by Jon Fisher

Birds of the Season- January 2025

by Jon Fisher

Though we enjoyed two drought-busting winters in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, the current rainy season has been anything but.  In December and January, most of Los Angeles County was suffering from record dry conditions and extreme drought.  Vegetation, having increased significantly over two wet years, had not received any measurable rain for over eight months. 

This, in combination with extreme Santa Ana winds, conspired with yet to be determined causes to ignite the Palisades and Eaton Fires in early January.  While relatively small in total acreage compared to some other recent events, these fires devastated the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades to an extent that is nearly incomprehensible.   

In addition to the tragic human costs, thousands of acres of habitat and many significant structures, including the Eaton Canyon Nature Center- razed by fire for the second time in three decades- were lost. 

With Los Angeles County’s worst fires in history just days behind us, it’s quite a change in direction to think about birds and birding.  Nonetheless, numerous vagrants were found or continued during the period, with Christmas Bird Count efforts adding more to the tally.

As usual, the diversity of species was impressive.  Contributing to this was a combination of a mild winter climate, a diversity of habitats, and many birders out in the field searching.

Tundra Swans included one at Pyramid Lake on November 29 (Adam Jackson) and three at Castaic Lake on December 2 (Judy Matsuoka).

Red-necked Grebes were at the Venice Pier from November 29-December 6 (Nick & Mary Freeman), at Castaic Lake on December 2 (Judy Matsuoka), and at Lake Palmdale from January 16-20 (Cal Yorke).

Two Common Ground Doves were at Hansen Dam from November 25-December 21 (Brad Rumble).

Thirty Vaux’s Swifts, irregular and perhaps declining in winter, were along the Los Angeles River in Maywood on December 15 (Andrew Birch).

A Sandhill Crane was at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on December 14 (Grigory Heaton).  Likely the same individual was in agricultural fields east of Palmdale from December 14-January 20 (Charles Hood). 

The returning wintering Pacific Golden-Plover in the Ballona area in Playa del Rey continued through January 16.

Up to fourteen Mountain Plovers were at the A&G Sod Farm in the Antelope Valley from December 3-14 (Kimball Garrett).  Additionally, a single bird was in the east Antelope Valley on January 18 (Max Breshears).

Five Solitary Sandpipers, generally rare in winter, were present during the period.

Two Scripps’s Murrelets were just off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on December 21 (multiple observers).

A Vega Gull continued along the Los Angeles River in Vernon through January 3.  Depending on your perspective, Vega Gull is either a full species or a subspecies of Herring Gull.  In addition, a dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reported on the coastal slope, though some of these sightings probably represent the same birds.

Scarce inland was a Pacific Loon at Quail Lake from December 7-January 19 (Brad Rumble).

Rare in the county was a Flesh-footed Shearwater at Cortes Bank southwest of San Clemente Island on December 7 (many observers).

Least Bitterns included a continuing bird at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB through December 14 and one at Castaic Lagoon on December 29 (Mark Scheel).

Tricolored Herons are rare anywhere in the county but one at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on November 22 was the first to be found away from the coast (Keith Condon).

Still rare but increasing in winter were Swainson’s Hawks along the Los Angeles River in Elysian Valley on December 4 (Van Pierzsalowski), in Griffith Park on December 22 (Kellen Apuna, Sasha Cahill), over Monrovia on December 25 (Brian Browne), at Castaic Lagoon on December 28 (Naresh Satyan) and at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on January 5 (Luke Tiller, Catherine Hamilton).

As is now normal, a small number of Zone-tailed Hawks were reported in the vicinity of the San Gabriel Mountain foothills.

A Short-eared Owl was in the north Antelope Valley on December 30-January 2 (James Mitchell).  This species is likely more common than records indicate.

An above average eight Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were found in the county this winter. 

A Dusky-capped Flycatcher, returning for its second winter, continued at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel through January 18.  Another was at Lake Balboa from January 2-20 (Patricia Bates).  This latter bird was almost certainly a returning individual first found in late 2020, but missed last winter.  Also rare was a returning wintering Ash-throated Flycatcher was at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace on January 9 (Brad Rumble).

Up to six Tropical Kingbirds were present on the coastal slope, while a far rarer and returning Thick-billed Kingbird in Griffith Park was reported through January 12.

Wintering Western Kingbirds were at Madrona Marsh in Torrance through January 14, in Playa del Rey on December 7 (Cameron Tescher, et al) and at Ballona Discovery Park in Playa del Rey on December 7 (Logan Kahle).

Apparently present since December 28, a Least Flycatcher in Torrance from January 12-19 was a nice find (Kiera Carvalho, Jonathan Nakai).  A half dozen Hammond’s Flycatchers were recorded, but less expected was a Dusky Flycatcher at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena from December 7-30 (Darren Dowell).  Six Western Flycatchers were also found during the period.

Eastern Phoebes included a returning winterer continuing at Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills through January 5, another at Little Harbor on Santa Catalina Island from December 8-January 4 (Laura Vandezande) and one at Lancaster City Park from December 14-January 17 (Vern Benhart).

Very rare in winter were Bell’s Vireos at Rio de Los Angeles State Park in Los Angeles from December 9-27 and in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys from December 31-January 1 (both Joshua Mitchell).

