By Jon Fisher

Published by Los Angeles Audubon Society in the Western Tanager, Vol. 86 No. 5 , May-June 2020

By any standard, this spring has been an unexpected and unprecedented one.  It would seem impossible to write this column without mention of the coronavirus pandemic.  While birders have been fortunate to be able to continue their pursuits less affected than many others, this birding season has been overshadowed by world events.

We can certainly empathize with everyone affected by the pandemic and understand that leisure activities are well down the priority list.  Yet birding and the connection to nature it offers us has provided, as always, an escape from the worries of the day and a way to keep ourselves centered.

Closures of beaches, state and some other parks and trails limited where birding can be done to a degree, but the disruption has not been especially severe.  Significant though was the closure of Piute Ponds- the county’s best interior wetland- to birders.  Also, there have been some positive side effects; the skies of Los Angeles are cleaner than they have been in many decades, human impacts on animals and habitats have sharply declined, and rush hour traffic jams are a thing of the past... at least for now.

Though the rainy season got off to a promising start last fall, our two wettest months- January and February- were essentially a bust, leaving us well behind normal precipitation levels.  March and April however appeared determined to make up for the shortfall of the preceding months.  So much so that by mid-April we were up to our season average.  Good news for birds and habitats; wet winters produce lots of biomass. 

Because of the rain, much of the county has been displaying an almost tropical lushness, though this will soon undergo a metamorphosis into the dry brown typical of summer and fall.

Though we’ve still a ways to go, passerine migration appeared to be fairly robust this spring.  By most accounts migrants were liberally distributed across the region.  In addition, a handful of migrants showed up ahead of schedule 

As expected this time of year, the bulk of notable birds were continuing vagrants that had previously been discovered.  Even so, birders managed to turn up some pretty good birds, adding a little excitement to the numbers of expected western migrants.

Here’s a look at what was around from late February through April…

Inca Doves continued in very small numbers in Lake Los Angeles in the east Antelope Valley, with one to two birds observed there from March 18-April 5 (Chris Dean).  Common Ground-Doves remained at their reliable location along the San Gabriel River in the Bellflower and Cerritos area, with three observed there on March 26 (Becky Turley).

Calliope Hummingbirds showed a good movement on the coastal slope from the end of March into April.  Every few years this species is detected in above average numbers and this season’s significant bloom may be at least partly responsible.

A Red-necked Grebe offshore west of Manhattan Beach on February 29 was the only one reported during the period (Lance Benner).

One to two American Oystercatchers continued to be seen at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro through March 28.  Others were at Malibu Lagoon through March 13, at Pt Dume in Malibu on March 21 (Dessi Sieburth) and at Topanga State Beach on March 20 (Naresh Satyan).

The wintering Pacific Golden-Plover along lower Ballona Creek was observed there through March 23 and a Solitary Sandpiper- scarce as a spring migrant- was at Lake Palmdale on April 16 (Cal Yorke).

Gulls of note included a Lesser Black-backed Gull along the LA River in Maywood from March 31-April 1 (Chris Dean) and a Glaucous Gull in the same area from March 31-April 5 (Richard Barth).

A Brown Booby- increasing but still rare in LA County waters- was spotted offshore west of Manhattan Beach on February 29 (Lance Benner).

An American Bittern continued at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh through February 29.  Seven Cattle Egrets at Castaic Lagoon on April 2 was a good number for this species which is rather scarce in the county (Jim Moore, Becky Turley).

Up to four Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were at Alamitos Bay from February 25-March 1 (Derek Hameister).  Another continued at Sims Bio Pond in Long Beach through April 20.  We can expect this species to continue to increase in the county.

A maximum of eight Neotropic Cormorants were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale from March 8-9 (Jon Feenstra, Mickey Long), with at least one still there through April 21.  Others were at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from March 14-April 11 (Bob Shallmann), at Peck Road Park in Arcadia on March 15 (David Bell, Luke Tiller), at Castaic Lagoon on March 19 (Cal Yorke) and at Apollo Park near Lancaster on March 29 (Marvin Nelson).  At least some of these reports probably involve the same individuals, but nonetheless this spate of records marks a high point for this species’ occurrence in the county.

The Zone-tailed Hawk lingering in Monrovia since early 2019 continued through April 17.  Swainson’s Hawks were moving through the region from late January, with numbers concentrated in March and April.  A notable high count of 516 birds was over Pasadena on March 16 (Luke Tiller).

Up to three Long-eared Owls were at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from February 7-March 15 (Rod Higbie).  This species, generally difficult to detect, is likely more regular on the coastal slope than records would indicate.

Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flickers were in Juniper Hills on March 28 (Kimball Garrett) and at the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia on March 30 (Russell Stone).  A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at South Gate Park on March 27 (Richard Barth) was the only one reported during the period.

A pale “Prairie” Merlin was at Entradero Park in Torrance on March 15 (Adam Johnson), only the second found in the county this year.

The returning wintering Greater Pewee in Pacific Palisades continued there through at least March 1.  It was first found there in October 2017.  Another was very near the same spot in 1974.

