Christmas Bird Count
Susan Castor
2025 Lancaster CBC Breakdown

First, a special note about L.A. County: As counties go, Los Angeles is quite remarkable. Yes, there are a huge number of CBC’s in LA county (12!); but also, in all of the United States, San Diego County is the only other that can lay claim to pelagic birds, montane birds, and desert birds, all residing comfortably in their own ecosystems. Yes, seeing a Verdin, a LeConte’s Thrasher, and a Mountain Bluebird on one LA County CBC; then turning around the next day and seeing a Parasitic Jeager, a Black Oystercatcher, and a Lewis’ Woodpecker on another LA County CBC, is entirely possible - although not easy!

2025 Lancaster CBC Breakdown
Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - January 22, 2026

Barrow’s Goldeneye | Greater Roadrunner | Mountain Plover | Solitary Sandpiper | Ancient Murrelet | Black-legged Kittiwake | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Zone-tailed Hawk | Williamson’s Sapsucker | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Western Flycatcher | Gray Catbird | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Orchard Oriole | Baltimore Oriole | Scott’s Oriole | “Bicolored” Red-winged Blackbird | Ovenbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Northern Parula | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Palm Warbler | Grace’s Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - January 13, 2026

Surf Scoter | Barrow’s Goldeneye | Solitary Sandpiper | Laughing Gull | Vega Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Pacific Loon | Zone-tailed Hawk | Short-eared Owl | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Western Kingbird | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Western Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Gray Catbird | Grasshopper Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | “Large-billed” Savannah Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Baltimore Oriole | Ovenbird | Northern Waterthrush | Black-and-white Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | Nashville Warbler | MacGillivray’s Warbler | American Redstart | Cape May Warbler | Northern Parula | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Palm Warbler | Grace’s Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager |Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Black-headed Grosbeak

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - December 31, 2025

“Eurasian” Green-winged Teal | Surf Scoter | Barrow’s Goldeneye | Vega Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Prairie Falcon | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Verdin | Gray Catbird | Grasshopper Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Ovenbird | Palm Warbler | Grace’s Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - December 24, 2025

Surf Scoter | Barrow’s Goldeneye | Mountain Plover | Solitary Sandpiper | Lesser Black-backed Gull | “Prairie” Merlin | Prairie Falcon | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | GREATER PEWEE | Western Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin’s Vireo | Gray Catbird | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Baltimore Oriole | Ovenbird | Northern Waterthrush | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler | Pine Warbler | Nashville Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager | Summer Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Volume 90

,

Western Tanager, Nov-Dec 2023, Vol. 90 No. 2

,
Western Tanager, Nov-Dec 2023, Vol. 90 No. 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Observing the Coastal California Gnatcatcher, by Daniel Horowitz

LAAS Expresses Concerns with Ballona Wetlands Project – With Letter to the Wildlife Conservation Board, by Margot Griswold

The 124th Christmas Bird Count

Arctic-Breeding Greater Yellowlegs Tracked to Los Angeles River, by Rozy Bathrick

Birds of the Season - December 2023, by Jon Fisher

2024 Call For Applications, Ralph W. Schreiber Ornithology Research Award

, ,

Western Tanager, September-October 2023, Vol. 90 No.1

, ,

Photo by Robbie Lisa Freeman

PDF Vol. 90 No. 1

Inside This Issue

A Splendidly Spooky Avian Encounter by Robbie Lisa Freeman

Birds Of The Season—October 2023 by Jon Fisher

, ,

A Splendidly Spooky Avian Encounter

, ,
A Splendidly Spooky Avian Encounter

Recently, at my home in Mar Vista, I began noticing some unusual sounds. As dusk fell and darkness drew its blanket across the sky, I’d hear intermittent hissing, cries, and croaking sounds. At times, the eerie sounds would increase with such intensity that I’d walk outside to listen. It seemed to be coming from the unlit alley behind our house. Was it some kind of Cicada? A rare type of tree frog? Frightful spirits rising up from the dead for Halloween? One night around 11 PM, I heard a bloodcurdling shriek and felt a chill go down my spine! What was going on in Mar Vista?

, ,

Birds of the Season—August 2023

, ,
Birds of the Season—August 2023

Following a relatively cool early July, summer finally arrived. Temperatures increased and some weak systems brought a modicum of subtropical moisture. Thankfully there were no significant wildfires locally thus far.

But the stunner from a weather and birding perspective was a very strong tropical storm- the remnants of hurricane Hilary— that hit the county on August 20. This event dumped five inches of rain or more in many locations and was accompanied by high winds in many places. The added precipitation from Hilary makes severe fires even less likely, but not out of the question.

Subscribe

Sign up to join our mailing list to receive our newsletter and updates on upcoming events.