Rare away from the deserts was a Verdin along the Santa Clara River in Valencia from December 8-27 (Ryan Burnett).

Well over a dozen Sage Thrashers were found on the coastal slope in January, perhaps a push of early spring migrants; this species typically arrives in February.

Single American Dippers were near Mt. Baldy Village, just inside the county, through December 14 and in Big Santa Anita Canyon from December 13-January 6 (Darren Dowell).  This species was once relatively easy to find in the county, but a long-term drought has negatively impacted their numbers and distribution.

Extremely rare in the county was a Siberian Pipit- recently split from American Pipit- in the Ballona area in Playa del Rey from December 21-28 (Kevin Lapp).  This establishes only the second county record for this “new” species.  The previous record was from Glendale during the winters of 2020-2022, back when it was still considered a subspecies.

Up to three Lapland Longspurs and up to three Thick-billed Longspurs were at the A&G Sod Farm in the Antelope Valley from December 3-January 20 (Chef Ito, Sarah Boscoe, Loren Wright, et al).  Also in this area was a Chestnut-collared Longspur seen from December 4-13 (multiple observers).

A Grasshopper Sparrow was at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on December 20 (Lee Brennan).  Clay-colored Sparrows were on Santa Catalina Island on November 25 (Gary Nunn) and at Madrona Marsh in Torrance from December 5-January 7.  Unexpected at this time of year was a Black-chinned Sparrow at Devil’s Canyon Trail in Chatsworth on December 14 (Alexander DeBarros, Carolyn Willcox).

A half dozen Sagebrush Sparrows were found at various locations in the Antelope Valley.  Reports will almost certainly continue to increase as observer awareness increases and there is a greater effort to find them.

A great find was a Nelson’s Sparrow at Malibu Lagoon from November 29-December 5 (Femi Faminu).  The only previous county records are from September 1992 at nearby Pepperdine University and September 2017 at the Piute Ponds.

The Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas continued through January 2 and a Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco was at Victoria Park in Carson on November 29 (Calvin Bonn).

An above average eighteen White-throated Sparrows were detected this winter

Swamp Sparrows included birds at Zuma Lagoon on November 24 (Caleb Peterson) and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from December 4-24 (Rod Higbie).

Green-tailed Towhees were at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood through January 15, in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island on November 30 (Laura Vandezande), at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on December 27 (John Garrett), and Sycamore Canyon in Whittier from January 11-12 (Linda LeRoy).

 An Orchard Oriole continued in Redondo Beach through November 29.  Quite rare in winter were up to two Hooded Orioles at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino through December 28, one in West Los Angeles from November 23-January 4 (Thomas Hinnebusch), and one in Palos Verdes Estates on January 19 (James Wagner).

 Baltimore Orioles included one at Kenneth Hahn SRA on November 27 (Kevin Lapp), two at El Nido Park in Redondo Beach from December 10-12 (Chef Ito), and one at Cesar Chaves Park in Long Beach on January 18 (Mark & Janet Scheel).  In Llano, a wintering Scott’s Oriole continued through January 2.

 Common not far to our north but rare in Los Angeles County, a “Bicolored” Red-winged Blackbird was at Ken Malloy Harbor Park on December 21 (Lily Yllescas).

 Ten Black-and-white Warblers were present during the period, while  Tennessee Warblers included one continuing at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City through December 1 and another at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on January 5 (Christine Jacobs). 

 Lucy’s Warblers included one at Heartwell Park in Long Beach from December 14-January 8 (Christine Jacobs) and up to two at the Del Amo Shopping Center in Carson from January 4-20 (Dessi Sieburth).

 The Cape May Warbler spending its third winter at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester was reported through January 20.

 A Palm Warbler was at Drake Park in Long Beach from December 12-January 18 (Robert Hamilton) and a Pine Warbler was at Windermere Park in La Mirada from December 16-January 4 (Jonathan Rowley).

A Black-throated Green Warbler that spent last winter at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel was back this year but went undetected until January 11 (Tom Cassaro).  It was reported through January 20.

 Painted Redstarts included a bird continuing at San Dimas Canyon Park through January 16 and another in Brentwood through January 20.

 A returning wintering Hepatic Tanager was in Griffith Park from December 15-22 (Ben Batzel) and about ten more expected Summer Tanagers were recorded.

 A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on December 23 (Mitch Walters) and a late Blue Grosbeak continued along the Los Angeles River north of the 110 Freeway from December 20-23.

Rounding things out was an Indigo Bunting at the Ballona Discovery Park in Playa del Rey from December 5-11 (Lisa Fimiani).

 Though most of our wintering birds will continue for another couple of months, it’s already time to turn our attention to spring migration which for some species is already underway.  Waterfowl, Turkey Vultures and hummingbirds are among the earliest to head north. 

 Passerines won’t be far behind, with swallows arriving in February.  Then March is just around the corner and fair numbers of passerines will begin to arrive by the middle of the month.  Farther out, April and May are the real show, producing the largest numbers of migrant songbirds. 

 But until then, sea-watching from coastal promontories offers northbound loons, brant, scoters and perhaps an unusual pelagic straying close to shore.  The deserts will be well worth covering while winter birds linger and migrants begin to head north.  Deep water reservoirs have potential for both regular and unusual waterfowl for another month or more. 

 Whatever your birding preferences, you can likely satisfy them in Los Angeles County.