Date: 9/18/26 7:24 pm From: Deborah Zajac via groups.io <dmzajac2004...> Subject: Re: [southbaybirds] Nutcracker/montane invasion year
We've had some big fires here in No. Nevada that may be displacing our Nutcrackers, and Pinon Jays. The Pinon Jays need the Pinon Pines to survive so I hope those there will return.We have Pinon Pines that are thriving and not disrupted by fire here.The Nutcrackers will be fine if they can find white pines and limber pines from 3000ft and up. If not I hope they too turn around and head home to Nevada!
Enjoy the sightings and get those Lifers while you can! Incidentals are amazing!
Happy Birding,
Deborah
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On Friday, September 18, 2026 at 07:03:55 PM PDT, Elinor Gates <egates...> wrote:
I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch on Mt. Hamilton this afternoon. I’ll keep a lookout for other unusual visiting birds.
Elinor GatesMt. Hamilton
On Sep 18, 2026, at 6:13 PM, Aidan Sinha via groups.io <aidansinha...> wrote:
Hi all, No sightings in SCC yet, but over the last day there have been nutcrackers reported in the East Bay, San Francisco, and even a single apparently offshore in Mendocino. It seems this year birds have been irrupting out of the Great Basin - many nutcrackers have been in Santa Barbara as well recently, and Pinyon Jays have been reported in some sites across SoCal though in smaller numbers. It does seem that the invasion has hit the Bay Area however, so it would definitely be a good time to start checking high elevation sites within the county. Some sites could include Monte Bello, Loma Prieta, Mount Umunhum, Mount Madonna, and Skyline Boulevard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Diablo Range, including Henry Coe SP and Mount Hamilton/San Antonio Valley Roads, are also possibly worth a check. In addition to the corvids, Evening Grosbeaks and Red-breasted Nuthatches are also apparently having an invasion year, so these could also be good targets to search for. Good luck to everyone searching and happy fall birding! Aidan SinhaSan Jose
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