Sightings - March 2026
Adult male Rufous Hummingbird showing distinctly notched R2 tail feathers, 3/14/2026, Old Smith Ranch Trail. Photo by Roger Adamson.
During March, there were several reports of birds that had been previously noted: Tennessee Warblers and Bullock’s Oriole at the Rose Cemetery; a couple of Western Tanagers, in both Ukiah and Fort Bragg; Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds that arrive early in the year; the lone Harlequin Duck at Virgin Creek.
March begins the major transition from over-wintering species to the return of breeding birds and some species passing through on their way north. Many of the following are expected but arrived a little early, while others were right on time. A few were truly rare and will be noted. Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets were reported from the Ukiah Water Treatment Plant (UWTP) on 3/01 (GG). There was a pelagic trip out of Noyo harbor to the head of Noyo Canyon also on 3/01. Notable birds on that trip included Ring-billed Gull, Short-tailed Shearwater, and Ancient Murrelet. However, the “best bird” was a Scripps’s Murrelet seen during the return trip just a few miles offshore (many observers). If you have an older field guide, you will find this bird as a subspecies of Xantus’s Murrelet. Genetic analysis enabled the split of Xantus’s into Scripps’s Murrelet and Guadalupe Murrelet in 2012.
Scripp’s Murrelet, 10 nm nw of Fort Bragg, 3/01/2026, Roger Adamson.
Scripps’s is the more northerly (some 5,000-10,000 breeding pairs are found in the Channel Islands of southern California) and has been seen several times in recent years in our area. Estimated at less than 3,000 breeding pairs, Guadalupe Murrelet are found on only a few islands west of Baja California.
On the First Saturday birding outing at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens an early Common Yellowthroat was spotted (DJ, LW, & CL with others). A Common Poorwill was seen 3/12 (and other days) along a road in the hills east of Hopland (HB). While these are truly common, they are rarely seen or reported.
On a half-day pelagic trip intended primarily for whale watching a Parakeet Auklet was photographed on 3/15 (PP). This northern species is seen relatively rarely off the California coast and was an excellent observation by the lone birder on board. Two Hooded Orioles were reported from different locations in Ukiah 3/17 (CH & GG). On 3/19 a Cassin’s Vireo arrived in Willits (MC). Calliope Hummingbirds were reported on 3/24 in Ukiah (CV), on 3/27 in Hopland (BK), and 3/29 from two locations near Redwood Valley (SP & KL). On 3/29 a group of Scaly-breasted Munia were identified at the UWTP (GG & CV).
Lastly, a Royal Tern was described at Arena Point on 3/26 (TC). These can be confused with Elegant Tern and are very rare this far north. However, excellent confirmatory photos were taken the next day (CK & TB).
Royal Tern at the Point Arena Lighthouse, at the mouth of Garcia Creek. Photo by Catherine Keegan.
Thanks to all who reported sightings: George Gibbs (GG), Dave Jensen (DJ), Lisa Walker (LW), Chris Lamoureux (CL), Hannah Bird (HB), Peter Pyle (PP), Cheryl Harris (CH), Mike Curry (MC), Chuck Vaughn (CV), Bob Keiffer (BK), Steve Proctor (SP), Keith Leland (KL), Thomas Cramer (TC), Catherine Keegan (CK), and Tim Bray (TB).
