Date: 3/2/26 9:56 am From: maliadances via groups.io <maliadances...> Subject: [pen-bird] San Mateo County Cumulative Year-list Report for --- February 2026
*Greetings Pen-birders,*
First, a VEGA GULL (6) that was reported by Aaron Sun and Paige Liu in January needed some additional time to consider as this is a tricky identification. Good photos from Aaron and Paige as well as others who also saw the bird , helped determine the ID. The addition of the Vega Gull brought the end of January totals to 222. San Mateo County birders found a total of 8 species that were new for the year by the end of February. This brings the total species observed by the end of the second month to 230. 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 February, their finders and locations where found:*
Scoping Bair Island from the Radio Rd. levee, Ron Thorn spotted a SHORT-EARED OWL (3) that had been flushed when a Northern Harrier passed low overhead. Joshua Stacy re-encountered, “a”/”The” Pescadero BARRED OWL (6) near the Memorial Park area once again. This owl was first reported by Joshua in 2021 and has been recorded every year since, on eBird, with the exception of 2023. As far as we know, this is one individual owl. While out owling, Chris Hayward found a COMMON POORWILL (4) along Gazos Creek Rd. During a Moss Beach seawatch Ron Thorn observed a PIGEON GUILLEMOT (2) and Ron also observed the first NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS (2) for the year at a bayside location. Marty Freeland and Chris Henry found a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (3) at Gazos Creek Beach. Malia DeFelice and Chris Hayward discovered a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (6) at Venice Beach. While conducting a Snowy Plover survey, Leslie Flint found and photographed a HORNED LARK (4), also at Venice Beach.
*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 Malia directly. Thank you!
If you have questions or comments regarding this report, or if we missed something,
