Date: 8/3/26 9:02 am From: Joni Ciarletta via groups.io <jcjc9999...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Tricolored Heron at San Dieguito Lagoon Southwest
Hi All,
Yesterday on the San Dieguito River Park monthly count, we had a Tricolored Heron in the lagoon opposite Crest Canyon. I saw a heron with a lot of white from the boardwalk, looking toward the Grand Ave Bridge pier, but I didn’t record it in eBird as it was a distant view and I wasn’t certain. Then Jorge Valdivieso and Ed Mirsky got it while surveying their area. No photo but they described it as having a white belly and faint white stripe on the neck, with a dark back. They did not record it in eBird as it did not come up on the list since it is unusual for this area. I just tried looking for it again this morning but no luck.
Joni Ciarletta
Carlsbad
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Date: 8/1/26 7:59 am From: John Bruin via groups.io <johnrbruin...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] White-winged Dove - Robb Field
Flying back and forth from tennis court fence to palm trees along bike path
John Bruin
Bay Park
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Date: 8/1/26 6:30 am From: steve brad via groups.io <stevanbrad...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] bairds sandpiper san elijo lagoon west
an asian photographer by the name of Paul took a flight photo of a bairds sandpiper, sean B and paul lehman confirmed it as a bairds with paul adding its an even more unusual adult
there were 2 the flight shot was taken over the trail that goes north from nearish the rios ave trail head and were flying east
tides are good in the early morning
The photographer will likely be making up an ebird report with his photos
see some of you out there looking for the birds
steve brad
leucadia
mammoth lakes
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Date: 7/31/26 9:58 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts August 1 - 7
Greetings,
The shorter list last week was quite well covered, missing only a few harder to reach places. Thank you!
Next week we have our longest list so far this year, perhaps the longest of the whole year!
However, due to the very dangerous, possibly even record-setting expected heat in the coming week, I am omitting the 10 hotspots located in the desert out of caution. Please be very careful with the heat! The hotspots I left in that are located inland will also be extremely hot!
Hotspots nearing bar chart completion (number = weeks missing):
San Pasqual Battlefield - 2 Julian--Santa Ysabel Preserve - 3 Cuyamaca Rancho SP--Azalea Glen Trail - 4 La Costa Canyon Park - 4 Otay Lakes County Park - 4 San Luis Rey River--Foussat to Douglas - 4 Santa Ysabel OSP--west - 4 Carmel Mission Park - 5 San Diego Bay--bait barges - 5 Warwick Ave riparian - 5 Collier Park (Ramona) - 6 San Vicente Reservoir - 6 Sweetwater County Park--Quarry Trail - 6 Valley Middle School Trail - 6 Beacon's Beach - 7 Carmel Valley Community Park - 7 Delta Beach--north overlook - 7 San Bernardo Valley--east of I-15 - 7 Agua Hedionda Lagoon--Harbor Dr. - 8 Cortez Place--coastal access - 8 Tide Beach Park - 8 Hosp Grove Park--west of Monroe St - 9 Woodglen Vista Park - 9 Horse Ranch Creek Open Space - 10 Lake View Park - 10 Pine Valley Creek (SD Co.) - 10 San Luis Rey Picnic Area - 10
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Crest Drive (Encinitas) Cleveland NF--Park & Ride Lot 29 and pond Poggi Creek greenbelt & residential Lamar County Park UCSD--Medical Center area Louis Stelzer County Park Leon Avenue & Berry Park
Cheers,
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Date: 7/31/26 10:02 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] 4 Black Terns at Sweetwater Reservoir
At 10:00 a.m. on Friday, there's a flock of four breeding plumaged Black Terns flying around in the middle of the main part of Sweetwater Reservoir, as viewed with a scope looking North -Northeast from the fisherman's parking lot. Obviously these birds could go anywhere on the reservoir, including the way upper end where there is perhaps better roosting habitat if they so choose. Currently, they're being attracted by a diving feeding frenzy of grebes. Be aware that the birds will very likely be a long ways off.
The tiny speck immature Masked/ Nazca Booby continues this morning at the very end of the Zuniga Jetty as viewed with a a good scope either from Cabrillo Monument or as I did today even from the beach in Coronado near the Hotel Del Coronado. But in the latter case it's only because I knew which rock it sits on and could see a bird of approximately the right color pattern and shape and size!
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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A July 30 visit to Jacumba produced a totally unexpected JUVENILE Yellow-rumped Warbler. Unexpected both on this VERY early date and for a young bird in juvenile plumage to be away from the breeding grounds. The previous earliest records of fall migrants in the county are from the very end of August. Such migrants have typically completed their post-juvenile molt. Photos by Barbara Wise will appear in our eBird reports late today. (I do hear rumor of another, recent migrant early juvenile Yellow-rumped from coastal Baja on perhaps August 10.)
Also at Jacumba today was a family group of Harris's Hawks with three fully fledged juveniles. Proof of successful nesting there this year, the second time they have done so. (The Shelter Valley birds also nested this year, quite a bit earlier in the season.)
Otherwise, not too many migrants there today, with mostly Black-headed Grosbeaks, a few Western Tanagers, and a N. Yellow Warbler.
In other news, numbers of Cocos Boobies continue off Imperial Beach, and one or two are being seen almost daily from La Jolla.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/26/26 11:58 am From: Lisa Ruby via groups.io <lbruby1...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Kite at Harry Griffith this morning - Mississippi?
