Date: 4/26/26 9:37 am From: Andrew N via groups.io <floodshark...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Mourning Warbler at Hollenbeck Canyon
Pished an unfamiliar calling bird out of the creek at 32.6809544, -116.8196272 and was surprised by a crispy male Mourning Warbler. He was also surprised, apparently, and evaporated the second we laid eyes on each other.
This is roughly one mile from the parking area, which is a fish and wildlife fee area, and there is one pretty minor water crossing. There is a lot of dense habitat here but I'm going to be here for a while trying to refind it.
Send help, and coffee.
Andrew Newmark
San Diego, CA
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Date: 4/26/26 9:26 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Dusky = Gray Flycatcher
Sunday morning, several of us came looking for the Dusky Flycatcher reported yesterday at the Ventura Cove Park area of Mission Bay and after much effort have refound the bird and it is in fact a Gray Flycatcher. Spending most of its time in the one oak and several small trees in the middle Island in final parking lot where the pin drop was yesterday.
A seawatch earlier in the morning at La Jolla produced a bunch of Sooty Shearwaters but way way way out on the horizon, and one tattler on the rocks.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/25/26 5:23 pm From: Jason Vassallo via groups.io <jason.vassallo...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Dusky Flycatcher Ventura Cove Park
Currently on a "whit" calling Dusky Flycatcher at Ventura Cove Park along Mission Bay
(32.7699561, -117.2434920)
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Date: 4/22/26 9:35 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] La Jolla p.s.
Forgot to mention in my previous post that there's some huge event going on along the shore in La Jolla later this week. Lots of tenting and fencing being put up today. And they have already erected gobs of no parking signs that already are in effect from now through Sunday, preventing folks from using at least 90% of the typical parking spots used to bird around La Jolla Cove. Thus, I would recommend staying clear of the entire area until Monday, or if you are dying to go there, you will need to arrive at the crack of dawn and still park a block or two away. Otherwise, forget it.
In other Seawatch news, I spent an hour early yesterday morning seawatching from Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach and only saw two Cocos Boobies fly by heading to the north. So that phenomenon of very large numbers off there on multiple dates a couple weeks ago seems to have ended.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/22/26 8:50 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] La Jolla seawatch Masked Booby and tattlers
Wednesday morning several of us seawatched at La Jolla, wondering if the slight change in the weather did anything, and it was almost dead calm and continuing of just quite low numbers of birds offshore. However, fairly early on, Mulholland spotted a black and white booby which we then studied for a while as it foraged to the southwest of us for a while before flying back to the southwest. It appeared to be a near adult Masked Booby with an entirely greeny- yellow bill and almost adult plumage except for still having a bunch of dusky in the head. On the rocks right in front of the bridge club building there are four Wandering Tattlers together and a few Surfbirds at low tide. This is near peak season for migrant tattlers.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/21/26 10:53 pm From: Mel Senac via groups.io <melsenac...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] California Big Day, 4/18– 239 species (long)
Great job guys ...and gal. Yay Bridget! So impressive, all of you.
I loved reading the narrative of the adventure. At my age, I was exhausted by 3:00PM. Depressing!
Oh well. Thanks for sharing.
Mel Senac
________________________________
From: <SanDiegoRegionBirding...> <SanDiegoRegionBirding...> on behalf of Dessi Sieburth via groups.io <Dessisieburth...>
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 12:36 PM
To: <SanDiegoRegionBirding...> <SanDiegoRegionBirding...>; <inlandcountybirds...> <inlandcountybirds...>
Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] California Big Day, 4/18 239 species (long)
Hi all,
On April 18, 2026, Christopher Hinkle, Adrian Hinkle, Bridget Spencer, and I attempted a statewide California Big Day, starting in the San Diego area and ending at the Salton Sea. The route was based on a 2021 attempt in which Adrian and I, along with Logan Kahle, Emmett Iverson, and Scott Terrill, started in the San Bernardino Mountains, and then swung through San Diego before ending at the Salton Sea (see https://ebird.org/tripreport/4409 for a summary of that day). Although we ended up with 237 species on that day, we felt overall that the route was too rushed, and that cutting out the San Bernardinos and focusing efforts in San Diego and the Salton Sea could be beneficial. We were excited to test out the new route.
The route was very well scouted, as nearly every stop was visited the day before by a member of the team.
We left Adrians place before midnight and arrived at La Jolla Cove by 12:15 am. As we got out of the car we were greeted by large numbers of gulls, cormorants, and pelicans on the cliffs. We paced back and forth along the cliffs hoping to hear a rocky shorebird or two. Finally, after about 15 minutes, a Black Oystercatcher started calling, and a Wandering Tattler soon followed! After another 10 minutes we heard a Black Turnstone, our final reasonable target. We stayed a little longer to try for Surfbird, but to no avail.
We blasted off to Lake Murray, where Louie the Cackling Goose was resting along the shore of the lake. We then stopped briefly at Mount Helix Park to listen for nocturnal migrants. We didnt hear much, but we did hear a Common Poorwill. At Lindo Lake, we were able to spotlight several Wood Ducks and some Black-crowned Night-Herons. Driving towards Proctor Valley, we picked up Barn Owls and several Great Horned Owls. A quick stop at Otay Lake unfortunately yielded no snipe.
We were off to our dawn spot at Proctor Valley, and upon arrival the dawn chorus was in full swing Bells Sparrows, Rufous-crowned Sparrows, California Thrashers, and a single Black-chinned Sparrow were all singing. We were fortunate to pick up a singing Lark Sparrow, our only one of the day. Moving further up the road we picked up several Grasshopper Sparrows and a stakeout Lincolns Sparrow. Now backtracking down the road, we found the scouted Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and had a bonus flyover Merlin. Usually Merlins are almost impossible on these April big days, but this was the first of three!
It was time to head towards J Street. During the drive there, we picked up Scaly-breasted Munia, Coopers Hawk, and Cedar Waxwing. Arriving at J Street, we quickly added a variety of the common coastal birds and found more uncommon species like Brant, Spotted Sandpiper, Least Tern, and Peregrine Falcon. The Peregrine was especially welcome as wed had none during scouting. Continuing to the Salt Works off 13th street, we found them loaded with shorebirds, including a large flock of Red Knots in their crisp breeding plumage. We quickly located one of the continuing Lesser Yellowlegs, as well as a staked-out nesting Snowy Plover. As we were about to leave, Adrian picked out a single Ruddy Turnstone among the mass of shorebirds. A brief stop at 10th street failed to yield the Little Stint, but we did see a few Bonapartes Gulls and Black Skimmers.
We were doing well, but had already fallen significantly behind schedule and needed to make up some time. Our next stop was a seawatch at Imperial Beach Pier, and we were nervous about missing birds with such a short amount of time. We walked to the base of the pier and began scoping, and quickly added Red-throated and Common Loons swimming on the water, as well as a Pelagic Cormorant sitting on the pilings at the end of the pier. We picked up a Pacific Loon flying north, and a couple Cocos Boobies joined a small feeding flock. As we were getting ready to leave, a Pomarine Jaeger flew in and landed on the water! After just 13 minutes of seawatching, wed gotten all our targets plus a couple bonuses. We were off to the Tijuana River Valley.
