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

Rare Bird Alert - March 26, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | White-winged Dove | Common Ground Dove | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | American Bittern | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron |Zone-tailed Hawk | Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | WHITE WAGTAIL | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler

Rare Bird Alert - March 19, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | Spotted Dove | Common Ground Dove | White-winged Dove | Pacific Golden-Plover | Franklin's Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Swainson's Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | GREATER PEWEE | Tropical Kingbird | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin's Vireo | Bank Swallow | WHITE WAGTAIL | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Scott's Oriole | RUSTY BLACKBIRD | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager

, ,

Adventures in Nature Wherever We Are

, ,
Adventures in Nature Wherever We Are

My first close encounter with a whale was at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, currently home to many orphaned and injured ocean inhabitants. I took the back scene tour that raised funds for animal rescue and welfare including “Lunch with Shamu,” one of several generations of Shamu-named orcas. Seated at a table alongside Shamu, I bit into my peanut butter sandwich only to have Shamu leave the water and slide down our eight-person table to my sandwich. Whales have huge, muscular tongues they use to lick food off of their baleen, much as we lick peanut butter off of the roofs of our mouths. From the response of the trainer, this was an unplanned snack.

, ,

An Unexpected Gift

, ,

A black phoebe has taken a liking to our backyard, perching variously on the spent orchid stem, the tomato plant cage, the long slender stem of the Agapanthus, and the telephone wire. She visits often throughout the day, feeding on the small yellow moths she spies in the grass, swooping down to snatch them and gliding back up to her perch to swallow them.

Rare Bird Alert - March 12, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | Spotted Dove | Common Ground Dove | White-winged Dove | American Oystercatcher | Pacific Golden-Plover | Neotropic Cormorant | American Bittern | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Little Blue Heron | California Condor | Zone-tailed Hawk | Rough-legged Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | GREATER PEWEE | Tropical Kingbird | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | WHITE WAGTAIL | Grasshopper Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Scott's Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Nashville Warbler | American Redstart | Summer Tanager | Black-headed Grosbeak

Rare Bird Alert - March 5, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | Common Ground Dove | American Oystercatcher | Mountain Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | Little Blue Heron | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Zone-tailed Hawk | Rough-legged Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | Hammond's Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Bell's Vireo | WHITE WAGTAIL | Grasshopper Sparrow | Clay-colored Sparrow | "Red" Fox Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Hooded Oriole | Scott's Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Lucy's Warbler | Nashville Warbler | American Redstart | Painted Redstart

Subscribe

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