Date: 6/19/19 2:35 pm From: kims.sight via Groups.Io <kims.sight=<verizon.net...> Subject: [LACoBirds] American redstart at Wardlow Park
Just found an American redstart male singing at Wardlow park in the same area is where the red-faced warbler was. Kim Moore, Long Beach yeah how do I send it
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Date: 6/17/19 2:35 pm From: Tom Benson via Groups.Io <thomasabenson=<aol.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] SBVAS pelagic trip, August 17
Hello birders,
Just a reminder that there are still spaces available on SBVAS's deep water pelagic trip on Saturday, August 17. Multiple Cook's Petrels and Red-billed Tropicbirds were seen off San Clemente Island 10 days ago, so this may be another good summer for these species (we had 15+ petrels and 1 tropicbird on a similar trip last year). To reserve a space on the trip, email me (see below) with your name and phone number, the number of spaces you want to reserve, and the names of those in your party. For more details, see the message below, or view the complete trip write-up at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/09ca00_1a6e930342f144668475f20302657718.pdf.
Tom
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Benson
Sent: Thu, May 23, 2019
Subject: SBVAS pelagic trip, August 17
Birders,
SBVAS is sponsoring a 17-hour pelagic trip to the offshore waters south of San Clemente Island on Saturday, August 17, 2019. We will be departing from Dana Point aboard the R/V Sea Explorer at 5:00 AM and returning at 10:00 PM. Our tentative plan will be to travel south across the north end of Thirtymile Bank to look for the storm-petrel flock that often hangs out there, then continue on to Fortymile Bank. If sea conditions are favorable and time permits, we should have time to travel further offshore to Butterfly Bank and Santo Tomas Knoll. We will then return northeast to explore the waters of the San Clemente Basin before eventually heading back to Dana Point. We will be spending almost the entire day in Los Angeles County waters. The cost for the trip is $200 per person. To reserve a space on the trip, email me (see below) with your name and phone number, the number of spaces you want to reserve, and the names of those in your party. Please indicate if you are an SBVAS member. For more details, please visit the SBVAS website: www.sbvas.net.
Tom BensonSan Bernardino Valley Audubon Societythomasabenson AT aol.com
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Date: 6/14/19 4:35 pm From: John Thomlinson via Groups.Io <la_limey_birder=<yahoo.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Y-h Blackbird, Least Bittern at Ken Malloy
There was a male Yellow-headed Blackbird hanging out with the Red-winged Blackbird flock by the middle parking lot on Vermont (opposite Kaiser's Vermont Pavilion). I also saw the Least Bittern, flying across the lake from west to east, then perching in the tules on the east bank more or less in line with the yellow structure out in the lake.
John Thomlinson
San Pedro and CSU Dominguez Hills "It is absolutely a crime for any man to die possessed of useful knowledge in which nobody shares." J.A.L. Waddell, 1916.
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Date: 6/14/19 4:18 pm From: Bernardo Alps <whalephoto...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Probable American Oystercatcher at Cabrillo Beach
Sorry, I sent this from my phone earlier but it didn't go through.
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Bernardo Alps <bernardo.alps...> Date: Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 4:14 PM Subject: Fwd: Probable American Oystercatcher at Cabrillo Beach To: Bernardo Alps <Whalephoto...>
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Bernardo Alps <bernardo.alps...> Date: Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 11:55 AM Subject: Probable American Oystercatcher at Cabrillo Beach To: LACoBirds <lacobirds...>
Hi all.
There is a pied oystercatcher that looks pretty good for American Oystercatcher on the Port of Los Angels breakwater opposite the Cabrillo Beach fishing pier right now. I watched it for about 20 minutes and the whole time it was resting on top of the breakwater without moving. The bird is opposite an area about halfway between the gazebo and the far end of the pier.
Take care,
Bernardo
Bernardo Alps San Pedro, CA
-- Bernardo Alps Wildlife Biologist California Whales & Wildlife www.photocetus.com <bernardo.alps...> 310.597.0449 P.O. Box 1667 San Pedro, CA 90733
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This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for June 14.
A HORNED GREBE was in the lower Ballona Creek channel below Culver Blvd. on June 8.
A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON continued at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh through June 7 along the Lincoln Blvd. arm of the marsh. Either the same or another YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was along lower Ballona Creek (below the Culver Blvd. crossing) on June 7.
Inadvertently left off last weeks RBA was a FLAMMULATED OWL that managed to find its way inside a house in Manhattan Beach on June 4.
A PLUMEBOUS VIREO was at Big Rock Campground near Valyermo on June 9. At nearby Sycamore Flat Campground, a SUMMER TANAGER was found on June 9.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB (letter of permission required) on June 11. The bird was along C-dike by the northeast corner of Big Piute. On June 10, a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was near the parking one area on June 10.
A late TOWNSENDS WARBLER was at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood on June 9.
A SUMMER TANAGER was at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach on June 7 along the northwest fence line behind the restrooms.
San Clemente Island had a RED-EYD VIREO on June 6, a continuing BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER on June 5, and a NORTHERN PARULA and a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK from June 7-9. A RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD and three COOKS PETRELS were near the island on June 8.
- 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
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Bird found this AM by Jon Feenstra present at 2 PM. Singing as I drove up at 99 degrees but quiet from then on though moving around a good deal in the tamarisk.. 15 yds east of Spillway/low spot Ave. C before Ave. C turns east.
Reminder: new security issues w EAFB so need to make sure to have status updated.
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Date: 6/7/19 4:46 pm From: Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Common Murres and Black Swifts
Tuesday 6/4/2019 I needed to go to the far end of Catalina Island (at the isthmus) to inspect USC's marine biology lab. They always take me out there on their boat, which unfortunately, is very fast. The one good thing this time was that it was a different boat and a different Captain, a Kiwi who obligingly passed both sides of Bird Rock at slow speed. However, he could not slow down when we passed five different feeding frenzies mid Channel. Each feeding frenzy was composed of multiple species of porpoises, gulls, terns, and alcids. If there were any storm petrels, we were going by too fast and just far enough away for me to see them. The highlights for me were a good number of Common Murres, and some Scripps' Murrelets. Bird Rock had at least eight juvenile Heermann's Gulls. I don't know where they hatched, but it's good to see birds that young as an indicator that their population hopefully might bounce back from that crash a few years ago.
Amazingly, on the way back the entire trip was utterly devoid of unusual or interesting seabirds, but the Minke Whale was nice.
While we were at marine biology lab on the island, I walked around checking trees and bushes, with fantasies of finding some kind of very cool lost Eastern vagrants, but no dice.
I have been obsessively hiking Claremont Wilderness Park, walking the one mile uphill to the bench on the Cobal Canyon Trail, and looking down hill for Black Swifts in vain since May 10th. A few weeks ago I saw three birds that I suspected were Black Swifts, but they contemptuously stayed just far enough away to where I could never lock in the ID.
Today 6/7/2019, I walked due west from the lower parking lot in the direction of the steep hill that has a power & telephone building at its top.
While I was at the beginning of the trail that goes up to that Telephone Company building, and while standing pretty darn close to the same spot where the Harris's Sparrow was a couple of winters ago, I got better looks at three Black Swifts who were with a surprisingly small number of Cliff Swallows. Usually, the black Swifts associate with a large flock of Cliff Swallows. I saw them around 1:15. The mixed flock then soared away, past the steep hill, towards Johnson's Pasture. When I got to the top of the steep hill and arrived at the phone company building I spent a lot of time scanning Johnson's Pasture but did not see any swifts or swallows around there. But the baby rattlesnake (photos) was cool. No matter, these birds probably soar large distances in a short amount of time, so if you want to look for a Black Swifts in the morning or the middle of the day, I would recommend standing around the Harris's Sparrow spot or perhaps walking a couple hundred yards up the fire trail, where I encountered an adult male Lawrence's Goldfinch along the temporary stream that is crossing the fire road/hiking trail:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57175953 Tom
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
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This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for June 7.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on June 2.
A WHIMBREL and a COMMON LOON were at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on June 4, with the loon present through June 6. A PURPLE MARTIN was here on June 6. As always, a letter of permission is required to enter.
Two immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh on June 2 along the Lincoln Blvd. arm of the marsh.
Another YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was at the Jack Dunster Marine Reserve in Long Beach from June 4-6. Another continued at Sims Bio Pond also in Long Beach through June 5.
A PLUMEBOUS VIREO was along Big Rock Creek Road near Valyermo on June 2.
Of note was a RED CROSSBILL at Mt. Wilson on June 3.
A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was at UCLA on June 2. This bird appeared to be injured, explaining the late date.
The GRACES WARBLER continued at Charlton Flat through June 2. It moves around the flat (in the picnic area), but is usually singing. It has been fairly consistent near parking area 3.
A SUMMER TANAGER was at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach on June 4.
A ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on June 1. It was in Area 2 around the archery range.
