San Jose weekends in late January and early February

I was back in San Jose for the weekends of January 19-21 and February 3-5, but for the most part did not venture far. A Wood Duck in Parkway Lakes on the 20th was a nice surprise, and we chased and found a Lewis's Woodpecker at Chesboro on the same day. A Ross's Goose at the pond on Bailey Avenue was a county bird for me.

On February 3rd I went to a new spot, the Oka Ponds in Los Gatos Creek Park where close-by roosting gulls had been identified the previous day and made me confident that I could find a couple of good species among the regulars. A White-fronted Goose was a bonus there. Alas I did not find the American Dipper further down the creek near downtown Los Gatos,

American Pipit

Bewick's Wren

Song Sparrow

Greater White-fronted Goose

San Jose - first of the year

I was back in San Jose ahead of the start of Spring semester, and . spent time adding some easy California birds to my year list. I was also aware of getting close to 200 species for Santa Clara county. On the morning of Thursday January 11th I spent some time at Santa Teresa County Park, Laguna Avenue and the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve.

Pine Siskins had not been in Bay Area for the winter of 2016-17, but I had seen reports of this species in December. It did not take long for me to find a group bathing in a puddle by the Golf Course - together with some Western Bluebirds and an American Goldfinch

Pine Siskins

On Laguna Avenue I thought I had another county bird when I saw a large falcon on a wire. However this was not the wished-for, reported Prairie Falcon but instead a Peregrine.

Peregrine

In the afternoon I took a walk along the Parkway Lakes adding a few more simple species. The following day I went to Rancho San Antonio with Garrett and Sergio where a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a friendly, calling Hutton's Vireo were the highlights.

My wife and I headed out to Shoreline on Saturday January 13th to add some shorebirds to my year's list. I had trouble identifying a Dunlin - and needed the help of an eBird reviewer. For some reason this species doesn't stay in my head as being a possible and is often overlooked.

Dunlin

We stopped off at a stake-out for Phainopepla on the way back, and headed to Palm Avenue for a stakeout Vermilion Flycatcher on Sunday morning. I had tried for the latter on Thursday but a Cooper's Hawk in the area did not help my cause.

Cooper's Hawk

Bald Eagle Count

On Tuesday January 8th I did my usual Bald Eagle count and had three birds - two adults and a juvenile. One of the adults was in the same tree as on the CBC. The other was not far away. This was the first time I had seen the young bird this winter.

I had hope to get some year birds, but the Northern Pintail and Common Goldeneye from the CBC were gone and the wind was strong at Walnut Canyon that all the birds were hunkered down. My only year bird was a Western Bluebird by the clubhouse.

Two days in Phoenix

On Friday January 5th I took my son down to Phoenix so he could head back to Bellingham. We stopped at Encanto Park where the Rosy-faced  Lovebirds were not in their usual spot, and then at the Phoenix Zoo where we saw many Common Gallinules without need to go to the usual spot in Papago Park. The following day I went to the Gilbert Water Ranch and found the Northern Parula that had been reported at the same spot for a few days.

First Days of the Year in Flagstaff

I started the year watching my feeders which I had stocked up the night before, and then ticked off some more species with a drive across town. I added a few more birds in the next couple of days.

There was then a remarkable find. On January 3rd Jason had decided to hike our snow free mountains looking for birds that would not normally be around, and ran into a group of 12-15 Pine Grosbeaks just a short hike up the Mount Humphreys Trail from Snowbowl. The following morning I chased the bird - running into Vic, Brooks, Kathryn etc. - and finding the birds at the very same spot. I also added Clark's Nutcracker and Red-breasted Nuthatch to my year list much earlier than I normally do. The Pone Grosbeaks were a state bird for me; I'd only seen these previously on Sax-Zim Bog.

Pine Grosbeaks

Brooks and Carrie had found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, my Arizona nemesis bird at the Cameron Trading Post on December and others had continued reporting it into January. On January 7th I went to Cameron and had no luck; perhaps I should have stayed longer, but I left home with a plan and drove back via the Wupatki loop. There were literally hundreds of Sage Thrashers along the road, with at least 50 at the visitor center mixed in were a few robins.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak continued after that with Anne reporting the bird on January 14th, and Chuck on the 23rd. So I returned on January 27th, this time with a patient 2-hour vigil in the chilly courtyard. the bird had gone, and was not reported again. I am jinxed.

