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
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Western Tanager, Vol. 87 No. 1, Sep-Oct 2020

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PDF Vol. 87 No. 1 Sep–Oct 2020 Western Tanager

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

INTERPRETING NATURE — Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program Research Projects, By Stacey Vigallon & Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program Interns

OUTDOOR EDUCATION — “More on Perspective, Pandemic Changes”, By Cindy Hardin

YOUNG BIRDERS — “The Brown Pelican”, By Dessi Sieburth

WINGING IT: Discovering the Caribbean Birding Trail
Part 3—The Rare Birds of St. Lucia, By Lisa Freeman

BIRDS OF THE SEASON — August 2020, By Jon Fisher

BOOK REVIEW

A History of the World in 12 Maps AND Underland: A Deep Time Journey,
Written By Brandon Kim, Greenhouse Program Intern

FROM OUR READERS

The Spider and The Fly, By Ms. Sherry L. Roberts

A New Beginning, By Rachelle Arslan

Springtime in South Pasadena, By Mary Anne Lower and Julie Vogel

Rare Bird Alert - September 11, 2020

Rare Bird Alert - September 11, 2020

Hooded Merganser | White-winged Dove | American Oystercatcher | Pacific Golden-Plover | Semipalmated Sandpiper | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Grasshopper Sparrow | Lark Bunting | Clay-colored Sparrow | Black-throated Sparrow | Virginia's Warbler | American Redstart | Hooded Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Canada Warbler | Summer Tanager

Calling all LA County high school students - Sci-Fi writing contest!

The Green Feather Award Promo.png

Calling all Los Angeles County high school students!  Here’s your chance to showcase your creative Sci-Fi writing!  Los Angeles Audubon Society is the sponsor of the Green Feather Award, part of The Tomorrow Prize category. Entries are accepted starting September 15, 2020 through the February 1, 2021 deadline. Cash prizes for best stories.

Details can be found here:

https://www.lightbringerproject.org/science-fiction-competitions 

This year, the writing competition board is also offering two fall information sessions for teens and educators to ask questions and get submission and story tips. All the info -- guidelines, writing tips, links to sign up -- is on the website: https://www.lightbringerproject.org/science-fiction-competitions 

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