San Clemente Island produced the following birds this week. An OVENBIRD, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, CAPE MAY WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, INDIGO BUNTING and a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Most were seen either on or through June 6. Of course there is no public access to the island.
- 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
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Date: 6/6/19 11:46 am From: Kimball Garrett <kgarrett...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Flammulated Owl in Manhattan Beach (not chaseable)
Birders,
On Tuesday, June 4, South Bay Wildlife Rehab in Palos Verdes received a Flammulated Owl that had apparently flown inside a house in Manhattan Beach. The identity of the bird was confirmed by photos sent to me by Christina of the SBWR staff. The bird will be kept for observation and to gain a bit of weight, then released at an as-yet undetermined site.
There are very few records of Flammulated Owls in the coastal lowlands, and most of those are from the fall. One was on Pt. Loma in San Diego Co. 30-31 May 1991, but I can't think of other coastal spring migrant reports right off hand. This is a fairly common and highly migratory species, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are other such odd occurrences in the future. You might want to check inside your houses.
Kimball
Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 <kgarrett...>
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Today, while looking for Dark-eyed Junco nests, a few undergrads and I stumbled into a very late White-crowned Sparrow. just south of MacGowan Hall on the UCLA campus. This is the north side of the so-called Sculpture Garden. Not sure the subspecies, except for it definitely not being Oriantha. Also, one wing was significantly drooping below the tail, suggesting a potential wing injury; we did not observe it fly. However, it was foraging quite actively underneath a Juniper hedge. White-crowneds are surprisingly rare on most of campus in winter (I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen them other than the undeveloped "Sage Hill" area).
I didn't have a camera, but my undergrad assistant was able to get some diagnostic cell phone photos and sent them to me.
Link to the ebird checklist ( https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57012513 )
Good birding
Samuel Bressler
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Date: 6/2/19 9:46 am From: Don Sterba <donsterba...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Yellow-crowned Night Herons (2) at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh
Sun 2 June
Yesterday morning there were two immature Yellow-crowned Night Herons visible from the public path near Lincoln Blvd. One was at the chain link water inlet near the intersection of Lincoln & Jefferson Blvd at 33.971222, -118.430686
The 2nd imm YCNH was at about 33.970778, -118.430432, around 70 yds further south of the 1st bird. This 2nd bird sports a single, narrow, white plume on its head.
[image: YCNH_09883-adj.jpg] [image: YCNH_09895-adj.jpg] There will be an eBird checklist later.
Don Sterba Culver City
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Date: 6/2/19 12:12 am From: Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
The one thing that I have not heard from anybody so far is what we can do to persuade them to change their minds. This new status is the product of the mind of some manager at the facility. We need to find this person and convince him to allow birders to visit. Considering that there have been no incidents involving birder. I don't think it would be difficult.
Tom
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
________________________________
From: <LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...> on behalf of David Bell <d...>
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2019 4:07:32 PM
To: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Kimball pointed out that this was a good opportunity to update the name of the eBird hotspot to “Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (closed to birders)”. A couple of notes:
1. Although the plant is not closing to the public until July 1, 2019, the managers of the plant have made it clear that they want online birding resources like eBird to remove it as a suggested place to go birding effective immediately.
2. I also took the opportunity to correct the name to “Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant” which is how it is listed on their website and Google maps. I generally try to use the same names as google maps to make life easier for people trying to find hotspots on a map.
Dave
From: <LACoBirds...> on behalf of "Chuck & Lillian via Groups.Io" <misclists=<verizon.net...>
Reply-To: <misclists...>
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 12:32 PM
To: wild wings <wildwingsla...>, Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...>
Cc: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
with an OK from the sanitation dept, to read as follows:
A8. LANCASTER WATER RECLAMATION PLANT: Closed to all casual birders and other visitors as of July 1, 2019. Formal tours for organizations can be arranged by calling their Public Information Office in advance at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300, or visit their website<https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp>. Ave. D & 20th St.
Chuck Almdale
North Hills, Ca.
SMBAS Blog Editor
At 09:51 PM 5/31/2019, wild wings wrote:
This is the letter the sanitation department sent out:
The Sanitation Districts own and operate the Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) located at 1865 W. Avenue D in Lancaster. This wastewater treatment facility is listed on http://birdladay.org/birding-hotspots/ as a “birding hotspotâ€�. It’s referred to on your map as the “Lancaster Sewage Pondsâ€� – but please noote the facility was significantly upgraded several years ago and no longer operates “sewage pondsâ€� – the facility now operatess as a conventional tertiary-treatment plant.
For security and liability reasons, public access to the Lancaster WRP will no longer be permitted effective July 1, 2019<x-apple-data-detectors://7>. We kindly request that you remove references to our facility from your website.
If your organization is interested in arranging a formal tour of the Lancaster WRP, please contact our Public Information Office at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300<tel:(562)%20908-4288;2300> or visit our website at https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp.
Scott Logan
Sherman Oaks
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
________________________________
From: <LACoBirds...><mailto:<LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...><mailto:<LACoBirds...>> on behalf of Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io < merryledel=<yahoo.com...><mailto:merryledel=<yahoo.com...>> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:13:03 PM
To: LA County Io Listserv
Cc: <LACoBirds...><mailto:<LACoBirds...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Birders, today we were advised by staff that access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
Merryl Edelstein
Long Beach
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Date: 6/1/19 4:07 pm From: David Bell <d...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Kimball pointed out that this was a good opportunity to update the name of the eBird hotspot to “Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (closed to birders)”. A couple of notes:
Although the plant is not closing to the public until July 1, 2019, the managers of the plant have made it clear that they want online birding resources like eBird to remove it as a suggested place to go birding effective immediately.
I also took the opportunity to correct the name to “Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant” which is how it is listed on their website and Google maps. I generally try to use the same names as google maps to make life easier for people trying to find hotspots on a map.
Dave
From: <LACoBirds...> on behalf of "Chuck & Lillian via Groups.Io" <misclists=<verizon.net...>
Reply-To: <misclists...>
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 12:32 PM
To: wild wings <wildwingsla...>, Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...>
Cc: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
with an OK from the sanitation dept, to read as follows:
A8. LANCASTER WATER RECLAMATION PLANT: Closed to all casual birders and other visitors as of July 1, 2019. Formal tours for organizations can be arranged by calling their Public Information Office in advance at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300, or visit their website. Ave. D & 20th St.
Chuck Almdale
North Hills, Ca.
SMBAS Blog Editor
At 09:51 PM 5/31/2019, wild wings wrote:
This is the letter the sanitation department sent out:
The Sanitation Districts own and operate the Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) located at 1865 W. Avenue D in Lancaster. This wastewater treatment facility is listed on http://birdladay.org/birding-hotspots/ as a âbirding hotspotâ�. Itâs referred to on your map as the âLancaster Sewage Pondsâ� but please noote the facility was significantly upgraded several years ago and no longer operates âsewage pondsâ� the facility now operatess as a conventional tertiary-treatment plant.
For security and liability reasons, public access to the Lancaster WRP will no longer be permitted effective July 1, 2019. We kindly request that you remove references to our facility from your website.
If your organization is interested in arranging a formal tour of the Lancaster WRP, please contact our Public Information Office at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300 or visit our website at https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp.
Scott Logan
Sherman Oaks
Please ignore typos - sent from my iPhone
On May 31, 2019, at 7:00 PM, Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...> > wrote:
Did they elaborate???
Tom
Claremont
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
From: <LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...> on behalf of Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io < merryledel=<yahoo.com...>
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:13:03 PM
To: LA County Io Listserv
Cc: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Birders, today we were advised by staff that access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
Merryl Edelstein
Long Beach
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Date: 6/1/19 12:32 pm From: Chuck & Lillian via Groups.Io <misclists=<verizon.net...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
with an OK from the sanitation dept, to read as follows:
A8. LANCASTER WATER RECLAMATION PLANT: Closed
to all casual birders and other visitors as of
July 1, 2019. Formal tours for organizations can
be arranged by calling their Public Information
Office in advance at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300,
or visit their
<https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp>website. Ave. D & 20th St.
Chuck Almdale
North Hills, Ca.
SMBAS Blog Editor
At 09:51 PM 5/31/2019, wild wings wrote:
>This is the letter the sanitation department sent out:
>
>The Sanitation Districts own and operate the
>Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) located
>at 1865 W. Avenue D in Lancaster. This
>wastewater treatment facility is listed
>on<http://birdladay.org/birding-hotspots/>http://birdladay.org/birding-hotspots/ >as a “birding hotspot�. It’s referred to
>on your map as the “Lancaster Sewage Ponds�
> but please noote the facility was
>significantly upgraded several years ago and no
>longer operates “sewage ponds� the
>facility now operatess as a conventional tertiary-treatment plant.
>
>For security and liability reasons, public
>access to the Lancaster WRP will no longer be
>permitted effective
><x-apple-data-detectors://7>July 1, 2019. We
>kindly request that you remove references to our facility from your website.
