This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for June 14, 2026.
BROWN PELICANS continued well inland and away from expected coastal areas, with two birds at Peck Water Conservation Park in Arcadia on June 7 and two at Lake Hollywood through June 11.
A COMMON GOLDENEYE continued along the Los Angeles River below the Los Feliz crossing through June 14.
A NAZCA BOOBY was south of Pt. Fermin on June 8.
A RED-EYED VIREO was at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on June 9. An AMERICAN REDSTART was there on June 10, and an INDIGO BUNTING was present on June 7.
A VARIED THRUSH was at a residence in Rancho Palos Verdes on June 9.
A NORTHERN PARULA continued at the Village Green Condominiums in Los Angeles through June 6. This is private property, but birders are welcome. Please be respectful of the residents.
Another NORTHERN PARULA was at Ladera Park on June 13
Various locations on Santa Catalina Island produced the following birds on June 7-- a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, a TENNESSEE WARBLER, an AMERICAN REDSTART, a NORTHERN PARULA and an INDIGO BUNTING.
SUMMER TANAGERS were in Soledad Canyon on June 8, continuing along the San Gabriel River West Fork road on June 10 and at Pearblossom Park on June 12.
-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: 6/7/26 5:32 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA County Bird Atlas Blocks that need attention
Hi Everyone,
Here are some more bird atlas blocks in Los Angeles County that need attention. All can be accessed by roads and some have had zero coverage so far.
Acton CW
This block includes part of Soldedad Canyon Road and the community of Ravenna. Currently there are zero hours of effort in this block. The habitat includes a lot of open areas with grasslands, chaparral on trails to the south, and riparian habitat along the Santa Clara River. 61 species were coded in this block during the atlas in the 1990s.
Baldwin Park CW
I mentioned this one in a recent email. Although observers have contributed 5 checklists and 2.9 hours of effort, only one species has been coded with zero confirmed breeding. 28 species were reported here during the atlas in the 1990s, but with some effort, we could probably increase that total to at least 50.
Lake Hughes SW
Lake Hughes Road recently reopened following repairs from winter storm damage so a number of blocks are now accessible by car again. This one has riparian habitat, chaparral, easy access to the Pacific Crest Trail (which crosses the road), and side canyons that can be quite productive. 46 species were coded here during the previous LA County Breeding Bird Atlas.
Mescal Creek CW
Any takers on this one? It's on the north slope of the San Gabriel Mountains and has juniper-pinyon-Joshua tree woodlands, desert scrub, and Mescal Creek and Canyon. During the atlas in the 1990s, observers coded 57 species in this block, so there is a lot to see. Currently there has been zero effort in this block.
Topanga CW
This block still hasn't received much attention. It includes the southern end of Topanga Canyon Road, the Getty Villa Museum, chaparral, woodlands along canyons, and, unfortunately, some areas that burned in the Palisades Fire. 60 species were
coded in this block during the LA County atlas in the 1990s.
If you can cover any of these blocks, we'd love to have your help!
Date: 6/6/26 3:53 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles County Bird Atlas Results: June 5, 2026
Hi Everyone,
Here's another update on progress with the California Bird Atlas in Los Angeles County.
