Birds of the Season- November 2025
by Jon Fisher
Following a comparatively mild summer on the coastal slope, mid-October brought some unusually early substantial rainfall to the county. November added significantly to that total. That’s a definite plus for bird habitats and should also greatly reduce the potential for wildfires.
Los Angeles County’s active birders found a remarkable number and diversity of vagrants this fall. The deserts, mountains, coastal slope and offshore waters and islands were all productive for notable birds. In large part, increased coverage is responsible for an increase in the rare birds detected, especially since the populations of many of these birds are in decline.
Inaccessible to the public, San Clemente Island has long been the envy of southern California birders due its impressive annual list of fall vagrants, including some mega-rarities. But increasing coverage of nearby Santa Catalina Island in fall has proved very worthwhile. By contrast, this island has easy public access and hosted a long list of rare birds this October and November.
Many parks and natural areas on the coastal slope held interesting passerines. The Piute Ponds, though coverage suffered due to closure during the government shutdown, still managed a number of good birds.
In addition to a handful of late and lingering migrants and the usual few out of place birds, there was a lot to find and chase this fall. Here’s a recap of notable birds in the county from late September into November.
A Eurasian Wigeon was on Santa Catalina Island on October 18 (Mark & Janet Scheel) and two Surf Scoters were at Quail Lake near Gorman on November 1 (Sarah Boscoe).
A Common Ground Dove was in Glendale on October 20 (Andy Birch). White-winged Doves included a continuing bird in the Ballona area through September 26 and one on Santa Catalina Island on October 3 (Amy Davis, Chelsea Hockenbury).
Up to five late-staying Lesser Nighthawks were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale from October 19-30 (Lance Benner, Naresh Satyan).
The returning wintering Pacific Golden-Plover near the Ballona Creek mouth in Playa del Rey was present through November 13. A lone Mountain Plover was in the Antelope Valley at the A&G Sod Fields near Palmdale on November 10 (Kimball Garrett).
Two Red Knots were at the Ballona Creek mouth from September 27-29 and a Red Phalarope was at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on November 9 (Joyce Brady).
Over a dozen Common Terns were recorded coastally over the period with one inland at Lake Palmdale on September 26 (Kimball Garrett).
Sabine’s Gulls were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on September 27 (Taylor Paez, Maggie Perlman) and along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach from October 18-21 (Chezy Yusuf).
Lesser Black-backed Gulls included one continuing at Dockweiler State Beach in El Segundo through September 24, one along the Los Angeles River in Maywood from October 19-November 5 and two in Pico Rivera on October 21, with one of these continuing through October 27 (multiple observers).
A Least Storm-Petrel was east of Santa Catalina Island on October 3 (Chelsea Hockenbury, Amy Davis). A Leach’s Storm-Petrel southwest of the Palos Verdes Peninsula on November 8 established the first record for that month (Bernardo & Diane Alps, Loren Wright, Mark Scheel).
A Short-tailed Shearwater was in Santa Monica Bay off Pt. Dume on September 25 (Jon Feenstra) and a Red-footed Booby was near Santa Catalina Island on September 28 (Tom Benson, Shirley Reynolds).
An American Bittern continued in the Ballona area through October 1. A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron on Santa Catalina Island on October 18 established the first record for the island (Mark & Janet Scheel).
Five Western Cattle-Egrets were at the Ballona Wetlands on October 22 (Sarah Boscoe) and one was in Pico Rivera on November 13 (Alistair Skinner).
Broad-winged Hawks were at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on October 3 (Joyce Brady), on Santa Catalina Island on October 19 (Dessi Seiburth, Adrian Hinkle) and at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace on October 25 (Caleb Peterson).
Short-eared Owls were at the Ballona Wetlands from October 12-22 (Joe Clark), in the west Antelope Valley on October 13 (Luke Tiller), on San Clemente Island on October 18 (Susan Meiman) and in Long Beach on October 28 (Benjamin Ewing).
Over two dozen Lewis’s Woodpeckers were found in the county, with a high count of eight at Jackson Lake on November 11 (Tom Miko).