The Year Ahead

I will again spend a combined 2 months in California, will have a trip to the UK in the summer and am again likely to go to Chicago for a few days in August and to Bellingham in November. Based on this I will set my North American goal at 350 species, although I have not reached this in the past two years of similar travel. I will set targets of 200 for both Arizona and California, with 150 in Coconino and 175 for Santa Clara.

Lifers will be hard to come by. My best bets remain Mountain Quail and Bell’s Sparrow in California.

I have provisionally registered for a trip to Panama after Christmas in 2018 on which lifers galore can be expected in 2018 and in 2019.

My 2017 Birding Year

I ended the year with 535 species which exceeded my initial goal of 400 species and a later one of 500 species that I had given myself once it was clear that I would spend some days in the UK, Malaysia and Australia. I saw 322 in North America missing the optimistic 350 target I had given myself.  I had 230 species in Arizona and 203 in California, ahead of the 225 and 175 I had set for myself. At the county level I saw 164 species in Coconino and 180 in Santa Clara, exceeding the 150 targets for each place. 

I saw 3 lifers in in North America in 2017, Emperor Goose, Red-masked Parakeet and Louisiana Waterthrush, plus an uncertain number in Malaysia. I need to find my Excel file and make a proper determination. Common Crane was a fourth ABA bird.  I added 5 species to my Arizona list with Trumpeter Swan, Brown Thrasher, Red Knot as well as the crane and the waterthrush. And I added 8 species to my Coconino list.

My bird of the year was the Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher that I saw in Ulu Langat, Malaysia. The Snowy Owl and Short-eared Owls seen on a family trip to the Pacific Northwest were my favorites in North America. My year end totals are as follows: 

Life List
ABA List	578
Arizona List	405
Coconino County List	290
Yard List	97

My 163 species in Coconino had me in 23^rd spot, and my 180 in Santa Clara had me in 25^th. But these are a function of the number of people eBirding as much as anything else.

My 2017 Bird List

January 1st

American Crow
Turkey Vulture
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Hermit Thrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
California Scrub-Jay
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Anna's Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Coot
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Red-tailed Hawk
Black Phoebe
Bushtit
Wrentit
Western Bluebird
Song Sparrow
California Towhee
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
European Starling
Feral Pigeon
California Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Bufflehead
Greater Scaup
Willet
Common Goldeneye
Snowy Egret
Least Sandpiper
Lesser Scaup
Eared Grebe
Herring Gull
Ruddy Duck
Horned Grebe
American Avocet
Great Egret

January 2nd
White-tailed Kite
Northern Shoveler
Belted Kingfisher
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Double-crested Cormorant
Green Heron
Common Yellowthroat
Canvasback
Northern Harrier
Virginia Rail
Western Grebe
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Red-breasted Merganser
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Gray Flycatcher
Dark-eyed Junco
House Sparrow

January 3rd
American Kestrel
Logerhead Shrike
Say's Phoebe
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-billed Magpie
Red-winged Blackbird
California Quail
Tricolored Blackbird
Eurasian Collared Dove
Barn Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Finch
Burrowing Owl
Cackling Goose
Snow Goose

January 4th
Common Raven
Ferruginous Hawk
White-fronted Goose
Wood Duck
Red-shouldered Hawk
Oak Titmouse
Steller's Jay
Townsend's Warbler
White-breasted Nuthatch
Common Merganser
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

January 5th
Black-necked Stilt
Savannah Sparrow
Semi-palmated Plover
Killdeer
Long-billed Dowitcher
Dunlin
American Pipit
Green-winged Teal
Mew Gull
American Wigeon
Cinnamon Teal
Peregrine Falcon
American White Pelican

January 6th
Spotted Towhee
Wild Turkey
American Goldfinch

January 7th
Clark's Grebe

January 10th
Pygmy Nuthatch
Great-tailed Grackle
Greater Roadrunner

January 11th
Pine Siskin
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Pintail
Hooded Merganser
Bald Eagle
Pinyon Jay
Mountain Bluebird

January 14th
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Long-tailed Duck
Trumpeter Swan
Long-billed Curlew
White-faced Ibis
Abert's Towhee
Gambel's Quail
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Sagebrush Sparrow
LeConte's Thrasher
Neotropic Cormorant
Verdin
Inca Dove
Gila Woodpecker
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Common Gallinule

January 15th
Brown Thrasher
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Phainopepla
Yellow-eyed Junco
Mexican Jay
Lincoln's Sparrow
Bridled Titmouse
Arizona Woodpecker
Hepatic Tanager
Magnificent Hummingbird
Vermilion Flycatcher
Redhead
Cactus Wren

