Birds of the Season — October 2021
By Jon Fisher
Fall is the most exciting and most anticipated time of year for birders in southern California. Still, some years are better than others. Did this year live up to expectations, fall short, or exceed them? Now at the end of October, it’s easy to make the case that it exceeded them.
If the spring of 2021 was defined by a near complete lack of vagrants, the fall was defined by a complete reversal of those fortunes. To call it epic isn’t much of an exaggeration. Though there were few super rarities, unusual birds were discovered almost daily, with multiples of most expected eastern warblers and a variety of others represented in the mix.
A handful of early fall arrivals were recorded as were a number of late southbound migrants. It’s inevitable that as the intensity of birding in the county increases, the more rarities and early and late records will be documented. Naturally, weather, climate change and year to year variation in movements, breeding success and distribution play a role as well. Regardless, the number of vagrants found is represented by an upward curve.
While the deserts of Los Angeles County were hot as always, summer on the coastal slope was rather mild. Wildfires- devastating for parts of central and northern California- had a very modest impact locally. A good thing, since we could all use a respite after the ugly fire season of 2020 and the woes of the ongoing pandemic.
In 2021, with La Niña conditions having developed and expected to remain in place, the odds for a drier than normal winter are higher. Hope lies in the fact that this is not certainty. An exceptionally long drought capped by the remarkably dry winter of 2020-2021 leaves us hoping for at least average precipitation this winter. Aside from providing water for agriculture and every other human need, bird habitats would benefit significantly.
Let’s take a look at the greater and lesser birds of note from September and October…
A Eurasian Wigeon was at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on September 28 (Keith Condon). Always unusual inland were two Surf Scoters at Quail Lake near Gorman on October 20 (Teresa Connell).
Seven White-winged Doves were detected during the period, an about average number. Also of interest are a very few Spotted Doves that persist south of downtown Los Angeles in the vicinity of Leon H. Washington Park. These were reported through early September. The population of this once common non-native dove has plummeted since the 1980s.
An American Oystercatcher was at the Ballona Creek mouth through September 28 and two were at the Los Angeles Harbor from October 9-16 (Tad Guidry). Another was at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro on October 12 (Jonathan Nakai).
The Pacific Golden-Plover that spent the last three winters along lower Ballona Creek was back again as of August 28 (Femi Faminu) and reported there through October 7.
A Ruff was on the Los Angeles River in South Gate from September 26-27 (Richard Barth) and another was downstream in Long Beach from October 19-22 (Jeff Boyd).
Stilt Sandpipers were along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on September 9 (Mark Scheel), in Cudahy on September 19 (Mark Harris), at the Piute Ponds from October 6-20 (Chris Dean), with two birds present there from October 19-22.
Though it seems ages ago in terms of the birding action this fall, the Red-necked Stint first seen at Malibu Lagoon on August 22 continued through August 29, within our period of coverage.
Semipalmated Sandpipers were at the Piute Ponds on August 29 (Dessi Sieburth, Frank & Susan Gilliland) and again on September 5 (Ted Keyel, Mark & Janet Scheel) and at Malibu Lagoon on September 4 (Otto Mayer),
The long-staying Sabine’s Gull continued at the Piute Ponds through September 15. Others were along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on September 5 (Becky & Steve Turley) and on September 25 (Jeff Boyd). Rare inland was a Heermann’s Gull at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on October 14 (Keith Condon).
Rare in county waters were single Manx Shearwaters above Redondo Canyon off Redondo Beach on September 21-October 17 (Jon Feenstra) and off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on September 18-October 2 (Bernardo Alps).
At least three of five possible booby species were represented this fall, with a Nazca Booby near Santa Catalina Island on September 14 (Tracey B.), a Masked/Nazca Booby at the Los Angeles Harbor from October 9-10 (Tad Guidry), a Brown Booby off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on October 5 (Jon Feenstra) and Red-footed Boobies in San Pedro from September 24-26 (Bernardo Alps) and south of Long Beach from October 10-16 (Naresh Satyan).
