By Jon Fisher
As spring rushed toward summer, birders made the most of their time finding migrants both regular and rare. By early June the show was all but over, with only a few stragglers still passing through. Following a dismal vagrant season last spring, there were hopes for a more exciting 2022. Indeed, this year saw marked improvement with a rather satisfying- if not overwhelming- number of good birds found in the county.
Though relatively new as a hotspot for viewing spring migrants in the county, Bear Divide near Santa Clarita continued to be both popular and productive. 2022 never matched the remarkable numbers of last spring, but nonetheless produced a steady flow of birds, with some days being quite good and others slow. Much of the activity is weather dependent but predicting bird movements sometimes seems as much guesswork as science. Regardless, the divide continues to be one of the best places in southern California to observe spring migration.
Also, quite good this spring was the area along the Interstate 5 corridor roughly between Quail Lake and Gorman. Among the many migrants recorded here, a single May morning produced 3,000 Western Tanagers and 500 Western Kingbirds. That highlight aside, migrants were pretty much everywhere in the county from mid-March through May.
Here's a look at what was found in May and June…
A Common Goldeneye lingered late at Quail Lake through May 14 (Brad Rumble). Small numbers of Common Mergansers were along the San Gabriel River above Azusa in late May and early June where breeding has been confirmed in recent years. Also of note was a late individual at Quail Lake near Gorman on May 19 (Mitchell Pruitt)
Two Inca Doves were spotted in Lake Los Angeles in the east Antelope Valley on May 13 where a miniscule population persists (Tom Miko). Elsewhere a Common Ground Dove was on Santa Catalina Island on May 15 (Tom Eastman) and White-winged Doves were at Apollo Park on May 10 (Jon Fisher), at Rancho Sierra Golf Course in the east Antelope Valley on June 5 (Kimball Garrett) and along the Playa Vista Riparian Corridor on June 9 (Don Sterba).
A Greater Roadrunner along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach from May 22-June 10 was well away from usual areas (Carmelito Guan). The handful of records on the coastal slope away from regular areas of occurrence demonstrate the ability of this species to turn up in unexpected places.
Also of interest was a recently deceased, Yellow-billed Cuckoo in West Los Angeles on June 20 (Alicia Srinivas). Late spring and summer records in the county are few but hint the potential for local breeding. Formerly a relatively common breeder on the coastal slope, loss of habitat has reduced its status to that of a rare migrant.
Quite rare but hardly unprecedented was a Mexican Whip-poor-will along the Angeles Crest Highway near Mt. Waterman on May 13 (Nick & Mary Freeman, Sarah Boscoe). There are now about a half dozen records of this species along that route. This record was well west of any previous locations, indicating that this may occur more widely in the San Gabriels than previously thought, though detections are still rare and irregular.
A Chimney Swift at Pt. Dume in Malibu on May 24 was the only one confirmed this spring (Kimball Garrett). An above average two dozen Black Swifts were recorded during the period, with Cobal Canyon Trail above Claremont Wilderness Park being the most reliable location to observe them. Two to three were reported there through June 16.
Two Calliope Hummingbirds near Highway 2 and Blue Ridge Road in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains on June 18 were the only ones confirmed in the county so far this summer (Tom Wurster, Liga Auzins). Additionally, a small number of migrants were found earlier this spring.
Extremely rare in Los Angeles County waters was a Horned Puffin in the West San Pedro Channel on May 21 (Jon Feenstra). Only slightly more expected was a Tufted Puffin off the Palos Verdes Peninsula on May 22 (Marky Mutchler, Tom Miko, Judy Hwa).
Two late Short-billed Gulls were along the Los Angeles River in Maywood from May 14-17 (James Maley) and MacArthur Park produced a Herring Gull present from May 20-22 and a Glaucous-winged Gull from May 20-21. Truly notable was a Slaty-backed Gull observed there from May 19-22 (Andrew Birch, Naresh Satyan). There are now just four county records, all within the past half decade.
At least fifteen Neotropic Cormorants were recorded at over a half dozen locations on the coastal slope. Seven individuals and an active nest at the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys on June 4 was a high count for the period. They appear well on their way to being established in the county and numbers should be expected to increase. The days of Double-crested Cormorants being the default species inland are over.
