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

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - December 16, 2025

Surf Scoter | Barrow’s Goldeneye | Mountain Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Zone-tailed Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | GREATER PEWEE | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin’s Vireo | Gray Catbird | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Ovenbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Nashville Warbler | American Redstart | Northern Parula | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Palm Warbler | Pine Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Hepatic Tanager | Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - December 5, 2025

Eurasian Wigeon | Surf Scoter | Pacific Golden-Plover | Mountain Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | American Bittern | Western Cattle-Egret | Manx Shearwater | Swainson’s Hawk | Short-eared Owl | Williamson’s Sapsucker | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Western Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin’s Vireo | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Hooded Oriole | Baltimore Oriole | Ovenbird | Black-and-white Warbler | MacGillivray’s Warbler | American Redstart | Cape May Warbler | Northern Parula | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager | Black-headed Grosbeak | Indigo Bunting 

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - November 22, 2025

Pacific Golden-Plover | Red Phalarope | Lesser Black-backed Gull | American Bittern | Western Cattle-Egret | White-headed Woodpecker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Western Warbling-Vireo | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Nashville Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager

BIRDS OF THE SEASON
Susan Castor
Birds of the Season — November 2025

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.

Birds of the Season — November 2025

Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 5, May–Jun 2016

A Caspian Tern banded 11 years ago in Oregon has been seen here in Playa del Rey. The bird was banded as a chick at East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary (near Astoria, OR) on 7/12/2005. The bird has not been seen in the study area in the P…

A Caspian Tern banded 11 years ago in Oregon has been seen here in Playa del Rey. The bird was banded as a chick at East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary (near Astoria, OR) on 7/12/2005. The bird has not been seen in the study area in the Pacific northwest since 2012. (photo by Dean Schaff)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• YOUNG AUTHORS: The Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus), By Dessi Sieburth

• Anza-Borrego Bonanza, By Nick Freeman

• Birds and Other Wildlife seen, March 19-20, 2016 Anza-Borrego field trip, by Kurt Leuschner, KLeuschner@collegeofthedesert.edu

• Birds of the Season — April 2016, By Jon Fisher

• Los Angeles Audubon’s Schoolyard Habitat Program receives generous support from UCLA students in Philanthropy as Civic Engagement Class

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Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 4, Mar-Apr 2016

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 4, Mar-Apr 2016

• BOOK REVIEW: The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling | Linda Oberholtzer

• Open Wetlands at Ballona: Everyone is Invited! | Cindy Hardin

• INTERPRETING NATURE: Susan Miller Dorsey High School EcoClub and Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program | Ingrid Carrillo & Stacey Vigallon

• YOUNG AUTHORS: Why Field Notes Are Important | Dessi Sieburth

• Birds of the Season | Jon Fisher

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Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 3, Jan–Feb 2016

An elegant Snowy Egret carefully scans the lake water for food at the Marriott Manhattan Beach GolfCourse in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo courtesy of Marriott Manhattan Beach Golf Course andAudubon International)

An elegant Snowy Egret carefully scans the lake water for food at the Marriott Manhattan Beach Golf

Course in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo courtesy of Marriott Manhattan Beach Golf Course and

Audubon International)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Sanctuary Golf Program Nurtures Birdies of a Different Feather, By Lisa Freeman

• INTERPRETING NATURE: From Los Angeles to California’s wild landscapes, and back., By Emily Cobar, Greenhouse Program Alumna, and Stacey Vigallon, Director of Environmental Education

• YOUNG AUTHORS: The California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica), By Dessi Sieburth

• Grateful for Grants, California State Parks Foundation

• Birds of the Season — December 2015, By Jon Fisher

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Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 2, Nov-Dec 2015

Vol. 82 No. 2 Nov-Dec 2015_COVER.jpg

Worm-eating Warbler on Dec 28, 2014, 115th CBC | Photo by Don Sterba

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• President’s End‐of‐the‐Year Appeal, By Margot Griswold, Los Angeles Audubon Board President and Education Chair

• Los Angeles Audubon Society Receives Disney Conservation Grant 2015

• INTERPRETING NATURE: A (Mostly) Native Garden, By Joyce Realegeno, Greenhouse Program Alumni, and Stacey Vigallon, Director of Environmental Education

• YOUNG AUTHORS: Volunteering at the Christmas Bird Count — You Never Know What Bird You’ll Find, By Dessi Sieburth

• NATURE CORNER: The Western Spadefoot Toad: Poster Child (Amphibian!) for Past, Present and Future, By Cindy Hardin, Director of Outdoor Education