Sorry Harry Griffen Park.
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs
On 7/26/2026 11:51 AM, Lisa Ruby via groups.io wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Just the messenger. I was going through the eBird Alerts for today and
> there was an as of yet unconfirmed report of a Mississippi Kite at Harry
> Griffith park earlier this morning. There are five photos and they are
> all underexposed to some degree, so I can't really tell for sure if it
> was a Mississippi or a White-tailed Kite. It doesn't look like a
> juvenile White-tailed. The underside of the tail looks dark. Here is the
> checklist:
>
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S376712794 >
> Maybe someone more expert than I am can take a look.
>
> Lisa Ruby
> Sabre Springs
>
>
>
> --
> Lisa Ruby
> Sabre Springs
>
>
>
>
>
--
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs
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Date: 7/26/26 11:51 am From: Lisa Ruby via groups.io <lbruby1...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Kite at Harry Griffith this morning - Mississippi?
Hi,
Just the messenger. I was going through the eBird Alerts for today and
there was an as of yet unconfirmed report of a Mississippi Kite at Harry
Griffith park earlier this morning. There are five photos and they are
all underexposed to some degree, so I can't really tell for sure if it
was a Mississippi or a White-tailed Kite. It doesn't look like a
juvenile White-tailed. The underside of the tail looks dark. Here is the
checklist:
Maybe someone more expert than I am can take a look.
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs
--
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs
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Date: 7/26/26 10:50 am From: Justyn Stahl via groups.io <justyn.stahl...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] [CALBIRDS] artificial intelligence and photos of birds
See below for a word of caution when using photo editing software.
In general, correcting the exposure and cropping is really about all that
is necessary in my opinion. Photos submitted to eBird, ideally, represent
how the bird was seen in the field.
Justyn Stahl
North Park
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ethan Monk via groups.io <z.querula...>
Date: Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Subject: [CALBIRDS] artificial intelligence and photos of birds
To: <CALBIRDS...>
Dear Birders,
Over the past year, several birders in California and further abroad have
used artificial intelligence (“AI”) to edit photographs of birds and have
uploaded those altered photos to eBird and iNaturalist. Even though most of
these instances have probably been innocuous attempts to make a poor photo
look a bit better, this practice is highly damaging regardless of a user's
intended purpose. Unfortunately, most birders still do not understand how
many of these programs work and why they are so negative. Below I have
attempted to explain this issue.
There are several types of artificial intelligence, but the variety used by
the most popular platforms (Google Gemini, Claude, etc.) is called
generative AI. These programs have immense databases which they use to
generate responses to user prompts. To put it simply, if you have a photo
of a California Scrub-Jay, and you use a generative artificial intelligence
program to edit the photo, the program is going outside of the data
contained in the photo, searching its database for what it knows California
Scrub-Jays look like, and then uses that external knowledge to “touch up”
the photo to meet its expectations. This is not much different than
printing a photo out onto paper and asking an artist to touch up the photo
by painting onto it. The human artist will use their knowledge of what
scrub-jays are supposed to look like to improve the image. So does AI.
To further clarify, I asked Google Gemini to explain how it edits photos.
Here is what it told me: “Gemini is a Generator: It doesn’t actually “edit”
your photo. Instead, it looks at your image, reads your instructions, and
draws a brand-new picture from scratch based on patterns it knows. Because
it rebuilds the entire image every time, it struggles to keep the original
details—like the exact shape of a face, text, or background
textures—identical.”
So, if you upload that Scrub-Jay, the generative AI can use its knowledge
of scrub-jays to fill in missing details, and make that blurry photo sharp,
or that dark spot visible, etc. But what if you upload a subpar photo of an
Empidonax flycatcher? Or a seagull (yeah, I said it)? The AI still goes
into its database and uses that external knowledge to touch up the photo…
can the blurry Western Flycatcher be mistakenly touched up into a Willow? A
Yellow-footed Gull into a Western Gull? Even if you upload a good photo,
can the Sooty Fox Sparrow be made to look a bit more like a Slate-colored?
Might a hatch-year state of molt return looking a bit more adult like? (If
the number of remiges can change on a bird when run through AI, as I've
seen a few times, it seems anything is possible.) How about a perfectly
decent photo of an Epaulet Oriole, which when “touched up” with AI came out
looking like the first-for-Brazil record of Red-winged Blackbird? More on
that last scenario, and a further explanation of AI’s problems as they
pertain to citizen science databases, here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03141-y
In short, generative AI should absolutely not be used when editing photos.
These programs rely on pre-existing knowledge to edit photos, and in doing
so, inevitably hallucinate details that were not actually there. At best,
uploading these photos pollutes scientific databases with photos not
representative of reality. (It is crazy that that is the "at best."]) And,
I hate to say it, but with companies shoving AI down our collective
throats, the onus is now on the user to verify that new photo editing apps
and tools do not use generative artificial intelligence.
One final sobering note: Most of these instances where eBird reviewers or
other careful eyed observers have sniffed out AI-altered media have done so
because, to the trained eye, most AI edited photos often have the wrong
number of feathers, a mishmash of features from different (sub)species, or
otherwise appear "strange" or "off." But AI is improving rapidly. Just last
year, I was unable to generate a photo of a bird in Google Gemini that did
not seemingly combine features of multiple species and that was not
positioned at an unnatural angle. Last week, I generated a photo of a
Mourning Warbler with AI--completely from scratch, no pre-existing photo to
serve as a "canvas" to work off of--that was scarily convincing. (I sent
the photo to a few friends to ask what they thought-- the first to reply
wrote, “Ok f*** this.”) Soon, we will not be able to tell what is and is
not altered.
