2017: A Birder's Year in Review

The year is over, and as promised, here it is: the list of every bird species I encountered in 2017.

California boasts an incredible number of birds - the official list sits at 665 species, as of November 14th of this year, and includes quite a few rarities.  (Bragging point: Californian birders have a shot at seeing two-thirds of all North American species without leaving their own state!)  In 2015, the Big Year record for California was set at 500.  A knowledgeable, dedicated birder willing to travel to all corners of the state can reasonably expect to see over 400 species in one year in California.  I got... about half that!  But I'm happy with my final count, for the considerably smaller amount of effort that I put in!

Before I get to my list, I have a few disclaimers to make.

I am based in the San Joaquin Valley, happily situated a two hour drive from the coast (the Monterey Bay area) and a two hour drive from the Sierra Nevada (the Sonora Pass and Yosemite areas).  As a result, the majority of my birding is done in the Great Central Valley (Stanislaus and Merced counties, specifically), in the Sonora Pass and Yosemite regions of the Sierra Nevada, and the Monterey Bay area, most frequently from Moss Landing south to the Carmel River.  These are the places I visit most often and know the best.  The vast majority of the birds listed here were seen in this central California region, from land (no pelagic trips involved!).  I took one week-long trip to California's northwest coast, spent four very stormy and birdless days in Death Valley National Park, and lost about a month of California birding to travels abroad!  The rest of the time I stayed in central California.

My parenthetical notes are based on where I have seen these birds and are by no means an exhaustive or conclusive list of their entire range.  The list is compiled entirely from information I have observed and collected while birding this year (though backed up by several years of previous experience and quite a few field guides!)  My notes on habitat and location are intended to serve as a general guide for anyone - naturalist or otherwise - who would also like to experience these birds in the wild.

Four of the birds listed below were not seen but heard only, though still identified with absolute certainty.  These birds are: the Western Screech Owl, the Barred Owl, the Northern Pygmy Owl, and the Common Poorwill, all of which are nocturnal species.

Lastly, the birds are listed in taxonomic order, because that is the "official" way to do it and is what makes sense to me.

Long-eared Owl

Birds of 2017: 222 species

Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
{These geese can all be found in Central Valley wetlands & wildlife refuges during the winter months, generally from November through February.  Canada geese are common residents at city park ponds and golf courses as well!}

Wood Duck          {Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers, Stanislaus county}
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Grater Scaup          {Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing, spring}
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter          {coastal waters of Moss Landing, all year}
White-winged Scoter          {Moss Landing harbor}
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye          {Stanislaus River, Knights Ferry Rec Area, with Common Goldeneyes}
Hooded Merganser     
Common Merganser  
Red-breasted Merganser          {coastal waters of Pacific Grove, spring}
Ruddy Duck
{All other duck species mentioned here can be seen during the winter months in Central Valley wetlands and National Wildlife Refuges; some are coastal as well.}

Mountain Quail          {Sierra Nevada, year-round}
California Quail          {Central Valley and surrounding foothills, year-round}
Ring-necked Pheasant          {Central Valley grasslands, i.e. San Luis NWR}
Wild Turkey          {Foothills surrounding the Central Valley, year-round}

Pacific Loon          {North coast, spring}
Common Loon          {Moss Landing harbor}
Pied-billed Grebe 
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
{These grebes all visit Central Valley wetlands at various points throughout the year}

Sooty Shearwater          {Monterey & Moss Landing, off-shore in huge numbers, September}

Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
{All three are found along the central coast.  Double-crested is the only one likely to be seen inland}

American White Pelican          {Central Valley wetlands}
Brown Pelican          {common along central coast}
American Bittern 
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
White-faced Ibis
{All of the wading birds above are common in Central Valley wetlands, as well as wetlands across the state.}

Turkey Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle          {Scattered places across the state, typically associated with bodies of fresh water}
Red-shouldered Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk          {Carrizo Plain NM; a winter visitor to Central Valley grasslands}
{The rest of these raptors are pretty commonly found throughout the Central Valley as well as other parts of the state}

Sora
Common Gallinule
{Both secretive wetland birds}
American Coot          {Hugely abundant where freshwater is present in valley and coastal areas!}
Sandhill Crane          {Present in the thousands in Central Valley wetlands during the winter}

Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black Oystercatcher          {Central coast, rocky shoreline}
Black-bellied Plover
Snowy Plover          {Central coast, sandy beaches and dune habitat}
Semipalmated Plover          {Central coast, mudflats}
Killdeer
Whimbrel          {Central coast}
Long-billed Curlew          {Central coast as well as Valley grasslands & wetlands}
Marbled Godwit          {Central coast, sandy beaches and mudflats}
Ruddy Turnstone          {Central coast, mudflats and rocky shoreline}
Black Turnstone          {Central coast, rocky shoreline}
Sanderling          {Central coast, sandy beaches}
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper          {Central coast, mudflats}
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope          {Central coast, nearshore waters}
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet          {Central coast, sandy beaches}
Lesser Yellowlegs
{The rest of these shorebirds are common in Central Valley wetlands, especially during winter.  Some also occur on the coast as well as inland.}

