Date: 1/6/26 4:05 pm From: Bruce Mast via groups.io <cathrasher4...> Subject: Re: [EBB-Sightings] Preliminary results from Saturday's Richmond CBC
Thank you Derek for the great report! Your report can be a model for CBCs
everywhere. :-)
Bruce Mast
Oakland
On Mon, Jan 5, 2026 at 8:49 PM Derek via groups.io <dlheins=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> As some of you may recall, Saturday was a very wet day, the second in a
> row for our fledgling five-year old Richmond CBC circle. But in defiance of
> the weather forecast, a record 201 enthusiastic birders participated,
> including a group of local Girl Scouts. Over half of our birders were new
> participants to the Richmond CBC and we hope they keep joining us for
> future counts!
>
> As preliminary result, we have logged 178 species,which is above our count
> average, but noteworthy given the most challenging conditions we've faced
> to date:
>
> Regarding the birds we saw on Saturday:
>
> - We had 7 new species bringing our count day life list to 204:
> Long-tailed Duck and Red-necked Grebe at Point Molate, Violet-green
> Swallow north of San Pablo Reservoir, Northern Rough-winged Swallow at
> Dotson Marsh, Vega Gull at Landfill Loop, Tennessee Warbler and Summer
> Tanager continuing at Booker T Anderson Park. Noah Arthur ID'd the Vega
> Gull, the third ever recorded in Contra Costa County (he had one at
> Miller/Knox in 2013).
>
>
> - Some other notable sightings were our only Ring-necked Pheasant,
> Caspian Tern and Short-eared Owl at Mare Island; a Snowy Plover at Point
> Pinole; 67 Black Skimmers at Meeker Slough; a Black Rail at Landfill Loop;
> a Rock Wren at Point Molate; a Pacific Loon at Richmond Marina. Our
> boat only made it out to Brooks Island before returning to port due to the
> blustering weather, but they did spot a Heermann's Gull among all the Brown
> Pelicans.
>
>
> - Looks like we're down to one Black Scoter at Richmond Marina; Bob
> Lewis noted that it seems to be mournfully whistling more than usual.
>
>
> - Every year has its missing species and this year was no exception.
> One would think all the recent rains would enhance habitats for waterfowl,
> but some of our biggest misses were Cackling Goose, Wood Duck, Blue-winged
> Teal and Cinnamon Teal. We also did not see Burrowing Owl or Pine Siskin,
> but siskins haven't been seen in the East Bay this winter.
>
>
> - I would say the most noteworthy count was of Band-tailed Pigeons,
> but that might be a theme across our local CBC's. Forest Chapman's group
> hiking Crockett Hills Regional Park logged 938, the highest count in eBird
> history for a single checklist in Contra Costa County. We totaled around
> 2,200 for the day.
>
>
> - Trends are a little difficult to interpret based on five years of
> the count with inconsistent weather and tides, so not much to report here.
> It should be noted that Bushtits, which won last year's award for
> consistent counts, must love to dance in the rain as the 784 counted
> were 30% above normal. The 1,504 crown sparrows were about 40% less than
> normal, with towhees also down by roughly the same proportion. American
> Robins were in abundance with 1,919 being almost triple our previous
> average.
>
> In addition to all the great birds we found on Saturday, birders have also
> a few more count week species (Wednesday Dec 31 through tomorrow, January
> 6): Cackling Goose, Short-billed Dowitcher, Common Murre, Lesser
> Black-backed Gull, American Redstart and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. If you
> find something interesting in the circle tomorrow that might add to our
> list, email Derek.
>
> This year's count day really demonstrated the resilience of our birding
> community. We didn't let the weather dampen our spirits as we supported
> this important international community science project. Golden Gate Bird
> Alliance initiated this count circle to bring attention to birds in
> Richmond and the local communities, and we hope to strengthen this bond in
> the years to come by encouraging communities in the count circle to
> celebrate our collective love for birds and the habitats we share.
>
> Thank you everyone for your support in this year's count, and we can't
> wait to see you all again next year!
>
> Derek Heins and BreeAnn Crofts
> Richmond CBC compilers
> <richmondcbc...>
>
>
>
>
>