These are results as of 2026 June 5
LA County eBird Atlasers: 722
eBird Checklists: 12,800
Atlas effort: 10350 hours
Atlas blocks with some data: 369 (85% of the total)
Atlas blocks with zero data: 65
Species with a breeding code: 251
Species with breeding confirmed: 156
Species that have been confirmed breeding in at least 10 blocks:
45 35 Canada Goose
12 11 Egyptian Goose
61 46 Mallard
23 California Quail
15 12 Rock Pigeon
16 13 Eurasian Collared Dove
36 28 Mourning Dove
10 Black-chinned Hummingbird
56 45 Anna's Hummingbird
55 49 Allen's Hummingbird
19 American Coot
13 Black-necked Stilt
24 14 Killdeer
13 Pied-billed Grebe
12 Black-crowned Night Heron
17 15 Great Blue Heron
27 18 Cooper's Hawk
26 18 Red-shouldered Hawk
57 47 Red-tailed Hawk
35 28 Great Horned Owl
30 13 Acorn Woodpecker
12 Downy Woodpecker
43 28 Nuttall's Woodpecker
12 Western Flycatcher
86 64 Black Phoebe
27 17 Say's Phoebe
16 12 Vermilion Flycatcher
36 23 Cassin's Kingbird
13 12 Hutton's Vireo
44 30 California Scrub-Jay
58 50 American Crow
136 111 Common Raven
57 34 Oak Titmouse
11 Tree Swallow
29 13 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
30 14 Barn Swallow
40 29 Cliff Swallow
95 89 Bushtit
23 19 Wrentit
14 Swinhoe's White-eye
27 15 White-breasted Nuthatch
17 12 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
56 42 Northern House Wren
46 38 Bewick's Wren
10 Cactus Wren
83 65 European Starling
13 California Thrasher
61 39 Northern Mockingbird
70 43 Western Bluebird
21 13 American Robin
14 Phainopepla
20 17 Scaly-Breasted Munia
70 61 House Sparrow
129 104 House Finch
64 43 Lesser Goldfinch
12 10 Lawrence's Goldfinch
10 Lark Sparrow
73 48 Dark-eyed Junco
13 Bell's Sparrow
64 53 Song Sparrow
99 69 California Towhee
20 Rufous-crowned Sparrow
32 22 Spotted Towhee
52 28 Hooded Oriole
12 Bullock's Oriole
16 13 Red-winged Blackbird
20 11 Brewer's Blackbird
17 10 Great-tailed Grackle
39 27 Orange-crowned Warbler
21 13 Common Yellowthroat
19 Northern Yellow Warbler
10 Black-headed Grosbeak
N = 72
Four weeks ago the number was 54 so this has increased by a factor of 1.3.
The number on the far left gives the number of blocks where breeding for each species has been confirmed. The number to the right of it, if present, indicates the number of blocks where breeding for this species was confirmed four weeks ago. If those columns are blank, then the number of blocks was less than 10.
Here are the species confirmed in at least 50 blocks in ranked order:
136 Common Raven
129 House Finch
99 California Towhee
95 Bushtit
86 Black Phoebe
83 European Starling
73 Dark-eyed Junco
70 Western Bluebird
70 House Sparrow
64 Lesser Goldfinch
64 Song Sparrow
61 Mallard
61 Northern Mockingbird
58 American Crow
57 Oak Titmouse
57 Red-tailed Hawk
56 Anna's Hummingbird
56 Northern House Wren
55 Allen's Hummingbird
52 Hooded Oriole
In previous emails I tabulated all the blocks where at least 10 species have been confirmed breeding. As of June 6, 10+ species have been confirmed in 105 blocks (!).
Rather than showing all of them, this time I'm going to highlight blocks where at least 30 species have been confirmed:
Blocks wwhere 30+ species have been confirmed breeding:
30 Baldwin Park NW
42 Burbank SE
31 El Monte SE
52 Hollywood NE
31 Long Beach CE
30 Long Beach SE
38 Los Alamitos CW
32 Los Angeles NW
38 Mount Wilson SE
34 Mount Wilson SW
38 Newhall CW
33 Ontario NW
49 Pasadena CE
35 Pasadena CW
42 San Dimas CE
69 San Dimas NE
30 San Fernando SE
43 Van Nuys CW
43 Venice NE
49 Whittier SE
San Dimas NE has the most with 69 (this includes Bonelli Regional Park)
If we rank them then we get:
69 San Dimas NE
52 Hollywood NE
49 Pasadena CE
49 Whittier SE
43 Van Nuys CW
43 Venice NE
42 Burbank SE
42 San Dimas CE
38 Los Alamitos CW
38 Mount Wilson SE
38 Newhall CW
35 Pasadena CW
34 Mount Wilson SW
33 Ontario NW
32 Los Angeles NW
31 El Monte SE
31 Long Beach CE
30 Baldwin Park NW
30 Long Beach SE
30 San Fernando SE
What about blocks where species have been coded?
Recall that coded = possible + probable + confirmed.