Stopping along Sunset Ave, we picked up a White-tailed Kite perched on a distant tree. We moved on to the Bird and Butterfly Garden and found it teeming with over 30 birders. In between the crowds we managed the continuing Golden-crowned Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow, which was singing! We failed to see the Calliope Hummingbird that had been present for a while leading up to the day, but we did pick up important targets such as Downy Woodpecker, Huttons Vireo, and Lawrences Goldfinch. We stopped along Monument Road, where we quickly heard a California Gnatcatcher calling, as well as, shockingly, our only Bewicks Wrens of the day. Leaving the TRV, we made a quick stop at Dairy Mart Pond for the staked out male American Redstart, which we heard calling and briefly saw shortly after our arrival.
Our next stop was Wing Street Canyon. We walked up to the flowering bottlebrushes and found it teeming with hummingbirds. We again failed to find the staked out Calliope but did see a male Rufous Hummingbird. We soon heard a Solitary Vireo singing, and Adrian called out to us that he was seeing the continuing Plumbeous Vireo. We all rushed up to where he was but couldnt see it. Eventually, we noted movement in a pepper tree but saw an obvious Cassins Vireo instead, leaving us very confused. Then we noted another vireo nearby the Plumbeous! Eventually they both started singing simultaneously! We also picked up Red-masked Parakeet here, countable by big day rules as they are considered established by the CBRC.
We headed off to Robb Field, where we were hoping for Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Little Blue Heron. We found the tide was very high and there was little mudflat and few birds. We walked east of the bridge and still couldnt find anything. Eventually we had to give up and headed back to the car. On our way out, we decided to try for the Black-and-white Warbler that had been wintering in the ficus trees, a bird Adrian said hed seen once out of fifteen visits this winter. As there were four ficus trees, we each stood underneath one looking for the warbler. After a few seconds, Bridget called out that she was on the warbler! We rushed over and got nice views as it foraged in the ficus. Our visit to Robb had been saved.
We decided to try for the stakeout Mew Gull at Vacation Isle, and we also thought it could be a decent shot at Little Blue Heron. We got to the spot no gull and no herons. We briefly tried for the wintering Magnolia Warbler, also without any luck.
Figuring that it would be completely embarrassing to miss Little Blue Heron, we made another detour to Old Sea World Drive. Here, we quickly found a couple Little Blue Herons in the river channel. Phew.
We were headed off towards the mountains and rolled into Pine Valley at 1:30 pm, again having fallen well behind schedule. At the feeders in Pine Valley, we quickly found several common montane birds new for the day list, and our target Wild Turkeys.
At the mile 19 pullout along the Sunrise Highway, we quickly found a pair of Cassins Finches in with the Purple Finch flock. We headed to Agua Dulce Creek and upon arriving realized it would be our last realistic opportunity for Nuttalls Woodpecker. Agua Dulce was very quiet during the mid-afternoon lull, but we did pick up on a flyover Sharp-shinned Hawk. We walked further down the canyon, but still couldnt find a Nuttalls. Finally we managed to see a Nuttalls Woodpecker perched on a short snag. We then heard a distinct Mountain Quail calling! We had done pretty well at Agua Dulce, all things considered.
Our next stop was the Golden Eagle nest. As we got out of the car to scope the nest, we noticed an adult Golden Eagle flying low close to the car! It then landed on the ground giving us great looks. We were off to Kitchen Creek. We pulled up to the creek crossing and quickly found the Olive-sided Flycatcher on the same set of snags wed seen it on the previous two days. We noted movement in the oaks and picked up a bonus Hammonds Flycatcher, and a Canyon Wren started calling! We backtracked to the Pacific Crest Trail crossing and quickly spied a displaying Costas Hummingbird. Heading down the trail we then picked up a singing Gray Vireo. We could hardly believe our mid-afternoon luck here, and we were hoping it would hold.
En route to Jacumba we tried for Scotts Oriole at a scouted location. We didnt find it, but as we were driving further down the road towards Jacumba we saw something fly up a male Scotts Oriole! Stopping again along the road we tried for Cactus Wren, which quickly responded. Pulling into Jacumba we failed to find the stakeout Belted Kingfisher but did see several Tricolored Blackbirds around the pond. While scanning for Harriss Hawks (unsuccessfully), we picked up a bonus Hermit Warbler and the continuing vagrant easternmost record of Swinhoes White-Eye for California found by Paul Lehman, although the latter didnt officially count for the big day total.
Continuing east along I-8, we stopped at the In-Ko-Pah tower for a Green-tailed Towhee wed staked out. As we got out of the car we heard a singing Black-throated Sparrow and then noticed a Loggerhead Shrike fly across in front of us! Wed had zero shrikes during scouting, and it was a species wed written off as a possibility. After a couple minutes, the Green-tailed Towhee popped up.
We still needed Rock Wren, a bird wed had no luck finding during scouting. We pulled over in a barren, desolate area along I-8 and, after some waiting, could hear a Rock Wren singing in between the pulses of traffic!
We felt great about the success of the afternoon, but we were seriously running short on time. We pulled into Evergreen Cemetery just after 5:15 pm, and had about two hours of light to find all our Salton Sea targets. We drove to the southwest corner of the cemetery and quickly found the stakeout Western Wood-Pewee. Birding around the cemetery we picked up a slough of new birds including Gila Woodpecker, Vermilion Flycatcher, Chipping Sparrow, Inca Dove, and Common Ground-Dove. Within 15 minutes, we were headed north towards Niland. On the way, we stopped at the Calipatria Prison Pond and saw the lingering Canvasback as well as our first Redheads of the day. Heading to the IID wetlands in Niland, our major target was Ladder-backed Woodpecker. While trying for Ladder-back at the willow patch, we flushed up a Green Heron. Then, on cue, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker started calling! A Black-tailed Gnatcatcher began calling as well in the mesquites. It was on to International Road, where we quickly saw a Black-chinned Hummingbird at the hummingbird feeder. We lingered hoping for Bronzed Cowbird, and within minutes a male and two female Bronzed Cowbirds flew in and landed on the wires above us! The male even started singing!
It was now time to head towards the sea itself. At the Schrimpf Road Cove, we saw thousands of swallows circling around and landing in the reeds, and we picked out several Bank Swallows. We then stopped at Hazard Tract hoping for Green-winged Teal or Northern Pintail. We were scanning the pond when we suddenly noticed a large pink bird flying above us a Roseate Spoonbill!!! One had been seen a couple weeks before at this location, but we hadnt seen it in five separate scouting visits leading up to the day. Stopping again further south along Hazard Tract we were greeted by the stakeout Least Bittern as we heard it singing immediately after getting out of the car.
We were making good time and headed to the seawall. At Lack and Grubel, we could see hundreds of Red-necked Phalaropes swimming around, and picked out a few Wilsons Phalaropes among them. We stayed a couple minutes longer but couldnt pick out anything new, so we headed to the west end of Bowles Road. As we were driving up we could see huge flocks of ibis, egrets, and gulls pouring into roost, and in one of the Ring-billed Gulls flocks above the car we noticed a Franklins Gull! Scoping the pond in the fading light, we picked out a single Green-winged Teal, and had a couple more Franklins Gulls drop onto the water. At 7:40, just before it was too dark to see, we pulled our staked-out Snow Goose picking up off the fields. And with that, our daylight birding was officially over. Only night targets remained.
Our first nighttime stop was the Unit 1 platform, where we quickly heard a couple Ridgways Rails calling from the marsh. We tried American Bittern for quite a while, but failed.