>
>If your organization is interested in arranging
>a formal tour of the Lancaster WRP, please
>contact our Public Information Office at
><tel:(562)%20908-4288;2300>(562) 908-4288, ext.
>2300 or visit our website
>at<https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp>https://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp.
>Scott Logan
>Sherman Oaks
>
>
>Please ignore typos - sent from my iPhone
>
>On May 31, 2019, at 7:00 PM, Thomas Miko
><<mailto:<thomas_miko...><thomas_miko...> wrote:
>
>>Did they elaborate???
>>Tom
>>Claremont
>>
>>Thomas Geza Miko
>>653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
>>Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
>>909.241.3300
>>Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
>>
>>
>>----------
>>From:
>><mailto:<LACoBirds...><LACoBirds...> >><<mailto:<LACoBirds...><LACoBirds...> >> > on behalf of Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io
>><<mailto:merryledel=<yahoo.com...>merryledel=<yahoo.com...> >>Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:13:03 PM
>>To: LA County Io Listserv
>>Cc: <mailto:<LACoBirds...><LACoBirds...> >>Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment
>>Plant to Close to Birders end of June
>>
>>Birders, today we were advised by staff that
>>access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
>>
>>Merryl Edelstein
>>
>>Long Beach
>
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Date: 5/31/19 9:52 pm From: wild wings <wildwingsla...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
This is the letter the sanitation department sent out:
The Sanitation Districts own and operate the Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) located at 1865 W. Avenue D in Lancaster. This wastewater treatment facility is listed onhttp://birdladay.org/birding-hotspots/ as a “birding hotspot”. It’s referred to on your map as the “Lancaster Sewage Ponds” – but please note the facility was significantly upgraded several years ago and no longer operates “sewage ponds” – the facility now operates as a conventional tertiary-treatment plant.
For security and liability reasons, public access to the Lancaster WRP will no longer be permitted effective July 1, 2019. We kindly request that you remove references to our facility from your website.
If your organization is interested in arranging a formal tour of the Lancaster WRP, please contact our Public Information Office at (562) 908-4288, ext. 2300 or visit our website athttps://www.lacsd.org/education/tours/default.asp.
Scott Logan
Sherman Oaks
Please ignore typos - sent from my iPhone
> On May 31, 2019, at 7:00 PM, Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...> wrote:
>
> Did they elaborate???
> Tom
> Claremont
>
> Thomas Geza Miko
> 653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
> Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
> 909.241.3300
> Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
>
> From: <LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...> on behalf of Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io <merryledel=<yahoo.com...>
> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:13:03 PM
> To: LA County Io Listserv
> Cc: <LACoBirds...>
> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
>
> Birders, today we were advised by staff that access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
>
> Merryl Edelstein
>
> Long Beach
>
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Date: 5/31/19 7:00 pm From: Thomas Miko <thomas_miko...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Did they elaborate???
Tom
Claremont
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
________________________________
From: <LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...> on behalf of Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io <merryledel=<yahoo.com...>
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:13:03 PM
To: LA County Io Listserv
Cc: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Birders, today we were advised by staff that access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
Merryl Edelstein
Long Beach
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This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for May 31.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was at Ken Malloy harbor Regional Park in Harbor City on May 26. Continuing at the park through May 27 was a TROPICAL KINGBIRD.
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER was at the San Pedro Fishing Pier (Cabrillo Beach) on May 25.
A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB from May 29-30. It was seen on the north side of Thoreau Pond. Remember that a letter of permission is necessary
to enter this area.
A COMMON LOON was on the lake at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on May 28 and a NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was at Bonelli through May 29 close to the north shore. Two were present on May 27.
A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was at Alamitos Bay in Long Beach (adjacent to Mothers Beach Boat Dock) on May 23.
Late or lingering NORTHERN HARRIERS were at the Ballona Wetlands near Playa Vista on May 26 and at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach on May 27.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Kenneth Hahn SRA in Baldwin Hills on May 29.
An OVENBIRD was at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood on May 25. It was north of Monte Verde Park and south of Del Amo, along the fence backing the row of houses.
A GRACES WARBLER continued at Charlton Flat through May 30. It moves around the flat (picnic area), but is usually singing. It has been fairly consistent near parking area 3.
A male SUMMER TANAGER was near Sycamore Flat Campground in the San Gabriel Mountains from May 27-30. It was about four tenths of a mile downstream from the campground.
A ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was on San Clemente Island on May 28 and a MAGNOLIA WARBLER was found there on May 31.
- 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
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Date: 5/30/19 7:13 pm From: Merryl Edelstein via Groups.Io <merryledel=<yahoo.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster Water Treatment Plant to Close to Birders end of June
Birders, today we were advised by staff that access to the Lancaster Plant will cease after June 30, 2019.
Merryl Edelstein
Long Beach
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I ran into Jim Moore in the Antelope Valley late this afternoon (Thursday 5/30/19), and he said that he (they) did not find the Sharp tailed Sandpiper.
Tom Miko
Claremont (eventually)
Thomas Geza Miko
653 S. Indian Hill Blvd, #C
Claremont, LA County, CA 91711
909.241.3300
Cafeam bibi ut alii vivere.
________________________________
From: <LACoBirds...> <LACoBirds...> on behalf of Chris Dean via Groups.Io <chrisanndean=<yahoo.com...>
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 6:15:43 AM
To: LA County io Listserv
Cc: <LACoBirds...>
Subject: [LACoBirds] Continuing Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Hi,
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper continues at Piute Ponds in north Thoreau.
Chris Dean, Silver Lake
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Date: 5/30/19 2:10 am From: <busyday...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] LA parks and rec tree trimming during nesting bird season
Morgan,
The general manager of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is Michael A. Shull. (213) 202-2633 <michael.a.shull...>
His secretary is Monika Leisring. (213) 202-2633 <monika.leisring...>
Richard Barth West Hollywood
---- morgan carly edel <morgan.c.edel...> wrote: > Hi everyone, > > Perhaps slightly off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has information > regarding LA Parks and Rec (very aggressively) tree trimming during the > height of nesting bird season? This is taking place in Echo Park, with > bucket trucks and chainsaws. It is a very large scale operation and the > trimming is quite aggressive, taking place on at least 20 mature trees. > I've seen parks and recs do this directly, but they've subcontracted it out > this year. Presently, I'm seeing them hacking apart palm trees that > definitely have active acorn woodpecker cavities in them, plus house finch > nests and I've also seen a few oriole nests on the leaves/fronds. There's > also an active RTHA nest within a 500 foot buffer of the trimming so I > guess I just don't understand the legality/compliance, i.e.,how this is > being done above board. I talked to the company doing the trimming, they > said they don't know anything about nesting birds or environmental > clearances. > > I'm a wildlife biologist and do this for a living, yet I cannot figure out > who to call or talk to regarding clarification pertaining to the (if they > even have one) environmental clearance for this work, or who is accountable > for this poorly timed decision. The city tells people not to trim trees > this time of year, yet they do it themselves - I think it sets a really bad > example. I would, optimally, also like to figure out who is making these > decisions, or at least who listens to local stakeholders like myself, so I > can hopefully lobby for them to trim a different time of year next year, if > nothing else. I'm speaking specially about Echo Park, but any relevant info > or resources would be welcome. > > If this is OT or inappropriate, I apologize. Thanks for taking the time to > read, if you made it this far. This truly makes me so angry, I just want to > use my anger constructively to attempt to find mutually beneficial > solutions to minimize further impacts to nesting birds. > > Thanks, > Morgan C. Edel > > >
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Date: 5/29/19 10:53 pm From: morgan carly edel <morgan.c.edel...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA parks and rec tree trimming during nesting bird season
Hi everyone,
Perhaps slightly off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has information regarding LA Parks and Rec (very aggressively) tree trimming during the height of nesting bird season? This is taking place in Echo Park, with bucket trucks and chainsaws. It is a very large scale operation and the trimming is quite aggressive, taking place on at least 20 mature trees. I've seen parks and recs do this directly, but they've subcontracted it out this year. Presently, I'm seeing them hacking apart palm trees that definitely have active acorn woodpecker cavities in them, plus house finch nests and I've also seen a few oriole nests on the leaves/fronds. There's also an active RTHA nest within a 500 foot buffer of the trimming so I guess I just don't understand the legality/compliance, i.e.,how this is being done above board. I talked to the company doing the trimming, they said they don't know anything about nesting birds or environmental clearances.
I'm a wildlife biologist and do this for a living, yet I cannot figure out who to call or talk to regarding clarification pertaining to the (if they even have one) environmental clearance for this work, or who is accountable for this poorly timed decision. The city tells people not to trim trees this time of year, yet they do it themselves - I think it sets a really bad example. I would, optimally, also like to figure out who is making these decisions, or at least who listens to local stakeholders like myself, so I can hopefully lobby for them to trim a different time of year next year, if nothing else. I'm speaking specially about Echo Park, but any relevant info or resources would be welcome.
