March 2003 was the month of the big snow storm which finally put precipitation above average for the year. However, the poorer weather seemed to discourage birders from being active in the field. We had very few reports for the month, in particular from the mountains and foothills. Many common species simply didn’t get reported; such was the case with Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine Siskin. Grebes were surely present in fair numbers but again were missed, as was American Coot. Birders seemed to all visit the same locations in March; as always Walden/Sawhill Ponds was fairly well covered.

There were many signs of spring for those who looked for them. The two Trumpeter Swans that have been seen separately in the county for the last two months, finally managed to find one another. Cinnamon Teal were present in fair numbers. A hybrid CinnamonXBlue-winged Teal appeared again at Walden Ponds; presumably this is the same bird that was present in spring 2002. The number of diving ducks appeared to have decreased since February, although it is hard to tell whether this was just due to poor reporting. Some less usual ducks were found such as Greater Scaup and Barrow’s Goldeneye.

The first Turkey Vulture and Peregrine Falcon of the year were reported. The number of Bald Eagles at Union Reservoir made this a favorite sightseeing trip for novice birders; at least 107 of these birds were present there. Presumably these were migrant eagles moving northwards. Shorebird migration was just getting started by the end of the month, with Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitcher being reported as well as many more Killdeer and Wilson’s Snipe.Two Dunlin seen mid-month at Valmont Reservoir were the first of this species seen in the county since 1998. Traditionally they seem to have been a winter sighting.

Eight different species of gull were reported: Franklin’s Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Glaucous Gull, altogether a good mixture of winter and spring gulls. The nesting Great Horned Owls at Valmont power plant were watched by many daily via a webcam. White-throated Swift, Say’s Phoebe and Blue- Gray Gnatcatcher were early arriving spring migrants. All three species of bluebird (Eastern, Western, and Mountain) were reported. Whereas many of the migrants appeared to arrive on the early side, Mountain Bluebirds were not reported until March 11th, well after the average February 24th arrival date.

The Inca Dove reported at the south end of the Mesa Trail was only the second sighting of this bird for the inventory. The previous sighting was in Lafayette in November 1992. White-winged Dove is a bird that is expanding its range rapidly, and one for which we can expect to see many more reports.

Altogether 100 bird species were seen in March, an unsurprisingly low total considering the lack of reports. TOP