Inca Dove | White-winged Dove | American Golden-Plover | Pacific Golden-Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Pacific Loon | Zone-tailed Hawk | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Eastern Phoebe | Grasshopper Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Bay-breasted Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager
Tundra Swan | Mountain Plover | American Golden-Plover | Pacific Golden-Plover | Sandhill Crane | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | “Prairie” Merlin | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Eastern Phoebe | Gray Catbird | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | Green-tailed Towhee | Bobolink | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Palm Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Blue Grosbeak | Lazuli Bunting
Common Ground Dove | Lesser Nighthawk | Pacific Golden-Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER | Zone-tailed Hawk | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | “Black” Merlin | Tropical Kingbird | Eastern Phoebe | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Bay-breasted Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager
Common Ground Dove | White-winged Dove | Mountain Plover | Pacific Golden-Plover | Red Phalarope | Lesser Black-backed Gull | American Bittern | Little Blue Heron | Broad-winged Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Tropical Kingbird | Pacific Wren | Red-throated Pipit | Lapland Longspur | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Grasshopper Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Magnolia Warbler | Palm Warbler | Summer Tanager | Painted Bunting
Lesser Nighthawk | Pacific Golden-Plover | Sabine’s Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Little Blue Heron | Western Cattle Egret | Broad-winged Hawk | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Tropical Kingbird | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Grasshopper Sparrow | Lark Bunting | Clay-colored Sparrow | Orchard Oriole | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Painted Bunting | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | American Redstart | Cape May Warbler | Magnolia Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Blackpoll Warbler | Palm Warbler | Summer Tanager
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.
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.
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.
Who claims we don’t have seasons in southern California? Though admittedly they are not as pronounced as they are elsewhere in the country, they are nonetheless distinct and the changes in avifauna that accompany them are significant. Aside from normal seasonal transformations, climate change is affecting and altering habitats and ecosystems.
There’s no doubt that fall migration is a great time for birders. “Southbound migration” might be a better term, given that the passage takes place from June through November. Even that isn’t exact, as not all migrants are headed south. Tropical Kingbirds are an obvious example of a species whose movements are to the north and west.
Though late June and early July tend to be a slower time of year compared to the major rush of spring migration and the great variety that autumn provides, there were nonetheless a number of notable birds recorded in the county. As July progressed into August, plenty of southbound shorebirds and a handful of passerines were already passing through.
March and April in southern California encompass a great deal of change in the avian world. Passerine migration transforms from a trickle to a flood, wintering birds are leaving on their various schedules and breeding activity is pervasive.
From the first early arriving passerines to the waves of birds encountered in April and May, spring migration is a remarkable event to witness. While the quality and quantity of birds can vary from day to day—often due to factors we’ve yet to understand—this is a fantastic time to take to the field.
Shorebirds can briefly be seen in their breeding colors. Loons and scoters are streaming northward along the coast. The weather is generally pleasant and the landscape is lush. It could well be argued that this time of year offers more for birders than any other.
As usual, given the diversity of habitats in Los Angeles County, the variety of birds present in March and April was substantial. Wintering vagrants gradually began to disappear as spring progressed, and there were a few new discoveries to keep things interesting. Typically for this time of year, reports of new vagrants were comparatively scarce.
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