As a birder, there are likely many species you would still like to add to your list. Besides the ones that can be seen on California’s Northwest Coast, there are often vagrants that show up unexpectedly, and this past winter was stunning. Here are just a handful of the rare birds that were sighted in the area:
A Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) perched on a stump with snow falling in the background.
Common Pochard – The Pochard was spotted in Freshwater Lagoon near Orick, CA, by several different people in December and January. This Eurasian duck was counted as the 3rd record for California.
Eurasian Kestrel – A brief stay by this California 2nd record bird excited several local birders and lured others from afar.
Another note: Trumpeter Swan – The Ferndale bottoms hosted these majestic birds for a few weeks, the first ones seen in the county for over 25 years.
This is some wonderful news for the upcoming Godwit Days 2017 festival. If this is a sign of things to come, we cannot wait to find out what will be spotted this Spring during the event and beyond!