A similar expansion continues for Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, with at least a dozen reported over the period. Breeding was confirmed at Alamitos Bay.
May produced an unusual number of inland records of Brown Pelicans. Emaciated birds were also found in above average numbers along the coast. Many of these distressed individuals were captured, treated and released. Conditions yet unknown appear to have caused a prey shortage for these birds, resulting in starvation and eventually dispersal.
A Zone-tailed Hawk continued in Monrovia through May 11 and one was at Griffith Park on June 3 (Mark Harris).
More late birds of note included a Belted Kingfisher at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on June 19 (Jack Wickel) and a Lewis’s Woodpecker continuing on Santa Catalina Island through May 14.
Leading off unusual passerines was an Eastern Kingbird on San Clemente Island on May 25 (Ben Stalheim).
A Plumbeous Vireo was at Stephen Sorenson Park in Lake Los Angeles on May 12 (William Tyrer) and a Purple Martin was at Bear Divide near Santa Clarita on May 17 (Ryan Terrill, Naresh Satyan). This was one of only four martins found this spring, a marked decrease from the previous year when no fewer than sixty were recorded.
A Hermit Thrush along San Francisquito Canyon Road near Green Valley on June 19 was at an odd location for that date (Corey Husic). This species breeds sparingly in the higher San Gabriels though there are summer records in the front range above Arcadia.
Of interest was a Brewer’s Sparrow along Blue Ridge Road just off the Angeles Crest Highway on June 5 (Jon Fisher, Sarah Ngo). This is the second consecutive spring that a singing bird has been detected in this area. Once again, the odds of it finding a mate were slight.
Two Lincoln’s Sparrows were at Table Mountain Road and Highway 2 west of Big Pine from June 18-20 (Tom Wurster, Liga Auzins). This species is a scarce breeder in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and this location is among the most reliable. This species has recently been recorded here annually.
Running very late was a White-crowned Sparrow at Apollo Park near Lancaster on June 6 (Jon Feenstra), while rare coastally was a Green-tailed Towhee in Rolling Hills from May 7-9.
A fine looking adult male Baltimore Oriole at El Dorado Park in Long Beach from May 19-20 (Nancy Salem) was the only icterid of note during the period.
Spring Black-and-white Warblers were at Buckhorn Campground in the San Gabriel Mountains on May 16 (Grace Sakaguchi, Julie Rush, Chris Nelson), at Wardlow Park in Long Beach on May 16 (Kim Moore), on San Clemente Island from May 22-23 (Kandace Glanville) and in Cooper Canyon near Buckhorn on June 4 (Alan Brelsford).
Higher on the rarity scale were a Hooded Warbler along the Playa Vista Riparian Corridor from May 19-22 (Kevin Lapp) and a Northern Parula at Whitney Canyon Park near Santa Clarita on May 15 (Dan Cooper). Even less expected was Yellow-throated Warbler at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach from May 24-27 (Layton Pace). Another good find was a Black-throated Green Warbler along lower Little Rock Creek near Palmdale on May 30 (William Tyrer).
A dozen Summer Tanagers were recorded over the period, with possible breeding birds including one along Little Rock Creek near Valyermo on May 13 (Kimball Garrett) and a pair along Soledad Canyon Road near Agua Dulce on May 31 (Sage Bylin).
An above average ten Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were found during the period and an Indigo Bunting was in Rolling Hills Estates on May 12 (Randy Harwood).
It’s always something of a letdown when spring migration comes to an end, but the upside is that fall migration is close behind. In fact, a few southbound Wilson’s Phalaropes have already been observed.
By mid-July, shorebird movements will be obvious. The Piute Ponds, lower Los Angeles River, Malibu Lagoon and other wetlands will be worth checking for migrants and vagrants. July has produced some great shorebird records for the county, including Red-necked Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.
July will also see the start of passerine migration and the San Gabriel Mountains can be productive at this time. By August numbers will increase and both passerines and shorebirds will be vying for the attention of birders. From August through October the possibilities are many as is the potential for vagrants. It’s arguably the best season of the year for birders.