If this is OT or inappropriate, I apologize. Thanks for taking the time to read, if you made it this far. This truly makes me so angry, I just want to use my anger constructively to attempt to find mutually beneficial solutions to minimize further impacts to nesting birds.
Thanks, Morgan C. Edel
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Date: 5/29/19 10:52 pm From: Al Watts <AW4572...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Sorry, forgot the picture!
So about 2 years ago I stuck a bird house in a tree in my front yard with no success. About two weeks ago I noticed some action and lo an behold I have three baby Bluebirds in it being tended to faithfully by a mother and father. I'm jazzed, this is my first. I've noted something while watching the house ofver the last couple of weeks. There is an Allens Humming bird that likes to sit about 3 to 4 feet from the birdhouse door. He will sit there for 5 minutes or so at a time and always returns. The adult Bluebirds don't seem to have a problem with it but it seemed strange to me.
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Date: 5/29/19 10:52 pm From: Al Watts <AW4572...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Allen's hummingbird baby sitting my baby Bluebirds
So about 2 years ago I stuck a bird house in a tree in my front yard with no success. About two weeks ago I noticed some action and lo an behold I have three baby Bluebirds in it being tended to faithfully by a mother and father. I'm jazzed, this is my first. I've noted something while watching the house ofver the last couple of weeks. There is an Allens Humming bird that likes to sit about 3 to 4 feet from the birdhouse door. He will sit there for 5 minutes or so at a time and always returns. The adult Bluebirds don't seem to have a problem with it but it seemed strange to me.
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Date: 5/29/19 2:32 pm From: Ryan Terrill <Ornithoterrill...> Subject: [LACoBirds] STAS still present at Piute Ponds (Permit required)
Birders -
The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER found earlier today by Jon Feenstra is still
present at the north end of Thoreau pond at Piute Ponds. A base pass is
required for access. I’ve added a few digiscoped photos here:
Date: 5/28/19 12:27 pm From: Wanda <wandadameron2...> [LACoBirds] <LACoBirds-noreply...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Re: Fwd: BIRD SONG OPERA
For > > Delightful couple of minutes: > *Subject:* *Fwd: BIRD SONG OPERA* >> >> With a song in my ❤️! Enjoy! >>> >>>> *Subject: **Fwd: BIRD SONG OPERA* >>>>>> >>>>>> http://volkerpannes.de/portfolio/bird-song-opera/ >>>>>> >>>>>> ** >>>>>> >>>>>> ** >>>>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>> >>>
Date: 5/28/19 10:41 am From: <lbenner...> [LACoBirds] <LACoBirds-noreply...> Subject: [LACoBirds] America's Birdiest County correction: 257 Species!
Hi Everyone,
David Ellsworth kindy provided photos of an indigo bunting he found
during ABC weekend, so our final total this year was actually 257
species, not 256 as I previously announced.
This was only the second time that indigo bunting has been found
during this event in Los Angeles County so it was one of the more
notable species this year.
Date: 5/28/19 10:41 am From: Lance Benner <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] America's Birdiest County correction: 257 Species!
Hi Everyone,
David Ellsworth kindy provided photos of an indigo bunting he found
during ABC weekend, so our final total this year was actually 257
species, not 256 as I previously announced.
This was only the second time that indigo bunting has been found
during this event in Los Angeles County so it was one of the more
notable species this year.
Regards,
Lance
Lance BennerAltadena, CA
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Date: 5/27/19 8:03 pm From: Alex Viduetsky via Groups.Io <aviduetsky=<yahoo.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Brown Pelican at Malibu Creek State Park on May 27, 2019
Hello birders,
Today, on Monday, May 27, 19, at 11:42 AM, I photographed one Brown Pelican flying along the Southern trail at Malibu Creek SP.According to the e-bird, this species had never been spotted there before.If interested, here's my e-bird check-list from today: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56821545
My photo was GPS-tagged: Latitude: 34; 5; 52.110000000000589Longitude: 118; 43; 18.407999999995
Here's the link to my Flickr page with the Pelican's photo:Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
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Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Taken at Malibu Creek State Park, California on May 27, 2019.
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Besides the Pelican, there was also one Costa's Hummingbird among the usual suspects.
Good birding,Alexander ViduetskyValley Village, CA
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Date: 5/26/19 3:11 pm From: Edmond Griffin <eegriffin2...> Subject: [LACoBirds] White-winged Dove in Harbor Park - May 26, 2019
Hi All,
Today while waiting im/patiently for the Yellow-breated Chat to appear I saw something remarkable - a White-winged Dove! It flew by me as I stood at 33°47′3″ N 118°17′50″ W. My checklist with the location is here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56764171. The dove was flying towards Harbor College when it left my sight.
It appears that there was one other sighting 20 years ago by none other than Mike San Miguel. Now, that is some fine company!
Ed Griffin
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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Date: 5/24/19 10:49 am From: Andrew Birch via Groups.Io <andyrbirch=<yahoo.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] chaetura-type swift @ Glendale Narrows Riverwalk hotspot
Hi all, in case anyone is interested (or can take better photos than me), over the past few days, I've been seeing this rather bulky-winged all dark chaetura swift at Glendale Narrows Riverwalk (photos in ebird list link below). With all due warning, there are still Vaux's around. I had a dozen at this spot earlier in the week but numbers have dwindled to just 1 Vaux's past few days. This bird in question seems to stay higher above the river than the Vaux's which makes for direct comparison difficult. Weather has been cloudy when I've seen it eg this sunny am, there were no swifts around. eBird Checklist - 23 May 2019 - Glendale Narrows Riverwalk - 3 species (+1 other taxa)
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To access this spot, there is a very large hole in the fence to the bike path opposite the Ferraro Soccer Fields. The hole is a few yards to the left of the locked bike path gate (if you are facing the river). Most of the swift activity is across the river over the GWP plant. Best, Andy BirchLos Feliz
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Date: 5/24/19 10:48 am From: Lance Benner <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] America's Birdiest County Summary: 256 Species
Greetings Everyone,
This is the final summary for America's Birdiest County in Los Angeles
in 2019.
The final total this year was 256 species. After the last update, we
added some species that were reported in eBird and subtracted a couple
due to eBird data entry errors or lack of documentation.
How does our total compare with results from previous years?
Here are America's Birdiest County totals for Los Angeles County since
2003:
Year Total
2019 256
2018 263
2017 264
2016 270
2015 275
2014 272
2013 265
2012 262
2011 277
2010 271
2009 264
2008 255
2007 271
2006 263 Format changed from one day to three days; more organization
2005 246
2004 239
2003 239
Average from 2003-present: 261.9 +- 11.6
Our total in 2019 was six species below our long-term average of 262.
Finding 256 species takes a lot of effort, and we got that many
because a lot of very dedicated and knowledgeable people went into the
field on April 26-28 and covered the majority of the most important
locations for birds across the county. This resulted in excellent
coverage at the Piute Ponds, Apollo Park, the San Gabriel Mountains,
Bonelli Park, San Clemente Island, Legg Lake, parks in Long Beach, and
the Ballona/Playa de Rey area. There were also multiple Pasadena
Audubon Birdathon teams in the field who each tallied more than 100
species.
Nevertheless, we struggled to find some rarities that had apparently
left within a few days of the count, and we struggled with some
wintering birds that are often still in the area (e.g., Horned Grebe,
Brewer's sparrow, and Lincoln's sparrow). Some birds we usually get
relatively easily simply aren't here right now such as Pine Siskin and
black turnstone.
There were a number of migrating species we normally sweep up easily
that we missed this year such as Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes
and Calliope Hummingbird. They appeared shortly after the count ended.
Of somewhat greater concern was our inability to find any burrowing
owls or white-tailed kites.
Previous America's Birdiest County winners:
...discontinued after 2011...
2011 277 Los Angeles
2010 271 Los Angeles
2009 264 Los Angeles
2008 255 Los Angeles
2007 271 Los Angeles
2006 263 Los Angeles
2005 250 Monterey and San Diego (tie)
2004 266 San Diego
2003 248 Monterey
America's Birdiest County was a one-day event during its first three
years. Starting in 2006, the format changed to three days. 2006 is
also the first year that we really got organized in Los Angeles County
and that accounts for the distinct uptick in the number of species
that year relative to the first three years.
We added three new species this year:
Pectoral Sandpiper Piute Ponds; seen by multiple observers
Leach's Storm-Petrel Nesting area on an islet adjacent to San Clemente
Island
Red-faced Warbler Wardlow Park, Long Beach
How do three new species compare with results from previous years?
Here are the number of new species that we've added since 2010:
2019 3
2018 0 Only year we didn't add any species
2017 1
2016 5
2015 4
2014 5
2013 3
2012 5
2011 7
2010 5
Our recent history of adding a few species annually suggests there are
still new species to find in future years. Given the near misses we
have every year, it may be several more years before we run out of new
ones.
