Date: 6/30/26 9:07 pm From: maliadances via groups.io <maliadances...> Subject: [pen-bird] San Mateo County Cumulative Year-list Report for --- May 2026
*Greetings Pen-birders,*
San Mateo County birders found a total of 19 species that were new for the year by the end of May. This brings the total species observed by the end of the fifth month to 291. 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 2026 *, plus* *all monthly reports going back to 2009.*
*Here are the new birds for May, their finders and locations where found:*
BLACK SWIFT (4) was first reported by Ron Thorn from Skylawn Memorial Park. Kent Forward located a group of WILSON’S PHALAROPES (4) at the Marsh at Pillar Point Harbor. One SOLITARY SANDPIPER (4), also found at the Marsh at Pillar Point Harbor, presented itself to Dave Koehler. During an Alvaro’s Adventures pelagic trip TUFTED PUFFIN (4) and SCRIPPS’S MURRELET were observed offshore. During a seawatch at Bean Hollow, Peter Metropulos observed FRANKLIN’S GULL (4), BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER and COMMON TERN (2). Caitlin Chock encountered MANX SHEARWATER (5) during a Pigeon Pt. seawatch. A flyover BROAD-WINGED HAWK (5) was seen by Leonie Batkin and Ron Thorn in Redwood Shores. While visiting Año Nuevo SP, Eli Gross detected a LAWRENCE’S GOLDFINCH (4). Richard Jeffers found a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (4) at Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery. TENNESSEE WARBLER (4) was reported by Marty Freeland at San Pedro Valley County Park. Caitlin Chock located a KENTUCKY WARBLER (6) along Gazos Creek Rd. to the delight of many birders, and the same day, general location, Caitlin also had a NORTHERN PARULA (4). Michael Long and Nick Damon discovered a MAGNOLIA WARBLER (4) at Pigeon Pt. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (4) was first reported by Tucker Jorgensen at a Pescadero Farm. Joshua Stacy added BLUE GROSBEAK (4) to the list of May goodies found at the Marsh at Pillar Point Harbor. An INDIGO BUNTING (4) was photographed by Elliot Schoenig along Cloverdale Rd. in Pescadero.
*2026 has been a pretty epic year so far* in terms of numbers of species reported. 19 is the highest number of bird species added in any month of May since this report began in 2009! Keep up the good work and let’s see how the year pans out!
*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
*Alvaro’s Adventures runs offshore pelagic trips* *starting in May,* with many seabird, whale and sea-life finding trips out of Half Moon Bay and other ports. Alvaro’s pelagic schedule here: https://www.alvarosadventures.com/pelagic-dates-2026.html
*California’s First Statewide Breeding Bird Atlas* *-* This landmark effort is being led by *California Bird Atlas* ( https://www.californiabirdatlas.org/ ) ( CBA), an independent nonprofit, in collaboration with state agencies, thousands of volunteers, and dozens of partner organizations. All birders are now officially invited to join the project by visiting the new *California Bird Atlas eBird website* ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home ). Simply click “ *Join Project* ” ( or “Log in to Join Project”) and you will automatically be able to contribute checklists to the Atlas project. The Atlas is fully integrated with the eBird mobile app. If you submit checklists on mobile, this *Quick Start Tutorial video* ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8Z3kbqiO9rw ) provides a brief overview.
*To stay informed of the latest local 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,