Next we drove back into San Diego County, first for stakeout Long-eared Owls. Using Chriss thermal camera we could see the outlines of the owls on their nests. Around this time we noticed our front right tire was completely flat, probably from driving fast on the potholed roads along the Salton Sea. Thankfully, we had a full-sized spare, and within 15 minutes, we were back on the road. We zipped over to a known location for Spotted Owl, which we heard spontaneously not five seconds after getting out of the car! A Western Screech-Owl called spontaneously at one of our mountain spots as well. Heading back up the Lagunas we stopped for another stakeout, Northern Saw-whet Owl. It took some effort, but eventually the Northern Saw-whet Owl started tooting. At this point, it was 11:20 pm, and we decided to end the day by trying for a lingering Ring-necked Duck at Los Rasales Lake. It was quite a hike to the lake, and despite looking with the thermal and the flashlight, we failed to find the duck. The clock soon struck midnight, and our day was over.
I was so exhausted at the end that I slept through the species tally entirely, so I didnt learn our official total until the next morning, when Adrian informed me that it was 239! This was a number that certainly exceeded our expectations and reaffirmed how lucky wed gotten at many points during the day. We had broken the California driving big day record of 237 wed set back in 2021, but were still short of the airplane record of 244 set back in 1984.
Some more numbers from the day of the 239 species we observed, 202 of them were in San Diego County. Comparing this attempt and the 2021 attempt, we had 38 species that we missed in 2021.
As with any big day effort, we ended with large collection of misses, including Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Vauxs Swift, Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Wilsons Snipe, American Bittern, Herring Gull, Black Tern, Bald Eagle, Swainsons Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and Townsends Warbler. We had seen all but a couple of these while scouting.
We ended up with seven dirty birds (birds not seen by all members of the team)-- Huttons Vireo, Rufous Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Clarks Grebe, Canyon Wren, Hammonds Flycatcher, and Common Ground-Dove.
Overall, it was an amazing day with great birds and great people. Id especially like to give a huge shoutout to Adrian who drove nearly the entire day. See https://ebird.org/tripreport/503204 for a full list of every species (will show up as 237 species as Long-eared Owl and Spotted Owl are sensitive).
Good birding,
Dessi
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Date: 4/21/26 10:17 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts April 22 - 30
Greetings,
Thank you for another great week of filling out eBird bar charts!
Two more hotspots are now complete (La Jolla Farms tipus and West Hills
Park) and many more are now closer to completion!
And thank you also for submitting checklists to the California Bird Atlas!
Breeding activity is now peaking - a great time to observe and report
Confirmed Breeding Codes!
For the last bar chart "week" of April, which starts tomorrow and runs for
9 days through the end of the month, 2 more hotspots can be completed,
indicated in bold lettering at the top of the list below.
*Little Italy (San Diego) - 1Questhaven Road Nature Trail - 1*
East Penasquitos Canyon - 2
La Costa Canyon Park - 8
Swamis Seaside Park - 9
Delta Beach--north overlook - 10
Agua Hedionda Lagoon--Harbor Dr. - 11
Oak Grove (SD Co.) - 12
Snapdragon Stadium - 12
San Onofre Creek mouth - 14
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Memorial Park (SD Co.)
Crest Drive (Encinitas)
Loveland Reservoir
stakeout Grace's Warbler, Encinitas (2018–24)
Warner Springs--town
Self-Realization Fellowship (Encinitas)
Hosp Grove Park--east of Monroe St
Sunnyslope Park
stakeout Eastern Phoebe, City Heights (2020–24)
W 16th St at Cleveland Ave
Tierrasanta Substation
Sage Canyon Park
Holiday Park
Berry Street Park
Barona Resort & Casino
Coronado Cays--park & residential
Jess Martin Park
Montgomery-Waller Park
Ramona Oaks Park
San Dieguito Sports Complex
Cheers,
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Date: 4/18/26 9:06 am From: Nathan French via groups.io <nathanfrenchphotography...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] American Redstart continues Robb Field 4/18
Female type found yesterday by Adrian H.
Seen in same tree near entrance as previously reported: (32.7535154, -117.2447054)
Nathan French
Hillcrest
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Date: 4/15/26 9:01 am From: Alison Hiers via groups.io <lahiers...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Green-tailed Towhee
33°4′51″ N 117°16′5″ W
On La Costa Trail about 8:40 on the La Costa Glen side on the bank with WCSP's
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*La Jolla Farms Rd. tipus - 1West Hills Park - 1*
Chollas Creek--Euclid Ave to 54th St - 2
Lopez Ridge Park - 7
Lower Otay Reservoir--east arm pullouts (including North Pt. gate) - 7
Cortez Place--coastal access - 8
Henshaw Scenic Vista - 8
Sweetwater Park - 8
Eternal Hills Cemetery - 9
La Costa Canyon Park - 9
La Bajada Field (restricted access) - 10
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
J Street Viewpoint (Encinitas)
Otay Valley Regional Park--Hollister Pond
Warner Springs--town
Jackson Park
Buena Vista Lagoon--Jefferson St. overlook (east of I-5)
Hosp Grove Park--east of Monroe St
Heritage Park (Chula Vista)
San Onofre SB--bluffs
Sunnyslope Park
Mandell Weiss Eastgate City Park
stakeout Eastern Phoebe, City Heights (2020–24)
W 16th St at Cleveland Ave
Tierrasanta Substation
Holy Cross Cemetery
La Posta Creek pullouts
Hidden Canyon Park
Sweetwater Community Gardens
Camp Pendleton--Santa Margarita River mouth (restricted access)
Cheers,
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Date: 4/14/26 8:37 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Ruff update
Well, I guess nothing's easy. While sending out my previous message about the Ruff continuing At around 7:00 a.m., it disappeared while I wasn't looking and now over an hour later I still can't refind it. Plenty of birds in that channel on the south side of the bike trail at and past the second bridge to the east of 13th Street. Including now 250 red knots and several ruddy turnstones looking nice. Lesser yellowlegs total is 15 or 16 (mostly next to the little island on Pond 20). Vaux's Swift flying around with the Cliff Swallows. And on the island in the middle of pond 22 is the Pacific Golden-Plover-- Not it's typical spot.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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-------- Original Message -------- On Tuesday, 04/14/26 at 08:04 Lisa Ruby <lbruby1...> wrote:
> Hi, The Gray Catbird that Nancy C found at Agua Caliente County Park on April 6th was still here as of yesterday evening. Some of us found it in a round planter area inside the fence of the outdoor pool a little before 6 p.m. yesterday. Viewed from the upper road. There are at least 2 Green-tailed Towhees. One on the Marsh Trail and one in the camground near site 115 (I think, could be 11 > > I would call the migration activity moderate right now. The most numerous species seems to be Western Flycatchers. Good number of Western Tanagers too, and some of the males are stunning. Wilson's, Nasville, Black-throated Gray, Orange-crowned, and Yellow Warblers; Warbling Vireos, Black- headed Grosbeaks, and Ash-throated Flycatchers are also around. Had 2 Hammond's Flycatchers on the Marsh Trail yesterday. I have submitted multiple lists from the last day and a half. > > Lisa Ruby > Sabre Springs > > Sent from [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) for Android.
