by Jon Fisher
The pursuit of birding introduces its devotees not only to birds, but also to geography, weather and climate, ecosystems, habitats and more. All of these are inextricably linked to birds.
As far as climate is concerned, while the earth continues to warm Neotropic migrants have shifted their arrival dates earlier, but not at a pace that’s kept up with climate change. This is a tricky balancing act, made even more so by shifting patterns of precipitation. Breeding when resources are at their most abundant is optimal, but that is becoming less frequently the case.
This past winter was a good example; rather than rainfall being evenly distributed, there were several brief periods of high precipitation that exceeded our annual average. But the rainy season essentially ended in mid-February, much sooner than expected.
Also worth mentioning is that the marine layer that dominates the coastal slope in late spring- dubbed “May Gray” and “June Gloom”- is gradually decreasing. The number of overcast days has dropped by twenty-five percent according to some estimates. Inevitably this will dry vegetation sooner; affecting not only birds, but also increasing fire risk.
During the period, southern California experienced a seabird die-off that affected murres, cormorants and pelicans and others. Deceased birds that were examined indicated the primary cause was starvation. This was likely due to warmer than normal waters driving prey to depths unreachable by these birds. This phenomenon disproportionately affects younger birds that are less skilled at foraging.
On a lighter note, our America’s Birdiest County event was conducted the last weekend of April and produced a total of 255 species in the county. As has been the norm in recent years, this somewhat informal tally of bird species present in the county is mainly a competition with ourselves, rather than with counties across the state or country. But comparing results to previous years paints a useful picture of what birds are present. The species count for 2026 was the lowest since 2005 when the event was in its infancy.
The overall impression this spring was that passerine migration was not especially impressive, though this may have been due to our relatively wet winter. Improved habitat across the region can cause migrants to be more evenly distributed, rather concentrated in areas that are more lush and more regularly scrutinized by birders.
As is typical, the number and variety of vagrants tapered off sharply as spring progressed. Many wintering rarities had left, although a few new ones were found. Here’s a look at birds of interest in the county from late March through mid-May.
Late and lingering waterfowl included a Common Goldeneye at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB from May 9-20 (Grigory Heaton), and White-winged Scoters at the San Gabriel River mouth from April 26-May 5 (Nancy Salem) and off Leo Carillo State Beach on April 12 (Aaron Gyllenhaal).
A Red-necked Grebe was in the Los Angeles Harbor from March 30-April 12 (Tom Benson).
An Inca Dove was in Lake Los Angeles from April 5-6 where a tiny population persists (Mark & Janet Scheel). In addition, six White-winged Doves were recorded in the county over the period.
Two Black Swifts were observed above Claremont on May 9 (Tom Miko) and another was at Bear Divide near Santa Clarita on May 12 (Kelsey Reckling).
Quite rare in the county was an American Golden-Plover at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on April 26 (Mark & Janet Scheel). Unusual in spring was a Pectoral Sandpiper along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on April 11 (Jeff Boyd).
A Red-throated Loon continued at the Earvin Magic Johnson Recreation Area in Willowbrook through April 12, and another was along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on May 18 (Joyce Brady).
Inland Brown Pelicans continued to be reported, with nearly a dozen birds found away from coastal or near coastal areas where they are expected.
Rare for the deserts was a Least Bittern at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on May 6 (Kimball Garrett).
Western Cattle-Egrets were in Lake View Terrace on March 26 (David Bell), along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on March 27 (Richard Barth), at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on April 10 (Mark & Janet Scheel) and near Hansen Dam on May 2 (Brad Rumble).
Very rare as spring transients were Broad-winged Hawks at Quail Lake on May 7 (Jeffrey & Mary Fenwick) and at Piute Ponds on May 14 (William Tyrer). Also notable was a Zone-tailed Hawk at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena on April 26 (Darren Dowell, et al).
Up to a half dozen Lewis’s Woodpeckers lingered on the northwest slope of the San Gabriel Mountains from April 11-May 15 (Jeffrey Nelms).
