Date: 3/31/26 5:33 pm From: Ronald- Thorn via groups.io <Tronthorn...> Subject: [pen-bird] Palm Warbler in Belmont
I checked Redwood Shores to see if any passerine migrants had come in after the rain passed through. No shortage of Yellow-rumped Warblers! The public access trail at the endof Sem Lane in Belmont, there was a Palm Warbler. It flew out of the area of the basketball court over to the other side of the creek. It perched in a dried clump of Sweet Fennel. Ithas pretty much come along in it's prealternate molt showing a chestnut crown and light streaking on the underparts. A tinge of yellow on the throat and breast. Yes, constant movingof the tail up and down! There were ( 157 ) Black Skimmers in Redwood Shores. Radio Road ( 130 ) and ( 27 ) at Preserve Park during high tide.
Ron Thorn
Date: 3/30/26 12:56 am From: Barbara Kossy via groups.io <bkossy...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Bald eagle
That's great!
Barbara Kossy
Moss Beach, California
Mobile: 650-430-1094
On Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:44āÆAM Katherine Raspet <walkmonkey...> wrote:
> Thereās been quite a few sightings over the last few weeks, particularly
> around Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.
>
> -Cricket
>
> On Mar 29, 2026, at 10:37āÆPM, Barbara Kossy via groups.io <bkossy=
> <coastside.net...> wrote:
>
> ļ»æ
> My husband said he saw a bald eagle over southern Moss Beach.
> Did anyone see it.
> He's seen many, so i trust his identification.
> He included this photo in his message to me.
> Barbara Kossy
>
> <1000054315.jpg>
>
>
>
> Barbara Kossy
> Moss Beach, California
> Mobile: 650-430-1094
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 3/29/26 10:37 pm From: Barbara Kossy via groups.io <bkossy...> Subject: [pen-bird] Bald eagle
My husband said he saw a bald eagle over southern Moss Beach. Did anyone see it. He's seen many, so i trust his identification. He included this photo in his message to me. Barbara Kossy
Barbara Kossy Moss Beach, California Mobile: 650-430-1094
Date: 3/29/26 6:26 pm From: Ronald- Thorn via groups.io <Tronthorn...> Subject: [pen-bird] Sightings the past week
An adult male Eurasian Wigeon was with American Wigeon on the Ravenswood Salt Pond R1/R 2, 3/21-24. There were also ( 11 ) Lesser Yellowlegs among Greater Yellowlegs atĀ the P.G.E. boardwalk. ( 14 ) Savannah Sparrows in a weed patch were most likely made up of migrants. Access is from the frontage road. In Redwood Shores, an immature maleĀ Eurasian x American Wigeon hybrid I noted on 1/5 at the end of Canvasback Way was in the marsh behind the dog park along Radio Road 3/22-25. There has not been much ofpasserine migration along the bayside. An early Nashville Warbler was at the Redwood Shores Library on 3/24. There has been a number of Orange-crowned Warblers passingthrough Redwood Shores. On 3/27, Leonie and I had a gray-headed one along Radio Road.
Ron Thorn, Leonie Batkin
Date: 3/26/26 12:42 pm From: Ronald- Thorn via groups.io <Tronthorn...> Subject: [pen-bird] Pigeon Point seawatch 3/25
Yesterday morning, I did a seawatch from Pigeon Point. Chris Hayward arriving at the end of the seawach contributed adding more Brant to the count. Although the conditions weregood with a brisk northwest wind and clear visibility out to the horizon, no tubenoses were noted. Sooty Shearwaters should be arriving soon. Noted during the three hour seawatch.Brant were passing behind the rock off of the lighthouse, numbers that I have not noted in quite awhile were ( 1,013 ) Brant. Other northbound birds were ( 956 ) Surf Scoters,( 4 ) Black Scoters, ( 13 ) Red-breasted Mergansers, ( 102 ) Red-throated Loons, the first I have noted in alternate plumage were ( 14 ) Common Loons, ( 1 ) Pacific Loon, ( 27 )Whimbrels, ( 1 ) Long-billed Curlew, ( 1 ) Semipalmated Plover. I had already noted ( 107 ) Sanderlings, when a steady stream passed behind the rock, it was difficult get a goodĀ count. There were between ( 550-600 ) Sanderlings, I have never had that experience before from years seawatching at the point! The first Bonaparte's Gulls noted were ( 24 ),Ā ( 6 ) Short-billed Gulls, casual visitor on the coast ( 2 ) Ring-billed Gulls, ( 82 ) California Gulls, ( 2 ) Herring Gulls, ( 1 ) Iceland ( Thayer's ) Gull, ( 73 ) Western Gulls, ( 1 ) Heerman'sGull, ( 5 ) Caspian Terns, ( 21 ) Elegant Terns, ( 1,600 ) Common Murres, ( 18 ) Pigeon Guillemots and ( 4 ) Rhinoceros Auklets.
