Date: 5/23/26 10:28 pm From: Marty Freeland via groups.io <martinf3...> Subject: [pen-bird] Black-and-white Warbler and Hammond's Flycatcher
Hi all,
Today Mei Li Palmeri and I birded the south coast from San Gregorio Creek to Green Oaks Creek. A cooperative male Black-and-white Warbler was along Whitehouse Ck at Costanoa. Black-and-white is less than annual in spring in the county, with only about three other records that appear to pertain to spring migrants from the past decade (5/13/16 at Frenchman's Ck, 5/30/19 on Gazos Ck, and 6/29/25 also on Whitehouse Ck). By contrast, last fall the county had c. 9–10 individuals, roughly half of which evidently attempted to winter (at central Stage Rd, Honsinger Ck, Madonna Ck, Pilarcitos Ck, and Frenchman's Ck), but of these apparently only the Frenchman's Ck bird made it into this calendar year. Also at Whitehouse Ck was a Swainson's Thrush singing a bizarre aberrant song.
Later in the day we birded the Sandy Pt burn zone accessed from upper Gazos Ck Rd. We were very surprised to hear a singing Hammond's Flycatcher along Gazos Ck Rd a short distance above the gate that marks the upper end of the portion of the road accessible to vehicles. Hammond's is annual in the county in spring, but most records are from Coyote Pt (or Sem Ln or similar bayshore traps) and are from earlier in the season. This spring there have already been two, 4/13 at Sem Ln (R. Thorn) and 4/26–4/27 at Long Ridge OSP (J. Toivanen et al.). Three is an above-average number for the county and May 23 is quite a late date; there is a single record from early June at Coyote Pt, but other than that I think the latest date recorded for a bayside migrant in the county may be May 19 (?). Although this bird was clearly and repeatedly audible giving two Hammond's song elements (the two with quick upswung introductory notes; it did not give the burry song element), it was not very close to the road and we were not able to locate it, and it was not singing on our return. The burn zone in general had numbers of House Wren and Western Flycatcher, much as it did two years ago, and while it still seems worth checking for things like Bell's Sparrow, it does not really have much good Black-chinned Sparrow habitat, at least in the areas within a couple hours' walk of Gazos Ck.
The Indigo Bunting found yesterday by Elliot Schoenig along Cloverdale Rd was not present in a short stop in the morning.
Regionally this spring has been very good for southeastern vagrants so far (above-average numbers of Hooded Warbler and Northern Parula plus several each of Prothonotary, Kentucky, and Yellow-throated warblers and Yellow-throated and White-eyed vireos) and we should be on the lookout for all of these in San Mateo Co.!
