Date: 11/17/25 9:40 am From: Grigory Heaton via groups.io <g.heaton...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Candidate Vega gull at Malibu lagoon + Malibu storm birding (Nov. 16 2025)
Hi all,
I had a 1st cycle Vega gull candidate last night at Malibu lagoon, with a flock of ~50 gulls near the mouth of the lagoon. The bird is generally quite pale with an extreme (for American herring) tail band in flight and very white, sparsely marked undertail coverts reminiscent of a lesser black-backed gull. Despite the tail band being way more extreme than any I've ever seen on AH, I had been hesitant to call it anything beyond an extremely weird American herring due to thinking the greater coverts and scapulars were patterned incorrectly for Vega, but from feedback it seems like this may not be an issue. With the heavy caveat that the ID of this bird is definitely not set in stone, I wanted to get the word out.
Malibu in general was absolutely beautiful during the storm, in my opinion the best time to visit with cool temperatures and barely any people or traffic. Other notable birds at the lagoon were a flock of 4 American white pelicans (my first time seeing any in Malibu and only my second time seeing this more inland species on the beach in LA in general) and a pair of Cackling geese that landed on the beach around sunset with a larger Canada goose flock.
I also made a brief stop at Topanga lagoon on the way out, my first stop here since the fires - the small lagoon is fully breached and flowing out to sea with all the rain. A small gull flock was present, with nothing unusual, but I've had lesser black-backed gull here in the past so it's always worth a quick stop in winter if parking is available.
Happy gulling season! The LA river near the Atlantic bridge has been picking up as well, with all of the expected Thayer's/GW/hybrids present yesterday afternoon - seems like it's only a matter of time before something unusual shows up there in the coming months.
Date: 11/16/25 9:21 pm From: Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Post-storm birding in the Antelope Valley
Hi all,
I spent the day visiting some locations in the Antelope Valley today. It was cool, overcast, somewhat breezy, and there was only a small amount of rain all day.
I spent the morning at Piute Ponds. It was good to be back, but the roads are a muddy mess as expected. I only drove as far as P1 and Division, and covered Duckbill, Big Piute and Ducks Unlimited all on foot. The roads were slick even to walk on. Others were more adventurous -- a sedan was stuck in the mud on the east side of Duckbill all morning, and other roads were somewhat chewed up by trucks. I'd recommend not driving on the roads for the next few days until the roads dry up. All the ponds are now getting full, and birding is particularly great at the south ponds after this year's burns. I missed most of the birds Kimball found on Friday, but there was a nice juvenile Herring Gull on Big Piute.
After Piute, I checked some other random places. The flood basin at Ave H and 25th W is often interesting after rains, and it was great today. I made my way to the west side of the basin, and had a spectacular flock of 150-200 Mountain Bluebirds around me picking off insects from the flooded fields. My last stop was at Antelope Valley Country Club where there were more Mountain Bluebirds, a few Vermilion Flycatchers, and a "slate-colored" Dark-eyed Junco in the ditch on the west side.
It seems to be a good year for Mountain Bluebirds.
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for November 15, 2025.
A continuing PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER was near the Ballona Creek mouth in Playa del Rey through November 13. Check for it upstream from the Pacific Ave. bridge and by the UCLA boat ramp.
A MOUNTAIN PLOVER was in the Antelope Valley west of 50th Street East and south of Ave. N on November 10. Remember to stay on the roadside and the sod fields are private property.
A RED PHALAROPE was on the south lake at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on November 9.
A LEACH’S STORM-PETREL was southwest of the Palos Verdes Peninsula on November 8.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET was at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera on November 13.
A NORTHERN “YELLOW-SHAFTED” FLICKER continued by Picnic Area 3 at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through November 13.
A DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER was back for a third winter at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel as of November 10. It typically frequents the southeast area of the park.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera through November 9 (often on the east side, adjacent Mines Ave).
Another TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at Colorado lagoon in Long Beach through November 14.
The THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD in Griffith Park continued through November 13. Google Maps 34.1392, -118.2881
A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was near Lunada Bay Plaza from November 7-9. A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was here on November 9. Googe Maps 33.7750, -118.4188
The EASTERN PHOEBE at Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills was reported through November 13. It generally hangs out near the spillway.
A PACIFIC WREN was along the Burkhart Trail near Buckhorn Campground in the San Gabriel Mountains from November 8-9.
A RED-THROATED PIPIT and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were at the Toyon Landfill in Griffith Park on November 9. There is weekend access only to this location.
Another LAPLAND LONGSPUR was at Duckbill Lake at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on November 14.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood from November 7-8, at Kenneth Hahn SRA in Baldwin Hills from November 8-9, at Malibu Creek State Park through November 8 and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through November 13 along the inlet south of Picnic Area 3.
SWAMP SPARROWS were along the San Gabriel River in South El Monte (upstream from the Whittier Narrows Dam) on November 8 and at the Piute Ponds (north of Ave. C 100 meters east of the gazebo on November 14. Note that a letter of permission is required to access Piute.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood (south of Monte Verde Park by the gazebo) through November 8. A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was present here on November 13 and a TENNESSEE WARBLER was in the area south of Del Amo Blvd. on November 11.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was along Zuma Creek in Malibu (above the lagoon) on November 8.