Very rare in the county was a Crested Caracara in Griffith Park on April 7 (Chelsea Hinkson). A pale “Prairie” Merlin was at the now sadly defunct Rancho Sierra Golf Club in the east Antelope Valley on March 22 (Luke Tiller).
Tropical Kingbirds continued at El Dorado Park in Long Beach through April 26 and at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera through April 5. At least one of two Thick-billed Kingbirds in Griffith Park continued through April 17.
The Greater Pewee that spent the winter at Sycamore Canyon in Whittier was reported through March 23. Oddly, the bird wintering in Monrovia Canyon was not reported after February 28.
Just a few Purple Martins were recorded this spring, with single birds at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City on April 25 (Lee Xiong), at Barley Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains on May 10 (Brad Rumble) and at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB on May 17 (Mark & Janet Scheel).
A half dozen American Dippers were recorded along the Arroyo Seco and San Gabriel River drainages. With an El Niño weather pattern in the offing, potentially producing above average rainfall, this species may continue to increase in the region.
Clay-colored Sparrows were at the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail in Lakewood on March 23 (Joyce Brady) and at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach on April 17 (Rob Hamilton). A dozen White-throated Sparrows were also recorded; a mix of new and continuing birds.
Green-tailed Towhees continued at Monte Verde Park in Lakewood through April 2 and at Pomona College through April 15. Another was on Santa Catalina Island on April 21 (Colby Neuman, Andrew Aldrich, Kyle Landstra).
A Baltimore Oriole was at Ed Vincent Park in Los Angeles on May 17 (Richard Barth).
The wintering Ovenbird along the lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach was present through April 10, while a Northern Waterthrush was at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on April 9 (Paul Clarke); possibly a continuing wintering bird.
Five Black-and-white Warblers were reported, while Tennessee Warblers included a continuing bird at Barnsdall Park in Los Angeles through April 12, one at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas from May 9-10 (Keith Condon), and others at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena on May 17 (Darren Dowell) and in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island on May 16 (Adrian Hinkle). A Lucy’s Warbler continued at DeForest Park in Long Beach through March 29.
Above average for spring were three Hooded Warblers. These included birds in Rolling Hills Estates on May 1 (John Rogers), at Apollo Park in Lancaster on May 7 (Chris Dean) and at Pomona College on May 15 (Eddie Monson).
Northern Parulas were at Avenue Park in La Puente from March 30-April 3 (Chef Ito), near LAX on April 20 (Matthew Wilson), at Piute Ponds on May 2 (Mark & Janet Scheel) and at El Eldorado Park in Long Beach on May 20 (Erin Kellogg).
A Chestnut-sided Warbler was along lower Ballona Creek from April 4-16 (Ryan Crane) and another continued at UCLA in Westwood through April 7.
A Palm Warbler continued at Belvedere Park Lake in East Los Angeles through April 14 and another was in Griffith Park on April 28 (Mark Wilson). A Pine Warbler also continued at Belvedere Park Lake through April 8. A more recently discovered but apparently wintering Black-throated Green Warbler continued at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena through April 5.
Over a half dozen Summer Tanagers were present over the period, but much less expected was a Scarlet Tanager in Signal Hill from May 5-19 (Nancy Salem).
Indigo Buntings were at Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach from April 14-22 (James Hecht) and in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island on May 16 (Adrian Hinkle).
At the end of May we’ll be left with rapidly dwindling numbers of passerine migrants, though a few species are still passing through in numbers. These will include Western Wood-Pewees, Willow Flycatchers and Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers.
Late spring is a good time to check vagrant traps on the desert for late migrants and potential rarities, though such birds can and do turn up almost anywhere. Be sure to check your local patch.
The California Bird Atlas project already has nearly a half a year’s data under its belt. June will be a prime month to watch for and record breeding activity. By modestly altering our birding activity, we can make important contributions to this project. Confirming breeding activity can be quite rewarding, especially when driven by the goal of creating a complete and accurate atlas.
Well before the next column in late July, southbound shorebirds will be moving through. This is just the beginning of what is typically the most exciting time of year in southern California.
Enter your bird sightings on eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird