400th California lifebird

So. Cal since Ventura county is the northernmost area I've birded.

From this year

374	White Wagtail	Upper Santa Ana River--Tustin Ave. to Lakeview Ave.	US-CA	07 Feb 2017
375	Rhinoceros Auklet	Offshore--Santa Monica Bay (LA Co.)	US-CA	12 Feb 2017
376	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	stakeout-Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Wilmington, CA (2017)	US-CA	13 Feb 2017
377	Rusty Blackbird	Centennial Regional Park	US-CA	25 Feb 2017
378	Tundra Swan	Pierce College	US-CA	26 Feb 2017
379	Harris's Sparrow	Thompson Creek Trail (LA Co.)	US-CA	27 Feb 2017
380	Dusky-capped Flycatcher	John Anson Ford Park	US-CA	11 Mar 2017
381	Yellow-footed Gull	Lower Los Angeles River--Lower (General Area)	US-CA	11 Mar 2017
382	Least Flycatcher	Whittier Narrows Dam	US-CA	18 Mar 2017
383	Black Tern	Piute Ponds (permit required)	US-CA	20 May 2017
384	Wood Thrush	Coachella Valley Preserve, Thousand Palms Oasis	US-CA	31 May 2017
385	Black Rail	West Pond	US-CA	01 Jun 2017
386	Brown-crested Flycatcher	Big Morongo Canyon Preserve	US-CA	01 Jun 2017
387	White-eyed Vireo	Playa Vista Riparian Corridor	US-CA	03 Jun 2017
388	Bay-breasted Warbler	Point Loma residential--upper	US-CA	05 Jun 2017
389	Cape May Warbler	Famosa Slough	US-CA	05 Jun 2017
390	Scott's Oriole	Crystalaire	US-CA	16 Jun 2017
391	Red-cheeked Cordonbleu	Brand Park--Glendale (LA Co.)	US-CA	03 Jul 2017
392	Ruff	Upper Santa Ana River--Lakeview Ave. to Imperial Hwy	US-CA	19 Aug 2017
393	Ovenbird	Madrona Marsh	US-CA	10 Sep 2017
394	Blackburnian Warbler	DeForest Park	US-CA	13 Sep 2017
395	Painted Bunting	Tijuana River Valley Regional Park--Community Gardens	US-CA	14 Sep 2017
396	Dusky Warbler	Madrona Marsh	US-CA	01 Oct 2017
397	Tricolored Heron	Bolsa Chica--walkbridge/inner bay	US-CA	02 Oct 2017
398	Yellow-fronted Canary	Los Angeles River--Sepulveda Basin	US-CA	04 Oct 2017
399	Lark Bunting	Agua Amarga Canyon--Beach to Via Anacapa	US-CA	15 Oct 2017
400	Cassin's Sparrow	stakeout Cassin's Sparrow, Coronado (2017)	US-CA	22 Oct 2017

CHRIS DEAN ALERT AT SD!

Just checked and she birded FRNC earlier today??!

What is SHE doing here :) Did she go back already or is she going for Black throated Blue Warbler or Longspurs.

Paul Lehman again at Famosa????!

I swear it looked like Paul Lehman, same blue shirt, same birder guy, and I didn't bring the NG book, why didn't I bother today lol(I brought it yesterday). But I can't just grab him(he didn't stay, just passed straight by, unlike other birders), that will be too rude, no? And what if it wasn't him.  Anyhow my birding-honed? lol observation skill! tells me it looks like this handsome guy,

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/CAwhoPEL.html

 
























fast-forward 30? years!

He could've lectured/expounded to a newbie like me on his various observation tips like Virginia Rail call...why didn't he stop by like other birders :p  He just passed by like last time!
Anyway, if indeed it was him, again, mucho honored by his brief yet august presence!

Forget Famosa, no luck on the Virginia Rail and PL reported a MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR along with CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR at Fiesta Isl. Dog Run. Going there first thing in the morning of course(as usual, till like 8:40am, I have to watch women college tennis tournament at Barnes Tennis Center(mercifully near to Famosa and SD River at Robb Field, also to the Dog Run).

Gary Nunn reported Black-throated Blue Warbler, he's really finding all kinds of warblers lol. But saw that at Descanso last Fall, so Longspurs are priorities for me. 

P.S. Tomorrow's match start at 10, so BTBW first, then to Dog Run I guess.

I think I 'spied' Paul Lehman!!

Birded about an hour at Famosa Slough before attending SW R tennis championship at nearby Barnes.

