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
, ,

FROM OUR READERS: Top Ways to Preserve Nature While Hiking

, ,

Going for a hike is a popular way to get regular exercise. More than 30 million people hit the hiking trails across the country every year for both day hikes and multiple day hikes. However, all that foot traffic on trails and through the wilderness can decimate the local ecosystem.

, ,

CONSERVATION CORNER: Rio de Los Angeles State Park Riparian Breeders

, ,
CONSERVATION CORNER: Rio de Los Angeles State Park Riparian Breeders

Once in a while, it’s good to celebrate a conservation success story on public land, right in the heart of the city. Rio de Los Angeles State Park appears to be a real success story in terms of re-wilding a small section of a park that sits within an intensely urbanized setting. The park is located in northeast Los Angeles, approximately 2.5 miles north of downtown and is located next to the former Union Pacific Rail Yard called the Taylor Yard complex, which is also under active long-term planning as a city park.

, ,

FROM OUR READERS: BALLONA STORIES - A Poem

, ,
FROM OUR READERS: BALLONA STORIES - A Poem

We often hear stories and tidbits from the lives of our young nature adventurers while they are on our field trips to Ballona and Kenneth Hahn. Below is a poem written by long-time ace volunteer Joyce Karel about some of the secrets that have been shared with her.

, ,

FROM OUR READERS: No Sparrows

, ,
FROM OUR READERS: No Sparrows

Being visited by wild birds while working in my outdoor office is an invigorating momentary distraction from my labors. Every morning before I plug in on the patio table, I open my rodent-proof bird food container and scoop out seeds. nyjer for the goldfinches, corn for the sparrows, black sunflower seeds for the mockingbirds, suet for whatever bird comes to call, plus sugar-water for the hummingbirds.

, ,

FROM OUR READERS: Two Robins In a Birdbath

, ,
FROM OUR READERS: Two Robins In a Birdbath

Not exotica that you would grab your bins, rev-up your SUV and drive across three states to observe, beaming with pride as you record its sighting and count on eBird. Rather the robin is a friendly bird, more like a next-door neighbor.

You won’t have to trek to the Amazon or Patagonia to see a robin, though once-in-a-lifetime trips like those are inked on many a bucket list. No. You will spy the robin in Ponderosa pine forests, urban landscapes and grassy lawns pecking the ground for earthworms. Her nest is made of mud, her eggs an eponymous and beautiful blue that you just might decide is the perfect color for your kitchen.

, , ,

FROM OUR READERS: Reclaiming Ourselves Through Nature

, , ,

I still remember the first day I truly found the wilderness. It was a cool day in July, a rarity for the desert of Los Angeles I call home. I had woken up early that day to go running with some friends, a favorite pastime of mine; our destination was a patch of open space just outside the valley.

, ,

FROM OUR READERS: Owls Nesting in Our Yard

, ,
FROM OUR READERS: Owls Nesting in Our Yard

One evening in mid-May, two friends and I were sitting on our front porch (with masks and social distancing) after an evening hike. Their musicians’ ears heard owls! The next day I started looking for them at dawn and dusk. Then, in the middle of the following day I saw a head sticking out of the old nesting box I had built for an acorn woodpecker which my husband, Marc, and I rescued from a downed tree six years ago.

, ,

FROM OUR READERS: The Fledgling

, ,
FROM OUR READERS: The Fledgling

The grayish brownish thing I discovered underneath the salvia in the backyard garden made me hold my breath for weeks.

I discovered this hidden thing about four years ago around the end of April. A jerky movement at the top terrace caught my eye. Squatting down sumo-style, I gingerly lifted the leaves. All right, what are you? I was face-to-beak with a baby bird. The bird froze and I immediately let go of the leaves.

Oh great. Just great.

, ,

Winging It: Discovering The Caribbean Birding Trail, Part II: Dominica—The Rare Parrots' Paradise

, ,
Winging It: Discovering The Caribbean Birding Trail, Part II: Dominica—The Rare Parrots' Paradise

The morning sky was gray and the clouds thick with the threat of more rain. What had started out earlier as light showers had turned into a steady downpour as we sat perched on a wet wooden bench beneath a camouflage poncho, expertly strung up as a makeshift tarp by our bird guide.

, , ,

Birds of the Season – June 2020

, , ,
Birds of the Season – June 2020

By any standard, this spring has been an unexpected and unprecedented one. It would seem impossible to write this column without mention of the coronavirus pandemic. While birders have been fortunate to be able to continue their pursuits less affected than many others, this birding season has been overshadowed by world events.

Subscribe

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