January 16th
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Sora
Orange-crowned Warbler
Lark Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird
Harris's Hawk
Crested Caracara
Horned Lark
Brewer's Sparrow
Curve-billed Thrasher

January 22nd
Brown Creeper
Mountain Chickadee
Lewis's Woodpecker

January 28th
Glaucous-winged Gull
Emperor Goose
Western Gull
Surf Scoter
Brown Pelican
Sanderling
Greater Yellowlegs
Western Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Ridgway's Rail
Golden Eagle

January 29th
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Pacific Loon
Bewick's Wren

February 4th
Osprey
Barrow's Goldeneye

February 8th
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay
Red-naped Sapsucker
Common Black Hawk

February 11th
Summer Tanager

February 16th
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Hammond's Flycatcher

February 18th
Band-tailed Pigeon

February 19th
White-throated Swift

February 26th
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Northern Cardinal

March 2nd
Townsend's Solitaire

March 4th
Prairie Falcon

March 7th
Rough-legged Hawk

March 11th
Brandt's cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-masked Parakeet
Black Oystercatcher

March 14th
Downy Woodpecker

March 16th
Bonaparte's Gull
Forster's tern

March 18th
Whimbrel
Black Turnstone
Common Loon
Snowy Plover
Pigeon Guillemot

March 26th
Painted Redstart

April 1st
Yellow-throated Warbler

April 6th
House Wren
Virginia's Warbler

April 8th
Bullock's Oriole
Swainson's Hawk
Rufous-crowned Sparrow

April 9th
Warbling Vireo
Ash-throated Flycatcher

April 12th
Yellow-headed Blackbird

April 15th
Franklin's Gull

April 16th
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Western Kingbird
Plumbeous Vireo
Yellow Warbler

April 22nd
Caspian Tern
Cliff Swallow

April 27th
Solitary Sandpiper

April 28th
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Spotted Sandpiper

April 30th
Dusky Flycatcher

May 4th
Black-headed Grosbeak

May 6th
Cattle Egret
Common Crane
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Vesper Sparrow

May 7th
Purple Martin
Grace's Warbler

May 9th
Wilson's Warbler
Lazuli Bunting

May 14th
Common Swift
Eurasian Magpie
Carrion Crow
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Wood-Pigeon
Eurasian Jackdaw
Eurasian Blue Tit
Eurasian Blackbird

May 15th
White Wagtail
European Robin

May 16th
Greylag Goose
Tufted Duck
Eurasian Moorhen
Great Tit
Eurasian Wren
Common Chiffchaff
Eurasian Reed-Warbler
Eurasian Blackcap
Common Chaffinch

May 18th
Ring-necked Pheasant
Little Egret
Northern Lapwing
Ruddy Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Common Tern

May 20th
Common Buzzard
Eurasian Coot
Song Thrush
European Goldfinch
Dunnock

May 22nd
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Eurasian Green Woodpecker
Eurasian Jay

May 26th
Great Cormorant

May 28th
Great Crested Grebe
Eurasian Hobby

May 29th
Grey Heron
Greenfinch

May 31st
Mute Swan
Egyptian Goose
Common Pochard

June 1st
Common Shelduck
Little Grebe
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier
Pied Avocet
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Common Redshank
Eurasian Skylark
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Common Grasshopper-Warbler
Greater Whitethroat
Redd Bunting
Eurasian Linnet

June 3rd
Rook
Red-crested Pochard
Stock Dove
Long-tailed Tit
Black-tailed Godwit
Lesser Whitethroat

June 13th
Mediterranean Gull

June 14th
Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
Common House Martin

June 19th
White-winged Dove

June 22nd
Gilded Flicker

June 25th
Western Wood_Pewee
Cordilleran Flycatcher

July 2nd
Spotted Dove
White-throated Kingfisher
Black-naped Oriole
House Crow
Pacific Swallow
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Common Myna
Javan Myna
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

July 3rd
Zebra Dove
Asian Koel
House Swift
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Asian Glossy Starling