Here are the species that we FOUND in 2019:
* Snow Goose
* Ross's Goose
* Greater White-fronted Goose
* Brant
* Cackling Goose
* Canada Goose
* Blue-winged Teal
* Cinnamon Teal
* Northern Shoveler
* Gadwall
* American Wigeon
* Mallard
* Northern Pintail
* Green-winged Teal
* Redhead
* Ring-necked Duck
* Lesser Scaup
* Surf Scoter
* Black Scoter
* Bufflehead
* Hooded Merganser
* Common Merganser
* Red-breasted Merganser
* Ruddy Duck
* Mountain Quail
* California Quail
* Gambel's Quail
* Chukar
* Pied-billed Grebe
* Eared Grebe
* Western Grebe
* Clark's Grebe
* Rock Pigeon
* Band-tailed Pigeon
* Eurasian Collared-Dove
* Spotted Dove
* Inca Dove
* Common Ground-Dove
* Mourning Dove
* Greater Roadrunner
* Lesser Nighthawk
* Common Poorwill
* Vaux's Swift
* White-throated Swift
* Black-chinned Hummingbird
* Anna's Hummingbird
* Costa's Hummingbird
* Rufous Hummingbird
* Allen's Hummingbird
* Virginia Rail
* Sora
* Common Gallinule
* American Coot
* Black-necked Stilt
* American Avocet
* Black Oystercatcher
* Black-bellied Plover
* Snowy Plover
* Semipalmated Plover
* Killdeer
* Whimbrel
* Long-billed Curlew
* Marbled Godwit
* Ruddy Turnstone
* Surfbird
* Sanderling
* Dunlin
* Least Sandpiper
* Pectoral Sandpiper
* Western Sandpiper
* Long-billed Dowitcher
* Wilson's Snipe
* Red Phalarope
* Spotted Sandpiper
* Wandering Tattler
* Greater Yellowlegs
* Willet
* Lesser Yellowlegs
* Scripps's Murrelet
* Bonaparte's Gull
* Franklin's Gull
* Heermann's Gull
* Ring-billed Gull
* Western Gull
* California Gull
* Herring Gull
* Glaucous-winged Gull
* Least Tern
* Caspian Tern
* Forster's Tern
* Royal Tern
* Elegant Tern
* Black Skimmer
* Red-throated Loon
* Pacific Loon
* Common Loon
* Leach's Storm-Petrel
* Sooty Shearwater
* Brandt's Cormorant
* Pelagic Cormorant
* Double-crested Cormorant
* American White Pelican
* Brown Pelican
* Least Bittern
* Great Blue Heron
* Great Egret
* Snowy Egret
* Green Heron
* Black-crowned Night-Heron
* Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
* White-faced Ibis
* Turkey Vulture
* Osprey
* Golden Eagle
* Northern Harrier
* Sharp-shinned Hawk
* Cooper's Hawk
* Bald Eagle
* Red-shouldered Hawk
* Swainson's Hawk
* Red-tailed Hawk
* Barn Owl
* Flammulated Owl
* Western Screech-Owl
* Great Horned Owl
* Northern Pygmy-Owl
* Northern Saw-whet Owl
* Belted Kingfisher
* Williamson's Sapsucker
* Red-breasted Sapsucker
* Lewis's Woodpecker
* Acorn Woodpecker
* Downy Woodpecker
* Nuttall's Woodpecker
* Ladder-backed Woodpecker
* Hairy Woodpecker
* White-headed Woodpecker
* Northern Flicker
* American Kestrel
* Merlin
* Peregrine Falcon
* Prairie Falcon
* Red-Crowned Parrot
* Olive-sided Flycatcher
* Western Wood-Pewee
* Hammond's Flycatcher
* Gray Flycatcher
* Dusky Flycatcher
* Pacific-slope Flycatcher
* Black Phoebe
* Say's Phoebe
* Vermilion Flycatcher
* Ash-throated Flycatcher
* Tropical Kingbird
* Cassin's Kingbird
* Western Kingbird
* Loggerhead Shrike
* Bell's Vireo
* Hutton's Vireo
* Cassin's Vireo
* Warbling Vireo
* Steller's Jay
* California Scrub-Jay
* American Crow
* Common Raven
* Horned Lark
* Northern Rough-winged Swallow
* Tree Swallow
* Violet-green Swallow
* Bank Swallow
* Barn Swallow
* Cliff Swallow
* Mountain Chickadee
* Oak Titmouse
* Verdin
* Bushtit
* Red-breasted Nuthatch
* White-breasted Nuthatch
* Pygmy Nuthatch
* Brown Creeper
* Rock Wren
* Canyon Wren
* House Wren
* Marsh Wren
* Bewick's Wren
* Cactus Wren
* Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
* California Gnatcatcher
* American Dipper
* Golden-crowned Kinglet
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet
* Wrentit
* Western Bluebird
* Townsend's Solitaire
* Swainson's Thrush
* Hermit Thrush
* American Robin
* California Thrasher
* LeConte's Thrasher
* Northern Mockingbird
* European Starling
* American Pipit
* Cedar Waxwing
* Phainopepla
* House Finch
* Purple Finch
* Cassin's Finch
* Lesser Goldfinch
* Lawrence's Goldfinch
* American Goldfinch
* Chipping Sparrow
* Clay-colored Sparrow
* Black-chinned Sparrow
* Black-throated Sparrow
* Lark Sparrow
* Fox Sparrow
* Dark-eyed Junco
* White-crowned Sparrow
* Golden-crowned Sparrow
* White-throated Sparrow
* Bell's Sparrow
* Savannah Sparrow
* Song Sparrow
* California Towhee
* Rufous-crowned Sparrow
* Green-tailed Towhee
* Spotted Towhee
* Yellow-breasted Chat
* Yellow-headed Blackbird
* Western Meadowlark
* Hooded Oriole
* Bullock's Oriole
* Scott's Oriole
* Red-winged Blackbird
* Tricolored Blackbird
* Brown-headed Cowbird
* Brewer's Blackbird
* Great-tailed Grackle
* Orange-crowned Warbler
* Nashville Warbler
* MacGillivray's Warbler
* Common Yellowthroat
* Yellow Warbler
* Palm Warbler
* Yellow-rumped Warbler
* Black-throated Gray Warbler
* Townsend's Warbler
* Hermit Warbler
* Wilson's Warbler
* Red-faced Warbler
* Western Tanager
* Black-headed Grosbeak
* Blue Grosbeak
* Lazuli Bunting
* House Sparrow
* Scaly-breasted Munia
The table below lists every species we've recorded during the ABC
weekend since 2004 and the number of years in which we've found each
one. "11" indicates that we found a species in a given year and "00"
indicates that we didn't. In an attempt to make the columns align,
this year I added an extra "1" or "0" in each column. The alignment
works best if you use the Courier font in your email.
If you look closely you'll see that we flagged willow flycatcher and
black swift as "suspect." We no longer believe earlier records of
Willow Flycatcher and Black Swift because those species don't usually
occur before the end of the first week of May and because we neglected
to request documentation when they were reported in 2004-2007.
Of the 336 species we've found to date, we have found the same 201
during every year, accounting for about 77% of our annual average. We
have also found 31 species only once, indicating that about 9% are
"one-hit wonders." Examples from previous years include yellow-billed
loon, field sparrow, ruff, and red-throated pipit. There are also
numerous species that we find about 1/2 of the time, probably a
consequence of the fact that we schedule the event in late April when
wintering birds are leaving and when many spring migrants are just
arriving.
Even though some species are reported nearly every year, there are a
number that we struggle to find, and it's often through the heroic
efforts of a few people that we find them. Good examples this year
include American dipper (the only one reported so far in 2019),
golden-crowned kinglet, Williamson's sapsucker, and northenr saw-whet
owl.
This year we did pretty well with new species. The first was a
pectoral sandpiper at the Piute Ponds on Friday, and then we got a
Leach's Storm-Petrel on San Clemente Island. The Big News, though, was
the red-faced warbler at Wardlow Park in Long Beach, which was seen by
dozens of birders on April 27 and 28. In fact, so many peopled changed
plans to go see it that we may have lost coverage for a few other
species as a result.
In more detail, if you scan through the table above, you'll see that
we swept up a number of species this year that we find less than 1/2
of the time. Here are species we found that were particularly notable:
Most notable finds in 2018 (< 1/2 the time from 2004-2018)
01 Pectoral Sandpiper NEW: Piute Ponds
02 Red Phalarope Playa del Rey breakwater/beach.
03 Scripps' Murrelet San Clemente Island
01 Leach's Storm Petrel NEW: San Clemente Island
03 Yellow-crowned Night Heron Sim's Park, Long Beach
07 Vermilion Flycatcher ...not really rare any more...
07 Golden-crowned Kinglet Grassy Hollow
03 Clay-colored Sparrow West San Gabriel River Parkway
01 Red-faced Warbler NEW: Wardlow Park, Long Beach
Once again, the number in the first two columns gives the number of
years when we have found this species since 2004.
