Date: 4/9/26 12:33 pm From: Tom Benson via groups.io <thomasabenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] California Bird Atlas - San Bernardino and Riverside County update
Hi inland county birders, The California Bird Atlas monthly summary for March has been posted on the eBird portal at: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/news/atlas-dispatch-march-2026 The next Town Hall Q & A session on Zoom will be on April 16 at 7 pm and will include project updates, take questions, and feature Megan Jankowski (CBA Review Coordinator) presenting on how to find breeding birds. Register for the Zoom here. Submit questions here.
Breeding season is already underway in some parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, but peak breeding activity will occur here over the next few months, and we need all the help we can get! If you haven’t joined the eBird Atlas project yet, you can do so here.
Some CBA stats for San Bernardino County as of April 9, 2026:
Number of Atlasers = 168Hours of Atlas effort = 1080eBird checklists = 1225Blocks with data = 259 (13% of the county total)Number of species with breeding confirmed: 78 Here are the species with breeding confirmed in at least 5 blocks: # Blocks25 Common Raven13 House Finch12 Bushtit9   European Starling7   Red-tailed Hawk, House Sparrow6  Black Phoebe, Lesser Goldfinch5  Cassin's Kingbird, House Sparrow
Here are the atlas blocks with the most confirmed species:
# Species confirmed19Â San Bernardino North CW12Â Guasti CW12Â Redlands CE11Â Morongo Valley CW9Â Â Prado Dam NE
Some CBA stats for Riverside County as of April 9, 2026:
Number of Atlasers = 262Hours of Atlas effort = 801eBird checklists = 1316Blocks with data = 211 (29% of the county total)Number of species with breeding confirmed: 64Â Here are the species with breeding confirmed in at least 5 blocks:Â # Blocks14Â Anna's Hummingbird, Bushtit13Â House Finch12Â Â Common Raven10Â Â Verdin9Â Â Â Red-tailed Hawk8Â Â Costa's Hummingbird7Â Â Cliff Swallow, European Starling, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-throated Sparrow, California Towhee6Â Â American Crow5Â Â Allen's Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl, Northern Mockingbird
Here are the atlas blocks with the most confirmed species:
# Species confirmed31Â Riverside East NW22Â Riverside East NE
11Â Riverside East CE
11Â Riverside East CW
8Â Â El Casco SW8Â Â La Quinta SW
Tom BensonCBA Regional Coordinator for San Bernardino and Riverside counties
Date: 4/9/26 7:12 am From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: April 9, 2026
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* April 9, 2026
* CASE26.04.09
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
A *THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD* continued in Alta Loma through Apr 6 (Tom Benson).
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Two *FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS* continued at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area through Apr 7 (Matt Grube).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
A *CAVE SWALLOW* was seen along the Rock Hill Trail (SESS) on Apr 6 (Aidan Sinha).
A PALM WARBLER continued at the Salton Sea NWR headquarters through Apr 4 (Natalya Hebert).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
************
Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
************
Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
Date: 4/3/26 9:10 pm From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: April 3, 2026
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* April 3, 2026
* CASE26.04.03
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
A *THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD* continued at Bellevue Memorial Park through Mar 31 (Tom Benson).
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Two *FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS* continued at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area through Mar 31 (Alex Henry).
A WOODHOUSE'S SCRUB-JAY continued at Palo Verde Ecological Reserve through Mar 31 (Adam Panto).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
A *ROSEATE SPOONBILL* was reported near the north end of Garst Road (SESS) on Mar 26 (Natalya Hebert).
A PALM WARBLER was seen at the Salton Sea NWR headquarters Apr 1-2 (Alex Henry).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
************
Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
************
Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
Date: 4/1/26 11:51 am From: Alexander Henry via groups.io <awhenry...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Palm Warbler Union Tract Visitor Center SESS 4/1
Palm Warbler this morning at Union Tract Visitor Center, southeast Salton Sea. Seemed like a breeding plumage Western. Seen well, yellow undertail coverts, tail wagging, white tail spots, rusty cap, yellowish throat, overall brownish warbler with some in distinct brownish streaking on the breast.
Date: 3/31/26 9:12 pm From: henry detwiler via groups.io <henry_detwiler...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Pichacho State Recreation Area - 31 Mar 2026
Greetings Birders,
Suzanne and I enjoyed a couple of hours this morning at Picacho State Recreation Area (SRA), on this last day of March. We spotted or heard almost fifty species, comprising many of our local breeding birds, a good mix of migrants, and a few remaining wintering species.Â
Our biggest surprise was a Black Rail making its Ki-Ki-Derr call at Stewart Lake. It started up after I did my whistled imitation of a Sora whinny. (The imitation also elicited responses from 2 Soras.) According to Justyn, this is the first eBird record of Black Rail at Pichacho SRA. Hopefully it is one of a breeding pair. Other fine birds from this morning included a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Dusky Flycatcher, a Hermit Thrush, a flock of 5 Bullock's Orioles, and five species of warblers. Gambel's Quail, Gila Woodpeckers, Verdins, and Phainopeplas were everywhere.
If you visit, expect a fairly rough, hour-long drive from Yuma, AZ. Since this is a state park, the fee is $10 for day-use ($9 for seniors). And if you record your sightings in eBird and are not already part of the California Bird Atlas project, we encourage you to join! Visit https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home for more information.
eBird report from 31 Mar 2026 at Picacho SRA:https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S315252713
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://www.southwestbirders.com/swb_SWAZ_Book.htmFinding Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, Californiahttps://www.southwestbirders.com/swb_Imperial_County_Book.htm
Date: 3/26/26 7:59 am From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: March 26, 2026
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* March 26, 2026
* CASE26.03.26
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen at San Timoteo Canyon on Mar 21 (Matt Grube).
A LARK BUTING was seen in the middle of the desert north of Barstow on Mar 21 (Matt Gould).
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Two *FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS* continued at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area through Mar 21 (Chet McGaugh).
A HARRIS'S HAWK was seen at Hidden Valley in Joshua Tree National Park on Mar 22 (Eve Martin).
A BRONZED COWBIRD continued at Palm Springs International Airport through Mar 22 (William Baker).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
A ZONE-TAILED HAWK was seen in Niland on Mar 19 (Tonie Hansen).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
************
Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
************
Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
Date: 3/19/26 7:18 am From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: March 19, 2026
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* March 19, 2026
* CASE26.03.19
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
Birds mentioned:
*FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK*
Bronzed Cowbird
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
No reports.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Two *FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS* continued at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area through Mar 15 (Charity Hagen).
A BRONZED COWBIRD continued at Palm Springs International Airport through Mar 18 (Susan Roy).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
No reports.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
************
Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
************
Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
Date: 3/18/26 6:37 am From: Brad Singer via groups.io <bcsinger...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] SBVAS General Meeting Tonight: "Birding Down Under: The Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand and Australia"
Get out of the heat and join us for a cool look at birding near Antarctica! 7 pm at the San Bernardino County Musuem. Everybody is welcome! More info at SBVAS.net
Date: 3/12/26 8:31 am From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: March 12, 2026
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* March 12, 2026
* CASE26.03.12
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
Birds mentioned:
*FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK*
Tropical Kingbird
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
No reports.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Two *FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCKS* continued at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area through Mar 11 (Andrew Kenny).
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was seen on private property in Deep Canyon on Mar 8 (David Rankin).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
No reports.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
************
Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
************
Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
