I've always said that the difference between bird watchers and birders is that a bird watcher will go to a park for a picnic and take along a pair of binoculars in case they see some birds, whereas a

I haven't seen this reported on any listserv yet so I will post it. Yesterday Lucas Stephenson found two LAPLAND LONGSPURS and a CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR on Flood Road. I do not have a more specific

I also saw the YELLOW-BILLED LOON this afternoon, with several other birders. Just before I left the bird was moving upriver toward Westgate Landing Regional Park. At one point it was very close to th

As of 11:30 the BLACK-HEADED and FRANKLIN’S GULLS, along with four MEW GULLS, are still being seen from the end of John Turk Road. Ralph Baker, Riverbank

I birded the Ripon ponds this afternoon as part of the Stanislaus Audubon Society's "DIY Field Trip". The location and list of target birds, Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least an

I spent a couple of hours at Ripon sewage ponds west this afternoon and found a few migrants along the river. I had one Western Wood-Pewee, one Warbling Vireo, three Yellow Warblers, one Black-throate

WTF = water treatment facility. I stopped by there today on the way home from a doctor's appointment in Manteca. I did not see the tern but I did find a very cool looking leucistic Red-tailed Hawk on

I forgot to mention that while I was birding the ponds at the west end I saw a bird, about the same size as a Greater Yellowlegs (GRYE), of which there were many, but this bird appeared to have a much

While I was trying to get a photo of the tern a flock of Barn Swallows, some 35, arrived and a few of them took turns (no pun intended) at chasing the tern. The tern began gaining altitude and circled

I just found an immature BLACK TERN over the SE pond at Ripon WTF. Ralph Baker, Riverbank

I was planning on going up there tomorrow to try for the Bank Swallow(s) seen by Jims Rowoth and Gain and others recently but was asked to work a full shift so I went this afternoon when I got off wor

I went up this afternoon to have a look-see, SOSA would be a county bird. I parked across from the east end of the flooded field and walked west. As I was getting out of the car an AMERICAN BITTERN fl

I went up today to look for the sandpiper, and Jim Gain's Bank Swallow, because I thought I needed both for the county. When I arrived at the ponds Liz West and Donald Pendleton were already there but

Today, after going out with Richard Brown to look for the Brewer's Sparrow I found Sunday on Frankenheimer Road in Stanislaus County and failing, but finding two Grasshopper Sparrows at that location,

I went to Knights Ferry Saturday and it was VERY crowded. I went to Mavis Stouffer Park in Ripon Tuesday and it was open and much less crowded than Knights Ferry, there were only a few people there th

I am about to enter my daily list for the yard and would like to suggest using #YARDBIRDING for future ebird reports. That way everyone will see that our lists are a result of Jim's poll. I don't usua

#poll

As you know, I live outside the county, not far outside, but outside just the same. I watch the birds in my yard, too, and occasionally submit yard lists to ebird. I will try to be more diligent about

#poll

Today I went up to Stockton to try for a county bird at a private residence. Before heading over to try for that bird, however, I decided to pay visits to Laughlin Park and Fritz Grupe Park. At Laughl

I went out to Flood Road to look for the Sage Thrasher found by Amy Weiser five days ago. Sage Thrasher would have been a county bird, if I had found it, which I did not. But I did luck into a differe