Please, build good habits now, and encourage the same from those around you
by strongly advocating against the use of generative artificial
intelligence to edit photos and by educating other birders of its perils.
Thank you
Ethan Monk
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Date: 7/25/26 7:51 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Boobies and Pacific Golden
Yesterday's seawatch at La Jolla produced an almost-adult Masked Booby heading northbound around 7:30 a.m., which was then seen again a little while later passing off the mouth of San Elijo Lagoon. There's been a clear influx of Nazca Boobies into California during the past month, all the way to Northern California, but there's only been a couple Masked so far. Two Cocos Boobies flew by La Jolla yesterday, heading south, and I'm currently on Saturday morning standing on Seacoast Drive a little south of Imperial Beach Pier and have fairly quickly noted six Cocos feeding offshore. Earlier this morning I had a Pacific Golden-Plover departing the Salt Works near pond 20 and heading south to points unknown. This may be the earliest arrival date for San Diego County by perhaps a week, although there are certainly records from latter July from most counties to our north.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/24/26 2:22 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] passing of Guy McCaskie
Guy McCaskie passed away from natural causes on July 22, just 11 days short of his 90th birthday. Truly the end of an era. Guy was the leader in moving birding into the modern era. He made countless advances in field identification and in our knowledge of West Coast vagrancy patterns and he discovered a plethora of migrant and vagrant traps. First moving from Scotland to Lake Tahoe, he soon settled in San Diego in the early 1960s, where he would remain to the present. He quickly turned California birding on its ear. He was extremely active statewide, with a particular passion for the San Diego area and for the desert from the Salton Sea north to the Death Valley region. He found more California state firsts than anyone. He has the highest California bird list. But far more important were his myriad of contributions to Western birding and field ornithology through his many publications, teaching fellow birders in the field, and in setting high standards for careful observation and documentation. His influence especially during the latter 1900s extended far beyond California to all of North America. There are not enough superlatives that can be said.
Many more tributes, including those with more details of Guy's life and contributions, will undoubtedly follow in the days and weeks ahead.
Plans will be made to spread Guy's ashes at the Salton Sea on a date later in fall when temperatures have cooled, followed by an informal get-together that same day, probably at Cattle Call Park in Brawley. Further details will be posted in the future when plans are firm. Per Guy's wishes, there will not be a formal funeral or celebration of life.
The family welcomes cards and letters, but please no phone calls.
All birders in California and the West should go outside today and tip your binoculars to Guy. He showed us the way.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/22/26 6:25 pm From: John Martin via groups.io <xenozoon7...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Lesser Frigatebird at sunset
Swung and missed this morning from about 09:30-10:30 at Carmel Valley Road
X Torrey Pines Road, and 11:00-12:00 at La Jolla Cove.
John Martin
On Tue, Jul 21, 2026 at 9:20 PM <lehman.paul...> via groups.io
<lehman.paul...> wrote:
> Just after official sunset--so around 8:05--the frigatebird was circling
> over downtown La Jolla or somewhere near there--the inexactness due to my
> scoping at the time south from Scripps Pier area and it is not easy to get
> an accurate idea of actual distance to where the bird actually is, whereas
> direction is easy. If, in fact, the bird was on the other side of downtown
> then it would be along the coast approximately near the end of Pearl. Or it
> was closer, actually over buildings. If the former, then it is remarkably
> close to where it was seen just after 8PM back on 12 July--the initial
> sighting in this latest series. So perhaps it is roosting on at least a
> somewhat regular basis in that more southern-central coastal part of La
> Jolla--if in fact it is landing in a tree or whatever for the night and not
> simply just circling around all night long. But I did look briefly for the
> bird the following morning (13th) right after dawn where it had been seen
> late on the 12th, with no luck, and I've spent hours seawatching at La
> Jolla Cove on two different mornings since then, with no luck. Maybe the
> bird goes north some days to the Del Mar area, and maybe some days it goes
> south to the Point Loma area, where it was seen and photographed on the
> 19th. Or maybe it goes both directions some days....
>
>
> Clearly it would help if folks spread out at least from Solana Beach south
> to Point Loma.
>
>
> I would assume this bird is the same individual that was in southern
> Orange County and at the San Diego County line back in late May. And that
> there is a reasonable chance that it's the same bird that was here in San
> Diego County in February 2025. All involve an adult female with a more
> grayish rather than the more standard (??) pinkish-hued bill.
>
>
> --Paul Lehman, San Diego
>
>
>
>
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Date: 7/22/26 8:45 am From: Justyn Stahl via groups.io <justyn.stahl...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] California Bird Atlas Newsletter + Town Hall (23 July)
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Van Pierszalowski via groups.io <van...>
>
Date: Wed, Jul 15, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Subject: [CALBIRDS] California Bird Atlas Newsletter + Town Hall + Top 20
Species
To: <CALBIRDS...>
Hi birders,
Thank you all for continuing to build an incredible first year of the first
statewide California Bird Atlas. As of this writing, 160,228 Atlas
checklists have been submitted from 5,141 atlasers. The number of blocks
with data is approaching the 50% mark, with 8,202 blocks receiving some
coverage (49.63% of total blocks).