Another guy came by(Kent Blackstone?) at the south end puddle, so chatted a bit. Virginia Rail was reported recently and he indeed mentioned it. Just before he came by, spotted a Black and White Warbler, which was very active in the trees just across the puddle(north side of the path).

Then...a guy passed us by. A birder. Blue shirt. Definitely looked like that august Paul Lehman, even though I only saw his pics, not in person! But he was alone, whereas SD yahoo listserve usually mentions him birding with another such as Barbara Carlson? So not sure lol.

Maybe I should carry my NG 7th edition to get it autographed, but he looked rather forbidding..! Anyway he just passed us quickly by(he did bird a bit west of us), so can't really say.

If it indeed was him, what an honor! Even if I just glimpsed him..haha.

Not sorry I reported this bird so late!

Just confirmed with expert Curtis Marantz of 'Marantzian tome' fame.

Was so miserable ranting in the car while stuck in traffic at Sepulveda Blvd en-route to the venue yesterday morning(hence missed the majority of the doubles matches!), but not sorry now, not sorry at all!

At first thought to exit the birding spot at 9am, but got carried away, and after chatting with a local birder, AND taking the pic of this bird on the way back, it was already 9:15am. So that 'lag' definitely contributed to my being late.

But that bird! So weird looking. Yellow rump, but not the ubiquitous Yellow rumped warbler; look at the conical bill(insectivorous warblers have sharp needle pointed ones). Stayed still, so behaviorally no match either, since warblers are notoriously itchy lol, constantly flitting about.

So, Finch of course. But what? Look at the face, some stripes, even dark malar ones, and broad buffy/white eyebrow(supercilium). Tragically stayed that way so couldn't take a better pic, and after a while it took off. No prominent wingbars.

After lambasting Tracy Drake for not reporting Dusky Warbler sooner at Madrona Marsh, I should've reported this bird earlier lol, but I don't have a smart phone, and was just too busy 'werking', as you know, 'covering' every second till the match end(WAATC, Women All American Tennis Championship at Riviera Country Club. I saw Mark Wahlberg eating while resting at the golf cart last year lol, didn't bother to approach since it was inappropriate while he was enjoying a snack!).

And mysteriously the wifi at the clubhouse wasn't working, so couldn't upload the pics and ebird report either. Only could do it once I got home, and that was..what? Close to 11pm?  Also emailed Mr. Marantz and promptly went to sleep, exhausted.

Now I don't care if I'm to be lambasted in turn for reporting the bird late lol. So happy now! Unexpected find, although it's not a Palearctic species like Dusky Warbler: probably an escapee(not an American bird).

So, I should bird there once again, since the LA river area looked quite promising. Hoping for an American Bittern, and also for a Pectoral Sandpiper which was reported a week ago. Who cares if I'm going to be late again...hahahahaha!  Thus, birding is now 'encroaching' on watching tennis, but it was going to happen sooner or later!

Oh, forgot to name this bird; Yellow-fronted Canary, at LA river-Sepulveda Basin.  :)  Enjoy!

My record] I'm afraid of Chris Dean...!

Another joke post :)

For sure Chris is a helluva birder, and she really has sharp eyes for warblers; thanks to her we spotted Prairie Warbler at Madrona, and Black-throated Blue Warbler at Descanso last year. Especially BTBW was so hard to spot, the lighting being atrocious; dunno how she spotted it in the first place!

Now she's racking up the birds impressively, with relentless pace lol. The pace is just astounding! 'My place' at around 47th with 365 species(tied with Howard King and Luke Tiller, both experts, I'm not worthy lol) is threatened! She's now at 360! I'm feeling the heat here lol. Another veteran birder Judy Hwa(thanks to her could spot Bobolink last year, she kindly showed me the grassy spot at North End of Peck Pit; you have to wade into the dense canopy/grasses! Now it's inundated methinks?) is right behind her.
Chris might have a good chance against the perennial Wrentit Club top lister Mark Scheel this year lol.

It's really too bad I couldn't make another Pelagic trip, since Pasadena 8-hour one just recently was a huge success. And while Chris was repeatedly birding Piute...I was just too lazy, or too cost-conscious lol(gas of course!).

I told Luke I was both birder/lister lol, but after spotting 333 species in LA county last year, the 'ardor' has a bit died lol. Now a bit more relaxing! 'No pressure' more leisurely birding, etc.

 Still already surpassed my last year's total bird list of 359; already 372 for the year thanks to Eastern birding this Spring(Nashville, Rome area at Georgia, Oklahoma City/Norman,  all 3 areas for 2-3 days each. Had to watch NCAA women tennis regionals so had only limited window, early in the morning about 2 hours each day).

