SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIRD LIST DISCUSSION ARCHIVE 2023
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September| October | November | December |
Compiled by: Brooke Miller. Please email additions, corrections, or comments to Brooke at idbirds@me.com. Monthly reports are made up of eBird sightings, postings on South Bay Birds, and direct email reports.
Please post all your sightings at southbaybirds@groups.io and/or eBird. You can use eBird to follow first-of-the-year sightings. Due to the fact that not everyone uses eBird, not all sightings will be included, however. To see first-of-the-year sightings in eBird do the following:
Click on "Explore Data" at the top of any eBird page
Select "Explore a Region"
Type in "Santa Clara" and wait for the page to fill it in
Select "Current Year" and click "set"
Click on "First Seen"
Go back to the Santa Clara County Bird List 2023 or view all the cumulative year lists.
January
We started off 2023 with 166 countable birds seen on January 1, and a total of 212 countable birds for the month of January. The average for January 1st is 156, and the average for the month of January is 201. There were 2 birds that were not ABA-countable in January (see below). Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Of the countable 209 birds that were recorded for January, there were 5 birds rated as rarity (6), and 8 birds rated as rarity (5). As a reminder, here is what each rarity code means:
**Rarity Codes:
1 = common, always seen in habitat in season.
2 = fairly common, usually in habitat in season, but missed sometimes.
3 = uncommon, always around, but sometimes you can't find.
4 = rare, occurs yearly in the county, but not always in same places.
5 = very rare, does not occur every year.
6 = casual or vagrant, generally fewer than 10 records.
Rarity Code 6’s for January 2023:
Curlew Sandpiper, 1/1/2023, continuing from 2022, at Palo Alto Baylands, seen by Garrett Lau and Mike Danzenbaker
Painted Redstart, 1/1/2023, continuing from 2022, at Agnews Historic Park, seen by multiple observers
Sage Thrasher, 1/2/2023, at Salt Pond A1, by “Anonymous”
Tropical Kingbird, 1/2/2023, at Lake Cunningham Park, by Michelle Thurber
Tennessee Warbler, 1/24/2023, found at Chris Hotts Park, by Tristan Yoo
Rarity Code 5’s for January 2023:
Summer Tanager, 1/1/2023, seen by Garrett Lau, at Penitencia Creek Trail
2. Black Rail, hidden date, location, and observer - ‘sensitive species’
Red Phalarope, 1/3/2023, seen by multiple observers
Red-naped Sapsucker, 1/7/2023, found by Alex Dunn at Ulistac Natural Area
Townsend’s Solitaire, 1/8/2023, found by Marcel Holyoak at the Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead in Sanborn County Park
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1/13/2023, found by Adam Burnett at Frenchman’s Park
Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1/22/2023, at Salt Pond A16, found by Adam Panto
Ruff,1/24/2023, at Salt Pond A13, found by Dessi Sieburth
The 2 ABA non-countable birds for January were:
Scaly-breasted Munia, seen on 1/1/2023, by multiple observers at 3 separate locations
Mute Swan, found on 1/24/2023, at Los Gatos Creek County Park and Oka Ponds
February
There was one bird I missed in January, a House Wren. That increases our January total from 212 to 213. We had 5 new birds for the month of February, bringing the total on the last day of February to 218. The average for February is 9 birds, and the average as of the end of February is 210. There were no birds that were not ABA-countable in February. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 5 countable birds for February, including rarity codes in parentheses:
1-Feb: Williamson’s Sapsucker (6), seen by Janna Pauser, at Vasona Lake County Park (and most probably the one that overwintered last winter)
7-Feb: Black-and-white Warbler (5), found by Tristan Yoo at Guadalupe River Park
9-Feb: Grasshopper Sparrow (3), found by C Mario Gonzalez along the Stile Ranch Trail in Santa Teresa County Park
13-Feb: Hooded Oriole (2), found by Bill Bousman, along Stevens Creek, upstream of Crittenden Lane
25-Feb: Cassin’s Kingbird (4), found by Tricia Gardner along Southside Drive, in Gilroy
March
We had 17 new birds for the month of March, bringing the total on the last day of March to 235. The average for March is 13 birds, and the average as of the end of March is 223. There were no birds that were not ABA-countable in March. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 17 countable birds for March, including rarity codes in parentheses:
4-Mar: Common Loon (4), found by Adam Burnett at Lake Lagunita
5-Mar: Rufous Hummingbird (3), found by Dani Christensen, Laura Coatney, Erin Fisher-Colton, and Tricia Gardner at Ed Levin County Park—Spring Valley Area
7-Mar: Long-tailed Duck (5), seen by Dave Weber at Shoreline Lake
8-Mar: Common Murre (5), found by Bill Walker along the Permanente Creek Trail
8-Mar: Cliff Swallow (1), seen by Zihan Wei at Lake Lagunita, and Garrett Lau seen at Permanente Creek Trail
11-Mar: Cassin’s Vireo (2), found by Brooke Miller at the Baytree Picnic Area at Stevens Creek County Park
16-Mar: Warbling Vireo (2), seen by Lynda Lewit at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
18-Mar: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2), found by Julian Tattoni at the Los Trancos Banding Site (in Santa Clara County)
18-Mar: Western Kingbird (2), found by Matthew Dodder on Canada Rd between Jamieson Rd and Angelo Ln, and Liz Frith at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
19-Mar: Wilson’s Warbler (1), seen by Cameron Montgomery at Santa Teresa County Park
23-Mar: Caspian Tern (2), found by Matthew Dodder at Shoreline Lake
23-Mar: Vaux’s Swift (3), seen by Ann Verdi at Almaden Lake Park
24-Mar: Pacific-slope Flycatcher (1), found by Peter LaTourrette at Ulistac Natural Area
29-Mar: Black-chinned Hummingbird (3), seen by Brooke Miller at her home in Willow Glen (San Jose)
30-Mar: Black-headed Grosbeak (1), found by Mike Danzenbaker in his Palo Alto yard, and Dave Zittin in his Cupertino yard
30-Mar: MacGillivray’s Warbler (4), found by Mike Mammoser at Rancho Canada del Oro OSP
30-Mar: Swainson’s Hawk (4), seen by Garrett Lau from San Felipe Rd.