Among these species, the most unusual this year had to be the
red-faced warbler, which hadn't been reported anywhere in Los Angeles
County since 2003. Pectoral sandpiper, red phalarope, and Leach's
storm petrel were also very pleasant surprises.
On the other hand, although this is only the seventh time we've found
vermilion flycatcher, it's also the sixth consecutive year that we've
found it. When compiling the list of possible rarities prior to the
weekend, it became apparent that vermilion flycatchers are now being
reported widely across Los Angeles County, so their numbers are
clearly increasing. This appears to represent an actual expansion of
their range. Something similiar may be happening with yellow-crowned
night-heron and neotropic cormorant. Although we missed the cormorant
during the count, they've been present much more frequently since
2016: prior to that there were zero records for the county.
Here are the worst misses from 2019 (all found 10+ times previously):
15 Wood Duck First time we've missed it. Arg!
10 Horned Grebe 2nd consecutive year we've missed it
11 Calliope Hummingbird
15 Black Turnstone First time we've missed it. Arg! Arg!
12 Short-billed Dowitcher
11 Wilson's Phalarope
15 Red-necked Phalarope First time we've missed it
12 Solitary Sandpiper
12 Pink-footed Shearwater
13 Cattle Egret
15 White-tailed Kite First time we've missed it
14 Burrowing Owl
15 Spotted Owl First time we've missed it
14 Clark's Nutcracker
11 Red Crossbill
13 Pine Siskin
12 Brewer's Sparrow
14 Lincoln's Sparrow
Of these, wood duck and black turnstone were perhaps the most
egregious. On the other hand, missing white-tailed kite and spotted
owl are a cause for concern: both species are declining, and the
dropoff with the kite in recent years seems particularly alarming.
Access to some high altitude locations was cumbersome due to the
closure of the Angeles Crest Highway between Islip Saddle on the east
and Vincent Gap on the west. Nevertheless, we had good coverage on the
northern side of Mt. Baden Powell, Grassy Hollow, Blue Ridge, and
along the Crest west of Islip Saddle. The principal diurnal montane
species we missed was Clark's Nutcracker, which (naturally) was
reported on Blue Ridge shortly after the count ended.
Regarding red crossbills, when I was surveying the San Gabriel
Mountains on April 26 I found very few mature Jeffrey pine cones, so
it appears that the birds aren't here because there's very little
food.However...there are a lot of young cones in the mountains, and
also at places like Pearblossom Park, so there should be plenty of
food for this species in the late summer and fall.
Here's a list of species that we missed in 2019 by about one week or
less
before or after the count. Most were extracted from eBird:
White-winged Scoter Dockweiler State Beach
Horned Grebe
Calliope Hummingbird
American Oystercatcher !
Black Turnstone
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Black Tern
Cattle Egret
American Bittern
White-tailed Kite
Zone-tailed Hawk ! Monrovia on April 23
Ferruginous Hawk Antelope Valley
Pomarine Jaeger
Burrowing Owl
Clark's Nutcracker
Cassin's Sparrow ! San Clemente Island April 30
Brewer's Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow Hahamongna Park on April 25
Vesper Sparrow San Clemente Island
Lincoln's Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole San Clemente Island; Piute Ponds
Black-and-white Warbler DeForest Park
Prothonotary Warbler ! Sand Dune Park
Grace's warbler ! Chilao Visitor Center; Charlton Flat
An exclamation point (!) indicates species that would be new for the
count.
Given the number of new species that we find each year, which species
might be next? Species above with "!" were reported within one week of
the count and would be new. California condor is now countable and has
been reported in the northwestern part of the county recently and in
adjacent areas of Kern and Ventura Counties, so we should get it
relatively soon (although I've written that in reports dating back to
at least 2016). Brown Boobies are increasing in abundance and are
reported fairly often along the coast, so we should sweep one up. I'm
surprised that we haven't found reddish egret yet given that they're
reported relatively often close by in Orange County at Bolsa Chica.
Despite these predictions, the rarities we keep finding suggests
something not mentioned above is at least as likely to turn up. For
example, in previous summary emails I never expected Pectoral
Sandpiper, Leach's Storm-Petrel, or Red-faced Warbler. Maybe next year
we'll get that zone-tailed hawk in Monrovia (we missed it by three
days).
We have started to keep track of uncountable, non-native species that
we find. We asked people to report them, but we didn't attempt to
organize dedicated searches.
Here are the ones that were reported:
Graylag Goose
Swan Goose
Mute Swan
Egyptian Goose
Indian Peafowl
Rose-Ringed Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Lilac-crowned Parrot
Yellow-Headed Parrot
White-Fronted Parrot
Nanday Parakeet
Mitred Parakeet
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Japanese White-Eye
Northern Cardinal
Pin-tailed Whydah
In the bigger picture, how many more species could we find during this
count? We've already found at least 275 species twice, so 280 species
is probably within reach if we are VERY well organized and have really
good luck. 285 species might be attainable if everything came
together. Finding more than that is probably very unlikely even if we
dramatically increase our organization and level of effort because
we're already up against the limit of the number of birds regularly in
the area at this time of year.
The significance of "America's Birdiest County" has grown considerably
since we started in 2003. It's become much more than a friendly
competition with other counties and has turned into a educational
event that continues to improve our body of knowledge of the status
and distribution of birds in our area. It's clear that knowledge of
where birds are has grown to the point that we usually find most
species that are very local. Although there are other events during
the year such as Christmas Bird Counts and the Great Backyard Bird
Count, there aren't many events in the spring when migration is in
full swing. As such, we've been obtaining a detailed sample for
fifteen years at a time of year when few other surveys occur.
Having said that, iNaturalist organized an informal event this year
and some people in Los Angeles County participated. People in San
Diego turned out in force for that event this year and tallied 237
species.
Most of our participants use eBird to archive their observations and
many people are uploading photos and audio recordings, which makes the
reports considerably more valuable. Every year during ABC weekend
there's a significant increase in the number of records entered into
eBird. We scour eBird for reports that weren't submitted to us or
posted on listserves. This often adds 2-4 species that we would
otherwise miss.
More generally, use of eBird is making a lasting contribution to
ornithology worldwide that is becoming increasingly important. If you
haven't used eBird yet, please check it out at ebird.org. eBird data
is appearing in a rapidly-increasing number of peer-reviewed
publications in prominent scientific journals and it's having a
pronounced impact on many areas of ornithology and bird conservation.
Articles that discuss results from eBird have appeared multiple times
in Science, oneof the most prestigious journals in the world, and
eBird is widely considered to be among the most important citizen
science projects in existence.
Interest in this event clearly remains high in Los Angeles County,and
we have already set the dates for America's Birdiest County in 2020:
April 24, 25, and 26.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed, and we hope to see you
soon in the field in Los Angeles County!
Best wishes,
Lance and Kimball
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Date: 5/24/19 10:46 am From: <lbenner...> [LACoBirds] <LACoBirds-noreply...> Subject: [LACoBirds] America's Birdiest County Summary: 256 Species
Greetings Everyone,
This is the final summary for America's Birdiest County in Los Angeles
in 2019.
The final total this year was 256 species. After the last update, we
added some species that were reported in eBird and subtracted a couple
due to eBird data entry errors or lack of documentation.
How does our total compare with results from previous years?
Here are America's Birdiest County totals for Los Angeles County since
2003:
Year Total
2019 256
2018 263
2017 264
2016 270
2015 275
2014 272
2013 265
2012 262
2011 277
2010 271
2009 264
2008 255
2007 271
2006 263 Format changed from one day to three days; more organization
2005 246
2004 239
2003 239
Average from 2003-present: 261.9 +- 11.6
Our total in 2019 was six species below our long-term average of 262.
Finding 256 species takes a lot of effort, and we got that many
because a lot of very dedicated and knowledgeable people went into the
field on April 26-28 and covered the majority of the most important
locations for birds across the county. This resulted in excellent
coverage at the Piute Ponds, Apollo Park, the San Gabriel Mountains,
Bonelli Park, San Clemente Island, Legg Lake, parks in Long Beach, and
the Ballona/Playa de Rey area. There were also multiple Pasadena
Audubon Birdathon teams in the field who each tallied more than 100
species.
Nevertheless, we struggled to find some rarities that had apparently
left within a few days of the count, and we struggled with some
wintering birds that are often still in the area (e.g., Horned Grebe,
Brewer's sparrow, and Lincoln's sparrow). Some birds we usually get
relatively easily simply aren't here right now such as Pine Siskin and
black turnstone.
There were a number of migrating species we normally sweep up easily
that we missed this year such as Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes
and Calliope Hummingbird. They appeared shortly after the count ended.
Of somewhat greater concern was our inability to find any burrowing
owls or white-tailed kites.
Previous America's Birdiest County winners:
....discontinued after 2011...