An AMERICAN REDSTART was at the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardena on Santa Catalina Island on November 7.
A PALM WARBLER was at Loma Vista Park in Long Beach from November 7-8.
The GRACE’S WARBELER at the Chilao Visitor’s Center in the San Gabriel Mountains was last reported on November 7.
The BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at the William Andrews Clark Library in Los Angeles (restricted hours) through November 13.
Another BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER was at Sailboat Cove at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on November 7.
The PAINTED REDSTART at San Dimas Canyon Park was reported through November 13 between the parking area and north restrooms.
Another PAINTED REDSTART was on Santa Catalina Island at the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden from November 6-7.
SUMMER TANAGERS were at Griffith Park (Old Zoo area) through November 13, at the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden on Santa Catalina Island on November 7, at Sailboat Cove at Bonelli Regional Park from November 8-9 and in El Segundo on November 11.
-end transcript
Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
<JonF60...>
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org
Date: 11/14/25 8:59 pm From: Richard J. Norton via groups.io <richardjnorton...> Subject: [LACoBirds] 2025 Malibu Christmas Bird Count - Sunday, Dec 14
> > The 2025 Malibu Christmas Bird Count takes place on Sunday, December > 14th. The 15-mile diameter count circle, centered in Malibu, is > partitioned into 45 sub-areas. > > If you are interested in participating, please contact me. I will provide > you with a map of a sub-area to cover. You should at least be able to > identify the common birds of the area to participate in the count. > > We assign people to areas ahead of time, but you are welcome to ask to > join up until early the morning of the count. We will meet as usual at 1 > PM at Malibu Bluffs Park at the southern end of Malibu Canyon Road, just > south of Pacific Coast Highway, to review what has been found, but > participants are also welcome to simply email results to me. > > If you live in Malibu, Topanga, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura, or Westlake > Village, and have feeders in your yard, or feeders or birds in > your neighborhood that you can report on, please advise me. > > If you or someone you know has a boat that would be willing to travel offshore > from Topanga to Point Dume, and allow one or two experienced bird counters > aboard, please also advise me. > > Thank you. > > Dick Norton > Topanga, CA > <richardjnorton...> >
I birded Piute Ponds today -- the first day it has been open for recreation since the government shutdown began on October 1st. While it was frustrating to miss six weeks of prime fall migration, it was good to get back there. There were a few sprinkles while I was there, but no substantial rain had fallen yesterday or today (by the time I left at about 11:20 a.m.). Road conditions were excellent (this could change after the predicted rains), as was the habitat. There has been lots of dredging of channels along Ave C, and of course the controlled burn earlier in the fall has really opened up Ducks Unlimited and Kee Slough in the south pond complex. There is some good shorebird habitat in the burn area of the southeastern part of Ducks Unlimited. Duckbill still has water mainly only on the north and east sides (and a bit in the far west). But the dry grassy bed of Duckbill is attractive to Horned Larks and, it turns out, one Lapland Longspur.
Some of the less common birds I saw today included six Greater White-fronted Geese on Duckbill, two Hooded Mergansers on north Duckbill, a Common Gallinule along Ave C east of the Yellow Box Willows, a White-tailed Kite north of Parking 9, and a Swamp Sparrow calling in the reeds on the north side of Ave C about 100 m east of the gazebo. The aforementioned Lapland Longspur was with a large flock of Horned Larks on the Duckbill lake bed, roughly due north of the Yellow Box Willows; it apparently establishes the first record of this species for Piute.
Date: 11/10/25 8:12 am From: Bernardo Alps via groups.io <whalephoto...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] San Pedro channel trip report Nov 8
Hi Naresh and all.
Diane and I went out for the 2.5-hour whale watching trip in the afternoon.
We did a similar but shorter loop, heading west along the escarpment, then
offshore, returning to Queen's gate on a northeast heading. The feeding
aggregations had increased in numbers and consisted of the same species,
California Gulls (most numerous), Heermann's and Western Gulls, a few
Bonaparte's, Brown Pelicans, and a few Brandt's Cormorants. Lots of
Pomarine Jaegers and a few Red Phalaropes. We did see two alcids. Probably
a Common Murre and a Rhinoceros Auklet, but since this was a whale watching
trip, no effort was made to get a decent look.
Common Dolphins were scattered throughout, as in the morning. We saw two
humpback whales. One made us late because it wouldn't stop breaching,
spyhopping, kelping, and lunging, it was a different individual from the
two humpbacks we saw in the morning.
Take care,
Bernardo
On Sun, Nov 9, 2025 at 7:35 PM Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> A small group of us went out on a 5 hr birding trip in the San Pedro
> channel out of Long Beach on Saturday Nov 8, on the zodiac Cetacea. We had
> high overcast conditions, 2-4 ft swells and light wind chop. We birded the
> San Pedro / Palos Verdes escarpment from the box canyon at San Pedro west
> to Point Vicente, then out to the 270 Bank, and took a mid-channel route
> back to Angel's Gate. We also carefully checked the length of the middle
> breakwater of the Los Angeles harbor on the way back to the dock.