For more detailed updates, please see the following resources:
*ATLAS FIRSTS*
In June, atlasers confirmed breeding observations for 26 additional
species, bringing our total (as of May 30) to 298 species. Visit *Atlas
Dispatch <https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/news/atlas-dispatch-june-2026>* to see the full list of newly confirmed breeding observation species.
*TOP 20 SPECIES*
Here are the 20 species with confirmed breeding observations in the most
blocks as of July 15, 2026 (number of blocks in parentheses). Click on each
species to see the current Atlas Species Map, which updates regularly as
new data comes in. Six species have already been confirmed breeding in over
1,000 Atlas blocks.
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Date: 7/22/26 6:40 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Frigatebird Wednesday morning
A group from the Bay Area reported the frigatebird at 6:15 a.m. this morning (Weds) over the ocean just off Calumet Park near Bird Rock in southern La Jolla and they believe heading south at that point.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/21/26 9:20 pm From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Lesser Frigatebird at sunset
Just after official sunset--so around 8:05--the frigatebird was circling over downtown La Jolla or somewhere near there--the inexactness due to my scoping at the time south from Scripps Pier area and it is not easy to get an accurate idea of actual distance to where the bird actually is, whereas direction is easy. If, in fact, the bird was on the other side of downtown then it would be along the coast approximately near the end of Pearl. Or it was closer, actually over buildings. If the former, then it is remarkably close to where it was seen just after 8PM back on 12 July--the initial sighting in this latest series. So perhaps it is roosting on at least a somewhat regular basis in that more southern-central coastal part of La Jolla--if in fact it is landing in a tree or whatever for the night and not simply just circling around all night long. But I did look briefly for the bird the following morning (13th) right after dawn where it had been seen late on the 12th, with no luck, and I've spent hours seawatching at La Jolla Cove on two different mornings since then, with no luck. Maybe the bird goes north some days to the Del Mar area, and maybe some days it goes south to the Point Loma area, where it was seen and photographed on the 19th. Or maybe it goes both directions some days....
Clearly it would help if folks spread out at least from Solana Beach south to Point Loma.
I would assume this bird is the same individual that was in southern Orange County and at the San Diego County line back in late May. And that there is a reasonable chance that it's the same bird that was here in San Diego County in February 2025. All involve an adult female with a more grayish rather than the more standard (??) pinkish-hued bill.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/21/26 9:00 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts July 22 - 31
Greetings,
First, a slight, but overdue correction to last week's mailer: I had
mistyped the end date in the subject line as July 22, though it was
actually today, July 21. Sorry about that - I just noticed. Note that day
numbers are always the same - 1st through 7th, 8th through 14th, 15th
through 21st, and 22nd through the end of the month. Exactly 7 days for the
first 3 weeks, plus whatever is left for the 4th.
Despite the very long list, extreme heat the past week, and my egregious
typographical error, we still managed excellent coverage! A few spots on
the outskirts were missed, but we did get most of the main list. Thanks to
all of you!
We're down to a smaller main list for the remainder of the month, although
another heat wave is upon us. Be careful out there and bring / drink lots
of water! Luckily most of the targets are coastal again.
Hotspots nearing bar chart completion (number = weeks missing):
Fleet Street Area (Carlsbad) - 4
Santa Ysabel OSP--west - 4
Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Clark Dry Lake - 5
Eternal Hills Cemetery - 5
La Costa Canyon Park - 5
Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve--Carson's Crossing area - 5
San Dieguito Dr. south end - 5
Warwick Ave riparian - 6
Valley Middle School Trail - 7
San Bernardo Valley--east of I-15 - 8
Encinitas--Arden Dr. - 9
Borrego Springs--De Anza Country Club (private) - 10
Hosp Grove Park--west of Monroe St - 10
Woodglen Vista Park - 10
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Warner Valley grasslands--general area
Mt. Hope Cemetery
Cleveland NF--Park & Ride Lot 29 and pond
Poggi Creek greenbelt & residential
Lamar County Park
Rambla De Las Flores--Richardson Field to RSF Field (restricted access)
Oakoasis County Preserve
Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Slot Canyon
Aston & Rutherford business area
Leon Avenue & Berry Park
Palomar Mtn.--Boucher Hill Loop
Ramona Airport Road
Borrego Springs--The Palms at Indian Head Hotel
Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Hellhole Canyon
Montclair Park
Hilltop Community Park (Rancho Peñasquitos)
Cheers,
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On Tue, Jul 21, 2026 at 4:53 PM Justyn Stahl <justyn.stahl...> wrote:
> Still present 453pm off Torrey Pines State Beach
>
> I parked here
> https://maps.app.goo.gl/5vVz4NaGu7Yv7orKA?g_st=ic >
> Justyn Stahl
> North park
>
> On Tue, Jul 21, 2026 at 4:12 PM Kyle Fischer via groups.io
> <kylebradyfischer...> wrote:
>
>> Had to leave, but Discord reports suggest it is still around 11th as of
>> 4pm, photos confirm lesser.
>>
>> Kyle
>> > On Jul 21, 2026, at 3:20 PM, Kyle Fischer via groups.io
>> <kylebradyfischer...> wrote:
>> >
>> > Frigatebird above the end of tenth street in Del Mar. Been on it for
>> about an hour (spotted while surfing), someone else just showed with a
>> camera. Appears to be lesser, white armpits.
>> >
>> > Kyle
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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On Tue, Jul 21, 2026 at 4:12 PM Kyle Fischer via groups.io
<kylebradyfischer...> wrote:
> Had to leave, but Discord reports suggest it is still around 11th as of
> 4pm, photos confirm lesser.
