White-winged Dove | Sandhill Crane | Pacific Loon | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Cocos Booby | Zone-tailed Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Clay-colored Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | Green-tailed Towhee | Baltimore Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart
White-winged Dove | Sandhill Crane | Pacific Golden-Plover | Solitary Sandpiper | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Pacific Loon | Zone-tailed Hawk | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Least Flycatcher | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | Green-tailed Towhee | Baltimore Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Pine Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak
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.
Sandhill Crane | Pacific Golden-Plover | Solitary Sandpiper | Vega Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Pacific Loon | Swainson’s Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Short-eared Owl | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Least Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Bell’s Vireo | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | Green-tailed Towhee | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Pine Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart
Common Ground Dove | Sandhill Crane | Pacific Golden-Plover | Solitary Sandpiper | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Vega Gull | Least Bittern | Swainson’s Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Short-eared Owl | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Western Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Bell’s Vireo | SIBERIAN PIPIT | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Sagebrush Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Virgina’s Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Pine Warbler | Painted Redstart | Rose-breasted Grosbeak
September and October are a time of almost endless potential and anticipation in the birder’s world in southern California, with a wide variety of migrants passing through. But it is also a time of uncertainly; each year is different and we never know exactly what to expect. What numbers of vagrants will turn up? What species will be above or below average? Will any ultra-rare Asian strays be found? To avoid any unnecessary suspense, I will state that the fall of 2022 did not disappoint.
As an ecologist, the mega sprawl of cities such as Los Angeles has always made me wonder what happened to wildlife native to the land before development. In the 20th and 21st centuries, humans in Southern California have converted vast natural ecosystems into buildings, houses, roads, agriculture, and other infrastructure and land uses. How did these drastic changes to the environment affect wildlife? How can we mitigate the negative effects of urbanization on wildlife?
Sometimes nature outreach opportunities come when you least expect. For those watching the baseball playoffs — I wasn’t — the Dodgers-Padres game got a little nutty when a goose settled in on the field round about the 8th inning Wednesday night. It was no local, bread-fed, domesticated park dweller but a bona fide wild Greater White-fronted Goose on the ground in close right field. I picked up on it on the bird app, not eBird but the other one, and thought it might be an open door to reaching the world on an important topic.
Pacific Golden-Plover | Franklin’s Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Zone-tailed Hawk | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Tropical Kingbird | Eastern Phoebe | Pinyon Jay | WOOD WARBLER | Pacific Wren | Gray Catbird | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | FIELD SPARROW | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Cape May Warbler | CERULEAN WARBLER | Magnolia Warbler | Bay-breasted Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Magnolia Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Black-throated Blue Warbler | Palm Warbler | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager
Nocturnal Flight Call Recording in Los Angeles County - Andy Birch, Wed., Nov. 9, 2022, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Are your dreams sometimes filled with birds? Perhaps, it’s because they are flying over you as you sleep! You may have heard that a vast multitude of birds migrate at night. While it is now fairly popular to watch birds migrating at daytime, you may have wondered, how on earth can we experience bird migration at night? Andy will try to help you unlock the secrets of how to witness and record this hidden bird migration happening across our skies at night…
Tree Care for Birds - Ryan Gilpin, Wed., Dec. 14, 2022, 7:30 PM–8:30 PM
Millions of birds briefly visit or live their whole life in Californian cities. Urban forests made up of street trees, backyards and parks are important habitats that these birds rely on. Tree Care for Birds has been helping arborists care for trees while protecting wildlife and managing wildlife habitat since 2015. Join Ryan Gilpin to learn more about urban forestry, how arborists are being trained to minimize impacts to nesting wildlife, and how arborists are working with property owners to create more wildlife habitat in urban areas.
The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running community science project in the nation. Birders, from beginners to advanced, have participated in this once-a-year count effort within established 15-mile diameter circles (see maps). Compilers and participants work together to ensure that important bird habitats are covered, and there is always room to add yard and local patch observations, so long as the number of people observing and the time spent observing are recorded, along with a full list and numbers of all species observed. Los Angeles Audubon Society sponsors three counts, led by experienced compilers.
Pacific Golden-Plover | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Tropical Kingbird | Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Least Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Philadelphia Vireo | Red-eyed Vireo | Pacific Wren | WOOD WARBLER | Gray Catbird | Sprague’s Pipit | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Grasshopper Sparrow | White-throated Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | American Redstart | Magnolia Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Blackpoll Warbler | Black-throated Blue Warbler | Palm Warbler | Yellow-throated Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Indigo Bunting
Common Ground-Dove | American Oystercatcher | Pacific Golden-Plover | Franklin’s Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Nazca Booby | Brown Booby | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Broad-winged Hawk | Tropical Kingbird | Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Grasshopper Sparrow | Black-throated Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Northern Waterthrush | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Connecticut Warbler | Mourning Warbler | American Redstart | Magnolia Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Blackpoll Warbler | Palm Warbler | Pine Warbler | Prairie Warbler | Painted Redstart | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Dickcissel
Pacific Golden-Plover | Sabine’s Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Common Tern | Red-footed Booby | Neotropic Cormorant | Broad-winged Hawk | Tropical Kingbird | Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Clay-colored Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Ovenbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Virginia’s Warbler | American Redstart | Magnolia Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Blackpoll Warbler | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Indigo Bunting | Dickcissel
Pacific Golden-Plover | Common Tern | Masked / Nazca Booby | Brown Booby | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Tropical Kingbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | American Redstart | Magnolia Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Dickcissel
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