Neotropic Cormorants included single birds continuing along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas through September 4 and up to two at the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys through October 10.
A Little Blue Heron cruised up and down the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach from September 18-October 22 (Layton Pace).
A handful of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons continued in the county, with most reports coming from the Ballona Creek and Ballona wetlands area, Sims Bio Pond in Long Beach and Alamitos Bay. A few more were scattered over the remainder of the coast, mainly in the San Pedro and Long Beach area.
An early Northern Harrier was at Ryan Park in Rancho Palos Verdes on August 29 (Ryan Kay), while Zone-tailed Hawks were at Silver Lake Reservoir in Los Angeles on September 13 (Mark Wilson), continuing in Monrovia on October 8, over Altadena on October 15 (Luke Tiller, Catherine Hamilton) and near Diamond Bar on October 19 (Daniel Reed).
Lewis’s Woodpeckers were present in above average numbers in September and October, with birds scattered through the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains and on the coastal slope. High counts of thirty to fifty birds were at Jackson Lake near Big Pines during the first half of October.
Nine Tropical Kingbirds were found over the period, a slightly above average number. More unusual was an Eastern Kingbird on San Clemente Island on September 1 (Justyn Stahl, Nicole DesNoyers).
A Bell’s Vireo at Jackson Lake in the east San Gabriel Mountains on September 22 was of interest, as this species is rarely detected in migration (John Yerger, Maribel Lopez).
Following a very good spring for the species, a dozen Purple Martins were found this fall, all on the coastal slope.
An excellent find was a Dusky Warbler in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys on October 9 (Jon Fisher, Sarah Ngo). This species is an exceedingly rare near-coastal vagrant from late September through October, with just twenty-three records now for the entire state. For Los Angeles County, this was just the second mainland sighting and the third ever detected, with both previous birds found in October of 2017. Interestingly, a bird in eastern Kern County in 1997 represents the only truly inland California record. The Sepulveda bird was also California’s longest staying Dusky Warbler, being reported for a remarkable eleven days. Was it present before October 9, and if so for how long? How many others passed through the state this fall unseen by birders? Intriguing questions, but alas unanswerable ones.
Surprising numbers of- Swainson’s Thrushes —given the time of year- were detected during night migration monitoring in early October, with eight recorded on October 8 in the Loz Feliz area of Los Angeles (Andrew Birch). Rather late were single birds at Maywood Riverfront Park in Maywood (James Maley) and at Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont on October 20 (Tom Miko)
Lapland Longspurs were on San Clemente Island from September 14-20 (Justyn Stahl, Nicole Desnoyers) and in the east Antelope Valley from October 17-20 (Mark & Janet Scheel).
A Grasshopper Sparrow was at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach from October 17-19 (Robert Hamilton) was the only one reported thus far. At least fourteen Clay-colored Sparrows were recorded over the period; above average numbers have been reported that past two autumns. Also of note was a “Red” Fox Sparrow at Pearblossom Park in the south Antelope Valley on October 14 (Kimball Garrett).
Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Juncos were in Juniper Hills on October 7 (Kimball Garrett), at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from October 12-19 (Keith Condon) and at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena from October 17-22 (Darren Dowell).
White-throated Sparrows were at the Piute Ponds on October 12 (Chris Dean) and at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh on October 19 (Van Pierszalowski). Another two were at Solstice Canyon Park near Malibu on October 19 (Kathleen Waldron).
An early Swamp Sparrow was at Peck Road Water Conservation Park in Arcadia on September 23 (Steven Kurniawidjaja) and others were at Lower Arroyo Park in Pasadena on October 12 (Jon Fisher) and in the Sepulveda Basin on October 20 (Jake Mohlmann).