Blocks with at least 50 species with breeding codes:
59 Azusa CE
69 65 Baldwin Park NW
90 85 Burbank SE
61 51 Burbank SW
67 55 Chilao Flat CE
59 50 Chilao Flat SW
53 El Monte NE
70 66 El Monte SE
68 59 Glendora SE
58 Glendora SW
82 75 Hollywood NE
55 Hollywood NW
55 51 Hollywood SW
53 La Habra NW
69 65 Lake Hughes CW
56 50 Long Beach CE
64 63 Long Beach CW
59 54 Long Beach NW
64 57 Los Alamitos CW
51 Los Angeles CW
77 68 Los Angeles NW
69 66 Malibu Beach NW
59 Mescal Creek SW
58 Mint Canyon SW
50 Mount Baldy SW
72 72 Mount Wilson CE
66 61 Mount Wilson CW
61 52 Mount Wilson NE
60 56 Mount Wilson SE
72 67 Mount Wilson SW
60 52 Newhall CW
68 64 Ontario NW
86 83 Pasadena CE
64 62 Pasadena CW
59 54 Pasadena NE
52 Pasadena NW
75 73 Pasadena SE
51 Rosamond Lake CW
58 52 San Dimas CE
102 82 San Dimas NE
52 San Dimas NW
51 San Fernando NE
89 89 San Fernando SE
51 Torrance CW
53 Torrance SE
60 55 Valyermo CW
71 68 Valyermo NW
81 75 Van Nuys CW
77 69 Venice NE
51 50 Whitaker Peak NE
72 66 Whittier SE
The number on the left gives the number of species with a breeding code. The number next to it, if present, gives the number of species documented four weeks ago. If blank, then there were < 50 species previously.
There are now 51 blocks in which at least 50 species have been coded.
With the previous LA County Atlas in the 1990s, the organizers estimated a target number of species that should be present in each block, and of those, observers tried to find and assign a breeding code at least 90%. Of the species coded, observers tried to confirm at least 50%.
During the previous atlas, 50+ species were coded in 188 atlas blocks. So, after just over five months, we've already coded 50+ species in 51 blocks, which is 27% of the total from the 1990s. In this sense, we're well ahead of where things were with things were with the previous atlas in Los Angeles County ~30 years ago.
An important strategy for successful atlasing is to visit the same areas repeatedly. Your own neighbhorhood is a good place to start but so are local parks and trails that you visit frequently. The area where you work can also be productive.
Once you get a species to the "probable" leve, go back and try to move it to "confirmed." The more you do this the better you'll get at confirming breeding.
This can happen anywhere: for example, on Friday I confirmed house sparrows at a bank in a block where they hadn't even been reported yet. I just happened to notice them before getting into my car.
Brief Recap of Important Things from Previous Emails
Atlas Effort:
To see how much effort has been contributed, such as number of hours, number of species coded, confirmed, complete checklists, etc. go to:
Then enter "Los Angeles" into the "Explore Atlas Regions" field. This shows the broad summary I provided above plus detailed results for each species and each atlas block.
Joining the Atlas:
If you haven't contributed to the bird atlas yet, joining is easy. On a computer, go to https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home, scroll down a bit, and look for the green button marked "Join Project" on the left. Click on it and then you can contribute!
On a phone, start the eBird app, go to the settings, select the "Portal," and then select the California Bird Atlas.
We still have a long way to go, so if you haven't signed up yet, please join us!
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for June 6, 2026.
A BLACK SCOTER was at Alamitos Bay on June 5.
An injured COMMON GOLDENEYE continued along the Los Angeles River below the Los Feliz crossing through June 3.
A RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from May 29-31 and another was at Quail Lake from May 30-June 5.
An INCA DOVE continued in Lake Los Angeles through May 30. Exact location is 16711 Sweetaire Ave.
A BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS was seen well off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on May 31.
A MASKED BOOBY was at the Ballona Creek mouth in Playa del Rey on May 31.
Two COCOS BOOBIES were off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on May 31, and what was probably one of the same birds was seen from Pt. Vicente on June 3.
A lingering LEWIS’S WOODPECKER continued near Lake Hughes through May 30.
PURPLE MARTINS were at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB (letter of permission required for entry) and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on June 4.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER and a LUCY’S WARBLER were at the Los Angeles National Cemetery on June 1.
A HOODED WARBLER was along the Los Angeles River just above Fletcher Drive on May 30. A SUMMER TANAGER was in the same area from May 31-June 3.