>
> There was a lot of feeding activity with scattered pods of common dolphins
> and a couple of humpback whales all along the escarpment, and this is where
> we had most of the bird life. There were a lot of pelicans and the expected
> four species of gulls (Western, California, Heermann's and Bonaparte's
> Gulls) -- we looked carefully, but didn't find any other gulls. We had a
> handful of Northern Fulmars, all sooty dark morphs, including a recently
> deceased bird floating on the water. Black-vented Shearwater numbers were
> very low -- this has been my experience in the channel for the second year
> in a row, and I understand the flocks of several thousands of birds are
> well to our south now. Sooty Shearwaters had departed, but a good number of
> Pink-footed Shearwaters were still lingering. These feeding flocks were
> attended by several Pomarine Jaegers, all well into primary molt, and we
> had a single Parasitic Jaeger.
>
> The most surprising bird was a white-rumped Leach's Storm-Petrel on the
> 270 Bank -- a slightly unusual looking bird with a complete narrow white
> rump band with no dark down the center. Leach's Storm-Petrels are pretty
> rare in the San Pedro channel any time of the year, and I found no prior
> records on eBird in much of Southern California in November.
>
> Red Phalaropes were around in decent numbers. We undoubtedly missed
> several birds in the swells and wind chop. Surprisingly, our total number
> of alcids was zero. Hopefully they will arrive as we get into the winter.
>
> Along with the usual stuff on the breakwater, there were two Wandering
> Tattlers, and a whopping 63 Black Oystercatchers including several
> hatch-year birds. Presumably the high count was influenced by a very high
> tide that submerged much of their foraging habitat. We also had a
> messy-looking hybrid oystercatcher that has been on the breakwater for a
> few years now.
>
> Marine mammals included scattered pods of common dolphins with many
> babies, two humpback whales, an elephant seal, California sea lions and
> harbor seals. A Mako shark executed a perfect breach right next to the boat
> at one point, seen by most people on the boat.
>
> eBird trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/430878 >
> Regards,
> Naresh
> (w/ Mark Scheel, Diane and Bernardo Alps, Loren Wright)
>
> --
> Naresh Satyan
> Pasadena, CA
>
>
>
--
--
Bernardo Alps
Wildlife Biologist
California Whales & Wildlife
www.photocetus.com
<whalephoto...>
310.597.0449
P.O. Box 1667
San Pedro, CA 90733
Date: 11/9/25 7:35 pm From: Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan...> Subject: [LACoBirds] San Pedro channel trip report Nov 8
Hi all,
A small group of us went out on a 5 hr birding trip in the San Pedro channel out of Long Beach on Saturday Nov 8, on the zodiac Cetacea. We had high overcast conditions, 2-4 ft swells and light wind chop. We birded the San Pedro / Palos Verdes escarpment from the box canyon at San Pedro west to Point Vicente, then out to the 270 Bank, and took a mid-channel route back to Angel's Gate. We also carefully checked the length of the middle breakwater of the Los Angeles harbor on the way back to the dock.
There was a lot of feeding activity with scattered pods of common dolphins and a couple of humpback whales all along the escarpment, and this is where we had most of the bird life. There were a lot of pelicans and the expected four species of gulls (Western, California, Heermann's and Bonaparte's Gulls) -- we looked carefully, but didn't find any other gulls. We had a handful of Northern Fulmars, all sooty dark morphs, including a recently deceased bird floating on the water. Black-vented Shearwater numbers were very low -- this has been my experience in the channel for the second year in a row, and I understand the flocks of several thousands of birds are well to our south now. Sooty Shearwaters had departed, but a good number of Pink-footed Shearwaters were still lingering. These feeding flocks were attended by several Pomarine Jaegers, all well into primary molt, and we had a single Parasitic Jaeger.
The most surprising bird was a white-rumped Leach's Storm-Petrel on the 270 Bank -- a slightly unusual looking bird with a complete narrow white rump band with no dark down the center. Leach's Storm-Petrels are pretty rare in the San Pedro channel any time of the year, and I found no prior records on eBird in much of Southern California in November.
Red Phalaropes were around in decent numbers. We undoubtedly missed several birds in the swells and wind chop. Surprisingly, our total number of alcids was zero. Hopefully they will arrive as we get into the winter.
Along with the usual stuff on the breakwater, there were two Wandering Tattlers, and a whopping 63 Black Oystercatchers including several hatch-year birds. Presumably the high count was influenced by a very high tide that submerged much of their foraging habitat. We also had a messy-looking hybrid oystercatcher that has been on the breakwater for a few years now.
Marine mammals included scattered pods of common dolphins with many babies, two humpback whales, an elephant seal, California sea lions and harbor seals. A Mako shark executed a perfect breach right next to the boat at one point, seen by most people on the boat.
I am just now at 2:22 PM on Sunday afternoonstanding at the same spot where the scissor tailed fly catcher was seen yesterday. It’s beautiful in the sunlight. It is on the pole behind the house where was seen yesterday.
Mostly it is incredibly beautiful. It is not actively calling, but it is turning back-and-forth looking around.
Date: 11/9/25 10:37 am From: Andrew Birch via groups.io <andyrbirch...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] RED-THROATED PIPIT, Toyon Landfill Griffith Park
copying and pasting parking and walking directions (from a few years ago when the Sedge Wren was up there):
Here is a map that hopefully helps (flickr link below). There are 2 ways up to the Landfill. Park at Mineral Wells - most spots are gone by 7am so you should expect to park on Griffith Park Dr after 7am.