2011 277 Los Angeles
2010 271 Los Angeles
2009 264 Los Angeles
2008 255 Los Angeles
2007 271 Los Angeles
2006 263 Los Angeles
2005 250 Monterey and San Diego (tie)
2004 266 San Diego
2003 248 Monterey
America's Birdiest County was a one-day event during its first three
years. Starting in 2006, the format changed to three days. 2006 is
also the first year that we really got organized in Los Angeles County
and that accounts for the distinct uptick in the number of species
that year relative to the first three years.
We added three new species this year:
Pectoral Sandpiper Piute Ponds; seen by multiple observers
Leach's Storm-Petrel Nesting area on an islet adjacent to San Clemente
Island
Red-faced Warbler Wardlow Park, Long Beach
How do three new species compare with results from previous years?
Here are the number of new species that we've added since 2010:
2019 3
2018 0 Only year we didn't add any species
2017 1
2016 5
2015 4
2014 5
2013 3
2012 5
2011 7
2010 5
Our recent history of adding a few species annually suggests there are
still new species to find in future years. Given the near misses we
have every year, it may be several more years before we run out of new
ones.
Here are the species that we FOUND in 2019:
* Snow Goose
* Ross's Goose
* Greater White-fronted Goose
* Brant
* Cackling Goose
* Canada Goose
* Blue-winged Teal
* Cinnamon Teal
* Northern Shoveler
* Gadwall
* American Wigeon
* Mallard
* Northern Pintail
* Green-winged Teal
* Redhead
* Ring-necked Duck
* Lesser Scaup
* Surf Scoter
* Black Scoter
* Bufflehead
* Hooded Merganser
* Common Merganser
* Red-breasted Merganser
* Ruddy Duck
* Mountain Quail
* California Quail
* Gambel's Quail
* Chukar
* Pied-billed Grebe
* Eared Grebe
* Western Grebe
* Clark's Grebe
* Rock Pigeon
* Band-tailed Pigeon
* Eurasian Collared-Dove
* Spotted Dove
* Inca Dove
* Common Ground-Dove
* Mourning Dove
* Greater Roadrunner
* Lesser Nighthawk
* Common Poorwill
* Vaux's Swift
* White-throated Swift
* Black-chinned Hummingbird
* Anna's Hummingbird
* Costa's Hummingbird
* Rufous Hummingbird
* Allen's Hummingbird
* Virginia Rail
* Sora
* Common Gallinule
* American Coot
* Black-necked Stilt
* American Avocet
* Black Oystercatcher
* Black-bellied Plover
* Snowy Plover
* Semipalmated Plover
* Killdeer
* Whimbrel
* Long-billed Curlew
* Marbled Godwit
* Ruddy Turnstone
* Surfbird
* Sanderling
* Dunlin
* Least Sandpiper
* Pectoral Sandpiper
* Western Sandpiper
* Long-billed Dowitcher
* Wilson's Snipe
* Red Phalarope
* Spotted Sandpiper
* Wandering Tattler
* Greater Yellowlegs
* Willet
* Lesser Yellowlegs
* Scripps's Murrelet
* Bonaparte's Gull
* Franklin's Gull
* Heermann's Gull
* Ring-billed Gull
* Western Gull
* California Gull
* Herring Gull
* Glaucous-winged Gull
* Least Tern
* Caspian Tern
* Forster's Tern
* Royal Tern
* Elegant Tern
* Black Skimmer
* Red-throated Loon
* Pacific Loon
* Common Loon
* Leach's Storm-Petrel
* Sooty Shearwater
* Brandt's Cormorant
* Pelagic Cormorant
* Double-crested Cormorant
* American White Pelican
* Brown Pelican
* Least Bittern
* Great Blue Heron
* Great Egret
* Snowy Egret
* Green Heron
* Black-crowned Night-Heron
* Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
* White-faced Ibis
* Turkey Vulture
* Osprey
* Golden Eagle
* Northern Harrier
* Sharp-shinned Hawk
* Cooper's Hawk
* Bald Eagle
* Red-shouldered Hawk
* Swainson's Hawk
* Red-tailed Hawk
* Barn Owl
* Flammulated Owl
* Western Screech-Owl
* Great Horned Owl
* Northern Pygmy-Owl
* Northern Saw-whet Owl
* Belted Kingfisher
* Williamson's Sapsucker
* Red-breasted Sapsucker
* Lewis's Woodpecker
* Acorn Woodpecker
* Downy Woodpecker
* Nuttall's Woodpecker
* Ladder-backed Woodpecker
* Hairy Woodpecker
* White-headed Woodpecker
* Northern Flicker
* American Kestrel
* Merlin
* Peregrine Falcon
* Prairie Falcon
* Red-Crowned Parrot
* Olive-sided Flycatcher
* Western Wood-Pewee
* Hammond's Flycatcher
* Gray Flycatcher
* Dusky Flycatcher
* Pacific-slope Flycatcher
* Black Phoebe
* Say's Phoebe
* Vermilion Flycatcher
* Ash-throated Flycatcher
* Tropical Kingbird
* Cassin's Kingbird
* Western Kingbird
* Loggerhead Shrike
* Bell's Vireo
* Hutton's Vireo
* Cassin's Vireo
* Warbling Vireo
* Steller's Jay
* California Scrub-Jay
* American Crow
* Common Raven
* Horned Lark
* Northern Rough-winged Swallow
* Tree Swallow
* Violet-green Swallow
* Bank Swallow
* Barn Swallow
* Cliff Swallow
* Mountain Chickadee
* Oak Titmouse
* Verdin
* Bushtit
* Red-breasted Nuthatch
* White-breasted Nuthatch
* Pygmy Nuthatch
* Brown Creeper
* Rock Wren
* Canyon Wren
* House Wren
* Marsh Wren
* Bewick's Wren
* Cactus Wren
* Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
* California Gnatcatcher
* American Dipper
* Golden-crowned Kinglet
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet
* Wrentit
* Western Bluebird
* Townsend's Solitaire
* Swainson's Thrush
* Hermit Thrush
* American Robin
* California Thrasher
* LeConte's Thrasher
* Northern Mockingbird
* European Starling
* American Pipit
* Cedar Waxwing
* Phainopepla
* House Finch
* Purple Finch
* Cassin's Finch
* Lesser Goldfinch
* Lawrence's Goldfinch
* American Goldfinch
* Chipping Sparrow
* Clay-colored Sparrow
* Black-chinned Sparrow
* Black-throated Sparrow
* Lark Sparrow
* Fox Sparrow
* Dark-eyed Junco
* White-crowned Sparrow
* Golden-crowned Sparrow
* White-throated Sparrow
* Bell's Sparrow
* Savannah Sparrow
* Song Sparrow
* California Towhee
* Rufous-crowned Sparrow
* Green-tailed Towhee
* Spotted Towhee
* Yellow-breasted Chat
* Yellow-headed Blackbird
* Western Meadowlark
* Hooded Oriole
* Bullock's Oriole
* Scott's Oriole
* Red-winged Blackbird
* Tricolored Blackbird
* Brown-headed Cowbird
* Brewer's Blackbird
* Great-tailed Grackle
* Orange-crowned Warbler
* Nashville Warbler
* MacGillivray's Warbler
* Common Yellowthroat
* Yellow Warbler
* Palm Warbler
* Yellow-rumped Warbler
* Black-throated Gray Warbler
* Townsend's Warbler
* Hermit Warbler
* Wilson's Warbler
* Red-faced Warbler
* Western Tanager
* Black-headed Grosbeak
* Blue Grosbeak
* Lazuli Bunting
* House Sparrow
* Scaly-breasted Munia
The table below lists every species we've recorded during the ABC
weekend since 2004 and the number of years in which we've found each
one. "11" indicates that we found a species in a given year and "00"
indicates that we didn't. In an attempt to make the columns align,
this year I added an extra "1" or "0" in each column. The alignment
works best if you use the Courier font in your email.
If you look closely you'll see that we flagged willow flycatcher and
black swift as "suspect." We no longer believe earlier records of
Willow Flycatcher and Black Swift because those species don't usually
occur before the end of the first week of May and because we neglected
to request documentation when they were reported in 2004-2007.
Of the 336 species we've found to date, we have found the same 201
during every year, accounting for about 77% of our annual average. We
have also found 31 species only once, indicating that about 9% are
"one-hit wonders." Examples from previous years include yellow-billed
loon, field sparrow, ruff, and red-throated pipit. There are also
numerous species that we find about 1/2 of the time, probably a
consequence of the fact that we schedule the event in late April when
wintering birds are leaving and when many spring migrants are just
arriving.
Even though some species are reported nearly every year, there are a
number that we struggle to find, and it's often through the heroic
efforts of a few people that we find them. Good examples this year
include American dipper (the only one reported so far in 2019),
golden-crowned kinglet, Williamson's sapsucker, and northenr saw-whet
owl.
This year we did pretty well with new species. The first was a
pectoral sandpiper at the Piute Ponds on Friday, and then we got a
Leach's Storm-Petrel on San Clemente Island. The Big News, though, was
the red-faced warbler at Wardlow Park in Long Beach, which was seen by
dozens of birders on April 27 and 28. In fact, so many peopled changed
plans to go see it that we may have lost coverage for a few other
species as a result.
