Date: 12/26/25 2:33 pm From: maliadances via groups.io <maliadances...> Subject: [pen-bird] San Mateo County Cumulative Year-list Report for --- November 2025
*Greetings Pen-birders,*
Chris and I have just returned from an epic 3 week self-guided birding trip to Australia and New Zealand with ocean cruises back and forth across the Tasman Sea…..hence the tardiness of this November report. The December report will be right on its heels as the 2025 birding year comes to a close.
*San Mateo County birders found a total of 5 species* that were new for the year by the end of November. But first….. a March record for BONAPARTE’S GULL (2) found by Noah Arthur at Gazos Creek Beach, got overlooked and was not counted in the March report. The record has been added, thus adjusting our end of October totals to 328. The 5 new bird species found in November will bring the total species observed by the end of the eleventh month to 333. In reading the following, please note, the number in parenthesis next to the bird name is the rarity code assigned for San Mateo County birds. *From the link below* , you can *see definitions for the rarity codes,* *download a checklist* which shows seasonality, frequency, and county breeding information, *find a full list of the birds* observed so far in 2025 *, plus* *all monthly reports going back to 2009*
*Here are the new birds for November, their finders and locations where found:*
Marty Freeland found a WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET (4) in a horse paddock along Water Lane in Pescadero. Donna Pomeroy obtained photographs of a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (4) at Wavecrest. An EASTERN PHOEBE (5) was discovered by Garth Harwood in the Dearborn Park Area. Two separate reports of HORNED LARK (4) found independently on the same day at two different locations, were made by Adam Dudley at La Honda Creek OSP (lower section) and by Marty Freeland, while checking a plowed field just north of the Gazos Creek Beach parking lot. Avis Boutell encountered a RUSTY BLACKBIRD (6) in a field near her Moss Beach home.
*Birding San Mateo County:* There are plenty of ways to see birds. Did you know *The San Mateo County Bird Alliance leads birding Field Trips* on a regular basis? To join a field trip, check out their schedule here: http://www.sequoia-audubon.org/fieldtrips.html
*To stay informed of the latest bird news, consider creating an account with both Peninsula Birding (Pen-bird) and eBird.* To join eBird, simply go to https://ebird.org/home and create an account. To join the Peninsula Birding group, join here: https://groups.io/g/peninsula-birding You can post your sightings there and be kept informed of sightings throughout the county including discussions about birds, population trends, where-can-I-find topics, events, field trips, webinars, pelagic trips and conservation issues. You can engage with other members of the birding community and can connect with online/offline discussions.
*This Report:* As a volunteer for the San Mateo County Bird Alliance I gather content for this report, each month, by primarily using eBird and Pen-bird. When posting to Pen-bird, please include the location and date of your sighting in either the subject line or in the body of your email. If you don’t use eBird or Pen-bird, you can always email me directly. Thank you!
If you have questions or comments regarding this report, or if I missed something,