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Date: 4/14/26 8:04 am From: Lisa Ruby via groups.io <lbruby1...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Catbird continues at Agua Caliente County Park
Hi, The Gray Catbird that Nancy C found at Agua Caliente County Park on April 6th was still here as of yesterday evening. Some of us found it in a round planter area inside the fence of the outdoor pool a little before 6 p.m. yesterday. Viewed from the upper road. There are at least 2 Green-tailed Towhees. One on the Marsh Trail and one in the camground near site 115 (I think, could be 11
I would call the migration activity moderate right now. The most numerous species seems to be Western Flycatchers. Good number of Western Tanagers too, and some of the males are stunning. Wilson's, Nasville, Black-throated Gray, Orange-crowned, and Yellow Warblers; Warbling Vireos, Black- headed Grosbeaks, and Ash-throated Flycatchers are also around. Had 2 Hammond's Flycatchers on the Marsh Trail yesterday. I have submitted multiple lists from the last day and a half.
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Date: 4/14/26 7:01 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Ruff continues
At 6:55 a.m. on Tuesday, the Ruff found yesterday by Nathan French bordering the saltworks continues, currently in the channel on the south side of the bike trail adjacent to the second bridge east of 13th Street. But of course stuff moves around. Also an "inland" Red-throated Loon in the channel and 175 Red Knots, many of them looking very spiffy. Plus the usual 14+ Lesser Yellowlegs scattered around.
Paul Lehman , San Diego
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Date: 4/13/26 1:38 pm From: Geoff Veith via groups.io <veithlaw...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Some Info on Finding the Crissal Thrasher WTP/Borrego
Date: 4/13/26 12:39 pm From: Justyn Stahl via groups.io <justyn.stahl...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Ruff, 13th st / salt works
Looking from here 32.5882868, -117.1075251
To the east along the shoreline here: (32.5901216, -117.1035444)
Found by Nathan French
Justyn Stahl North park
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Date: 4/13/26 11:27 am From: Nathan French via groups.io <nathanfrenchphotography...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Ruff near Salt Works 4/13
Just had a Ruff south of the Salt Works from the bike path approximately here:
(32.5900433, -117.1015995)
Unfortunately it and all the LEYEs and Willets it was with flushed into the Salt Works and I’m trying to relocate it now.
Nathan French
Hillcrest
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Date: 4/13/26 11:21 am From: Geoff Veith via groups.io <veithlaw...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Some Info on Finding the Crissal Thrasher WTP/Borrego
For those interested in finding Crissal Thrasher, the following may be helpful. Margaret Brown and I heard and saw Crissal Thrasher at the Water Treatment Ponds in Borrego yesterday morning, 4/12. Generally, the bird (or birds, may be more than one) preferred the mesquite just north of the northern settlement pond and displayed a pattern of silence, interrupted by brief, unprompted singing. More specifically, we arrived shortly after 7 am and did not see or hear the bird for the first hour; there were two out of town birders also present. At 8:15-20 the thrasher began singing unprompted. Margaret and I heard it but could not find the bird as it was hidden by the mesquite. It sang for maybe two minutes then stopped. One of the out of town birders who had seen the bird from their vantage point came over and pointed the general area where they had seen the bird in the mesquite NE of the settling ponds. About 5 minutes later and in that same location, the thrasher popped up to the top of the mesquite and began singing very briefly and just as suddenly as it popped up, it stopped and dropped back down. It then sang unprompted about every 15-20 minutes and while we could hear it we could not find it. I walked to the NW portion of the mesquite and clearly heard a Crissal singing there and also thought I heard a brief response from the NE area. Margaret and I then walked to dirt road or path on the west side of the settling ponds. From that location, at about 9:30 am, we heard and saw the Crissal singing from the top of somewhat distant mesquite WNW of the ponds. One other detail, when perched up and singing, the Crissal seemed to favor mesquite with mistletoe.
If this pattern holds I would recommend getting to an elevated spot where you can see out over the mesquite and wait patiently for the bird to pop up and sing. Walking through the mesquite or using playback would likely reduce the chance of seeing this bird.
Geoff Veith
Solana Beach, CA
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Date: 4/11/26 8:34 am From: Mike Wittmer via groups.io <bumper1369...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Tennessee Warbler
There is currently a Tennessee Warbler at the Wing St Canyon in the bottlebrush trees. Currently there are 5 birders on it
Mike Wittmer
Escondido
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Date: 4/10/26 10:30 pm From: Isabelle Davignon via groups.io <isa1212123...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Wing Street Piranga sp.
In case it is useful information, I took a horrible photo of a bird I couldn’t identify at Wing Street Canyon on March 21st. I had recorded the male Hepatic Tanager in eBird (list here https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S311738627) and made note that I thought there might be a 2nd individual Hepatic Tanager with red and yellow. I saw it in the exact same spot in the tree where I had twice seen the male Hepatic Tanager that morning, and it flew across in the same direction as the male Hepatic Tanager, across the path towards the large tree and beyond. My photo is terrible, it flew away before I could get a photo and I only caught a this one that shows the abdomen and under tail when it had flown across the path and paused for a second in the far tree beyond the path.
Adding here in case there is a possibility the hybrid was there as early as 3/21st. Please let me know if you can tell from this that it is not, or if you can tell what it actually is. I have not added to eBird other than as a note within the Hepatic Tanager entry since I couldn’t id.

Thanks
Isabelle.
> On Apr 8, 2026, at 9:39 AM, Michelle Reilly via groups.io <reilhag...> wrote:
>
>
> For anyone interested, the Tanager(hybrid?) was seen again today. New photos on today's list:
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S318783147 >
> Michelle Haglund
>
> "there is still good in this world and it's worth fighting for”...Sam Gamgee
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM Philip Unitt via groups.io <http://groups.io/> <unitt...> <mailto:<cox.net...>> wrote:
>> Dear friends,
>>
>> Has anyone considered the possibility that this bird could be Foudia madagascariensis? Back in 1991 I got a call from a woman who said she had been seeing a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers around her house in La Mesa for about 6 weeks, then the male flew into a window and killed itself. I asked her to bring it to the San Diego Natural History Museum, and when I saw the specimen, what was my surprise to see it was not a Vermilion Flycatcher but a species of the weaver family from Madagascar. Now catalog number 47510 in the museum's research collection of birds. So there is a precedent.
>>
>> Good birding,
>>
>> Philip Unitt
>> San Diego
>> On Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 07:16:46 AM PDT, Mark Stratton via groups.io <http://groups.io/> <zostropz...> <mailto:<gmail.com...>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> The Hybrids for Flame-colored and Western do have a cheek patch, I believe it's a lighter patch and maybe even greenish if I remember correctly. I didn't notice one on the Wing St. bird.
>>
>> Mark Stratton
>> Escondido
>>
>> On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 7:36 PM Susan Smith via groups.io <http://groups.io/> <seiurus...> <mailto:<aol.com...>> wrote:
>> Has Western x Flame-colored Tanager hybrid been eliminated? I think some have showed up in AZ.
>>
>> Susan Smith
>> Seiurus Biological Consulting
>> Del Mar, CA
>> <seiurus...> <mailto:<seiurus...> >>
>>
>> On Monday, April 6, 2026 at 06:32:57 PM PDT, Andrew N via groups.io <http://groups.io/> <floodshark...> <mailto:<gmail.com...>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> For record keeping sake, that bird has been floating around there for at least a week. Flew under the radar on Michelle H's checklist from the 30th.