Take the pink route out of Mineral Wells. Then you have a choice:
* Pink route up the paved road (affectionately known as the Death March by those who bird up here occasionally) that goes straight up. Very steep and allow plenty of breaks.
* Blue route which is a dirt trail that goes up to the Compost Facility and then winds up the northern side. This is gentler (and usually birdier) although further in distance.
Once you get to the top, you have to walk up a short slope to get to the top field. Go under or over the large PVC pipes (these carry methane and can be very smelly) and walk across to the wren spot again avoiding stepping on the white pipes. The habitat is stubble and long grass with plenty of burrs. I would not recommend open toe sandals etc.
Also note at the very top of the map a red line. This denotes that the road has recently closed to thru traffic eg you cannot get to Mineral Wells along Griffith Park Dr from the left side of the map. The red dot I believe marks the burr patch (but go with Naresh's GPS if it looks like my dot doesn't perfectly match). There is a lot of habitat up there but the wren stayed in the same patch all day.
On Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 09:48:05 AM PST, Andrew Birch via groups.io <andyrbirch...> wrote:
Parking at Mineral Wells and take the very steep paved road to the top. Bird on show here amongst small group of Americans.
34.14288° N, 118.30153° W
Also LAPLAND LONGSPUR here amongst Meadowlarks and at least 2 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS.
As a reminder, this is a weekend only spot.
Best, Andy Birch
Los Feliz
Date: 11/9/25 9:48 am From: Andrew Birch via groups.io <andyrbirch...> Subject: [LACoBirds] RED-THROATED PIPIT, Toyon Landfill Griffith Park
Parking at Mineral Wells and take the very steep paved road to the top. Bird on show here amongst small group of Americans.
34.14288° N, 118.30153° W
Also LAPLAND LONGSPUR here amongst Meadowlarks and at least 2 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS.
As a reminder, this is a weekend only spot.
Best, Andy Birch
Los Feliz
Mark Scheel and I are looking at the continuing Scissor-tailed Flycatcher found by Riley Daniels yesterday. It's in the residential neighborhood here: 33.774693,-118.418969. Best viewing right now is from Via Pacheco at the pin. Please respect the neighbors.
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for November 7, 2025.
Two SURF SCOTERS were near the west end of Quail Lake near Gorman on November 1.
A continuing PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER was near the Ballona Creek mouth in Playa del Rey through November 6. Check for it upstream from the Pacific Ave. bridge and by the UCLA boat ramp.
A second cycle LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was along the Los Angeles River between the Atlantic and Slauson crossings in Maywood through November 5.
A NORTHERN “YELLOW-SHAFTED” FLICKER was at Downey Cemetery on November 1.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera through November 5 (east side, adjacent Mines Ave).
The THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD in Griffith Park continued through November 6. Google Maps 34.1373, -118.2878. Remarkably, a second THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was nearby on November 2 (this bird missing its tail feathers). Google Maps 34.1242, -118.2839.
An EASTERN PHOEBE had returned for another winter to Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills as of November 4. It generally hangs out near the spillway.
A CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR continued at the A&G Sod Fields in the Antelope Valley through November 1.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was on Santa Catalina Island on October 31 in the Avalon area. Also present was a TENNESSEE WARBLER on November 2 and a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER on November 2.
A DARK-EYED “GRAY-HEADED” JUNCO was at Mt. Wilson on November 2.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS included two on the north side of Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through November 2 and one at Malibu Creek State Park on November 3.
A SWAMP SPARROW was at Rocky Oaks Park in Malibu on November 5.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood (south of Monte Verde Park by the gazebo) through November 2. A PALM WARBLER was here on November 1, closer to Carson Street.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at Guardia Park near South Pasadena on October 31.
An AMERICAN REDSTART was at Buena Vista Park in Burbank from November 2-6. Google Maps 34.1531, -118.3259.
The returning wintering CAPE MAY WARBLER at Loyola Marymount University was reported through November 4. Google Maps 33.9688, -118.4167.
A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at the William Andrews Clark Library in Los Angeles (restricted hours) through November 6.
A returning wintering PAINTED REDSTART was at San Dimas Canyon Park from November 4-6, being seen between the parking area and north restrooms.
SUMMER TANAGERS were at the South Coast Botanic Garden on October 31 (northeast section), at Sycamore Canyon in Whittier on November 1 (near the entrance), at the Village Green Condominiums in Los Angeles (two birds) on November 2, at Michigan Park in Whittier on November 5, continuing in Griffith Park through November 5 and in El Segundo on November 6.
A PAINTED BUNTING was at the north end of Peck Road Water Conservation Park in Arcadia on November 2.
-end transcript
Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
<JonF60...>
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org
The Los Angeles Birders website is hosting the “official” list of bird
species recorded in Los Angeles County. Standing at 550 species (535
native) as of October 2025, the species total is the highest of any county
in the United States. Kimball Garrett, who has been assembling and refining
this list over the years, will talk about how and why such avifaunal lists
are important, what the annotations mean, some of the surprising species on
the list, and the species that might be the next to gain a place on the
list.
This webinar will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel
<https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f> and will also be recorded for later viewing.