>
> Kyle
> > On Jul 21, 2026, at 3:20 PM, Kyle Fischer via groups.io
> <kylebradyfischer...> wrote:
> >
> > Frigatebird above the end of tenth street in Del Mar. Been on it for
> about an hour (spotted while surfing), someone else just showed with a
> camera. Appears to be lesser, white armpits.
> >
> > Kyle
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Had to leave, but Discord reports suggest it is still around 11th as of 4pm, photos confirm lesser.
Kyle
> On Jul 21, 2026, at 3:20 PM, Kyle Fischer via groups.io <kylebradyfischer...> wrote:
>
> Frigatebird above the end of tenth street in Del Mar. Been on it for about an hour (spotted while surfing), someone else just showed with a camera. Appears to be lesser, white armpits.
>
> Kyle
>
>
>
>
>
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Frigatebird above the end of tenth street in Del Mar. Been on it for about an hour (spotted while surfing), someone else just showed with a camera. Appears to be lesser, white armpits.
Kyle
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Yesterday afternoon Steven Nares reported a dark and light booby standing on a rock near the end of Zuniga Jetty at the mouth of San Diego Bay as he transited in and out of the bay on a fishing boat. Several of us went to the visitor center area at Cabrillo National Monument In the late afternoon and scoped the bird from great distance. Views are awful. It has been hanging out not quite at the end of the jetty next to a group of cormorants, under one of the warning signs. Steven reports that the bird is back again today, Tuesday. It's a young bird that will be very difficult to separate between the two species, and certainly one's views from Cabrillo at best show that it is one of those two. It has a warm dark brown head and back and is very white underneath. Steven also was able to get mediocre photos of what looks like a likely Manx Shearwater about 3 mi off Point Loma today.
Paul Lehman, San diego
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Date: 7/21/26 11:09 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] recent miscellanea
Today, the 21st, there are 3 Black Skimmers at the upper end of Sweetwater Reservoir, the second record for the lake and casual inland in the county. It is possible such birds may have arrived from the east from the Salton Sea/Gulf of California rather than "just" from the west from San Diego Bay. Still multiple Neotropic Cormorants there at dawn each morning. Yesterday morning, a three-hour seawatch at La Jolla produced a record-high summer from-shore tally of 21 southbound Cassin's Auklets. Not a big surprise given that small numbers have been passing there for a couple weeks now and Saturday's pelagic trip recorded good numbers in the first 10 miles from shore. Also a single southbound Common Murre and a Black Storm-Petrel. A Red-shouldered Hawk circling around the very tip of Point Loma at Cabrillo National Monument on 19 July was presumably an early post-breeding disperser that had gotten "stuck" there. A Northern Pintail at Lower Otay Lake on 14 July was probably a early-arriving post-breeding disperser. The first juvenile Willet on 17 July and juvenile Marbled Godwits on 21 July were right on time.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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On Sun, Jul 19, 2026 at 4:31 PM thomasf_h via groups.io <thomas.fordhut=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Paul Lehman posted on WhatsApp that an adult female Lesser Frigatebird was
> photographed near the intersection of Guizot and Devonshire along Sunset
> Cliffs in Point Loma sometime early this morning. It was incorrectly
> reported as a Magnificent Frigatebird:
> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/383052980 >
> On the topic of misidentified frigatebirds, the La Jolla seawatch
> individual seen Friday at dusk could speculatively be a juvenile Great
> Frigatebird, although the photos are poor and it is probably best left
> unidentified:
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S372947621 >
> Juvenile Great Frigatebirds are slightly smaller, with a black breast band
> and a golden hue to the head, so be sure to document any frigatebird
> carefully.
>
> Another Magnificent Frigatebird reported around Moonlight Beach on
> Wednesday was not documented beyond frigatebird sp.
>
> El Niño conditions in Costa Rica and Panama are already producing expected
> vagrants, including Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby, and Guanay Cormorant. It may
> therefore be a good summer and fall for Southern California vagrants from
> Mexican waters, perhaps including Blue-footed Booby or Wedge-tailed
> Shearwater, especially since current conditions rival those associated with
> the legendary ’98 big-year event:
>
> https://www.integratedecosystemassessment.noaa.gov/regions/california-current/california-current-marine-heatwave-tracker-blobtracker >
> For those wishing to roll the dice, the full schedule of August and
> September pelagic trips departing from San Diego is available here:
> https://sandiegopelagics.com/ >
> Tom Ford-Hutchinson
> San Diego, CA
>
>
>
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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.
Paul Lehman posted on WhatsApp that an adult female Lesser Frigatebird was
photographed near the intersection of Guizot and Devonshire along Sunset
Cliffs in Point Loma sometime early this morning. It was incorrectly
reported as a Magnificent Frigatebird:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/383052980
On the topic of misidentified frigatebirds, the La Jolla seawatch
individual seen Friday at dusk could speculatively be a juvenile Great
Frigatebird, although the photos are poor and it is probably best left
unidentified:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S372947621
Juvenile Great Frigatebirds are slightly smaller, with a black breast band
and a golden hue to the head, so be sure to document any frigatebird
carefully.
Another Magnificent Frigatebird reported around Moonlight Beach on
Wednesday was not documented beyond frigatebird sp.