A NORTHERN PARULA was at the Village Green Condominiums in Los Angeles on May 31. This is private property, but birders are welcome. Please be respectful of the residents.
A male SUMMER TANAGER continued along the San Gabriel River West Fork (north of Azusa off Highway 39 about two miles up the road) through May 31.
Another SUMMER TANAGER was at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on June 2.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were in La Canada on June 2 and at Aliso Canyon Park in Granada Hills on June 5.
-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
Implementing practices to improve forest health is increasingly urgent as
many North American landbirds continue to decline. GPC stewardship director
Adrian Wolf and Jefferson Land Trust preserve manager Carrie Clendaniel
will introduce Listen Up, a collaborative program using habitat
improvement, acoustic monitoring, and public outreach to support Western
Washington forest birds.
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.
Birding Location Guides!
We are excited to announce our new series of birding location guide videos,
which you can find both on our website
<https://www.labirders.org/locations.html> and our YouTube page
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3bMyFnQcPeMEseHFEcg25cXiD17x8Nn>.
As we all know, sometimes visiting a new-to-you birding hotspot can be a
bit confusing and intimidating - how do you know where to park, where to
go, and what the landmarks within these places are? Hopefully these guides
will help to demystify these locations. Featuring birders from around LA,
these guides offer overviews and introductions about how to visit these
spots and how best to bird them.
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 Events
6/7 First Sundays at the Huntington with Jon Feenstra (member only field
trip)
6/9 Listen Up: From Recordings to Restoration with Adrian Wolf and Carrie
Clendaniel (webinar)
6/13 San Bernardino Mountains with Brad Singer (field trip)
Date: 6/5/26 9:15 am From: Jeanette Repp via groups.io <jzlrepp...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Madrona Geese?
I enjoy walking and birding here about every month or 2, And this spring I'm surprised that I'm not seeing Canadian geese and goslings. Anyone know why?
Date: 6/2/26 6:00 pm From: Ron Cyger via groups.io <ron...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Pelagic trip report: 5/31/26
Hey Jon,
We're a..org,.not com on the email...
Ron
www.LABirders.org
On Tue, Jun 2, 2026, 5:20 PM Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra=
<alumni.caltech.edu...> wrote:
> LA Birders,
>
> Los Angeles Birders ran a 5 hour pelagic trip out of Redondo Beach last
> Sunday. Singular highlights were a Black-footed Albatross on the 270 Bank
> and a Cocos Booby off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We also had multiple
> Black Storm-Petrels, several quite close to the boat, and many Common
> Murres.
>
> There were birds to look at throughout the trip, mostly Sooty Shearwaters,
> a steady stream going northwest, but also a few hundred rafted up off the
> west end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
>
> Non-bird things included a couple of mola mola, a Guadalupe Fur Seal, and
> some Common Dolphin.
>
> The eBird trip report is here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/533102 >
> We don't yet have a date for the next one, but it will be this fall. 5
> hours in our nearshore waters is not only pretty decent birding, but great
> for those of you not sure if you want to spend a whole day on a boat. Keep
> an eye on www.losangelesbirders.com
>
> Jon Feenstra
> Pasadena
>
>
Date: 6/2/26 5:26 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Closure of Angeles Forest Highway this month
Birders,
With the California Bird Atlas "Big Weekend" coming up this Thursday through Sunday (4-7 June), it is possible that many of you would be exploring portions of the San Gabriel Mtns. to fill in data gaps or to reach blocks that have yet to have any coverage. You should be aware, then, that there is still a major road closure along the Angeles Crest Hwy., from Cedar Springs (about 3+ miles past Newcomb's Ranch) to Vincent Gap.
Now I have learned that Angeles Forest Highway will be closed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 to June 26 from Mount Emma Road to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. [Access will be maintained for residents, camps and emergency vehicles.] This complicates access to/from Palmdale and the Antelope Valley via this route (Hwy 14 is open of course). And if you planned to cover the Monte Cristo Campground area, or the Pacifico Mtn. or Mt. Gleason areas off Mill Creek Summit you'll have to keep in mind the road closure times. Also, Aliso Canyon would have to be accessed from the bottom end in Acton (the uppermost couple of miles of Aliso Canyon is ground zero for* Artemisiospiza belli belli,* the chaparral subspecies of Bell's Sparrow).