Ron ThornĀ
Date: 3/25/26 5:15 pm From: Al Eisner via groups.io <eisner...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
On Wed, 25 Mar 2026, <johndebell...> via groups.io wrote:
> Thanks Malia! > Merlin is a wonderful tool, and I use it daily to enhance my bird-walking experience, and I have often learned somewhat obscure bird calls or songs from it. But it makes many mistakes, and not only likely "close-calls" as you've described. It thinks I am an oak titmouse, almost half of the time that I am imitating a chickadee, and while "pishing" at other times, occasionally thinks I'm a barn owl. I've observed it identifying Stellar's jays as red-tailed hawks when they do their frequent imitations, and I've catched it identifying a small barking dog as a Canada goose. I would never assume that it has reliably ID'd any call or song that cannot be independently verified, and believe it should never be depended upon to do so, but it is still an extremely useful tool that I find both enjoyable and helpful in the field.
Hi, John:
One test is whehher small birds you ar trying to pish into viee think you are a Barn Owl. That could br a problem. :)
Date: 3/25/26 3:41 pm From: Christopher Hayward via groups.io <p_t_nymph...> Subject: [pen-bird] Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gazos Creek State Beach, 3/25/26
Hi All,
Today around noon there was a Lesser Black-backed Gull in the gull flock at Gazos Creek State Beach, the gull flock was not visible from the parking lot but just north around the point where the creek enters the ocean. The flock was only 100 gulls or so making it fairly easy to pick out the Lesser Black-backed.
Also worth noting that at Pigeon Point earlier there were big numbers of Brant Geese flying north in large groups, I noted perhaps 200 or more in a casual sea watch.
Photos of the Lesser Black-backed Gull link below.
Merlin often IDs the single very high pitched single note call robins
sometimes give as cedar waxwing, fwiw. Iāve had it identify people talking
in the distance as GHOW.
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 11:48 Alvaro Jaramillo via groups.io <chucao=
<coastside.net...> wrote:
> Jan
>
>
>
> Cedar Waxwings often just fly over, calling. At times these can be daily
> along the coast in Half Moon Bay, and common. Yet you seldom see them
> perching, just flying over. I wonder if the instrument was detecting these
> fly overs? As well, the flight calls are high pitched and many folks canāt
> hear them, but the machine might? Just throwing out thoughts.
>
>
>
> Alvaro
>
>
>
> Alvaro Jaramillo
>
> <alvaro...>
>
> www.alvarosadventures.com
>
>
>
> *From:* <peninsula-birding...> <peninsula-birding...> *On
> Behalf Of *cossypha via groups.io
> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 25, 2026 1:42 PM
> *To:* <nlgoodman...>
> *Cc:* <peninsula-birding...>
> *Subject:* Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's
> Hummingbirds - please read.
>
>
>
> Most of these audio id programs use machine learning algorithms for ID;
> they do not know the full range of any species' vocalizations let alone any
> population differences or mimicry. They learn by sorting a large number of
> samples into the most likely bins. I recently tested a device at my home,
> called BirdWeather, that does similar things; at first it was wildly
> inaccurate, giving me species that would trigger a lot of excitement if
> they were found in this area, but over the course of a week it improved,
> zeroing in on the common species in my yard. However it persistently told
> me there were Cedar Waxwings present, which do come through once in a while
> but were definitely not present that week. It never detected Bewick's Wren
> although they are always here; possibly because of the complexity and
> individual variation of their song? Don't know about Merlin per se but it
> would have the same issues although possibly a better performance.