Please use the YouTube link above (alternatively:
https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f) which will take you directly to LAB’s main
page, where the live webinar should be visible once it begins at 7pm.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and
available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live
webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority
sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To
learn more about membership, please see our website
<https://www.labirders.org/>!
Looking for a past webinar? Don’t forget that a list of all of our
previously recorded webinars <https://www.labirders.org/webinars.html> is
available on our website – which might come in handy if you want to study
up before a field trip, or if you're looking to build your birding skills
from home! Just scroll all the way down, past our upcoming and most recent
online programs and you'll find a list of webinars sorted by category.
These recordings are all viewable via our YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbAhQTFVaeowMCl-sD2e0g> page.
Upcoming Programs
11/11 The Los Angeles County Bird List with Kimball Garrett (webinar)
11/16 Huntington Central Park with Duncan McClure (field trip - sign up
coming soon!)
11/30 San Jacinto Wildlife Area with Tony Metcalf (field trip - sign up
coming soon!)
12/7 First Sundays at the Huntington with Katy Mann (member-only field trip)
12/16 Long-distance seasonal migration, genetic diversity, and gene flow
with Teresa Pegan (webinar)
Date: 11/5/25 9:34 am From: Allan Der via groups.io <allan.der...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Evolution of Colors in Birds
I got this in my mail. I can't attend, I have theater tickets that night.
Looks like it is open to all.
Lilac-breasted Roller - Photo courtesy of Laya Clode via Unsplash
Dear Allan,
Please join us on Thursday, November 13 for *"Evolution of Colors in Birds,"* a presentation hosted by Dr. Whitney Tsai Nakashima, Research Associate at the Moore Lab of Zoology and Genomics Center of Occidental College.
During this presentation, Dr. Nakashima will discuss her discoveries around the link between the avian visual system and the color birds produce, which helps us gain a better understanding of how birds evolved such an incredible diversity of colors.
Birds see and produce an astonishing diversity of colors that span the human visible and ultraviolet spectrums. These colors are produced by numerous mechanisms and perceived by birds differently depending on their visual system sensitivity. Despite the wealth of knowledge on bird coloration and vision, few large-scale comparative studies link the evolution of the avian visual system and the colors birds produce.
Using genomic data, 3D models of bird museum specimens, and a resolved phylogeny of all bird species we will examine how visual system sensitivity evolves across the bird tree of life.
*About Dr. Whitney Nakashima:* Dr. Whitney Nakashima is a Research Associate at the Moore Lab of Zoology and Genomics Center of Occidental College. Whitney’s research includes color and visual system evolution, phylogenetics, and conservation genomics.
She is currently a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where she is using museum specimens to understand how birds have responded to climate change in the past to better conserve them in the future.
Date: 11/5/25 9:14 am From: matt354 via groups.io <matt354...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Eastern Phoebe back at Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills
Hi all,
I found an Eastern Phoebe at the spillway at the east end of Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills this afternoon ( 34.147911, -118.787370). It is likely the same individual that has been wintered here each winter since at least the winter of 2021-2022. The bird is best viewed from the west side of Lake Lindero Drive and is often found on the fence on the north side of the spillway, but it moves around frequently.
Date: 11/4/25 4:01 pm From: msperalez via groups.io <msperalez...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Painted Redstart at San Dimas County Park
Quick note:
I dropped by the San Dimas Canyon County Park to look for our Painted Redstart.
Happy too report that it was present in its usual location between the oaks and the northern set of bathrooms. This is the third season in a row that a painted redstart has been present here. The same individual?
It was singing, very showy and active... Fanning its tail (white outer rectrices) red abdomen, white wing bars, black otherwise, lower white eye arcs.
Date: 11/3/25 4:14 pm From: Chuck & Lillian via groups.io <misclists...> Subject: [LACoBirds] SMBAS program Tues. 11/4 7:30 pm: Bats! with Joey Curti, PhD
Using Genomics to Understand Patterns of Landscape-level Connectivity and Gene Flow in Yuma Myotis Bats (Myotis yumanensis), with Joseph Curti, PhD Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 4 November, 7:30 p.m. Zoom waiting room opens 7:15 p.m.
Many people associate the month before and after Halloween with spooky symbols like witches, ghouls, and of course BATS! But how much do you really know about these furry winged creatures? Join UCLA Postdoctoral Researcher and bat scientist Joseph Curti for an hour-long lecture on the remarkable and misunderstood group of mammals known as bats. In this talk, Joseph will discuss bat diversity in Southern California as well as basic features of bat ecology and natural history. He will also share some of the findings from his research on bat genomics aimed at applying whole genome sequencing to understand genomic health and inbreeding in Yuma Myotis bats (Myotis yumanensis), how connected the Yuma Myotis populations are across their range, and barriers to the movement across California.
Joseph Curti, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science. Joey's current research focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on bat community composition in urban areas across California. Joey received his Ph.D. in 2024 from the UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department, where he worked with statewide resource managers on a variety of conservation genomics projects. These included a project aimed at evaluating the impact of roadways in Los Angeles to California quail (Callipepla californica) gene flow and rangewide landscape genomics of the Yuma Myotis bat (Myotis yumanensis). Joey has been working with bats since 2015 and has worked on a variety of projects including radio tracking Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in the California Central Valley, mist netting and acoustic surveys of bats on the California Channel Islands, and acoustic surveys of bats for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Outside of his academic research, Joey regularly leads acoustic bat walks and classes on bat ecology and natural history for groups across Los Angeles, including Theodore Payne Foundation, the LA Natural History Museum, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society.
