[SBB] S.C. Co. Bird List for September 2006

September 2006 was a good month, the best we've had since 2001. The average number of September's new birds is 10 and we got 12 this month. This isn't earth shaking, but it puts us 2 birds over the mean at 275 species and that is the first time this year we've exceeded the mean tally.

Of the 12 new birds, half were 5's. The first was two juvenile RUFFS found at the New Chicago Marsh on 7 Sep. These remained through the month and were joined by an adult later. A BREWER'S SPARROW was found along the Guadalupe River on 10 Sep. A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was seen at the Sunnyvale Baylands Park the next day on 11 Sep. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was seen along Stevens Creek at the end of La Avenida on 16 Sep. The next day, 17 Sep, a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE was seen at Arastradero Preserve on an Audubon trip--a nice surprise. Wrapping up the 5s, a 1st-winter FRANKLIN'S GULL was found at the Sunnyvale WPCP on 19 Sep and remained to be enjoyed through the end of the month.

The 6s started with a flock of 20 SANDHILL CRANES flying over Stanford on 6 Sep. Presumably they figured things out and returned to the Central Valley. On 11 Sep, an adult TENNESSEE WARBLER was found at the Sunnyvale Baylands Park. An immature was found later in the month along the Guadalupe River. The Tennessee and Blackpoll at the Sunnyvale Baylands Park inspired birders to find a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER there on 14 Sep (one was banded later in the month along Coyote Creek). Adding to the marvelous number of warblers in September was a NORTERN PARULA along Stevens Creek upstream from La Avenida on 16 Sep. Hard to find, this bird remained for some time at this location. A 1st-winter SABINE'S GULL was found at Sunnyvale WPCP on 19 Sep, the same day as the Franklin's. Unlike the Franklin's, it was not found again after its discovery. The last of the month's 6s was a COMMON MURRE photographed in Coyote Slough on 26 Sep.

What holds for the rest of the year? Typically, we find perhaps 10 more species, although numbers have varied from 5 to 14.