Date: 12/28/25 4:24 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Rufous Hummingbird; problematic geese and vireos ; the Scissor-tailed
On the Escondido CBC yesterday, 27 Dec, I had a young male Rufous Hummingbird at Kit Carson Park. Almost full rufous upperparts but still a gorget just growing in some adult feathering. By my calculation this is only the third documented record of a recognizable Rufous Hummer in the county during the past 20+ years between early November and latter January. Of course the operable word here is "recognizable," as who knows how many female and female-looking young male Rufous might be out there all these years, escaping detection, and drowned out by the ubiquitous Allen's. It probably isn't many, but likely more than zero!
There have been two sets of two white geese in the general Ramona area this month. Two Snow Geese in the Ramona Grasslands/Rangeland Road area, followed by two Ross's Geese at Ramona Pond. That distinction has become somewhat muddied as of late. The two Ross's at Ramona Pond have not been seen there since the 24th, but then two Ross's were reported at Rangeland/Grasslands, where the Snows had been, on the 26th. Also, a photo from Rangeland on the 10th MIGHT show the Ross's rather than the Snows. Anyway, if you see two white geese anywhere in the Ramona area at this point, best to not assume what species they are and one should start the ID process from scratch.
Heritage Park in Chula Vista has very recently become a somewhat popular birding destination, given the recent discovery there of a Grace's Warbler and Brown Creeper. There are also multiple "Solitary" Vireos in the park, with the high likelihood of causing ID issues. There is a returning Plumbeous Vireo that does have a bit of yellow-olive wash on the sides, which when I saw it a few days ago was at the east end of the park. There is also a Cassin's Vireo found on the CBC on the 20th which continues to be reported in the crescent of pines where the Grace's and creeper are hanging out. But a couple of the photos of that bird make it look more like the Plumbeous, although photos of Solitary Vireos are infamous for being variable from photo to photo due to lighting, pose, angle, veg, etc., and those photos had poor lighting. And one or two of the photos of the Cassin's even make it look much brighter, with the potential of it being a Blue-headed (!). Although a large majority of the photos look like a reasonable Cassin's. So, in sum, the vireo situation there can easily become muddy, so take care with one's IDs and try to get series of photographs.
Lastly, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher found yesterday by Chris McCreedy in North Park/South Park bordering Switzer Canyon is "only" about 7/10 of a mile as the Scissor-tailed flies from where there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a single date in December 2021, a bit farther southeast in a very similar setting of a residential area bordering a canyon (in this case, Juniper Canyon). That bird was seen from the north flank of Juniper Canyon from vic. Felton Street. Given that the same Scissor-tailed can return for many winters and can range fairly widely, it is at least possible that this is the same individual having escaped detection all these years, and it also gives one an idea how far it could conceivably range and where else one might look for it.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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