In more detail, if you scan through the table above, you'll see that
we swept up a number of species this year that we find less than 1/2
of the time. Here are species we found that were particularly notable:
Most notable finds in 2018 (< 1/2 the time from 2004-2018)
01 Pectoral Sandpiper NEW: Piute Ponds
02 Red Phalarope Playa del Rey breakwater/beach.
03 Scripps' Murrelet San Clemente Island
01 Leach's Storm Petrel NEW: San Clemente Island
03 Yellow-crowned Night Heron Sim's Park, Long Beach
07 Vermilion Flycatcher ...not really rare any more...
07 Golden-crowned Kinglet Grassy Hollow
03 Clay-colored Sparrow West San Gabriel River Parkway
01 Red-faced Warbler NEW: Wardlow Park, Long Beach
Once again, the number in the first two columns gives the number of
years when we have found this species since 2004.
Among these species, the most unusual this year had to be the
red-faced warbler, which hadn't been reported anywhere in Los Angeles
County since 2003. Pectoral sandpiper, red phalarope, and Leach's
storm petrel were also very pleasant surprises.
On the other hand, although this is only the seventh time we've found
vermilion flycatcher, it's also the sixth consecutive year that we've
found it. When compiling the list of possible rarities prior to the
weekend, it became apparent that vermilion flycatchers are now being
reported widely across Los Angeles County, so their numbers are
clearly increasing. This appears to represent an actual expansion of
their range. Something similiar may be happening with yellow-crowned
night-heron and neotropic cormorant. Although we missed the cormorant
during the count, they've been present much more frequently since
2016: prior to that there were zero records for the county.
Here are the worst misses from 2019 (all found 10+ times previously):
15 Wood Duck First time we've missed it. Arg!
10 Horned Grebe 2nd consecutive year we've missed it
11 Calliope Hummingbird
15 Black Turnstone First time we've missed it. Arg! Arg!
12 Short-billed Dowitcher
11 Wilson's Phalarope
15 Red-necked Phalarope First time we've missed it
12 Solitary Sandpiper
12 Pink-footed Shearwater
13 Cattle Egret
15 White-tailed Kite First time we've missed it
14 Burrowing Owl
15 Spotted Owl First time we've missed it
14 Clark's Nutcracker
11 Red Crossbill
13 Pine Siskin
12 Brewer's Sparrow
14 Lincoln's Sparrow
Of these, wood duck and black turnstone were perhaps the most
egregious. On the other hand, missing white-tailed kite and spotted
owl are a cause for concern: both species are declining, and the
dropoff with the kite in recent years seems particularly alarming.
Access to some high altitude locations was cumbersome due to the
closure of the Angeles Crest Highway between Islip Saddle on the east
and Vincent Gap on the west. Nevertheless, we had good coverage on the
northern side of Mt. Baden Powell, Grassy Hollow, Blue Ridge, and
along the Crest west of Islip Saddle. The principal diurnal montane
species we missed was Clark's Nutcracker, which (naturally) was
reported on Blue Ridge shortly after the count ended.
Regarding red crossbills, when I was surveying the San Gabriel
Mountains on April 26 I found very few mature Jeffrey pine cones, so
it appears that the birds aren't here because there's very little
food.However...there are a lot of young cones in the mountains, and
also at places like Pearblossom Park, so there should be plenty of
food for this species in the late summer and fall.
Here's a list of species that we missed in 2019 by about one week or
less
before or after the count. Most were extracted from eBird:
White-winged Scoter Dockweiler State Beach
Horned Grebe
Calliope Hummingbird
American Oystercatcher !
Black Turnstone
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Black Tern
Cattle Egret
American Bittern
White-tailed Kite
Zone-tailed Hawk ! Monrovia on April 23
Ferruginous Hawk Antelope Valley
Pomarine Jaeger
Burrowing Owl
Clark's Nutcracker
Cassin's Sparrow ! San Clemente Island April 30
Brewer's Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow Hahamongna Park on April 25
Vesper Sparrow San Clemente Island
Lincoln's Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole San Clemente Island; Piute Ponds
Black-and-white Warbler DeForest Park
Prothonotary Warbler ! Sand Dune Park
Grace's warbler ! Chilao Visitor Center; Charlton Flat
An exclamation point (!) indicates species that would be new for the
count.
Given the number of new species that we find each year, which species
might be next? Species above with "!" were reported within one week of
the count and would be new. California condor is now countable and has
been reported in the northwestern part of the county recently and in
adjacent areas of Kern and Ventura Counties, so we should get it
relatively soon (although I've written that in reports dating back to
at least 2016). Brown Boobies are increasing in abundance and are
reported fairly often along the coast, so we should sweep one up. I'm
surprised that we haven't found reddish egret yet given that they're
reported relatively often close by in Orange County at Bolsa Chica.
Despite these predictions, the rarities we keep finding suggests
something not mentioned above is at least as likely to turn up. For
example, in previous summary emails I never expected Pectoral
Sandpiper, Leach's Storm-Petrel, or Red-faced Warbler. Maybe next year
we'll get that zone-tailed hawk in Monrovia (we missed it by three
days).
We have started to keep track of uncountable, non-native species that
we find. We asked people to report them, but we didn't attempt to
organize dedicated searches.
Here are the ones that were reported:
Graylag Goose
Swan Goose
Mute Swan
Egyptian Goose
Indian Peafowl
Rose-Ringed Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Lilac-crowned Parrot
Yellow-Headed Parrot
White-Fronted Parrot
Nanday Parakeet
Mitred Parakeet
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Japanese White-Eye
Northern Cardinal
Pin-tailed Whydah
In the bigger picture, how many more species could we find during this
count? We've already found at least 275 species twice, so 280 species
is probably within reach if we are VERY well organized and have really
good luck. 285 species might be attainable if everything came
together. Finding more than that is probably very unlikely even if we
dramatically increase our organization and level of effort because
we're already up against the limit of the number of birds regularly in
the area at this time of year.
The significance of "America's Birdiest County" has grown considerably
since we started in 2003. It's become much more than a friendly
competition with other counties and has turned into a educational
event that continues to improve our body of knowledge of the status
and distribution of birds in our area. It's clear that knowledge of
where birds are has grown to the point that we usually find most
species that are very local. Although there are other events during
the year such as Christmas Bird Counts and the Great Backyard Bird
Count, there aren't many events in the spring when migration is in
full swing. As such, we've been obtaining a detailed sample for
fifteen years at a time of year when few other surveys occur.
Having said that, iNaturalist organized an informal event this year
and some people in Los Angeles County participated. People in San
Diego turned out in force for that event this year and tallied 237
species.
Most of our participants use eBird to archive their observations and
many people are uploading photos and audio recordings, which makes the
reports considerably more valuable. Every year during ABC weekend
there's a significant increase in the number of records entered into
eBird. We scour eBird for reports that weren't submitted to us or
posted on listserves. This often adds 2-4 species that we would
otherwise miss.
More generally, use of eBird is making a lasting contribution to
ornithology worldwide that is becoming increasingly important. If you
haven't used eBird yet, please check it out at ebird.org. eBird data
is appearing in a rapidly-increasing number of peer-reviewed
publications in prominent scientific journals and it's having a
pronounced impact on many areas of ornithology and bird conservation.
Articles that discuss results from eBird have appeared multiple times
in Science, oneof the most prestigious journals in the world, and
eBird is widely considered to be among the most important citizen
science projects in existence.
Interest in this event clearly remains high in Los Angeles County,and
we have already set the dates for America's Birdiest County in 2020:
April 24, 25, and 26.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed, and we hope to see you
soon in the field in Los Angeles County!
Date: 5/23/19 10:53 am From: Tom Benson via Groups.Io <thomasabenson=<aol.com...> Subject: [LACoBirds] SBVAS pelagic trip, August 17
Birders,
SBVAS is sponsoring a 17-hour pelagic trip to the offshore waters south of San Clemente Island on Saturday, August 17, 2019. We will be departing from Dana Point aboard the R/V Sea Explorer at 5:00 AM and returning at 10:00 PM. Our tentative plan will be to travel south across the north end of Thirtymile Bank to look for the storm-petrel flock that often hangs out there, then continue on to Fortymile Bank. If sea conditions are favorable and time permits, we should have time to travel further offshore to Butterfly Bank and Santo Tomas Knoll. We will then return northeast to explore the waters of the San Clemente Basin before eventually heading back to Dana Point. We will be spending almost the entire day in Los Angeles County waters. The cost for the trip is $200 per person. To reserve a space on the trip, email me (see below) with your name and phone number, the number of spaces you want to reserve, and the names of those in your party. Please indicate if you are an SBVAS member. For more details, please visit the SBVAS website: www.sbvas.net.
Tom BensonSan Bernardino Valley Audubon Societythomasabenson AT aol.com
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