July 4th
Greater Coucal
Raffle's Malkoha
Red-billed Malkoha
Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo
Grey-rumped Treeswift
Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher
Sooty Barbet
Gold-whiskered Barbet
Crimson-winged Woodpecker
Rufous Woodpecker
Buff-rumped Woodpecker
Maroon Woodpecker
Black-and-Red Broadbill
Large Woodshrike
Common Iora
Scarlet Minivet
Lesser Cuckooshrike
Dark-throated Oriole
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Malaysian Pied-Fantail
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Black-headed Bulbul
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Red-eyed Bulbul
Spectacled Bulbul
Common Tailorbird
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
Rufescent Prinia
Oriental White-eye
Pin-striped Tit-Babblet
Horsfield's Babbler
Lesser Green Leafbird
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
Plain-throated Sunbird
Long-billed Spiderhunter
Purple-naped Spiderhunter
White-rumped Munia
Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Blue-winged Leafbird
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Spectacled Spiderhunter

July 5th
Striated Heron

July 6th
Masked Lapwing
Little Corella
Pied Currawong
Maned Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Australian Ibis
Dusky Moorhen
Crested Pigeon
Noisy Miner
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Gray Butcherbird
Willie-wagtail
Magpie-lark
Torresian Crow
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin
Rainbow Lorikeet
Australian Magpie
White-eyed Duck

July 7th
Silver Gull
Australian Brushturkey
Laughing Kookaburra
Pied Butcherbird
Australasian Swamphen
Galah
Australasian Grebe
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Australian King-Parrot
Pale-headed Rosella
Variegated Fairywren
Lewin's Honeyeater
Eastern Whipbird
Gray Fantail
Silver-eye
Red-browed Firetail

July 8th
Australasian Figbird
Bush Thick-knee
Cotton Pygmy-Goose
Gray Teal
Australasia Darter
Australian Pelican
Intermediate Egret
Straw-necked Ibis
Whistling Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Comb-crested Jacana
Great Crested Tern
Topknot Pigeon
Azure Kingfisher
Rainbow Bee-eater
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scarlet Myzomela
Brown Honeyeater
Striated Pardalote
Black-faced Cuckooshrike
Rufous Whistler
Spangled Drongo
Fairy Martin
Mistletoebird

July 9th
White-faced Heron
Gray Goshawk
Bell Miner
White-naped Honeyeater
Spotted Pardalote
White-browed Scrubwren
Brown Thornbill
Gray Shrikethrush
Golden Whistler
Rose Robin
Eastern Yellow Robin
Black Kite
Australasian Pipit
Pink-eared Duck
Royal Spoonbill
Pied Stilt
Red-kneed Dotterel
Black-fronted Dotterel
Little Friarbird

July 11th
Brown Goshawk
Superb Fairywren
Australian Reed-Warbler
Australian Kite
Red-backed Fairywren
White-breasted Woodswallow
Double-barred Finch
Chestnut-breasted Munia

July 12th
Purple Heron
Crested Serpent-Eagle
Great Myna

July 16th
Black-shouldered Kite

July 19th
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl

July 21st
Barn Owl
Common Poorwill

July 22nd
Vaux's Swift

July 23rd
Cassin's Vireo
Pacific Wren

July 24th
Hooded Oriole

July 29th
Common Murre
Heerman's Gull

August 5th
Short-billed Dowitcher

August 9th
Least Tern

August 10th
Lesser Yellowlegs

August 13th
Elegant Tern

August 16th
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Waterthrush
Common Grackle

August 18th
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Baltimore Oriole

August 24th
Northern Pygmy Owl
Olive-sided Flycatcher

August 26th
Cassin's Kingbird
Nashville Warbler
Rufous Hummingbird

August 27th
MacGillivray's Warbler
Stilt Sandpiper

September 2nd
Western Tanager

September 4th
Baird's Sandpiper

September 10th
Common Ground-Dove
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Lucy's Warbler
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Red Knot

September 16th
Willow Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher

September 23rd
Wilson's Snipe

October 1st
Fox Sparrow

October 13th
Black-billed Magpie

October 14th
Clark's Nutcracker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-headed Woodpecker

October 17th
Louisiana Waterthrush

October 22nd
Cassin's Finch

October 27th
Hutton's Vireo

November 3rd
Harris's Sparrow

November 4th
Rufous-backed Robin
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Evening Grosbeak

November 5th
Red Crossbill
White-winged Scoter

November 11th
Royal Tern

November 12th
Yellow-crowned Night -Heron
Swamp Sparrow

November 18th
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Grasshopper Sparrow
Crissal Thrasher

November 23rd
Northwestern Crow
Snowy Owl
Brant
Black Scoter

November 25th
Varied Thrush
Short-eared Owl
Northern Shrike

November 26th
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-necked Grebe

December 4th
American Dipper
American Bittern
Juniper Titmouse
Canyon Towhee

December 11th
Blue-winged Teal

December 17th
Black-throated Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow