Just How Common Is a Black-throated Gray Warbler . . . ?

Black-throated Gray Warbler spotted in Mortar Rock Park

. . . in the Bay Area?

Indian Rock Park tree/rock symbiosis

. . . at this time of season?

Black-throated Gray Warbler espied at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

I put the question to the

EBB_Sightings Yahoo Group:

Mortar Rock Park in Berkeley

"I was fortunate to see a Black-throated Gray Warbler

at Mortar Rock Park in Berkeley the other day.

Audubon page says the bird is widespread and common.

I've only seen this bird one other time,

at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve a couple of years ago.

Does anyone see a Black-throated Gray Warbler commonly?"

108-year old Interior Live Oak in Berkeley is perfect BtGW habitat

I fielded three responses:

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Judi S.:

"I think they are more often seen around here

during fall and spring migration.

I saw 2 together in Wildcat about 10 days ago."

Black-throated Gray Warbler at Indian Rock Park

Makes total sense. I wonder if those two are her only sightings? The adult female I saw was accompanied by a male consort, who largely stayed hidden, barely affording a flitting glance. But it ups my total to three, actually!

Robin reposed at Mortar Rock Park

j ellis:

" . . . only occasionally during migration.

SF Botanical Gardens, Coyote Hills RP

and Ardenwood Farms RP in Union City

is where I see them this time of year."

Black-throated Gray Warbler

So j seems to spot them fairly frequently, depending on migration patterns, and specific locations in the Bay Area.

Descending stone-cut staircase at Indian Rock

Kay L.:

"Black-throated Grays may be common and widespread somewhere;

but certainly not in the Berkeley area.

Don't know which Audubon page you're referring to;

but I'd tend to distrust the distribution comments

for any species unless the site is specific to a fairly narrow area.

Black-throated Gray Warbler (1st ever sighting)

(For example, if the site were focused on birds of the East Bay, and had comments on frequency or distribution, I'd be inclined to trust it more than a similar site that talked about all of California, or the whole United States.) FYI, neither the Alameda or Contra Costa County Breeding Bird Atlas show any indication of 'widespread' or 'common'. Like you, and me, I think most Bay Area birders consider it a treat to see one of these birds."

Black-throated Gray Warbler

So, based on my small sample size, the jury is out: Black-throated Gray Warblers tend to show up semi-(ir)regularly in the Bay Area, but rarely in Berkeley. If lucky and diligent, and of course with specific timing, the birds might be seen a handful of times during the spring and fall migration periods.

Black-throated Gray Warbler (terrible photos!)

My tally over the years = a grand total of two sightings, three birds. So, which is greater? The odds of me being in the right place at the right time, on two occasions? Or, the odds of me either being or not being in the right place to not spot them?

Western Kingbird (?) seen in Big Bend National Park

The latter, for most certainly, I've been in many places at the right time, but, possessed of poor timing, I simply have not spotted more of the B-t Grays, or any number of other so-called rare birds passing through the Berkeley area during spring or fall migration – such as the Northern Waterthrush or Western Kingbird.

Redwood trees in Codornices Park

eBird's Occurrence Map for Black-throated Gray Warblers is an animated gif map that distributes their presence in accordance to preferred breeding locales, like a kaleidoscope of movement over time, through the seasons during different times of the year when they move to and fro to take up residence in Douglas Fir, Juniper and Pinon Pine in the desert Southwest, as well as the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Northwest.

Black-throated Gray Warbler
(photo courtesy of Bigdeazy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Evidently, they're common avidenizens of North America, but to see them in the Bay Area, and especially in Berkeley, I have to side with the always-knowledgeable Kay L., for birder enthusiasts, it is special to spot one of these pretty, and fairly rare, birds.

Birding in the city parks

Read about another first (or rare) sighting

of a passing-through or perhaps year-round

Bay Area resident Warbler:

FIRST TIME SIGHTING OF HERMIT WARBLER (May 10, 2015)

Pretty Robin