Green-tailed Towhees, scarce fall migrants on the coastal slope, were in Rolling Hills on September 2 (Jim Aichele, Cathy Nichols), at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood from October 1-22 (Joyce Brady) and in the Sepulveda Basin on October 9 (Sarah Boscoe).
A dozen Bobolinks were found. This species varies in numbers from year to year, often dependent upon suitable available habitat.
In addition to our ten expected western migrants, no fewer than seventeen “vagrant” species of Wood-Warblers were recorded. These included an Ovenbird in Rancho Palos Verdes on September 15, eight Northern Waterthrushes, nine Black-and-white Warblers and eight Tennessee Warblers.
Lucy’s Warblers were at Silver Lake Meadow in Los Angeles from September 3-30 (Andrew Birch), along the Los Angeles River in Van Nuys on September 3 (Otto Mayer), at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on September 5 (Robert Hamilton) and in Palos Verdes on September 20 (Adrian Vilca)
Virginia’s Warblers were at the Piute Ponds from September 3-16 (Kathy Duret), at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on September 3 and again on September 20 (Keith Condon), at Agua Amarga Reserve in Palos Verdes from September 12-17 (Jonathan Nakai, Naresh Satyan) and at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach on October 19 (Robert Hamilton).
An American Redstart was at Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach from September 21-29 (Jim Hecht), with two present there on September 23 (Chezy Yusuf), and at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City on September 28 (Manuel Duran). A Northern Parula was at Banning Park in Wilmington on September 12 (Mark & Janet Scheel) and five Magnolia Warblers were recorded.
Blackburnian Warblers were on San Clemente Island from September 19-20 (Nicole DesNoyers) and again from September 28-29 (Justyn Stahl), at Occidental College in Los Angeles from September 29-30 (Ryan Terrill, Marky Mutchler) and in Duarte on October 20 (Steven Kurniawidjaja).
Six Chestnut-sided Warblers, eleven Blackpoll Warblers and six Palm Warblers were reported during the period. At the rarer end of the scale was a Pine Warbler on Santa Catalina Island- the first for the Channel Islands- on October 17 (Chris Dean) and a Prairie Warbler on San Clemente Island from September 15-20 with two there on September 19 (Justyn Stahl, Nicole Desnoyers).
Quite rare in the county was a Canada Warbler at Peck Road Water Conservation Park in Arcadia on September 16 (Mark & Janet Scheel).
The Painted Redstart that spent last winter at Inglewood Park Cemetery was back as of September 24 (Russell Stone) and reported through October 22.
Five Summer Tanagers were found this fall, an about average number.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were at Entradero Park in Torrance on September 18 (Andrew Underwood), on San Clemente Island on September 28 (Laura Vandezande) and in Pasadena on October 15 (Darren Dowell).
Indigo Buntings were at Silver Lake Reservoir on September 25 (Andrew Birch) and in the Sepulveda Basin on October 18 (Mayer Otto). Typically far rarer, Painted Buntings were on San Clemente Island from September 3-5 (Justyn Stahl, Nicole DesNoyers), at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on September 7, and in the Sepulveda Basin from October 17-18 (Curtis Marantz).
Dickcissels were on San Clemente Island on September 19 (Nicole DesNoyers) and again from September 25-30 (Susan Meiman).
Where do we go after this stellar fall period? The end of migration is inevitably something of a letdown, but new late and wintering vagrants will be discovered in the coming months. Near coastal and coastal slope parks and green patches readily attract Neotropic migrants and others. Indeed, any good patch of habitat on the coastal slope as a whole can produce good wintering birds.
The county’s deserts offer good birding opportunities in winter and even the chilly San Gabriel Mountains can harbor unusual birds. Time spent seawatching from various spots is always well spent, even if not always productive.
In addition to all the usual well-covered birding hotspots, there are ample opportunities to explore new and under-birded areas. One thing is certain. Whether you concentrate on your own local patch, travel throughout southern California, or something in between, birds will reward you in many ways.