El Niño conditions in Costa Rica and Panama are already producing expected
vagrants, including Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby, and Guanay Cormorant. It may
therefore be a good summer and fall for Southern California vagrants from
Mexican waters, perhaps including Blue-footed Booby or Wedge-tailed
Shearwater, especially since current conditions rival those associated with
the legendary ’98 big-year event:
https://www.integratedecosystemassessment.noaa.gov/regions/california-current/california-current-marine-heatwave-tracker-blobtracker
For those wishing to roll the dice, the full schedule of August and
September pelagic trips departing from San Diego is available here:
https://sandiegopelagics.com/
Tom Ford-Hutchinson
San Diego, CA
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Date: 7/19/26 4:12 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] San Diego pelagic 18 Jul: 2 Cook's, 2 Laysans, 7 Guadalupes, Nazca, 4 Townsend's, 17 Black-footeds, 14 Craveri's
The San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday, July 18, aboard "Legacy" and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society was excellent for quality species. The trip went out as far as the 30-Mile Bank and "The Corner." The top highlights included 2 Cook's Petrels, one at The Corner and one closer to shore than usual in the San Diego Trough only 18.4 mi WSW of the tip of Point Loma (32.606, -117.555). Two separate Laysan Albatrosses sat on the water near the boat, both at the 30-Mile Bank. The lofty total of seven Guadalupe Murrelets included the first two birds much closer to shore than usual at just 10.1 miles (32.709, -117.433) and 13.6 miles off Point Loma, and an amazing group of five birds on the return in the San Diego Trough (32.607, -117.584) comprised of two adults and three large fuzzy chicks. Most alcids raise only one or sometimes two young, so perhaps this group was comprised of individuals from two family groups or some sort of adoption? A sub-adult Nazca Booby flew right by the boat repeatedly inside the 9-Mile Bank. The total of 17 Black-footed Albatrosses ties the county high count set just six days earlier. Also, four Townsend's Storm-Petrels at the 30-Mile Bank, a total of 14 Craveri's Murrelets, and a single rare-in-July Scripps's Murrelet. Overall numbers of birds were unexceptional. Sea surface temperatures were a bit above average at 70-71 degrees.
Totals for the day once we were a mile offshore were as follows:
Also, Humpback Whale, N. Elephant Seal, Mola-Mola, California Flying Fish
Lots of photos will be added once the shared e-bird lists are available, likely on Monday.
Seven trips still remain this season, three in August, three in September, and one in October. For further information, see sandiegopelagics.com. Reservations made at sdwhale.com (look under "birdwatch trips").
--Paul Lehman, Bruce Rideout, Dan Jehl, Alex Abela, Adrian Hinkle, Matt Sadowski, Barbara Wise, 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.
Tomorrow's (Saturday) pelagic trip aboard "Legacy" out of Seaforth Sportfishing is full and is forecast to have good ocean conditions. There is also news that all the charter fishing boats at Seaforth will be out or heading out, which means extra-crowded parking. Please arrive a little extra early to find parking, as you may need to park farther away from the dock than you are used to.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/14/26 9:53 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts July 15 - 22
Greetings,
We had a long main list last week. I wasn't able to contribute and was worried that many spots would be missed, but you all surprised me!
Glancing through the lists from the past week, I was delighted to see a photo taken by John Bruin of Surf Scoters out of the water on the sand along the Silver Strand!
Next week (starting Wednesday) we have an even bigger main list. Luckily, given the impending heat wave, many are coastal!
Hotspots nearing bar chart completion (number = weeks missing):
Hilleary Park - 2 San Pasqual Battlefield - 3 Santa Ysabel Mission - 3 La Bajada Field (restricted access) - 4 NAS North Island--O St. path, golf course, ponds (restricted access) - 4 Wilderness Gardens Preserve - 4 Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Clark Dry Lake - 5 Fleet Street Area (Carlsbad) - 5 Carmel Mission Park - 6 Eternal Hills Cemetery - 6 La Costa Canyon Park - 6 San Dieguito Dr. south end - 6 Borrego Springs--Mesquite Bosque - 7 Borrego Springs--Old Springs Road OSP - 7 Collier Park (Ramona) - 7 San Vicente Reservoir - 7 Warwick Ave riparian - 7 Valley Middle School Trail - 8 San Luis Rey Mission - 9 Tide Beach Park - 9 Appleton Preserve, Fallbrook, CA - 10 Borrego Springs--De Anza Country Club (private) - 10 Encinitas--Arden Dr. - 10 Hosp Grove Park--west of Monroe St - 10 Sunset Park (San Marcos) - 10
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Warner Valley grasslands--general area I-8--Buckman Springs Rest Area Crest Drive (Encinitas) Mt. Woodson--east Rambla De Las Flores--Richardson Field to RSF Field (restricted access) Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Slot Canyon Ramona Airport Road Borrego Springs--The Palms at Indian Head Hotel Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Hellhole Canyon Montclair Park
Cheers,
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Date: 7/14/26 10:58 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] the infamous Mesa College nightjar = likely Common Poorwill
The celebrity nightjar at San Diego Mesa College since July 5th was, of course, thought to be a whip-poor-will of some sort or possibly Buff-collared Nightjar. Fairly early in the game the possibility of Common Poorwill was thought eliminated by the apparent longish tail visible as the bird roosted on the ground. While some plumage features seemed fine for these rare species, some other finer plumage points, especially the crown pattern, could not be matched by Mexican or Eastern Whip-poor-wills or by Buff-collared Nightjar. (Nightjars can be notoriously variable in some plumage features, thus the lack of a clear match was not initially a cause of excess concern.) Aging the bird was also discussed, and it was generally agreed that the bird was a juvenile, born fairly recently, which would seemingly narrow down the options as to species. A couple of us also endeavored to use the original photo of the bird roosting up against a wall to then return to the exact site and obtain measurements to get a better handle on the bird's length--which resulted in an approximate estimated length of 7-1/2 inches, a bit too short for either Whip but OK for the nightjar (and a poorwill).
