by Jon Fisher
Birds of the Season- April 2023
The remarkable wet winter of 2022-2023 continued, surpassing most annual precipitation records. The abundance of rain lifted ninety percent of California out of a persistent two-decade long drought. This year resident and migrant birds enjoyed a lush and bountiful landscape. As a bonus, forecasts predict El Niño conditions for the coming year, which suggests above average rainfall for a second consecutive winter.
Spring passerine migration really got underway in March when a number of expected early arrivals were recorded. Numbers can be expected to peak near the end of April, but many birds will be passing through for weeks to follow.
Increased coverage of the northwest county and continuing surveys at Bear Divide near Santa Clarita continued to provide insight into timing and abundance of birds in the county. The numbers of birds recorded passing through these areas have been surprising and occasionally stunning.
On April 17 over 20,000 birds were recorded at Bear Divide, virtually all of them migrants. April 21 was a numerically similar day near the Tejon Pass. Significant movements at both locations seem to be both predictable and unpredictable, demonstrating how much there still is to learn about what constitutes favorable conditions. The Bear Divide count has its own website- BearDivide.org- where much interesting data can be viewed. eBird is another great resource for seeing what is happening bird-wise in this and other parts of the county.
In March and April, numerous wintering rarities continued, and some new birds were discovered. As is typical during this period, the number of reported vagrants noticeably declined. By this time of year most wintering rarities have already been discovered or already departed, and the generally more vagrant productive late spring is still to come.
Remarkable was a Tundra Bean-Goose found at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on March 6 (Jon Feenstra). This established the first county record and only the eighth for the state. This bird later spent its time at the nearby Lancaster Water Treatment Plant through April 18, finally ending up back at Piute on April 22. As with most major rarities in the county, this bird was seen by a couple hundred birders from near and far.
Scarce inland was a Surf Scoter at the Earvin Magic Johnson Recreation Area in Willowbrook on March 20 (Richard Barth). A Long-tailed Duck was at the Ballona Creek mouth on April 19 (Michael Pazzani).
Red-necked Grebes included one off Pt. Dume from March 3-5 (Jon Feenstra) and two there on March 22 (Robert Thoren).
An Inca Dove was at Lake Los Angeles in the east Antelope Valley on March 18 (Tom Miko) where a very small population persists, and a White-winged Dove in Duarte continued through March 12.
The remarkably long-staying Sandhill Crane along the San Gabriel River in Pico Rivera was present through April 8.
An American Oystercatcher was at Topanga Lagoon from February 26-28 and what may have been the same bird was not far away at Malibu Lagoon on March 28.
Two Ancient Murrelets were offshore south of San Pedro on March 11 (Naresh Satyan, Mark Wilson).
The first of small numbers of Franklin’s Gulls was one at the Lancaster Water Treatment Plant on April 1 (Richard Hasegawa). Up to four Lesser Black-backed Gulls were at Peck Road Water Conservation Park in Arcadia through February 26. Others were at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles through March 9 and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on March 6 (Keith Condon).
Increasing in numbers but averaging less than annual in county waters, was a Manx Shearwater off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on March 11 (Naresh Satyan, Chris Dean).
Brown Boobies were observed at Redondo Canyon off Palos Verdes on March 4 (Kimball Garrett) and in the Santa Catalina Channel on April 1 (Mark Scheel, Naresh Satyan, et al).
Over two dozen Neotropic Cormorants were recorded at various locations on the coastal slope of the county with a maximum of six at the Sepulveda Basin. Breeding was again confirmed at this location.
Cattle Egrets included one at Apollo Park near Lancaster on April 11 (Mark Harris), two at the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys on April 16 (Jon Fisher), one near Gorman on April 17 (Chris Dean) and another there on April 19 (Daniel Irons).
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons included up to four in the Ballona Lagoon area in Marina del Rey through April 17, one at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh through April 1 and up to three at Alamitos Bay through April 12.
Over 2,000 Swainson’s Hawks were recorded this spring, many along the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains, but also in the northwest county. Up to six Zone-tailed Hawks were reported from various coastal slope locations during the period.
A Short-eared Owl was on San Clemente Island from February 26-28 (Nicole Rita).
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers included a continuing bird at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Sylmar through March 18 and one at Tournament Park in Pasadena from March 22-April 13 (Jack Wickel).
A rather interesting find was an apparent Ladder-backed x Hairy Woodpecker at Holiday Lake in the west Antelope Valley on April 9 (Naresh Satyan).
A pale “Prairie” Merlin was in the west Antelope Valley on March 17 (Daniel Irons) and a dark “Black” Merlin was at Long Beach Recreation Park on March 19 (Robert Hamilton).
