beach, Monterey. An excep- 
tionally large fallout of approximately 200 
Western Wood-Pewees descended on Oasis 
Ranch, Mono 6 Jun (KNN). Alpine’s first Least 
Flycatcher continued at Carson R. through at 
least 4 Jul (TEa, JCS, CCo). A Dusky Fly- 
catcher spent its 4th summer at Big Basin 
Redwoods S.R, Santa Cniz, remaining at least 
through 15 Jul (DLSu, Brent Thordarson, Jeff 
Bleam). An ad. Pacific-slope Flycatcher fed 
one of 2 attendant fledglings at C.R.P. 15 Jul 
QTr); this site continues to be the only regu- 
lar nesting locality for this species in the C.V 
A pair of Black Phoebes at Bob’s Creek Ranch 
1 Jun+ (KAb) supplied the 2nd nesting record 
for Lassen; the first was from the same site in 
2008. Ad. Say’s Phoebes feeding 4 nestlings at 
Eastern Swett Ranch 18 Jun (MBe) represent- 
ed a rare breeding record for Solano. A beg- 
ging juv. following an ad. Eastern Kingbird at 
Modoc N.W.R. 18 Jul (SCR) supplied the first 
nesting record for Modoc; a bird sitting on a 
nest at Blue L. 28 Jun (DSg) furnished the 2nd 
nesting record for Lassen. Scissor-tailed Fly- 
catchers included a spring holdover on FI. 
through 6 Jun (PRBO), Santa Clara's 2nd at 
Mountain View 6 Jun (ph. WGB), and El Do- 
rado’s first at S. Lake Tahoe 30 Jun (ph. Don 
Harriman, Jide WRi). 
A well-documented White-eyed Vireo was 
at outer Pt. Reyes, Marin 6 Jun (vt.,tSBT; ph. 
LTer, DDeS, RS, vt. CLu & LLu, Hugh B. Har- 
vey, m.ob.). A brightly plumaged Bell’s Vireo 
on FI. 4 Jun (ph. PRBO) was believed to be of 
the Arizona subspecies. The Yellow-throated 
Vireo at the Big Sur R. mouth, Monterey con- 
tinued until at least 18 Jun (MiT, Mike Stake). 
Three Plumbeous Vireos detected on a B.B.S. 
route from Antelope L. to 
Squaw L. 2 Jun (CPD) 
were thought to represent 
the first records for 
Plumas. Warbling Vireos 
breeding in the Mono 
Basin, Mono generally are 
restricted to higher eleva- 
tion aspen groves. Yet this 
year, many pairs nested in 
lower elevation cotton- 
woods (CMc, KNN). Six 
Red-eyed Vireos included 
Modoc’s 2nd at New Pine 
Cr. 19 Jul (SCR) and 
Yolo’s 2nd in Davis 18 
Jul-i- (Chris Dunford, TEa, SHa, JCS, m.ob.). 
Five American Crows at Big Basin Red- 
woods S.R, Santa Cmz over four separate days 
(DLSu) were the first summer records for this 
heavily forested park in the Santa Cruz Mts. 
Large gatherings of Common Ravens, thought 
to consist mainly of non-breeding imms., 
have been reported with increasing frequency 
in the Region. Gangs of 162 s. of Corcoran, 
Kings 24 Jun QND) and 127 at Swanton, San- 
ta Cruz 4 Jul (DLSu) are emblematic. Purple 
Martins entered cavities in snags near Loma 
Prieta, Santa Clara 6 Jun-29 Jul (RWR, FV, 
MMR, JM, DvWb, WGB, DLSu, m.ob.), sug- 
gesting probable breeding in an area where 
the species has not been observed in more 
than five years. A Red-breasted Nuthatch at 
C.R.P. 12 Jul QTr) provided a rare summer 
record for the C.V. A juv. and ad. Townsend’s 
Solitaire at Estel Ridge 11-12 Jul (GEC, CEV, 
m.ob.) yielded the first breeding evidence for 
Mendocino. Two Swainson’s Thrushes count- 
er-singing at lower Rush Cr., Mono 17 Jun-4 
Jul (CMc) sustained hope for future breeding 
at this restored riparian site. 