Date: 11/2/25 11:29 am From: rebecca.fenning via groups.io <rebecca.fenning...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA Birders Webinar: CA's First Statewide Bird Atlas, 11/4
Dear Birders,
You are invited to the next LA Birders webinar:
Building California's First Statewide Breeding Bird Atlas
With Van Pierszalowski, Executive Director, California Bird Atlas (CBA)
Join Van and others from the team at California Bird Atlas to learn more
about the upcoming launch of California’s first statewide Breeding Bird
Atlas - an initiative already completed in 44 other states. While
California has traditionally conducted Atlases at the county level, only 15
of the state’s 58 counties have published them, representing less than 17%
of the state’s land area. Furthermore, 14 of these 15 counties are either
coastal or adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Estuary - underscoring an
extreme bias towards densely populated regions. Today, powerful data
platforms like eBird and a statewide surge in birdwatching participation
have finally made a comprehensive Atlas for all of California possible.
This webinar will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel
<https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f> and will also be recorded for later viewing.
Please use the YouTube link above (alternatively:
https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f) which will take you directly to LAB’s main
page, where the live webinar should be visible once it begins at 7pm.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and
available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live
webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority
sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To
learn more about membership, please see our website
<https://www.labirders.org/>!
Looking for a past webinar? Don’t forget that a list of all of our
previously recorded webinars <https://www.labirders.org/webinars.html> is
available on our website – which might come in handy if you want to study
up before a field trip, or if you're looking to build your birding skills
from home! Just scroll all the way down, past our upcoming and most recent
online programs and you'll find a list of webinars sorted by category.
These recordings are all viewable via our YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbAhQTFVaeowMCl-sD2e0g> page.
Upcoming Programs
11/4 California Bird Atlas Project with Van Pierzalowski (webinar)
11/11 The Los Angeles County Bird List with Kimball Garrett (webinar)
12/7 First Sundays at the Huntington with Katy Mann (member-only field trip)
12/16 Long-distance seasonal migration, genetic diversity, and gene flow
with Teresa Pegan (webinar)
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for October 31, 2025.
Late LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale from October 22-30, with up to five present in the late afternoon and early evening.
A WILLIAMSON’S SAPSUCKER was in Studio City on October 20.
A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was along the Los Angeles River between the Atlantic and Slauson crossings in Maywood on October 30 and one continued at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera through October 27.
Five WESTERN CATTLE EGRETS were just west of the Ballona Freshwater Marsh on October 22.
A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was at Hansen Dam on October 25.
A SHORT-EARED OWL was observed flying over Long Beach on October 28.
A NORTHERN “YELLOW-SHAFTED” FLICKER was at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on October 29.
TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera through October 28, in Torrance on October 23 and at Golden Shore Marine Reserve in Long Beach on October 25.
A THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was at Sunnyside Cemetery and Willow Springs Park in Long Beach on October 23.
Another THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was in Griffith Park from October 28-29. Google Maps 34.1373, -118.2878
A late HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER was at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas (near the northeast corner of the lake) on October 30.
A SAGE THRASHER was at Malibu Lagoon on October 26.
A CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR was at the A&G Sod Fields in the Antelope Valley from October 24-31. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was present there from October 29-31. Both were last observed north of Avenue N about .4 miles west of 50th Street East.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale from October 22-26.
Two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas (by the picnic areas along the pathway northeast of the lake) on October 26.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood (south of Monte Verde Park by the gazebo) through October 25.
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS were at Pt. Fermin on October 26 and in Rancho Palos Verdes from October 28-30.
TENNESSEE WARBLERS were at Lambert Park in El Monte on October 23 and at the South Coast Botanic Garden (just inside the entrance) in Palos Verdes Estates on October 29.
A returning wintering CAPE MAY WARBLER was at Loyola Marymount University through October 26. Google Maps 33.9688, -118.4167. Nearby by the chapel was an AMERICAN REDSTART on October 26.
A PALM WARBLER was at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach on October 23.
Another PALM WARBLER was on the east side of the Los Angeles River in the Sepulveda Basin (in the burned area just south of Burbank Blvd.) on October 26.
A GRACE’S WARBLER continued at the Chilao Flat in the San Gabriel Mountains through October 28. It was last seen at the east end of the Visitor’s Center parking lot.
A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at the William Andrews Clark Library in Los Angeles (restricted hours) through October 29.
SUMMER TANAGERS were in Griffith Park in the Old Zoo area through October 30, at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates from October 22-24 and on Santa Catalina Island (Avalon area) on October 23.
Santa Catalina Island continued to be very productive for vagrants, with two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, DARK-EYED “GRAY-HEADED” JUNCO, a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, a TENNESSEE WARBLER, a BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, three PALM WARBLERS, a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER and an INDIGO BUNTING reported this past week.