Date: 6/2/26 5:20 pm From: Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Pelagic trip report: 5/31/26
LA Birders,
Los Angeles Birders ran a 5 hour pelagic trip out of Redondo Beach last Sunday. Singular highlights were a Black-footed Albatross on the 270 Bank and a Cocos Booby off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We also had multiple Black Storm-Petrels, several quite close to the boat, and many Common Murres.
There were birds to look at throughout the trip, mostly Sooty Shearwaters, a steady stream going northwest, but also a few hundred rafted up off the west end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Non-bird things included a couple of mola mola, a Guadalupe Fur Seal, and some Common Dolphin.
We don't yet have a date for the next one, but it will be this fall. 5 hours in our nearshore waters is not only pretty decent birding, but great for those of you not sure if you want to spend a whole day on a boat. Keep an eye on www.losangelesbirders.com
Date: 5/31/26 5:22 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] The glut of Hooded Warblers
Birders,
Andy Birch noted that his Hooded Warbler along the Los Angeles River in Frogtown yesterday was the fifth one for Los Angeles County this spring. Hooded Warblers, like some other species with which they share a breeding range mainly in the southeastern USA, vary year to year in their occurrence in California, and many of these southeastern species (also including Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos, Kentucky Warblers, and Northern Parulas) demonstrate a pattern of appearance here that is often correlated with Hoodeds.
I looked through eBird data for "spring" (April through June) records of Hooded Warblers in Los Angeles County and 2026 does indeed stand out. But first many caveats, e.g.: (1) the eBird database is far from a complete record of vagrant occurrences. Many records (especially prior to about 2005 and certainly prior to 2000) have not been entered. Any search of records beyond a "back of cocktail napkin" estimate must also look at North American Birds reports (and NAB progenitors, like Field Notes, American Birds and Audubon Field Notes), specimen databases, and numerous regional bird books and journals [as well as records committee reports, but Hooded Warbler records in California were not reviewed by the CBRC after 1978.] (2) Many older records lack publicly available details, so their acceptance must rely on confidence in whatever review they received from county/regional compilers, journal/newsletter editors, etc. at the time. (3) The eBird database is fairly informative about year to year variation, but analysis of longer term trends must somehow take into account two opposing factors -- the explosion of birders and birding effort (and the ease with which birders can now report sightings), and the declines in populations of many (though not all) migratory songbirds.
Required reading on the subject of annual variation in the occurrence of Hooded Warblers and their cohorts on the West Coast is "Implications of vagrant southeastern vireos and warblers in California" by Michael A. Patten and Curtis A. Marantz, published in The Auk 113(4):911-923. [available through various research archives, including SORA: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/auk/ ] This paper analyzes the amazing spring/summer of 1992 when unprecedented numbers of many of these species occurred in California (including the first California breeding record of Hooded Warblers, at Descanso Gardens). The most likely explanations the authors suggested were westerly breeding range expansions of these species and anomalous winds and high pressure systems.
So how does 2026 stack up for Hooded Warblers in Los Angeles County? The five individuals recorded (and we still have the month of June to go) is the second highest total ever, exceeded only by the six individuals (not counting fledged young, but including two records not in eBird) in 1992. The only other years this century (2000-2026) with more than one Hooded Warbler in spring in the county were 2016, 2009, and 2006 (two birds each of those years). A single bird was recorded in eight years this century, and zero birds were found in 14 years.
As a rough measure of "co-occurrence" of Hooded Warbler and the other most numerous "southeastern" warbler, I note that 3.9 Northern Parulas were found in L. A. County in springs that also had records of Hooded Warbler, but only 2.1 Northern Parulas were found in springs with no Hooded Warblers. [Obviously there are more sophisticated ways of analyzing this.]