Well away from expected areas was Williamson’s Sapsucker found in Studio City on October 20 (Otto Mayer). A White-headed Woodpecker continued at St Andrew’s Abbey near Valyermo through October 4.
Pure Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flickers were at Bonelli Park in San Dimas from October 29-November 13 (Keith Condon) and at Downey Cemetery on November 1 (Larry Schmahl).
A Dusky-capped Flycatcher had returned for a third winter at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel as of November 10 (Sylvia Afable).
Seven Tropical Kingbirds were reported over the period. A Thick-billed Kingbird in Long Beach on October 23 (Brad Dawson) later turned up in Griffith Park on November 2 (Greg Slak). Remarkably, there were two at this locale, with a returning wintering bird present from October 28-November 13.
Lunada Bay on the Palos Verdes Peninsula produced a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher from November 7-9 (James Wagner, Riley Daniels).
Very rare was a Greater Pewee seen briefly in Sycamore Canyon in Whittier on October 11 (Larry Schmahl). Notable was a late Western Wood-Pewee at Legg Lake in South El Monte on November 8 (Darren Dowell).
A Least Flycatcher was in the Avalon area on Santa Catalina Island on September 27 (Mark &Janet Scheel, Chris Dean). A returning Eastern Phoebe was back at Lake Lindero in Agoura Hills on November 4 and reported through November 13 (Matt Stewart).
A rare migrant Bell’s Vireo was on Santa Catalina Island on September 28 (Dessi Sieburth).
Pacific Wrens were in Malibu on October 10 (Dan Cooper) and at Buckhorn Campground in the San Gabriel Mountains from November 8-9 (Brien Hindman).
A Gray Catbird was on Santa Catalina Island from October 5-10 (Jodhan Fine) and a Sage Thrasher was at Malibu Lagoon on October 26 (Ben Batzel).
Varied Thrushes were at two locations on Santa Catalina Island on October 19 (multiple observers) and at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on November 9 (Gary Peebles).
Quite rare in the county was a Red-throated Pipit in Griffith Park on November 9 (Andy Birch).
Lapland Longspurs were along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach from October 17-19 (Lee Xiong), in the Antelope Valley from October 29-November 1 (Chris Dean), in Griffith Park on November 9 (Andy Birch) and at the Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on November 14 (Kimball Garrett). Chestnut-collared Longspurs were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale from September 27-28 (Caleb Peterson) and at the A&G Sod Fields in the Antelope Valley from October 24-November 1 (Kimball Garrett).
A Grasshopper Sparrow was at the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space in Santa Clarita from September 26-28 (Susan Schalbe), while a Lark Bunting was on Santa Catalina Island on September 28 (Adrian Hinkle).
Ten Clay-colored Sparrows were tallied over the period, but far less expected was a Field Sparrow on Santa Catalina Island on October 19 (Dessie Sieburth, Adrian Hinkle).
Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Juncos were at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena from October 12-14 (Matthew Schmall), on Santa Catalina Island on October 24 (Michael Mulroy) and at Mt Wilson on November 2. A Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco was on Santa Catalina Island on October 18 (Dessi Sieburth, Adrian Hinkle). Ten White-throated Sparrows were also recorded thus far.
Swamp Sparrows were at Rocky Oaks Park in Malibu on November 5 (Dan Cooper), along the San Gabriel River in South El Monte on November 8 (Darren Dowell) and at the Piute Ponds on November 14 (Kimball Garrett).
Green-tailed Towhees included one continuing in Lakewood through November 8, one at Pomona College on September 29 (Eddie Monson), one at Signal Hill in Long Beach from October 1-2 (Chef Ito) and one on Santa Catalina Island on October 25 (Adrian Hinkle, Dessi Sieburth).
Bobolinks were at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale on September 28 (Grigory Heaton), in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys on October 4 (Harvey Villarica, Like Hallberg) and along the San Gabriel River in Pico Rivera on October 4 (Mark & Janet Scheel).
Baltimore Orioles were at Ladera Park in Los Angeles from September 29-October 20 (Sarah Boscoe) and at Franklin Canyon in Los Angeles on October 19 (Rebecca Marschall).
