On Saturday I biked up to Farren Road to do some birding. The best part of the trip was the number of birds clearly breeding - some combination of feeding young, carrying food, nesting materials, or fledglings out of the nest among Downy Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Oak Titmouse, House Wren, American Robin, Phainopepla, Song Sparrow, and California Towhee. I saw most of these in the Eucalyptus and orchard at the end of the road (probably in part because I stopped and spent a lot of time there).
There were at least two Blue Grosbeaks singing just above the first big hill, and three different singing Grasshopper Sparrows. I briefly saw a Common Ground-dove flying by the edge of the orchards.
Two Lawrence's Goldfinches were interesting to see. Lehman's book notes: "They are rare on the coastal plain after the beginning of May (e.g., 17 May 1999 Carpinteria). A few birds are found irregularly along the South Coast in summer, usually in the foothills." I wonder if these are breeding somewhere nearby? It would be neat if folks could keep an eye and ear out. It looks like there's one record of a fledgling seen at Farren Rd. in the SB Breeding Bird Study from 2021.
Likewise, I briefly saw a Lark Sparrow near the top of the first hill. There's one record of mating in the Breeding Bird Study at Farren Rd. but no confirmed nesting, so this would be another fun one to keep an eye out for. Lark sparrow is a scarce breeder on the South Coast but we know they definitely breed nearby at Ellwood.