The Dusky-capped Flycatcher in the Sepulveda Basin continued near Lake Balboa through February 25. Less regular was a wintering Brown-crested Flycatcher continuing at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates through February 26.
Tropical Kingbirds were at Golden Shore Marine Reserve in Long Beach through February 27, along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach through April 17 and at Colorado Lagoon- possibly a continuing bird- on April 13 (Nancy Salem).
Far rarer was the Thick-billed Kingbird that continued at the Los Angeles Zoo through April 1. A wintering Western Kingbird, still unusual in winter, continued at Madrona Marsh in Torrance through February 28 and an early migrant was in Claremont on March 3.
The Least Flycatcher was in Lakewood at the West San Gabriel Parkway Nature Trail through March 4. At least a half dozen wintering Hammond’s Flycatchers were recorded during the period and a Pacific-slope Flycatcher was at La Mirada Creek Park on February 28 (Jonathan Rowley). Rounding out the flycatchers was an Eastern Phoebe continuing at Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills through February 26.
Very rare was either a wintering or early spring migrant Bell’s Vireo at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino on February 26 (Layton Pace). A great spring find was a Blue-headed Vireo in Rolling Hills Estates on April 21 (Bobby Trusella).
It was a fairly good spring for Purple Martins with eighteen recorded during the period. Now known locally only as a scarce migrant, this species once bred fairly commonly in the region. Nest site competition from European Starlings has been implicated as the primary cause of its decline and eventual absence as a breeder.
The Pacific Wren continuing at La Mirada Community Park was reported through April 10.
An early Swainson’s Thrush was at DeForest Park in Long Beach on April 19 (Robert Hamilton).
A smattering of Red Crossbills were recorded on the deserts, with ten at Apollo Park and up to fourteen at Pearblossom Park. Another was at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on April 1 (Jodhan Fine) and one was at Placerita Canyon on April 10 (Chef Ito).
Up to three Lapland Longspurs continued in the east Antelope Valley through March 17, while as many as seventeen Chestnut-collared Longspurs were in the west Antelope Valley on March 17 with varying numbers recorded between March 15 and 27 (Daniel Irons, Richard Crossley).
Clay-colored Sparrows were at Long Beach Recreation Park from March 9-April 16 (Robert Hamilton), at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood on April 9 (Christine Jacobs) and along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on April 18 (Richard Barth).
Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Juncos were in Juniper Hills from February 25-26 (Kimball Garrett) and continuing at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena through March 3. A Dark-eyed “Pink-sided" Junco continued at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through March 17.
A Harris’s Sparrow in Beverly Hills continued through April 16 and another was found nearby in West Los Angeles on April 11.
Up to four Swamp Sparrows continued at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through April 19. Another continued at Quail Lake near Gorman through February 25 and one was at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates on March 28 (Nance Salem).
The Green-tailed Towhee near Monte Verde Park in Lakewood was reported through April 2.
An Orchard Oriole was at Behringer Park in La Mirada from March 20-27 (Jonathan Rowley). The first spring Hooded Oriole was at the Piute Ponds on March 3 (Kimball Garrett). Baltimore Orioles were at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from March 16-April 5 (Keith Condon) and at Satellite Park in Cerritos from April 9-11 (Thomas Lopez). The wintering Scott’s Oriole at Crystalaire near Llano was reported through March 14.
A half dozen Black-and-white Warblers were recorded during the period, while a Tennessee Warbler continued in Long Beach through April 15 and another was in Griffith Park on April 7 (Timothy Aarons). A Nashville Warbler was at Wheeler Park in Claremont on March 11 (Tom Miko).
Very rare in the county was a Cape May Warbler found at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Sylmar on March 19 (Jon Fisher, Sarah Ngo, Joshua Mitchell). This bird presumably wintered locally, but despite good coverage of this area somehow went unnoticed. One would have been notable, but there were in fact two in the county this winter. The second was a continuing bird at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester seen through March 18.
Palm Warbler along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach continued through March 28, with another nearby at Seaside Park on April 6 (Manuel Duran). The Painted Redstart near Birdcage Park in Long Beach, one of several recorded this winter, was reported through March 26.
Migration will continue at a slowly diminishing pace as we head into May and even early June, but for species such as Willow Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush and Yellow Warbler late spring on the desert is prime time. At least a few vagrants are likely to turn up, perhaps something quite unexpected. While vagrants in fall tend to be much more numerous, spring has produced some very good birds.
Breeding activity for resident species and early migrants has been underway since February and March. Later spring arrivals will get their shot at procreation a bit later in the year. The San Gabriel Mountains should be alive with birds and breeding activity in May and June and conditions there should make for a productive breeding season.
Not to jump too far ahead but fall migration will be underway in June before the next Birds of the Season column appears. Southern California’s latitude is a great one for birders, with bird movements happening nearly year-round.