-end transcript
Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
<JonF60...>
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org
Date: 10/31/25 1:55 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Longspurs continue at A & G Sod in Palmdale
Birders,
The Chestnut-collared Longspur continued this morning (now present for a week) at the A & G sod fields in Palmdale, along Ave N west of 50th Street East. And the Lapland Longspur found by Chris Dean on 29 October was also present. Both birds were in the green sod circle north of Ave N, best viewed from Ave N about 0.3 to 0.4 mi. west of 50th Street East. There are a few hundred Horned Larks (and a couple of dozen pipits) on those same fields. A scope is essential as the birds are mostly well north of the road. The fields south of Ave N also have lots of larks, but the lighting is poorer. In those southern fields there was also a large blackbird flock which included about 55 Tricoloreds, and large numbers of Killdeer. I am not aware of any reports of Mountain Plovers here this fall, but they could be arriving at any time.
Date: 10/28/25 4:50 pm From: Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Thick-billed Kingbird back at Griffith Park
Hi all,
The Thick-billed Kingbird is back at Griffith Park for its third year. It is currently flycatching from the tallest snags in the middle of the Wilson and Harding golf course, about 100 yards away from the trail but still visible from the Mineral Wells trail on the hillside (where it was hanging out last season). The bird has a full tail, not the same one as the bird in Signal Hill last week.
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for October 23, 2025.
A EURASIAN WIGEON was on Santa Catalina Island (Thompson Reservoir) on October 18.
A COMMON GROUND DOVE was at the Ferraro Soccer Fields in Glendale on October 20.
The PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER along lower Ballona Creek was reported through October 20. Check for it with the flock of Black-bellied Plovers along the creek or on the salt pan. This area is upstream from the Pacific Ave. bridge.
A SABINE’S GULL was along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach (above the Willow Street crossing) from October 18-21.
A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was along the Los Angeles River between the Atlantic and Slauson crossings in Maywood on October 19 and two were at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera on October 21.
SHORT-EARED OWLS were at the Ballona Wetlands from October 12-21, in the west Antelope Valley at Avenue B and 60th Street West on October 13 and on San Clemente Island on October 18.
TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera from October 12-18, at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach on October 13, along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach (by Willow Street) through October 19.
A PACIFIC WREN was along Busch Drive in Malibu on October 10.
A GRAY CATBIRD was on Santa Catalina Island in the Avalon area on October 10.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach (above the Willow Street crossing) from October 17-19
CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were at Glen Haven Cemetery on October 12 and at Ladera Park in Los Angeles from October 19-20.
A DARK-EYED “GRAY-HEADED” JUNCO was at Hahamongna Watershed Park from October 12-14.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was in Manhattan Beach from October 11-15 and one was at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena (east side by the baseball diamond) on October 14.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood (by the gazebo) through October 19.
A BALTIMORE ORIOLE was in upper Franklin Canyon Park on October 19 and another (likely continuing bird) was at Ladera Park in Los Angeles on October 20.
A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH continued at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through October 20 at various locations along the shore by the extreme northeast corner of the lake.
A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was at El Dorado Park in Long Beach (in the Nature Center area) on October 19.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at the Village Green Condominiums in Los Angeles on October 12. This is private property but birders are welcome.
Other TENNESSEE WARBLERS were in Pasadena on October 12, on Santa Catalina Island on October 12, in Pasadena on October 12 and at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates on October 16.
Additionally, there were three TENNESSEE WARBLERS on Santa Catalina Island on October 18 and one at Lambert Park in El Monte on October 20.
An AMERICAN REDSTART was at Blaisdell Ranch Park in Claremont on October 17.
A returning wintering CAPE MAY WARBLER was at Loyola Marymount University as of October 18 here- Google Maps 33.9688, -118.4167
A BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER was at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on October 11 south of Parking Lot 3 and another was at Silver Lake Reservoir on October 20.
A GRACE’S WARBLER was at the Chilao Visitor’s Center in the San Gabriel Mountains on October 19.
A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at the William Andrews Clark Library in Los Angeles (restricted hours) through October 20.
A PAINTED REDSTART was at Cortez Park in West Covina on October 20.
A SUMMER TANAGER was at Virginia Country Club in Rancho Los Cerritos on October 9 and another continued in the Old Zoo area at Griffith Park through October 21.
Santa Catalina Island produced a good number of notable birds the last ten days including a BROAD-WINGED HAWK, a VARIED THRUSH, two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, a FIELD SPARROW, a DARK-EYED “PINK-SIDED” JUNCO, a LUCY’S WARBLER, a MAGNOLIA WARBLER, a BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, a PALM WARBLER, a PAINTED BUNTING and a DICKCISSEL. These birds were concentrated in the Avalon area, with some at Thompson Reservoir and Haypress Reservoir.
-end transcript
Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
<JonF60...>
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org
Date: 10/21/25 5:05 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Research article on Nanday Parakeets in Los Angeles County
Hi Everyone, I want to bring your attention to a new peer-reviewed research paper on Nanday Parakeets in the Santa Monica Mountains by Brenda Ramirez, Diego Blanco, and John McCormack from Occidental College. The paper is entitled "Relocated, range-limited, but resilient: Niche shift and constraints on spread in introduced Nanday Parakeets (Aratinga nenday)" and it appeared in the journal Urban Landscapes 28, 216 (2025). Here's a link so you can read the paper, which is available for free: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-025-01835-y The paper draws heavily on observations reported into eBird and iNaturalist across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and is an excellent example of how your community science observations are making valuable contributions. In addition to utilizing eBird distribution reports, the paper also highlights the importance of uploading photos of birds, their habitat, and feeding habits. Congratulations to Brenda, Diego, and John for this excellent paper! Regards, Lance Lance BennerPasadena, CACommunity Science Chair, Los Angeles Birders _._,_._,_
Date: 10/21/25 10:35 am From: Vargas, Norman via groups.io <normvargas2011...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lewis’s woodpeckers at Mount Wilson Observatory
There are at least two Lewis’s woodpeckers at the east end of the
observatory grounds. One has been seen since last week, but a second one
was seen this morning. They are usually at the top of the tall pine trees.
