Birding in Neighborhoods - South

By Cathi Bower

During some of those final glorious fall days, at Sunlight Beach, in spite of the bouncy surf, we did find some loons, grebes, geese and cormorants out there. We watched a crow watching an Osprey while he ate something on the shore, and there were a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and an amazing variety of gulls on the beach side.  We identified six different gulls!  Heermann’s, Short-billed, California, Ring-billed, a Glaucous-winged and the hybrids. 

On the mud flats in the lagoon, we observed some great comparisons of shorebirds foraging together–Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Western Sandpipers, and a few adorable Semi-Palmated Plovers.  Green-Winged Teals’ beetle-green patches just glowed in the sun.  Luckily we spied a trio of Snow Geese as they flew over!

Later that month, we were able to visit a private Maxwelton Valley habitat, where there were only a couple of lake sightings–Ring-necked Ducks and Pied-billed Grebes-but it was as good a raptor day as it gets! Eagles, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Harrier, a Kestrel and Vultures!  Plus a Cormorant flyover, a singing Fox Sparrow, a posing Hermit Thrush, begging Steller’s Jays, and several dozen young Cedar Waxwings.  Birds we did not see that morning, but which are regulars at that location are Marsh Wrens, Rails, Mallards, Geese, Kingfisher, Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Starlings, Doves, Crows, Varied Thrush, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Sapsucker, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers. For the full list of the morning, see eBird Checklist - 16 Oct 2025 - The Whole Habitat - 36 species