Rare visit from southern heron
A rare avian visitor has turned up along the Sausalito waterfront.
The yellow-crowned night heron — native to Baja California, Mexico, and the southeastern U.S. — is a bird rarely seen at latitudes as far north as the Bay Area.
Richardson Bay Audubon Center director Casey Arndt said she was “floored” that the heron was seen so far outside of its normal territory.
“They’re more of an Atlantic breeding bird and they’re more often spotted in the Mississippi Valley or the Gulf Coast, Mexico and South America,” Arndt said.
The yellow-crowned night
heron typically is found in bayous, shallow tidal areas, swamps and streams, where it can feed on crustaceans.
Since early January, a flurry of Sausalito sightings has been reported to Cornell University’s eBird website, which allows users to log the time and location of bird sightings. Most of the heron sightings have been concentrated near the Marina Plaza Harbor. It is unclear whether the sightings all involve the same bird.
The website documents scattered local sightings of the bird over the past 50 years. Prior to this year, the most recent sightings in Marin occurred near the Richardson Bay Marina in late 2019. Other spots include Inverness in 2005 and the Loch Lomond Yacht Harbor area between 1971 and 1973, according to the
website.
Other reported sightings include the East Bay, the South Bay and even near Sacramento.
Arndt said climate change could be a factor in the heron presence, as it is with other birds that stray from their normal habitats.
“The big answer is climate change is driving birds in all sorts of strange directions and having them end up in strange places,” Arndt said. “As temperatures continue to rise, birds’ range and habitat will continue to shift so they can find suitable places to breed and feed.”
The National Audubon Society produces maps that model how various birds’ habitats are expected to change in response to climate change and rising temperatures. With a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, the habitat of the yellowcrowned night heron begins to shift farther, including
into Marin County and many areas of California, according to the models.
Arndt said anyone hoping to see the heron should follow standard guidelines.
“With any wildlife, we want to respect them and give them all the space they need, especially for a bird in an area that it’s not used to,” Arndt said.