Date: 10/20/25 7:07 pm From: Ed Stonick via groups.io <edstonick...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Some miscellaneous notes from Saturday 10/19
Thanks for the heads up on the goatsuckers. Where did you park?Regards,EdSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone -------- Original message --------From: "Naresh Satyan via groups.io" <naresh.satyan...> Date: 10/19/25 10:31 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "<LACoBirds...>" <lacobirds...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Some miscellaneous notes from Saturday 10/19 Hi all,I had my first Lesser Black-backed Gull of the season along the LA river at Slauson today, 2 weeks later than the first birds last year. I expect there will be many more through the winter, and it is always a challenge at the end of the season to figure out how many individuals were present. I encourage everyone to photograph all Lesser Black-backed Gulls you find in the county -- (both sides of) the bill and profile view would be great where possible. Herring Gulls have also begun to arrive on the river in the past 2 weeks.Later in the afternoon, Lance Benner and I went to Santa Fe dam and birded for a couple of hours either side of sunset. The open areas south and west of the lake had a few interesting birds:A juvenile White-tailed Kite was in the area, last seen hunting until a flock of 50 crows moving through the basin decided to harass it. I also had a White-tailed Kite last Friday at the Whittier Narrows dam across the Rio Hondo. This species hasn't been easy to find in the San Gabriel valley in recent yearsA Loggerhead Shrike was singing at sunsetThe main goal of the trip was to try to find nightjars. Lesser Nighthawks wintered here in 2023-24, and were present through at least the end of October in 2024. On roughly the same date last year (Oct 18, 2024), we had 2 Lesser Nighthawks and 9 Common Poorwills. Today, we found 4 Lesser Nighthawks at dusk, and 10 Common Poorwills both in the open fields as well as hunting from rocks on the dam.I didn't find any nightjars at the Rio Hondo dam at Whittier Narrows on Friday, but it could be interesting to check for Common Poorwills and Lesser Nighthawks at similar rocky dams in the area in the fall (Hansen dam, Whittier Narrows, Sepulveda Basin?). A note that Santa Fe Dam is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and charges a daily entrance fee even on weekdays when it is open ($15 per car, $8 for seniors). Operating hours change on November 1, and these last two weeks of October are the last days when the park is still open for an hour and a half after sunset.Naresh--Naresh SatyanPasadena, CA
Date: 10/19/25 10:31 pm From: Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Some miscellaneous notes from Saturday 10/19
Hi all,
I had my first Lesser Black-backed Gull of the season along the LA river at Slauson today, 2 weeks later than the first birds last year. I expect there will be many more through the winter, and it is always a challenge at the end of the season to figure out how many individuals were present. I encourage everyone to photograph all Lesser Black-backed Gulls you find in the county -- (both sides of) the bill and profile view would be great where possible. Herring Gulls have also begun to arrive on the river in the past 2 weeks.
Later in the afternoon, Lance Benner and I went to Santa Fe dam and birded for a couple of hours either side of sunset. The open areas south and west of the lake had a few interesting birds:
- A juvenile White-tailed Kite was in the area, last seen hunting until a flock of 50 crows moving through the basin decided to harass it. I also had a White-tailed Kite last Friday at the Whittier Narrows dam across the Rio Hondo. This species hasn't been easy to find in the San Gabriel valley in recent years - A Loggerhead Shrike was singing at sunset - The main goal of the trip was to try to find nightjars. Lesser Nighthawks wintered here in 2023-24, and were present through at least the end of October in 2024. On roughly the same date last year (Oct 18, 2024), we had 2 Lesser Nighthawks and 9 Common Poorwills. Today, we found 4 Lesser Nighthawks at dusk, and 10 Common Poorwills both in the open fields as well as hunting from rocks on the dam.
I didn't find any nightjars at the Rio Hondo dam at Whittier Narrows on Friday, but it could be interesting to check for Common Poorwills and Lesser Nighthawks at similar rocky dams in the area in the fall (Hansen dam, Whittier Narrows, Sepulveda Basin?).
A note that Santa Fe Dam is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and charges a daily entrance fee even on weekdays when it is open ($15 per car, $8 for seniors). Operating hours change on November 1, and these last two weeks of October are the last days when the park is still open for an hour and a half after sunset.
Date: 10/18/25 11:50 pm From: condor262001 via groups.io <condor262001...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lapland Longspur at LA River-Willow Street
The Lapland Longspur found on 10/17 by Lee Xiong was re-found by Jeff Boyd this morning (10/18).
It generally stayed close to the bike path between about
33°48'22.4"N 118°12'16.8"W t o 33°48'25.0"N 118°12'17.1"W.
It was not shy.
I posted some images and short movies on my Flickr page,