On Sunday evening, nearby mini-canyons bordering the campus were found to contain Common Poorwills, so that species was again revisited. It was determined that the bird was often holding its wings below and partially hidden by the tail, thus making the tail indeed look long. But when one obtained photos showing the full wing length lined up with the tail tip, the tail tip appeared to stick out beyond that only by a small amount. Also, looking at photos of juvenile Common Poorwill were a match for the overall plumage details, including the crown. Here is a link to one such bird from L.A. County:
So, the general consensus is that this bird is likely a juvenile Common Poorwill--initially fooling local birders as well as a good selection of outside experts who were sent series of photos.
A sample of the bird's poop and a feather were obtained late on Saturday and now reside in a freezer--for potential DNA analysis in the future if it is deemed necessary. Any volunteers?
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/13/26 11:22 am From: John Nguyen via groups.io <j.nguyen32...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Whippoorwill- negative report
Am wondering if there is an official determination on the species of this bird. I saw that maybe it's a juvenile COPO? Will we hear results back from the poop samples?
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A Sunday boat trip on a private boat yesterday, July 12, out to the 9-Mile and 30-Mile Banks area produced moderate numbers of birds, with highlights being a Guadalupe Murrelet in the mid- San Diego Trough (with another intermediate bird at the 30-Mile Bank--either a hybrid or a Guadalupe from the San Benito Is. population which some look less "obvious"), a record-high count for San Diego waters of 17 Black-footed Albatrosses, a Townsend's Storm-Petrel at the 30-Mile Bank, 11 "Chapman's" Leach's Storm-Petrels and 5 Ashies, 4 Craveri's Murrelets, 4 Sabine's Gulls, and an offshore Greater Yellowlegs. A black-and-white booby (Masked/Nazca) was briefly seen at a great distance.
The scheduled pelagic trip this coming Saturday the 18th aboard "Legacy" out of Seaforth Sportfishing only had about three spaces remaining as of earlier this morning. The back-to-back trips on the weekend of August 8th and 9th both still have plenty of space available. The Sunday trip has even more spaces remaining than on Saturday; so those folks still planning on signing up might consider taking the Sunday trip to help spread the numbers around. For more information see sandiegopelagics.com, and make reservations via sdwhale.com or call Seaforth.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/12/26 8:09 am From: Nancy Christensen via groups.io <nancy.r.christensen...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Whippoorwill- negative report
Sunday morning the bird has not been found. Reportedly irrigation watered heavily around sunrise which may have discouraged roosting on the ground.
Nancy Christensen
Ramona
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Chinese Proverb
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The Whippoorwill is still present and sleeping away at 12:50 p.m. Just so it's clear, this is currently a whippoorwill sp. But the rictal bristles look entirely dark and most important they look very long with the longest ones drooping down all the way to cover the upper breast and that may favor Mexican whippoorwill over Eastern. So perhaps we are leaning that direction as it being a Mexican, but still not definite.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/11/26 11:06 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Whippoorwill back at Mesa college!
The whippoorwill sp. found by a non-birder named Sally Boyer 6 days ago at Mesa College is back again today, Saturday, and refound at exactly the same spot, although instead of being up against the building, it's right across the walkway sitting in shady leaf litter right across from room k105. So find Building K in the middle of the campus. We will stay for a whil to keep tabs on it. Since I was on Highway 163, I entered the campus on Mesa College Drive and once inside campus one block I turned left at the light. I went down that road just past the tennis courts and parked along the road there and then walked North or Northwest to building k which is not too far. Parking on campus on weekends and before 7:00 a.m. And after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays is free.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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Date: 7/11/26 10:15 am From: Charles Jackson via groups.io <socalbirder8...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Inca dove, bird & butterfly garden
Continues today. Seen and heard from about 0940 to 1000.
It moved and quit singing, and we lost track of it. It was along the river edge, just west of the blue shed.
Charles
San Diego
Sent from CJ’s iPhone📲
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“It’s hard to comment on what’s going on without screenshots showing
exactly what Nancy is seeing, screenshots of app settings, as well as
information like what app version she’s using (though I can see her most
recent checklists are on iOS 3.6.12). I’d encourage Nancy to submit a Help
Center ticket with that information:
In any case, this year’s taxonomy update will be in October/November (and
will have lots of communications sent out beforehand and during) and is
unrelated to losing unsubmitted checklists. I would generally recommend
getting unsubmitted checklists submitted regularly.”
Justyn Stahl
North Park
On Wed, Jul 8, 2026 at 11:19 AM Nancy Christensen via groups.io
<nancy.r.christensen...> wrote:
> Heads up!
> Ebird did its annual taxonomic update last night or this morning. My
> mobile app ended up with NO packs downloaded - tough to do in the field.
> Also LOST all of the checklists that had not yet been submitted yet.
> Luckily this did not include a pelagic trip, which would be a nightmare to
> try to recreate. Usually there is a notification sent out in advance, but I
> did not get notified.