>
>
>
> Bottom line; you need to verify these audio ids, particularly in a new
> location or in the case of migrants moving through.
>
>
>
> Jan Leonard
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 9:35āÆAM Naomi Goodman via groups.io <nlgoodman=
> <hotmail.com...> wrote:
>
> I had the same experience at Burleigh-Murray earlier in March. I've
> attached a recording of a hummer that Merlin IDd as Rufous. It had a mostly
> rufous back with a small green patch. It doesn't surprise me that Merlin
> can't distinguish these two species calls. The sonograms of the
> "Dzeet-Chippety" calls in Peterson's Guide look very similar. If the calls
> are variable, it might be a tall order to improve the ID. What
> characteristics do you use to distinguish between the calls?
>
>
>
>
Date: 3/25/26 12:19 pm From: David Suddjian via groups.io <dsuddjian...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
A valuable perspective when using Merlin is not to consider that it is
identifying anything, but that it is just suggesting an ID which needs to
be verified. So, instead of "Merlin says . . ." it is "Merlin suggests . .
."
David Suddjian
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 10:41āÆAM <johndebell...> via groups.io
<johndebell...> wrote:
> Thanks Malia!
> Merlin is a wonderful tool, and I use it daily to enhance my
> bird-walking experience, and I have often learned somewhat obscure bird
> calls or songs from it. But it makes many mistakes, and not only likely
> "close-calls" as you've described. It thinks I am an oak titmouse, almost
> half of the time that I am imitating a chickadee, and while "pishing" at
> other times, occasionally thinks I'm a barn owl. I've observed it
> identifying Stellar's jays as red-tailed hawks when they do their frequent
> imitations, and I've catched it identifying a small barking dog as a Canada
> goose. I would never assume that it has reliably ID'd any call or song
> that cannot be independently verified, and believe it should never be
> depended upon to do so, but it is still an extremely useful tool that I
> find both enjoyable and helpful in the field.
>
>
>
Date: 3/25/26 10:48 am From: Alvaro Jaramillo via groups.io <chucao...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
Jan
Cedar Waxwings often just fly over, calling. At times these can be daily along the coast in Half Moon Bay, and common. Yet you seldom see them perching, just flying over. I wonder if the instrument was detecting these fly overs? As well, the flight calls are high pitched and many folks canāt hear them, but the machine might? Just throwing out thoughts.
From: <peninsula-birding...> <peninsula-birding...> On Behalf Of cossypha via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 1:42 PM
To: <nlgoodman...>
Cc: <peninsula-birding...>
Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
Most of these audio id programs use machine learning algorithms for ID; they do not know the full range of any species' vocalizations let alone any population differences or mimicry. They learn by sorting a large number of samples into the most likely bins. I recently tested a device at my home, called BirdWeather, that does similar things; at first it was wildly inaccurate, giving me species that would trigger a lot of excitement if they were found in this area, but over the course of a week it improved, zeroing in on the common species in my yard. However it persistently told me there were Cedar Waxwings present, which do come through once in a while but were definitely not present that week. It never detected Bewick's Wren although they are always here; possibly because of the complexity and individual variation of their song? Don't know about Merlin per se but it would have the same issues although possibly a better performance.
Bottom line; you need to verify these audio ids, particularly in a new location or in the case of migrants moving through.
I had the same experience at Burleigh-Murray earlier in March. I've attached a recording of a hummer that Merlin IDd as Rufous. It had a mostly rufous back with a small green patch. It doesn't surprise me that Merlin can't distinguish these two species calls. The sonograms of the "Dzeet-Chippety" calls in Peterson's Guide look very similar. If the calls are variable, it might be a tall order to improve the ID. What characteristics do you use to distinguish between the calls?
Date: 3/25/26 10:41 am From: cossypha via groups.io <leonard.janetl...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
Most of these audio id programs use machine learning algorithms for ID;
they do not know the full range of any species' vocalizations let alone any
population differences or mimicry. They learn by sorting a large number of
samples into the most likely bins. I recently tested a device at my home,
called BirdWeather, that does similar things; at first it was wildly
inaccurate, giving me species that would trigger a lot of excitement if
they were found in this area, but over the course of a week it improved,
zeroing in on the common species in my yard. However it persistently told
me there were Cedar Waxwings present, which do come through once in a while
but were definitely not present that week. It never detected Bewick's Wren
although they are always here; possibly because of the complexity and
individual variation of their song? Don't know about Merlin per se but it
would have the same issues although possibly a better performance.