April
We had 23 new birds for the month of April, bringing the total on the last day of March to 258. The average for April is 21 birds, and the average as of the end of April is 244. There was 1 bird that was not ABA-countable in April, a Red-Whiskered Bulbul found by Bill Bousman on 21-April along Coyote Creek, South of Tasman Drive. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 23 countable birds for April, including rarity codes in parentheses:
1-Apr: Nashville Warbler (4), found by an Anonymous eBirder at Sunnyvale Baylands Park
1-Apr: Common Poorwill (3), heard by Colin Urmson at the Stile Entrance to Santa Teresa County Park
2-Apr: Ash-throated Flycatcher (2), found by Chris Johnson at Ulistac Natural Area
2-Apr: Wilson’s Phalarope (2), seen by Pete Dunten in Salt Pond A15
3-Apr: Vermilion Flycatcher (6), found by Howard Friedman at Joseph D Grant County Park
3-Apr: White-winged Scoter (5), found by Elena Scott and Will Lawton at Sanchez Ponds
3-Apr: Purple Martin (4), seen by Sergey Pavlov near the intersection of Blossom Hill and Snell Roads
4-Apr: Clay-colored Sparrow (5), found by Heather Anderson at 188 Baytech Drive in Alviso
11-Apr: Western Wood-Pewee (2), found by A BW and SJ Birder at Ed Levin County Park
13-Apr: Hermit Warbler (3), found by Brooke Miller along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, South of Meridian Ave.
13-Apr: Lazuli Bunting (2), found by Garrett Lau at the Coyote Creek Parkway trailhead
15-Apr: Black Turnstone (6), seen by Adam Barnett and Susan Weinstein at the mouth of San Francisquito Creek
15-Apr: Olive-sided Flycatcher (3), found by Liam Murphy at Henry Coe State Park
20-Apr: Red Knot (4), seen by Garrett Lau at the mouth of San Francisquito Creek
23-Apr: Red-necked Phalarope (2), found by Pete Dunten on Salt Pond A15
25-Apr: Solitary Sandpiper (5), found by Bill Bousman in San Antonio Valley
25-Apr: California Condor (6), seen by Marti Ikehara and Sharon Kersten, from Casa de Fruta
26-Apr: Yellow-breasted Chat (4), found by Janet Ellis at Joseph D Grant County Park
27-Apr: Swainson’s Thrush (2), found by Carlos Mendoza at Christmas Hill Park
27-Apr: Pectoral Sandpiper (4), found by Wendy Beers, Rich Nicholson, and Christina Tarr in San Antonio Valley
28-Apr: Black-chinned Sparrow (4), found by Abram Fleishman, Brooke Miller, and Sergey Pavlov in the Loma Prieta Area
29-Apr: White-faced Ibis (4), seen by Brooke Miller at the mouth of San Francisquito Creek
29-Apr: Ruddy Turnstone (5), seen by Brooke Miller at the mouth of San Francisquito Creek
May
I missed one bird for April. On 30-April Frank Vanslager found 2 female-type Yellow-headed Blackbirds (5), near the pump house at the edge of the Shoreline kite flying area. That increased April’s birds from 23 to 24, and the totals from 258 to 259.
We had 5 new birds for the month of May, bringing the total on the last day of May to 264. The average for May is 9 birds, and the average as of the end of May is 252. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 5 countable birds for May, including rarity codes in parentheses:
5-May Blue Grosbeak (4), Found by Anne Ardillo, Marc Blumberg and Tara McIntire along San Antonio Valley Rd.