Parasitic Jaeger          {Central coast}

Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Heermann's Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Elegant Tern
{The Moss Landing harbor and Elkhorn Slough are excellent places to see all of these birds}

Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon          {our native pigeon of coniferous forests}
Eurasian Collared Dove
Mourning Dove
{Other doves & pigeons listed are common and widespread}

Barn Owl
Western Screech Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl          {Northwest redwood forests}
Burrowing Owl
Barred Owl          {Northwest redwood forests}
Long-eared Owl          {Grassland; Carrizo Plain National Monument}
{The other owls are fairly common in the Central Valley}

Common Poorwill          {Carrizo Plain NM}
White-throated Swift          {Cliffs in Tuolumne County; Del Puerto Canyon, Stanislaus County}
Black-chinned Hummingbird          {Central Valley, summer}
Anna's Hummingbird          {Central Valley, year-round}
Rufous Hummingbird          {Central Valley, spring and fall migration}
Calliope Hummingbird          {Sierra Nevada, summer}

Belted Kingfisher          {Fairly common along waterways}

Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker          {Mixed conifer forests}
White-headed Woodpecker          {Mixed conifer forests}
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker          {Mixed conifer forests; in my experience, they are partial to sequoias}
{The rest are found commonly in the Central Valley & surrounding foothills}

American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
{Seen across the Central Valley at various times throughout the year}

Willow Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
{All flycatchers may be seen across central California during the summer; phoebes stay year-round}

Loggerhead Shrike          {Central Valley grasslands, year-round}

Hutton's Vireo          {Central California, year-round} 
Warbling Vireo          {Central California, summer}

Steller's Jay          {Sierra Nevada, mixed conifer forests}
California Scrub Jay 
Yellow-billed Magpie          {Endemic to California; found mostly in the Central Valley}
Clark's Nutcracker          {Sierra Nevada, high elevations}
American Crow
Common Raven
{Other corvids are common across the state}

Horned Lark          {Carrizo Plain NM and other remnants of California's prairie}

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
{Swallows are most common during the summer; tree, violet-green and barn swallows may be seen in the Central Valley during the winter as well}

Mountain Chickadee          {Mixed conifer forests}
Chestnut-backed Chickadee          {Coastal & mixed conifer forests}
Oak Titmouse          {Valley riparian areas and oak woodlands}                        
Bushtit          {Common across the Central Valley}

Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
{All found in mixed forests}

Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
House Wren
Pacific Wren
Marsh Wren
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren          {Southern California deserts}
{All other wrens are found in various habitats across central California}

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher          {riparian areas of San Joaquin River NWR}

Golden-crowned Kinglet          {Sierran coniferous forests}
Ruby-crowned Kinglet          {Central Valley, winter}

Wrentit          {chaparral across the state}

Western Bluebird          {common in the Central Valley year-round}
Mountain Bluebird          {Sierra, high elevation - like Tuolumne Meadows}
Townsend's Solitaire          {Sierran forests, summer}
Swainson's Thrush          {Sierran & northwest forests}
Hermit Thrush          {Central Valley riparian areas, winter}
American Robin          {common in the Central Valley year-round}
Varied Thrush          {Northwest forests, summer}

California Thrasher          {Central Valley chaparral areas, San Joaquin River NWR}
Northern Mockingbird          {common and widespread}

European Starling          {common and abundant in cities and agricultural areas, encroaching in natural areas; introduced and invasive}

American Pipit          {Central Valley, winter}
Cedar Waxwing          {Central Valley, winter}
Phainopepla          {Central Valley, foothills, deserts}

Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler          {Central Coast riparian area, fall migration}
Common Yellowthroat   
Yellow Warbler              
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Black-throated Gray Warbler          {Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests, summer}
Townsend's Warbler          {Monterey Peninsula, winter}
Wilson's Warbler          {Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests and Redwood forests, summer}
{The other warblers mentioned are pretty common in the Central Valley}

Lark Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Bell's Sparrow          {Carrizo Plain NM}
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
California Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
{All of these sparrows show up in the Central Valley at various points throughout the year}

Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
{All birds primarily of riparian areas in the Central Valley; also in the Sierra}

Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Western Meadowlark          {grasslands}
Hooded Oriole          {southern California, ranging north with spread of ornamental palm trees}
Bullock's Oriole          {Central Valley riparian areas}
Red-winged Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird 
Brown-headed Cowbird          {widespread, especially in agricultural areas}
Brewers's Blackbird          {widespread, often associates with humans, especially in parking lots!}
Great-tailed Grackle
{The other blackbirds mentioned are typically associated with wetlands}

House Finch
Purple Finch          {Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests}
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch          {Carrizo Plain NM}
American Goldfinch
{Other finches are common in the Central Valley}

House Sparrow          {common and abundant in cities and agricultural areas, encroaching in natural areas; introduced and invasive}

For articles on many of these birds, visit the Bird List page.  Happy birding!