>>
>> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S314926459 >>
>> --
>> Susan Smith
>> Seiurus Biological Consulting
>> Del Mar, CA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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Date: 4/9/26 10:13 pm From: Philip Unitt via groups.io <unitt...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Unusually early Lesser Nighthawk
Dear friends,
There have been a few San Diego County sightings of the Lesser Nighthawk in early March, but it has been unclear if these represent early spring migrants or wintering birds (there are a few scattered records of those). So it was notable that we received a specimen of the Lesser Nighthawk found barely able to fly at the 10th Ave. marine terminal in downtown San Diego on 7 March. It survived 16 days of attempted rehabilitation at Project Wildlife but ultimately died, and the specimen came to the San Diego Natural History Museum. Today Brandi Sanchez prepared the specimen, now catalog number 58600 in the museum's research collection of birds. The 10th Ave. marine terminal doesn't seem like a likely habitat for a Lesser Nighthawk to winter, so I infer this specimen represents an early migrant--the earliest yet confirmed in San Diego County. Congratulations to Brandi for her successful preparation of this difficult specimen as well as her recent master's degree from UCSD. And many thanks to Linda King for her over 20 years of service as liaison between the museum and Project Wildlife, ensuring that these notable specimens are preserved.
Also today I prepared our 5th specimen of the Burrowing Parrot, from National City.
Good birding,
Philip UnittSan Diego
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Date: 4/9/26 11:25 am From: Catherine Zinsky via groups.io <Catherine.Zinsky...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Varied Thrush/Kitchen Creek
While standing quietly along the creek on the east side of the bridge a Varied Thrush landed on a branch and I was able to get quite a few photos of it. It then flew up into the Sycamore and I lost sight of it. A birder has since contacted me to say it has gone down stream a bit.
--
*My dogs are my anchor, my friends give me strength. Catherine*
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The overlap of breeding ranges of the two species is very small, so it makes sense that hybrids would be rare.
Surprisingly, there are only 13 records of WETA x SUTA. So either way, either hybrid is quite rare!
Personally, I can see the merits of WETA x SCTA for the subject bird given the size and color of the bill, the lack of black on the upper back, and similarity to the one other individual photographed.
--
Nick Thorpe
University Heights
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Date: 4/8/26 3:10 pm From: Jeff Spaulding via groups.io <ornithomedic...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] eBird has website for WETA x SUTA
I think Scarlet x Western is more likely given the apparent lack of black on the back and it's rather small-billed appearance. I'm happy to change my eBird lists if we have some consensus, otherwise I think Piranga sp. covers it.
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
On Wed, Apr 8, 2026 at 11:47, Michael Evans via groups.io<aves...> wrote: To me, this seems like a potential answer. < https://ebird.org/species/x00824> Mike EvansSan DiegoMobile Message
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Date: 4/8/26 10:16 am From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts April 8 - 14
Apologies - originally the "gap" list on the linked map was showing the
spots from the previous week. I just fixed it. If you were solely going off
of the map to pick where to bird, please check again.
Big thanks to Joni for the heads up about this (and for regularly helping
cover *many* of the spots on these lists!)
Ruslan
On Tue, Apr 7, 2026 at 10:56 PM Ruslan Balagansky <ruslan...>
wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> We have now completed one more hotspot (SDSU River Park)!
>
> And now that Spring is in full swing, it's nice seeing all of the breeding
> codes on these lists under the CBA project, with a good number of Confirmed
> codes among them!
>
> Map for the bar chart week starting tomorrow:
> https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1MoRPxpvHdAKQG7cd6r-3yCaNlvIdUMY&usp=sharing >
> Hotspots nearing bar chart completion:
>
> Manzanita Canyon - 2
> Hilleary Park - 4
> Collier Park (Ramona) - 7
> Henshaw Scenic Vista - 9
> San Vicente Reservoir - 9
> Delta Beach--north overlook - 10
> La Costa Canyon Park - 10
> Carmel Valley Community Park - 11
> Lawrence Welk Village - 11
> Snapdragon Stadium - 12
>
>
> Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
>
> Otay Valley Regional Park--Hollister Pond
> Buena Vista Lagoon--Jefferson St. overlook (east of I-5)
> Hosp Grove Park--east of Monroe St
> Sunnyslope Park
> Mandell Weiss Eastgate City Park
> Tierrasanta Substation
> Borrego Springs--landfill
> Sage Canyon Park
> La Posta Creek pullouts
> Sweetwater Community Gardens
> Palomar Mtn.--East Grade Road
> South Buena Vista Park
> Rolling Hills Park
> Views West Neighborhood Park
> Ramona Oaks Park
> Cuyamaca Rancho SP--Harvey Moore Trail
> San Dieguito Sports Complex
> Monserate Mountain Preserve
> El Monte Rd. fields
> Kunkel Park
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
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Michelle Haglund
"there is still good in this world and it's worth fighting for”...*Sam
Gamgee*
On Tue, Apr 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM Philip Unitt via groups.io <unitt=
<cox.net...> wrote:
> Dear friends,
>
> Has anyone considered the possibility that this bird could be *Foudia
> madagascariensis*? Back in 1991 I got a call from a woman who said she
> had been seeing a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers around her house in La Mesa
> for about 6 weeks, then the male flew into a window and killed itself. I
> asked her to bring it to the San Diego Natural History Museum, and when I
> saw the specimen, what was my surprise to see it was not a Vermilion
> Flycatcher but a species of the weaver family from Madagascar. Now catalog
> number 47510 in the museum's research collection of birds. So there is a
> precedent.
>
> Good birding,
>
> Philip Unitt
> San Diego
> On Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 07:16:46 AM PDT, Mark Stratton via groups.io
> <zostropz...> wrote:
>
>
> The Hybrids for Flame-colored and Western do have a cheek patch, I believe
> it's a lighter patch and maybe even greenish if I remember correctly. I
> didn't notice one on the Wing St. bird.
>
> Mark Stratton
> Escondido
>
> On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 7:36 PM Susan Smith via groups.io <seiurus=
> <aol.com...> wrote:
>
> Has Western x Flame-colored Tanager hybrid been eliminated? I think some
> have showed up in AZ.
>
> Susan Smith
> Seiurus Biological Consulting
> Del Mar, CA
> <seiurus...>
>
>
> On Monday, April 6, 2026 at 06:32:57 PM PDT, Andrew N via groups.io
> <floodshark...> wrote:
>
>
> For record keeping sake, that bird has been floating around there for at
> least a week. Flew under the radar on Michelle H's checklist from the 30th.
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S314926459 >
> --
> Susan Smith
> Seiurus Biological Consulting
> Del Mar, CA
>
>
>
>
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Date: 4/8/26 8:47 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] vagrant Swinhoes White-eye!!
Wednesday morning I am out at Jacumba and have found a Swinhoe's White-eye in the lerpy eucalyptus near the fire station. I can't check my various data at home currently, but my guess is this is the farthest east record ever in Southern California?
Other highlights include "the dark lord" White crowned Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, the usual three turkeys, and the usual couple Harris's Hawks. Only a few migrant passerines.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/8/26 5:21 am From: Justyn Stahl via groups.io <justyn.stahl...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] California Bird Atlas Newsletter + April 16 Town Hall
As of this morning, here in San Diego
<https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/county/US-CA-073?atlasPeriod=EBIRD_ATL_CA_2026&m=&rank=mrec>,
791 Atlasers have visited 282 of 429 blocks (66%), coding 223 species and
*confirming* ~117, and spending a combined 6,760 hours afield! (Nearly 1000
hours more than Los Angeles County!) Let's keep that momentum going as our
migratory suite of breeders arrives.