• Ralph W. Schreiber Ornithology Research Awards for 2016: Call for Applications, By Ryan J. Harrigan, Grants Committee Chairman

• Birds of the Season — October 2015, By Jon Fisher

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Western Tanager, Vol. 82 No. 1, Sep-Oct 2015

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Fledgling Northern Saw-whet Owl, Big Bear, CA during the annual summer trip to Big Bear, CA —July 2015 | Photo by Mary Freeman

Fledgling Northern Saw-whet Owl, Big Bear, CA during the annual summer trip to Big Bear, CA —July 2015 | Photo by Mary Freeman

Inside This Issue

• INTERPRETING NATURE: Los Angeles Audubon’s 2014–2015 Greenhouse Intern Abstracts, By Stacey Vigallon, Director of Interpretation, and the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Interns

• FIELD TRIP REPORT: The Summer of 2015 at Big Bear — Birds and Owls!, By Mary Carmona Freeman

• Nature: A Powerful Childhood Influence, By Cindy Hardin, Director of Outdoor Education

• Birds of the Season — August 2015, By Jon Fisher

• YOUNG AUTHORS: The Golden Eagle in Denali National Park, Alaska; An Interview with Carol McIntyre about Golden Eagles and the Threats They Face, By Dessi Sieburth

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Western Tanager, Vol. 81 No. 5 May-Jun 2015

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American Wigeon, Photo by Tony Bianchi

American Wigeon, Photo by Tony Bianchi

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Birds of the Season — April 2015 | Jon Fisher

• FIELD TRIP REPORT: Anza-Borrego State Park Birds, Wildflowers, Insects, and More, March 2015 | By Kurt Leuschner

• U.S. Dept. of Education honors Dorsey High School with the Green Ribbon School Award | By Stacey Vigallon, Director of Environmental Education

• The ABA Young Birder of the Year Contest 2015: Protecting our Local Birds | By Dessi Sieburth

• Disney Wildlife Conservation Representative Visits L.A. Audubon | With Stacey Vigallon & Carol Babeli

Download PDF Vol. 81 No.5 May-Jun 2015
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Western Tanager, Vol. 81 No. 4 Mar-Apr 2015

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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, April 1992 | Photo by Larry Sansone

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, April 1992 | Photo by Larry Sansone

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • Sometimes the Things You Want for Christmas Come Late | By Louis Tucker

  • Volunteer Habitat Restoration — January 2015 | Written in collaboration by Carol Babeli, LA Audubon Education Directors, Stacey Vigallon and Cindy Hardin and LA Audubon Education chair, Margot Griswold. Photos by Carol Babeli and Stacey Vigallon

  • Volunteer Opportunities Training

  • Audubon Docents Head South | By Cindy Hardin, Director of Outdoor Education, Photos by Leslie Davidson

  • Birds of the Season — February 2015 | By Jon Fisher

  • Protecting the “Least” Bell’s Vireo in California | By Dessi Sieburth

  • INTERPRETING NATURE — Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program, an update | By Stacey Vigallon, Director of Environmental Education

Download PDF, Vol. 81 No. 4, Mar-Apr 2015
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Western Tanager, Vol. 81 No. 3, Jan-Feb 2015

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Birds of the Season—December 2014 | By Jon Fisher

• INTERPRETING NATURE: Los Angeles Audubon’s Teacher Training Fellowship: Working Together and Learning from Each Other, by Stacey Vigallon and Cindy Hardin

• Why Build Local Membership in LA Audubon? | By Brad Rumble

• Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) | By Dessi Sieburth

• Los Angeles Audubon volunteers — doing important work in habitat restoration!, By Carol Babeli

• WFO Conference in Billings, Montana, June 10-14, 2015

Download PDF Vol. 81 No. 3 Jan-Feb 2015
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Western Tanager, Vol. 81 No. 2, Nov-Dec 2014

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California Quail, Lancaster Christmas Bird Count 2008 | Photo by Mary Freeman

California Quail, Lancaster Christmas Bird Count 2008 | Photo by Mary Freeman

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Let's Not Forget The Little Things, By Cindy Hardin

• Condors at Hopper Mountain, Report From the Field, By Dessi Sieburth

• Ralph Schreiber Grant 2015

• 115th Christmas Bird Count—Why Do A Count?, By Nick Freeman

• Birds of the Season — October 2014, By Jon Fisher

• INTERPRETING NATURE: Environment for the Americas & Celebrate Shorebirds Internship Program, By Stacey Vigallon, Director of Interpretation, and Carlos Jauregui, Restoration Coordinator

• How You Are Helping!, By Carol Babeli, Director of Communications and Development

Download PDF, Vol. 81 No. 2
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