Date: 10/3/25 6:16 pm From: Marty Freeland via groups.io <martinf3...> Subject: [pen-bird] Recent notes: Chestnut-sideds, parula, etc.
Hi all,
Highlights from the past week included 2 Chestnut-sided Warblers, a Northern Parula, an American Redstart, a Black-and-white Warbler, and several Tennessee Warblers. Several of these (e.g., I think all the Tennessees) may have been continuing birds.
On 9/29, I covered the north coast from Pacifica to Montara in the morning. A Cassin's Vireo was in the willows at the north end of Farallone Ave in Montara.
On 9/30, birding the north-central coast from Montara to Half Moon Bay in the morning, a female-type American Redstart was in Princeton Willows early. This is the same location where I had one with Logan Kahle exactly a week previously. My impression was that this week's individual was duller and, in combination with the gap in time, I suspect it may have been a new bird, but am not positive. A dishevelled Chestnut-sided Warbler was at Emergency Willows. (Emergency Willows is the small willow patch by the Obispo Rd. fire station where there are sometimes more emergency vehicles with loud sirens than there are birds.) This was the first Chestnut-sided I have seen in the county this fall, though others have had five over the past couple weeks for a respectable total of six so far this season. Migrant numbers were generally low on this day.
On 10/1, two Tennessee Warblers and a Nashville were at Cypress Lawn Cemetery. This is precisely the same set of uncommon warblers I had at the same location the previous week, although some different individuals may conceivably have been involved. A White-breasted Nuthatch at the same site was notable and perhaps the same one reported recently by Ron Thorn and Leonie Batkin. More unexpected was a female Common Yellowthroat high in the Eucalyptus at the neighboring Holy Cross Cemetery. It took me a second to work out what I was seeing as it was so spectacularly out-of-place.
On 10/2, there was drizzle on the south coast until nearly 9 a.m. Looking for sparrows in the drizzle was not very productive. The late morning, however, was very birdy after it stopped raining and numbers of winged Western Subterranean Termites started emerging in some locations. Gazos Ck Rd had 4 large flocks, one of which contained a Chestnut-sided Warbler and another of which contained a Tennessee Warbler (likely the same one found by Chris Hayward the previous day) and a female-type Northern Parula! There were also two Hermit Warblers on the upper part of the road. I have only had a better morning on Gazos Ck once, and that was the time in fall 2023 when a flock that contained a Prairie Warbler and an American Redstart together started mobbing a tailless female Rose-breasted Grosbeak! The Pescadero Ck valley contained excellent migrant numbers, including 4 each of Wilson's and Yellow warblers, and a final stop on the way back for classes produced a Black-and-white Warbler at Seaside School Rd in San Gregorio. Ryan Mense had one at the same location on 9/21.
Today (10/3) the south-central coast was blown out with strong NW and W winds all morning. I did not have anything notable and struggled to find any migrants at many locations. I enjoyed checking riparian on upper Pilarcitos Ck off of Hwy 92 at several farms that are closed to the public for most of the year, but open briefly in October as pumpkin patches. There are many sites that are readily accessible only during pumpkin patch season, and some of them are really quite productive (fields at Bob's Farmstand by Verde Rd, fields at the pumpkin patch by the Pescadero High School, fields at Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch by the HMB WTP, and riparian off of 92 as mentioned above).
As always, location details, photos, etc., are on eBird.