I'm now aiming for 400 So. Cal species; currently 396 now, thanks to Painted Bunting(SD), Dusky Warbler and Tricolored Heron. Hopefully I can spot more at SD this month: visiting a couple of weeks later.

Bolsa Chica some pics

Had a blast chatting with birders, showing them the resting faraway(tragically. I was told it flew 'away' like 2 minutes before I arrived, ugh) Tricolored Heron on my scope(I was the only one carrying today), etc.
Too bad I missed Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, but it's ok, I saw that one by now quite a lot(for example recently at SD), and Tricolored Heron was the target species, so..
After this rare Heron, and Dusky Warbler yesterday, 396 species for So. Cal. 400 milestone is near!

Not much, most of the shorebirds were resting far away, since it was High tide(why do I always arrive at high tide, but what can I do, have to beat the traffic..). 20 or something Common Terns made a surprise appearance just before noon, when I was heading back.
All in all, spotted around 40 species.

After 3 hours there, didn't have the energy to bird elsehwere. I guess it was all the better since Dusky Warbler wasn't reported Madrona, and neither was Grasshopper sparrow at Peck Pit(Bobolink was spotted there though, today, by that indefatigable Chris Dean, along with veteran Judy Hwa. But Chris says Tom Wurster spotted it).

I do want to spot Dunlin and Pectoral Sandpiper though(LA river and Piute. Could it be at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve? That's the closest birding hotspot to Riviera..). Maybe I missed the chance to see Solitary Sandpiper..too bad.

 Tricolored Heron; digiscoped, I tried



 Not sure what this is; annoyingly dived incessantly; Redhead?

 Gorgeous Reddish Egret

 Blue-winged Teal, note the white 'crescent' on its fore-face

 Least Sandpiper

 Western Sandpiper

 Common Terns. See the black carpal(shoulder) bar?

 Find Red Knot among Black-bellied Plovers!

Find Common Tern among Elegant Terns(yellow and longer bill, long back hair, 60-70s style)!

Kimball Garrett on LA / SD rivalry

I wasn't the only one to mention this 'rivalry' lol. Just found out searching for Dusky Warber at LACOBIRDS;

SD 514, LA 513 LINK

DATE: Oct 28, 2013 @ 12:20pm, 4 year(s) ago

FROM: Kimball Garrett

L. A. County Birders, As many of you know, San Diego County has had a great fall season, with two new county records (Great Shearwater and Le Conte’s Sparrow) that bring the San Diego County bird list to 514, one ahead of Los Angeles County’s total of 513. Since introduced species do not always get comparable treatment on county lists, it might be better to compare “N.I.B.” (no introduced birds) lists. Doing that, San Diego still leads Los Angeles 506 to 505 (both counties have 8 introduced bird species on their lists, the only difference being they include Ring-necked Pheasant (we don’t, even though it was formerly established in the county) and we include Chukar (they don’t). [There seems to be some discussion within S.D. County about removing Ring-necked Pheasant from that county’s list, but it doesn’t affect the N.I.B total.] So the L. A. County birding community has its work cut out for it. Among the “missing” species for the L. A. list that might reasonably be expected to occur (given migratory status, status in adjacent counties, trends, etc.) are: Emperor Goose Mottled Petrel Neotropic Cormorant Glossy Ibis Black Vulture Lesser Sand-Plover Iceland Gull Black-billed Cuckoo Magnificent Hummingbird Ruby-throated Hummingbird Xantus’s Hummingbird Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Cave Swallow Sedge Wren Dusky Warbler Veery Rufous-backed Robin Louisiana Waterthrush Connecticut Warbler Cerulean Warbler Baird’s Sparrow Streak-backed Oriole Note that some of the most likely species among these (e.g. Glossy Ibis, Iceland Gull, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, the two Empidonax, Veery, Connecticut Warbler) are very tough identifications and/or are very difficult to detect. So being fully aware of ID criteria for these species (and the field craft involved in detecting and documenting them) is highly recommended. I recognize the folly of challenging birders to find rarities, but virtually of the birds listed above are CBRC review species that will have to be convincingly documented to be accepted to the L. A. County list. Another large set of potential species (of which I’ve only listed one above) are pelagics, so we really need to figure out how to log more pelagic time within L. A. County waters (which shouldn’t be hard, since we “own” a big chunk of the eastern Pacific Ocean). Right now, pelagic opportunities for far offshore L. A. County waters are limited to multi-day trips out of San Diego. Good birding, and may the “friendly competition” with San Diego County benefit both counties. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

