Community Corner
Final Bird Count Reveals Nearly 340 Species in San Mateo County
Brown Booby and the first-ever Great Shearwater were among the birds observed, many along the ocean.
(Editor's note: This article was written by Burlingame Birder George Chrisman, and passed along to us by Avis Boutell, a Half Moon Bay contributor.)
Happy New Year Pen-Birders,
San Mateo County finished the 2011 year with a total 334 species reported, one behind our total for 2009. The complete list has been posted on the Sequoia Audubon Society Web site.
Find out what's happening in Foster Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Highlights for the year included the many pelagic trips provided by Shearwater Journeys and Alvaro's Adventures which allowed several birders to increase their life and year lists with the sightings of Short-tailed Albatross, Brown Booby, Murphy's Petrel, Cook's Petrel, and the first ever Great Shearwater and Great-Winged Petrel.
Other species rarely seen from shore included Laysan Albatross, Xantus's Murrelet, Black Storm-Petrel, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, and Fork-Tailed Storm-Petrel.
Find out what's happening in Foster Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
San Mateo County continues to be one of the top spots in the state for gulls, all which are readily accessible from the many public beaches along the coast.
Rare gulls reported last year included Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Iceland Gull, Slaty-Backed Gull, and Black-Legged Kittiwake. Glaucous Gull has become expected.
Highlights from the land include reports from Ano Nuevo of two California Condors feeding on elephant seal and sea lion carcasses in February. This is something we should be conscious of and pursue as the Condor makes its recovery and increases its range in Northern California.
Other land based seawatch species included Manx Shearwater, Short-Tailed Shearwater, and both Horned Puffin and Tufted Puffin.
Nine species of owl were recorded including detections of uncommon species by reputable observers- Spotted Owl at Gazos Creek Road by John Sterling and Long-eared Owl at Pescadero Creek County Park by David Suddjian. Short-Eared Owl and Burrowing Owl have become increasingly more difficult to observe in the county, so their presence this year was encouraging.
Rounding out the rarities, the appearance of Sage Thrasher, Black-Throated Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak and Eastern Phoebe make every day of birding in San Mateo County like a treasure hunt.
2012 is off to a good start with the continuance of a few good rarities including the Long-Tailed Duck and Tropical Kingbird in Pacifica, Harris's Sparrow at Cascade Ranch, and Eastern Phoebe at Stage Road near Pescadero.
Get out early to get your 2012 list off to a good start. Please report your new year bird sightings to this list and also to www.eBird.org
Good Birding in 2012!
George Chrisman
Burlingame, CA
Related Topics: Bird Count and Environment