>
> If you have not submitted some lists, get them submitted!
>
>
>
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Date: 7/8/26 12:15 pm From: Ruslan Balagansky via groups.io <ruslan...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Hotspots for eBird bar charts July 8 - 14
Belated greetings,
Apologies for my tardiness - I simply spaced on this yesterday and just saw a reminder pop up now.
Last week we had a big main list, and understandably the more out of the way hotspots were missed, but we achieved quite good coverage!
By the way, I don't always have time to look through everyone else's results. If you have see something noteworthy while covering these hotspots, let me know and I can highlight it during this weekly update.
For me, highlights last week were:
San Dieguito Dr south - my first time birding here. I was delighted that this spot offers a view of the Least Tern nesting habitat from above!
Otay Lakes County Park - I expected this outing to be boring since I'd already been here several times, including just the week prior, but instead I was able to get three new ticks for the atlas (breeding confirmations new to the block for the species)! Right when I parked, I observed Northern Rough-winged Swallows feeding young on sticks facing the lake. Then I was able to find the Cassin's Kingbird nest that eluded us previously. And I saw a Western Bluebird carry food into a hollow. Plus two more confirmations redundant to the prior week - five in total this week - nine total over the past two weeks!
This week, we have an even bigger main list than last week! And for the first time this year, because of the size of the main list, and a minimum size of 10 for each list, the total target hotspot count is above 30 - at 32.
I am probably not going to be able to cover Otay Lakes County Park this week. Hopefully someone else can pick up the mantle! Please note - there's a $5 parking fee, and it's a popular place for picnics / parties. Earlier in the morning is better to avoid the human noise. Also note: although there is a new trail closure sign for the trail from the parking directly towards the dam, you can still get to that area via the trails from the picnic area.
Similarly, though I've covered Santa Ysabel Mission in past weeks, I likely won't have time this week. It's another hub of breeding activity and is a very small area to cover. You may also be able to spot Golden Eagles from the highway while driving toward it!
Thank you all for your continued contribution to this project!
Hotspots nearing bar chart completion (number = weeks missing):
Palomar Mtn.--Silvercrest Picnic Area and Trail - 2 NAS North Island--O St. path, golf course, ponds (restricted access) - 4 Santa Ysabel Mission - 4 Santa Ysabel OSP--west - 4 Wilderness Gardens Preserve - 4 La Bajada Field (restricted access) - 5 Otay Lakes County Park - 5 San Luis Rey River--Foussat to Douglas - 5 Swamis Seaside Park - 5 Fleet Street Area (Carlsbad) - 6 Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve--Carson's Crossing area - 6 Borrego Springs--Old Springs Road OSP - 7 Carmel Mission Park - 7 Eternal Hills Cemetery - 7 San Dieguito Dr. south end - 7 Beacon's Beach - 8 Delta Beach--north overlook - 8 San Bernardo Valley--east of I-15 - 8 Warwick Ave riparian - 8 Valley Middle School Trail - 9 Borrego Springs--De Anza Country Club (private) - 10 San Luis Rey Mission - 10
Hotspots with 3+ week bar chart gaps:
Encinitas--Arden Dr. ABDNHA Botanical Garden Poggi Creek greenbelt & residential Rambla De Las Flores--Richardson Field to RSF Field (restricted access) North Chollas Community Park Reama Park Nexus Center Dr. tipus Torrey Meadows Park Aston & Rutherford business area Anza-Borrego Desert SP--Blair Valley
Cheers,
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Date: 7/8/26 11:19 am From: Nancy Christensen via groups.io <nancy.r.christensen...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Ebird update
Heads up! Ebird did its annual taxonomic update last night or this morning. My mobile app ended up with NO packs downloaded - tough to do in the field. Also LOST all of the checklists that had not yet been submitted yet. Luckily this did not include a pelagic trip, which would be a nightmare to try to recreate. Usually there is a notification sent out in advance, but I did not get notified.
If you have not submitted some lists, get them submitted!
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Date: 7/6/26 9:14 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Inca Dove, p.s.
As a follow-up to the earlier post about the continuing Inca Dove at the Bird & Butterfly Garden, several observers watched the bird between around 7:45 and 8:15 a.m. this morning, Monday. It started out this morning at drip #1, flew a little southwest to the railing along the dirt road that goes to the equestrian parking. It even crossed south of that road briefly and then returned to the edge of the dirt road and then went back to drip 1, where it even went to the drip proper and took a drink and then flew up into the thick vegetation immediately above the drip and got lost. Eve and Rob had the bird yesterday also exactly right over drip 1. So that seems to be the place to mostly look. And then secondarily along the south edge of the garden along the adjacent road to the equestrian parking.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
Sent from AOL on Android
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Date: 7/6/26 8:05 am From: Geoff Veith via groups.io <veithlaw...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Inca Dove Re-found
Paul Labhart re-found the Inca dove originally found by Eve Martin. It’s currently at drip 1. Bird and Butterfly Garden. 8:04 AM
Geoff Veith
Solana Beach
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Date: 7/5/26 11:45 am From: Eve Martin via groups.io <yvemartin...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Inca Dove at B & B
Hi there! Rob and I just had an Inca Dove at the Bird and Butterfly Garden in south county. It sang briefly and then we spotted it in some bare branches over the main drip, now nicely labeled #1, about here:
32.554151, -117.085741
~Eve
~~~~~~~~~~~
Eve Martin
Del Mar, California
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