L. A. and San Diego county bird lists LINK

DATE: Aug 24, 2007 @ 11:14pm, 10 year(s) ago

FROM: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett@...>

Birders, As many of you know, San Diego County's recent rash of good birds (including Bridled Tern and Townsend's [=Newell's] Shearwater) has put them a bit ahead of Los Angeles County in county species total. By my count the numbers now stand at 497 for San Diego and 496 for Los Angeles, but I could be off by one or two. Some in San Diego have even thrown down the gauntlet - which will be the first county in the United States to reach the 500 species total This seems, therefore, like an opportune time to remind Los Angeles County birders that there are a number of "overdue" species for our county birds list; certainly there have been claims (and possibly even valid records) of some of these species (and others), but there remain no accepted County records. Some of these species are difficult to identify, and records of any will require convincing and thorough documentation for acceptance. Nevertheless, with an active corps of birders (plus a generous helping of offshore waters and a team of field ornithologists on San Clemente Island!), we ought to stand a chance of reaching the 500 plateau in the next couple of years. Besides a number of potential pelagics, some of the county's "missing" species include: Emperor Goose Barrow's Goldeneye Purple Gallinule Glossy Ibis Slaty-backed Gull Ruby-throated Hummingbird Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Sedge Wren Dusky Warbler Veery Rufous-backed Robin Louisiana Waterthrush Connecticut Warbler Field Sparrow Streak-backed Oriole There are many other species that might make the "overdue" list. Certainly some vagrant shorebirds are possible; for better or worse, there are really only two decent shorebird areas in our county (lower L. A. River and Piute Ponds/Lancaster). More long-range pelagic trips out west and southwest of San Clemente Island would probably turn up new species. As always, thorough coverage of coastal migrant trips is in order. Going out birding with the sole purpose of finding rarities is likely to be as frustrating as it is counter-productive. Nevertheless, it is always good to keep in mind those species that might possibly turn up but have yet to be properly documented for the L. A. County list. It's bad enough to bird in the smog - who needs to be eating San Diego County's dust at the same time! Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Let's thank Tracy Drake again for her heroic find!
Now what's the record now between those 2 best counties in the U.S.?!! 540 SD, 539 LA according to ebird!

'Cardinal Sin' of Tracy Drake

This is of course a joke post :D

Of course we all should be extremely thankful to her. Maybe she deserve free lunch/dinner till the rest of the year lol. I mean even Kimball Garrett added the bird to his formidable LA county list(according to him, 1st record of this Dusky Warbler, palearctic species). Even opened the preserve from 7am today for our benefit.

That said. :P

Did she post the sighting at LACOBIRD in the EVENING? When she spotted the bird in the MORNING?

Unforgivable! Haha.
I mean we all know this leaf? warbler is a MEGA rarity. My breeding plumage male Cape May Warbler at Formosa Slough last June can't even compare.
So, upon sighting, she should've immediately contacted and posted info everywhere. I trust she has smartphone.
If in doubt, she should've just posted phylloscopus sp. or something at ebird and LACOBIRD, etc., and left it at that. Veterans and experts including twitchers/listers would've have arrived sooner or later to verify it. No need to confirm the exact species with an expert(Dan Cooper?) before posting, you could always do it later.

Even a smartphoneless moi, even though I did finish birding North Famosa as well lol, after spotting Cape May Warbler at 5:30pm(already quite dark), trudged to nearby Starbucks to email veterans and experts including Guy McCaskie, Kimball Garrett, Gary Nunn, Darren Dowell, Mark Scheel etc. Texted Luke Tiller on the way to SB(yeah I at least can text on my phone lol). Mine was a straightforward case in terms of identification though.

Thankfully the bird cooperated nicely, at least for a couple of days, and was being 'mobbed', from what I've heard lol. As far as I know, according to ebird, it wasn't seen today(thank God I braved despite a busy schedule to come by last morning lol. Thanks to others could spot it quick, and after a de rigeur Hurrah! promptly vacated the spot for other birders).

Not only this, did Sarah wait, what, more than 3 hours for the preserve to open on that Sunday, for an Ovenbird? OVEN, another rarity. Surprisingly still there I'm heard, but super elusive.  Maybe she was overeager to come so early lol, like 6:30am, but..haha(we both missed the bird, by the way. After a few more tries, I still haven't seen it, to my utter frustration. Should I even try once more lol).

So everyone, please don't be shy in case you spotted a weird looking bird. Please share promptly :p  (I know I'm a mere novice, maybe not my place to make a 'brazen' advice like this, but still this was quite an 'egregious' case!)