Bottom line; you need to verify these audio ids, particularly in a new
location or in the case of migrants moving through.
Jan Leonard
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 9:35āÆAM Naomi Goodman via groups.io <nlgoodman=
<hotmail.com...> wrote:
> I had the same experience at Burleigh-Murray earlier in March. I've
> attached a recording of a hummer that Merlin IDd as Rufous. It had a mostly
> rufous back with a small green patch. It doesn't surprise me that Merlin
> can't distinguish these two species calls. The sonograms of the
> "Dzeet-Chippety" calls in Peterson's Guide look very similar. If the calls
> are variable, it might be a tall order to improve the ID. What
> characteristics do you use to distinguish between the calls?
>
>
>
Date: 3/25/26 9:41 am From: <johndebell...> via groups.io <johndebell...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
Thanks Malia!Ā Merlin is a wonderful tool, and I use it daily to enhance my bird-walking experience, and I have often learned somewhat obscure bird calls or songs from it.Ā But it makes many mistakes, and not only likely "close-calls" as you've described.Ā It thinks I am an oak titmouse, almost half of the time that I am imitating a chickadee, and while "pishing" at other times, occasionally thinks I'm a barn owl.Ā I've observed it identifying Stellar's jays as red-tailed hawks when they do their frequent imitations, and I've catched it identifying a small barking dog as a Canada goose.Ā I would never assume that it has reliably ID'd any call or song that cannot be independently verified, and believe it should never be depended upon to do so, but it is still an extremely useful tool that I find both enjoyable and helpful in the field.
Date: 3/25/26 9:35 am From: Naomi Goodman via groups.io <nlgoodman...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Merlin Audio recordings - Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds - please read.
I had the same experience at Burleigh-Murray earlier in March.Ā Ā I've attached a recording of a hummer that Merlin IDd as Rufous. It had a mostly rufous back with a small green patch. Ā It doesn't surprise me that Merlin can't distinguish these two species calls. The sonograms of the "Dzeet-Chippety" calls in Peterson's Guide look very similar.Ā If the calls are variable, it might be a tall order to improve the ID.Ā What characteristics do you use to distinguish between the calls?
Today Chris and I birded Burleigh Murray State Park from the parking lot to a ways beyond the barn. Just a heads upā¦..
We saw (9) different adult male selasphorus hummingbirds which appeared to be on territory that were making vocalizations and sounds, mainly the hard ticking chip, as well as wing buzz. I used Merlin to record these sounds and made 7 recordings. And here are the results:
Merlin IDād Rufous Hummingbird in 4 of the recordings.
Merlin IDād Allenās Hummingbird in 2 of the recordings.
Merlin vacillated between Rufous and Allenās ID in 1 recording, while we watched and heard one individual bird buzz away defending itās territory and return to itās perch several times.
We spent time with these birds making sure we could get a view of the full backs of the birds, which were green.
I noted the 9 adult male selasphorus hummingbirds as Allenās Hummingbirds as we know they breed at this location and by their behavior. Rufous Hummingbirds are migrants.Ā Ā I mention this because a very small percent of Rufous Hummingbirds can have a green back. But per Merlin, is it possible that 4 potentially 5, out of 9 adult male selasphorus hummingbirds seen today could have been green-backed Rufous Hummingbirds?
Last year an adult Allenās male that stayed in our yard for a month or longer was consistently IDād as both Allenās and Rufous within multiple single recordings I made using Merlin. I was hoping Merlin would have improved. But today showed that there are still issues when it comes to IDāing Rufous/ Allenās Hummingbirds.
This is the time of year, folks start reporting Rufous Hummingbirds. If you are using Merlin to help with the ID, please be cautious. In the case of adult male selasphorus hummingbirds, if you do not have a lot of field experience differentiating between the sounds, vocalizations, subtle field marks, and display behaviors of these 2 species, you need to try your best to get a full-on back view to make sure the back is solid orange for Rufous Hummingbird. Not just a side view,Ā as the amount of orange on the sides of the rump on an Allenās can be mis-interpreted as a solid orange back. And not just a quick view of a bird zooming around quickly!