13-May Black Tern (5), seen by Chris Overington over Shoreline Lake
21-May Least Tern (4), found by Matthew Dodder flying over Salt Pond A-10
21-May Indigo Bunting (5), found by Janna Pauser at Shannon Valley OSP
29-May Elegant Tern (3), seen by Richard Jeffers and Mike Mammoser flying over Salt Pond A13
June
We had 2 new birds for the month of June, bringing the total on the last day of June to 266. The average for June is 3 birds, and the average as of the end of June is 256. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 2 countable birds for June, including rarity codes in parentheses:
17-Jun Common Nighthawk (6), heard by Matthew Dodder in his neighborhood in Mountain View
23-Jun Northern Parula (5), found by Richard Jeffers at the Gold St Ponds
July
There were no new birds in July for Santa Clara County. This is unusual but not unheard of. So, our number of birds at the end of July remains at 266.
August
We had 5 new birds for the month of August, bringing the total on the last day of August to 271. The average for August is 6 birds, and the average as of the end of August is 266. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 5 countable birds for August, including rarity codes in parentheses:
11-Aug Semipalmated Sandpiper (4), found by Garrett Lau at Salt Pond A11
19-Aug Baird’s Sandpiper (4), found by Mike Ambrose at Salt Pond A3W
20-Aug Willow Flycatcher (4), seen by Russ Pettit at Ulistac Natural Area
20-Aug Eastern Kingbird (6), found by Brooke Miller at the Santa Clara Valley Water District Headquarters
23-Aug Bank Swallow (5), seen by Garrett Lau at the Palo Alto Baylands
September
We had 12 new birds for the month of September, bringing the total on the last day of September to 283. The average for September is 10 birds, and the average as of the end of September is 276. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 12 countable birds for September, including rarity codes in parentheses:
6-Sep Painted Bunting (6), found by an SCVAS field trip group lead by Andrew Melnick and Sheila Raymond at Vasona Lake County Park
7-Sep Lark Bunting (6), found by Jose Guerra and Marc Galvez at Byxbee Park
15-Sep Northern Waterthrush (5), seen by Melanie Barnett along the Calabazas Creek Trail--US 101 to CA-237
15-Sep Sabine’s Gull (5), found by an anonymous birder in the channel between the East and West Ponds at Sunnyvale WPCP
16-Sep Blackpoll Warbler (5), found by Garrett Lau along the exterior paths of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant
17-Sep Common Tern (4), found by Matthew Dodder at Salt Pond A2E
18-Sep Chestnut-sided Warbler (6), found by Brooke Miller at Vasona Lake County Park
22-Sep White-winged Dove (6), seen by Steve Rottenborn near his home in Morgan Hill
24-Sep Pacific Golden-Plover (5), found by Richard Jeffers, Mike Mammoser, and Mike Rogers at Salt Pond A9
24-Sep Franklin’s Gull (5), seen by Richard Jeffers and Mike Rogers in Charleston Slough
29-Sep Virginia’s Warbler (6), found by Chris Johnson along Penitencia Creek Trail
29-Sep Palm Warbler (5), one found by Julio Mulero at Byxbee Park, and a second found by Ryan Phillips at Shoreline Park in Mountain View
October
We had 6 new birds for the month of October, bringing the total on the last day of October to 289. The average for October is 5 birds, and the average as of the end of October is 281. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 6 countable birds for October, including rarity codes in parentheses:
6-Oct Dusky Warbler (6), a first for Santa Clara County, found by Sergey Pavlov along the Guadalupe River Trail between Trimble Rd and Montague Expressway
14-Oct Rusty Blackbird (6), seen by Sergey Pavlov along Coyote Creek Parkway—Coyote Ranch vicinity
23-Oct Chestnut-collared Longspur (6), found by Ozzie Altus at Byxbee Park
23-Oct Lapland Longspur (6), found by Ozzie Altus at Byxbee Park
29-Oct Parasitic Jaeger (5), seen by Richard Jeffers, Mike Mammoser, and Mike Rogers at Salt Pond A9
30-Oct Red Crossbill (5), found by Mike Mammoser at Henry Coe State Park
November
Before getting to November, a Pelagic Cormorant was found on a closed refuge pond on 27-September by Cameron Tescher. This increases the total number of birds seen before November from 289 to 290.
We had 2 new birds for the month of November, bringing the total on the last day of November to 292. The average for November is 3 birds, and the average as of the end of November is 284. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.
Here are the 2 countable birds for November, including rarity codes in parentheses:
8-Nov Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (6), a first for Santa Clara County, found by Sabra Abraham near the Black Mountain Summit at Monte Bello OSP
11-Nov Mountain Bluebird (6), found by Linda Terrill near the Black Mountain Summit at Monte Bello OSP
December
Happy New Year’s Santa Clara County Birders!
We had no new birds for the month of December. The County’s 2023 end of year total is 292. The average at the end of the year is 287. Thank you to everyone who birded, and took the time to report birds either on SBB, eBird, or send emails directly to me.