Los Angeles County hosted twenty-six species of wood-warblers this fall. In addition to our nine expected varieties, an additional seventeen species were recorded. These ranged from the “rare but regular” to those less than annual in occurrence. In total, these vagrants numbered close to seventy individuals; an impressive count.
An Ovenbird was found on San Clemente Island on September 23 (Susan Meiman). Northern Waterthrushes were on Santa Catalina Island on September 28 (Adrian Hinkle) and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from October 7-20 (Paul Clarke).
Ten Black-and-white Warblers were detected over the period. A nice find was a Prothonotary Warbler at El Dorado Park in Long Beach on October 19 (Jeff Moore). Fourteen Tennessee Warblers were noted, all on the coastal slope of the county.
Lucy’s Warblers were at DeForest Park in Long Beach on September 28 (Nancy Salem) and on Santa Catalina Island on October 19 (Dessi Sieburth, Adrian Hinkle). Seven American Redstarts were also found.
A returning Cape May Warbler was back at Loyola Marymount University from October 18-November 2 (Kevin Lapp). The only Magnolia Warbler reported was on Santa Catalina Island from October 18-19 (Dessi Seiburth, Adrian Hinkle) and a Bay-breasted Warbler was in El Segundo from November 15-16 (Sarah Boscoe).
Six Blackburnian Warblers were detected over the period, while Chestnut-sided Warblers were at Lambert Park in South El Monte on September 29 (Sean D.), on Santa Catalina Island on September 27 (Logan Kahle, Dessi Sieburth, Adrian Hinkle) and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on October 2 (Keith Condon).
Five Blackpoll Warblers were reported in October and November as were six Palm Warblers.
Grace’s Warblers were in Rancho Palos Verdes on October 2 (Sophie Shen) and at Chilao Flat in the San Gabriel Mountains from October 19-November 7 (Sarah Ngo, Maggie Perlman, Alix Duggins, Kristin Vail).
Black-throated Green Warblers were in Los Angeles from September 29-November 13 (Rebecca Marschall), on Santa Catalina Island from October 25-November 2 (Adrian Hinkle) and at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on November 7 (Becca Cockrum).
Painted Redstarts were at Cortez Park in West Covina on October 20 (Nathan Davis), at San Dimas Canyon Park from November 4-13 (Paul Clarke) and on Santa Catalina Island from November 6-7 (Joseph Vickers).
Eight Summer Tanagers were recorded.
A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was at Avalon on Santa Catalina Island on October 3 (Chelsea Hockenbury, Amy Davis).
Indigo Buntings were on Santa Catalina Island on September 28 (Adrian Hinkle, Dessi Sieburth), on October 5 (Andy Birch, Larua Vandezande, David Bell) and on October 25 (Dessi Sieburth, Adrian Hinkle).
Painted Buntings were on Santa Catalina Island on September 27 (Chris Dean, Mark & Janet Scheel, Laura Vandezande) and again on October 21 (Grigory Heaton), at Colorado Lagoon on September 30 (Robert Hamilton) and at Peck Water Conservation Park in Arcadia on November 2 (Eddie Monson).
Dickcissels were at the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space in Santa Clarita on September 26 (Susan Schalbe), in Los Feliz on September 27 (Mark Wilson) and on Santa Catalina Island from October 18-21 (many observers).
Although passerine migration has ended, we can expect lingering and wintering neotropical migrants will continue to be found on the coastal slope.
The Antelope Valley will be a good place to look for longspurs and Mountain Plovers in addition to the usual specialties. In the same general area, the Los Angeles Aqueduct and various deep-water interior lakes have the potential to attract both rare and regular diving ducks and loons.
While the higher San Gabriel Mountains tend to be quiet in late fall and winter, Chilao Flat’s recent Grace’s Warbler and Evening Grosbeaks at multiple locations in past years indicate that there is potential here.
Christmas Bird Counts are almost upon us-- all of these will be conducted between December 14 and January 5. This is a worthwhile and rewarding Citizen Science project and most counts can benefit from additional participants.
Once CBCs have concluded in early January, spring migration is about to begin. It will be a new calendar year and a new year list to build, aided by the amazing diversity of birds in the county.