Our most common breeders (by # of blocks Confirmed):
American Crow (62)
House Finch (61)
Anna's Hummingbird (59)
Bushtit (55)
Common Raven (50)
There are 25 species that have been Confirmed in just 1 block. Some of
these just haven't really got going yet (Western Gull, Bullock's Oriole)
and others will take more effort as cavity nesters (Acorn Woodpecker,
American Kestrel), while some may nest in only one block (White-faced
Ibis). And there are still more low-density or not-yet-arrived species to
track down.
Not sure where your efforts would be most valuable this weekend? Have a
look at the effort map <https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/effortmap>,
toggle to Confirmed Species, and spend some time in a block that is blank
(no Confirmed breeding yet for the Atlas). Or, search the Species Map here
<https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/explore> for your favorite species, and
try to find it in a new block! Still plenty of gaps for Anna's Hummingbird
(including multiple blocks in Pt Loma and La Jolla), Black Phoebe, etc. It
is an incredibly rewarding feeling to color in a new block.
Seven blocks on the immediate coast still have zero Confirmed species:
Point Loma SW (the extreme south end of Pt. Loma, essentially the Coast
Guard buildings south of the tide pools),
Del Mar Oe W SE (the south end of Torrey Pines, west of the golf course),
and five blocks in the extreme NW corner of the county (including San Mateo
Creek/Trestles Beach). Slightly inland, Del Mar NE
<https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/block/32117H2NE> is ripe for the picking
as the next block in need of its first Confirmed breeder.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Van Pierszalowski via groups.io <van...>
>
Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Subject: [CALBIRDS] California Bird Atlas Newsletter + April 16 Town Hall
To: <CALBIRDS...>
Birders,
Thank you to everyone contributing to the California Bird Atlas. The latest
edition of *The Atlas Dispatch* is now live. Click *here
<https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/news/atlas-dispatch-march-2026>* for a
full update, including Atlas-first breeding records, field highlights from
across the state, and incredible photos.
We continue to be blown away by the level of engagement statewide. As of
today, 66,642 Atlas checklists have been submitted across 5,131 blocks,
spanning all 58 counties. 3,196 atlasers have contributed to the project,
and we’re still in the first spring of a five-year Atlas period!
California Bird Atlas is an independent 501(c)(3), and donations can be
made *here <https://donorbox.org/california-bird-atlas>*. Your support
helps us grow the team, expand coverage, and continue building this
incredible momentum statewide. We are deeply grateful :)
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Date: 4/7/26 10:56 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts April 8 - 14
Greetings,
We have now completed one more hotspot (SDSU River Park)!
And now that Spring is in full swing, it's nice seeing all of the breeding codes on these lists under the CBA project, with a good number of Confirmed codes among them!
Manzanita Canyon - 2 Hilleary Park - 4 Collier Park (Ramona) - 7 Henshaw Scenic Vista - 9 San Vicente Reservoir - 9 Delta Beach--north overlook - 10 La Costa Canyon Park - 10 Carmel Valley Community Park - 11 Lawrence Welk Village - 11 Snapdragon Stadium - 12
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Otay Valley Regional Park--Hollister Pond Buena Vista Lagoon--Jefferson St. overlook (east of I-5) Hosp Grove Park--east of Monroe St Sunnyslope Park Mandell Weiss Eastgate City Park Tierrasanta Substation Borrego Springs--landfill Sage Canyon Park La Posta Creek pullouts Sweetwater Community Gardens Palomar Mtn.--East Grade Road South Buena Vista Park Rolling Hills Park Views West Neighborhood Park Ramona Oaks Park Cuyamaca Rancho SP--Harvey Moore Trail San Dieguito Sports Complex Monserate Mountain Preserve El Monte Rd. fields Kunkel Park
Cheers,
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Date: 4/7/26 9:33 pm From: Philip Unitt via groups.io <unitt...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Wing Street Piranga sp.
Dear friends,
Has anyone considered the possibility that this bird could be Foudia madagascariensis? Back in 1991 I got a call from a woman who said she had been seeing a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers around her house in La Mesa for about 6 weeks, then the male flew into a window and killed itself. I asked her to bring it to the San Diego Natural History Museum, and when I saw the specimen, what was my surprise to see it was not a Vermilion Flycatcher but a species of the weaver family from Madagascar. Now catalog number 47510 in the museum's research collection of birds. So there is a precedent.
Good birding,
Philip UnittSan Diego On Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 07:16:46 AM PDT, Mark Stratton via groups.io <zostropz...> wrote:
The Hybrids for Flame-colored and Western do have a cheek patch, I believe it's a lighter patch and maybe even greenish if I remember correctly. I didn't notice one on the Wing St. bird.
Mark StrattonEscondido
On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 7:36 PM Susan Smith via groups.io <seiurus...> wrote:
Has Western x Flame-colored Tanager hybrid been eliminated? I think some have showed up in AZ.
Susan Smith Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA
<seiurus...>
On Monday, April 6, 2026 at 06:32:57 PM PDT, Andrew N via groups.io <floodshark...> wrote:
For record keeping sake, that bird has been floating around there for at least a week. Flew under the radar on Michelle H's checklist from the 30th. https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S314926459 --
Susan Smith
Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA
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Date: 4/7/26 8:23 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] La Jolla and Imperial Beach seawatching
Yesterday morning, I spent 3 hours seawatching at La Jolla with the highlights being 6 northbound Common Murres and, no surprise given it's early April, the beginning of good numbers of northbound loons of all three species. In order of declining numbers, they are Pacific, Red-throated, and Common. My first of season migrant-type Wandering Tattler and Surfbirds.
This morning, Tuesday, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. I was back in Imperial Beach off the end of Seacoast Drive and tallied a healthy 45 Cocos Boobies flying by, as well as good numbers of northbound loons.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/7/26 7:16 am From: Mark Stratton via groups.io <zostropz...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Wing Street Piranga sp.
The Hybrids for Flame-colored and Western do have a cheek patch, I believe
it's a lighter patch and maybe even greenish if I remember correctly. I
didn't notice one on the Wing St. bird.
Mark Stratton
Escondido
On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 7:36 PM Susan Smith via groups.io <seiurus=
<aol.com...> wrote:
> Has Western x Flame-colored Tanager hybrid been eliminated? I think some
> have showed up in AZ.
>
> Susan Smith
> Seiurus Biological Consulting
> Del Mar, CA
> <seiurus...>
>
>
> On Monday, April 6, 2026 at 06:32:57 PM PDT, Andrew N via groups.io
> <floodshark...> wrote:
>
>
> For record keeping sake, that bird has been floating around there for at
> least a week. Flew under the radar on Michelle H's checklist from the 30th.
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S314926459 >
> --
> Susan Smith
> Seiurus Biological Consulting
> Del Mar, CA
>
>
>
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Date: 4/6/26 6:05 pm From: Justyn Stahl via groups.io <justyn.stahl...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Wing Street Piranga sp.