Always, when using Merlin ā try to get a good visual on the bird you are recording.
I know a lot of newer birders who rely on Merlin are not on Pen-bird, please share with anyone who may benefit from this post.
Date: 3/20/26 12:57 pm From: maliadances via groups.io <maliadances...> Subject: [pen-bird] California Breeding Atlas news, info and how to join
Dear Pen-birders,
As many of you already know, Californiaās first statewide Breeding Bird Atlas launched on January 1, 2026. And I know many of you have already joined and are currently submitting Atlas Checklists! For those of you who have not yet joined, here is more information. 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.
The California Atlas Executive Director, Van Pierszalowski stated as of Mar 17th , the atlas has surpassed *50,000 Atlas checklists* across more than *4,300 blocks* from over *2,700 birders*.
And as of this morning, Mar 20 th , *San Mateo County has submitted 1692 Atlas checklists*. And a quick look at 7 Bay Area counties, we rank 2 nd for the number of Atlas Checklists already submitted to eBird.
Let me know if you have any questions about this project. And a big thanks to those who have already joined and are submitting Atlas Checklists. Happy Spring!
In Foster City, a Swamp Sparrow was in the brush along the fence on the west side of Lakeside Drive before the Mariner's Point Driving Range off of East Third Avenue. At the Ravenswood Salt Ponds on 3/7 among ( 309 ) Greater Yellowlegs were ( 24 ) Lesser Yellowlegs.
Ron ThornĀ Ā
Date: 3/11/26 7:07 pm From: Christopher Hayward via groups.io <p_t_nymph...> Subject: [pen-bird] Clay-colored Sparrow, Johnston House, Half Moon bay, 3/11/26
Hi All,
Today as Malia and I were birding around the Johnston House in Half Moon Bay, a pale sparrow popped on to a power line near a willow thicket, I barely got my Binoculars on it before it flew back down into the thicket, as I called out Clay-colored Malia had just a split second look before it dropped down.
We then spent about 40 minutes wandering around the willows before Malia spotted it again on the south side of the thicket, it got on the ground at one point giving decent looks. Bit of a surprise, but after closely studying our photos the bird is molting so almost certainly a bird that has been wintering here.
This is the location of the thicket and where I first saw the bird, 37.45132, -122.42309.
Checklist with photos on our ebird list link below.
Date: 3/11/26 6:50 am From: Ronald- Thorn via groups.io <Tronthorn...> Subject: [pen-bird] Pigeon Pt. seawatch 3/10
A 10-15 mph northwest wind, I decided to head out for a seawatch at Pigeon Point. The first two hours,Ā a nice movement of Brown Pelicans, Red-throated Loons and gulls headednorth. I departed for a short time and came back for an additional hour of seawatching, but the numbers of birds passing by had dropped to low numbers. Here is a partial list of birdsthat were noted. The first noted movement of Brant with ( 122 ), Surf Scoter ( 475 ), Red-breasted Merganser ( 2 ), Northern Fulmar ( 1) and have been at a low. In with basic-plumagedRed-throated Loons were the first ones in alternate-plumaged I have noted northbound. Northbound shorebirds were ( 7 ) Long-billed Curlews and ( 4 ) Whimbrels. ( 3 ) Red Phalaropestogether were noted about halfway out to the horizon. Gulls passing by were mostly made up of California and Herring. ( 900 ) Common Murres were noted. A returning Pigeon Guillemotwas on the rocks below the lighthouse.Ā
Ron ThornĀ Ā
Date: 3/9/26 5:36 pm From: San Mateo County Bird Alliance via groups.io <office...> Subject: [pen-bird] Thurs March 12 Wildlife of South Africa š
*This Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 pm Zoom*
*Wildlife of South Africa* A wildlife safari to Kruger National Park has been on Donna's bucket list since her father went there in 1974 and raved about it. It did not disappoint. The program will be mostly birds and mammals from the Cape Town region and Kruger National Park, with a few other animals and flowers thrown in for good measure. These photos were all taken by Donna during her Fall 2025 trip to South Africa.