Date: 5/30/26 10:39 pm From: Andrew Birch via groups.io <andyrbirch...> Subject: [LACoBirds] male HOODED WARBLER, Frogtown
To add to the growing tally of male HOODED WARBLERS this spring in the county, the 5th of the spring was along the river in Frogtown this evening. Of potential interest is that it seemed to be paired with a nest-building female Yellow Warbler. This male was not singing and mostly silent but it stayed in very close proximity to a female Yellow that was actively building a nest in a small cottonwood next to the bike path.Â
If you do look for this bird, please exercise restraint and be patient, cautious and mindful that it may be attempting to breed, so please avoid playback or pressure it too much for photos.
34.10796613735554, -118.25616981148437
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for May 30, 2026.
A COMMON LOON was at the Hollywood Reservoir on May 26.
An OVENBIRD was at Descanso Gardens in La Canada on May 24.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER and a NORTHERN PARULA were at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB (letter of permission required for access) by the gazebo on May 30. An AMERICAN REDSTART was there on May 23.
A male HOODED WARBLER and a male SUMMER TANAGER were along the San Gabriel River West Fork (north of Azusa off Highway 39 about two miles up the road) from May 23-30.
A GRACE’S WARBLER was at the Peter Strauss Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains on May 25.
A SUMMER TANAGER was in Signal Hill (North Side Trails) on May 23.
-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: 5/28/26 10:09 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: LA County Blocks that need coverage
Hi Everyone, This will be the first of two emails this weekend about LA County results for the California Bird Atlas. About three weeks ago I highlighted atlas blocks that haven't received very much attention and encouraged observers to go to them and find birds. This email will provide an update on results and describe five more blocks that are effectively unsurveyed so far. Here are quick results for the ten blocks discussed last time:
Sunland NW
May 9: Only 4 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species.
May 28 update: 30 species coded with zero confirmed. Significant increase in the number of species coded.
Sunland CE
May 9: Only 10 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero.
May 28 update: 13 species coded with breeding confirmed for two.
Canoga Park SE
May 9: No species have been reported.
May 28 update: 11 species coded and breeding confirmed for five.
Topanga NE
May 9: No data.
May 28 update: 12 species coded with five confirmed breeding.
Malibu Beach NE
May 9: Only two species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species.
May 28 Update: No additional species have been recorded here! Eek!
Point Dume CE
May 9: No coverage.
May 28 update: Still zero coverage.
South Gate CW
May 9: No coverage This is a block in the urban core that has zero species coded or confirmed.
May 28 updte: Three species coded and breeding confirmed for one.
Glendora NE
May 9: This block hasn't received any attention yet.
May 28 update: 27 species coded and breeding confirmed for 10. Significant progress!
Glendora CE
May 9: No coverage.
May 28 update: 9 species coded with zero confirmed.
This is a block that includes a chunk of the San Dimas Experimental Forest.
Mescal Creek CW
May 9: Zero coverage.
May 28 update: No additional species yet.
El Mirage CW
May 9: This block has zero species coded or confirmed.
May 28 update: No additional species yet.
Naturally, people keep returning to their favorite spots and are boosting totals in many of those areas, but to complete the atlas, we need to branch out and survey places that aren't getting much (if any) attention.
In addition to the blocks mentioned above, here are five more that have little or no coverage. All are easy to access by car:
Azusa SE
This block has only 16 species coded with breeding confirmed for four. It covers most of Azusa but also a wide stretch of the San Gabriel River near Encanto Park with alluvial scrub, which usually has lesser nighthawks, barn owls, great horned owl, and numerous other things. There's a bike path along the east side of the river and large ponds near the NW corner of the block. This also includes the western end of Glendora Ridge, grasslands, chaparral, freeway bridges, residential areas, a golf course, parks, and a section of historic Route 66.
Baldwin Park CW
This block as 2.3 hours of effort but ZERO species with breeding codes! It's mostly residential but includes small parks, numerous fields at schools, a high-voltage power line corridor, numerous freeway bridges (good for swallows and swifts), and a vegetated section of Walnut Creek east of 605.
Perhaps its most notable attraction is the Original In-N-Out Burger Museum.
Los Angeles CE
This block has received 4.65 hours of effort but only 5 coded species, one of which has confirmed breeding. The block is east of downtown LA, includes Cal State Los Angeles, several parks, a golf course, freeway bridges, open space on some hills, and extensive residential areas.