Cool bird! While Western Tanager can show extra red based on diet
(particularly honeysuckle berries; see the link to the paper below by
Hudson and Pyle), I think this amount of red (well down the back and chest)
may be due to more than diet! A hybrid with Scarlet Tanager surely seems
like a likely explanation.
On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM Jeff Spaulding via groups.io <ornithomedic=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> I had a funky tanager at Wing Street this morning that I thought could
> have been a molting orange variant Scarlet, maybe a hybrid, and suggested a
> diet based abnormally.
>
> Anyway, here's Wonderwall... or eBird.
>
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S318102748 > --
> Jeff Spaulding
> San Diego, CA
>
>
>
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Date: 4/6/26 5:56 pm From: Jeff Spaulding via groups.io <ornithomedic...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Wing Street Piranga sp.
I had a funky tanager at Wing Street this morning that I thought could have been a molting orange variant Scarlet, maybe a hybrid, and suggested a diet based abnormally.
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Date: 4/6/26 7:58 am From: Geoff Veith via groups.io <veithlaw...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Rose breasted grosbeak
Good looks at young male with distinct red on breast and large grosbeak bill. Associating with black headed grosbeak. Found or refound by Dave Trissel. Last seen on south side of canyon 32.74489° N, 117.21710° W
Geoff Veith
Solana Beach
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Date: 4/4/26 7:00 pm From: Ken Hartman via groups.io <kenhartman28...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Dead seabirds along Carlsbad
My wife and I took a sunset walk along S Carlsbad State Beach (south of lifeguard stand 25) and over a .75 mile stretch I found the carcasses of 7 murres (I think), 1 B Pelican, 1 Brant’s Cormorant, and one W Grebe (I think). Most dead seabirds by far I’ve seen in my short time here. I have pics if anyone is interested.
Ken Hartman
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Date: 4/4/26 4:35 pm From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Least = Alder Flycatcher? Sep 2018
A number of photos of a "Least" Flycatcher in Sorrento Valley on 26 Sep 2018 found on iNaturalist and in eBird have been TENTATIVELY re-identified as an Alder Flycatcher by several empid experts (e.g., Andy Birch, Cin-Ty Lee, Mohammed Karam). This determination has been based somewhat on bill structure but especially on the pattern of emargination and spacing of the primaries--viewable with much enlarging of the photos. This is the bird present 25-26 Sep 2018 at El Camino Cemetery and seen and identified by quite a few observers, and eBirded, as a Least Flycatcher. (Not me, I was out of state.)
The couple iNaturalist photos in question are at: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16947756and but then the MANY in eBird from 26 Sep 2018 make for a more thorough source to check. I must admit that some of the eBird photos look better for Alder, but that some do look somewhat like a Least. While everyone talks in general about the Alder vs. Willow Flycatcher ID issue, it is actually Alder vs. Least which can be equally problematic.
Did any of the many observers out there who saw and photo'd this bird have any notes (or better yet, a recording) of the call-notes it was rarely giving--other than simply noting that it gave a "sharp" call??
I'll post a follow-up at some point with further results of these ongoing discussions!
If the bird ends up being an acceptable Alder, then it would constitute the first county record. (And anyone with this bird being their only "Least" Flycatcher in the county......)
But we will see....
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/4/26 10:12 am From: Susan Smith via groups.io <seiurus...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Sparky Stensaas' video of our August 2025 pelagic out of Mission Bay
Hi San Diego birders, In case you have already seen this, Sparky Stensaas has released a video he put together of our August 2025 pelagic birding trips out of Mission Bay last year--the one where the Flesh-footed Shearwater was first seen. Some of you may know him as CEO of Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota, and from the great birding videos he's done from there and elsewhere. He was also featured in the documentary "Listers" that came out in 2025. I think he did a great job of capturing one of our pelagic trips. the YouTube video is at OCEAN BIRDING—What's it like? 6 Lifers—RARITIES! San Diego California Pelagic August 2025
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OCEAN BIRDING—What's it like? 6 Lifers—RARITIES! San Diego California Pe...
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best birding, Sue Smith
Susan Smith Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA
<seiurus...>
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Date: 4/3/26 10:44 am From: Trent R. Stanley via groups.io <trent...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Singing Orchard Oriole @ Zoo
Second‑year, splotchy male Orchard Oriole singing at the Africa Rocks
Baboon viewing area, at the Baboon Outpost snack bar (32.738176,
-117.150136). Also an adult male Rufous Hummingbird foraging nearby in the
aloes to the west of the Ground Hornbill habitat (32.738740, -117.150280).
https://ebird.org/checklist/S316376511
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Date: 4/3/26 8:24 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Imperial Beach Cocos Booby total: 123
I've been at the end of Seacoast Drive, like yesterday, again this morning with a couple others since 6:30 a.m. and as of 8:20 a.m. we are up to 29 Cocos Boobies. But not nearly the number of yesterday and almost all of them are farther out than yesterday. A constant movement of northbound Red-throated and Pacific Loons.
Paul Lehman et al., San Diego
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On Fri, Apr 3, 2026 at 7:53 AM, David Trissel via groups.io<dtrissel...> wrote: Well, not the show from yesterday, but there have been two distant Cocos Boobies from the Imperial Beach pier in the last 30 minutes.
David TrisselSan Diego, CA
On Apr 2, 2026, at 10:12 AM, <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> wrote:
Thursday morning I spent exactly 3 hours seawatching In imperial Beach from the south end of Seacoast Drive up on the little berm, from 6:50 to 9:50 a.m. Beginning at 6:50 a.m., Cocos Boobies started flying by, all heading north, a fair number of which were incredibly close to shore. By the time the dust settled, my total was 123 birds, by far a record for San Diego County waters. I only saw two or three birds all morning go southbound. Because my view up the shore is blocked looking North by buildings, I don't know how much farther north they continued close to shore or if they soon swung out more toward Point Loma. But I would imagine that given how close they were to shore where I was standing that they would have provided superb views from the end of the imperial Beach Pier. The largest numbers were between around 7:00 and 8:30 AM. Also good numbers of loons of all three species flying every which way, and several hundred young Heermann's Gulls. Several Parasitic Jaegers.
Back to the boobies for a moment: The total population on the Los Coronados Islands is currently uncertain, as best I have heard, though I do not expect it's very much larger than 123. So the question then becomes are this morning's birds all from the roost on these nearby Islands and the best foraging now is all off southern San Diego County, or did this surge include birds from even farther to the south? I'll also add that there were two seawatchers at La Jolla this morning, and as of 8:15 a.m. they had seen only two Cocos Boobies from there. My total this morning included well over 15 distinctly pale-headed adult males, which normally are decidedly scarce when we see boobies from pelagic trips. On a few of them, the head was so extensively whitish that observers should be careful they don't confuse such birds with other species such as Blue-footed. I saw no booby this morning that was anything other than a clear Cocos.
Lastly, it remains to be seen if this phenomenon continues for additional days or if there was something about today that was somewhat unique, such as that it was windier this morning than it has been. But clearly there's a lot of foraging activity going on here very close to shore.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/2/26 2:59 pm From: j.nguyen32 via groups.io <j.nguyen32...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] I'm wondering if someone can help me identify this bird...
I am running a custom BirdNET model on my balcony to detect birds coming around my home. It's essentially the same kind of technology that Merlin uses and it's designed to alert me whenever it hears an unexpected bird.
Today, it identified a bird as a MacGillivray's Warbler. I played the audio for Merlin to cross reference, and Merlin "hears a bird" but was not able to identify it with confidence.
