May 12 - Butte County Big Day, take 2! After the previously reported "fairly good" big day on April 25, which yielded 139 species, the team of Bruce Deuel, Bruce Webb, Jim Snowden and Tim Manolis decided (on the spur of the moment) to toss their hats in the ring. They managed to pull out 149 species; they did somewhat better on the migrants, but missed some of the ducks that the previous team found. In some efforts, the watchword is "Location, location, location", but in birding, the timing is important too!

4/25 Big Day List: Pied-billed Grebe Western Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Ruddy Duck Canada Goose Wood Duck American Wigeon Gadwall Green-winged Teal Mallard Northern Pintail Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Common Merganser Snowy Egret Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron American Bittern Turkey Vulture Osprey White-tailed Kite Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Ring-necked Pheasant California Quail Common Moorhen American Coot Common Snipe Whimbrel Greater Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Black-necked Stilt Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Common Loon Rock Dove Band-tailed Pigeon Mourning Dove Barn Owl Great Horned Owl White-throated Swift Anna's Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Lewis's Woodpecker Acorn Woodpecker Red-breasted Sapsucker Nuttall's Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker White-headed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pacific-slope Flycatcher Black Phoebe Ash-throated Flycatcher Western Kingbird Steller's Jay Western Scrub Jay Yellow-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Warbling Vireo Loggerhead Shrike American Dipper Varied Thrush Western Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire American Robin Northern Mockingbird European Starling Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Marsh Wren Bewick's Wren House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Bushtit Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Wrentit Mountain Chickadee Oak Titmouse House Sparrow American Pipit Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Lesser Goldfinch Purple Finch House Finch Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Hermit Warbler Common Yellowthroat Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Savannah Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Lark Sparrow Spotted Towhee California Towhee Black-headed Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Yellow-headed Blackbird Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Brewer's Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird

5/12 Big Day List (sorry about the alpha ordering!): Acorn Woodpecker American Avocet American Bittern American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Robin American Wigeon Anna's Hummingbird Ash-throated Flycatcher Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Bewick's Wren Black Phoebe Black Tern Black-bellied Plover Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-headed Grosbeak Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Gray Warbler Blue Grosbeak Brewer's Blackbird Brown Creeper Brown-headed Cowbird Bullock's Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit California Quail California Thrasher -- heard by TM, BW California Towhee Canada Goose Canyon Wren -- heard by BW, TM Caspian Tern Cassin's Finch Cassin's Vireo Cedar Waxwing Cinnamon Teal Clark's Grebe Cliff Swallow Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Common Raven Common Snipe Common Yellowthroat Dark-eyed Junco Double-crested Cormorant Downy Woodpecker Dusky Flycatcher European Starling Evening Grosbeak -- heard by BW Forster's Tern Fox Sparrow Gadwall Great Blue Heron Great Egret Great Horned Owl Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Hairy Woodpecker Hammond's Flycatcher Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hutton's Vireo -- heard by BW, TM, JS Killdeer Lark Sparrow -- seen by BW, BD, JS Lazuli Bunting Least Sandpiper Lesser Goldfinch Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Mallard Marsh Wren Mountain Chickadee Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Nashville Warbler Northern Flicker Northern Harrier Northern Mockingbird Northern Pintail Northern Pygmy-Owl Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl--heard by BW,TM Northern Shoveler Nuttall's Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Pacific-slope Flycatcher Phainopepla Pied-billed Grebe Pine Siskin Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-winged Blackbird Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Dove Rock Wren Ruddy Duck Savannah Sparrow Semipalmated Plover Short-billed Dowitcher Snowy Egret Song Sparrow Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Steller's Jay Swainson's Hawk Swainson's Thrush Tree Swallow Tricolored Blackbird Turkey Vulture Violet-green Swallow Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Kingbird Western Meadowlark Western Sandpiper Western Scrub-Jay Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Whimbrel White-breasted Nuthatch White-headed Woodpecker White-tailed Kite Wilson's Phalarope Wilson's Warbler Wood Duck Wrentit Yellow Warbler Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler

Birds found on 4/25, missed on 5/12: American Pipit Bald Eagle Belted Kingfisher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Bonaparte's Gull Bufflehead Canvasback Chipping Sparrow Common Loon Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup Lewis's Woodpecker Lincoln's Sparrow Osprey Purple Finch Ring-necked Duck Ruby-crowned Kinglet Sharp-shinned Hawk Townsend's Solitaire Varied Thrush White-crowned Sparrow White-throated Swift (24 species)

Birds found on 5/12, missed on 4/25: American Avocet Bank Swallow Black Tern Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-throated Gray Warbler Burrowing Owl California Thrasher Cassin's Finch Cassin's Vireo Cedar Waxwing Clark's Grebe Dusky Flycatcher Evening Grosbeak Hammond's Flycatcher Hermit Thrush Hutton's Vireo Long-billed Curlew Mountain Quail Northern Pygmy-Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Olive-sided Flycatcher Phainopepla Rock Wren Short-billed Dowitcher Swainson's Hawk Swainson's Thrush Tricolored Blackbird Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Wilson's Phalarope Wilson's Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat (33 species)

May 28-31 - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Oregon). Three of the local regulars met up with two newer Grass Valley birders in Malheur, Oregon, for a long weekend of exceptional birding in at the Malheur refuge, one of the premier birding hot spots of the west. Malheur is well known as a great spot for eastern migrants, and it certainly didn't disappoint this time! Birds of note include Chestnut-Sided Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo, and a Cassin's Kingbird, spotted by our group (the first time that southwestern bird has been seen in Oregon since the 30's, according to one of the locals). Of course, a few California birders coming up with a rarity in Oregon has generated some skepticism among the Oregonians! In addition to some of those "big birds", we also came up with a number of fairly good birds that no one had reported (such as MacGillivray's warbler), and we got over 100 species for each full day birded (the total trip list was 126 species). Malheur is also nice for us in Chico, because it's a place where some of the birds that winter here go to breed. If you've never seen an Eared or Horned Grebe in full regalia, it's quite a treat! Don't feel you have to be an expert to come on a big trip like this - If you like looking at birds, you'll have a good time. Complete trip list: Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark's Grebe Double-crested Cormorant American White Pelican Ruddy Duck Canada Goose American Wigeon Gadwall Mallard Northern Pintail Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Canvasback Redhead Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron American Bittern IBIS AND SPOONBILLS White-faced Ibis NEW WORLD VULTURES Turkey Vulture HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES Northern Harrier Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Ferruginous Hawk Golden Eagle FALCONS AND CARACARAS American Kestrel PHEASANTS, GROUSE, QUAIL AND TURKEYS Chukar Ring-necked Pheasant WOOD-PARTRIDGES California Quail RAILS AND COOTS Sora American Coot Sandhill Crane Common Snipe Long-billed Curlew Spotted Sandpiper Willet Wilson's Phalarope Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Franklin's Gull Black Tern Forster's Tern Mourning Dove Barn Owl Great Horned Owl Burrowing Owl Short-eared Owl Common Nighthawk Black-chinned Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Olive-sided Flycatcher Western Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Say's Phoebe Ash-throated Flycatcher Cassin's Kingbird Western Kingbird Eastern Kingbird Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Cassin's Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Loggerhead Shrike Cedar Waxwing Mountain Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire American Robin Sage Thrasher European Starling Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Rock Wren Marsh Wren House Wren Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Horned Lark House Sparrow Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Lesser Goldfinch House Finch Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Townsend's Warbler Black-and-white Warbler MacGillivray's Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Song Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Brewer's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow Black-throated Sparrow Sage Sparrow Western Tanager Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Yellow-headed Blackbird Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Great-tailed Grackle Brewer's Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Bobolink