THRASHERS THROUGH ORIOLES 
A Brown Thrasher near Bayside, Humboldt 23 
Jul-t (Brian Hahns) might have been the same 
bird that spent much of the winter and spring 
in Areata. Three American Pipits at Cascade 
L., Mono 10 Jul (PJM, FrT), plus 2 ads. with a 
fledgling in the Desolation Wilderness Area, 
El Dorado 22 Jul (Malcolm Sproul), are no- 
table, as there are relatively few breeding 
records for the Region. Our only Tennessee 
Warbler was at Mono Lake C.R 20-24 Jun 
(PJM, m.ob.), just one of the birds that pro- 
duced an outstanding vagrant season for 
Mono. Seventeen Northern Parulas included 3 
in Mono, Solano’s 2nd in Vacaville 17 Jun 
(David Bell), and Yolo’s 5th in Davis 29 Jul-i- 
(SHa, TEa, JCS+). Three of the Region’s 7 
Chestnut-sided Warblers were in Mono, Neva- 
da’s first was near Sagehen Cr. 15 Jun (ph. 
Scott Crosbie), and Sutter’s 2nd was at the 
Sutter Bypass 25 Jun (tRDiG). A Magnolia 
Warbler was on the n. spit of Humboldt Bay, 
Humboldt 1 Jun (KBu). A Magnolia on FI. 1-4 
Jun (PRBO) was a holdover from spring. Our 
only Blackburnian Warbler was a singing 
male along Rush Cr., Mono 1 Jul (CMc). Sin- 
gle Blackpoll Warblers were on FI. 8 Jun 
(PRBO) and in Eureka, Humboldt 18 Jun 
(TWL). Mono recorded 4 of our 6 Black-and- 
white Warblers (at three locations; 21 Jun-29 
Jul). A singing Black-and-white along Jess 
Valley Rd. 2 Jun (SAbb, BWb) was Modoc’s 
2nd. Among 15 American Redstarts were a 
singing male and ad. female at the Ft. Bragg 
Botanical Gardens, Mendocino 17 Jul (CEV, 
BD, CWH, GeH) and Madera’s 2nd near Bor- 
den 9 Jun (ph. GaW, JND). A singing Oven- 
bird in Sacramento 1-8 Jun (Jim Weigand, 
JLx, JSL, vt. CCo, m.ob.) was Sacramento’s 
3rd. Ovenbirds were also on El. 1-7 Jun 
(PRBO), in Butano S.R, San Mateo 9-12 Jun 
(DLSu), and along Lee Vining Cr., Mono 22 
Jun (CMc, Lenny Warren). A Northern Wa- 
terthrush was singing at Dry Lagoon, Hum- 
boldt 21 Jun (KI). To top off Mono’s remark- 
able warbler summer, a Kentucky Warbler 
was singing along Rush Cr. 21-22 Jun (ph. 
CMc, Lenny Warren, RS, JuH, KNN). Eight 
Hooded Warblers were reported and, yes, one 
was in Mono at Wildrose Canyon, 11 JuH 
(PJM, FrT, m.ob.). 
Eight Summer Tanagers included Tulare’s 
first in Sequoia N.R 7 Jun (SDS, Priscilla Sum- 
mers). A Sooty Fox Sparrow was in Portola 
Valley, San Mateo 26 Jul (tG. Chrisman, H. 
Higley), and a Golden-crowned Sparrow was 
on Mt. Davidson, S.E 11 Jul-i- (DMo); these 
taxa are rarely observed in summer in our Re- 
gion. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were again 
well represented (39 individuals from 12 
counties). A total of 22 Indigo Buntings was 
more than twice our summer average and in- 
cluded Tuolumne’s first along Cherry Hill Rd. 
18 Jun-3 Jul (Bob Brandriff, m.ob.). A 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 4 
653 