Dusky-capped Flycatchers, all likely wintering birds, were found late in the season at Discovery Well Park in Signal Hill from March 23-25 (Kim Moore), at Heartwell Park in Lakewood from March 25-April 23 (Kim Moore) and at the Baldwin Hills Recreation Center on April 10 (Richard Barth).

A wintering Ash-throated Flycatcher continued at Madrona Marsh in Torrance through March 15, while the Brown-crested Flycatcher at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Rolling Hills Estates continued through March 8. 

The returning Thick-billed Kingbird at Horsethief Canyon Park in San Dimas was reported through March 27.  Though it went undetected for a couple of years, it is almost certain to have wintered there every year since 2014.

Tropical Kingbirds continued at Entradero Park in Torrance through March 19 and at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City through March 20, with two individuals sometimes present.  Also of note was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher found near LAX on March 22 and reported through March 31 (Russell Stone).

A wintering Dusky Flycatcher continued at Fox Hills Park in Culver City through March 28, while a Pacific-slope Flycatcher at Wardlow Park in Long Beach from February 25-27 presumably wintered locally (Becky Turley, Kim Moore).

At Bette Davis Picnic Area in Glendale, the Eastern Phoebe continued through March 14.  New birds were discovered at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena from March 21-28 (Darren Dowell) and at Hollenbeck Park near Downtown LA on March 22 (Mackenzie Owen).

Rather early was a Bell’s Vireo at Rio de Los Angeles State Park in Glassell Park on March 5 (Alexander deBarros).

A Blue-headed Vireo was found at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City on March 4 and reported there through March 11 (Merryl Edelstein).  This is the fourth record of this very rare county bird at this locale in the last decade; at least one of these involving a returning bird.  Far more expected, but still scarce in winter, was a Cassin’s Vireo present there from March 5-14.

The continuing Gray Catbird at Walnut Creek Park in San Dimas was reported through March 11, though it often proved difficult to see there.

Evening Grosbeaks continued at Grassy Hollow Visitor’s Center in the San Gabriel Mountains through March 7, with up to twenty birds being reported.

A Clay-colored Sparrow continued at Madrona Marsh in Torrance through April 19.

Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Juncos were in El Segundo on March 3 (Sara Boscoe) and at The Village Green in Baldwin Hills on March 17 (Richard Barth).  A Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco continued at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena through February 27. 

The wintering Harris’s Sparrow in Rolling Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula was reported through April 18.  More regular were the five White-throated Sparrows recorded on the coastal slope during the period.

One highlight of the spring was a very rare LeConte’s Sparrow found at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena on April 16 (Javier Vazquez).  This bird was seen by many enthused birders though April 20.

A Swamp Sparrow at Fox Hills Park in Culver City from March 26-30 was the lone representative of its species (Richard Barth).

Green-tailed Towhees were at Deane Dana Friendship Park in San Pedro on March 20 (Bobby Trusela), near the Ballona Freshwater Marsh from March 28-April 11 (Johnny Ivanov) and in Rolling Hills on April 18 (Jim Aichele, Cathy Nichols).

Orchard Orioles were at Titula School in Redondo Beach on March 20 and at Bluff Park in Long Beach from March 29-30 (Brad Dawson).

Reportable warblers included a Northern Waterthrush continuing at Walnut Creek Park in San Dimas through March 9, nine Black-and-white Warblers and American Redstarts continuing in Calabasas through February 29 and at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach from April 8-15 (Becky Turley).

Palm Warblers included one at Caruthers Park in Bellflower from March 27-28 (Loren Wright) and a spring migrant at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena on April 24 (Darren Dowell).

Returning to Charlton Flat was a Grace’s Warbler present from April 16-20 (Naresh Satyan, Chris Dean, Lance Benner).  It was first seen at the same location in the spring of 2019.

The Painted Redstart wintering at Inglewood Park Cemetery continued through March 21 and another was found in San Dimas Canyon on April 4 (Lance Benner, Kathy Ellsworth).

An above average ten Summer Tanagers were found or continued during the period, all on the coastal slope as expected.

While many migrants have already passed through, good numbers will continue through the first half of May and beyond.  Vagrants are possible at any time, but the odds will increase toward the end of the month.  Despite the aforementioned closures of some parks and trails, there are many areas accessible to birders that have plenty of potential. 

The Angeles National Forest remains largely open to birders and offers plenty of potential.  In addition to migrants, breeding activity there will be widespread in late spring and early summer. 

Likewise many local parks and recreation spots are still accessible, while practicing social distancing.  Thankfully that often goes hand in hand with birding anyway.  This would be an ideal time to explore under-birded and out of the way places.  As always, be sure to take advantage of eBird to record any evidence of breeding when entering your lists.

The seasons are indeed fleeting, but with lots of migration and breeding activity taking place, May should be a great month to bird almost anywhere in the county.  Most birders will maximize their days in the field and for good reason.  While spring migration is still at the forefront of our minds, fall movements will begin in June, even before the next installment of Birds of the Season arrives.