Oat Mountain SW
This block has 0.2 hours of effort with zero species coded. It includes parts of the northwestern San Fernando Valley and Chatsworth. This area has a lot of residential neighborhoods, hillsides with chaparral and many large boulders, freeway bridges, and a large cemetery.
Sleepy Valley NE
This block has zero effort. It's west of Palmdale. It includes part of Elizabeth Lake Road through Leona Valley, the northeastern end of Boquet Canyon Road, and a lot of open space and chaparral.
So, if anyone could visit these blocks and report birds, we would really appreciate it!
Thank you for your help,
Lance
Lance Benner
Pasadena, CA
One of your friendly LA County Bird Atlas Regional Coordinators
This is a 5-hour trip, giving us the opportunity to explore more areas and
find more birds. We will depart in the early morning from King Harbor in
Redondo Beach and return around noon.
We will explore the areas around Redondo Canyon, an underwater canyon that
tends to have upwellings of food that attract birds. We will be on the
lookout for shearwaters, alcids, terns, gulls, phalaropes, jaegers, and
storm-petrels.
The trip will cost $100 per person, which includes a gratuity for the boat
crew. Note that we will be on a 65-foot boat on the open ocean, and that
there is a bit of a walk from the parking area to the boat. After making a
reservation below, you will receive a confirmation and you will be emailed
the meeting location.
Cancellations/refunds: LAB doesn’t make a profit on the trip, so we take a
loss if there are unfilled spots on the boat. So no refunds UNLESS (1) you
cancel more than 72 hours in advance, and (2) we can find someone to take
your spot. To cancel after you have signed up, please email
<info...> and we will contact people on the wait list on a
first-come-first-served basis to try to fill your spot. Please don’t try to
bypass the wait list by offering your spot to someone else.
All individuals under the age of 18 participating in a LAB sponsored event
must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult designated as
responsible for their well-being including their safety, behavior, and
compliance with all applicable rules and regulations during the course of
the event, program, activity, etc.
Birding Location Guides!
We are excited to announce our new series of birding location guide videos,
which you can find both on our website
<https://www.labirders.org/locations.html> and our YouTube page
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3bMyFnQcPeMEseHFEcg25cXiD17x8Nn>.
As we all know, sometimes visiting a new-to-you birding hotspot can be a
bit confusing and intimidating - how do you know where to park, where to
go, and what the landmarks within these places are? Hopefully these guides
will help to demystify these locations. Featuring birders from around LA,
these guides offer overviews and introductions about how to visit these
spots and how best to bird them.
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 Events
6/7 First Sundays at the Huntington (member-only field trip)
6/9 Listen Up: From Recordings to Restoration with Adrian Wolf and Carrie
Clendaniel (webinar)
6/13 San Bernardino Mountains with Brad Singer (member-priority field trip)
Date: 5/23/26 1:00 pm From: Jon Fisher via groups.io <JonF60...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles RBA- May 23 2026
- RBA
* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 23, 2026
* CALA2605.23
-Birds mentioned
Common Goldeneye
Inca Dove
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Purple Martin
Baltimore Oriole
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Summer Tanager
Indigo Bunting
California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/
Date: 5/20/26 3:32 pm From: golfbirdie25 via groups.io <turlslb...> Subject: [LACoBirds] No. Parula in Long Beach
A Northern Parula was discovered today in El Dorado Natue Center by Erin Kellogg, the manager. I just observed it in the area between the entrance and the first bridge.
The Nature Center is open 8 to 5, no entry after 4:30.
Becky Turley
Long Beach
Date: 5/19/26 5:01 pm From: Luke Tiller via groups.io <luke.tiller...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Pasadena Audubon Society Movie Night at Deb's Park
Hi all,
Come and join PAS for a screening of the movie Hawk Watch (about the Anza Borrego raptor monitoring project) under the stars at Debs Park tomorrow night. It looks like being a lovely evening for it.
Date: 5/17/26 12:55 pm From: Jon Fisher via groups.io <JonF60...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles RBA- May 17 2026
- RBA
* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 17, 2026
* CALA2605.17
-Birds mentioned
Greater Scaup
White-winged Dove
Black Swift
Solitary Sandpiper
Broad-winged Hawk
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Purple Martin
Tennessee Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Summer Tanager
California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/