I am wondering if anyone knows what bird this is? I added the audio to a checklist under "new world warbler sp." (it may not even be a warbler)
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Date: 4/2/26 12:32 pm From: Larry Edwards via groups.io <larry...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Tecolote Canyon Natural Park - April Fools': no joke
The reopening of the main trail in the park has been delayed, for the fourth time, until "June 31." No, that's not a typo. The sign had read "March 31" but it now reads "June 31."
I spoke with the head ranger this morning, and he said that when the construction crew dug the ditch for the new sewer line, they discovered a previously uncharted water line. Oops. Until that water line is repaired ,it officially keeps the trail off limits, although no one is enforcing the restriction. In addition,
water has been shut off to the baseball fields' sprinkler systems; the fields are now being watered by hand, at additional expense, according to the ranger.
He also said the cleanup and restoration will likely be put off until the entire project is completed, rather than at the completion of this phase.
The construction crews are currently working in the area of the golf course, M-F.
Larry Edwards
San Diego, CA
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Date: 4/2/26 12:21 pm From: Nathan French via groups.io <nathanfrenchphotography...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Pacific Loon at Robb Field 4/2
No boobies here, but there’s a Pacific Loon foraging in the water pretty close to shore.
(32.7559595, -117.2397044)
Also a Bonaparte’s Gull on the mud.
Nathan French
Hillcrest
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Date: 4/2/26 11:06 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] booby p.s.
After leaving imperial Beach, I drove up to Coronado and at 11:00 a.m. in a single scope scan from near the Hotel Del Coronado I counted five Cocos Boobies, some circling around, some flying northwest-- All quite far out and needing a scope to clearly see.
It will be interesting to see what happens the next few mornings......
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/2/26 10:12 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Imperial Beach Cocos Booby total: 123
Thursday morning I spent exactly 3 hours seawatching In imperial Beach from the south end of Seacoast Drive up on the little berm, from 6:50 to 9:50 a.m. Beginning at 6:50 a.m., Cocos Boobies started flying by, all heading north, a fair number of which were incredibly close to shore. By the time the dust settled, my total was 123 birds, by far a record for San Diego County waters. I only saw two or three birds all morning go southbound. Because my view up the shore is blocked looking North by buildings, I don't know how much farther north they continued close to shore or if they soon swung out more toward Point Loma. But I would imagine that given how close they were to shore where I was standing that they would have provided superb views from the end of the imperial Beach Pier. The largest numbers were between around 7:00 and 8:30 AM. Also good numbers of loons of all three species flying every which way, and several hundred young Heermann's Gulls. Several Parasitic Jaegers.
Back to the boobies for a moment: The total population on the Los Coronados Islands is currently uncertain, as best I have heard, though I do not expect it's very much larger than 123. So the question then becomes are this morning's birds all from the roost on these nearby Islands and the best foraging now is all off southern San Diego County, or did this surge include birds from even farther to the south? I'll also add that there were two seawatchers at La Jolla this morning, and as of 8:15 a.m. they had seen only two Cocos Boobies from there. My total this morning included well over 15 distinctly pale-headed adult males, which normally are decidedly scarce when we see boobies from pelagic trips. On a few of them, the head was so extensively whitish that observers should be careful they don't confuse such birds with other species such as Blue-footed. I saw no booby this morning that was anything other than a clear Cocos.
Lastly, it remains to be seen if this phenomenon continues for additional days or if there was something about today that was somewhat unique, such as that it was windier this morning than it has been. But clearly there's a lot of foraging activity going on here very close to shore.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/2/26 7:37 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] major Cocos Booby show off Imperial Beach
For several days now there have been a number of Cocos boobies seen from shore off imperial Beach in the morning. This morning, Thursday, I arrived at 6:30 a.m. First booby passed by heading north at 6:50 a.m. And by 7:35 a.m. I am now up to 46 birds and they're still going by. I will stay as long as the birds continue. All heading north, undoubtedly all coming off the Los Coronados roost. Singles and small foocks, the largest single group being six. A fair number of the birds are extremely close to shore, although plenty your well out as usual. No birds have been seen recently as of this morning from La Jolla, so whether these birds are mostly off Point Loma or even some of them inside there, off Coronado, has yet to be determined.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 4/1/26 2:09 pm From: Bill Tweet via groups.io <billtweet229...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Dead shorebirds
My wife and I walked Southcoast to the river mouth today and found 6 dead shorebirds.
2 Double-crested Cormorant, 1 Brant’s Cormorant, 1 Western Grebe and 2 Common Murre.
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Date: 3/31/26 7:58 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts April 1 - 7
Greetings,
This time I'm making sure to send this new list out before the calendar actually rolls over, lest anybody think I'm kidding when I say that SDSU Mission Valley River Park only needs one more week to achieve 100% bar charts!
The past week was a bit unusual, with quite a few folks going for the same few hotspots at the top of the list with fewest weeks remaining. And that means those spots got particularly good data, with every checklist adding something unique to mix!
*SDSU Mission Valley River Park - 1* San Diego Bay--bait barges - 5 San Luis Rey River--Foussat to Douglas - 9 Eternal Hills Cemetery - 10 La Bajada Field (restricted access) - 11 Lake View Park - 13 San Luis Rey Mission - 13 San Onofre Creek mouth - 14 San Diego Bay NWR--Paradise Marsh - 15
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Mahr Reservoir Aston & Rutherford business area Jackson Park Buena Vista Lagoon--Jefferson St. overlook (east of I-5) Calzada Del Bosque / Chino Farms area Sage Canyon Park La Posta Creek pullouts Sweetwater Community Gardens Grape Day Park Rolling Hills Park Emerald Hills Park Encinas Creek--Laurel Tree Ln. Cuyamaca Rancho SP--Harvey Moore Trail Carmel Mountain Ranch Community Park Montgomery-Waller Park Monserate Mountain Preserve Veterans Park (Imperial Beach) El Monte Rd. fields Rolando Park Vista Conservancy--Nature Trail Calle Acervo Trail
Cheers,
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Date: 3/31/26 10:27 am From: Alison Hiers via groups.io <lahiers...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Swainson's Hawk
Just had a Swainson's Hawk fly over La Costa headed north very high up. I was only alerted to it because a couple of crows were circling it calling but not attacking it. It was also accompanied by a gull checking it out. It was flapping very leisurely but headed straight north.
Alison Hiers
Carlsbad
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Date: 3/31/26 8:56 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Coastal seabird numbers and mortality
There has been a fair amount of online discussion and websites discussing increasing seabird mortality, with beached birds being found in larger numbers, not only the usual suspects like pelicans and cormorants, but also some murres and rhinos. The water is warmer than normal and there may be a food source issue developing, although as recently as late February fishing captains were telling me that there were plenty of bait fish around.
Sometimes under these conditions the best fishing is right near the shore, and I just finished spending 2 hours looking off the end of Seacoast Drive near the Tijuana River mouth and near the imperial Beach Pier and tallied a record total of 430 Red-throated Loons, a species that annually stages along this section of coast in March and early April but not normally in nearly these numbers. Also about 100 Pacific Loons, 1800 Western Grebes, and four Cocos Boobies.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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The monthly meetings of San Diego Field Ornithologists (SDFO) are currently virtual, open only to members, at 6pm on the third Tuesday of every month.
