Some Bird Species currently Missing from the San Mateo County Bio-Blitz
Today, while hosting the ongoing Orchard Oriole at my house, I had three active iNat-ters for the county present - myself, DPom, and KSchneid. We discussed two matters of interest to the San Mateo County Bio-Blitz. One is the fact that the sea-boundaries don't go very far, which would exclude a lot of pelagic species. I will look into how to stretch those boundaries a bit.
Secondly, we did a quick-and-informal look at the bird list, to see what was missing. Not a lot of easy species were left! But here's a short wish list:
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Saw-whet Owl (remember, audio files can now be used)
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Vaux's Swift
Common Tern
Gull-billed Tern (from the famous appearance a few years ago)
Willow Flycatcher (and all empids except for Pacific-slope Flycatcher)
Pacific Golden-Plover
Rhinoceros Auklet
Long-tailed Jaeger
Yellow-billed Loon
Laysan Albatross
Ashy Storm-Petrel
Black Storm-Petrel
Least Storm-Petrel
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Yellow-crowned Night-heron (another famous appearance from the past)
Prairie Falcon
Purple Martin
Lewis's Woodpecker
Most of these are quite rare, but some have had recent appearances that were likely well-photographed. Comb through your archives, friends!
Comments
I definitely have Laysan Albatross, Rhinoceros Auklet, and a bad picture of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker from my yard.
Add 'em! Thanks, geodani!
Ill post my Pacific golden plover from the CBC a few years ago. FC Shell Bar
There is a picture of the gull-billed tern in pen birds taken by someone whose name I don't recognize.
Thanks, Leslie. I will have to find who took the pictures of the GBTern, and sweet-talk them into iNaturalist, too!
Good work, team! We've taken care of Pacific Golden-Plover, Laysan Albatross, and Semipalmated Sandpiper. Now I just have to get the info re. extending the sea boundaries.
I added Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, but did not see RHAU in my folder. I'll have to look again.
It can wait until I've stretched the boundaries at sea, geodani.
And, in that tricky way that rare bird records work, we now have multiple sightings of Blue-footed Booby in the database! It had not even been on the radar of possibility for San Mateo county when I posted this not even three weeks ago!
Long-eared Owl NO LONGER MISSING - thanks to the amazing encounter between Leslie Flint and her own personal, at-home LEOwl sighting! Fabulous way to get coverage for the project, Leslie: convincing rare birds to land at your front door!
Added the Lucy's Warbler today from Pacifica. Rarities are always appreciated for the database, of course.
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