Donna Pomeroy has a BS in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University. She has been a birder since high school and a photographer even longer. Now retired, she spends much of her time photographing wildlife and volunteering for SMCBA and for many ongoing community science projects. Don't miss this stunning presentation! Register: https://bit.ly/3MOpzp9
Date: 3/3/26 11:42 pm From: cossypha via groups.io <leonard.janetl...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Song ID Help - Bewick's Wren?
Not a mockingbird?
On Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 5:42āÆPM Kent Forward via groups.io <kforward=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> Good Afternoon Birders,
>
> Most of the day Monday from somewhere back in the willows behind our house
> a quite complex and amazing song was heard. I couldn't help thinking of
> Bewick's Wren because of their many variations of complex vocalizations,
> but I've never heard one quite so elaborate with these amazing bends and
> pitches! Perhaps the Miles Davis of Bewick's Wrens? I tried running it
> through Merlin / BirdNet as well, and they're stumped. So thought it would
> be worth running by the group for thoughts on the ID from the good ear
> birders in our community. The best audio I could get is in this eBird
> checklist, there's a bit of sound from our fountain but it's fairly clear:
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305461066 >
> A few other birding highlights from today included a FOS (and about a
> month early!) Black-headed Grosbeak in our feeder today:
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305658410 >
> And I was pleasantly surprised to encounter the continuing over-wintering
> Black-and-white Warbler at Frenchman's Creek Park:
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305732886 >
> Starting to feel like spring out there!
>
> Happy birding,
> Kent Forward
> El Granada
>
>
> --
Janet L. Leonard
Date: 3/3/26 5:42 pm From: Kent Forward via groups.io <kforward...> Subject: [pen-bird] Song ID Help - Bewick's Wren?
Good Afternoon Birders,
Most of the day Monday from somewhere back in the willows behind our house a quite complex and amazing song was heard. I couldn't help thinking of Bewick's Wren because of their many variations of complex vocalizations, but I've never heard one quite so elaborate with these amazing bends and pitches! Perhaps the Miles Davis of Bewick's Wrens? I tried running it through Merlin / BirdNet as well, and they're stumped. So thought it would be worth running by the group for thoughts on the ID from the good ear birders in our community. The best audio I could get is in this eBird checklist, there's a bit of sound from our fountain but it's fairly clear:
https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305461066 A few other birding highlights from today included a FOS (and about a month early!) Black-headed Grosbeak in our feeder today:
https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305658410 And I was pleasantly surprised to encounter the continuing over-wintering Black-and-white Warbler at Frenchman's Creek Park:
https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S305732886 Starting to feel like spring out there!
Happy birding,Kent ForwardEl Granada
Date: 3/2/26 3:33 pm From: Richard Bradus via groups.io <grizzledjay...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Coyote Point Worm-eating Warbler
Sorry for my less than adequate directions - the bird was NORTH of the previous spot, just west of the parking area, approximately here: 37.589501, -122.320189BUT, I did not see the bird again after my initial sighting despite about 20 minutes of back and forth searching.
It will take patience (and luck) to see this striking bird.
Richard BradusSan Francisco
On Monday, March 2, 2026 at 03:07:20 PM PST, Kathleen Visel <k.visel...> wrote:
Thereās a couple of us here looking. If youāre able to, could you try to share the GPS again?
> On Mar 2, 2026, at 2:54āÆPM, Richard Bradus via groups.io <grizzledjay...> wrote:
>
> ļ»æJust got a brief but clear view of the WEWA east of the prior location (just a bit north of the path off the parking lot toward Curiosity- canāt get maps to cooperate for a location). Too quick for photoš«
>
> Richard Bradus
> San Francisco
> Please excuse typos and such
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 3/2/26 2:54 pm From: Richard Bradus via groups.io <grizzledjay...> Subject: [pen-bird] Coyote Point Worm-eating Warbler
Just got a brief but clear view of the WEWA east of the prior location (just a bit north of the path off the parking lot toward Curiosity- canāt get maps to cooperate for a location). Too quick for photoš«
Richard Bradus
San Francisco
Please excuse typos and such
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, āaā/āTheā 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 donāt 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,
